Liaozhai: A scholar should draw a sword

Chapter 225 Everything is ready, I only owe Dongfeng

Not long after, Cao Kun left the courtyard with mixed feelings.

Over the years, he has held great power in his hands, and it can be said that he wants the wind and the wind, and the rain and the rain.

The ministers in the court and even the concubines in the harem all scrambled to please him.

But the current situation has begun to lose his control, and many confidants have also begun to waver.

Cao Kun finally understood one thing, leaving the emperor, he really couldn't play anymore.

But the problem is, he can't even see the emperor's face now.

Could it be that the emperor was put under house arrest by the empress?
Thinking of this possibility, Cao Kun couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.

In the past, he never believed that the empress had the guts to put the emperor under house arrest. It would be a matter of losing his head, and maybe his natal family would be implicated.

But now, Cao Kun doesn't think so.

The queen alone may not dare, but together with Prince Jin, the disciples of the royal family, Jin Yiwei, and the queen's natal family, how powerful is this?
This force is really going to be twisted into a rope... Not to mention dealing with Dongchang, it is not impossible to drive the emperor out of power.

Thinking of this possibility, Cao Kun broke into a cold sweat and hurried towards the palace.

Without further ado, he had to meet someone right away: the Queen Mother.

Others didn't dare to bother the queen mother at night, but how could Cao Kun control so much?
For him, the imperial palace is almost like his home, he even dared to break into the empress' bedroom.

But what Cao Kun never expected was that as soon as he left the small courtyard, a figure also entered the small courtyard.

This person is exactly Zhou Yu.

He had expected that after Cao Kun suffered a big loss, he would definitely go to find the master behind the scenes, so he followed the eunuch a long time ago.

As soon as Cao Kun left, Zhou Yu sneaked into the courtyard.

It didn't take much effort to find the mechanism of the secret passage and came to the underground secret room.

"call!"

As soon as he entered the stone room, there was a plume of black smoke rushing over.

Zhou Yu paused, and a dazzling golden light gushed out from his body.

"what!"

Under the shroud of this golden light, a scream came from the stone room.

At the same time, a faint figure appeared.

It was that demon.

However, this guy has not yet fully cultivated and formed, and it looks more illusory, like a wisp of smoke.

This is also the reason why it asked Cao Kun to find a boy for it. It wanted to speed up the process of cultivation by sucking the blood of the boy so that it could be condensed as soon as possible.

How could a demon who hadn't even achieved Consolidation Form be Zhou Yu's opponent?

Seeing that he couldn't even break through the golden light of the opponent's body, the demon was frightened, and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Shangxian, spare my life, Shangxian, spare my life..."

"Forgive me?" Zhou Yu said coldly: "When you were sucking those children, why did you ever think about forgiving anyone's life?"

"The small ones are wrong, but the small ones will definitely... ah..."

Zhou Yu talked nonsense with this guy lazily, raised his palm and slapped it, and broke it up with just one slap.

This time, the evil spirit didn't have such a good life, it was completely wiped out.

On the other side, when Cao Kun came to the Palace of Compassion and Peace, a young eunuch greeted him immediately.

"Go, inform the queen mother, and say that our family has a very urgent matter to discuss with the queen mother."

"This……"

The little eunuch looked troubled.

After all, the queen mother had already fallen asleep, and it is estimated that she is sleeping soundly now. If the queen mother is upset, she might kill her in a fit of anger.

"What? Even you dare to embarrass our family?"

"Don't dare, don't dare..."

Seeing the fierce look in Cao Kun's eyes, the little eunuch was startled, and hurried to report.

Sure enough, the queen mother was very unhappy after being awakened, and scolded the little eunuch angrily.

However, she also roughly guessed the reason for Cao Kun's visit, knowing that Cao Kun had suffered a big loss in Kunning Palace today, so she thought it was indeed something urgent.

Soon after, the Queen Mother came to the chamber.

"I don't know why Eunuch Cao came here late at night for something important?"

"You all step back!"

Cao Kun gave orders to the eunuchs and maids in the room.

Seeing this, the Queen Mother couldn't help frowning.

In the Palace of Compassion and Ning, she is the master, but Cao Kun stepped in and ordered his servants to retire without her permission. How could he put her, the queen mother, in his eyes?

However, this is not the first time, and she has nothing to do with Cao Kun.

After all the servants withdrew, Cao Kun stepped forward and said: "The empress dowager, the big thing is not good. The slaves suspect that the queen, the king of Jin, and the Yang family are planning to rebel!"

"what?"

The queen mother was taken aback.

"The empress dowager must have heard about what happened in the capital recently, Jin Yiwei has begun to lose control and is against the East Factory everywhere.

Also, the empress dowager also knew that the emperor seldom visited Kunning Palace before.

But after I left today, I stayed there and never left.

This is quite abnormal, so the servant suspects that the emperor...is likely to be tricked by the queen to go to Kunning Palace with an excuse, and then put under house arrest. "

"Hiss... This, shouldn't be the case, right?"

