Chaos in the Chu Palace

Chapter 102 The Grand Finale (3)
Duke Zha's heart was a little flustered, and he was about to say something when suddenly little Yingzhou stumbled in and called out, "Concubine Mother..."

Ouyang Ruo waited for him to come to him, then hugged him and sat down by his side, and said to him with a smile: "Come on, this is Grandpa Cha. Say hello."

Although little Yingzhou was less than two years old, he was still very sensible, so he called out, "Grandpa Cha."

Duke Zha was so frightened that he knelt down when he was called out, and said repeatedly: "The old minister is terrified... the old minister is terrified."

Ouyang Ruo said with a smile: "Mr. Zha is humble. You are a veteran of the three dynasties. The emperor usually respects you like an elder. Grandpa Zha called you this time."

Little Yingzhou sat beside Ouyang Ruo, motionless, staring straight at Cha Guogong with immature eyes, very fearless.He looks like Ouyang Ruo to three parts, and Chu Huotian to seven parts. He is very cute, but his small body is full of noble air.

Cha Guogong was secretly amazed when he saw it.Ouyang Ruo sat upright, and Xiao Yingzhou didn't cry or make trouble.Duke Zha vaguely felt that there was something else in today's meeting.

He hurriedly said: "I heard that the emperor loves the third prince very much. Now that I see him, he is really handsome and talented."

Ouyang Ruo smiled lightly, as if he didn't care about it, and just smiled at Duke Zha: "Gong Zha is absurd. It's just that the child is still young, and he can't see anything. The eldest prince is clever and lively, unlike my palace." The child is so quiet."

She made a fool of herself, describing the eldest prince's "stubbornness" as "smart and lively", and her child's "talent and intelligence" as "quiet".

When Duke Zha heard this, he felt a "thump" in his heart, knowing that Rou Jieyu, who was smiling very softly, was trying to ask him to express his opinion in a different way.

After all, he was the elder of the three dynasties, and he immediately laughed and said: "Everyone has its own merits, and the dragon has nine sons, and the sons are different. Don't worry about it..."

He talked a lot, and Concubine Yu Jing coughed lightly twice, and said with a smile: "Since the second brother is here, stop talking nonsense. Did Qinger tell you last time? What is the second brother?" How do you feel?"

Duke Zha stopped his mouth immediately, looked at Ouyang Ruo and Xiao Yingzhou carefully, and then slowly said: "It's not that I'm a humble minister, but a person who sits on the wall. There are really difficulties, there are difficulties..."

When Ouyang Ruo heard the words, she suddenly smiled coldly. She smiled coldly, and Zha Guogong had countless people, but hearing this smile still caused countless goosebumps.

Ouyang Ruo looked at him indifferently, straightened his back, and said quietly: "Isn't Mr. Cha just afraid that my identity will be criticized by others? Duke Zha's thinking is also right, but I don't know. How long can Mingzhe protect his life? Now that the emperor is ill, some people want to take advantage of the chaos and plot against him. I am afraid that Duke Zha will be able to keep his body when the time comes...with all the nests?"

Her words were like a bolt from the blue.Mr. Zha went through the storm or his face changed three times.Concubine Yu Jing was also very surprised when she heard this.

Although she knew something had happened in the palace, it was a big deal to take advantage of the chaos to plot a rebellion.She didn't notice the slightest sign.

Ouyang Ruo looked solemn, and said in a cold voice: "Ming people don't speak dark words, if Duke Zha thinks he can stand elsewhere, I don't blame you, but the situation is pressing now, the emperor is ill, and only I can take care of you. The inside story is only known to me. If Duke Zha doesn’t believe me, I can only say goodbye. Duke Zha has been loyal to the country all his life, and when he gets old, he wants to cherish his reputation even more. It’s just that the state of Chu is in catastrophe now. Whether Duke Zha can sit still or not, it depends on Duke Zha's conscience."

After Ouyang Ruo finished speaking, she hugged Xiao Yingzhou and walked out without looking back. The long tail of the skirt dragged away, like a gradually unfolding phoenix tail, noble and royal.

