"Mrs. Chang is finally willing to meet me." In the flower hall, Li Lu saw Chang Suining coming and stood up and raised his hand to salute.
"It turns out that the Crown Prince understands." Chang Suining looked at the thin young man and said, "If I don't see the Crown Prince today, the Crown Prince will come to visit me again, until he breaks through the threshold of my Chang Mansion, until outsiders keep talking about it, thinking that it is our Chang Palace.
The family is resentful because the prince was not willing to "perjury" for my brother before, and we bear a grudge to alienate the prince—is that right?"
In her previous testimony, although Li Lu did not deny that she had spoken to her brother alone that day, she only insisted that "I don't know where Mr. Chang Lang went after we separated, so I dare not claim to be a guarantee." This statement can be said to be a dilemma.
, even if her brother's wrongful name is cleared at this time, no one will think that there is anything wrong with what the Crown Prince Rong said that day.
On the contrary, he "tells the truth" and does not harbor any feelings of shielding due to "private feelings", which shows the magnanimity and uprightness of a gentleman.
Such a sick and frail gentleman visited his house many times in person afterwards, but the Chang family always avoided him. He was too petty, wasn't he?
So, how could she not see her?
Li Lu: "Since I am making an apology, if I retreat so easily, where is my sincerity?"
Chang Suining sat down: "The Crown Prince's 'sincerity' is always irresistible."
This person is very purposeful and never takes into account the so-called wishes of others. He seems to be gentle and harmless, but in fact, he is hiding something hidden inside. He can do things that force others to do so easily.
From asking for marriage at the hibiscus flower banquet, to pressuring me because of my brother's affairs, and even as small as going to the door to see each other, it's all the same.
"But Mrs. Chang refused, more than once." Li Lu also sat down, his tone seemed a little lonely: "Hua Banquet proposed marriage, and the two-day appointment, Mrs. Chang refused, didn't she?"
In other words, he has always been frustrated in front of this girl.
Chang Sui Ning: "But the prince is unyielding——"
The young man looked at her, smiled, and said sincerely: "Because Mrs. Chang is worth it."
This is the truth.
Originally, he really wanted to use this girl to win over Chang Kuo and his son who were behind her, but he was "rejected" twice. Although it frustrated him, it also surprised him - this girl was worth fighting for to the end.
"In three days, it will be the day when the heir apparent of the Ming family... no, it will be the day when the criminal Ming Jin will be asked to be executed." He said: "The unimaginable thing has been accomplished by Mrs. Chang on her own. It can be seen from this that,
Previously, I was self-righteous and had a limited vision.”
As he said that, he looked apologetic and ashamed: "These days, I have thought about it again and again. Although the original intention of my previous proposal was to save people, it was indeed rude and seemed to be coercive. If I can't apologize to Madam Chang in person, it would be really unfair.
It’s hard to sleep and eat well.”
Such hypocritical remarks made Chang Sui Ning marvel in her heart. She was originally a person who loved talents. She expected that if such talents were put in front of the battle, their face could withstand the spears in the hands of thousands of armies, and they would be indestructible.
.
The other party is hypocritical and shameless, but fortunately she is not bad either.
Then he asked: "The Crown Prince keeps saying that he wants to apologize, but what are his actual actions?"
If there are benefits to be gained, it is not impossible to act with the other party.
Li Lu seemed to think for a while before saying: "Lu Lu came here today. There are two pieces of news that have not yet been sent back to the capital. He can inform Mrs. Chang first to show his sincerity in apologizing."
Chang Suining reached out and picked up the teacup: "Your Majesty, come and listen."
"The first news is that the division led by Li Yi to attack the rebels was accidentally defeated in the first battle at Duliang Mountain."
Chang Suining's fingers holding the tea cup tightened slightly - Lao Chang was defeated?
"In fact, the fault does not lie with General Chang."
Li Lu sighed and said, "It is said that we had already made up our mind to fight the enemy. However, in the middle of the battle, the commander Li Yi saw that the situation was not good and became timid, so he ordered the army to retreat. On the way back, they were ambushed by Xu's rebels...
…Fortunately, General Chang took charge of the overall situation and led the army to break out, so the losses were not too heavy."
Chang Sui Ning frowned.
Li Yi has been timid since he was a child and has an overly cautious temperament. Xu's army probably knew this weakness, so they devised this plan to make him want to retreat first, and then ambush him.
She had been worried about this before sending out the army, but at that time, Chang Guo had spoken up, and Li Yi promised him that everything would be done according to his arrangements. Now it seems that the words were just one side, but when the actual battle came, there were still changes and differences.
This is the first battle, and a defeat will severely dampen morale and even the people's hearts. It is really not a good start.
"When General Chang broke through to protect Li Yi, he was accidentally injured by an arrow. But Mrs. Chang can rest assured that no vital parts were injured, so her life is not in danger."
