Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 748: It's the unexpected
Late at night in Beijing,

The sky cleared up, the dark clouds had long dissipated, the rain had stopped and the capital city seemed even quieter under the night sky.

In the inn by the Qing Lake in the north city, the dim lights illuminate the slippery bluestone road. Occasionally, you can hear the night watchman's shouting. Driving into the alley, you can also distinguish the road to the north gate of the palace by the moonlight.
"Teacher, when we get to the palace, what should we do if the other princes don't show up?"

After listening to the teacher's words, Zhou Zhengbai understood the teacher's caution. How could a person who revealed his whereabouts so easily accomplish anything great?

Fan Wenhai was silent for a while. What the prince said made sense. There were traces to follow for some things and some words, and what should and should not be said. It all required caution. But if he thought about it carefully, would they do the opposite? Xu Ziyan from the Song Palace, Lu Suming from the Chen Palace, and Han Yunqi from the Wu Palace were all great talents of the time. How could they make such mistakes? He thought about the actions of his junior brother Xu Liangcai, and it might be that he was doing it for himself.

"I have already made arrangements. Except for the prince of Han, the others will definitely come. If they really don't go, the prince will have two options. One is that the situation is not right, and the prince will return immediately, then all our previous efforts will be in vain. The second is to hide immediately, take another route, continue to enter the palace, find out the truth about the retired emperor, and most importantly, make sure how the retired emperor is doing."

Fan Wenhai's face was grim. He thought that the others were not easy to deal with either. However, if they wanted to set a trap for Fan and gave them the opportunity, they would not dare to be smart under his nose. Instead, they had to guard against any unexpected events that might happen, such as his junior fellow apprentice Xu Liangcai.

"Teacher, the students are ready to go in again, but I'm afraid they will reveal the students' whereabouts again."

Zhou Zhengbai was panicked and even a little scared. He didn't know what it would cost to hide this secret matter from the palace. If something unexpected happened, he would be stuck in a dilemma.

Fan Wenhai also saw that the prince was worried and consoled him;
"Don't worry, my lord. I have already arranged it. After we arrive at Xuanwen Gate, you will go to the palace and there will be two groups of people to meet you. One is Minglu, which was arranged in advance. I have already arranged for a young eunuch to pretend to be the lord and go to meet you. We will go through the East Palace Gate.

The second group will be the prince dressed in fake clothes and will hide at the second door. If they don't come to join them, the first group will return, and the prince's second group will go to another place. What's more important is that Eunuch Xia has already agreed to meet the prince. "

Suddenly Fan Wenhai paused. If no one was seen, then it was indeed a trap. As for who did it, it could only be the ancestor Dai Quan in the palace, or his own junior brother who contacted them in advance. There was no one else. But thinking about it the other way around, it was absolutely impossible. There was only one chance, and it cost so much, would he be willing to do it!

"If the prince feels something is really wrong, then there is no need to take risks and just go back, because I have arranged a carriage at the East Palace Gate. Of course, if they come and the prince enters Changle Palace, we must find a way to confirm what happened to the retired emperor. Remember this."

"Yes, teacher, students understand."

The prince of Zheng, Zhou Zhengbai, breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the teacher made the arrangements, he could retire early if things failed. Thinking of the other princes, Zhou Zhengbai was disgusted. Not only were they hypocritical, but they were all jealous of their father for having a good fiefdom, especially the prince of Han, Zhou Xingshan. In addition to the teacher's affairs, it was because the King of Han did not compete with his father, and the Nanyang County City was taken into the palace by his father. He had always been resentful and resentful. It was well known. Therefore, in the end, he still had to be on guard against him. He made up his mind and put on the disguise mask on his face to ensure that nothing could go wrong.
In this way, the carriage moved slowly, taking the small roads, and the sound of the axles soon dissipated into the night.

At the west gate of the palace, a carriage stopped at the corner of the street, hidden in the darkness.

In the car, Han Wang's son Zhou Xingshan was anxiously putting on his clothes. He was also wearing eunuch clothes and disguise paint. He was in a hurry and a little flustered.

