Volume 5: The Gathering of Storms Chapter 281 The Storm is Coming (Part 2)
The man in the dragon robe is the prince's guest, named Shan Peng. He is also a descendant of the Central Plains nobility and has been friends with Princess Ronghua since childhood.
"What?" Shan Peng frowned. "We spent so much effort and finally got the prince away, but the Queen Mother actually wants to find him back?"
"Yes, you said that my nephew is the only blood of the royal family and will inherit the throne in the future. Is this a joke?"
Princess Ronghua was born with a cold and arrogant face, like a towering iceberg, especially the bright red curled up at the corner of her eyebrows, which made her look even more murderous.
"I heard..." At this time, a man whose gender could not be seen spoke, his voice was neutral and it was impossible to tell whether he was male or female. "The prince was attacked in the East China Sea. I'm afraid he has already been eaten by fish, right?"
This man's name was Yu Lao, and he was a newly rising martial arts master in the world. Some legends said he was from the Bi Hai Palace in Shuzhou, while others said he was the last disciple of Mao Jifang, the master of the Blood Evil Palm.
But in fact, his origins remain a mystery to this day, and only Princess Ronghua knows it.
"Li Xun is indeed a big problem," Princess Ronghua sighed, "but my brother is the biggest obstacle, and my mother actually wants him to return to the court.
"If we return to the court like this, how can we convince the people?"
"Princess..." Shen Qian finally spoke, "Actually, these are not the most important things. The most important thing is the Queen Mother's attitude!
"If she has no intention of becoming the Queen, then no matter how hard we try, we won't be able to achieve our wish!"
"We have discussed this topic countless times," Princess Ronghua shook her head and said, "But my mother is very secretive and difficult to guess!
“All we can do is to leave her no way out.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..." Princess Ronghua said with emotion, "The Xuan Sect suddenly launched an attack, causing the emperor to be imprisoned! The prince happened to have traveled far to the East China Sea and was ambushed. At such a favorable time and place, if the queen mother still hesitates, alas..."
"Princess," Shen Qian analyzed, "The emperor's return is not as simple as imagined . According to reliable information, although Lushan Gong Li Ren is still alive, he should not be Xuanmen Tianzun.
“So, if Li Ren cannot confess his crime truthfully and the royal family cannot announce it to the world, the emperor will not be able to prove his innocence!
"Having returned to the court in a hurry will definitely cause trouble. I believe that the Queen Mother has this hidden worry, so she didn't mention the Emperor at all during the morning court session, right?"
"Hmm... that makes sense." The princess originally looked at Shen Qian with admiration, but after seeing how she was dressed, she immediately frowned and said, "When can you take off this monk's robe?
"It's really awkward to watch. Why, are you still blaming yourself for your father's affairs?"
"I dare not," Shen Qian lowered her head hastily, "My father is stubborn and we have no choice. The reason why I wear the monk's robe is to avoid suspicion."
"Speaking of your father, ah..." Princess Ronghua sighed and said, "I never thought that the monster in the iron coffin actually saved my mother, and now he has transformed into the general of the Qilin Guard and has been awarded the title of first-class guard.
"Shen Qian, what did you do in the first place? The hole you made was too outrageous, wasn't it?"
"Princess," Shen Qian knelt down quickly and clarified, "We tortured her for two years, but the monster seemed to have no consciousness. No matter how hard we tortured her, she had no reaction.
"I didn't expect that she...she..."
"Hmph," Princess Ronghua snorted coldly, waved her hand and said, "Okay, I understand everything. Speaking of which, your childhood sweetheart fiancé is the most powerful!
"He has done everything you couldn't do, and he has become something... the Great Xuan Judge! I really have nothing to say!"
Shen Qian wanted to make some further explanation, but she knew the princess's character very well. If she made any more explanations, it would only cause the princess to be disgusted.
"But..." said the princess, "This is a blessing in disguise. I hope nothing happens to my mother!
"If she can't become the empress, my dream of becoming the crown prince will be shattered!"
After the princess finished speaking, the scene fell into silence.
After a moment, Shan Peng said faintly:
"This Xuanmen is really powerful. It seems that they know the Holy City and the Imperial Palace very well! Can a mere Duke of Lushan accomplish such a big thing?"
"Isn't there another Bi Sheng?" The princess explained, "As the left cabinet leader of the inner guard, Bi Sheng has all the information of the entire Holy City. Isn't it easy for him to get things done?"
