Cover The Sky With One Hand, Beat The Ground With The Other Chapter 63: Extra II

Walking day and night, all the way to Beijing.

Along the way, there have been various rumors about the emperor's serious illness. Everyone said that the queen fell on a cliff while praying for blessings. The country may change hands, and the throne will most likely fall back to the original Prince Qing. in the hands of the king.

Thinking that all these news were distributed intentionally or unintentionally by Jing Lan. He placed himself in the position of the only successor. In addition, he has done a good job as a superintendent of the country for more than half a year. At this time , Whenever there is news of the emperor's death, I am afraid that the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty will not hesitate to support him as the new emperor.

After thinking about it, I can't believe no matter what, that wise elder brother would become what he is today.

Why do I always feel that this style of behavior is quite similar to Feng Li, but haven't I witnessed Feng Li die in front of me?

I asked: "Is there anything I told you on the day of the banquet? Is there anything more detailed?"

Cheng Tiezhong said: "His Majesty didn't actually talk to the servants too much. He ordered the servants to come to Guangling to find the princess, and let the princess go back to the palace to meet her. Your Majesty has something to say to the princess."

I nodded, "Looks like he has something to do with me."

Cheng Tiezhong paused, then said: "It's just that now that King Qing may not let the princess enter the palace, even if he does, he will follow the princess by his side, and will not leave the princess alone with your majesty. opportunity."

"There will always be a way," I said, looking at the prosperous scenery of the capital in front of me, "Let's go."

When I came back to Beijing again, the first person I was looking for was the director of Mingjian Division, Tao Yuan. Tao Yuan had already received the news of my coming back. When we stepped into the tunnel and saw him, he was very serious. He knelt down and said, "The old man finally waited until the princess came back."

It seems that the situation in Beijing has reached the point where the situation is like fire. , so I hoped for the stars, the moon, and I returned to Beijing.

I asked Cheng Tiezhong to tell everything that happened before. Tao Yuan was more shocked the more he heard it. In his anger, he wanted to send everyone from Mingjian Division to rush into the palace to take down Jing Lan. I shook my head and said: "Only a mere thousand people can't move the eldest brother at all. In the current situation, even if we tell the court officials that the emperor is harmed by the eldest brother, I am afraid that not only will they not go to crusade the eldest brother, but will be for the sake of Big brother comes to count us..."

Cheng Tiezhong was puzzled, "How can there be such a truth in the world?"

"It's human nature to seek advantage and avoid disadvantage," I said, "If I had other brothers who could take on this important task in the world, some of the courtiers might be willing to fight against us together, but now the emperor's body... Even if the courtiers have intentions, what can they do? Big brother is so unscrupulous because he sees through this. Do you really think that it is no coincidence that those scheming courtiers can't see the upside-down trend this year?"

Tao Yuan nodded when he heard the words: "How can there be very few people who have killed their brothers and seized the throne in the past... As long as they think that this person is worthy of surrender and has the ability to rule the world, they may not care whether their methods are open and aboveboard..." /

Cheng Tiezhong slammed the table hard, "Don't you just sit and wait like this..."

"Not necessarily." I looked up at Cheng Tiezhong, "Didn't you say that the emperor wanted you to take me back to the capital, did he want me to go into the palace to see him alone?"

Cheng Tiezhong nodded, "Your Majesty said...if he has something to say, he must tell Her Royal Highness the princess..."

"It seems that this is the key to overthrowing the eldest brother..." I put my hand on the forehead, "It is not difficult to enter the palace to see my brother, but once I enter, I am afraid that the eldest brother will not let me out of the palace again. It's time for..."

Tao Yuan sighed, "But it's not easy to hide this matter from King Qing. The secret report from the palace said that since Eunuch Cheng disappeared, the **** serving next to His Majesty's couch was replaced by Eunuch Li. , that Li Jun is a person of King Qing. It is said that if there is a slight disturbance in His Majesty's place, he will immediately reach King Qing's ear, whether it is courtiers or concubines in the palace, as long as anyone wants to visit His Majesty, Either because His Majesty needed a quiet break and was stopped, or because King Qing was invited to respond in person, even if we attacked Li Jun, if King Qing didn't receive the news after a period of time, he would definitely be suspicious, and the princess would not be afraid. Get out..."

I got up and took a few steps forward, paused, and looked back at Tao Yuan, "Mr. Tao, you said... is there a possibility to send the emperor out of the palace?"

Tao Yuan was shaken all over, Cheng Tiezhong was dumbfounded and said, "This, this, this..."

I said: "Big brother will not leave the palace easily right now, but if I ask him to meet, he will come to the appointment. Even if something happened in the palace at that time, it is difficult for Li Jun to spread the news..."