On the opposite side, Xu Liangcai had a calm face, his eyes slightly closed as if he was resting. After a while, he spoke slowly;

"Don't be in a hurry, my lord. Take your time and put it on. There's still time."

"Yes. Teacher, I am a little worried whether the other princes will come as promised. What if they don't come?"

No wonder Zhou Xingshan asked this. He had also heard about the incident a few days ago between the Prince of Wu and the others. It was incredible. They could have met anyone else, but they met Marquis Luo Yun. If Marquis Luo Yun had made trouble at that time, these people would probably have stayed in the clan residence. Fortunately, the Prince of Zheng's Mansion took action.

Although it is a good thing, I feel uneasy when I think of the conflict between the Zheng Palace and the Han Palace, not to mention Mr. Fan, who is known as a ghost strategist in the Zheng Palace.

"Your Highness, don't worry. Whether the other princes of the royal palace can come or not depends mainly on the planning of my senior brother. As long as he is willing, these people can come. Now, I am afraid that they are worried that I will interfere."

Xu Liangcai sighed. His senior brother's calculations were undoubtedly correct. He might have even arranged the first and second moves. Unfortunately, the strength of the Han Palace was always inferior to that of the Zheng Palace. The route to the palace had been achieved at a huge cost. Even if he wanted to cause trouble for his senior brother, it would be too painful. He would have no chance to enter the palace again.

"Yes, Master, I understand. I am just a little flustered. It is not so easy to enter the palace."

He stuttered a little when he spoke, and he didn't know if it was because he was too anxious and tired when he was getting dressed, or if he was really nervous. Xu Liangcai suddenly laughed softly.
"Haha, I understand your feelings, but you must know that if you want to do great things, you have to take risks. If everything is stable, there will be no fight for the throne. You must not only fight in the court and the clan house, but also keep your position as the prince in the palace. This is the foundation. You know what the King of Han is thinking. If you don't even have this little courage, do you think you can still sit firmly on the throne?"

After speaking with a cold face, as if giving a warning and even a reminder, the Prince of Han, Zhou Xingshan, paused, with a complicated expression, and bowed with his fists.

"Thank you for your advice, Teacher. I have been a little slack. We can't give them a chance."

The so-called "they" are the other illegitimate sons of the Prince of Han's Palace, all of them are eyeing their own seats. Thinking of this, Zhou Xingshan's eyes flashed with a fierce look. If they want to take the throne and sit in his seat, they must die.

"Well, this is more like it. Even if you can't fight for the great world, you can still fight for the capital. It's better to be safe than sorry. If you don't fight, others will. In some cases, you never know who will win."

Xu Liangcai was inspired. His original intention was to manage his fiefdom well and watch what happened in the world. Now the chaos in the south of the capital showed a tendency to spread, and the princes in various places felt that the opportunity had come, especially the Nanyang County of Zheng Wangfu, which was almost very close to the south of the capital. If they wanted to send troops, they could do so at any time. At that time, even if the court disagreed, it would be useless.

Unfortunately, the King of Han has always been obsessed with the struggle in the court and the royal family. He wants to ascend to the throne overnight. How is that possible? You know, the best chance is after the former crown prince committed suicide. It is not possible at that time. Now it is just a daydream. Seeing that the prince in front of him has packed up, he said another sentence.
"Sir, once you enter the palace, don't go first. Wait for a moment. When others arrive, or someone comes from somewhere else first, you should go over. If you find that it is not the prince of another palace, don't be surprised. It was the Zheng Palace that took the initiative. Wait there, and the real owner will appear. At that time, ignore others and act together with the people of Zheng Palace. However, I guess that nothing will happen tonight. No one would have thought that someone would test Changle Palace on the first night of Luo Yunhou's special examination."

At this point, Xu Liangcai couldn't help but admire his senior brother. He was bold and daring, and his reaction was extremely quick, which was something he could not compare to. But it was okay. As long as he found out that the emperor was fine, then the next step would be to start the show as soon as the tribute convoys of the kings arrived.

