Then that night, Jiang Ruan finally got the information out of Xiao Shao's mouth. It turned out that when Xiao Shao first took over the Jinyi Guard, he went deep into Nanjiang to deal with the remnants of the Nanjiang Kingdom. At that time, the head of Nanjiang was the younger brother of the Prince before the Nanjiang Kingdom was destroyed. The terrain of Nanjiang was complex and there were many poisonous insects and plants. It was not suitable for large-scale frontal confrontation. At that time, Xiao Shao was young and brave. He directly went deep into Nanjiang alone and beheaded the head of Nanjiang. There must have been a dangerous price to pay, but Xiao Shao was a person who paid attention to results. In the end, he succeeded.
A young boy who had just come out of the thatched cottage had such great ability. At that time, in the mouths of the Southern Border people, it was already very terrifying. Xiao Shao was born with unparalleled beauty, and his temperament was cold and mysterious. Naturally, he also attracted one person, the holy maiden of Nanjiang: Dan Zhen.
Dan Zhen was the holy maiden of Nanjiang. At that time, Xiao Shao was only about fourteen or fifteen years old. Dan Zhen was even younger. The two were clearly in a hostile position, but Dan Zhen had other feelings for Xiao Shao. This was originally a very common thing. Xiao Shao was really too eye-catching among his peers. As a Holy Maiden, Dan Zhen's days were originally pure of heart and few desires. Suddenly seeing a valiant and handsome youth, she naturally fell in love with him. However, the people of Nanjiang had always protected the holy maiden very well. Unlike Qi Man, Qi Man was a princess of the royal family. The people of Nanjiang protected her to protect the face of the whole country. Protecting the holy maiden was to protect the faith of the whole Nanjiang.
It was just that the holy maiden could not marry and have children in her life. She was destined to be a lonely existence. And Dan Zhen's way of expressing her affection for Xiao Shao was to pursue and kill him at all costs. This seemed to be very similar to the strong possessiveness of the people of Nanjiang. When Xiao Shao returned to the capital with the head of the head of Nanjiang, Dan Zhen sent dozens of masters to besiege Xiao Shao and tried to bring him back. Even if it was to be a puppet or a slave, it would be good. On that day, Xiao Shao killed dozens of masters one by one. On his way back to the capital with serious injuries, he met Jiang Ruan for the first time.
When Xiao Shao talked about this matter, he also conveniently talked about his relationship with Jiang Ruan. Jiang Ruan was also somewhat astonished. Earlier on, Xiao Shao had said that he would repay her kindness, but in fact, she had not taken it to heart. It was probably because she had not been able to remember. But now, from Xiao Shao's words, she had learned about the past, and Jiang Ruan herself was deeply moved.
But in the end, after going around in circles, he ended up back in front of Dan Zhen. Jiang Ruan glared at him. Originally, although Yao Niannian had not expressed any special feelings towards Xiao Shao, because of the Emperor's intentions, he had always been regarded as a rival in love. Moreover, when she had first met the real Yao Niannian, Jiang Ruan had sensed the great waves in that woman's heart. She might not necessarily have no feelings for Xiao Shao. Now that Yao Niannian was dead, there was a Dan Zhen. Looking back, it had been many years. Thinking about how Xiao Shao had been coveted by a woman for so many years, Jiang Ruan's mood was indeed not very pleasant. She said, "You really are a disaster that attracts bees and butterflies."
Xiao Shao was slightly startled, his expression somewhat helpless. How could he be blamed for this? He had been cold-hearted and had not been aware of Dan Zhen's intentions. Later on, even if he had been aware of Dan Zhen's intentions, it was nothing in his eyes. Perhaps life was very wonderful. Xiao Shao himself had not expected that there would be a day where he would have the heart to protect a woman forever. Xiao Shao himself had not thought of it, and Dan Zhen could not have thought of it even more so. The jealousy in a woman's heart had always been very frightening. If Xiao Shao had been cold to everyone, perhaps Dan Zhen would not have met with a rebuff from Xiao Shao. But one day, a woman had appeared and obtained Xiao Shao's doting, and Dan Zhen had discovered that Xiao Shao was not someone who only knew how to treat people coldly.
