Chapter 307: Sudden Change
The team traveled steadily northward for three days. On this night, Jia Cong and Emperor Longxing sat opposite each other in the emperor's golden tent.
"The spies I sent out have searched the area within 20 miles of the road ahead, but have not found anything unusual. Even in the mountains ahead, there are spies from me every arrowhead away, a total of several thousand people. It seems that your majesty is worrying too much!"
"It's just in case. Wouldn't it be best if nothing happens?" Emperor Longxing said with a smile.
A few days before the coffin was moved, Emperor Longxing summoned Jia Cong to arrange the coffin's moving secretly. Of course, Jia Cong was not needed for the overt matters, but he was needed to dispatch troops for the secret guard.
Not only in the team accompanying the emperor, but also in the capital and even the palace.
It’s no wonder that Emperor Longxing is cautious. An accident happened at Tiewang Mountain last time. Who knows if there will be another accident this time as he travels a hundred miles north to the cemetery?
If there is someone who really wants to take action, the power on the surface will definitely be taken into account, and the power in the dark is the real trump card.
The matter was of great importance, so Jia Cong naturally did not dare to be negligent. Therefore, although it seemed that there were only 20,000 Dragon Guards accompanying him on this trip, in fact, there were also tens of thousands of elite troops secretly drawn from the Beijing Camp and the Bingmasi.
"Okay, you should go and rest!" Emperor Longxing waved his hand at Jia Cong, "We can walk for another day tomorrow, and it will be easier when we reach the mausoleum the day after tomorrow."
The royal cemetery is guarded by tens of thousands of elite soldiers, all of whom are trusted men of the retired emperor, so it is naturally safe.
Jia Cong bowed and left. No words were spoken that night. The huge team once again headed towards the direction of Xiaoci County in the north.
However, when the team reached the Xiamashan area, the entire team suddenly stopped!
Jia Cong couldn't help but narrow his eyes. This was the team carrying the old empress dowager's body. The Imperial Observatory had calculated countless times where to stop and where to move. This was obviously not the original location.
"Someone come here!" Jia Cong shouted.
Lu Feng, Cheng Yuhu and Teng Wu came to Jia Cong with a group of personal guards.
"Send someone to the front to find out what's going on. Also, if there are any changes, follow the original plan!"
"I obey your orders!"
"My lord, His Majesty asked me to ask why the team stopped!" Xia Shouzhong came trotting over. Jia Cong shook his head slightly, then turned his horse's head and headed towards the emperor's dragon sedan.
When they were outside the dragon sedan, Jia Cong whispered to the inside, "Your Majesty, the team suddenly stopped. I have sent people to the front to check what happened! In addition, I have ordered all my subordinates to be ready. If anything unexpected happens, they should act according to the original plan."
After a moment of silence, the voice of Emperor Longxing came out, "I know, you must be extremely careful. Since the arrangements have been made, there is no need to worry, and you don't need to risk your life. Moreover, since you have already explored it before, it is at most a small group of enemies. We have 20,000 Dragon Guards accompanying us, and it will not be easy for anyone to kill me."
"I obey your command!"
Afterwards, Jia Cong asked the guards behind him to fetch his weapons and put on his armor directly!
The entire team remained stagnant for a quarter of an hour. Suddenly, a team of Dragon Guards passed through the ceremonial guard in front and headed straight for the dragon chariot.
“Stop!”
When there were still several hundred steps to go, Jia Cong stepped forward and shouted, "As a Dragon Guard, if you don't obey the call, you are just wandering around at random. Is this what Feng Tang taught you?"
The leading officer laughed and said, "I am here on the orders of the commander-in-chief!"
"What is it?"
"Captain General and Prince Beijing, please ask the Marquis and His Majesty to move!"
"Feng Tang? Prince of Beijing?" Jia Cong raised his eyebrows. If it was just Prince of Beijing, Jia Cong would not be surprised at all. In fact, Prince of Beijing, one of the kings of different surnames, was in an extremely awkward position. The fact that the old Prince of Beijing could be named a king of different surnames and Shui Rong could inherit the title without being demoted was enough to show the strength and prestige of Prince of Beijing's mansion.
However, this also means that Prince Beijing's Mansion is destined to become a thorn in the eyes of the royal family.
This is why the Prince of Beijing currently does not hold any position. Shui Rong also knows that after reaching the peak, there are only two outcomes waiting for him: one is to be gradually stripped of his title by the royal family and wait for death, and the other is to rebel.
Before this, although the Prince of Beijing had no power, he was the head of the four princes and eight dukes in Shenjing, and he was also married to the Zhen family in Jiangnan, so he could still sit on the Diaoyutai. However, with the rise of Jia Cong, the eight dukes and twelve marquises gradually separated from the Prince of Beijing, which was indeed deliberately done by Jia Cong.
Emperor Longxing could allow the eight dukes and twelve marquises to surrender, but he did not necessarily accept Prince Beijing's surrender. In fact, Prince Beijing himself did not allow Emperor Longxing to surrender.
Why did the Prince of Beijing lower his status several times to befriend Baoyu? With the status of the Prince of Beijing, did he really like Jia Baoyu? He just wanted to use Jia Baoyu's status to divide the Jia family and create a gap between the Jia family and Jia Cong.
However, Jia Cong was granted the title of marquis and had greater power. He also inherited the East Palace and became the head of the Jia family. He also used a business to win over the eight dukes and twelve marquises, making the chances of Prince Beijing smaller and smaller.
However, Prince Beijing could still stay stable, after all, he had an alliance with the Zhen family in Jiangnan, and there were many secret connections. Moreover, as long as the old concubine was in charge in the palace, the Zhen family was as stable as Mount Tai, and Prince Beijing was also naturally stable. However, the old concubine passed away, which caused the Zhen family to lose contact with the palace.
How could Prince Beijing not know that Emperor Longxing had been wary of the Zhen family for many years and that the fate of the Zhen family had already been determined.
After the death of the old concubine, the Zhen family was already in danger. They just had to wait for the death of the retired emperor, or find a suitable opportunity to take down the Zhen family.
As for Prince Beijing, who had lost all his wings, could Emperor Longxing still keep him? He was different from Prince Annan. Although Prince Annan was also a prince, he had troops and horses under his command, and was also involved in the situation in the southern border area. The court would not easily take action, but Prince Beijing was like a fish on the chopping board.
Therefore, the only option left for him was to rebel.
If everything goes well, it would be best for him to become the emperor. Even if he cannot become the emperor, there will be at least a few decades of room for maneuver if he changes the emperor. Therefore, he has no choice.
Emperor Longxing personally went to the funeral of the old concubine. This was the best opportunity and the last chance. When the emperor returned to the palace, he was powerless with his power.
This was Jia Cong's guess when Emperor Longxing gave him a secret decree. However, after analyzing all the possibilities, he did not expect that Feng Tang, the commander-in-chief of the Dragon Guard, was involved! Being able to become the commander-in-chief of the Dragon Guard, it is not an exaggeration to say that Feng Tang is a loyal soldier of the royal family. Moreover, what can the King of Beijing do to win over Feng Tang and make him tempted?