"It's dry, be careful with fire."

suddenly,

The sound of a night watchman was heard from the street outside. The people in the car all looked moved. Xu Liang lifted the curtain and said;
"Sir, the time has come. Get off the car. When you enter the west gate, someone will meet you. Don't worry about the imperial guards. Here is the token."

He stretched out his hand and handed over a palace gate token. Zhou Xingshan quickly took it, nodded, and without saying a word, he got up from the carriage, walked alone towards the west gate of the palace, and disappeared.

At the east gate of the Imperial Palace,
Three carriages arrived one after another and stopped on the street in the distance. Not long after, three people dressed as eunuchs got out of the carriages. Looking closely, they were the princes who had a conflict with Marquis Luo Yun in the restaurant a few days ago.
First, the prince of Wu, Zhou Lianghao, looked at the eunuch's clothes with some disdain and cursed.
"Damn, I'm wearing this. It's unlucky." "Haha, brother Hao, just make do with it. It's the same for my brother."

Zhou Yewen, the prince of Song, straightened his clothes, looked back at the carriage, and then led the two of them to the palace gate.
"Brother Wen, why haven't you seen anyone else?"

Zhou Yunfu, the cautious prince of Chen, looked around and saw only the three of them, standing alone at the street corner.

There was not even a ghost around, and he felt a little regretful in his heart. He was with the two of them and did not listen to the instructions of Mr. Lu from the palace. Not only did he reveal his whereabouts, but he also caused trouble. These two people are more likely to make things fuss than to help. After this incident, he must never travel with them again. He made up his mind and was secretly careful.

The prince of Song, Zhou Yewen, looked around and indeed did not see the princes of Zheng and Han. He thought of what his teacher Xu Ziyan had told him: never make public your whereabouts, and be careful of the princes of Zheng and Han, as they were not to be trusted. Now, it seemed that he had not done anything his teacher had told him. When he heard Brother Fu's question, he gritted his teeth and replied;

"What else can we do? If it weren't for the intervention of Prince Zheng's Mansion, these few days would have been too long. Now that we have made up our minds, we must go to Changle Palace. Otherwise, all our efforts will be wasted. Even if they have selfish motives, we will go together. If we don't have a good life, we should not let them have an easy life."

Zhou Yewen's face turned grim. If he wanted benefits, it was okay to take risks, but if he went back on his word, then don't blame him for being ruthless. If he had a hard time, no one could escape.

Only Zhou Lianghao smiled happily and consoled him;

"Don't be in a hurry, brothers. Since we have made an agreement, this is the only chance. If you can't grasp it, forget it. They know this."

The reason why Wu Prince Zhou Lianghao said it so lightly was because his father Zhou Dequan once said that it was good to have Jingbei County, with fertile land, prosperous businesses, and plenty of soldiers and armor. All he had to do was to guard against the Song Palace in Jingnan. Although there were many fields in Jingnan County, the trade routes were all in Jingbei County, and it was inconvenient to obtain various materials, so they would definitely be dissatisfied. As for the capital, he would not fight for it if he did not want to, but he had to fight for it. Therefore, Wu Prince Zhou Lianghao led his team into Beijing, but he messed up as soon as he entered the capital.

When the two heard the explanation of the Prince of Wu, they all agreed. They looked at the sky and walked towards the east gate together under the moonlight. Although there were guards, the three of them had pass badges, so no one dared to stop them.

After entering the palace gate, there was an eunuch waiting at the inner gate. He nodded without saying a word and walked alone to the small path at the corner of the courtyard wall outside the harem. The three of them looked at each other and knew that this person was the eunuch who led the way. They also did not say a word and lined up to follow behind.
The three of them could only walk through the palace hall and could not enter the harem. After all, the entrance to the harem was guarded by people from the Imperial City Bureau, and they could not fool the eunuchs and palace servants.
The moonlight shines through the gaps in the clouds, casting mottled shadows, making the entire palace city appear more quiet and mysterious in the night. The glazed tiles glow with a faint luster under the moonlight, and the outline of the palace is looming in the night.
The four of them walked silently under the shade of the trees, and each time they just happened to avoid the patrolling imperial guards. The three of them kept silent, and were quite impressed. The old eunuch in front of them looked skinny, but he was so powerful. Especially in the imperial garden not far away, the lights were flashing, and the imperial guards were guarding tightly. I think that was the Yangxin Palace.

