Chapter 112 Xingxiangzi (Part 3)
Prince Jia's life was saved.
The news that Prince Jia's food was poisoned spread like wildfire that night. The person who poisoned him had not been found yet. In the court, the New Party took advantage of the issue and had a huge fight with the Old Party.
Within a few days, rumors that the imperial concubine had murdered Prince Jia became more and more intense.
But at this moment,
However, the imperial concubine braved the wind and snow and pleaded for Prince Jia outside the Qinghe Hall.
Since she was pregnant, Emperor Zhengyuan would naturally not let her stay in the cold wind for too long. That day, the imperial concubine stayed in the Qinghe Hall until dark before coming out.
On the fifth day of December, Emperor Zhengyuan personally issued two imperial edicts.
One was to release Prince Jia and his wife from confinement, and the other was to demote Princess Jia Li Xizhen to a commoner.
"Your Highness, Li Shuren has been married to you for many years, but still has no children," Liang Shenfu, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, came to announce the decree in person. He saw that Prince Jia looked pale and thin, and felt a little sorry for him, so he comforted him with bold words, "The emperor is also thinking about you. After all, the blood of the royal family should not be taken lightly."
While Prince Jia was still unconscious, the palace servants had already moved Li Xizhen out of Chongming Palace. When Prince Jia woke up, he couldn't even find out where Li Xizhen was.
He lay on the cold ground, his eyelids red and swollen, without saying a word.
"Help His Highness back to the bed quickly. Don't let him catch a cold again." Liang Shenfu sighed helplessly and called over a few young eunuchs.
Although the ban on Chongming Palace was lifted, Prince Jia was seriously ill and could not step out of the door.
Emperor Zhengyuan had just demoted Princess Li of Prince Jia to a commoner. However, within a few days, news spread in the palace that the imperial concubine wanted to bring her niece to the capital to be a good match for Prince Jia.
"I heard that the concubine's niece is only fifteen years old?"
The Imperial Medical Bureau is sometimes a place with a lot of gossip, but they usually just say something like this out of the blue, and then the others respond with two "yes" or "that's right", and then keep the rest of the words cautiously in their hearts.
Ni Su had not expected that the Imperial Concubine actually wanted to bind Prince Jia through marriage. If she gave birth to a son, she would only lose a niece. If she gave birth to a daughter, she could use her niece to build a relationship with Prince Jia.
"Mr. Qin."
Ni Su bent over his desk and flipped through a medical book. After hesitating for a long time, he asked in a low voice, "Do you know where Li Shuren was sent to?"
When the old doctor Qin heard her question, he raised his head and stroked his beard, "I heard that she was sent to the villa in the southern suburbs. That was where Taizu's concubines were originally kept."
When he mentioned "Taizu", his voice became even softer.
"I heard she's not feeling well. Is there anyone to treat her?"
Ni Su asked.
"We were just about to discuss this matter these past two days. We don't know who should be assigned to go to the other garden," said Old Doctor Qin, shaking his head. "Don't worry, they will definitely try to shirk their responsibilities."
"Can I go?"
Doctor Qin paused, then raised his eyelids, "You want to go?"
Ni Su nodded, "Since Li Shuren is no longer a relative, I should be able to prescribe medicine for her, right?"
Doctor Qin looked at her and asked, "Why do you want to go?"
"I heard that Li Shuren is a famous woman in Tongzhou. I couldn't bear to see her suffer from illness when she was in such a bad state, so..."
"Don't say these compliments to her in the palace," Doctor Qin raised his hand to stop her from speaking. "I know you are a kind-hearted woman, and you study gynecology because you can't bear to see women suffer. In that case, I will help you talk about this matter."
"Thank you, Mr. Qin."
Ni Su smiled.
There were many chief physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau who were unwilling to go to the Southern Suburbs Villa. Ni Su volunteered, so naturally the task fell on her.
But before she arrived at the southern suburbs villa, the news that Prince Jia knelt outside the Qinghe Hall in a sick state and refused the marriage proposal spread throughout the palace.
Prince Jia refused to listen, and the emperor was furious, so he ordered Prince Jia to return to Tongzhou.
The princes of Da Qi had no fiefdoms and were not allowed to leave the capital, but Prince Jia had always been an exception. He had no fiefdom but was placed in the Tongzhou Palace for a long time.
The reason was simply that Emperor Zhengyuan didn't want to see him.
When returning to the Tongzhou Palace this time, Emperor Zhengyuan dispatched additional imperial guards, ostensibly to guard the palace, but in reality they wanted to detain Prince Jia in the Tongzhou Palace.
