Inside the door, Pei Xiaoyuan stopped behind the screen and waited.

With the sound of rustling clothes, Chengping turned the screen barefoot and walked in front of him.

"What the hell is going on? How do you put on such a posture? ”

"Is it the county lord?" Pei Xiaoyuan asked in a low voice.

"Yes." Cheng Ping paused, then nodded in acknowledgement.

"Get dressed and send the county lord back immediately!"

Pei Xiaoyuan said.

Chapter 114

Lu Wenjun and Ashina have been secretly getting along for some time, because the eldest princess is strongly opposed, and recently she has been strictly guarded, this time she was invited to live in the Forbidden Garden, so she looked for an opportunity to meet.

Yesterday, after she asked her brother to refuse King Kang's invitation, she quietly went out alone from the North Drinking Horse Gate of the Forbidden Garden, which was guarded by the Ashina people. Ashina was waiting for her there. Then the two had a private meeting, and then went to Qingyue Tower, forgetting their feelings and not returning home at night, until the person was found.

The night wind poured into the empty and cold Seven Star Palace.

Han Kerang spoke, and with a hurried sound of boot steps, Yuan Zhi followed in and reported another news received by the other party.

Recently, some of the prince's subordinates have frequently contacted Taoist priest Chen Xuhe.

This Chen Xuhe was the head of the Taoist officials who used to lead the Dao to refine the pill for the emperor, and his status in the palace was respected, but since the princess returned to the court, the emperor abandoned the pill and took the Tai medicine, he could only return to his White Crane Temple in the mountains outside the city.

Subsequently, Yuan Zhi, who had been monitoring the East Palace, noticed one thing, and a guest of the prince secretly entered and exited the White Crane Temple, and his behavior was suspicious. He sent someone to the Taoist temple and bribed one of Chen Xuhe's cronies with a lot of money, and then learned that Chen Xuhe was proficient in fire alchemy, and when he used the fire alum method to refine medicine, he accidentally discovered that by smelting saltpeter, sulfur and other medicines together, he could obtain a black powder medicine that was extremely flammable and explosive. If those black medicines were to be filled into a sealed container and led by fire to detonate them, the power would be so great that it would be said that within three feet, flesh and blood would be severely damaged.

Just now, the disciple sent a secret report, and Chen Xuhe, with the assistance of craftsmen, worked day and night to secretly create an iron ball called Tribulus Terrestris in the cave in the back mountain. It is to make a fist-sized ball of iron blade and thistle terrestris and black medicine. So far, a total of more than a dozen have been made, and they will explode in case of fire.

Just today, during the day, the iron balls were taken.

"The one who takes the iron ball will come from the East Palace."

"Your Majesty, do you want the slave to summon the crown prince immediately?"

Yuan waited with bated breath for the command.

The Emperor moved slightly.

He got down from his bed. On the side, Zhao Zhongfang came to help, and was pushed away by the emperor.

He walked himself toward the wind-swept tabernacle that had fallen from the corner of the northwest temple. Two eunuchs guarding outside the tent hurriedly lifted the curtains.

The Emperor walked to a bed behind the tent, and by the light of the soul lamp that flickered in the corner with dim fireworks, he lowered his head and gazed with sad eyes at the lifeless King Kang lying on it.

He slowly untied his coat and gently covered King Kang's face.

Outside the Hall of the Seven Stars, the tired officials who had been waiting for a whole day finally saw the emperor show up and walked out of the hall.

The emperor's figure was steady, his steps square, if it weren't for the lingering layer of frost on his face, it would be almost the same as usual.

However, everyone present, at this moment, clearly felt a kind of cold aura that came to the top with the emperor's appearance.

After a chaotic slight commotion, the hundred officials quickly returned to their positions, with fear and trembling, they knelt down on both sides of the palace road, bowed their heads, held their breath, and did not dare to make the slightest extra noise.