Tao Yuan immediately said: "This is inappropriate, not to mention that it is extremely dangerous for the princess to meet with King Qing alone, it is His Majesty's current body, even if we change him out of the palace overnight, it will not be able to bear the suffering of bumps..."

"What Director Tao said is very true, so I think..." I lowered my voice and slowly revealed my plan.

Tao Yuan was silent for a long time after listening, and finally said: "Although it is dangerous, it may not be impossible to give it a try."

It is not difficult to ask Jing Lan to come out and meet me.

Just let him know that I have returned to the capital. He will not want me to enter the palace if he is unprepared, so he will take the initiative to come and make an appointment with me.

I walked to the palace gate wearing very low-key men's clothes. As Cheng Tiezhong said, the guards guarding the palace gate have long since changed. These newcomers naturally don't recognize me. Seeing that I want to enter the palace , of course stopped me at the door.

I cupped my hands and said, "I'm an old friend with King Qing, you guys, please do it as convenient as you can and pass it on for me."

The headed guard said viciously, "Damn! King Qing is in charge of all kinds of opportunities, how can you wait for the commoners to see it! If you know the fun, go away!"

There are so many opportunities to deal with every day... Even a mere gatekeeper describes Jing Lan in this way. It seems that his position in this palace is far beyond my imagination.

I took out two ingots of gold from my sleeves and stuffed them into the guards. This blatant bribery not only failed to impress them, but made them even more angry, threatening to take me for trespassing at the palace gate. Next, just as they were pushing and shoving, a voice suddenly came from not far away, shouting, "Stop!"

Several guards were startled when they heard his voice, they hurriedly gave way and said in a trembling voice: "Master Sun, there is a treachery here who is trying to break into the palace, saying that it is an old friend of His Royal Highness King Qing. , no matter how his subordinates catch up, he won't leave..."

The visitor was originally aggressive, but when he saw my face, he was shocked, and he blurted out: "Gong..."

"Master Sun, you came just in time," I cut him off. "My son wanted to enter the palace to meet King Qing, but he was stopped by them. What do you think?"

This Master Sun is naturally Sun Xuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards in the palace. Sun Xuan was the one who was drawn by me to Jingyan's side to be the prince's personal soldier. He was the first to kneel before me in the case of King Kang in the hall. How can you not recognize me? However, according to Cheng Tiezhong, Jing Lan didn't know what means he used to even use Sun Xuan for his own use, so today I made a special trip to clash with the palace guards at this hour, and it was precisely because the guard patrol was right. In the future, he will be handed over to the guards in shifts, so that he can meet Sun Xuan by such a "coincidence".

What a smart person, Sun Xuan, seeing that I deliberately concealed his identity, he did not reveal it, but he reprimanded the guards and said, "You know that this son is the guest of King Qing!"

As soon as the guards heard it, they were convinced. They knelt down in panic and begged Sun Xuan to forgive their sins. I smiled very gracefully, "Master Sun, you are being reckless, and you didn't ask someone to lead the way in advance. ." Yan Bi stretched out his hand and gestured to Sun Xuan, "It's better to take a step to speak."

Sun Xuan nodded and followed me to the corner outside the palace gate. Then he raised his hand and said: "Princess, you, why are you here?"

I bowed my head helplessly and sighed: "You must have heard that my concubine and I have been missing for so long, and I had the intention to retire and not ask about the affairs of the court. It is true that I heard that the emperor was seriously ill, and I was really worried. I was very anxious, so I came to the capital... But now I really don't want to be involved in the court, so I concealed my identity, but I don't want even the guards outside the palace to recognize me now..."

Sun Xuan understood what I said, "The princess wants her subordinates to bring you into the palace?

"Why, can't it be done?"

"That, that's not it... In fact, it is not difficult to enter the palace, but you don't want to reveal your identity, Princess," he hesitated for a moment, "At the moment, King Qing is still discussing politics with the ministers in the imperial study, but now whether it is Anyone who wants to see His Majesty has to go through King Qing...I'm afraid that the authority of my subordinates..."

I glanced at him with a half-smile but not a smile. It seemed that Jing Lan was indeed on guard. It is estimated that all the imperial guards in the palace would rush to inform him when they saw me. Sun Xuan was a little guilty when I stared at him, so I nodded slightly and said, "Big brother is cautious, if I am someone else's pretender at this moment, it is not appropriate to go to the saint so hastily... Well, I will trouble Master Sun to run for me. I'll go and let my eldest brother know, how about I wait for news at Yueyang Restaurant?"

Sun Xuan clasped his fist and said, "The princess will wait a moment, and her subordinates will immediately go to see His Royal Highness King Qing."