But this obviously cannot satisfy the old party.
"The Imperial Concubine is so foolish! She is using her niece to try to get close to Prince Jia. Isn't that just to break off relations with us?"
That night, Duke Lu was drinking tea with others in his mansion, "Look at that Prince Jia, but he is unwilling to accept her affection."
"My Lord, now is not the time for us to be complacent."
Pan Youfang leaned back in his chair, his expression solemn. "In the court today, Meng Yunxian brought up the wealth of Princess Wenduan's mansion. The amount in the national treasury does not match the amount counted in the princess' mansion."
"I know."
"Of course you do."
Pan Youfang raised her eyelids and said, "You and Wu Dai both know how the lieutenant Lu Heng from the princess's mansion died."
The room suddenly became quiet.
Duke Lu was fat, with chubby cheeks, which made his eyes look smaller, but very sharp. He smiled, "Li Yu, are you blaming my father or Wu Dai?"
Pan Youfang said nothing.
"I know you hate Wu Dai," Duke Lu blew away the tea foam, "but Li Yu, no matter how much you hate him, aren't you the same kind of person as him now?"
"Since you're a whore, don't even think about being a virtuous woman."
Pan Youfang's heart sank. He clenched the armrest of the chair with one hand and said in a deep voice, "My Lord, you should know that the emperor hates people who make money without limit under his nose the most."
"Of course I know."
Duke Lu had a blank expression on his face. “I also know that if this matter is exposed, the government will have a hard time to tolerate me.”
No matter what, Princess Wenduan is still the emperor's biological sister, born of the same mother. The two siblings are very different in age, and before Princess Wenduan got married, the emperor loved this younger sister very much.
The prince consort Xu Qingyu died of illness, and later General Xu Hexue was tortured to death by slicing for treason. Princess Wenduan could not accept such a heavy blow and died of depression.
Princess Wenduan and her husband had no children, and the princess's mansion didn't even have a successor, so the emperor decided to put all the property of the princess's mansion into the national treasury for use in state affairs.
In fact, most of the property of the princess's mansion came from the Xu family of Qingyazhou. When the prince consort Xu Qingyu and his mother Zhou brought the young Xu Hexue to Beijing, they also brought all the property of Xu Xian, the father of the two brothers.
That was the accumulation of the direct lineage of a century-old aristocratic family.
"Only 40% is in the national treasury, and the remaining 60% is in the hands of your father, Prince Nankang, and Wu Dai," Pan Youfang took over the conversation, "I used to think that only Lu Heng knew the most about this matter. After he died, no one could investigate this mess, but now it seems that this is not entirely true."
"You mean his son?"
Duke Lu couldn't remember the man for a moment, "Did he change his surname? What did he change it to?"
"Now his surname is Dong, and his given name is Dong Yao, which is the surname of his uncle Dong Chengda, who is the county magistrate in Linyang. He was among the people who went to Daizhou to check the grain bill for Mr. Zhang. I guess the reason why Meng Yunxian brought up this matter again is because he got the news from them."
Pan Youfang said.
"Li Yu, you have to clean up."
Duke Lu had a smile on his face.
Pan Youfang bent his fingers, and there was no extra expression on his face. He just nodded and said, "Let me think about it."
If he makes a mistake, he will have to clean up the mess for the Prince of Nankang and his son and Wu Dai for the rest of his life.
"But right now, we can't be vague about Prince Jia's matter," Duke Lu restrained his smile, put the tea bowl aside, and stared at Pan Youfang, "Do you understand what I mean?"
Pan Youfang stood up and straightened his robe, "Don't worry, Duke."
The emperor ordered Prince Jia to return to Tongzhou, but not many imperial guards were sent to escort him. Wasn't this to let Prince Jia fend for himself? Even if he died on the way?
This is destined not to be a peaceful night.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the roads were icy. Prince Jia's carriage left the city in the afternoon, but the wheels kept sinking in the mud and the carriage moved very slowly.
When it was completely dark, the group of carriages and horses stopped at a simple post station.
A guard in the room advised Prince Jia to drink some hot soup. Seeing that Prince Jia just sat there without saying anything, the guard became anxious and said, "Your Highness, please warm yourself up with some hot soup!"
Prince Jia just shook his head.
The guards didn't know how to persuade him anymore, but they heard hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by an anxious voice: "Your Highness, Master Yuan, something is wrong!"
Yuan's personal guard was startled, and he immediately said, "Your Highness, please stay in your room and don't go out!"
The door opened and closed.
The wind and snow were getting stronger outside, but Prince Jia sat in the room, motionless.
