The five mansions and six ministries outside Chengtian Gate have now become a mess. Everyone looks pale in the night rain and looks at the firelight in the north.
A large number of imperial guards were being transferred and entered the Chengtian Gate with nervous faces.
As soon as Yang Tinghe's sedan arrived, many people gathered around him.
"Mr. Ge..."
"Grand Bachelor..."
Amid the noise, Yang Tinghe looked around and the first thing he said was: "Lightning strikes often cause fires. Today's court meeting must not make any false claims about celestial phenomena!"
It must just be a lightning strike that causes a fire! There must be no celestial warnings!
Everyone who heard these words felt a chill that penetrated their bones: Hurry up and hold Qin Tianjian!
At this moment, Yang Tinghe sincerely hoped that His Majesty would be okay.
On the first day of Renzi in the fifth month, before the first day of the Lunar New Year, a fire broke out in the Forbidden Palace.
Everyone felt that the rain at this moment was so cold, it was cold to the heart.
The biological clock of Mao Cheng, a grassroots man who has no business going to court, is still there. Even if he didn't wake up, he was woken up now.
Looking at the fire over there, Mao Cheng's eyes widened and his whole body started to tremble.
Your Majesty is dishonest. Is the sky a warning?
Or maybe someone in the ban is up to no good?
I heard that the emperor has been acting like a virtuous king these past few days, and tomorrow he will have his first Buddhist feast to show his respect. Who is thinking of this?
Heads are rolling, heads are rolling...
"Thank you behind closed doors, thank you behind closed doors!" Mao Cheng immediately ordered, with fear in his eyes.
Wang Shifang, who had been staying in Mao Mansion because the palace examination had been postponed for more than a year, suddenly fell down on his chair and murmured: "It's over, it's over..."
Who resented the emperor the most at this time?
The group of people who were demoted to civilian status before.
Who is next? Yang Tinghe, who was suppressed, Empress Dowager Zhang who did not receive a title, the Zhang brothers who lost their status as uncles, and some of the ministers who had their authority taken away.
Is it possible for these people to do anything if they unite?
have no idea.
But the morning light has not yet appeared, and this speculation has become the biggest shadow in everyone's mind.
Yuan Zonggao outside Chengtian Gate looked pale, looking into the distance with trembling lips.
The Hou Dynasty has not yet started, and everyone cannot enter the Chengtian Gate yet.
Standing here, I am even more certain that the fire probably started near Qianqing Palace.
"The fire is not big, and it is raining. Don't worry, uncle." Wang Qiong walked up to him and said in a solemn tone, "The guards are not in chaos, and the situation may still be under control."
Yuan Zonggao pursed his lips and nodded, looking absently at the four cabinet ministers walking in front of Chengtian Gate.
Was His Majesty's personal oppression too much before, or was it just someone in the palace who was dissatisfied?
Yuan Zonggao didn't believe that lightning struck the fire. Although the thunder was loud last night, it was not a very dense and violent thunderstorm. How could it be such a coincidence?
After hearing Yang Tinghe's previous instructions, Yuan Zonggao walked into the rain: "Although I have not entered the cabinet, I am still willing to go!"
Wang Qiong looked at Yuan Zonggao's firm back in the rain and followed behind him without hesitation. At the same time, he shouted: "Everyone, the nine ministers should go together. Your majesty is in danger, and I am deeply concerned about it!"
On the Waijinshui Bridge, there are many people wearing red robes, and everyone is crowned with six or seven beams.
"Where did the fire start? How is your majesty?"
Yang Ting and Zhang Yong in front of him looked serious.
Seeing the six ministers, the minister of Dali Temple, the general envoy, and the censor of the capital who came together, Zhang Yong nodded to Yuan Zonggao, who was full of worry, and then said: "Your Majesty, you are all right! Please wait a moment, the meeting will continue. , wait until the drum sounds and then enter the Chengtianmen Houchao."
"But there was a fire in Qianqing Palace?" Yuan Zonggao couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Yong shook his head and said solemnly: "Sun Jing Sect."
The four cabinet ministers and the nine ministers were all shocked.
What is the difference between a fire at the Sun Jing Gate and a fire in the main hall of the Qian Qing Palace? Standing at the entrance of the Qian Qing Palace, you will see Qian Qing Gate in front, Sun Jing Gate and Yue Hua Gate in front and on the left and right.
The courtyard wall in front of the house is on fire. Where is the house?
Fires caused by lightning strikes usually start from high places, so how could they miss the main hall of Qianqing Palace and start from the Rijing Gate first?
Jiang Mian gritted his teeth and looked at Yang Tinghe silently.
There can only be one person who can be so stupid, and that is the Queen Mother Zhang in the palace, and her two idiot brothers.
The emperor who originally wanted to tighten his military power now has a fire outside his palace. This open fire is easy to put out, but what about the emperor's raging anger?