The emperor looked ahead with his eyes and without a pause, he walked through the palace road full of kneeling people on both sides, and walked out of the Hall of Seven Stars.

When he turned the corner, there was no longer a prying eye behind him, and the emperor's originally straight waist seemed to have been suddenly drained of his muscles and bones, and he fell down. His steps slowed, turned heavy, and floated again.

Finally, when he walked to a stone lamp with candles burning next to the palace road, the soles of his boots seemed to stumble on the carved bricks, his steps staggered slightly, his hand stretched out indiscriminately, scratched a few times in the air, and called softly: "Sister, sister, are you there......"

Behind him, Su Yu hurried up and grabbed the emperor's hand. I felt that his palms were full of clammy coldness.

The Emperor closed his eyes and stopped. Slowly, clench your fingers. The force is so great, as if she is afraid that she will disappear in the next moment, and she will not let go of her grip.

Su Yu felt a pang of pain. But she came closer, so that the emperor could rely on his own strength.

"I'm here! Aye, I'm here! She kept responding.

In the night, the emperor stood on the palace road. His five fingers gripped his daughter's warm, soft hand, and finally, slowly, let out a breath.

"You accompany Aya, don't go ......"

He muttered as if he was babbling, and his hand strength finally eased, but he still didn't let go of his daughter's hand.

"Okay, I'll stay with Aya."

Su Yu endured the tears that were about to burst out of his eyes, and responded.

……

In a garden on the outskirts of the western part of the city, pigeons were released.

Liu Ceye watched it spread its wings and fly out of the courtyard wall, and the shadow disappeared into the dark night sky, and then, he kept pacing back and forth in the courtyard.

His expression was agitated, completely losing his former composure and determination, and he frequently looked in the direction of the entrance of the courtyard.

A moment later, finally, Wei Juren arrived in a hurry. Liu Ceye immediately led the person into a secret room. Wei Juren reported to him, saying that he had successfully obtained the things made by Chen Xuhe, and had also arranged the actions of the emperor on the day of worshipping his ancestors. The night before, Bong Ri Lang would pre-bury things in the incense burner closest to the emperor.

"At that time, plus we will contact the ambush in advance, strike first, and kill them by surprise."

Naturally, for Han Kerang and Pei Xiaoyuan, the emperor's cronies, they have already formulated a careful plan to deal with it, the purpose is to ensure the success of seizing the throne at that time and support the crown prince to ascend the throne.

The reason why Liu Ceye changed his usual style of seeking stability and took such a reckless risk was completely out of necessity.

The princess successfully married Pei Xiaoyuan, Pei Xiaoyuan was assassinated before marriage, rumors attacked the prince, and the emperor pretended to be deaf and dumb and ignored it. All kinds of things followed.

Liu Ceye sensitively smelled an extremely ominous and dangerous atmosphere that was different from before. He had a hunch that after Pei Xiaoyuan became a concubine and completely obeyed the emperor, the emperor let go of his hands and feet and began to deal with them premeditatedly.

He even suspected that the so-called "assassination of the horse" was most likely a bitter plan jointly set up by the emperor and Pei Xiaoyuan, the purpose of which was to deal with him.

If you don't do anything, just wait according to the emperor's calculations, and in a passive situation, the chance of trying to turn over in the end is very small.

It was under this strong sense of crisis, after repeated considerations, that he gave up the long-term firm plan of staring at Feng Zhenping and staying up until the emperor's lamp ran out, and decided to take the initiative to fight back.

At the previous court meeting, the emperor humiliated Xue Mian, his original intention should be to kill chickens and monkeys, and give Xue Mian a warning, but he didn't expect that Xue Mian, who was originally hesitant, held a grudge because of this, but completely fell to Liu Ceye. He nominally went out of Beijing, but in fact he quietly returned halfway. Liangzhou is not far from Chang'an, just a few days by horse. He has secretly transferred people in batches to infiltrate the various guard camps in Chang'an, which are under Liu Ceye's orders, and are ready to respond to the incident at any time.