The post station was soon surrounded by some people of unknown origin. They were obviously well prepared. They rushed over on horseback and shot arrows with flaming flames.
The post station was soon engulfed in flames.
The two sides started fighting. When the guards outside Prince Jia's door saw the fire spreading, they immediately went in and took Prince Jia out.
It was also at this time that these masked killers attacked more fiercely when they saw Prince Jia appear.
The imperial guard, whose body was pierced by arrows, fell at the feet of Prince Jia. He lowered his head to look into the pair of eyes that could not be closed, and the firelight around him burned his cheeks so much that they hurt.
"Take His Highness away first!"
Yuan's personal guards led their men and the imperial guards to resist the enemy's attack and shouted at the personal guards who were protecting Prince Jia.
However, the torn hole quickly closed, behind him was a sea of fire, and in front of him was the killer who was getting closer and closer.
They rushed towards Prince Jia desperately.
It seemed that the people guarding Prince Jia were about to be defeated, but apart from the sounds of fighting, they heard a chaotic sound of horse hooves.
Yuan's personal guards and the others looked and saw that it was another group of people with their faces covered.
Seeing them rushing towards him with knives, Yuan's personal guards felt a chill in their hearts.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, he saw those people hacking at the assassins who were fighting against the imperial guards.
They are here to rescue His Royal Highness Prince Jia!
Yuan's personal guards cheered up and shouted, "Come on, kill them!"
The hundreds of assassins who were in an advantageous position just now were immediately surrounded by both sides. Yuan's personal guards took this opportunity to run to Prince Jia and, together with other personal guards, escorted Prince Jia out.
Yuan's personal guards quickly helped Prince Jia onto his horse, and then the group immediately ran into the depths of the night.
However, the wet and muddy road was icy, and Prince Jia's horse's hooves slipped, and the whole horse and the rider fell out together.
"Your Highness!"
Yuan's personal guards immediately dismounted and ran to help Prince Jia, who had fallen onto the icy river by the roadside.
At this time, dozens of people surrounded them from nowhere.
Yuan's personal guards were shocked. They actually had a backup plan!
There was no way out. The guards stood in front to block the way. Yuan's guards took Prince Jia to walk on the ice with difficulty. They ran to the other side, and soon someone caught up with them from behind.
Yuan's personal guard stood in front of Prince Jia, drew his knife, and rushed forward to fight with the man.
There were more people coming than the personal guards, so there was always someone who could free up his hands and approach Prince Jia step by step. While Yuan's personal guard was dealing with the people in front of him, he turned around and saw two men in black holding knives and slashing at Prince Jia.
Prince Jia was unaware of anything and continued running forward.
But his shoes were slippery, and he stepped on a weak spot in the ice, and one foot sank into it. In an instant, the cold water wrapped around him, making him tremble with cold.
The sound of cold wind scraping against the blade came, and he turned around, only to see a flash of cold light.
"Your Highness!"
Yuan's personal guard fended off the assassin in front of him and ran towards Prince Jia with all his might.
Prince Jia subconsciously turned his face to the side.
Suddenly, a horse on the shore neighed loudly, and a figure holding a lantern stepped on the shoulders of the people on the ice and came almost as fast as the wind. The sword in his hand flew out of his hand, pierced through the cold fog and wind, and hit the back of the person in front of Prince Jia.
The other man's blade paused as a result. He watched the man next to him fall down. He immediately came to his senses and wanted to chop at Prince Jia again, but it was too late.
Yuan's personal guard slid forward on the smooth ice, leaned back, and stabbed his leg bone with a knife. When he bent his knees in pain, he stabbed him again, ending his life completely.
Yuan's personal guard brought Prince Jia's numb feet out from under the ice. When the cold fog cleared, Prince Jia and Yuan's personal guard turned around and saw the figure in white moving among the aggressive killers.
In less than a cup of tea, those people either died at his hands or at the hands of Prince Jia's personal guards.
In the heavy snow,
Prince Jia looked at his back.
He put away his sword and went up to the shore.
With the help of the cold white moonlight, Prince Jia could barely see a white horse on the shore, and there seemed to be a person on the horse's back.
One of Prince Jia's feet was so frozen that he had lost all feeling. He limped towards the shore, supported by Yuan's personal guards. The reeds grew in patches, all blown into a mess by the wind.
"……Who are you?"
The closer he got, the more an indescribable feeling filled Prince Jia's heart.
When Xu Hexue heard the voice, he turned around. In fact, under the veil, he could not see Prince Jia's face clearly.