I know very well that Sun Xuan's departure, with Jing Lan's style of affairs, he will not give me the opportunity to enter the palace to see the Jingyan before he finds out my intentions, and most of the time he will come out of the palace to see me in person. , that is to say, from this moment on, this competition has already begun.

Yueyang Restaurant is filled with the quaint sounds of the qin, and scholars and scholars still flock here. I booked a private room by the window, ordered two small dishes with a pot of wine, and waited quietly.

When the sun slanted west and the sky sank, I was a little tired of waiting, and the curtain was suddenly lifted, and the eldest brother of the emperor, dressed in splendid brocade clothes, stood in front of him, still as tall and straight as he used to be, and I was a little shaken for a while. I can't tell if it's when I was a teenager or now, I just listen to him whisper: "Xiangyi..."

I stood up with sour eyes, "Big brother."

He seemed to be trying his best to control his emotions, and asked the two accompanying entourage to step back for a while, and as soon as he stepped into the private room, he hugged me, and said for a long time, "Where have you been in the past two years? ?"

It's so sincere, it's really hard to imagine that the person in front of me will do such a poisonous hand to my brother, my fingers paused in the air, and then I patted his back, "I'm not coming back here. Are you..."

Jing Lan slowly released her hand, "I heard from Sun Xuan that you came back because you were worried about the emperor's condition..."

I nodded and couldn't help but anxiously grabbed his sleeve: "How is your brother? What did the imperial doctor say?"

Jing Lan lowered his head, as if he was on the verge of speaking, and then shook his head gently, "The imperial doctor said...the emperor's illness is born with it, and he has been seeking a cure for the past twenty years, but unfortunately, after all No results, the cold half a year ago made the condition worse, now... don't say get out of bed and walk around, even when you are awake, it is very difficult to even say a few words..."

I sat down and couldn't help but burst into tears, even if I knew that Jing Lan was here to test me, but since he said that, most of Jing Yan was really at the point where the oil was exhausted, "I want to go to the palace to see A look at my brother..."

Jing Lan nodded slightly and said in a soft and soft voice: "Just now he has taken the medicine and fell asleep. You follow me into the palace. When he wakes up tomorrow, go see him."

I looked up at him, his expression was not flawed, and he was no different from the eldest brother who cared about his younger siblings when he was a child. I wiped my tears and asked him to sit down beside me, filling the table with wine, Said: "Alright, it's still early, accompany me for a couple of drinks before entering the palace."

Brother, this will be our last amicable drinking conversation.

At first, I meant to delay, so that Ming Jian Division had enough time to follow the plan, but unexpectedly, Jing Lan did not seem to be reluctant to return to the palace too soon, and the two of us chatted with each other about this In the past two years, he talked about the intrigue between the two sides, and I made fun of the firewood, rice, oil, and salt in the small village, just like a pair of brothers and sisters who have been separated for a long time.

We drank this wine for over an hour.

When Jing Lan asked why Song Langsheng couldn't come with me, I smiled bitterly: "Brother, you also know that he fled the military camp without his military membership, and the emperor did not pursue it because of my affection. However, those senior officials in the DPRK may not think so..."

Jing Lan nodded, "I understand. It's just that the emperor's condition is not good. I thought that if you wanted to come back, you would be able to share the emperor's worries..."

I waved my hand and interrupted him, "I'm not a princess for a long time, so don't mention this again, eldest brother."

Jing Lan looked at me thoughtfully, "Okay."

Yueyang Restaurant's qin music has been played from Guangling to the Fisherman's Questions and Answers. When the end of the qin string is played, it turns to a good night introduction. This is what I agreed with Tao Yuan at the beginning. It is to convey a message to me that Ming Jian Division has completed the first move.

The sound of fireworks exploded in the silent sky, and the fireworks outside the window bloomed gracefully with petals like rain. This is not uncommon in Beijing, but I noticed that Jing Lan's brows frowned very quickly, although it was only for a moment He still calmly drank the wine in the cup, and then put it down gently, "Originally, when I left the palace today, in addition to seeing you, I still have some important things to do, why don't you wait here first? I'll take you into the palace after I'm done with the matter."

I nodded my head, "Big brother, go to your business first, I'll just wait for you."

He smiled slightly, then got up and left immediately. I looked back and looked down from the window. Jing Lan got on his horse and hurried away with a few entourage, running in the direction of the palace.

At this time, the second shopkeeper of the restaurant had already pulled the curtains and asked with a smile: "The lord just left, does this gentleman want to settle the bill or add a glass of wine and continue to sit for a while?" The moment he said this , put the note on the cuff on top of my palm.

