Li Jinzhong asked Xie Liangchen: "Why hasn't the prince arrived yet?" Who brought someone to the stables? ”

Xie Liangchen replied with a smile: "It's your old buddy Wu Xiaozhong, and Concubine Jing." The idle stable courtyard is six or seven miles away from here, and the prince should be on his way to Zichen Hall at this time. ”

Li Jinzhong sent the lieutenant away, and said to Xie Liangchen in a low voice: "This prince is much more difficult to serve than the current emperor, you and I will have to be extra attentive in the future." ”

Xie Liangchen asked puzzledly: "The prince will definitely be grateful for the support of the adults in the future, but the adults are afraid that they are too worried, right?" ”

Li Jinzhong snorted in his nose and said: "This person has always been soft on the outside and ruthless on the inside, yesterday the Zhang family forced the emperor to issue a second holy decree, asking him to delay his return to Beijing, and he dared to openly disobey the decree, which shows his courage; I sent someone to follow him all the way, and he was able to successfully get out and return to the capital alone, which shows his wisdom; Before this afternoon, I blocked him at the palace gate, persuaded him to go to the stable courtyard and hide for the time being, not wanting to be discovered by the Yulin army under Zhang Liang's command, and washed the idle stable in blood, my old brother Su Fuzhong in order to cover him, led away the Yulin army alone, and actually lost his life, but he saw that many people died for him and could not hide, which shows his viciousness. How easy it is to serve such a monarch! ”

Xie Liangchen's words "Then why do you want to support such a person as the emperor" almost blurted out, and the words came to his mouth and swallowed back raw, and he only said in a curtive voice: "Liangchen is only the head of the lord, and he has never thought of anything else." ”

Li Jinzhong also immediately realized that he had missed his mouth on a whim, and hurriedly changed the topic and asked, "How does Concubine Jing know that the prince is in the idle stable?" Did Wu Xiaozhong tell her? ”

Xie Liangchen replied embarrassedly: "I told her." Today, as soon as she returned to the East Palace from outside the city, she summoned me and asked me to try to inquire about the news of the prince's entry into the palace. Around the time of Shen, I received a report that she and Zeng Qingze forcibly broke into the six-rate military camp and wanted to lead the troops into the palace to rescue the prince. I hurried to stop it, but I was scolded by her, and I couldn't stand her repeated questioning, so I had to tell her about the situation in the palace and the whereabouts of the prince, and took her into the palace in disguise. ”

Li Jinzhong was secretly surprised in his heart: Xie Liangchen, who had been close to him for many years, was now stepping on two boats, and it seemed that what he had just said was really too much. He was afraid that Xie Liangchen would realize that he had become wary of him, so he deliberately lowered his face and reprimanded: "Nonsense, Niangniang's daughter, in case of injury, how can I treat His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Jing Gong?" Zhang Liang has not obtained it now, and the city will not be peaceful, so you immediately lead a team of people to meet the prince and Niangniang, and there will be no loss. ”

Xie Liangchen only said that Li Jinzhong was really worried about Jing Xuan's safety, and he didn't think that he would get Fang Cai's truthful report that he had planted a curse for himself in the future. He replied yes, and he was about to leave, but a eunuch ran out of the Zichen Hall in a panic and shouted: "The emperor urgently announced that Li Jinzhong and Xie Liangchen entered the palace to meet him." ”

Li Jinzhong said to Xie Liangchen, "Let's go, follow me into the palace to see the emperor first", then turned around and strode into the Zichen Palace.

The lights in the Zichen Hall were bright but silent, more than a dozen imperial doctors knelt in front of the imperial couch, looking at each other, and from time to time there were one or two difficult phlegm sounds of the emperor on the imperial couch.

Li Jinzhong saw that there was no queen next to the royal couch, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he disappeared without a trace. He took Xie Liangchen to the bed and knelt down, choking in his throat: "Your Majesty, the old slaves are just outside the palace, and they haven't left for a while, just say what your Majesty wants." ”

The emperor was in a dying state, and his consciousness was no longer very clear, he struggled to raise his right hand, pointed to the outside of the hall, and muttered vaguely: "Although the queen is strong, she has a ...... with me Nannai ...... Prince ......"