The three companies combined, and the odds of winning greatly increased. This is also an important reason for Liu Ceye to dare to fight.

"No, can't wait! You have to act early! Just tonight! ”

They didn't kill King Kang. Although they had such thoughts before, but the emperor was still sitting firmly in the Purple Cloud Palace, they still didn't dare to do such a hand to the only other prince after all.

When they first learned the news, Liu Ceye and Wei Juren were shocked, and their first reaction was that this matter must have been done by Pei Xiaoyuan, and they intended to continue to frame the blame on them, just like he had been assassinated before. So Wei Juren desperately found Ashina's suspicion, hoping to confirm the fact that Ashina killed someone, so as to buy time for his side. They never expected that in the end, it was confirmed that Ashina was with Lu Wenjun yesterday, and the suspicion was naturally cleared.

When Wei Juren heard this, he gasped at first, and then he showed hesitation.

"I understand everything. This matter must be Pei Xiaoyuan's hand! Kill King Kang and put the blame on our heads. But tonight...... Wouldn't it be too rushed? ”

"We have to act now! The sooner the better! Liu Ceye frowned, but his tone was unhesitating.

"It's come to this, a moment later, it's not good for us! Since Pei Er married the princess, we have fallen behind! Not to mention, something like this happened again today! The emperor may attack at any time and detain the crown prince. Once the crown prince falls into the hands of the emperor, what else can we do? Can't wait! Tonight, immediately force the palace! ”

The night was cold in late autumn, but Wei Juren's forehead was constantly sweating out. He raised his sleeves and wiped his forehead indiscriminately, and said hatefully: "Pei Er killed King Kang and planted the charge on our heads, the prince is really speechless, and he can only fight to the net." Can't wait! ”

"How does Yoo Xiang plan?" He fixed his mind and asked.

Liu Ceye opened the door, called all the confidants in, pointed to a Chang'an defense map spread out on the case, and ordered Wei Juren to rush back to Chang'an, and together with the prince, summoned Qi Donggong Brigade Ben, and prepared to attack from Zuoyintaimen.

"At that time, Zuo Yulin, Zuo Shenwu, Zuo Xiaowei and other guards will rise up together, kill the night generals, control the gates, and cut off the traffic. We have also released carrier pigeons and sent a message to Xue Mian. A reply is expected within an hour. After making an appointment with him, he will lead his troops, together with the people of Right Yulin and Right Shenwu, to attack from the north of the city and Xuanwumen, and converge in the north and south......"

Liu Ceye made a killing move.

"You keep watch over the Xuanwu Gate to the north of the palace. Seeing the fire in that direction, it was a signal, and when the time came, they would go to the Purple Cloud Palace together and respectfully ask the saint to pass on the crown prince. ”

"The prince is a benevolent king, and his character is obvious to all. As long as he succeeds to the throne smoothly, everyone here will be rich and prosperous tomorrow! ”

Although it was too hasty to be forced to act in advance tonight, the route and plan for attacking the palace had been planned for a long time, and the men and horses of all walks of life had already secretly cooperated and practiced many times on paper and in the daily drills, and the team leader was familiar with it.

After a moment of silence in the secret room, they should have been moved by Liu Ceye's last words, and everyone's eyes became shining, and they should have said in unison. He deliberated in a low voice for a moment to make sure nothing was missing, and then quickly dispersed.

Chapter 115

This is a clear autumn night, the dark clouds are as thin as the veil and the moon is light, and the stars and Han are hidden in the sky over Chang'an.

When the night was deep, the palace missed three o'clock, Wei Juren received a signal from the watchtower, and quickly climbed the height to investigate.

Sure enough, there was a faint jumping red light in the direction of the Xuanwu Gate of the Imperial Palace in the north of the city.