I opened the note, but I saw what was written on the note: I have followed the instructions, and the five carriages were heading in five directions. Even if King Qing sent troops to pursue him, he would not be able to confirm which carriage the emperor was in in a short period of time. superior. King Qing came with ten followers today, and four of them remained downstairs to monitor the princess.

I returned the note to the second shopkeeper, who immediately swallowed the note and asked again, "Do you want to check out the guest or sit down for a while?"

I slowly got up and said, "Checkout."

The city gates are closed, and the city is full of soldiers searching.

After I left the Yueyang restaurant, I got on a carriage and headed straight to the palace. The servants of King Qing in those restaurants had been disposed of. In other words, when Jing Lan finished searching the capital, he returned to Yueyang. When he was in the restaurant, he would realize that I was manipulating this scam.

This is, of course, a trick to turn the tiger away from the mountain.

Jing Yan is seriously ill and bedridden, and there are eunuchs guarding the palace from time to time. It is impossible to send him out of the palace without a leak-proof plan and enough time. Therefore, Tao Yuan rejected it from the beginning of our discussion. made this proposal.

I said: "Mr. Tao, you have actually thought about it, maybe we don't have to take the emperor out of the palace, we just need to create an illusion that the emperor is missing, so that King Qing thinks that someone robbed the emperor overnight, he will definitely take him personally. During this period, even if we killed Eunuch Li Jun and the few eyeliners who were loyal to King Qing, it would be difficult for King Qing to know the news immediately, and I just need to go to the palace to see the emperor alone. "

Tao Yuan frowned and pondered, "Why does the princess assert that King Qing will personally pursue him? He can wait for news in the palace."

I hooked my lips and said: "He has been planning all this time, what is he most looking forward to now? That is to wait for Jingyan to die. But if I appear in the capital in vain, once I enter the palace to see If something comes up, he will have to get rid of me, but he knows too well that I am far from having a good time to deal with."

Tao Yuan finally understood what I meant, "Princess is saying, if King Qing sees the princess, he will first try to delay the princess, and if he happens to hear that the emperor was taken out of the palace, he will count the plan in He killed the emperor in the process of chasing him, and then pushed his guilt on others, so that he could justly ascend to the throne."

I said: "My eldest brother has been a thoughtful person since he was a child, and the more critical it is, the more hands-on it is."

I can't even think of it myself, I've been estranged from the court for nearly two years, and I still have the ability to make a prophecy. Jing Lan really led the army to search the capital upside down.

When the whole palace was in a panic, I took Cheng Tiezhong's palace token, and under the disguise arranged by Ming Jiansi, I smoothly entered the palace.

At a time like this, naturally no one would care about a little **** like me, and no one would have thought that the missing His Majesty never left the palace.

All Jing Lan's eyeliner near the palace has disappeared, replaced by eunuchs and palace maids who are subordinate to Mingjian Division. As I approached the emperor's bedroom step by step, no one stepped forward to stop me, the time was running out, and I couldn't care too much, so I stepped into the house.

The room was silent and the candle light was dim. I slowly walked towards the dragon couch. I could vaguely see a pair of hollowed out incense **** hanging in the tent. The faint scent of medicine lingered, but there was no one under the tent.

I paced to the edge of the bed, lifted the quilt covering the edge of the bed, moved the position of the bed board, and reached out to touch the mechanism.

The stone wall against which the bed rested opened, and at the other end was a secret room at the same height as the bed. The secret room was covered with a thick fleece blanket. A person was leaning against the wall, which was originally tightly closed. After hearing the movement, his eyes slowly opened, and he turned his head slightly to look at me.

The shadow of the moon swept through the window, making his elegant face even more haggard.

Of course it's my brother Xiao Jingyan.

This is the truth about the so-called Emperor's disappearance. The mechanism of the dragon couch was originally set up when the father was alive. In those years, his health was good and bad, and sometimes he had to review memorials and secret papers on the couch. No less, so the royal father simply built this small secret room, mostly used to place some things that people don't want to be seen easily. In fact, not many people know this secret. Besides me and Jing Yan, only the mother knows how to open the organ. As for the big brother... when the secret room was built, he had already been expelled from the capital, how could he have imagined that there was still a hiding place here?

A thin mist appeared in Jing Yan's eyes, and he said with difficulty in a voice that was almost inaudible: "Sister Huang...you're back..."

The cry of "Sister Huang" made my heart suffocate. I opened my mouth and felt the tears rolling down. He propped up slightly and tried to move his body out. He, where his hands touched were all his thin and sick bones, and the last string in his heart collapsed in an instant, "How can I lose so much..."

