SFS Chapter 688: Not at all uneasy
Chapter 688: Not at all uneasy
The handwriting gradually became clearer and clearer, and the emperor read it at a glance, only to find that this page of letter was full of trivial greetings to the fake prince, and the whole thing was irrelevant nonsense.
When the emperor was about to put the second blank piece of letter paper into the copper basin, he suddenly heard a loud "boom" in his ears, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
The emperor, still frightened by the earth dragon's attack, ran out of the palace. The weak Zhen Huan hurriedly followed him with the help of a young eunuch.
When Xiao Xiazi ran out, she did not forget to take her bag with her.
Judge Wu instinctively grabbed the medicine box. He took two steps forward, and his eyes lit up in the flash of lightning.
Isn't this a good opportunity to leave the Imperial Hospital?
So he took advantage of the fact that everyone in the main hall was running out, and when he stepped over the threshold, he tripped over his right foot with his left foot, exerted force with his toes, and instantly flew into the air, hitting his head heavily next to the vermilion pillar.
He controlled the strength well, and taking advantage of the last bit of consciousness, pressed hard on a certain acupuncture point on his body, making himself look even weaker.
The emperor stopped in the front yard, and the vibration under his feet stopped.
Before he could say anything, he heard another "dong" sound.
The emperor looked in the direction of the sound and saw the limp body of Wu Yuanpan.
"Xia Zi, quickly go and find out the cause of the vibration."
The elderly judge Wu was always kind, and without the master's instructions, the palace maids and eunuchs came forward to help the man up.
A moment later, Xiao Xiazi reported back in horror.
"Your Majesty, the west side hall in the backyard of Zhongcui Palace has collapsed. I smell the stench of black gunpowder. Please evacuate Zhongcui Palace as soon as possible!"
Upon hearing this, the emperor's face changed drastically.
He knew the power of black gunpowder, and it was obvious that someone was deliberately trying to destroy the secret passage.
The more the other party wanted to destroy the secret passage, the more the emperor was certain that there was a hidden secret inside.
"Xia Zi, you will personally guard outside Zhongcui Palace. I will send guards to provide support later."
"Princess Zhen, you will temporarily take Princess Lingxi to live in Yanxi Palace."
After the emperor finished speaking, he quickly left surrounded by four guards.
The imperial court had strict control over black gunpowder, which was basically monopolized by the government, and the review procedures for its use were extremely strict.
Black powder is easily affected by moisture, and the black powder that blew up the west side hall must have been delivered recently.
As soon as the emperor returned to the Yangxin Palace, he summoned Xia Qian and sent people to Zhuoling Factory and other places to check the recent records of gunpowder collection.
He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and asked someone to bring in a basin of cold water.
Xiao Xiazi was smart and presented the bundle to him before he left.
As words appeared on blank pieces of letter paper one after another, the emperor's brows were furrowed.
The writer was very cautious, but the word "Prime Minister" on one of the pieces of letter paper caught the emperor's attention.
It was written in a hurry when the person who wrote the letter urged Cui Jinxi to send money as soon as possible to buy manpower.
In the court, only Mingzhu and Suo Etu could be honored as "Prime Minister".
Both of them fell out of favor with the late emperor, but the emperor preferred Soetu, the prime minister who was from the family of the late emperor's empress.
Soetu was the uncle of the deposed crown prince and a staunch supporter of the crown prince.
Later, he was repeatedly involved in the disputes over the crown prince, and was imprisoned in the clan house by the previous emperor. He was given the death penalty in September of the same year.
The Hesheli clan during the Soetu period was a descendant clan and was deeply trusted by the previous emperor.
How could he swallow this humiliation when he was suppressed by the previous emperor when he was at the peak of his power?
The deposed crown prince was imprisoned in the clan house, so it was normal for the uncle and nephew to have some thoughts.
The more the emperor thought about it, the more it made sense. The person who replaced his little Eleven might be the blood descendant of the deposed prince.
"Xia Qie, you will personally lead a search of Yuqing Palace, focusing on checking for any secret passages!"
There was quite a commotion coming from Zhongcui Palace, so people from all the palaces were sent to check it out.
An Lingrong sent out the precious pigeon that was best at getting information.
After hearing that the west side hall in the backyard of Zhongcui Palace collapsed due to black gunpowder explosion and that Yu'er and the people she brought in to look for the Eleventh Prince's body had not returned, Baoque knelt on the ground in fear and apologized.
"Master, I was inconsiderate before. Please forgive me!"
An Lingrong waved her hand gently.
"Our people haven't entered the secret passage to investigate yet, so you should get up first."
The person she stationed in Chunxi Palace accidentally heard Yu'er mention to Huarui that there was a secret passage hidden in the west side hall in the backyard of Zhongcui Palace, and hurriedly passed the news back.
Baoque immediately suggested sending someone in to investigate, but An Lingrong was worried that there might be danger inside and did not agree.
There are only a handful of people who can secretly dig a secret passage in the palace, and Prince Guo is definitely not able to complete such a secret project.
Later, she found out about the Hesheli clan and decided to reveal this to the emperor.
"Bao Que, has there been any movement in the pistil of Chunxi Palace recently?"
"My Lord, Miss Huarui has been staying indoors ever since she met Xunmei, except for going to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to collect her monthly allowance."
Baoque was very puzzled. She had never even held the Tenth Prince in her arms, and she had also refused the New Year's Eve palace banquet on the grounds that the Tenth Prince was too young to control his crying.
"My Lady, do you think there's something wrong with the Tenth Prince?"
"I don't know. The Tenth Prince is still a babbling child. Send someone to keep an eye on Hua Rui."
An Lingrong vaguely guessed that Hua Rui must have known the Tenth Prince's life experience, and later accidentally discovered that Cui Jinxi was involved with Prince Guo, so she used Yu'er and Xunmei to get rid of her.
Hua Rui comes from Prince Guo's Mansion. The reason she does this is probably because she has a grudge against that place.
The women trained by Prince Guo are helpless, and the Tenth Prince is still a child. If Hua Rui is capable...
She just pretends she knows nothing.
Isn’t it a blessing for Xichang to have a loyal maid like Huarui by her side?
"A secret passage has been dug in the palace, and black powder has appeared. The emperor will definitely order martial law in the palace, and all the people stationed in the palaces should stay put."
"While Su Peisheng was recuperating outside the palace, he couldn't bear the loneliness and ran out to listen to music. The palace is full of intrigue and deception, so let him stay outside the palace and enjoy the life of a wealthy master."
Xiao Xia Zi has been humble in front of Su Peisheng for many years, and it’s time for her to take the position.
......
The cold wind was howling, and the emperor was dealing with the memorials in his hand with a worried look on his face. He looked at the closed curtains from time to time, his heart filled with anxiety.
About half an hour later, Xia Qi knelt beside the table to report.
"Your Majesty, there is indeed a secret passage in Yuqing Palace. However, I arrived too late. The entrance is blocked 20 meters away, and the people below are clearing it."
"Okay, I understand."
The emperor turned his head to look in the direction of the Qianqing Palace and gave orders with a serious face.
"Come! Hurry and bring the Chief of the Imperial Household and Prince Hongxi of Heshuo Li into the palace."
The first person to arrive was the elderly Zong Zheng, and the emperor signaled him to sit behind the screen and keep quiet.
Not long after, Hongxi hurried into the main hall.
"Your Majesty, I, Hongxi, respectfully wish you the best of health!"
"Holy peace?" The emperor sneered, "I am not at all uneasy!"