sbdcsierra Chapter 496: Game within a Game (1)
Chapter 496: Game within a Game (1)
Everything happened so suddenly, like the wind and snow in the sky. Overnight, the court was turned upside down.
First, Murong Shiling woke up and regained power. Then, the eldest prince was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice on charges of plotting to usurp the throne. The third thing that shocked everyone was that Queen Li was deprived of power in the harem, and all matters were handed over to Concubine Yu to handle.
The people in the harem were in a panic, and the people in the front court were also very uneasy, especially the eldest prince's party, who were almost in a panic.
On this day, Murong Shiling sat upright on the high dragon throne in the hall. He had lost a lot of weight due to being in a coma for several days, but he also looked more cruel. His slightly cloudy eyes shone with an inscrutable glint. In the hall, a large number of generals were kneeling on the ground!
"They say time reveals a person's true character. I've only just started feeling a bit unwell, and you're all already thinking about serving your own masters! How courageous of you!"
Those generals were submissive but did not dare to argue. It was because they did not refuse when Murong Feng invited them to a banquet. It was their fault for being confused for a moment, but they were forced to join forces with Murong Feng, so they were not guilty.
Then some of the generals begged for mercy, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive us! We are truly wronged."
Murong Shiling scoffed. "Unjust? Who wronged you? Your name is written in black and white. The Crown Prince personally led his men to capture you red-handed. And you still have the nerve to cry foul?"
The man fell silent. Murong Shiling's gaze shifted around and landed on Yu Lihan's face, a hint of disappointment evident in his eyes. "Why? Yu Lihan, you also participated in this rebellion with them?"
Yu Lihan was stunned and didn't know how to answer. Since the accident, his father had been claiming to be ill and had not attended court, and he was imprisoned together with Yang Cheng and others.
Yu Lihan thought for a moment and decided to report the truth. "Your Majesty, I don't know how you knew about this gathering, but most of us generals who attended the gathering were unaware of the Crown Prince's rebellion. After returning from the northern border, we have been waiting in the capital for arrangements. However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has not yet given us any relevant orders, so we can only wait patiently..."
Yu Lihan told the whole story in detail how they were invited to the welcoming banquet and how Murong Feng had Chi Mei and others kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. When he finished speaking, there was silence in the hall.
Surprisingly, Murong Shiling didn't blame Yu Lihan. Instead, he praised her: "Lihan, you grew up under my watch. You have always been an upright child. I believe what you said, but I can't just take your one-sided words. How about this? You all go back for now. After the matter is thoroughly investigated, you are not allowed to leave the capital!"
The soldiers couldn't help but burst into tears when they heard this. They didn't expect that Yu Lihan was so loved by the emperor that he could make the emperor pardon their crimes with just a few words.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The soldiers expressed their gratitude one after another and quickly left the hall. However, Yu Lihan felt something was strange. It seemed that he had to discuss this matter with his senior brother!
After the soldiers left, Murong Shiling looked at Murong Cheng with great approval, "Cheng'er's performance this time was outstanding. Whether it was your performance during my serious illness or your performance today, I am very satisfied."
"Thank you for the praise, Father! However, I feel that I am not mature enough yet. If it were not for the concerted efforts of all the ministers, I would have been extremely worried these days."
"Cheng'er, you don't have to be so modest. To be honest, I never thought Feng'er would do such a treasonous thing. How about this, I leave this matter entirely to you?"
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. However, the Crown Princess is about to give birth, and the Lunar New Year is not long away. I hope to spend more time with her. Moreover, my brother may have just been confused for a moment, so I still hope Your Majesty will show some leniency."
Murong Shiling heard this and said, "In that case, you should spend the next few days accompanying the Crown Princess to celebrate the New Year. I will handle this matter personally."
Murong Cheng quickly thanked him and felt a little relieved.
The huge Prime Minister's Mansion was also heavily guarded at this time. One sedan chair after another quietly entered the mansion from the side door or the back door. After entering the mansion, servants soon came up to greet them and took the sedan chairs to the inner court.
Afterwards, one by one the officials got out of the sedan chair and went directly into the inner hall. At this time, Yu Zhengsha was sitting upright in the inner hall with a calm and composed look on his face!
After everyone was seated, Yu Zhengsha slowly spoke, "My Lords, I believe you all have the same purpose for coming to my residence today, right?"
"Prime Minister, please stop being so carefree. What should we do now? His Majesty seems to be completely abandoning the Crown Prince! Do you think we should..."