Zha Guogong was shocked by Ouyang Ruo's words, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. This is risking the extermination of the nine clans.If he chooses the third prince today, he will definitely oppose the empress Zhao.

But Ouyang Ruo's words were very clever, she meant that now she was the only one serving the emperor when he was sick, and she was in control of the emperor's inside story, the subconscious meaning was that if you choose her, you will choose to stand on the emperor's side.

What a wonderful woman!
She cleverly put herself in a position where she can advance or retreat, advance or attack, her meaning is the emperor's meaning, and obedience is the meritorious minister who escorted the emperor when he was seriously ill.She can retreat or defend, everything is the emperor's will, she has no ambitions at all, and only thinks about the Great Chu Kingdom.

Cha Guogong struggled fiercely in his heart.Concubine Yu Jing sighed softly: "Rou Jieyu, please go to the side room to rest. The Ai family will discuss with Mr. Zha."

Ouyang Ruo turned around and saluted slightly, then left with Xiao Yingzhou in his arms.

Concubine Yu Jing waved to Duke Zha to show her seat.She sighed slightly: "Rou Jieyu is deeply favored by the emperor, so naturally she will not pretend to pass on the holy will. Second brother, if our Cha family wants to get ahead, we can only give it a go. If we win, the emperor will definitely treat us Cha family badly." .Besides, the emperor intended us to take the place of the Zhao family on purpose, and now the emperor is seriously ill. If we don’t reveal our loyalty now, when will we wait?”

Duke Zha took a sip of his tea, wiped off his cold sweat, and said in a hoarse voice: "Eldest sister, even before I came here I was a little doubtful, but now I am completely free of doubt. The emperor is seriously ill, and he was clearly framed by a traitor. It must have been poisoned!"

Concubine Yu Jing's heart tightened, and she lost her voice: "How is it possible?"

Duke Zha sighed: "Look, what kind of illness can you see for two days without seeing ministers? What's more, the emperor is in his prime, and he is a military commander. He who has never had a cold on weekdays, suddenly becomes seriously ill. Suspicious. Now that the emperor has no will and only relies on Rou Jieyu to speak out, I am afraid that the emperor is in a critical situation. Rou Jieyu, a weak woman, naturally wants to find a backer. To put it bluntly, if the emperor returns to heaven when he controls the dragon, the queen With the strength of the Zhao family, the eldest prince is determined to be the heir apparent. At that time, if the emperor does not make a decree, it will only be the Zhao family's world. Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the decree is retained, it is not safe to make the third prince the heir apparent. Yes, how do you know that the empress won't call black into white? That's why Rou Jieyu is so anxious to ask our Cha family to stand up for her."

Concubine Yu Jing's face turned pale when she heard this, and she said after a long while: "Then what should I do now? It's impossible to help, I'm afraid that it will be difficult to stabilize the court with our family investigation, and it is impossible not to help, if it is true as you said, if the eldest prince Assuming the throne, our Cha family will definitely end up miserable. Not to mention anything else, the first Yan'er, Qing'er's bright future is definitely gone."

Duke Zha sighed a few times, and said with a bitter face: "This is the embarrassment. Now that the people in the court are beginning to feel uneasy, the most urgent thing is to get an imperial decree from the emperor, but if the emperor can really make an decree, why does Rou Jieyu have to go so far in person?" A trip?..." He wrinkled his thick gray eyebrows in embarrassment.

Concubine Yu Jing was also in a dilemma.

While teasing the third prince, Ming Juan peeked at Ouyang Ruo who was sitting on the nanmu lacquered chair. Although she was used to seeing her appearance, she still felt amazing every time she saw her. But today is different from the past, her radiance is peerless But there was a trace of deep sadness on his face that he had never seen before.A pair of deep and big eyes looked at the sky outside from time to time.

Mingjuan finally couldn't help but said: "Does your empress want to go back to the palace?" Ouyang Ruo was stunned for a moment, but she didn't expect her thoughts to be seen through by the palace people, so she couldn't help saying: "Yes, I want to go back and see what the emperor is doing. That's it."