Chang Sui Ning's raised eyebrows did not relax, and he asked again: "I wonder what the second piece of news from the Crown Prince's mouth is?"
Li Lu: "The king of Huainan, Li Tong, is seriously ill."
Li Tong, king of Huainan, was Li Yi's father.
Chang Suining looked at Li Lu and asked calmly: "Is this news brought back by the servants sent by the prince's family to celebrate the birthday of King Huainan? Is it credible?"
When she sneaked into Prince Rong's Mansion that day, Li Lu told her that a few months ago he had ordered his servant to go to Prince Huainan's Mansion to deliver birthday gifts to Prince Huainan. When the servant returned to the capital, he would bring her the news about the war in Yangzhou and Chang Kuo.
It is normal for her to have this question at this time.
But only Chang Suining knew in her heart that she was suspecting something at this time.
"It was brought back by the servants. As for whether it is credible or not, I believe the news will be sent back to the capital soon. Madam Chang will be able to tell the difference by then."
Li Lu sighed: "My cousin is already old. Before the imperial army arrived, he was ordered to resist the Xu rebels and guard Huainan Road... Apart from working on the military, there were also unbearable rumors.
, and in anger, he became seriously ill."
"Rumors?" Chang Suining's eyes moved slightly: "Do you mean the rumors between the King of Huainan and the saint?"
"It seems that Mrs. Chang has also heard about it...the rumors of Li's family scandal made Mrs. Chang laugh."
Chang Sui Ning did not comment.
When the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, in addition to military generals and courtiers, they also received support from the clan. Among them, Huainan King Li Tong was the leader.
There were rumors secretly that Empress Ming had an affair with Li Tong.
"It is true that the rumors cannot be believed, but it is true that the King of Huainan treated the saint with loyalty... This time the saint dared to hand over the task of leading the army to Li Yi, precisely because of his trust in King Huainan."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Li Lu said: "But now the King of Huainan is seriously ill, and Li Yi lost the battle due to his own fault, so he will be blamed and impeached by the courtiers. Under this situation, only
I’m afraid it will be difficult to stabilize both the general’s and the military’s morale…”
Chang Suining knew clearly that there was no exaggeration in his words.
If the King of Huainan really "died" of illness at this time, the situation in Jiangnan would surely fall into greater chaos.
"As General Chang has an upright temperament, he may be in danger of being involved in an unknown whirlpool..." Li Lu said: "With these words, I hope Mrs. Chang can make some plans early."
…
Li Lu's words were confirmed two days later.
The news that the army was defeated and Li Yi stood still returned to the capital, along with the sad news that Huainan King Li Tong had died due to illness.
The Holy Emperor was furious and sad.
In the past ten days, there has not been a moment of peace in the court. There have been countless overt and covert remarks to criticize the Ming family, and the noble officials have been pressing harder and harder.
Now that these two pieces of news have come back, the government and the public are in an uproar and arguing endlessly.
News of Li Yi's defeat quickly spread throughout the capital, and rumors began to spread among the people that "the death of King Huainan was a sign from heaven that the emperor's strength was exhausted".
This statement reached the ears of Emperor Shengce, who immediately ordered the Sigongtai to investigate the source of the rumor.
"The rebels of the Xu family, now the gentry officials headed by the Changsun family..." It was late at night, the emperor looked at the memorial on the dragon case, and said to himself: "The two have interests that are compatible, then
It forces me to abdicate."
Until now, as long as she had not become extremely stupid, she would not have thought of the possibility of the two cooperating internally and externally...
Xu Zhengye raised troops in the south, and in the middle of the court... there must be someone who is connected with him!
The Holy Emperor looked towards the dim candlelight.
That night, someone from the palace came to the Duke of Zheng's mansion late at night to summon him. Wei Shuyi got up in a hurry and put on his official uniform.
At the same moment, the Right Prime Minister of Zhongshu Province was also on his way to the palace in a sedan chair.
Although it was already late at night, the palace officials guarding outside the Manlu Palace were all on guard and did not dare to relax in the slightest.
The saint secretly summoned his trusted ministers late at night to discuss something extremely important... After tonight, there will probably be a bloody storm in the court very soon.
Speaking of which, tomorrow will be the day when the saint's nephew will be beheaded.
Thinking of this, some palace people guarding the corridor quietly took a look at the brightly lit imperial study.
The emperor is here and is discussing important matters with his ministers. I am afraid that he will not have any thoughts on the execution of his nephew tomorrow.
For the emperor, there was probably no pain or regret for this kind of mutilation of flesh and blood, which was considered common among ordinary people. Even if there was, it would only be indifferent blame and anger.
It is true that the prince made a mistake and got into trouble, but after all, he was watched by the saint as he grew up. However, the saint never showed any forbearance or hesitation. After he decided to punish him, he did not even pay attention to him or say a word.