"No wonder she had always called me Hong 'an Junzhu …" Not waiting for Xiao Shao to answer, Jiang Ruan continued to speak, "So it was because she minded my identity as a wangfei. From this, it could be seen that this person was not someone who was good at forbearance, at least when it came to feelings. Although she was also very good at using people's hearts, such as that day when she used dewdrops and Jin Er to achieve her goal, it was still extremely difficult for her to grasp her own emotions. Perhaps this was related to her own status. A high and aloof Saint Maiden, the people around her were all obedient to her, so how could she have encountered any setbacks? "Jiang Ruan analyzed.
In the process of the game, an opponent who was forbearance was obviously more terrifying. Jiang Ruan and Xuan Pei were people who were forbearance because of the lessons of blood and tears from their previous lives. Moreover, when they were young, they had experienced the pain of being neglected. Xuan Li's forbearance was also very good, especially for a person who was favored by the heavens. This was also the case for Dan Zhen. As a woman, being unable to control her own emotions was her biggest weakness. In comparison, that Qi Man was much more terrifying. Qi Man was the princess of Nan Jiang Country. Naturally, she had lived a life of golden branches and jade leaves. However, she had concealed her identity, changed her appearance, and hid in the Minister's fu. She had become an unfavored First Yiniang. This was not an easy thing to do, especially after so many years without any flaws. Moreover, her flawless defense was her biggest flaw. Even Jiang Ruan could not help but feel somewhat apprehensive on this point.
She was carefully thinking about Qi Man's matter. However, Xiao Shao saw that she had been frowning and did not speak. He thought that Jiang Ruan was worried about Dan Zhen. No matter how steady Xiao Shao usually was, he was always somewhat helpless when facing Jiang Ruan. He was not as good at making people happy as Jin Er. Seeing that Jiang Ruan was unhappy, he felt somewhat nervous. After thinking for a while, he reached out and pressed Jiang Ruan's shoulder, saying, "How about killing her?"
Jiang Ruan, "…" This was too fast. She had not even said anything. If Dan Zhen knew what Xiao Shao had said at this moment, she would probably go crazy with jealousy.
She did not speak, so Xiao Shao took it as a tacit agreement. Immediately, without saying anything, he moved closer and pinched her chin. Jiang Ruan was startled. She did not expect that when she did this, Xiao Shao would kiss her.
Housekeeper Lin had said that women were always soft-hearted. If good words could not be coaxed, then he could only kiss her. The harder he kissed, the better it would be.
Xiao Shao's strong offensive directly blocked Jiang Ruan's words. Seeing this, the initiator was very satisfied. Indeed, Housekeeper Lin did not lie. This method was really not bad.
…
In an unremarkable courtyard in the capital, at this moment, there did not seem to be anything different. Servants were carefully sweeping outside the courtyard and doing embroidery. It looked as if the life of some small wealthy families was comfortable. However, if there was a master here, and if he observed carefully, he would find that these servants did not seem to be so simple.
There were three people in the room. The woman sitting on the high seat looked somewhat haggard. Her appearance was also ordinary. However, even if it was an ordinary appearance, at this moment, she looked somewhat different. This person was none other than the Minister's First Concubine, Yi Shuang, or rather, the former Princess of Nan Jiang Country, Qi Man.
If there were people from the Minister's fu who saw Qi Man at this moment, they would certainly be shocked. Her appearance was still the same as before, but her temperament was as if she had become a different person. She had an ordinary appearance, but the expression on her face seemed to be seductive. Every move was charming, but there was a trace of indescribable coldness in the charm. She was like a different person from the former Yi Shuang who did not like to talk much.
"Aunt, what should we do next?" The woman sitting on the lower right side of Qi Man asked. This woman's voice was obviously younger. Her pair of eyes, which were exposed outside the veil, were extremely intelligent. Just one glance seemed to be able to drip water. She was dressed in red, and there was a kind of mysterious beauty all over her body. However, this beauty made people feel that she was much more dangerous.
"Don't be anxious." Qi Man said slowly.
