Chapter 403: The Ministers Reported to the Emperor and Charged Him with Treason (Part 2)

There is no impenetrable wall in the world.

Although Ni Dingguo, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards and the Earl of Lanling, who first took over the handling of the "King of Jin Chen Longxiang bloodbathed Jinling City", had ordered that the matter should be kept strictly confidential;

However, the people of Jinling who were watching in Yangliu Lane where the incident occurred had already spread this shocking news before the Imperial Guards and the Dragon City Inner Guards sealed off the scene.

Just imagine, once the news of the rift between the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the first prince spread in the market, how terrifying would the spread speed be?

Some guys who like to watch the excitement even spread the rumor that the flag of the king would be changed again on the top of Jinling City.

For a time, the people of Jinling, who should have been immersed in the joy of "New Year's Eve reunion, family happiness", actually began to become fearful.

That afternoon, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian, who had locked himself in the imperial study in the imperial city, waiting for news from the navy fleet, unexpectedly waited for his mother, Queen Xu Ruoyun, who was rare.

You know, since Chen Huaian started the war in Longcheng, Queen Xu Ruoyun has completely retreated behind the scenes. Even when facing the dilemma of Longcheng, the fief of King Jin, about to fall into the hands of the court's Yunhui army, Xu Ruoyun never interfered in any external affairs of the palace;

When Chen Huaian ascended the throne and moved his family from Longcheng to the Jinling Imperial City, Xu Ruoyun lived in the deep palace for a long time, not going out of the main gate or the second gate;

Not to mention, she broke into the imperial study in broad daylight, where Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian continued to handle government affairs and summon officials after he retired from the court.

So, when Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian, who was in the imperial study, heard the announcement of "the Queen Mother has arrived" from outside the imperial study, his already gloomy mood and tense nerves became even heavier and more complicated.

Chen Huaian knew very well that his mother must have come for his brother Chen Longxiang.

As expected, after entering the imperial study, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun didn't even bother to greet Chen Huaian, and said straight to the point: "Son, I heard that your brother got into trouble?"

Yes!

Chen Huaian nodded.

He wanted to put on a relaxed smile to reassure his mother, but found that he couldn't smile at all.

Xu Ruoyun said again: "I also heard that the reason why your brother attacked and injured people in the street was because Wuping Hou Luo Yucheng attacked pregnant Li Wan'er in the street?"

"Luo Yucheng is so bold, doesn't he know that Li Wan'er is from the Prince of Jin's Mansion?"

"Or is it that Wan'er's identity as the widow of the royal family of the previous Goguryeo Dynasty has long been listed on the wanted list of the Dragon City Internal Guard, so Luo Yucheng attacked Wan'er in the street?"

Hmph!

As she spoke, Xu Ruoyun snorted expressionlessly and continued, "If I remember correctly, Luo Yucheng and the Dragon City Inner Guards are directly under the command of you, the emperor;"

"Did he discuss this matter with you in advance?"

Faced with the reprimands and questions from his mother Xu Ruoyun, Chen Huaian, who was already in a mess, didn't know which question to answer first.

It is obvious that until now, the mother still doesn't know the true identity of "Li Wan'er". She is the queen mother Su Wan'er of the previous dynasty, a woman who should have jumped into the river and committed suicide two and a half years ago.

Indeed, regarding the true identity of Su Wan'er, let alone the mother Xu Ruoyun in the deep palace, even the people of Jinling City who are at the scene of the incident today, and even the Dragon City Inner Guards and the Imperial Guards who participated in this operation, except for the leading commander, know the true identity of Su Wan'er;

The rest of them only know that Su Wan'er is just a pregnant woman with a big belly.

Therefore, in the eyes of the people who did not know the truth, the root cause of such a tragedy was the rough law enforcement of the inner guards of Longcheng, who used force against a pregnant woman, which led to the killing of Jin Wang Chen Longxiang.

So, the rumor spread, and when it reached the ears of the Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun, it became the current version.

This made the Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun, who got the news, rush to the Imperial Study to "raise troops to punish" regardless of anything!

Chen Huaian could understand his mother's feelings and her difficulties;

After his father, Emperor Chen Polu, was killed, he and his younger brother, Chen Longxiang, became his mother's only relatives in the world, and they were her concerns and reliance;

Now, seeing that the world situation has been determined, and the Tang Dynasty is firmly in the hands of the Chen family;

But he never thought that such a thing would happen at this time. Chen Longxiang, the first prince of the Tang Dynasty, actually killed hundreds of Dragon City guards and imperial guards in Jinling City;

This move is no different from treason!

Next, will his own sons play out the tragedy of brothers turning against each other and fighting against each other in the imperial family?

This is something that Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun cannot accept no matter what.

The purpose of Xu Ruoyun's trip was to "raise an army to ask for punishment" and see if he could push all the responsibilities onto Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of Longcheng's inner guards and Marquis of Wuping, so as to make this matter a minor one;

This middle-aged widowed woman really couldn't bear the blow of losing her son again!

Chen Huaian could understand his mother's feelings, but as the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the emperor who ruled the world, he couldn't give his mother a satisfactory answer in dealing with this matter.

The country has its own laws, and the family has its own rules.

Even if he wanted to let his brother Chen Longxiang go, could the laws of the Tang Dynasty, the civil and military officials in the court, and the people of the world let him go?