He leaned back on the bed with my support. I cushioned him with a soft pillow, and he was barely able to sit comfortably. He reached out and wiped my tears, "You've gained a lot of weight..."

I held back so that I didn't let myself cry, "It's the emperor's fault, it's me who shouldn't leave you and leave, it's me who didn't warn you about your eldest brother's life experience, it's me..." /

"Sister Huang," he patted the back of my hand lightly, "Jing Lan's background... Father Huang... has already told me..."

He looked at me with a shocked expression, but smiled faintly, and said weakly: "My father said that Jing Lan himself does not know the secret of his life experience. From childhood to adulthood, the person I admired most was the emperor. Brother, I thought that as long as I kept this secret, he could be my good royal brother by my side... I was confused, I forgot... The more he doesn't know his background, the more he will remember that he was in the East Palace. The crown prince, the more he will hate that everything that belongs to him has been replaced by me..."

I looked at him blankly, "He hates you? Did the elder brother tell you these words?"

He nodded lightly, "When I was in a coma with poisoning, Jing Lan would often sit quietly beside my bed, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for half a day... He had countless opportunities to let me die without leaving a trace... But he didn't, he...he said a lot to himself, he told me that he didn't want to kill me, he just wanted me to fall into a coma and sleep, but I didn't think that my body couldn't bear the cartilage. The poison...but after taking this step, he can't turn back..."

"Cartilage powder...it's really cartilage powder..." I muttered, "Brother, Jing Lan...is he Fengli back then?"

Jing Yan glanced at me unexpectedly and nodded slowly, "...he said it to me himself..."

So, the cousin who was stabbed to death by Song Langsheng in Prince Rui's mansion was also Jinglan Jinchan's stand-in? Therefore, many years ago, the people who killed the entire body of the **** bureau, hunted down the family of Jun Jin, planned the bombing of the official ship, caused floods in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and even used honey to separate me and Song Langsheng to push us into a desperate situation again and again. Lan?

It turns out that what Song Langsheng guessed that day was not wrong at all. It turns out that I was blinded by emotions like Jingyan!

The more I trembled, the worse I became, "What does it mean to belong to him? He, if he wanted to be emperor, he shouldn't have left for a woman in the first place, but he just walked away like that, and walked so unrestrainedly. , but put the burden of the seriously ill father and the country on our shoulders! What happened later? His woman died, and he was hesitant and hopeless, so he coveted the imperial power and wealth that he once disdained?!"

Jing Yan held my trembling hand, it was obviously a very light force, but it seemed to have a heavy force, "Sister Huang... don't need to be angry, and don't need to despair... From the moment we learned the truth Since then, he is no longer our eldest brother..."

I was startled.

Jing Yan stared at me and repeated word by word: "He, he was not our imperial brother."

I lowered my head slightly, trying my best to control my emotions, "You are right, he was not our imperial brother...but we have no evidence, how can we convince the civil and military officials that Jing Lan is not the father emperor at all My son..." Thinking of this, I suddenly thought of someone, "Yes, the Queen Mother knew that she exchanged babies with the royal father, it is impossible not to leave any clues! Only the words of the Queen Mother are the most convincing..."

Jing Yan said: "Sister Huang, that empress dowager is no longer the empress we know... Originally, the empress dowager was strongly opposed to me appointing Jinglan as a prince, but one day she would no longer object to Jinglan. She is also very caring for Youjia... I had doubts in my heart, so I sent someone to investigate secretly, but suddenly fell ill, and only later did I learn that this queen mother is a fake..."

I seem to have heard the most absurd thing in the world, "Is the queen mother fake? How, how is it possible? No matter how powerful Jing Lan is, how can she find someone to replace the queen mother?"

"The facts are in front of me, I have to believe..."

If Jing Lan can even replace the Queen Mother in the palace at any time, his hidden power has reached an immeasurable level, which is simply unimaginable. I looked at Jingyan and said, "Before I came today, I thought you could not move or speak, brother, but now I see that although you are inconvenient to move, you can still make a sound. If so, why didn't you do it when you went to court? Telling the truth in front of all the officials and convicting Jing Lan? No matter how Jing Lan tries to win over important officials in the court, he is only a prince after all, and you are the emperor! It's also you, brother, what are you afraid of, and why you haven't acted?"

Jing Yan froze for a moment, his lips subconsciously twitched, he coughed twice, and said slowly: "Sister Huang... Since I used my last strength to let Cheng Tiezhong go to Guangling to find you, to today During your presence here... during this time... I... have been unable to move, unable to speak, and even... unable to open my eyes... The poison of cartilage has already spread all over my limbs..."

"Then, how can you now..."

