Ch. 79 - Xiao Nong: Uncle Wang, you can release the news now

A few days ago, Huo Shuang deliberately exposed himself in front of the old emperor, causing the old emperor to pick up two unlucky guys and drag them to be tortured to death. Now, the old emperor was acting out the drama of "suspecting that he was discovered and feeling uneasy". After an hour, he finally got rid of the people who were watching him and arrived at the place where he used to deliver secret letters.

He didn’t expect that the person who took over today would be Zhan Rong.

When Huo Shuang communicated with Prince Ding's Mansion, Zhan Rong was the middleman responsible for delivering messages.

Although the two of them disliked each other and didn't get along well, due to their master-master relationship, they had no choice but to work together cautiously.

However, after successfully inserting a secret agent into the Yangxin Palace, Zhan Rong seldom came here in person.

Huo Shuang seldom came in person to deliver letters, but today Zhong Yansheng looked very serious and came in person to deliver two letters.

The two of them stared at each other for a while, and then Zhan Rong folded his hands and snorted in a gloomy voice: "The master asked me to go to the palace to check on the little prince's condition. Why are you glaring at me? If you don't want to work, don't come here in person."

Huo Shuang took out two letters with a dull face: "Give the first letter to Prince Ding, and the second letter to Doctor Lou."

After returning, Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong wrote letters almost every day. Zhan Rong got used to it and casually said "Oh". He took the letter and looked in the direction of Minghui Palace: "How is your mood these days? Is your Highness satisfied with the cook that your Highness arranged?"

Zhong Yansheng has been very happy these days.

He went to the Yangxin Palace every day to watch the fun. Anyway, the old emperor was busy with his own affairs and could not take care of him.

In addition, the food is not so bad anymore, the meals are better, and their complexions are much rosier.

Although Huo Shuang didn't like Zhan Rong's personality, he didn't even answer this: "It's OK."

"Tsk, what do you mean by 'OK'? You can't even speak."

Huo Shuang was no longer easily angered by Zhan Rong. With a cold expression, he reminded him in a serious manner: "The first letter is for Prince Ding, and the second letter is for Doctor Lou. Don't make a mistake..."

Having said it so many times, Zhan Rong stuffed the two letters into his arms and said, "You talk too much nonsense. I'm leaving now."

After leaving the palace and returning to Prince Ding's Mansion, Zhan Rong took out the two stacked letters, only to find that the envelopes were both blank.

Just in case, to prevent someone from peeking, it’s normal that there is no writing.

But which one is for the master and which one is for Doctor Lou?

Huo Shuang is a taciturn person, and he doesn't even explain himself clearly.

Zhan Rong hesitated for a moment, but did not dare to open the letter without permission. In order to avoid sending the wrong letter, he simply handed the two letters in together when he stepped into Xiao Nong's yard: "Master, there is a letter from the young master."

It probably wouldn't matter if the master saw the letter to Dr. Lou.

There is nothing master can't see. They are all family.

The news about Prince De from the palace had already arrived like snowflakes. Xiao Nong had already read it. He was wearing a royal blue robe, lazily leaning against the pillar, holding the horsewhip in one hand and swinging it casually out of boredom.

After hearing Zhan Rong's reply, he raised his eyes and glanced over, saying more seriously: "Give it here."

The big cat under the corridor swung its tail and stared at the whip with bright eyes. Its gray-blue pupils followed the trajectory of the whip. It made a low humming sound and suddenly pounced on it to chase the whip, having great fun.

Zhan Rong handed over the letter and stood by, watching Taxue flying around and grabbing the horsewhip with his big paws, feeling extremely envious.

When will Taxue be willing to play Cuju with him?

Xiao Nong leaned against the pillar and opened the letter with one hand. When the familiar handwriting came into his eyes, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth unconsciously. He read it word by word.

Then the smile slowly disappeared.

Become expressionless.