Mingjuan heard the words, envied the deep love between her and the emperor's husband and wife, and said in relief: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the emperor just has a cold, just sleep for two days and sweat. In the past, slaves didn't even have to take medicine when they got wind and cold. It's still not as good, the emperor is a real dragon descending into the world, it will definitely be fine in a few days."

She didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said.Seeing her comforting herself, Ouyang Ruo felt warm in her heart, and after a long while, she said slowly: "Yes, it will be fine. The emperor will be fine."

It will be fine, everything will be fine.

She didn't allow him to leave her alone with the underage Yingzhou like this.Even if she tried her best and tried her best, she would definitely protect him and his country!

She was still in a daze, and Duke Zha came in.His old face was full of worry, but he only said: "The Cha family will surely share honor and disgrace with the emperor, please go back and tell the emperor. No matter what the emperor wants the Cha family to do, even if the Cha family goes through fire and water."

Ouyang Ruo sneered in his heart when he heard him talking about "the emperor", and thought to himself, he really is a treacherous and cunning veteran of the three dynasties, and he speaks impeccably.But she had a smile on her face, and nodded slightly: "Now that I have to talk to Mr. Zha, I feel much more at ease. The ministers in the court still need Mr. Zha to comfort me. Don't listen to rumors so easily."

After she finished speaking, she looked at him with piercing eyes, sincere affection,

Duke Zha hurriedly said, "Naturally. Please rest assured, Madam."

Ouyang Ruo smiled again: "I am here alone now, please ask Mr. Zha to send someone to escort him back to the palace. After all, the third prince is young, so I might get bumped on the road. I am really worried."

Duke Zha's face froze when he heard the words, he could only grit his teeth and said, "Yes, I will definitely send someone to escort the empress and the third prince back to the palace."

Ouyang Ruo looked at his face, which turned green and pale, and his mood after two days of depression finally improved.She smiled and watched him go down to order the accompanying guards.

Ming Juan found it strange, and couldn't help asking: "Madam, we came quietly, so if we go back like this, everyone will know about it?"

Ouyang Ruo looked at the little Yingzhou who was having fun, and suddenly smiled sweetly at Mingjuan: "I just want everyone to know about it."

It is best to let the entire Chu Palace know, and it is even more impossible for Duke Zha to separate the relationship.The queen was very suspicious, and in this way, she was waiting to force Duke Zha to side with her in a disguised form.

He wanted to be alone, but she just wanted to make him ride a tiger.

The more she thought about it, the more relieved she felt, and helped the little maid sent by Duke Zha, Shi Shi ran down the mountain.

Concubine Yu Jing watched her go away, smiled and sighed to Duke Zha: "You old fox was actually restrained by her. But after all, Rou Jieyu is as courageous as a man, and working with her is better than working with the queen." Insidious people cooperate well. Now you have to be careful in the future. The queen is not a kind person."

Duke Zha sighed helplessly, and had no choice but to cup his hands and said, "Little brother, go back and make arrangements first, and elder sister is careful, I will secretly send more people to protect elder sister."

Concubine Yu Jing smiled nonchalantly, "I'm a lonely old woman, and I'm not worth other people's troubles to harm me."

But Duke Zha said solemnly: "Anyway, elder sister, take care."

……

Ouyang Ruo sent Xiao Yingzhou back to the "Yunxiang Palace" and then rushed to the "Manna Palace". Zhao Qingling saw that she had been gone for half a day in the morning, and knew that she must be busy.Before he had time to ask, Ouyang Ruo went straight into the inner hall.The palace people are all on duty in the outer hall, and the inner hall is empty, only Chu Huotian is still lying quietly on the dragon bed.

Seeing that he was still awake, Ouyang Ruo asked with tears in his eyes, "How is your majesty doing this morning?"

Seeing that there was no one around, Zhao Qingling said: "Drink another dose of medicine. I have to wait three days to wake up after seeing the emperor's situation. But the queen didn't come today, and she seems to be a winning ticket for this minister." It's in my hands. If it weren't for the fact that I have seventy to eighty percent chances of detoxifying the poison, the queen's plan will really succeed this time."

Ouyang Ruo sat beside Chu Huotian's bed, looked at his pale face, and said worriedly: "The emperor can't wake up now, the ministers have no leader, and they are uncertain, so people can take advantage of it. What is Mr. Zhao's plan now?"