"I have prepared a medicine. When I take this medicine, whether it is a highly poisonous person or a terminally ill person, I can restore my mind in a short period of time..." He paused, "It's just that the time As soon as...the deadline comes..."

I feel that my whole body is a little limp. I hold the corner of the bed.

"Ming Jian Division." Jing Yan smiled slightly, "Father Emperor said that he gave Ming Jian Division to Huang Jie, but...ahem, but the world belongs to me, how could Tao Yuan at the foot of the emperor refuse the emperor? life..."

The bed tent was blown up by the wind, I looked at him in disbelief, the mist in my eyes spread out again, "Who allowed you to die? Who allowed you to wake up in this way? Xiao Jingyan...you How can I give up my life like this without trying...how can I do this..."

"I can't last long, I can't sit still and do nothing..."

I held his arms tightly, "But I don't want you to die. You are the last bloodline of the father. If you die, what can I do to fight Jing Lan? Even if I win the fight, who will come? Inherit this fertile land?"

Jingyan whispered: "Yes..."

"Are you talking about your infant son?" I bit my lip, "In this world, when has a baby been enthroned as emperor? Not to mention Xiao Jinglan, there are no civil and military officials in the entire dynasty. Do you understand that people will believe in that child?"

He looked up at me like a cold star in the sky: "Sister Huang... I am referring to... not my child, but the father's...

I was stunned, "What do you mean? Not all of our royal brothers..."

He said: "It's the eldest brother..."

I was confused, "Xiao Jinglan was clearly not born by the father..."

He pondered for a moment, "The mother did give birth to a baby that day, didn't she?"

"But didn't the baby turn yellow and thin as soon as he was born, and the imperial physicians said he would not live for three days?"

"No...that baby, didn't die." Jing Yan said word by word: "They...all thought that the baby was going to die, and replaced it with Aunt Huang's child, but that child... survived. "

My mouth was dumbfounded: "If the baby is still alive, why should the royal father let Lai Jinglan replace him?"

Jing Yan closed his eyes and said slowly: "Although the baby is about to die... But the father and the queen have a glimmer of hope after all... In order to hide people's eyes and ears, they let the mother beside the mother sneak out of the palace overnight... Unexpectedly, the mammy disappeared as soon as she left the palace, and even the baby disappeared... Since then, the father and emperor decided that the child had died on the way, and did not go to look for it... But many years later, by accident, Re-learned of his existence..."

I listened blankly.

He took a few breaths, "My father didn't want the prince who was living in the people to return to the palace. If it wasn't for the deaths of our royal brothers, the chaos in the court would be hard to deal with... and The state of my body...the royal father has some concerns after all...maybe the royal father has already anticipated today's situation...cough,cough...for the stability of the Daqing country..." He coughed twice, and I He patted his back, "Brother, what do you mean, the father and queen came to find the prince, and have been secretly maintaining some kind of contact with him?"

Jing Yan tried to calm herself down and nodded slightly.

I asked, "Who is he?"

Jing Yan shook his head, "Maybe my father is worried that in order to secure my throne, I will attack that person after ascending the throne... This point, my father did not tell me clearly..."

"Then, will this person take the initiative to stand up and reveal that Jing Lan is not the prince's background and replace him?"

Jing Yan shook his head again, "...It doesn't seem to be possible now...Otherwise, when I re-established Jing Lan as King of Qing all these years, why wouldn't he show up..."

Hearing this, no matter how sluggish I am, it is impossible for me not to hear the sound of his words. It turned out that Jingyan was afraid of the real big brother in his heart that day, in order to block his way back. It was only when Jinglan was named king.

How could this stupid younger brother handle this matter so foolishly, why didn't he think about it, if this prince who had been left out of the people really had the heart to covet the throne, he would have recovered his royal status long ago while his father was still alive. , how could it be possible that the election would move this thought after the father left?

If it were in the past, I would have to disregard the difference between the ruler and the minister and hurt him severely, but now he is leaning on my side like this, as if he had done something pitiful when he was a child, How can I bear to say half a word to him?

I said: "Jingyan, my sister promises you...I will try my best to find the prince and guard the Xiao family's country..."

Jing Yan choked his throat, lowered his eyes and held the corner of my shirt and said, "...I know, my elder sister just wanted to find a happy man to live a peaceful life like other princesses since she was a child...If it wasn't for me, father The emperor will not push her to such a position in her 28th year... Huangjie, what you did for me... I never dare to forget..."

The wind blew lightly, whirling on the top of my head, I was afraid that he would freeze, so I closed the velvet robe draped over his shoulders for him, "Don't talk about this... You know what I mean, what you mean Why don't I know?"

He held the back of my hand, "But, next, sister must firmly remember what I said..."

