105 Chapter 104 Imperial Edict

Jing Chen rarely scolded Jing Shao for his reckless words, but remained silent for a long time. If the imperial edict was not issued by Emperor Hongzheng, then the fourth prince usurped the throne, and the princes outside should go back to clear the emperor's side; if the imperial edict was true, if Emperor Hongzheng really suspected him this time, then returning to the capital alone would be a dead end.

Mu Hanzhang looked at Jing Shao and sighed softly: "Things have come to this point, and only by giving it a try can we find a glimmer of hope."

With the qualifications of Prince Rui, he is naturally the only choice for the crown prince. Originally, they thought that as long as they acted cautiously and kept a low profile, Emperor Hongzheng would naturally be able to ascend the throne smoothly after a hundred years, but they did not expect such a disaster. However, since ancient times, there have been few peaceful battles for the throne in the royal family. Aren't the many preparations they made before just to prevent this day?

Jing Shao understood the meaning in his eyes, held the slender hand, and looked at his brother who was as calm as a mountain. This time, he had the military power in his hands and would be able to protect the two of them.

"Go back," Jing Chen finally spoke, his voice was calm and reassuring, "It is better to die in glory than to live in disgrace!"

Without further ado, Jing Shao left 30,000 of the 80,000 troops in Jiangnan, and the remaining 50,000 plus his own 5,000 soldiers to personally escort his brother back to Beijing. Gu Huaiqing also wanted to go with him, but was unanimously rejected by the other three. Now that Emperor Hongzheng was suspicious, if he saw the King of Huainan, Jing Chen would have no choice but to force the emperor to abdicate and seize the throne.

The location of the Huainan fiefdom was unique. Starting from it, they could go straight to Huanglong. If the army wanted to capture the capital, there was basically no natural barrier.

Jing Shao had never understood why Taizu would give such a dangerous fiefdom to the ancestor of the King of Huainan, but no matter why, this "defect" left by Taizu was a great bargain for him.

As they expected, there were people who kept intercepting and killing along the way, but that small group of soldiers was nothing in front of the army. The 800-mile plain was flat, and King Cheng was unstoppable. The people in the capital changed color when they heard about it, and the eldest prince led his troops to stop King Cheng's army.

"How many troops does the eldest prince have?" Jing Chen sat in the carriage and asked Mu Hanzhang who had just entered.

"Less than 30,000." Mu Hanzhang, who was used to seeing Jing Shao fighting, was not very worried.

Jing Chen put down the book in his hand, pondered for a moment, and nodded slightly.

"Brother, do you see anything?" Mu Hanzhang saw him in deep thought and couldn't help asking.

"If the army of Central Plains is dispatched by my father, at least 80,000 can be dispatched." Jing Chen saw that he understood it instantly, and there was a little satisfaction in his eyes, and he said a few more words about the distribution and dispatch of Dachen's troops.

During the past few days, Mu Hanzhang and Jingchen rode in the carriage together most of the time. Both of them were not talkative people, but the occasional conversations could benefit each other a lot, especially Mu Hanzhang, who had a deeper understanding of the emperor's mind and realized that what Jingchen had learned since childhood was really the way to be a monarch.

"Jing Shao is good at fighting, but he is always ignorant of other things. Since you have decided to spend your life with him, you should always be more tolerant." Jingchen looked at the figure of his younger brother in the distance, saying words of blame, but his tone was full of protection.

"Brother, don't worry, I will never bully him." Mu Hanzhang couldn't help but tease him because he had become closer to his brother these days.

Jingchen glanced at him and slowly showed a faint smile.

"Whew~" A horse neighed, and Jing Shao shouted outside the carriage: "Brother, Jun Qing, come and see what I caught!"

The two got off the carriage and saw Jing Shao standing outside the carriage. At his feet was a person tied up like a dumpling with hemp rope, staring at them with a gloomy look. It was the eldest prince Jing Rong!

"Brother, is my father poisoned?" Jing Chen looked at the person on the ground quietly and said in a deep voice.