After the princess finished speaking, the three people present exchanged glances with each other, as if they had different opinions.
"But..." Finally, Shen Qian spoke first, "Bi Sheng was promoted by the Queen Mother herself!
"Although this person is not from the royal family, he is a direct descendant of the Queen Mother. He has no relatives or friends and has always kept a low profile. How could he easily rebel?"
"Oh?" Suddenly, the princess's expression changed. After thinking deeply, she asked, "Shen Qian, what do you mean by that?"
"Princess, you should know the Queen Mother better than us, right?" Shen Qian smacked her lips and still didn't point it out directly.
"Mother..." Princess Ronghua suddenly felt a chill on her back and murmured, "You mean... all of this... is controlled by mother behind the scenes?
"This... this is impossible..."
"Bi Sheng is most likely a double agent," Shan Peng agreed, "He had already told the Queen Mother everything about Lord Lushan, and pretended to surrender, and the Queen Mother took advantage of his trick and used him to her advantage."
“Ah!!?” Princess Ronghua was even more shocked, her body trembling slightly, “But… Wanfu Palace is in trouble. If there wasn’t that monster, then my mother would… She can’t put herself in danger with her precious body, right?
"Also... what's the point of her doing this? Don't speculate rashly!"
"I dare not, but..." Shen Qian said, "Coincidentally, all the forces that could threaten the imperial power basically died in this Xuanmen Heavenly Tribulation incident, especially those princes who were far away in other states and had relatively strong strength. This matter is indeed intriguing..."
"I have received the news," said Yu Lao, the black-clothed man who had been silent for a long time, "The Queen Mother sent people to appease the families of the assassinated princes and ordered the princes to inherit the throne.
“On the other hand, military orders have already been issued to start replacing the military defense deployment in those states.
"This will completely eliminate the power of those princes!"
"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Princess Ronghua said in surprise, "What a good move! We can achieve the goal of eliminating foreign threats without reducing the power of the vassal states. My mother is really amazing!
"So... are we too anxious?" Princess Ronghua said excitedly, "Is everything under the control of my mother?"
" In my humble opinion," Yu Lao said, "the explosion on the day when Lord Lushan was arrested was not necessarily caused by Xuanmen!
"Perhaps the Queen Mother wants Lord Lushan to die more than Xuanmen does! In this way, the truth of the heavenly tribulation will never be revealed, and the Emperor will never be able to return to the throne."
"Yes, yes..." Princess Ronghua nodded hopefully, "If my mother has been using Xuanmen all along, then the explosion was very reasonable. It's a pity that Li Ren was not killed directly!"
"I heard," Yu Lao said again, "that although Li Ren was not killed on the spot, he was seriously injured and is basically dead!"
"That's fine," Princess Ronghua said with a smile, "Your Majesty, he can say whatever you want...
"Could it be that... the entire Xuanmen Heavenly Tribulation was really controlled by my mother? She took advantage of the Xuanmen and also took advantage of that great Xuan Judge?"
“Princess, whether it’s true or not,” Shan Peng concluded, “at this time, we need to do two things well.
"First, continue to find out whether Li Ren has confessed his guilt and make sure the emperor does not return to court! Second... um... ahem..."
Shan Peng didn't dare to say anything more and could only cough twice to signal.
"Second," Princess Ronghua said with a cold smile, "is to make sure that my nephew does not come back from the East China Sea!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into silence.
"Princess," Shen Qian volunteered after a moment, "Let me take care of this matter!"
"Are you kidding?" However, Princess Ronghua responded coldly, "Do you think I don't know that your elder brother Shen Xingran is also in the delegation?
"What? Isn't it enough to take on Shen Tiande?!"
"This..." Shen Qian suddenly looked embarrassed and lowered her head quickly.
"For this kind of thing," Princess Ronghua pointed at the man in black, "it would be safest for Yu Lao to handle it! Besides, I heard that Yu Lao has been to the East China Sea before?"
"Yes!" Yu Lao responded quickly, "I once went to the Thousand Lions and Female Banshees with my teacher to learn skills and understand some of the local customs and practices."
"Okay, I'll leave this matter to you!" Princess Ronghua instructed, "Make sure it's done without anyone noticing."
"Yes!" Yu Lao knelt down and clasped his fists, "I will definitely fulfill your mission!"
When Yu Lao agreed, Shen Qian still lowered her head, but her mood was already complicated to the extreme...
…