Finally, he raised his eyebrows slightly, and his expression looked strange, as if he wanted to laugh, but also seemed to be extremely angry.

Zhan Rong was panicked: “?”

In the past, when the master read the little prince’s letters, he was always very happy. Even if he was angry the moment before, he would smile the next moment. What happened?

Oh, by the way, there is a letter for Lou Qingtang.

Zhan Rong speculated that maybe the young prince was ill and wanted to secretly bypass the master to find Doctor Lou, which made the master angry. He carefully added: "Master, there is a letter that the young master wants to pass on to Doctor Lou."

After reading the last paragraph of the letter, Xiao Nong was so angry that he almost crumpled the letter into a ball. He paused when he smelled a faint orchid fragrance on it, straightened the letter again, and smoothed out the wrinkles: "Oh."

It's suspected to be a hidden illness, he's not strong enough, and his penis is not erect, right?

Xiao Nong was so angry that he almost laughed.

Zhong Yansheng just wait!

Next time I would make sure the little fellow read the letter to him in person.

Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall outside the window.

The drizzle at this time of year is continuous and cold. If you walk in the rain, you will feel the chill in your bones.

Zhong Yansheng suddenly sneezed and rubbed his nose, thinking that it must be the cool breeze. He ran to the window and closed it. Through the crack in the window, he saw Huo Shuang coming back in the rain. While asking Feng Ji to bring a bowl of ginger soup, he casually asked, "Has the letter been sent out?"

Even if Zhan Rong is not serious, he won't make a mistake.

Huo Shuang was worried for a moment before he nodded: "Your Highness, the news has already spread out of the palace."

Huo Shuang is reliable in his work, so Zhong Yansheng feels relieved and leisurely holds his cheek and listens to the sound of rain outside the window.

Good things come in pairs this autumn.

Prince De intended to poison His Majesty and was captured and thrown into the imperial prison. This happened in front of many famous imperial physicians. There were many people talking, and many people were interested in watching the fun, so the old emperor couldn't suppress it.

What happened in the morning had spread throughout the evening, shocking all the court officials.

How could anyone dare to do such a thing in the emperor's territory, in front of seven or eight imperial doctors?

But when I thought that the person who did this was His Royal Highness Prince De, who always looked down on others and was arrogant, I felt that... this was something that Prince De would do.

But this is too outrageous, how dare he?

The officials were puzzled at one moment, and then seemed to understand it.

In the past two years since he was summoned to the capital, Prince De has done a lot of bad things.

He hosted ministers in private, trespassed into the palace, kicked and beat the censor who impeached him in court, and was said to have participated in the sale of illegal salt, but there was no real evidence. Even his personal morality was questionable, as he had an affair with his brother's fiancée. After the incident, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites almost died.

It has nothing to do with his title "De".

Despite so many troubles, His Majesty actually endured it and kept cleaning up Prince De's mess, as if he was training him as the heir. The censors were furious, and the number of memorials impeaching Prince De in the past two years was almost catching up with the number of memorials impeaching Xiao Nong.

However, after finding the little prince who was said to be the eleventh prince, His Majesty's attitude towards Prince De became much colder. These days, Prince De tried hard to please His Majesty, but he never got a good response.

His Royal Highness Prince De has been spoiled since he was a child. Seeing that His Majesty is becoming increasingly weak and no longer favors him, he has become more evil, and it is not surprising that he has done such a thing.

Most of the ministers did not like Prince De, and when they saw that Prince De finally capsized, they were more happy than surprised, and they all waited to watch the fun.

However, what disappointed everyone a little was that Prince De was still quite stubborn. Although he had been spoiled since childhood and was arrogant and looked down on everyone, he was not stupid enough to actually admit that there was something wrong with his medicine. After being locked up in the cold and gloomy imperial prison for a whole night, he refused to give in and clamored to see His Majesty to clarify his grievances as soon as he had some strength.