He took a deep breath, then attached to me and said softly: "Before the emperor's death, he actually set up two inheritance edicts... One is to pass the throne to me, the other is to pass on the throne to me. It's the royal brother whose identity we don't know yet..."

I looked at Jingyan in shock, "This, how is this possible?"

"This is what my father told me..."

"But...two edicts...if they appear at the same time, which one should be true?"

Jing Yan said: "Take my last edict as the first... and the last edict that was passed on to the imperial brother was written in the event that something happened to me or my health was in bad shape, it would be passed on immediately after my death. Located in him... that edict not only pointed out his identity, but also made it clear about the exchange of princes that year..."

I was startled for a while, then Fang said: "The royal father's foresighted plan, really no one can surpass him... Since the royal father is willing to let you know the existence of the edict, there is no reason not to put the edict in any place. I will tell you, otherwise, there is no point in telling you..."

"That's right... I've always known... where is that edict hidden... but I, I've never looked at it..." Seeing my frowning, he smiled weakly, "I'm afraid of me. If you read it, you will violate the oath I made with the father and emperor, and I can't help but cut down the roots..."

I looked up at Jing Yan, "But you didn't do anything after all, did you?"

No wonder Jing Yan was so frightened of the unknown imperial brother. If the edict stated that he succeeded to the throne after Jing Yan's death, then if he had a certain intention to kill Jing Yan, he would naturally be able to take his place. From this point of view, is it because the father emperor still trusts the character of this imperial brother very much, or is it the existence of this second imperial edict that even the imperial brother himself does not know about it?

"Since my younger brother has such an edict in his hand, why should we be afraid of Jing Lan? You can secretly pass on the trustworthy ministers in the court, and let them read the imperial edict in public, why do you need to wait for me to come back to do this? If I can't come back..."

Jing Yan said: "This is the entrustment of the father and the emperor to me... The second edict... I should read it out in public by the emperor..."

I was surprised, "Why?"

Jing Yan's blood faded from the corners of his lips little by little, "I am afraid that the answer to this mystery is to be revealed by the emperor..."

He tried his best to cheer himself up and slowly took out a bright yellow satin scroll, "This is the edict written by my own hands... I wrote the location of the imperial edict, so that all officials must follow the emperor's instructions. The edict...after I die, as long as the imperial elder sister takes this scroll of edict to the palace, the world...will not fall into the hands of that Xiao Jinglan..."

He said, his eyes were slightly closed, I looked straight at him, I didn't dare to blink, for fear that he would close his eyes and never open them again, "Jingyan..."

Jing Yan smiled at me with a slight dimple on his cheek, "It's not time yet, I won't fall asleep so soon... I'm just... I'm a little tired..."

At this time, someone outside the door gently knocked on the door three times, "Your Majesty, Princess, there is news of fireworks from Mr. Tao, King Qing is already on his way back to the palace, I'm afraid he won't be able to leave the palace if he delays... …”

Jing Yan shoved the scroll into my hand, "Sister Huang... let's go..."

I clenched his sleeve tightly, "I don't want to..."

Tears filled my eyes, and Jing Yan gently wiped them away for me, "I can finally... see the Queen again... I will... feel at ease... It's a pity that I couldn't see the Queen again... and I That one-month-old baby..."

The people outside the door urged me again, Jing Yan pushed me away slowly, "If you don't leave, everything will be in vain... You are me, your father, and Daqing's last hope... let's go... ..."

I ended up leaving the palace in such a hurry that I didn't even have time to say a final goodbye to the banquet.

The cold wind was biting, and he left the palace again. The bustling scene in the city seemed to be suddenly erased, and the world suddenly fell into solemnity.

Under the arrangement of Mingjian Division, I avoided the capital, which was being searched closely, and returned to Mingjian Division's most secret hiding place.

This underground chamber, although full of candles, is more suffocating than the dark night.

I can't imagine what Jingyan would be thinking and how lonely he would be when he was alone in the huge bedroom, slowly closing his eyes, and slowly leaving.

I curled up on the ground, repeatedly read the will Jingyan gave me many times, and finally buried my head in my knees, unable to stop the trembling all over my body.

This night is doomed to sleepless nights.

Two days passed before the news of Emperor Yan Jia reached the public.

It is said that when the people in the palace found Jingyan in the bedroom, he was dead in his sleep. For a while, the palace, inside and outside the court, were all mourning and mourning, but behind the pain, more conspiracies were just around the corner.

Now the courtiers have handed over everything to Jing Lan for disposal, including the auspicious time of the emperor's funeral, condolences and funeral ceremonies. Treat Jing Lan as the only heir to the throne.