After waiting for about an incense stick of time, the three patrol teams of the imperial guards had just left when the leading eunuch started walking, making a detour and heading northwest.

Seeing this, the three hurried to follow. They didn't know how many turns they had made, but they arrived at the side door of Changle Palace in a daze.
"Three princes, we are here. I will go back first. Someone will meet you here."

Zhou Yewen glanced around and swallowed his saliva. Where would anyone come to help? He nodded and took out a banknote from his sleeve and handed it over. The other two people did the same thing.

When the old eunuch saw it, he took it and put it into his sleeve, and then said:

"Don't worry, my three princes. Once you get here, five people need to be here at the same time before someone will open the door. If there are not enough people, someone will take the three princes away after three incense sticks. This old servant will take his leave."

Without waiting for the three to ask more questions, he turned around and disappeared into the corner. If the three had not just spoken to this person, they would have been afraid that they had encountered a ghost.

The three of them cursed in their hearts at the same time. If they didn't give them the silver, the eunuch would never say the following words. However, the three of them looked around and were silent.

Under the black night, it was hard to tell where there were people and where there were no people. The side door in front of them was tightly closed, and the three of them did not dare to knock. For a moment, they were stunned. I don't know who reacted first and said,
"Brothers, what should we do now? Why can't we see the Prince of Zheng and the Prince of Han?"

"Humph, of course I can't see it. Who knows, it might be hiding in some corner, watching whether the three of us are safe or not."

Song Prince Zhou Yewen had a depressed look on his face. He looked around with his eyes open, but it was all pitch black. He could not see anything, not even a ghost. Even Chen Prince Zhou Yunfu, who was usually brave, felt a chill all over his body. After all, he was not familiar with this place, so he could not help but feel a little alert.

Just as the three were looking around, the prince of Zheng, Zhou Zhengbai, who had arrived earlier, stood in a corner of the northern palace, accompanied by three eunuchs.

"My Lord, everyone should be here. Someone is coming over from the south side."

One of the eunuchs in charge suddenly spoke up to remind him quietly, and then stopped talking. Zhou Zhengbai looked up into the distance, but couldn't see anyone. When he wanted to ask again, he saw a dark figure walking towards him. He was shocked. These eunuchs around him were really powerful.

Thinking about what his father said, he was about to take out the banknotes, but just as he moved, he was stopped by another eunuch.

"Master, go over now. The silver has already been received. You don't need to give it anymore. Wait for you to come out and then come back here. We will go north and not go with them. Remember that."

"Oh, I see,"

I didn't know how to answer, I felt a push from behind, and the person walked out. Zhou Zhengbai appeared and walked over.

At that time, the Prince of Han also arrived. The five of them did not speak, but seemed to be sizing each other up. Coincidentally, the Prince of Zheng and the Prince of Han only had eyes for each other, and did not take the other three into consideration. The atmosphere was really awkward. King Zhou Yewen of Song did not know whether he was angry or embarrassed, his face flushed, and he snorted.
"Now that we're all here, why is there no one to pick us up?"

The others came back to their senses and focused their attention on the palace gate in front of them. At this moment,
The door suddenly opened,

"My lords, please clear up. The Emperor just finished his meditation. It won't take long."

The person walking towards him from inside was Xia Shouzhong, the chief eunuch of Changle Palace. Who else could it be?

However, the five people were a little confused. What did it mean that the emperor had just finished meditating? Why didn't he rest so late? With doubts, several people nodded and walked in one by one.

As soon as I entered the door, I looked around quickly. Unfortunately, except for the faint firelight in Changle Palace, the rest of the place was pitch black. However, the firelight in the palace was a little strange, and there was some white brocade hanging. Could it be
(End of this chapter)