"Hmph, you are rebelling against the emperor, and you will not die well!" The eldest prince sneered, without denying, his eyes full of resentment and madness.

Jing Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Killing the emperor and the father, you are so crazy!"

"You are really good at throwing dirty water. Everyone knows that you can't wait to ascend the throne. In addition to poisoning the father, do you want to kill your brother?" The eldest prince struggled to pounce on Jing Chen, but was kicked down by Jing Shao.

"Jing Yu just gave me a prisoner carriage, so I'll give it to my eldest brother." Jing Shao picked up the person on the ground and threw him to Zhao Meng, pointing to the prisoner carriage not far away, which was the one brought by the person who announced the decree.

Zhao Meng was unambiguous. He picked up Jing Rong with one hand and put him on his shoulder, and walked towards the prisoner carriage with big strides.

"There are only these two carriages in the army. Prince Rui and the Marquis have to share one, and one is allocated to Your Highness. It's really our prince's kindness." The right guard followed to join in the fun. Seeing the eldest prince's expression that looked like he was about to pounce on him and bite him, he couldn't help but sneer.

"Hao Dadao is not here, and you are so rude again." Zhao Meng threw the person into the prisoner carriage and closed the door with a clang. Among them, Hao Dadao was the most upright. Usually, the right guard was always lectured for talking nonsense.

The left guard stood aside silently and watched them bickering, and stepped forward to lock the prisoner carriage.

If Jing Shao and his men made a wrong bet this time, it would be a rebellion, and the generals who followed him would have no chance of survival. So although Hao Dadao was unwilling, Jing Shao still left him in Jiangnan to guard the area, so that if they failed, they would not be implicated too deeply. But Zhao Meng and the left and right guards had to follow him no matter what. After all, they were the personal soldiers of King Cheng from beginning to end, and they could not escape the responsibility, so they should be loyal to the end.

Jing Chen glanced at the noisy generals and turned around to get back on the carriage. The journey was long and the situation was critical, so there was not much time to waste.

"How dare you, King Cheng, bring a large army back to the capital!" A hundred miles outside the capital was where the military power of Duke Mao was located.

Jing Shao glanced at Duke Mao. He had the highest title among the dukes and marquises, so the military power in his hands was closest to the imperial city. It was a wise move for the queen to choose to marry his family, but... looking at the less than 10,000 soldiers and horses behind Duke Mao, it was really not enough.

"I heard that someone was rebelling against the emperor, so I will return to the capital to eliminate the treacherous villains for my father." Jing Shao pointed his silver gun at Duke Mao's nose and said it with confidence.

"Humph, you two brothers are plotting to usurp the throne, and the emperor already knows about it. I advise you to surrender immediately and return to the palace with me to apologize. The emperor is kind and may even spare your lives." Duke Mao looked confident.

"The army has returned to the capital, and the emperor should know about it. Duke Mao might as well show you the emperor's handwritten order, and my two brothers will surrender." Jing Chen stood on the carriage and looked at Duke Mao coldly.

"Be careful!" Mu Hanzhang heard the sound of breaking wind and pushed Jing Chen away. Jing Chen immediately reacted and grabbed Mu Hanzhang who had no time to dodge. The two of them fell to the ground together, and a black arrow was nailed straight to the place where he had just stood.

"Um..." Mu Hanzhang got up, and his rosy palm was scratched by the stone on the ground. Blood flowed out and soon dyed the snow-colored sleeves red.

"Jun Qing!" Jing Shao looked back and saw that his princess was injured. He was furious. When he looked back again, Duke Mao had already led his troops to kill him.

Jing Shao leaned back to avoid Duke Mao's chopping, turned around and swung the spear at him fiercely. Duke Mao immediately fought back and blocked the silver spear with the back of the knife. The cavalry behind him also rushed up, and the sound of chopping and killing was deafening.

The left and right guards did not go forward to fight, but stood firmly on both sides of the carriage, killing all the cavalrymen who rushed over with their swords.