Unless, Chen Huaian wanted to see that the unified dynasty that he had worked so hard to establish would fall apart in less than two years.

call--

Finally, Chen Huaian took a long breath, adjusted his emotions, and first helped his mother, Xu Ruoyun, to sit down on a chair in the imperial study room;

Then, he said calmly: "Mother, at this point, I can only tell my mother the truth of the matter;"

"Actually, the woman Long Xiang brought back to the palace is not named Li Waner, nor is she the widow of the previous Goguryeo royal family. Her true identity is the former Queen Mother - Su Waner!"

brush!

As soon as these words came out, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun, who had just sat down on the chair, immediately stood up from the chair;

His face turned pale, and he repeated in disbelief: "Son, what did you say?"

Chen Huaian replied: "The queen mother, the woman that Long Xiang brought back, carrying his flesh and blood in her belly, is none other than Su Waner, the former empress dowager and the daughter of the eight great kings of the New Dynasty, Zhongshan Prince with different surnames!"

Buzz——

In an instant, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun's head exploded!

The whole person suddenly seemed to have been drained of all his strength and energy, and he slumped back into the chair again.

In Xu Ruoyun's mind, he began to recall every moment of getting along with his youngest daughter-in-law, Li Waner, no, Su Waner;

In particular, she showed abnormality when she accompanied him for a walk in the Imperial Garden last night. She even knew better than herself, the Queen Mother, where the scenery in the Imperial Garden was better, the goldfish in the fish pond were fatter, and the plum blossoms in the garden were better. more beautiful;

Last night, all of Xu Ruoyun's attention was on the little daughter-in-law's belly. In addition, when chatting with her, Amelia Su specifically picked out what she liked;

At that time, Xu Ruoyun still naively thought that she was destined to fall in love with this daughter-in-law!

Now that I think about it, Su Waner is just doing what she wants, but she was kept in the dark yesterday and didn't react at all.

The more Xu Ruoyun thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he thought about it, the gloomier his face became.

Chen Huaian, who was standing next to her, witnessed his mother's reaction after learning the truth of the matter. He did not rush to express his position. He just stood beside his mother quietly, waiting quietly.

a long time.

Xu Ruoyun finally raised her head again, looked at her eldest son Chen Huaian and asked: "Son, now that things have happened, the queen mother doesn't want to investigate why the former Queen Mother Su Waner was involved with Long Xiang and was pregnant with Chen Hua'er. The flesh and blood of the family;”

"The Queen Mother just wants to ask you, did Luo Yucheng, Marquis of Wuping, get your order before going to kidnap Su Wan'er on the street?"

Hearing this, Chen Huaian nodded and did not deny it.

He explained: "Mother, the former Empress Dowager Su Waner and the deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu should have drowned on the day when the Longcheng Navy fleet attacked the Daxin Navy camp;"

"In fact, I did declare this to the world to reassure the people;"

"but--"

Chen Huaian changed the topic and said: "I felt compassion for the orphans and widowed mother at that time. The whole world of the Great New Dynasty has fallen into my hands, and I don't want to take the lives of these orphans and widowed mothers again. ;"

"So, I changed the surname of the former deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu to Chen, and changed his pseudonym to Chen Lingwu, and decided to let him go;"

"My original intention was to send Su Wan'er and her son to the Goguryeo Peninsula to become rich men, so that they would not be allowed to set foot in the Central Plains again."

"I never thought that after Long Xiang went on an expedition to Goguryeo as a pioneer general of the Tang Dynasty Navy, things would develop out of control;"

Eh——

Chen Huaian sighed and said: "By the time I found out yesterday, the development of the matter was completely beyond my control;"

"I decreed that Luo Yucheng, the Marquis of Wuping, handle this matter in secret, but I never thought that if things went wrong, it would lead to the current uncontrollable situation;"

"It's not only Long Xiang's responsibility that things turned out like this, I am also responsible!"

Eh——

After hearing what Chen Huaian said, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said to herself: "Good fortune plays tricks on people, fate plays tricks on people!"

After a while, Xu Ruoyun, who had regained his senses, looked directly at his eldest son Chen Huaian and asked: "Son, my mother has one last question for you -"

"Now that the matter is over, what are you going to do with your brother Long Xiang?"

Chen Huaian hesitated for a moment and said: "Queen Mother, after Long Xiang made a big fuss in Jinling City, she took away the naval warships parked at the dock outside the city and sailed down the river straight to the East China Sea;"

"I have ordered the navy's warships to pursue them along the river. It is best to chase the dragon elephant back;"

"If so, if we really can't catch him back and let the dragon elephant return to Goguryeo, what will happen next? I have no way to reply to my mother now."

After a pause, Chen Huaian said again: "Furthermore, with such a big thing happening in the Imperial City of Jinling, all the civil and military officials in the court must have their own thoughts;"

"In particular, a group of civil servants headed by Liu Huaiyi, the censor of the Supervisory Yuan, have been obstructing my intention to let Qiluo's children inherit the title of the late Uighur Yingwu Khan, the Western King of the Tang Dynasty;"

"Now, if something like this happens again, these civil servants will definitely take the opportunity to attack;"

"So, where Long Xiang and I will go in the end does not depend on me at all, but on what choice Long Xiang will make next!"

Finally, Chen Huaian looked at his mother Xu Ruoyun with a sharp gaze and said word by word: "Mother, if there really comes such a day, I hope you can understand me!"