Li Jinzhong was afraid that the emperor would leave words to protect the queen's life before his death, which would bring trouble to himself, so he hurriedly rushed forward and held the emperor's hand and cried: "The old slave is brave and temporarily places the prince in the idle stable. Your Majesty will save some strength and wait for the prince to arrive. ”

The emperor burst out of his chest with a sound that seemed to be a laugh, and his two eyes stared directly at Xie Liangchen behind Li Jinzhong, as if asking him if Li Jinzhong was telling the truth.

Xie Liangchen lowered his head to avoid the emperor's inquiring gaze, and he didn't dare to take any more breaths. The emperor moved his gaze in disappointment to Dianmo, the palace maid who was kneeling in the imperial couch and serving, and blinked weakly twice.

Dianmo unfolded a holy decree and sang in a low voice: "There is a will, Li Jinzhong, Xie Liangchen will accept the decree." ”

Li Jinzhong held the emperor's hand and couldn't help trembling slightly, he didn't expect that the emperor would leave a separate will for himself and Xie Liangchen before the funeral.

After Li and Xie redressed and knelt side by side, Dian Mofang whispered: "Zier Li Jinzhong, the public is loyal to the country, and he has meritorious deeds, so he can be of great use, and he can be crowned the Duke of Jin and avoid three deaths; Zir Xie Liangchen, respectful and quiet, ordered to be cautious, diligent and long-term, can be awarded the provincial superintendent, avoid death. Chin this. ”

Li Jinzhong bowed his head and heard a canonization will, and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, he didn't care about rewards such as princes, but from this will, he heard the emperor's approval of the great things he did today. "Maybe this is what the emperor has always wanted to do." Li Jinzhong secretly pondered.

After Dianmo announced the decree of the canonization, he hesitated for a moment and did not continue. The Emperor stared at her in a daze, as if he had something else to expect from her. However, Dianmo buried his head deep in his chest and stopped talking.

"The emperor fainted again."

With a soft cry from the palace maid, the imperial doctors stepped forward one after another and began another first aid.

Li Jinzhong quietly pulled Xie Liangchen, and the two walked out of the hall with each other.

Another lieutenant of the forbidden army came to report that the Zhongshu ordered Pei Baiyao and Jing Yuncong, the deputy marshal of the soldiers and horses, to ask to see the emperor outside the Danfeng Gate.

Li Jinzhong glanced in the direction of the southwest stable, frowned, and Xie Liangchen hurriedly said when he saw this: "Liangchen will go to greet the prince." ”

"Please Pei and Jing lead the ministers back to the Taiji Hall and wait," Li Jinzhong raised his feet and walked down the steps, "Let's go together." In an instant, he changed his mind about inviting the prince to come to Zichen Hall to receive meditation, and wanted to directly support the prince to meet the ministers and ascend the throne.

In front of the Taiji Hall of Taiji Palace, Li Jinzhong and Xie Liangchen led more than 1,000 heavily armed prison troops, Jing Xuan and the soldiers of the East Palace surrounded the frightened prince, and the civil and military officials led by Pei Baiyao and Jing Yuncong gathered in one place. Thousands of torches illuminate the hall, which was dedicated to the enthronement of the new emperor, as if it were daylight.

Li Jinzhong personally helped the prince to stand on Danfan, took a step forward, faced the civil and military officials, and said loudly: "In accordance with Your Majesty's will, we will eliminate the Zhang family's rebellion, welcome the prince back to the palace, and join the succession." Hundreds of civil and military officials knocked to see the new king. ”

When the civil and military officials who had been standing in front of the main hall for a long time heard this, they looked at each other and were indifferent, and they all turned their eyes to Pei Baiyao and Jing Yuncong.

Surprisingly, Jing Yuncong, who had a friendship with the emperor's son-in-law, stood still, while Pei Baiyao, who was known to be a good family member with the Zhang family, knelt down first. Once someone took the lead, the ministers no longer hesitated, and knelt down one after another and bowed to the new king.

The crown prince, who was standing behind Li Jinzhong, couldn't help frowning when he looked at Jing Yuncong, who refused to kneel down for a long time.