After she finished speaking, she told how she met Mr. Zha in the morning and how she forced him to express his opinion.Zhao Qingling couldn't stop laughing when he heard it, and after two days of fatigue, he paused and praised: "Your Majesty is smart, Duke Zha, the old fox, has to bow his head this time."

Ouyang Ruo shook Chu Huotian's hand, rubbed it against her cheek, and said with a wry smile: "I don't understand military and state affairs, and I only have this woman's shady scheme."

Zhao Qingling's face was moved. The woman in front of her was clearly trying her best, using her wisdom and courage to deal with all the forces that could be united around her, try her best to resolve the crisis in front of her, and try her best to protect him.

This kind of affection is really a lesson from heaven.

Zhao Qingling sighed in his heart for a while, then frowned and said: "Even if Duke Zha can appease the ministers, it is best to have a formal imperial decree ordering him to handle the memorial on his behalf. This national event requires the joint efforts of several veteran ministers." .”

Ouyang Ruo also said: "What Mr. Zhao said is true, but the emperor is still not awake, could it be..."

The two looked at each other in blank dismay, and both thought of one thing - "false transmission of the imperial edict"!
Both of them are people with exquisite hearts. If they can think of this method, they will naturally think of the result.That is the crime of beheading and exterminating the clan!Even if Chu Huotian wakes up and understands the difficulties at that time, it is hard to guarantee that there is a grudge in his heart.And it's not the safest way.

Zhao Qingling hesitated and said: "At that time, I'm afraid that the empress will come to investigate the truth. As long as the empress is convicted of our crimes, it will be completely over."

Ouyang Ruo also frowns deeply.The entire inner hall was silent for a while, only the water leaking outside the hall could be heard.

In May of the third year of Chu Ninghe, the records of the state of Chu recorded this great event as follows: In the middle of May in Ninghe, the Holy Emperor Wu of Chu was at dusk, and the officials were terrified.Repeatedly seeking to see the holy face but unable to get it, after two days, rumors were rampant in Beijing, saying, the emperor is dead.The officials were surprised, so they asked to see again.

Zhao Mubai, the emperor's close friend and aide, argued with all his officials, saying that the emperor's wind and cold should not be disturbed by all the officials, and also pointed out that the emperor ordered Duke Zha to visit the palace.When he came out, Emperor Yan was safe, and he reprimanded those who were unpredictable, saying that Emperor Yan was in bad luck.

All the ministers were convinced, and there were various ministers responsible for their own duties, so the rumors died down.

……

In the "Manna Palace", Ouyang Ruo and Zhao Qingling smiled wryly at each other. It was already the noon of the third day after Chu Huotian fell into a coma, and every moment and every hour seemed to be walking on the tip of a knife.

Zhao Qingling's face that was radiant in the past showed signs of exhaustion, and Ouyang Ruo could hardly recognize him as the one who was arguing with the ministers just now.

If he hadn't stopped him all by himself and acted wisely to invite Duke Zha to come in, we still don't know how we could survive today's situation.

Thinking about this, Ouyang Ruo said softly to him: "Mr. Zhao, please go and have a rest. The emperor will be under the care of my palace. I will wake you up after an hour."

Zhao Qingling smiled wryly and said: "The emperor doesn't wake up all day, how can I sleep? The empress has eaten and slept less in the past few days, but she should take a good rest. The minister is a martial artist, and the empress is thin. It's better to go to rest." He looked at her haggard face, a slight pity flashed in his eyes.

Ouyang Ruo looked at Chu Huotian's sleeping face, and sighed softly: "Where can I sleep, when I close my eyes, I will have nightmares again and again. It's better to just open my eyes and watch, I feel more at ease."

Zhao Qingling sighed softly, turned around and asked the palace servants to bring cold water to apply on the face, cheered up, and then sat on the side to feel Chu Huotian's pulse, apply needles, and the decoction was presented, and the two worked together to pour the medicine down for Chu Huotian.