"Empress Dowager, even if the slaves are a little suspicious, but this kind of thing, even if it is only a small possibility, once it happens, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger!

It would be better if it was Prince Jin's idea, after all, it is my family.

However, if this is a conspiracy by the Empress Empress and her natal family to seize the Great Ming Dynasty, it would be terrifying.

With the strength of the Yang family, if a mutiny is really going to be launched, the empress should be able to guess the consequences without the slaves talking about it. "

"This this……"

The queen mother was so frightened that she was speechless.

She naturally knew the strength of the Yang family, it was a general's mansion with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses.

If it wasn't for this relationship, the emperor would have abolished the empress long ago, and Concubine Fulan would have been the empress.

"Empress Dowager, there is absolutely no room for any fluke or negligence in this matter..."

"Then... what should Aijia do?"

The Queen Mother has no idea.

"You are the empress dowager, so naturally you have sufficient reasons to go to see the emperor. In this way, the empress will send someone to notify the emperor tomorrow under the guise of being ill."

This is indeed a valid reason.

Although the emperor was not born to the empress dowager, since he is regarded as the empress dowager, he must be filial.

The Empress Dowager is in poor health, if the emperor and empress do not visit, it is unfilial.

"Well, that's fine..." The queen mother nodded, and asked again: "Then what would happen to the Aijia if the emperor and queen didn't come to visit?"

"Then the empress dowager went to look for the emperor in person one day later. She didn't believe that the empress dared to obstruct it. In short, the empress must see the emperor and talk alone, and ask the emperor what's going on to confirm whether he is being controlled by the empress."

"Oh, I see."

For this matter, the Queen Mother must be careful.

In fact, from the bottom of her heart, she hated Cao Kun extremely, and wished she could kill him quickly.

A eunuch, a dog slave, can control her in everything, how can she be happy?

But there is no way, Cao Kun's power is too great, even if she is the queen mother, she can't do anything about it.

If what Cao Kun said was true and the emperor was under house arrest by the empress, intending to usurp the throne, then she, the empress dowager, would probably become a prisoner.

Early the next morning, the Empress Dowager stayed in bed on the pretext of being ill. She first went to the imperial doctor, and then sent a maid to report to the emperor.

The court lady actually knew that the emperor was in Kunning Palace, but she pretended not to know. She went to find the imperial eunuch first, and was led by the imperial eunuch to Kunning Palace.

"Qi empress, the empress dowager is sick, so she sent a maid to let the emperor go over."

"Sick?"

Hearing this, the queen frowned, and subconsciously glanced at the emperor who was resting on the bed.

Indeed, she has put the emperor under house arrest.

It's just that the purpose is different from Cao Kun's guess. She didn't want to cooperate with her natal family to usurp the throne, but to prevent Cao Kun from seeing the emperor, lest the emperor be bewitched by Cao Kun and make irreparable mistakes.

If this is the case before, Cao Kun might have the guts to create an imperial decree.

But under the current situation, Cao Kun really didn't dare, after all, he was already being targeted by the queen and Prince Jin.

"Queen, let me leave quickly, I'm going to visit the queen mother."

"Your Majesty, it's not that the concubine doesn't want you to leave, but that your body needs to rest now, and it's not suitable for you to go out."

"You...Queen, if you let me go now, I can promise you to let go of the past. If you continue to be stubborn, don't blame me for not thinking about the relationship between husband and wife in the future."

"Hehe, the love between husband and wife?" The queen smiled sarcastically: "It is precisely because the concubine still thinks about the love between husband and wife that I let you rest here.

In the future, you will definitely understand the painstaking efforts of the concubine.

The queen mother is sick, and the concubines will go down to fulfill their filial piety for the majesty, so they go to visit the queen mother.

Miss Yue'er, please take care of the emperor. "

"Well, you have to be more careful, ma'am."

"Hehe, it's okay, they are not so bold as to attack me in the inner palace."

After finishing speaking, the empress walked to the emperor again, and said softly: "Your Majesty, you have to trust the concubine, the concubine did this for the sake of the emperor, and for the great Ming Dynasty."

Soon after, the queen came to the Palace of Compassion and Peace.

"The Empress is here!"

Hearing the report from outside, the queen mother frowned: "The emperor is not here?"

"I'm reporting to the empress dowager, the empress dowager said that the emperor is also sick in bed, so it's inconvenient to come to visit."

"hateful!"

The queen mother was so angry that she cursed.

Her original intention was to see the emperor, so what's the use of the empress coming?

It seems that I can only make a trip in person.

Cao Kun was not idle either, and sent his subordinates to spread rumors, saying that the queen and Prince Jin conspired to rebel and put the emperor under house arrest.

As soon as the news came out, the ruling and opposition parties were shocked.

Although many ministers didn't believe it at all, it was related to the Ming Dynasty, so many ministers came to the palace together to ask for a face-to-face.