"Aunt is right, but Aunt is used to being patient. She has been staying in the capital of the Great Jin Dynasty for more than ten years. I am afraid that she has forgotten the identity of the Princess of Nan Jiang Country. However, now that we have come back for revenge, how can we be chased like rats on the street? Where will the face of my Nan Jiang Country be? " These words seemed to be nothing, but it was not difficult to detect the sarcasm in them when listening carefully.
Qi Man did not speak, but Yuan Chuan, the masked man sitting on the lower right side of Dan Zhen, could not help it. He glanced at Qi Man uneasily and said slowly, "Princess, do you have a plan?"
What did Nan Jiang Country think of Qi Man? Although the Great Jin Dynasty was their enemy and the culprit who destroyed Nan Jiang Country, everything was caused by Qi Man. If she did not provoke Crown Prince Hong Xi, or if she did not kill Xiang Xiaoyuan so ruthlessly, how could Nan Jiang Country end up like this? At the beginning, the emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty ordered the destruction of Nan Jiang. Of course, it was to expand the territory, but the more important reason was to avenge Crown Prince Hong Xi.
It was not an exaggeration to say that Qi Man was a scourge to Nan Jiang Country. People in Nan Jiang Country had a lot of complaints about her. However, for so many years, Qi Man had disappeared, so naturally, there was nothing to say. Dan Zhen was Qi Man's niece. If it were not for Qi Man, she would still enjoy the treatment of the royal family. But now that Nan Jiang Country had been destroyed, she could only be a holy girl who would never marry. Although her status was high, her life was monotonous. Dan Zhen also resented Qi Man.
More importantly, now that they were in the capital city, it was equivalent to having two masters in Nan Jiang Country. How should the subordinates be dispatched and who was the boss? There must be a struggle. In terms of seniority, Qi Man was naturally the current master of the Southern Border. But for so many years, the people under her had all listened to Dan Zhen's orders. If they just gave it to Qi Man, how could Dan Zhen be willing in his heart?
Yuan Chuan could see clearly that Qi Man was unfathomable, but Dan Zhen would never admit defeat. But at this critical moment, it was not the time to have internal strife. So he spoke to ease the secret sharpness between them and asked about Qi Man's deployment. Unlike Dan Zhen, Dan Zhen's temperament was more casual. This time, she came to the capital city. Although she said that she wanted the Great Jin Dynasty to pay with blood, her mind had always been on that person. And Qi Man's goal from the beginning had never changed. That terrifying goal was to make the entire Great Jin Dynasty pay with blood.
"The people of the Jin Dynasty are reckless and always think themselves clever. A few days ago, you were used to kill with a borrowed knife and hurt your own family," Qi Man said slowly. Dan Zhen's expression changed. Yao Niannian's identity had been exposed. It was her shame to have to flee all over the capital city. Qi Man was ruthlessly humiliating her. Qi Man continued, "This time, we will kill with a borrowed knife." She smiled slightly, her eyes seemed to be very happy. "No, it should be said that when the sandpiper and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."
After saying this, Qi Man got up and walked out of the room. After Qi Man left, Dan Zhen clenched her fists fiercely. Gritting her teeth, she said, "What!"
"Holy Girl, be careful with your words." Yuan Chuan said, "At a critical moment, try to restrain yourself." He said it briefly, believing that Dan Zhen could understand.
Dan Zhen snorted coldly. Although her expression was still somewhat unwilling, she followed his words and said, "Naturally."
…
At the same time, in the Eighth Prince's fu, Xuan Li was quietly playing with the thumb ring on his thumb. Unlike the previous few days of impatience, the current him was calm and composed, unspeakably leisurely, as if he already had a well-thought-out plan. The advisor sat quietly at the side until the imperial bodyguard flew in to report, "Your Highness, the letter has been sent to the palace."
Xuan Li's movements suddenly paused, and he sat up straight. He only said, "Good." His gaze suddenly became somewhat excited. This was rarely seen on the usually restrained Xuan Li. It was as if the thing that he had been planning for a long time had finally been completed.