The rain kept falling, and the firelight in the distance became smaller and smaller.
It was still dark, and the wind blew the pungent smell of smoke.
What was the situation in the palace at this time?
…
"Has the fire been put out?"
Zhu Houcong stood under the eaves of the main hall of Weiyang Palace, looking through the rain curtain in the direction of Qianqing Palace.
Zhang Zhuo ran over quickly from the gate of Wuyang Palace: "Huang Jin sent someone to say that there is no open fire anymore."
"Did the fire reach Qianqing Palace?"
"Master, only the Rijing Gate was burned down, and one and a half rooms in the hut next to the Qianqing Gate were burned down."
Zhu Houcong nodded, turned around and took Concubine Shao's hand and said, "Grandma, my grandson is fine. Please go back to the back room and rest."
Concubine Shao's hands were cold and trembling: "We must reward them well."
Zhu Houcong smiled slightly: "That's natural."
When the fire broke out, it was Huang Jin who ran to the bedroom Zhu Houcong randomly selected tonight. Without any explanation, he picked him up and ran towards Weiyang Palace.
It was Zhu Qingping who first went to Weiyang Palace to find Zhang Zuo, and asked Zhang Zuo to find Mai Fu and Zhang Zuo.
At this moment, Weiyang Palace was surrounded by the eunuchs of the Royal Horse Supervisor.
Zhang Yong, the only remaining member of the Eight Tigers, holds the Soldier Talisman Fire Card. The emperor is willing to protect him, and the emperor has been carried to Weiyang Palace immediately. What does Zhang Yong do?
But before that, it was indeed the most stressful moment.
Zhu Houcong was not sure whether it was a natural disaster or a man-made disaster. Weiyang Palace was only protected by eunuchs and maids from the royal palace.
After Zhang Yong arrived, he knelt down without hesitation, and then the first thing he did when he got up was to ask his eunuchs who had experience in supervising the army to surround Renshou Palace.
In the name of protection.
In Renshou Palace, Queen Xia has moved here.
Looking at the eunuchs standing next to each other outside the gate of Renshou Palace, she bit her lip and looked at the angry Empress Dowager Zhang in horror.
"Yuan Jinsheng, go out and see if the fire is out!"
Yuan Jinsheng, who had been serving Empress Dowager Zhang in Renshou Palace, hurriedly led Yizhi to the palace gate. Empress Dowager Zhang saw that he was stopped at the door and refused to go out.
Then the anger on her face became even brighter.
Later, when she saw the eunuchs including Yuan Jinsheng kneeling down in one direction, Queen Mother Zhang immediately stopped her anger and turned into a worried look.
Zhu Houcong stepped into the gate of Renshou Palace, surrounded by Mai Fu and several eunuchs. Huang Jin followed beside him holding a big umbrella.
"Auntie was frightened. The fire has been extinguished. Is Auntie okay?" Zhu Houcong walked to the eaves and nodded to Queen Xia. "Is the emperor's sister-in-law okay?"
Empress Xia pinched her handkerchief nervously, bit her lip and nodded. She waited for Empress Dowager Zhang to reply to Zhu Houcong before saying, "Your Majesty, please ask, is everything going on in the Ai family..."
"Emperor, why did the fire start? Is Qianqing Palace burning?" Empress Dowager Zhang looked concerned.
"The cause of the fire remains to be investigated in detail, but two slaves who were snoozing did not have time to escape from the flames." Zhu Houcong stared into her eyes.
"Why were these two slaves on duty? Didn't they give warning first when lightning struck and caught fire?" Queen Mother Zhang was angry and frightened.
"Unfortunately, he died under a thunderstorm. He didn't have time to warn, and it may have been unknown." Zhu Houcong sighed, "In short, there is no evidence to prove his death now."
Queen Xia was frightened when she heard this. She wondered whether she had been killed by thunder or there was another hidden secret. Now the sentence "Death without evidence" has already expressed the emperor's suspicion.
And in this palace, who can manipulate the two eunuchs who are on night duty around the Qianqing Palace, what kind of suspects will there be?
Queen Xia felt cold all over her body, her head was shaking slightly, and her legs and feet began to feel weak.
The emperor then said: "The incident happened suddenly. In order to prevent the fire from spreading, I asked my servants to wait around the Renshou, Weiyang and Jijing palaces. Now that the fire is out, it's time for me to go to court. This It has been rainy and thundery for the past few days. I am afraid that there are still some omissions in the palace. I have asked Zhang Jin, Zhang Zuo and Wei Bin to check it carefully. Don't worry, Auntie."
After saying a simple salute, the emperor turned and walked towards the palace gate.
After he arrived outside the palace gate, he waved sharply, and then an energetic voice came over: "It's all gone!"
Outside Renshou Palace, no one knew how many eunuchs shouted in unison: "I obey the order!"