For such a result, the queen had expected it a long time ago.

She knows what kind of person Cao Kun is. It can be said that that guy is a person who uses all methods to the extreme.

Especially now, under the situation of losing everywhere, they will jump over the wall in a hurry.

"The Empress is here!"

While all the ministers were waiting anxiously, a loud shout came.

All the ministers hurriedly waved their sleeves and bowed to say hello.

"Everyone loves to be flat!"

Afterwards, a minister stood up, cupped his hands and said, "I'm going to report to the empress, I've heard that the emperor's dragon is not in good health, so I'm here to say hello.

Moreover, there is a backlog of memorials in the court, and some important matters need to be consulted with the emperor. "

"I'm afraid it's not because of this, is it? It should be because I heard some gossip."

When the queen said this, all the ministers fell silent, which was regarded as tacit agreement.

"Despite the rumors from the outside world, I have a clear conscience. The emperor is indeed in Kunning Palace, but things are not what you imagined.

Why did the outside world spread rumors that the emperor was under house arrest in the palace?I'm afraid it all came from Cao Kun's idea..."

As soon as these words came out, all the ministers couldn't help but startled, and whispered to each other.

In fact, they could guess what was going on in their hearts, but it was really surprising that the queen named Cao Kun in person.

Because, in this way, it means a complete showdown with Cao Kun.

But what the queen said next shocked all the ministers.

"If you say that the outside world is all rumors, it's not entirely true. Your Majesty is indeed under house arrest by this Palace..."

"what?"

"Your Majesty, this... this... how can this be done? How can your empress put the emperor under house arrest? This..."

"My dear friends, please be safe and don't be impatient, listen to Bengong's speech. I have no choice but to do this, and it is entirely for the sake of the emperor and the great Ming Dynasty.

If I don't do this, then the emperor will continue to be bewitched by Cao Kun and other eunuchs, thus making a big mistake.

When the emperor first came to the throne, he was ambitious and wanted to become a generation of Mingjun.

Why did it become like this?All because of the conspiracy of Cao Kun and others.

There is one thing that you may not know, that Cao Kun secretly enshrined an evil spirit as his master..."

"what?"

"Is there such a thing?"

All the ministers lost their voices.

The queen continued: "The previous disappearance of children was done by Cao Kun, and those children became the food of that demon.

Maybe everyone still doesn't believe it yet, but I believe that you will see the truth in a few days.

Also, Concubine Lan Gui was also cultivated by Cao Kun, who taught her charms to confuse the emperor..."

The Queen's words caused all the ministers to discuss as if they had exploded.

They really couldn't believe it.

However, after what the queen said, and thinking about what Cao Kun and others have done, it is really not impossible.

"You all know how powerful Cao Kun is. Why does he have such great power? Don't you understand?
Seeing the precariousness of the Ming Dynasty, Prince Jin stepped forward and ordered Jin Yiwei to launch a counterattack against Cao Kun.

Bengong is a woman, so she shouldn't meddle in court affairs.

But it was related to the Ming Dynasty, so Bengong had no choice but to stand up and try his best to make the emperor wake up and let him completely get rid of the control of Cao Kun and others.

In this way, the emperor can deal with state affairs soberly.

Alright, that's all I have to say, everyone, go back and do your job well.If anyone wants to fall to Cao Kun's side at this juncture, then don't blame Ben Gong for not being sympathetic! "

After finishing speaking, the queen led the people to turn around and leave.

All the ministers looked at each other.

They knew that Daming's life was really about to change.

But at this time, the most tangled thing is Wen Chongshan, the commander of the forbidden army.

The imperial army shoulders the important task of guarding the imperial city, and there are garrisons inside and outside the city.

As the commander of the Forbidden Army, Wen Chongshan has always been the target of all parties trying to win him over. It is quite difficult to maintain absolute neutrality.

Therefore, Wen Chongshan's attitude has been vacillating all along.

But this time the situation could not tolerate any wobble.

Wen Chongshan knew in his heart that this time, when two tigers fight, one is not bound to be injured, but one is bound to die.

No matter who wins in the end, there will definitely be a purge, and blood will flow in rivers.

If he is on the wrong team this time, he may be doomed.

At first, he was inclined to Cao Kun's side, because he felt that Cao Kun had a better chance of winning, and coupled with the dispatch of the imperial army, he could completely suppress Jin Yiwei.

Unexpectedly, news was soon received that the Prince of Jin was summoning a group of royal disciples, preparing to use the banner on the side of the Qing Emperor to mobilize various soldiers and horses to the capital.

Moreover, the Yang family is also making moves. They are mobilizing a large number of soldiers, horses and food for the reason of changing defenses.

If the Yang family really got involved, the imperial army who lacked actual combat would not be enough to see, and they would definitely be crushed by then.

So... after weighing it over and over again, Wen Chongshan finally went to see Prince Jin, and expressed his attitude respectfully.

In this way, everything is ready, only the east wind is owed.

……

(End of this chapter)