Yu Zhengsha glanced at him calmly, "Why are you panicking? Even if His Majesty wants to take action, it won't have anything to do with you! Just behave yourself for the next few days and don't do anything. You will naturally benefit from it!"
"Thank you, Prime Minister, for your advice. However, since you supported the Crown Prince before, why did you suddenly support the First Prince?"
Yu Zhengsha's expression turned cold. "Why? Do I need to report to you guys before I do anything?"
"This... no, of course not!"
The person who asked the question earlier was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. After being glanced at by Yu Zhengsha's cold eyes, he couldn't utter a word.
However, an official nearby came to their rescue, saying, "Don't worry, Prime Minister. We are also unsure. We have always supported the Crown Prince, but this situation is completely unexpected. I wonder if the Crown Prince will take this opportunity to eliminate us as well. I hope the Prime Minister can give us a clear explanation."
Yu Zhengsha stroked his beard, his face full of mystery. "Don't worry, everyone. The eldest prince won't fall just like that. Just relax and wait patiently!"
With Yu Zhengsha's assurance, the officials felt somewhat relieved. However, some were puzzled and asked, "Prime Minister, how could His Majesty suddenly wake up and arrest His Highness?"
Yu Zhengsha looked at the man with disdain, "Do you really need me to explain everything about the court to you one by one? If you all have a little brain, you will naturally understand the twists and turns involved."
"Yes, yes, the Prime Minister is right. It is us who are stupid."
After that, Yu Zhengsha gave these people some instructions before letting them leave. Yu Zhengsha stood up and walked outside. Looking at the vast starry sky, he said to himself, "Murong Feng, I hope you won't let me down!"
At this time, in the Ministry of Justice prison, Murong Feng was sitting in the cell with an expressionless face. Perhaps because of his special status, the cell was relatively clean.
As the footsteps approached, someone walked in. Soon, two jailers came over with their men.
The person who came was wearing a huge black cloak, and his entire face was hidden in the cloak, but judging from his figure, he was undoubtedly a woman.
The two jailers did not say anything, but brought the woman to Murong Feng's cell. The man did not say anything either, but took out two silver ingots from his sleeve and put them in the jailer's hand.
The jailer received the silver and then lowered his voice and said, "Hurry up, Madam, the shift will be over soon."
"Thank you!"
Murong Feng looked up and realized that it was Yu Qingli who came to see him. He was stunned. Why her? He thought it was his mother or Yu Zhenzhen, but it turned out to be Yu Qingli, who was only in name.
Yu Qingli walked into the cell, put the food box she brought on the low table in the cell, took off her cloak and put it aside, then looked around at the surrounding environment.
Murong Feng frowned, his confusion growing. What was she doing here? They say husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they each fly away. This was especially true of Yu Qingli, who had always been ambiguous with him and had an ambiguous relationship with the young emperor's uncle.
Yu Qingli saluted Murong Feng and said, "Your Highness has suffered a lot, but fortunately, the decoration here is relatively clean."
Murong Feng nodded slightly but did not speak.
Yu Qingli brought out the food in the lunch box and placed it one by one. Murong Feng took a glance and was surprised. On the table were crystal pork elbow, duck with sauce and vinegar, and braised shad. They were all his favorite dishes. Even Qiu Hen, who had followed him for many years, probably didn't know his preferences.
He has always been cautious, especially when it comes to food. Although he likes sweet and sour food, he doesn't eat it very often, so few people know about his little hobby. It can be seen that the woman in front of him is really attentive to him.
Yu Qingli then took out another pot of wine, which was still warm, showing that she had put a lot of effort into it. Murong Feng's eyes became more complicated. From the faint aroma of the wine, he could conclude that this was his favorite osmanthus wine.
Yu Qingli took out the jade cups she had prepared, and prepared one for herself and Murong Feng respectively. Then she sat down at the low table. Seeing Murong Feng still sitting at the head of the bed, she couldn't help but smile and said, "Your Highness, why haven't you come over yet? Do you think what I prepared is not appropriate?"
Murong Feng had mixed feelings in his heart. He looked at her with a complicated expression. His usually cold and indifferent face now had a comforting smile, just like the bright spring flowers in the sun. In this slightly dark cell, it made people yearn for it.
Murong Feng walked over to the low table, slowly sat down, and asked, "Why are you here?"
Perhaps because he hadn't spoken for a long time, his voice was a little hoarse and low, lacking his usual gentleness.
Yu Qingli passed the wine glass to Murong Feng and said, "Your Highness, have a drink to moisten your throat. This low and decadent tone is not the eldest prince I know."
There was still doubt in Murong Feng's eyes, but his heart was inexplicably warm, and he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.