After a while, Chu Huotian vomited out a pile of blood again, and the blood turned red a lot.Zhao Qingling felt relieved, and said to Ouyang Ruo: "Now the poison in the emperor's body has gone by five points, the humble minister wants to perform for the emperor, and the empress will avoid it."

Ouyang Ruo nodded, went out of the inner hall, and called Li Jingcai to serve after thinking about it.She was sitting on a chair in the outer hall, just blankly, after several days of fatigue, she finally fell into a drowsy sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, she fell into a drowsy sleep, when suddenly a servant outside the hall shouted, "The empress is here..."

Ouyang Ruo woke up suddenly, and supported his chest, only feeling his heart beating wildly, the queen came? !

She hurriedly tidied up her face, and walked up to meet him quickly.

The queen walked in a hurry, seeing Ouyang Ruo coming forward, a cold light flashed in her eyes, and suddenly slapped Ouyang Ruo hard on the face with a "slap", angrily said: "Bitch! If the emperor really wakes up Why didn't anyone report this empress? Do you dare to despise this empress because the emperor favors you?"

Ouyang Ruo was slapped suddenly by her and fell to the ground, and her drowsy head slammed heavily on the hard nanmu chair on one side.

In front of his eyes, he could only feel the collision of gold stars, and the queen's slap was so hard, Ouyang Ruo could only feel the taste of blood spreading in his mouth.

She was extremely angry in her heart, and she fell on the ground for a long time before she endured it and said: "The empress calmed down, it was my concubine's negligence. I originally wanted to report to the empress, but the emperor needed medicine, and my concubine fainted in a moment of anxiety."

The queen sneered again and again: "If the emperor really wakes up, I will go and see today. If Mr. Zhao can stop those old ministers, I will see if he dares to stop the empress today?"

After she finished speaking, she raised her foot and was about to walk in.Ouyang Ruo was startled, and hurriedly kneeled in front of her to stop her, saying: "Your Majesty, please come back tomorrow, Mr. Zhao is currently giving needles to the Emperor, it may be inconvenient for the Empress to go in."

The queen was worried that she would not come to stop her, and when she saw her like this, she said angrily: "Come here, pull this worthless bitch down and beat her hard."

Ouyang Ruo was shocked, and a chill spread to her heart. Looking at her cold eyes, she suddenly understood that she came today not only to test whether the emperor was awake, but also wanted to kill herself.

Seeing the frightened look in her eyes, the queen couldn't help but proudly said: "Why, are you afraid?" She coldly bent down, and smirked in her ear: "The emperor came to protect you last time, but this time the empress will Let's see how the emperor will protect you! Haha..."

She laughed so wildly that Ouyang Ruo couldn't say a word.

Just when the palace people came up to drag her, Ouyang Ruo stood up abruptly, and said angrily to them: "How dare you?! I have been serving the emperor day and night these days, and I have worked hard without merit. Are you not afraid of the emperor's punishment? Empress Is this how the empress governs the palace properly?" She said the last sentence while looking at the empress.

The queen's face suddenly became ugly, and she was about to scold again, when suddenly a tired but angry voice came from the inner hall: "What are you arguing about? Is this how the queen came to see me?!..." He didn't say anything After that, he coughed a few more times, as if his throat was hurting: "Get out! I want to have a good rest, so let me back down! Rou Jieyu can just come in and serve her!"

The queen and Ouyang Ruo were stunned immediately, and the queen's mouth was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. After a long time, she stammered: "Since the emperor... wants to rest, I don't want to disturb you, so I will leave!"

After she finished speaking, she left in a panic.Ouyang Ruo was so excited, he just called out in a low voice: "Huo Lang..." and staggered into the inner hall.

I saw Chu Huotian half lying down, wearing a black dragon robe, with his head down, as if he was breathing hard.

Ouyang Ruo felt a blur in front of her eyes, and couldn't help rushing forward to hug her tightly: "Huo Lang, you finally woke up..." She couldn't help crying loudly, as if she wanted to cry out all the panic and grievances of the past few days.

The person under her didn't move, only let her hold her.Ouyang Ruo cried for a while, and suddenly Li Jing coughed unnaturally: "Mother, this... this is not the emperor..."

(End of this chapter)