After all, he did not really poison the emperor - even if the imperial physician checked the drug residue, at most he would have found that the drugs conflicted with each other and would be harmful to the old emperor's body. He was not familiar with pharmacology, so it was normal for him not to understand it, so he just pushed the pharmacist in the palace out to take the blame.

He guessed that the old emperor was just angry for a moment.

Thinking of the old emperor's tolerance and love for him in the past, Prince De still had a little hope in his heart.

But this hope was soon dashed.

That night, the Imperial Guards went to Prince De's mansion and took away Prince De's wife, Prince De's son, and the palace's staff. The people in Prince De's mansion only knew that Prince De had been arrested and thrown into prison, and they had no idea what the situation was. People were not united, and they confessed after a little torture.

So the next day, Prince De was brought to see the old emperor as he wished.

When Prince De was brought up, Zhong Yansheng was also watching the fun in the Yangxin Palace. Today, the old emperor seemed to have been sobered up by Prince De's anger. He did not drive him out, but kept him in the study.

Unlike previous intimate meetings, this time he was not asked to sit next to the old emperor, but to stand below.

After standing for a while, Zhong Yansheng's calves felt sore, and he regretted not sleeping a little longer in the palace before coming here.

Just then, Prince De was brought up.

After spending a night in the imperial prison, the once high-ranking prince's hair crown was nowhere to be found. His hair was disheveled and he looked disheveled and haggard. When he saw Zhong Yansheng, he no longer had his usual disdain and arrogance. He rushed to the old emperor's desk and started to cry out for justice: "Father! Father, you are very observant. I really didn't know. If the medicine was poisonous, how could I dare to take the risk..."

The old emperor was helped up by Tian Xi and slowly walked to the side of Prince De.

The dense drizzle from yesterday has not stopped yet. The floor is freezing cold as he kneels on it. The sky is too overcast and Prince De cannot see his face clearly. He only feels the coldness in the joints of his knee bones. He pauses and calls out again, stammering, "Father?"

With a "slap", Prince De felt a pain on his face and his head was tilted to the side.

The sound was so loud that Zhong Yansheng was startled and could not help but step back. His beautiful eyes widened slightly, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.

Prince De was stunned for a moment after being slapped. His head was buzzing, and a chill ran up his back. He immediately understood.

Even if he refuses to speak, the group of aides in the mansion will speak. Those people are just a group of hangers-on who come for profit. How many of them truly serve him as their master?

In order to protect themselves, I'm afraid many people will betray him.

The emperor knew what he had done to the medicine.

His head was buzzing, his legs softened, and his voice lost its confidence: "Father..."

The old emperor put his hands behind his back and asked coldly, "Who gave you the prescription?"

Except for Xiao Nong, who was difficult to control, the old emperor knew everyone well and knew who was around them. He naturally also knew about the aides who suddenly appeared around Prince De two months ago.

Prince De hesitated and said, "Your son... Your son doesn't know either. He calls himself Mr. Qiulan and has never shown his face."

Zhong Yansheng blinked, memorized the name in his mind, and waited to tell Xiao Nong when he got back.

The Jinyiwei who was holding Prince De bowed his head and reported: "Your Majesty, among those arrested yesterday, there was no such person."

The old emperor looked at Prince De, his eyes gradually revealing undisguised disgust: "Waste."

When someone is taking advantage of you, you don't even know who is taking advantage of you.

Prince De was terrified. Driven by a faint hope and fear, he cried and argued: "I was only instigated by those staff members. I really didn't poison you. The prescription was given by Mr. Qiulan. I was just blinded by greed... Father, please see clearly, see clearly!"

Tian Xi was supporting the old emperor, and when he heard Prince De's words, he shook his head silently.

It would have been fine if you didn't open your mouth to argue, but once you open your mouth, it's settled and there's no chance for you to argue anymore.

No matter how Prince De cried and shouted, the old emperor just looked at him indifferently. His skinny face was no longer full of the kindness he used to have, but instead showed a sinister undertone, without any trace of the deep love he had shown before.

