The sun was rising, the sky was bright, and the palace gate suddenly opened.
As the palace door opened, the countless lines of sight hidden outside the imperial city suddenly became nervous, all staring at the palace gate of the imperial city.
There was turmoil in the imperial city last night, and the movement was not small. Although most of the forces, large and small, inside and outside Jinling City did not dare to act rashly, in order to prepare in advance, they naturally tried their best to find out what was going on in the palace.
Be prepared for the future.
These informants are the arrangements of various forces.
Then I saw more than a hundred fast horses flying out from the palace gate. The sound of horse hooves was heard, brocade embroidered clothes were flying, and the capable embroidered messengers were on the horses, with cold and stern faces, and a murderous aura all over their bodies.
People's hearts were shocked.
The leader, King Qi, was not wearing armor at this time. Instead, he was wearing a prince's python robe that he did not usually wear. When his horse galloped, the large royal robe on his body moved with the wind, and the golden dragon pattern embroidered on it was flowing, giving him a majestic air.
.
At this time, watching King Qi come out of the palace, followed by so many embroidered envoys, those who were hiding in the dark were all shocked and looked at the leader of King Qi in shock.
King Qi, shouldn't he be on his way back to Jinling at this time? When did he enter the palace? Why didn't any news come out?
King Qi was the candidate whom Emperor Xia had revealed before that he wanted to be crown prince.
There have been many changes in Jinling City recently, but most of them are because King Qi is far in the southwest, and it is very likely that he will not be able to return to the capital in time.
And his sudden appearance at this time symbolized many things.
King Qi's previous whereabouts were false, the turmoil in the palace last night was deliberately brought into play, and even Emperor Xia's illness and death were false...
When gathered together, they actually represent one thing.
As a result of last night's turmoil, King Jin finally failed. And His Highness King Qi, who had never been favored by others before, had defeated his biggest opponent and completely secured his position as the crown prince!
"Go and report back to your lord quickly, His Highness Prince Qi has won!"
Words like this were rang out countless times in the dark at this time.
King Qi looked cold and stern, and then led a group of embroiderers to ride fast, and went straight to the residences of the ministers in Jinling City. Holding the imperial order from Emperor Xia, in the shocked eyes of the ministers, he said coldly
shouted:
"The third son of the emperor, Jin Wang Zhaoli, colluded with other princes and conspired to commit rebellion. This crime cannot be forgiven. The civil and military officials in the court have many subordinates, which is unforgivable. Let King Qi lead the embroidered envoys and investigate and deal with them strictly!"
"The Taichang Qing of the current dynasty is strict. He is involved in a major treason case. He will be dismissed from his official position immediately and imprisoned for strict trial!"
"Grand Tutor Shi Fuwei was implicated in this case. He was dismissed from his official post and was tortured and investigated in detail by officers wearing embroidered robes!"
"General Anzhong Yao Yuan..."
"Jingzhao Yin Sunsi..."
"Taizhong doctor Zhang Lei..."
"Right Fufeng Tao Min..."
…
Most of these high-ranking civil and military officials in the past felt that they were not the confidants of any prince, and that no matter who became emperor in the future, they would be needed to govern the country.
However, they never imagined that the internal battle for the royal family could actually involve people like themselves.
"His Royal Highness King Qi, I am unjustly accused!"
"Your Highness, I have never participated in the conspiracy, so I am unjustly accused!"
"King Qi, are you taking personal revenge because I had an affair with you?"
"You damn King Qi, I want to give you a copy in front of His Majesty!"
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Your Highness, Prince Qi, I know that I am guilty..."
Facing King Qi, these officials either kept shouting grievances, some were so angry that they cursed loudly, and some were so frightened that they couldn't help but tremble. Then they were all forced away by the embroidered clothes envoys.
There were even a few people who dared to use force, but they were brutally suppressed in an instant by the masters of embroidered clothes brought by King Qi.
Suddenly, the dignitaries gathered together, and the south of Jinling City, where the mansions of ministers and nobles were filled, could be heard crying, screaming, and wailing.
King Qi was on horseback. Although the sounds of begging and scolding continued to reach his ears, his expression remained unchanged. He just looked ahead indifferently, his eyes firm, unmoved at all.
Just like before, when he was in the southwest, he chose to take responsibility for his crimes and resolutely led troops to massacre the generals...
"Your Highness! Your Highness... be brave, let me go, I have something urgent to report to Your Highness!"
At this moment, an urgent voice came into King Qi's ears.
King Qi came back to his senses slightly, followed the sound, and saw a maid dressed in a mess, but a familiar voice was being roughly pushed away by several embroiderers, scolding:
"Step back! The king is here, if you dare to offend, you will be killed without mercy!"
At this time, King Qi was ordered to arrest the officials of the court. This was the most annoying thing. Before the embroidery envoys came, they had been told by the old eunuch Si Xi Qian and Wan to carefully protect the safety of King Qi.