"Congratulations, Your Highness." The advisor stood up and bowed. "This time, we will definitely be able to catch them unprepared. After continuous battles, the great undertaking is in sight. "
Xuan Li waved his hand, his face regaining its calmness. Even so, the corners of his eyes could not help but show some pride, "Being in a passive position, letting the opponent lower their guard, then attacking when they are unprepared. With full preparation, so what if it is Jinying Wang? He is still helpless."
"Your Highness is wise to draw a clear line with the people of Southern Border early on. Now, you are using them to divert the attention of Jinying Wang fu. Jinying Wang is currently focusing on Southern Border, and the Thirteenth Prince has no time to attend to it. Your Highness can do whatever you want." The advisor praised in a timely manner.
Xuan Li shook his head, "The people of Southern Border are extremely ambitious. They also want to share half of the country with me. If Southern Border is not eliminated, it will become a great calamity in the future. It is better to act as bait for me, drawing the attention of Jinying Wang fu. In this way, the two tigers will fight and both sides will suffer. This is advantageous to me."
"It is just that Your Highness," The advisor hesitated slightly, "I am afraid that the Thirteenth Prince has a contingency plan in the palace. The Thirteenth Prince is cunning by nature and will not be so easily fooled."
Xuan Li smiled slightly, "This is natural. If I did not have complete confidence, how would I dare to take this step? Now that things are going according to my plan step by step, it is enough to show that he has not discovered that placing his gaze on the outside and winning over the ministers is stupid. This bloody battle will eventually be resolved in the palace, and the one who can make the final decision is only Imperial Father. Neglecting the essentials to pursue trifles, Xuan Pei has committed a great taboo. " Xuan Li still had the mind to teach Xuan Pei a lesson on his loopholes. With his cautious temperament, he most likely had complete confidence now and was very confident.
"Now, we only need to wait for the results." Xuan Li said.
…
On this day, the Emperor went to court as usual. These days, the number of days the Emperor went to court was getting shorter and shorter, and the time he spent reading memorials was also getting longer and longer. There were more and more memorials accumulated in the Imperial Study. Some of the ministers also began to feel depressed, guessing that something was wrong with the Emperor. But when someone wanted to inquire about the news from Dong Xiu Yi, who was by the Emperor's side, the news they received was that the Emperor was fine and there was no problem.
The other favored concubine who was close to the Emperor, Mu Xirou, was a cold beauty. Naturally, they did not expect to obtain any news from her. But the more Dong Xiu Yi said so, the more the ministers' guesses became. But at least on the surface, the previous court was still calm. Only the old ministers who had been in the sea of officials for many years could keenly sense that there was something different, and had a premonition that a huge storm was about to sweep the entire Great Jin dynasty.
So on this day, the storm of the Great Jin dynasty suddenly arrived, completely disrupted the peaceful days of the past few decades, and set off a huge storm.
When the Emperor, the ruler of a country, went to court, while listening to the memorials from the Ministry of Rites, he fell from the dragon throne and fell into a coma. Until now, he had not woken up. All the imperial physicians of the big hospitals were mobilized, but now they were also helpless.
The court was in an uproar. At this time when the fight for the throne was reaching its climax, there were people from the Southern Border sneaking into the capital, and there were internal and external troubles, the ruler of a country had unexpectedly fallen. What was even more frightening was that no one knew when this ruler would wake up. Seeing the serious expressions on the faces of the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital, all the ministers simultaneously had a terrible thought: If … If he could not wake up?
Then the country of the Great Jin dynasty would probably be thrown into chaos.
The ministers did not dare to speak of this matter everywhere, not even to their relatives. But if there was any possibility of causing panic among the people, letting people know of the precarious situation of the Great Jin dynasty's royal family, it could bring about endless hidden dangers. After all the ministers returned to their mansions that day, they began to seriously consider what they should do next. If the Emperor did not wake up, a fierce battle between the Eighth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince was bound to occur, and in this fierce battle, they would stake their own status and obtain endless glory, splendor, wealth and rank. The officials in the capital began to discuss and plan, but in the palace, in the midst of the gloomy atmosphere, there was a kind of small chaos. This kind of chaos and panic was forcibly suppressed by various palace rules, but even so, the panic was still spreading rapidly. The fall of the Emperor meant that an era might come to an end, and a new era might have to start anew.