Prince De cried and cried. Under the old emperor's indifferent gaze, he gradually understood something. His lips trembled slightly**: "You...are you going to abandon me?"**

The old emperor looked away, coughed softly, and waved his hand: "Take him away."

Prince De felt cold all over, knowing that he would be finished if he was dragged down, and there was no chance of recovery. He struggled desperately, blood rushing to his head, and he spoke without thinking: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I know that the so-called favor you have shown to your son over the years is all fake!"

The Jinyiwei's heart was pounding, and they wanted to drag him down quickly, but they didn't know that Prince De's strength was extremely amazing at this moment, and neither of them could drag him down immediately.

Prince De grabbed the door frame tightly and shouted. He suddenly looked at Zhong Yansheng and raised his voice with a mad look on his face: "Do you think I don't know who you think he is? The better you have been to me over the years, the more scared I am. I am afraid of my elder brother's fate! That's why I did so much. I want to protect myself!"

"You forced your eldest son to death, and now you want to kill your other son! Aren't you afraid that after a hundred years, there will be no one to see you off..."

The last sound was almost a roar. The two Jinyiwei were almost scared to death. They pulled hard, and Prince De's wrists suddenly clicked and dropped limply. He had no strength to struggle, as if they had been dislocated.

Zhong Yansheng's scalp tingled under the gaze of Prince De, and he heard him still yelling frantically: "You too! You will be the same as me and him!"

The voice gradually faded away. Zhong Yansheng didn't expect to see such a scene when he came to watch a play. His heart was still beating rapidly when he noticed that the old emperor's cold gaze turned to him.

Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but feel the hair on his back tremble under his gaze. He looked as if he was frightened and asked in panic, "Your Majesty, is His Royal Highness Prince De... crazy?"

The old emperor was standing with his back to the light, and his expression was very vague in the dim light, which reminded Zhong Yansheng of some ghosts in strange stories and legends, and he couldn't help but sweat on his back.

Could it be that the old emperor was provoked by Prince De and was preparing to confront him and take action against him?

After a moment, the old emperor seemed to confirm that the panic on Zhong Yansheng's face was not fake.

His face was particularly deceptive, with soft features and a hint of the naivety of a young boy. His eyes were bright and clear, and when he looked at people he was like a deer in the woods, and one could see through them at a glance, like a pool of clear spring water.

It is more like a blank piece of paper that can be painted on at will.

After the palace coup, almost all the deeds of the former crown prince were erased. Given Huai'an Marquis' character, he would not tell Zhong Yansheng those things. After Zhong Yansheng was discovered, he was brought into the palace again, and Concubine Zhuang also died, so he had no chance to come into contact with those past events.

"...Go down." The old emperor began to cough violently again, and warned, "Don't ask too many questions."

Zhong Yansheng pretended to nod his head in confusion and retreated respectfully.

Tian Xi gently stroked the old emperor's back and did not express his opinion casually: "Your Majesty, please drink some tea to calm down."

The old emperor was helped to sit down by him, and his voice was hoarse: "Tian Xi, how do you think we should deal with Prince De?"

Tian Xi knew very well that what was more important than Prince De at the moment was to find out the "Mr. Qiulan" who had instructed him to give the drug.

Not many people knew that the old emperor was taking Wuxiang Pills, especially the only one who knew what Wuxiang Pills were, was Tian Xi. However, Mr. Qiulan seemed to know the situation and asked Prince De to send a bowl of medicine.

Tian Xi initially suspected Zhong Yansheng, but he had a hunch that the young prince would not do that.

Another person who was in the room at the time was... Prince Jing, but Prince Jing did not see what medicine His Majesty used. Black incense is so precious and it was banned by Emperor Taizu. Even if it was placed in front of people, most people would not recognize it.

Who could it be?

