Chapter 124: Ruthless
"Are you saying that King Min's son is still alive?"
When the current emperor ascended the throne, Yao Niang had already been the personal maid of the Grand Princess and was also familiar with King Min.
Tang Ying was very cautious: "Aunt, do you know Prince Min's son Yuan Qi? After you came to Zhulin Temple, did you see any strange young man around the Queen Mother?" If Prince Min's son was still alive and knew that his grandmother was practicing in Zhulin Temple, would he find a way to come and visit her?
"Didn't Yuan Qi die a long time ago? He was only four years old when the Min King incident happened. He died in the palace with his biological mother, Concubine Xu. I heard that the little ball was black and purple all over, bleeding from all seven orifices, curled up like a shrimp, and was already stiff when the body was collected." Yao Niang carefully recalled her days in Zhulin Temple: "I have never seen a young man come to visit the concubine."
She was ordered to be the shadow guard of the concubine and replaced the original shadow guard. At that time, she thought she was exiled to Zhulin Temple. Who knew that the emperor felt that Prince Min still had some remnants, so he sent people to monitor Concubine Bai.
Tang Ying made a request: "Aunt, since you have met the King of Min, can you draw a portrait of him for me?"
Yao Niang's room was fully stocked with pens and ink. It was rare that she had learned how to cultivate herself in Zhulin Temple. On the desk was a thick stack of papers on which she had practiced calligraphy. She frowned and recalled for a moment, then quickly picked up her pen and finished her work in one go.
On the paper was a young man with phoenix eyes, sword-like eyebrows, a straight nose, and thin lips that were tightly pursed. He seemed to be a rather serious person.
Tang Ying pulled out another piece of paper from her bosom. It was a portrait of "Li Qi" painted by Wang Ran. It was about the same as the young King Min in Yao Niang's painting, with phoenix eyes and thin lips.
The master and disciple looked at each other.
"...They look a bit alike." Yao Niang carefully examined the young man in the painting: "If you say they are father and son, some people would believe it."
Tang Ying: “…”
If she insisted on using these two portraits to exonerate Fu Chen, she felt there would be only one result: everyone would die together.
The Emperor of Southern Qi was extremely suspicious and especially hated the betrayal of his subjects. Moreover, Wang Ran had already registered with him. Even if she wanted to kill Wang and leave no evidence, it would be difficult for her to do so.
"Why don't you take me to see the concubine, Auntie?"
Concubine Bai enjoyed a more than ten years of glory in the late emperor's later years, which made her have hallucinations for a time, always feeling that the good days would be endless and would last forever.
Unfortunately, after the departure of the late emperor, she faced a series of huge blows. Her beloved husband, son, and grandson left one after another. Even she was imprisoned in Zhulin Temple for many years by the current emperor, living a hard life in the temple, as if the daytime had ended and only night remained for the rest of her life.
Tang Ying followed Yao Niang over. When she saw the narrow-sleeved black uniforms of the Imperial Cavalry Division and the long sword worn by the girl at her waist, even though she had been living a quiet life with morning bells and evening drums for the past decade, she couldn't help but shrink her pupils, but she quickly managed to calm down.
"Your humble servant Tang Ying, the head of the Imperial Cavalry Division, greets the Dowager Concubine."
Tang Ying stepped forward and saluted, looking at the concubine imprisoned in the temple. She seemed to be younger than the eldest princess, and about the same age as the current emperor. Years of meditation and worshipping Buddha had worn away the glory of the former favorite concubine, and instead she exuded an air of being at peace with the world.
"Master Tang, is there something wrong?" Concubine Bai twirled the Buddhist beads in her hands and tried her best to keep her breathing steady.
Tang Ying didn't say much. She spread out the two portraits in front of Concubine Bai. At a glance, she could confirm that Li Qi was the son of King Min.
It was because when Concubine Bai's eyes fell on the two paintings, she could still maintain a calm and composed expression towards the portrait of Prince Min, but when she saw the portrait of "Li Qi", the excitement in her expression could no longer be concealed. The blood drained away from her face, and her two eyes shone brightly on her pale face. She held the painting with trembling hands, and there was no one else in her eyes.
When Tang Ying heard this, the hope in her heart collapsed in an instant, and there was no room for recovery.