However, the Crown Prince had not yet been appointed, and the Crown Prince was still ominous.
This was the source of all the panic. Every time there was a struggle for the throne, at the end, there would be countless corpses and blood flowing like rivers. The people might not be able to see it, but the people in the palace would keep it a secret, and those terrible scenes would be deeply implanted in the hearts of every person in the palace.
The imperial physicians of the Imperial Academy of Medicine were helpless, and Empress Dowager Yi De was furious. She had issued an order to fight to the death, but it was still to no avail. At the crucial moment, when Xuan Pei learned of this matter, he suggested to Empress Dowager Yi De that perhaps they could find Jin Ling's Divine Physician, Xia Qing. Xia Qing and Xiao Shao were fellow apprentices, so Empress Dowager Yi De sent someone to invite Xia Qing in. Xia Qing came very quickly, and after seeing the Emperor's condition, she shook her head under Empress Dowager Yi De's expectant gaze. She only said eight words, "The poison has gone deep, and there is no cure."
There was no cure. As soon as these words came out, it was an announcement that the Emperor might not have much time left to live. Poison? Empress Dowager Yi De grasped the crux of these words. Where had the Emperor been poisoned? After having people search the inside and outside of the palace, they still couldn't find out where the poison had come from. Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Xia Qing couldn't see where this poison had come from. The poison had gone deep, and the toxicity was fierce. He had no time and no means to save the Emperor. It was likely that before he could find out what was going on with the poison, the Emperor would have already lost his life. For better or worse, he was hanging on with medicine, but that was only a temporary solution. In the end, there was no other way.
Empress Dowager Yi De was furious, and in front of all the imperial physicians, she said that if the Emperor died, all the women in the imperial harem would be buried with him. This was the cruelty of the royal family. When they were alive, these women might have lived a life of luxury that everyone envied, but in fact, they were just playthings attached to the Emperor. If the Emperor died, there was no need for them to live.
Empress Dowager Yi De said this in front of the imperial physicians, but even so, the women in the imperial harem realized something. It wasn't their first day in the palace, and it wasn't like the previous dynasty didn't have the rule of burying concubines with him. The Emperor had suddenly fallen, and the imperial harem was immediately filled with an atmosphere of fear. Everyone was anxious and anxious, and it was almost the first time that they had all prayed for the Emperor's early health.
Among the panicking imperial harem, there were two people who were unusual. One was Mu Xirou. Mu Xirou was naturally a cold beauty. Usually, she was indifferent to everything, and even the Emperor's love couldn't make her look better. The other was Dong Yinger. After entering the palace, Dong Yinger's mood was gentle and steady, and she was a little too mature. These two people weren't as panicked as the others, so it was understandable.
However, how long could the current tranquility be concealed? Everyone knew that a storm was brewing.
At this time, in the Southern Court, Xuan Pei was sitting in front of a table, practicing his calligraphy stroke by stroke. Even at this time, he still had the mood to practice calligraphy. If others saw this, they would definitely be very surprised. But what was surprising was not so. Judging from the person's words, Xuan Pei's calligraphy was very steady. Obviously, he wasn't affected by the Emperor's fall at all. He was as calm as ever, as calm as if he had already expected this to happen.
"Your Highness, the Eighth Prince is now ready to make a move," Ming Yue said. "This is a trap he set up. Now that the battle has started, he will definitely start attacking. How will Your Highness solve this?"
The Emperor's poison was planted by Xuan Li. This was something that Xuan Pei knew very well. With his understanding of his elder brother from his previous life, he could say that he understood Xuan Li more than the Emperor. This gentle and indifferent elder brother's heart was so cruel. He calmly used this move to kill his father. The Emperor's fall was caught off guard, but this poison had been planted a long time ago.
Xuan Li thought that he had grasped the initiative this way. Before the Emperor had clearly chosen a Crown Prince, perhaps this was Xuan Li's strategy to win in the chaos. But for Xuan Pei, letting nature take its course was also his strategy. Xuan Li was ruthless, but Xuan Pei's heart wasn't soft either. For example, in this life, he watched helplessly as the Emperor was poisoned by Xuan Li.
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