He hurried down the watchtower, glanced at the fully armored prince, and then took a step, and when he was about to go out and give the order, he took a few steps, and turned his head.

The prince did not follow immediately, and the man remained in place, his eyes stagnant.

Wei Juren glanced at the soldiers outside the door who were holding fire sticks and were ready to go, and hurriedly returned: "Why hasn't Your Highness left yet?" ”

A layer of fear and hesitation appeared on the prince's face, which could not be concealed. He looked at the direction where the troops were about to be sent tonight, and his voice trembled slightly: "Your Majesty did not send anyone to arrest me today...... He may also know that King Kang was not killed by me...... Do you really have to do this......"

Wei Juren was stunned for a moment, and then shouted in a low voice: "Prince! When did you still be afraid? There is no turning back from the bow! Wake up! If Liu Xiang is finished, even if the emperor really spares your life, do you think you can still sit on your throne safely? ”

The prince seemed to have been pricked by a needle, and his eyelids jumped. He stared in the direction of the palace, his face stiffening, and a desperate hatred in his eyes that seemed to come from a trapped beast.

He gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and then galloped out, mounted his horse, and led the men and horses behind him towards the palace.

Liu Ceye has been operating in the court for many years in the name of the crown prince, and almost all the guards in Chang'an have others.

Qianjun's palace gate was violently pushed open under the combined force of dozens of people, and the gate pivot trembled and writhed, scraping the ground with the city gate, making a dull and piercing rumbling sound that was different from the usual ones. The fully armored cavalry took the lead, rode and waved their swords, and rushed into the palace. The flickering rods of fire held high in the hands of the infantry forced back the boundless darkness of the deep palace. Their armor and weapons shimmered with murderous aura in the firelight. Seeing this, the eunuchs and palace maids on the road screamed in shock, threw away the palace lamps and sundries in their hands, and fled desperately.

The prince slashed to death a eunuch who rushed up in a panic head-on. Hot-hot blood splattered. He stepped over the fallen corpse, opened a pair of eyes that didn't know whether they were congested or splashed blood-red, and led the way towards the Purple Cloud Palace. They broke through the Taihe Palace, passed by the Yuchang, Wensi Academy, passed by the Xuanzheng Hall where the emperor usually summoned the court, and the treasury, all the way was unblocked, and soon forced to the vicinity of the Ziyun Palace.

The lights in this palace are always lit up all night, and the shadows of the lights shine through the magnificent doors and blue windows, and they are still conspicuous under the deep blue night sky.

However, the closer he got to the Purple Cloud Palace, the more lonely the surroundings of the Deep Palace became, and even the guards who had been able to meet at the beginning were gone.

Wei Juren gradually slowed down. The inexplicable feeling of uneasiness made him suddenly creepy. He looked around, hesitated, stepped forward to catch up with the prince, and was about to speak, when he met the prince's eyes, stunned.

The prince's blood-red eyes shone with a feverish light, and his expression was even more almost crazy. He pushed Wei Juren away, and led the group of locust-like soldiers behind him who were boiling for tomorrow's glory, and went up the palace road leading to the main gate of Ziyun Palace.

Here, the shadow of the palace gate and the guards can already be seen.

Wei Juren's footsteps became more and more solemn.

He stopped.

The prince led the people and rushed to the front of the palace steps with a roar.

The palace guards guarding the palace gate disappeared. Several relatives beside the prince opened the palace door on their shoulders.

Amid the trembling rattle of the palace gates opening, they crowded around the crown prince and were pushed by the people behind them like a tide, and poured in.

Suddenly, the clashing of armor and weapons and the sound of boots filled the hall with cigarette smoke. The yellow flags were torn off and fell to the ground, stamped with a mess of footprints that had been trampled on. The statue of Sanqing fell from the throne, and its head and arms were broken, revealing the mud tire in the golden body. An incense burner overturned, spilling red charcoal all over the ground.