Ask...
Hey, he is the emperor after all.
…
Ming Jin and Chang were both sentenced to be beheaded in public.
That night, Chang did not want to be beheaded and humiliated in front of others, so he was killed in prison.
And Ming Jin still doesn't believe that he will be executed. He is the emperor's nephew and a bloodline of the Ming family. Someone will definitely come to save him... Even if it is impossible to get him off the hook on the surface, there will be arrangements to help him escape secretly.
!
As an accessory, Feng Min was exempted from the death penalty because he took the initiative to provide evidence and had merit. He was sentenced to exile together with his grandmother Xie Shi and will leave Beijing tomorrow.
But Feng Min felt that her grandmother would have no chance of being exiled from Beijing with her.
The two were imprisoned in the same cell, with their hands and feet tied with heavy chains. Xie, who had been beaten for thirty times in accordance with the law, was lying on the ground unable to move.
She had scolded Feng Min at first, but now she had no strength left.
The wounds on her body were festering, and she had not been able to eat for three days. At this moment, she looked at the bowl of water brought by the jailer, moved her chapped lips, and made a weak voice: "Min'er...water..."
"Grandma, do you want some water?" Feng Min came over.
Xie Shi raised her head with difficulty and watched her granddaughter pick up the bowl of water.
Feng Min took two steps back and slowly poured the water on the ground.
"You..." Jie's desperate eyes showed sternness and hatred: "You rebellious and unfilial bastard, you... will not die!"
"Grandma is right or not. I deserve to die. I deserve a bad death. It's because I killed someone, and it should be so. It's not because of the disobedience and unfilial piety that grandma said."
Feng Min's eyes also flashed with hatred: "Grandma needs this bowl of water very much. Without this bowl of water, she will die, right? Then when grandma pushed me to a desperate situation and used me in exchange for benefits, did she ever think about me?
He will die too!"
"Of course Grandma has thought about it..." She laughed: "The only thing Grandma has never thought about is that I, a damned person, can still drag Grandma to die with me."
"I owe everything I have today to my grandmother...so this is the retribution my grandmother deserves."
After Feng Min poured out the last drop of water, he threw the broken bowl in front of Jie Shi.
Jie's eyes widened and she tried to crawl towards the puddle of water on the ground. The short distance now seemed like a thousand miles away, making her unable to reach it in her life.
At dawn, Xie Shi was completely out of breath, but his eyes were still wide open.
Feng Min slumped on the ground helplessly, looking up at the faint ray of skylight leaking in above her head.
Soon, she was taken out of the cell, and the same group of prisoners were tied up one after another. Under the escort of a group of officials, they passed through the long street and were scolded before leaving the city gate.
Her mother sent her off outside the city and spent money on official duties so that she could be taken care of during her exile.
Seeing that A Niang, who used to be the most useless in his eyes, was now trying her best to take care of herself, Feng Min's eyes turned slightly red, and she felt even more regretful.
In the past, she only listened to her grandmother's words and dismissed her "cowardly" teachings. Now...
"Min'er...we will bear the responsibility if we do something wrong..."
The woman touched her face with tears in her eyes, "I will try my best to take care of everything for you. It is very hard in exile, and it will be very hard in Lingnan, but if you know your mistakes and can change them, you still have a chance. If you are lucky enough to meet the world in the future,
During the amnesty... maybe you and I, mother and daughter, can be reunited."
"No matter what others do, I will wait for my Miner to come back."
Feng Min burst into tears and nodded heavily to the woman.
…
At three quarters of noon, the executioner raised his chopping knife.
The midday sun shone on the back of the knife, creating a dazzling light. Ming Jin, who was tied and kneeling in the center of the execution ground, did not dare to close his eyes.
He couldn't believe that he was going to die like this.
He wanted to remind everyone that he was the legitimate son of the Ming family, but even the prince Li Zhi did not dare to speak loudly when he saw him!
But his mouth was blocked tightly and he couldn't make any sound.
Looking at the onlookers around him and listening to the sound of the trembling sword ring, he finally began to fear and showed an expression of fear.
The next moment, the look of fear completely froze on the head that rolled down on the execution platform, and the body without the head was still kneeling in the same place.
There were people everywhere applauding, others were shocked, and the discussion was noisy and chaotic.
This is one of the reasons why Emperor Shengce ordered the public punishment of Ming Jin. The people needed to be vented and shocked, and they also needed to witness with their own eyes the emperor's righteous act of annihilating relatives.
Chang Sui Ning also came to watch the execution. To be precise, after returning from meeting Shen Sanmao at Zhuangzi, he stopped by to see the excitement.
She took one last look at the separated Ming Jin, turned around and left the crowd.
Not far from the execution ground, when Chang Sui Ning was getting into the carriage, a group of people of different ages and clothes quickly caught up with him.