Jing Chen pulled his brother-in-law up, and the eighteen riders of Mo Yun quickly came forward to surround the two of them in the middle, and together with the cavalrymen of the left and right guards, they formed an indestructible barrier.

Duke Mao had also fought for many years when he was young, and his martial arts skills were not comparable to the eldest prince who neglected to practice. It was not easy for Jing Shao to accept it.

The broadsword with the blue dragon pattern was as flexible as the left and right arms, and it seemed to have a thousand pounds of force between each chop and each cut. Jing Shao connected several moves with the spear, and was shocked so much that his tiger's mouth was numb. The blade flashing with cold light passed over the silver spear, making a harsh sound. Jing Shao immediately turned the silver spear over and stuck the blade with the spear head, so that he could breathe for a moment.

"Does your Highness really think that he is the best general in Dachen?" Duke Mao looked at Jing Shao with contempt. In the eyes of these old ministers, King Cheng led the troops many times only because the ministers did not dare to take credit, and they all pushed it onto him, which made him look so powerful. In fact, when he met a real master, he could only be beaten.

Jing Shao looked at Duke Mao coldly, and seemed to be exhausted. The hand holding the silver spear was also shaking slightly. Duke Mao's eyes became more lustful, and he pressed harder and harder. Seeing that the silver spear was bent and the blade was about to touch Jing Shao's neck, he suddenly heard a "swish" sound, which was the sound of blood gushing out.

Duke Mao was stunned for a moment, slowly lowered his head, and looked at his waist and abdomen cut by the sword, and he could not react for a while.

Jing Shao held the gun with one hand and slapped it horizontally. Duke Mao fell off his horse, and the big knife fell to the ground, which was completely covered by the fighting around him. He shook off the blood on the long sword with his left hand and put it into the scabbard. The armor that the old man wore covered him from head to toe, even his neck. It took him a long time to find a gap in the cloth at the waist.

"Duke Mao has been executed. You all put down your weapons quickly, otherwise you will be punished for treason!" Jing Shao's voice with internal force spread to all directions. Duke Mao's soldiers were in disarray, while King Cheng's morale was greatly boosted.

The war stopped soon. Jing Shao quickly rushed to the carriage, squeezed out the eighteen riders of Mo Yun, and hugged his own princess: "Where are you hurt? Let me see."

"It doesn't matter, it's just a scratch," Mu Hanzhang raised his already bandaged left hand to show him, "Duke Mao's purpose is to kill my brother, which is definitely not what my father meant."

"The wound is so deep, no, I have to use that medicine, otherwise it will leave a scar." Jing Shao didn't listen at all, and skillfully removed the bandage and re-applied the medicine.

Jing Chen silently glanced at his brother who "forgot his brother because he had a wife", then turned to ask the Eighteen Riders of Mo Yun: "Before leaving the imperial city, did the emperor give you any instructions?"

The eighteen men in black looked at each other, and one of them replied: "Replying to King Rui, the emperor only told us to protect His Highness, and didn't say anything else."

"The imperial edict says that this king is plotting treason, do you still want to protect this king?" Jing Chen looked at the person who was speaking solemnly. He had never questioned these eighteen people along the way, and they had been following him all the time. It was because of these eighteen people that he was sure that his father did not really want to kill him. Now that he was about to enter the capital, it must be extremely dangerous in the capital, and he had to confirm the position of these eighteen people again.

Jing Shao quietly winked at the left guards on the periphery, and if the loyalty of the eighteen riders was questionable, they would be killed immediately.

"We have never received any other orders, and the eighteen of us will protect His Highness at the risk of our lives." The man responded without hesitation.

The eighteen riders of Moyun said in unison: "We swear to protect His Royal Highness Prince Rui until our death!"

Jing Chen nodded slightly. These people did not change their loyalty to him in front of Jing Shao's army, insisting that they only obeyed the emperor, so his father's meaning was very clear.

"The army cannot approach the capital within a hundred miles, you let them stay here." Jing Chen looked up and said to Jing Shao.