The snow was falling heavily.
His old friend Yonggeng is already over thirty years old.
He was no longer the boy he barely remembered, and the scenes from the past were no longer there.
"Why don't you speak?"
Prince Jia swallowed the cold air, and his throat was itchy and he couldn't stop coughing.
"Your Highness."
Xu Hexue deliberately made his voice sound hoarse. He wanted to see this person more clearly, but he couldn't lift the veil. "We just met by chance, why bother asking."
"You know my identity. Who do you belong to? Why did you save me?" Prince Jia almost slipped on the ice again. Fortunately, Yuan's personal guards stabilized him in time.
He staggered forward step by step, staring at the people on the shore.
"Your journey back to Tongzhou won't be peaceful, but someone will protect you."
When we met again, we didn't recognize each other.
Xu Hexue felt a little uncomfortable, and his Adam's apple rolled slightly, "Your Highness, please take care of yourself."
When Prince Jia saw him turn around and mount his horse, he always felt that this person's overly hoarse voice pierced his chest and made him feel sore. The woman on horseback suddenly called him, "Your Highness Prince Jia, the princess is in the southern suburbs villa. You don't have to worry. Now there are doctors who specialize in diagnosing her and will take good care of her."
Prince Jia didn't recognize her.
That was also a woman with her face covered.
In the distance, a fire was approaching, and they were shouting "Your Highness Prince Jia" loudly. At this moment, the white horses raised their hooves and galloped towards the night.
“Stop!”
Prince Jia stumbled toward the shore and shouted, "Wait a minute!"
The sound of horse hooves gradually faded, and the light of the lamp also disappeared. King Jia ran forward a few steps and was supported by Yuan's personal guards. "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
"Bring them back..."
Prince Jia trembled his lips and murmured, "Bring it back..."
Yuan's personal guard immediately ordered his men to chase them, and then he asked, "Your Highness, do you recognize them?"
Don't recognize.
But Prince Jia clutched his clothes tightly and slowly squatted down, as if a hand was tightly grasping his heart.
Zhou Ting came with his men and saw Prince Jia squatting in the middle of the mountain path. He walked up to him and asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Seeing that he was covering his face, Yuan's personal guard asked, "Who are you..."
"I am the person sent by Mr. Meng to protect His Highness."
Zhou Ting said.
When Yuan Qinwei heard the words "Mr. Meng", he breathed a sigh of relief. He bent over to help Prince Jia up. At this time, Zhou Ting saw Prince Jia turn around and realized that his eyelids were wet with tears.
He was stunned for a moment, "Your Highness, this is..."
"There was a man and a woman here just now. Thanks to that young man, otherwise His Highness would be in danger." Yuan's personal guard was still a little scared at this moment.
"Where are they?"
Zhou Ting looked around.
"He had already left, so I ordered people to chase him." said Yuan's personal guard.
Zhou Ting frowned. A man and a woman. Who would come to save Prince Jia at this critical moment?
The deeper the night, the heavier the snow.
Xu Hexue rode his horse at a fast speed, shaking off the people chasing him. He said nothing, and he seemed not to hear the increasingly rapid sound of the wind in his ears.
Ni Su looked up at him.
One of his hands came down and pressed down her hood which was about to slide off.
"Really...you don't want to recognize him?"
Ni Su wrapped her palm around his hand holding the reins.
"Zhou Ting is here, and Yong Geng's personal guards are all here. If I let more people know that I'm back, I'll be disregarding the laws of Youdu."
The river of hatred between life and death is a boundary and also a symbol of awe.
Only when people have a fear of life and death can they know the value of life and the meaning of death. In this way, they will learn to cherish their own or others' lives.
"Besides, if he knew I was here, he would probably risk disobeying the order." His voice remained calm, but he couldn't help but lower his head, his hair fluttering, his chin resting on Ni Su's shoulder. "His situation is already dangerous. If he disobeys the order again, he will be handing a knife to Duke Lu and Pan Youfang."
It is better to temporarily avoid Tongzhou than to continue staying in Yunjing.
The glass lamp went out in the bumpy ride, and Xu Hexue's eyes were filled with darkness. He could hear the sound of horse hooves and the whistling of the cold wind.
He thought of the reed bank,
On the ice, there was a hazy, staggering figure.
Since Xu Hexue left Beijing at the age of fourteen, he has never seen him again.
Although they only communicated through letters, they were still close friends.
"In his lifetime,"
Xu Hexue looked up, a few strands of light hair fluttering on his temples, snowflakes fell on his eyebrows but could not melt away, "My only hope for him is that he can live well."