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but they were just passing thoughts. Tian Xi knew that Prince De did not poison, but he was not innocent. He lowered his head and said cautiously**: "Prince De's words offended Your Majesty, which is a serious crime."**

Hearing what Tian Xi said, the old emperor suddenly laughed strangely: "Tian Xi, you are the only old thing I have left by my side. I still remember that when you came to my side, you had this kind of personality. Now that you are old, you are still like this."

The adjective "old thing" was very strange. Tian Xi's back was sweating for a moment, and he said ashamedly: "I have been stupid since I was a child, but Your Majesty doesn't despise me."

"You are still like this even though you are old." The old emperor did not look like he was going to embarrass him. He sighed and said, "I am old, but I seem to have become more compassionate."

Tian Xi used to be able to understand the old emperor's thoughts, but now he couldn't figure it out, so he asked tentatively: "What does your majesty want?"

The old emperor endured the pain and drug addiction for a while before uttering two words: "First, detain Prince De in the imperial prison. Investigate thoroughly."

As soon as Zhong Yansheng returned to Minghui Palace, he passed on the news about Mr. Qiulan.

Even if this so-called Mr. Qiulan is not Prince An, we must find out where he came from.

Even if he is not Prince An's man, he must be one.

Prince An is the old emperor's chosen heir and cannot be kept.

The old emperor must also be investigating that aide. He can tolerate his subordinates scheming against each other, but he cannot tolerate them scheming against him and challenging his authority.

After all, an emperor, in his twilight years, who is sick and finds himself increasingly powerless and unable to control the people under his control will inevitably become angry, because the closer it gets to this point, the more he fears being surpassed and losing power.

He is no longer in his prime, but is very old.

However, although Zhong Yansheng had these thoughts, he did not write them down in the letter. He just described to Xiao Nong in detail the madness that Prince De had gone through in front of the old emperor.

Xiao Nong seemed to blame himself for having led him astray. Last time he said he wanted to make a figurine of the old emperor, Xiao Nong carried him to the table and made him sit upright. He lectured him seriously for a long time and summarized his meaning as: "Leave the figurine making to me, you just watch from the side."

So what if it just got worse?

He didn't want to be carried by Xiao Nong across the quagmire all the time and become a burden to him. He wanted to hold his hand and wade through it with him.

His brother hopes that he will stay clean and not be contaminated by worldly affairs.

Zhong Yansheng behaved well in front of him.

Anyway, even if he didn't say it, Xiao Nong would think of doing it.

Zhong Yansheng's letter arrived at Prince Ding's Mansion very quickly.

After reading it, Xiao Nong carefully smoothed the wrinkles on the letter, put it back in the box, and said without looking up: "Uncle Wang, you can release the news now."

This so-called Mr. Qiulan has never revealed any trace, but it is still possible to get some false clues leading to Prince An.

Uncle Wang bowed silently and went out to pass on the message.

Unlike the time when Xiao Nong followed Concubine Zhuang's clues to investigate Zhong Yansheng, but was suppressed by the old emperor all the way and the clues were erased first, this time Xiao Nong took the initiative and threw out hooks to the Jinyiwei one by one.

The detective investigated for two days and found some clues, which he presented to the old emperor.

King An.

At the same time, the censors of the Censorate were also in an uproar. Dozens of them knelt outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, requesting to see the emperor. They spoke passionately and asked His Majesty to punish Prince De and Prince An. A group of people kept muttering to themselves, and they couldn't be driven away or beaten. They even dared to charge forward with their swords drawn. They were all men of letters with courage and fearlessness of death.

It's like a dog-skin plaster that can't be shaken off.

On the old emperor's desk was piled the confession of Prince De, and next to it was the intelligence about Prince An obtained by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Outside, a group of censors were shouting and screaming, and there was a constant buzzing noise. The veins on the back of the old man's skinny hand, where he was holding the memorial, were faintly visible, and his cloudy eyes were filled with bloodshot, and his breathing was becoming more and more rapid.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Tian Xi wanted to call the Jinyiwei to drag away all the imperial censors.