How dare you let this unknown person get close to you at this time?
King Qi looked at the maid. The more he looked at it, the more he felt like He Yin, the maid beside Yu Yingyao. He immediately frowned and shouted loudly:
"Let her come closer and talk!"
When several embroiderers heard this, they were immediately stunned.
The maid took advantage of this opportunity and quickly walked around the embroidered envoys and shouted to King Qi:
"Your Highness, the young lady is in danger, and the Yun State has sent people to assassinate her!"
When King Qi heard this, he was shocked. He looked at the person carefully and found that it was actually He Yin, his sister's personal maid.
"What did you say?" King Qi jumped off his horse, grabbed Heyin, and asked eagerly.
Heyin looked at King Qi, his eyes turned red, and his voice choked with sobs:
"Your Highness, the Yun Kingdom sent someone to assassinate the young lady. Her life was in danger, and she was escorted away by Commander Zhong. However, the assassins from the Yun Kingdom pursued her, and the servant accidentally got separated from Commander Zhong. It was just the right time to go to the palace to ask for help.
Seeing you... Your Highness, hurry up and send someone to rescue the young lady!"
When King Qi heard this, his eyes widened and he said angrily:
"Someone is coming!"
"I'm waiting here!" a group of embroiderers shouted immediately.
King Qi looked at Heyin, gritted his teeth and said:
"Lead the way, hurry up!"
At this time, King Qi didn't even bother to ransack his home. He took all the horses around him and rode away quickly under the guidance of Heyin.
At this moment, in a hidden alley not far from where King Qi was, Zhong Zi poked his head out in a ghostly manner, looked around cautiously, then retracted again, urging:
"Hurry up!"
In the alley, a stick guard dressed as an ordinary citizen stood up, cupped his hands and said:
"Sir, it's taken care of!"
Then they saw the body of Yu Yingyao, lying quietly on the ground. His head was originally covered in bruises and bloodstains deliberately made by Zhong Zizuo, but now it was also covered by the guards at the sticky poles, making it somewhat invisible.
Zhong Zizuo looked at it and frowned:
"You can still see it a little bit..."
The cause of Yu Yingyao's death could only be that she was pierced through the chest by Meng Yijian and died of serious injuries. It definitely couldn't be the case, because Zhong Zizhao knocked her to death when he took her to escape!
The guard at the sticking pole was helpless and said hesitantly:
"Your Majesty's methods are really a bit crude... Time is too short, and this is all I can do."
Although it was because the woman's physique was different from ordinary people, the Ju Yi Guardsman could not stab her to death with a sword. In desperation, the Zhong Yi Guards had no choice but to do this. However, this method was so rough that it could not be seen, and it really did not look like someone who was born in Sticky Rod.
ah.
If the fourteenth princess of the Xia Kingdom fell into his hands, he would have at least nine ways to kill her calmly.
Nine kinds!
Zhong Zizhuo moved his eyes and said helplessly:
"Who would have thought that King Qi would suddenly come back. Originally, I was thinking that it would be half a month before he came back."
Originally, if King Qi could not come back, he would still have time to make arrangements calmly. There were capable people and strangers gathered under Dongchang's command at Niangan and they were carefully disguised, so there was no need to worry.
But he never expected that King Qi would secretly return to the capital at some point! To prevent his mistakes from being exposed, he could only find a way to deliberately throw away the maid Heyin, and find a hidden stake at the sticky pole to help.
Thinking of this, Zhong Zizuo gritted his teeth and said cruelly:
"Forget it, just chop me in the leg. Just be gentle and just show off..."
When the guard at Sticky Stick heard this, his brows moved, and his figure immediately shrunk. The dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, and he waved it casually.
Before Zhong Zizuo could react, there was a big gash on his calf, and blood flowed out instantly, soaking his clothes and pants.
"Oh, oh, oh, you can do it, just cut it if you tell me to!" Zhong Zizuo suddenly screamed in pain, bared his teeth and said:
The guard at Sticky Rod sneered, put away the dagger in his hand, and said:
"My subordinates dare not disobey your orders... Sir, don't worry, although it looks scary, it is definitely just a flesh wound, and no muscle or bone has been touched at all!"
Zhong Zizuo curled his lips, looked at the wall of the alley next to him, sighed softly, then gritted his teeth and slammed against the wall.
There was only a "bang" sound, and Zhong Zizuo hit the wall, and then rolled several times on the ground, covering himself with dust and scratches.
After doing all this, he stood up with a curse in his mouth, carried Yu Yingyao's body on his back again, and muttered:
"At least I can save your sister's body. I accidentally fell it twice. Is it okay..."
Having said this, Zhong Zizuo suddenly stopped, turned his head and looked at the guard at the sticking pole, and said:
"Has everything been arranged?"