In the past few days, Xiao Jinglan has been searching all over the imperial city, but after all, he did not dare to say who he was searching, and those generals didn't know what kind of person they were going to arrest, even if I walked down the street in a dignified manner. , they also failed to notice the reason.

I think this may be the last piece of advice Jing Lan gave me - all the troops and horses in Beijing are in his hands, and the country is a foregone conclusion.

In fact, so far, Jing Lan's political attitude is still modest and courteous, which further confirms what Jing Yan said - Jing Lan doesn't know his true background, he still regards himself as mine Huang eldest brother, think that even if I annoy him, I will not make a joke about Jiangshan Sheji, after all, he thinks that the Xiao family has only his bloodline left.

From this point of view, he will most likely be "entrusted" by the ministers in front of the coffin on the day of his death, and he has to take the weight of the king of this country for the sake of the country and society. objection.

It's a pity that he missed this crucial section, and the game is difficult to settle.

The world is changing rapidly.

I never thought that one day, I would stand on the opposite side of the eldest brother whom I admired most since childhood.

On the day of Jingyan's funeral, I was placed in the palace under the arrangement of Ming Jiansi. After changing into a suit of filial piety, he slowly walked into the Yanfu Palace where the coffin was placed with the honor of the princess.

The inside and outside of Yanfu Palace was filled with civil and military officials.

When the eunuchs outside the palace chanted "Princess Xiangyi is here", everyone turned their heads and looked at me with disbelief that I appeared here out of thin air, approaching step by step.

The inside of the hall is covered with white cloth curtains. I walked to the gate of the palace and saw the coffin lying across the hall and Jing Lan, who was kneeling beside her waist and tied a filial piety belt.

He stood up slowly and looked at me with an indescribable look in his bottomless eyes.

Before this moment, he failed to prevent me from entering the palace, so when I have come this far, no one in the world can stop a sister from condolences for her brother.

I took a small footstep and slowly stepped over the threshold of the hall. Although the important officials in the hall were very surprised, they quickly recovered and made a way for me, nodding slightly and saluting to me.

Jing Lan trembled as if she saw me at first glance, and said sadly, "Xiangyi, you're back..."

I didn't respond to him, and walked straight to the coffin. Jing Yan was lying quietly at the moment, with a peaceful face as if he was asleep. I remembered what he said to me that night, he said: I can see the emperor at the end. Sister, I feel at ease.

He is the most mediocre of the princes, maybe not a good emperor, but my best brother.

And I couldn't accompany him until the end.

I brushed my robe and knelt on the mat, and bowed deeply.

The hall was silent for a while, and when I finished the ceremony of prostration, I heard someone say: "His Majesty governs the country in a good way, caring for the people, and it is my blessing in Daqing...However, Tian was jealous of Yingcai, but he drove away early. It's the misfortune of my Daqing, the ministers and others are all grief-stricken... But now, the ambition of the wolf son of Daliang is staring at me in the territory of Daqing... A country cannot be without a ruler for a day..."

The minister Yang Yuezhi was speaking was not only the minister of military affairs, but also the father-in-law of Jingyan and the queen's father. Now he has a pivotal position in the DPRK and can compete with Zhao Gengnian, the chief assistant of the cabinet. I don't know what kind of agreement Jing Lan made with him to allow him to stand up and speak for Jing Lan, but based on this, it is not difficult to guess that this Yang Shangshu not only did not know that his daughter was harmed by Jing Lan, but also I don't know that my daughter survived with a dragon child, so that Jing Lan was eloquently promoted to inherit the throne in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.

"...The minister believes that His Royal Highness King Qing is the best choice for the new monarch..."

After he finished speaking, he bowed and knelt down, "Chen Yang Lizhi nominated His Royal Highness King Qing to be the successor..." At the same time, nearly half of the courtiers in the hall also knelt down. Zhao Gengnian looked confused and hesitant. , However, with the general trend, he really couldn't find a more suitable candidate. He was already old, and even if his heart was like a mirror, he had to kneel.

Jing Lan naturally wanted to reject it hypocritically, but the courtiers were so unanimous, presumably he still "had to" take on the burden of the world after all.

I didn't say a word during this.

I stood up at the moment when I unanimously voted Jing Lan as emperor.

When I got up, several old officials who were kneeling nearby were startled, and Yang Lizhi couldn't help but reminded: "Gong, Princess... Now, His Royal Highness King Qing is the choice to succeed... …”

I turned my eyes and looked at Yang Yueyi, "Succession? What is the succession?"

There was a moment of dead silence in the hall. I turned around, looked up at Jing Lan, and slowly raised the corner of my mouth, and said, "As long as I don't recognize Xiao Qitang, he will not be able to succeed this emperor!"