Jing Shao frowned. Duke Mao was dead, and there were really no more troops around the capital. However, there were still 10,000 imperial guards in the capital: "Zhao Meng and the army will stay here, and the personal army will follow me for another fifty miles to the camp." Fifty miles south of the city is where Jing Shao reorganized his personal army before every expedition.

It was the next morning when they arrived at the camp fifty miles away. Jing Shao was actually unwilling to let the army stay. After all, the situation in the capital was still unclear. He patted the person who was sleeping soundly in his arms and wanted to discuss with him how to persuade his brother.

His long eyelashes trembled, and Mu Hanzhang slowly opened his eyes. Before he could say anything, there was a burst of horse hoof sounds not far away. Looking carefully, it was the Minister of War who rushed over with a team of imperial guards.

"I greet King Rui, King Cheng, and Marquis Wenyuan!" Minister Sun dismounted and saluted.

"Minister Sun, what's going on?" Jing Shao asked. After so many days, he finally saw someone on his side. The Minister of War signaled the imperial guards behind him to wait, and walked to Jing Chen's carriage. Jing Shao immediately drove his horse over, but did not dismount, and stood behind him.

"I don't know either," Minister Sun whispered, "The emperor has not attended court for several days and has sealed all the news. A few days ago, the fourth prince suddenly announced that he would act as regent."

"Then, today, the adults came..." Mu Hanzhang frowned, but he didn't know who ordered Minister Sun to come.

"It's the emperor's order." Minister Sun replied immediately, took out a handwritten order from his sleeve, and handed it to Jing Chen with both hands.

Jing Chen unfolded it and took a closer look. It was indeed the handwriting of Emperor Hongzheng, asking the two brothers to place the soldiers and generals at the fifty-li camp and enter the palace alone.

Jing Shao frowned, quietly put a military token into the palm of the man in his arms, and whispered in his ear: "You will take the left and right guards to the forest in a while. Once I set off the fireworks, you will lead the troops to rush into the palace."

Mu Hanzhang widened his eyes, quietly hid his hand in his sleeve, nodded slowly, and gently pinched Jing Shao's palm: "Be careful."

Since it was the order of Emperor Hongzheng, they could not disobey. Jing Shao left Xiao Hei to his own princess, got into his brother's carriage, and went to the imperial city with only Mo Yun Eighteen Riders.

The whole palace was silent, and the guards looked very serious. When they got off the carriage, they saw An Xian, the eunuch chief steward beside Emperor Hongzheng, standing quietly outside the carriage.

"Your Highnesses, please follow me." An Xian's face rarely lost its smile, and without saying much, he led the two to the bedroom of Emperor Hongzheng. The Eighteen Riders of Mo Yun were originally the emperor's guards, and now no one stopped them from following.

When they reached the jade steps, An Xian did not lead the two men up, but left the eighteen riders at the steps and led the two men in through the side door behind the main hall. There were eight tall guards guarding the door, and asked the two men to take off all their weapons.

Jing Shao frowned and was about to lose his temper, but his brother held his arm and signaled him not to act rashly. Then he handed the small porcelain bottle in his arms to An Xian: "This is what my father asked me to find. Please give it to my father."

The two men took off all their weapons, even the jade belts on their bodies, and walked in wearing loose clothes.

"Bang!" The door behind them slammed shut. Jing Shao saw the situation clearly, and the hair on his body stood up immediately.

In front of him was a long corridor, with candles lit on both sides and not dim, but without weapons, on this narrow road, if there was any mechanism inside, the two of them would die without a burial place.

Jing Chen also raised his heart and moved closer to his brother: "Don't panic, let's go out quickly."

Jing Shao nodded: "I'll go in front, and brother must walk close to me!" As he said that, he broke off a candlestick embedded in the wall with a click. The hollow brass candlestick was about one foot long. It was not a good weapon, but it was better than nothing.

Jing Chen nodded, and really moved closer to his brother, rushing to the end of the corridor.