Then the old emperor suddenly coughed loudly, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground with a thud.

The imperial doctors had been on duty in the Yangxin Palace these days. They had been giving the old emperor bitter medicine for several days but to no avail, and they were still thinking about how to treat him. When they heard that the old emperor had fainted, they were all scared to death and rushed to the study, crying and shouting. In an instant, the entire Yangxin Palace was in chaos, and even Tian Xi's head began to ache.

Zhong Yansheng strolled around outside for a few laps, listening to the censors' scolding for a long time with relish, and then went to the door of the Yangxin Palace to watch the excitement for a while. After a while, he saw the dozen or so imperial doctors being driven out.

Zhong Yansheng wanted to move closer to take a look at the old emperor, but was stopped.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was emptied again.

The surroundings finally quieted down. The old emperor opened his bloodshot eyes and said in a muffled voice: "Wu Xiang..."

Tian Xi said with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, the medicinal properties of Wuxiang are very strong. You used to take one Wuxiang every half a month because you were afraid of addiction. Now, you take two in less than ten days. I'm afraid your body can't stand it..."

However, he didn't know that because the real and fake drugs were mixed, what the old emperor ate last time was not Wuxiang. As of today, he has not eaten it for nearly a month. His mind was tortured by both the drug addiction and the illness. He was already on the verge of collapse and could not bear it any longer.

The old emperor's face was a terrifying dark blue, and his eyes were fixed on him: "Wu Xiang Pills."

Tian Xi didn't dare to persuade him anymore. He took out the Wuxiang Pills from the secret compartment, and with a trembling hand, he poured out two pills. Before he put them back, his hands were empty. The old emperor actually grabbed the two Wuxiang Pills and swallowed them with a gulp without even asking for warm water to go with them.

Tian Xi had no time to stop him, so he quickly brought the warm water over and waited for the old emperor to drink it.

After a moment, the old emperor's rapid breathing slowly calmed down, his face covered with cold sweat relaxed, a strange flush appeared on his lifeless face, and his eyes became unfocused.

The anxiety of many days was finally relieved. There was silence in the bedroom for a long time. The old emperor regained his energy and asked with his eyes closed: "Are they still kneeling?"

The question was directed at the group of imperial censors.

"Yes," Tian Xi whispered, "I don't know how the news about Prince An leaked out. They all say that Prince De is clearly plotting rebellion and Prince An is framing his brother. They want you to deal with Prince De and His Royal Highness Prince An."

The old emperor opened his eyes, his pupils were like two cold flames, and he smiled coldly: "When I ascended the throne, they knelt to speak up for Kangwen. When the crown prince forced the emperor to abdicate, they also knelt to ask me to clear the crown prince's name. Now they are kneeling again. No matter how hard I try, I can't kill them all, and no matter how hard I try, I can't chop them all off."

Tian Xi felt a chill on his back and didn't dare to speak.

"Pass on my decree," the old emperor said hoarsely, "Demote Prince De to a commoner and take him to Feng yang for imprisonment."

Tian Xi was stunned for a moment, a little surprised.

The old emperor looked at him and said, "Why, do you think I have changed?"

Tian Xi gave an exaggerated smile: "Your Majesty is merciful."

Compared to when he was young, he is indeed countless times more merciful.

"Prince De scolded me that day, saying that my love for my child was all fake, and it hurt me deeply."

The old emperor sighed: "Do I really not have the heart to love my child? My love for him and Xi'er is real."

Tian Xi had just felt a little sympathy when he heard the old emperor say, "If it were in the past, I would have killed him, but I am old now, and I cannot let myself die without an heir."

Tian Xi forced a smile: "Your Majesty is really good at joking."

The old emperor also smiled strangely, his eyes still sinister, without any kindness, which made him look even more twisted and weird: "Besides, we don't need them."

That frail child was just like his father, and also like Kang Wen's ghost that had lingered for decades.

Isn't he more suitable as a burial object than anyone else?

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