"Please rest assured, Yiwei, everything has been arranged!" the guard at the sticky pole said, patting his chest and sealing the deal.
Zhong Zizuo nodded, took a deep breath to adjust his mood, then staggered and walked quickly out of the alley.
At this time, King Qi, under the leadership of Heyin, also led a large group of people to reach this place.
Zhong Zizhuo planned his lines and time, and immediately ran out with Yu Yingyao's body on his back. Then he suddenly stumbled, fell heavily to the ground, and threw Yu Yingyao who was carrying Yu Yingyao behind him.
King Qi saw Zhong Zizuo's figure from a distance, and was immediately startled. He pointed forward and shouted:
"Quick, over there!"
The embroiderers around him immediately stepped forward quickly.
Zhong Zizhuo was lying on the ground, and when he heard the sound of footsteps, he was suddenly startled, struggled to get up, and ran towards Yu Yingyao who was thrown away, as if he was trying to protect Yu Yingyao with all his strength.
When he raised his head and saw a group of embroidery envoys arriving, as well as King Qi at the head, his face showed a hint of surprise, a bit of joy, a bit of guilt and grief.
Zhongzi made a puff, knelt down beside Yu Yingyao, and said mournfully to King Qi who was rushing over:
"Your Highness, you are back! I have a heavy responsibility, but I failed to protect the princess..."
At this point, Zhong Zizuo's voice was choked with sobs, and he looked extremely regretful.
When King Qi heard the words, there was a bang in his ears, and his mind went blank. His steps were stagnant at first, and then he staggered to Yu Yingyao's side.
My sister, whom I had loved since childhood, and who was most fond of her, was now lying on the ground without a sound, her body covered with dirt and dust. Her chest was covered with dried blood, and her wounds were the most glaring.
King Qi's throat twitched and he stared blankly at Yu Yingyao's body. He lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.
Zhong Zizuo stood up suddenly, supported King Qi, and said in a trembling voice:
"Your Highness, it's all my subordinates' fault... King Jin rebelled and the imperial city was in danger. My subordinates were worried about the safety of the princess, so they hurried away. But by the time they went, it was already too late!"
King Qi grabbed Zhong Zizuo's arms with his rough hands and gritted his teeth:
"Who is it?"
Zhong Zizuo felt as if his arms were being tightened by iron pliers. He almost didn't cry out in pain. He gritted his teeth and said:
"People from the Yun Kingdom are assassins of the Yun Kingdom!"
King Qi's eyes were red and full of violence, and he roared:
"Why were the people from Yun State able to find Xiaoyuan!"
How could his sister, who was secretly in charge of the Embroidery Envoy, be approached by people from the Yun Kingdom so easily?
Zhong Zizuo looked at King Qi's eyes full of murderous intent, his heart trembled subconsciously, and he said with a hint of panic:
"Your Highness, there was civil strife in the palace at that time. Many people from the Embroidered Clothes Envoy had entered the palace, and there were no guards around the princess. On the other side of the Yun Kingdom, Nianganchu and Dongchang spread their eyes widely in Jinling City, and even among the Embroidered Clothes Envoys
, a lot of manpower has been deployed!”
When King Qi heard this, he immediately remembered that in Jinshen Palace, King Jin had said that the spies of Yun State had penetrated the country too much, and the murderous intention in his heart became even more violent, and he said angrily:
"The spies of the Yun Kingdom are so rampant! Xiao Cheng, you really deserve to die!"
Before that, the four southwest counties were lost and the southwest frontier army suffered all losses. King Qi did not feel too resentful toward Yun Emperor Xiao Cheng, and even had a vague sense of admiration for the young emperor.
But with the death of his sister, the hatred in King Qi's heart was like a raging river, and he just wished that Xiao Cheng would pay for it now.
Zhong Zizuo looked at King Qi's furious expression, and immediately showed regret on his face. He struggled to get up and said:
"Your Highness, I did not protect you well and I know that I have committed a serious sin. I only ask Your Highness to let me personally lead the team to eliminate all the spies of the Yun Kingdom among the Embroidered Clothes Envoys. Only then will I be able to live up to the kindness I have shown to the princess!"
King Qi looked at Zhong Zizuo and saw that he was covered in scars and looked extremely embarrassed. He also remembered the figure of him struggling to protect his sister just now. His throat moved and he gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay! Your Majesty ordered me to arrest the rebels, and you are now the third-grade embroidered envoy in charge of Gyeonggi, so you can handle this matter on my behalf!"
Having said this, King Qi's eyes were filled with hatred and he said with murderous intent:
"Don't let any of Yun Guo's spies go. The embroidered clothes envoys will give me a good cleaning!"
Joy flashed through Zhong Zizhuo's eyes, and he immediately clasped his fists and said:
"yes!"
Clean?
Reverse cleaning!
Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will definitely make the embroiderer "clean" this time!