In fact, the corridor was not long, but it felt extremely long in this situation. Just as they reached the end, the wooden door opened by itself. Jing Shao instantly blocked the candlestick in front of him. The light outside the door shone in, which made the two of them squint their eyes. When they saw the situation in the room clearly, they immediately threw the candlestick to their feet.

At the end of the corridor, it turned out to be the inner room of Emperor Hongzheng's bedroom. The two walked in and faced the bed of Emperor Hongzheng.

"Come over." Emperor Hongzheng leaned against the head of the bed and glared at Jing Shao.

The two brothers hurried over and knelt down in front of the bed to pay their respects.

An Xian was already standing steadily at the head of the bed, and there was another imperial physician holding the small porcelain bottle for inspection.

"Jing Shao, did you kill Duke Mao yesterday?" Emperor Hongzheng did not look at the imperial physician's movements, but leaned on the large pillow at the head of the bed and closed his eyes to rest.

"Yes," Jing Shao lowered his head, "Duke Mao led troops to stop me from entering the capital, intending to assassinate my brother, so I had to kill him." He said this without any intention of admitting his mistake.

Emperor Hongzheng did not say anything more, but only asked, "Where is Jing Rong?"

"My father, my eldest brother and the army are all parked a hundred miles outside the capital." Jing Shao answered honestly, of course he did not say that the eldest prince was in the prison car.

"Your Majesty," the imperial physician suddenly said, "This medicine is a folk remedy. A small amount can stop a high fever, but it is very strong. If you take too much, it will be like poison. There is no medicine to cure it... I am incompetent!" He knelt down with a plop and burst into tears.

Emperor Hongzheng opened his eyes and looked at the two brothers kneeling in front of the bed quietly.

Jingchen raised his head and looked at the imperial physician in shock, then at Emperor Hongzheng.

Jing Shao was also a little confused.

"Your mother was poisoned by this kind of poison," Emperor Hongzheng took the small porcelain bottle and looked at it carefully. He ignored the two brothers who were struck by lightning and said calmly, "Now, I can't escape either."

"Father!" Jing Shao cried out. In the previous life, Emperor Hongzheng lived longer than him as a son. What's going on now?

"Jing Shao, you have fought for the royal family for many years. No one in the whole Dachen can be your opponent," Emperor Hongzheng's face was ruddy and he spoke slowly. He didn't look like a poisoned person at all. "I want to pass the throne to you. Are you willing?"

Ka Ka Ka Bang! It was as if a thunderbolt hit the top of his head. Jing Shao was really confused this time!

In the previous life, he worked hard for Dachen, but in the end, he was left with nothing! In this life, he was sneaky and selfish. Now his father actually said that he would give him the throne. It was really a big joke.

Jing Shao was silent for a long time, without looking at the expression of his brother beside him, and said word by word: "Father, I don't want to!"

"Why?" Emperor Hongzheng stared at Jing Shao's eyes.

Jing Shao raised his head and looked at his father: "I am just a military general, I know nothing about governing a country, and I am in love with Mu Hanzhang, I just want to stay with him for life. If you hand over this vast land to me, I am afraid that I will destroy it overnight!"

Emperor Hongzheng looked at him quietly for a long time, slowly leaned back, and his voice was a little tired: "Announce the decree."

As soon as the voice fell, two people walked out slowly from behind the screen. They were the Minister of Personnel and the Vice Minister of Personnel Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan held a long wooden box and followed the Minister without looking away.

The Minister of Personnel took out an edict and said loudly: "Prince Cheng Jingshao, committed treason and was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison and will never be released in this life!"

Jing Chen's eyes widened and he said sadly: "Father!"

Emperor Hongzheng waved his hand to stop him from speaking. The Minister of Personnel put away the first edict and took out another one: "Prince Cheng Jingshao, brave and extraordinary, before the new emperor ascends the throne, the palace guards and the imperial guards are all under his jurisdiction, and he is granted the imperial sword, and all princes and grandchildren can be beheaded! On the day the new emperor ascends the throne, he will be conferred the hereditary title of Prince of the State.