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When she knelt in the Qingliang Palace and presented the portraits of Prince Min and Yuan Qi, the confession during the interrogation, the process of meeting the Queen Mother at Zhulin Temple, and Lord Xu of Jingzhao who had close contacts with Prince Xiang behind Wang Ran's back, she convicted Fu Chen of releasing Prince Min's son privately.
"You are so cunning!"
The Emperor of Southern Qi probably trusted Fu Chen too much. Before Tang Ying had verified everything, she was still optimistic, hoping that the knife could still be used for good. However, she did not expect that there were witnesses and evidence, and she slammed the imperial desk in anger.
Tang Ying knelt quietly with her head down, acting as a qualified listener and not responding.
After the Southern Qi Emperor lost his temper, he felt tired again: "Second Brother really disappoints me. He has been pretending to be indifferent to fame and wealth and respectful to the wise for many years, but now his true intentions are exposed. Don't you even want to keep a bit of dignity?"
Tang Ying: As a subject, it is not convenient for me to comment on your son.
After a while, he seemed to have finally made up his mind: "It seems that the princes should not stay in the capital any longer." In front of Tang Ying, he personally drafted an edict, ordering the adult princes to leave the capital and go to their fiefdoms after five days.
Tonight, Tang Ying finally came out of the palace. The majestic imperial city was shrouded in a golden sunset. Looking back as she rode away on horseback, it seemed like a palace in heaven, so majestic that it seemed not like the mortal world, and also... so cold that it seemed not like the human world.
After kneeling in the Qingliang Palace for so long, the blood in her body and her breath seemed to have frozen. She only felt herself gradually warming up when she rode on horseback.
Tang Ying rode to Yan Yue Tower, ordered a table full of delicious dishes and ate them ravenously, trying to dispel the last bit of coldness on her body. There was still a lot left, so she asked the waiter to pack it up and threw it in the alley of Yan Yue Tower when she went out.
There are always beggars squatting downstairs of Yan Yue Building all year round. If the waiters in the building come out to chase them away, the beggars will go into the alley next to them and escape in all directions.
The food box that Tang Ying threw out was snatched by three beggars. One of the thin boys whispered a few words to her while scrambling for the food, then dispersed with his friends.
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In the Second Prince's Mansion, Yuan Lang received news that Tang Ying had personally gone to Zhulin Temple and returned to the palace to report that Fu Chen's case of releasing the remnants of the rebellious princes was full of evidence and witnesses, and he could not escape. He was happy for less than half a minute when the decree ordering all the princes to leave Beijing and return to their fiefdoms in five days was delivered to the palace.
A murderous look flashed across his eyes, and he wanted very much to stay and witness Fu Chen's death, but unfortunately the emperor's will could not be disobeyed, so he could only order everyone in the mansion to pack up their things.
"It's such a pity that I can't see Lord Fu off for the last time." Yuan Lang sighed in the study.
I still remember that in his previous life, he also left Beijing to become a vassal, but the time was delayed by more than a year compared to this life. When he returned to Beijing again, he would be fully prepared to ascend to the throne.
Leaving now means lying dormant in the fiefdom, so it doesn't matter what time it is.
Feng Kui, who was standing beside him, said, "Master, don't feel sorry. You can send someone to stay and inquire."
He didn't even need to look for anyone else, Hongxiang came to the door to ask for a meeting wearing a hood covering her face tightly.
The Imperial Cavalry Department was always well-informed. As soon as the news that the prince would leave the capital in five days spread, Hongxiang turned pale and hurriedly found an excuse to go out. Wanyu still felt strange and asked repeatedly: "The head didn't assign any tasks, where are you going?"
Hongxiang made an excuse: "I'm going to buy a few boxes of rouge."
Wanyu: "...Isn't this the new rouge you just bought the other day?"
Hong Xiang gnashed her teeth in hatred: "Why do you care about me? I am willing to spend money, is it your business?"
Wan Yu: "It's none of my business. If the boss comes to you, I'll say the same thing. Is that ok?"
Hongxiang: Let her die!
Fu Chen was deeply in love with Tang, but Tang wanted to kill Fu Chen. Although she had never been to the imperial prison, she heard that Fu Chen was beaten to a bloody mess and even his original appearance could not be recognized. It might have been just a few days. She couldn't help but feel scared of Tang Ying - this woman was even more ruthless than Fu Chen.
