novelaction Chapter 499: Reversal of Situation (1)
Chapter 499: Reversal of Situation (1)
On the morning of the fourth day after Murong Feng was imprisoned, Yu Zhengsha submitted a memorial requesting Murong Shiling to show leniency to Murong Feng, and described the banquet at Qionglou as a simple welcoming banquet. As for the two generals who died, he also said that they were drunk and had an argument with Murong Feng, so they were mistakenly killed.
Murong Shiling accepted the memorial but did not deal with it immediately, which showed that he did not trust Yu Zhengsha's words. Upon seeing this, the ministers in the court all felt that the eldest prince was doomed this time. Even some ministers who originally supported Murong Feng were actively contacting the prince and his gang, hoping to get protection.
Two days later, it was still the morning court session. Everyone in the hall was worried. The prince's faction did not show much excitement because they found that although His Majesty had dealt with the eldest prince, his attitude towards the prince had not changed much.
For a moment, all the ministers were worried, as they had no way of figuring out the emperor's thoughts.
"Your Majesty has issued an order. If you have something to report, please report it. If not, please withdraw the court!"
After the eunuch's loud command, the hall fell silent. Murong Shiling glanced at the cowering ministers and said, "My dear ministers, you seem a bit down lately. What's the matter? Could it be that I've been ill for some time, and you've become accustomed to the Crown Prince running the government?"
Murong Cheng was shocked when he heard this. What had happened to his father? Why was he targeting him for no reason?
General Lin and others who had always supported the Crown Prince were also very surprised. Logically speaking, after the incident with the eldest prince, His Majesty should have relied more on the Crown Prince. Why did His Majesty's tone now sound as if he had doubts about the Crown Prince?
An official quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, "Your Majesty, since Your Majesty took over the government again, the country has been peaceful and the people have been safe. In addition, the previous Northern Expedition was truly popular, and the border is now very peaceful. We really don't have any major matters to trouble Your Majesty with."
Murong Shiling's expression didn't soften at all after hearing this. He only looked coldly at Crown Prince Murong Cheng in the crowd, "Cheng'er, tell me what you've been thinking about these days."
Murong Cheng thought for a moment, "It's only now that I've taken over the government that I've come to understand the hardships my father endures. I'm still young and inexperienced, and my handling of matters isn't comprehensive enough. Now that my father has recovered, I'm deeply relieved."
These respectful and impeccable words made Murong Shiling feel a little better, but he still felt annoyed by what Concubine Yu had said in his ear before.
It turned out that when Murong Shiling got up early this morning, he saw Concubine Yu sitting in front of the window and crying. He felt distressed and hurried forward to ask the reason.
Concubine Yu was crying with tears in her eyes, and her crying was so touching. Those tears seemed to fall into Murong Shiling's heart, leaving scars in his heart. He hurried to comfort her.
"Yu'er, what's wrong? Why are you crying here instead of sleeping?"
"His Majesty……"
Concubine Yu looked aggrieved, yet hesitant to speak. This greatly piqued Murong Shiling's curiosity. He gently put his coat on Concubine Yu and said, "Yu'er, look at you. Even if you don't cherish your body, you should still think about the child in your belly. This is my prince."
Imperial Concubine Yu was becoming more aggrieved as she said, "Your Majesty really only cares about the child and not me at all. Even if I was scolded and criticized, I only deserved it."
Upon hearing this, Murong Shiling immediately flew into a rage, "Who is so bold as to speak such harsh words to my Yu'er?"
Concubine Yu still didn't say anything, so Murong Shiling called her maid to ask about the situation. The maid then told him about what she had done when she met several concubines in the palace while visiting the garden today.
The palace maid also imitated the image and spoke the sarcastic words of those people very vividly. After listening to them, Murong Shiling became more and more annoyed. He immediately issued an edict to pull out the tongues of those concubines who gossiped about Concubine Yu and throw them into the dungeon.
"Okay, Yu'er, I've already helped you vent your anger, why are you still unhappy?"
Imperial Concubine Yu finally stopped crying and choked up, saying, "Your Majesty, what these people said today is quite true. After all, I am of humble origin. How can I compare to the Empress and Imperial Concubine Lin? Now that I have the Phoenix Seal in my hand, I am truly inviting criticism. Thinking about this, I wonder what the fate of this child will be when he is born."
"Yu'er, don't worry too much. Our child will surely be rich and prosperous and live a happy life."
"Your Highness, it's not that I'm overthinking it, but Your Majesty, please think about this. The eldest prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are not much different in age, and they grew up together. Now they are disregarding their brotherly love in order to fight for the throne. What's more, my child is so much older than his other brothers. When he grows up, he will definitely be suspected by others and his life will be in danger!"
Concubine Yu mustered up her courage to say this, as she was making a desperate effort. She guessed that Murong Shiling was a suspicious person, and the situation of the child in her womb was so similar to that of Prince Yan. Judging from his current attitude towards Murong Yanhui, she could imagine the situation of her child in the future.
Obviously Murong Shileng had also thought of this, so after Concubine Yu said this, he fell silent.
Imperial Concubine Yu continued, "If this child really falls into such a situation in the future, it would be better not to let him be born now, rather than having brothers kill each other in the future!"
"Yu'er!"
Murong Shiling's voice suddenly became stern, "You must never have such thoughts at any time."
Murong Shiling could be considered as having a son in his old age, so he was very happy. Secondly, he felt that his recovery from the illness was not only due to the superb medical skills of the doctor invited by Concubine Yu, but also due to the contribution of this child. So when he heard Concubine Yu say that she would not have this child, he was extremely angry.
Seeing Murong Shiling's anger, Concubine Yu didn't dare to say anything more. She just glanced at Murong Shiling secretly and said coquettishly, "I was anxious at the moment and said the wrong thing. Besides, this child is in my belly. How can I not cherish him?"
Murong Shiling's expression brightened slightly, and Concubine Yu continued, "Your Majesty, there is something I'm not sure whether I should tell you."
"Just say what you want to say. Why are you hesitating so much?"
"When Your Majesty was unconscious, I heard Concubine Lin say that within a year or two, the Crown Prince would definitely ascend the throne, and that she would be the Empress Dowager, etc."
"Is this true? Why would she say that?"
“Actually, it was like this…”
Concubine Yu made up a story about how Concubine Lin and Queen Li were squeezing each other out, and also mentioned the possible disadvantages of the crown prince's rule, such as the changes in officials in the court.
After hearing this and considering the incident with Murong Feng, Murong Shiling began to doubt Murong Cheng. Perhaps without his knowledge, Crown Prince Murong Cheng had already allied with officials in the court, just waiting for him to abdicate the throne.
Thinking of this, Murong Shileng felt unwell and his doubts about Murong Cheng grew. That was why Murong Shileng questioned him in the court.
His gaze returned to the court. Perhaps the flattery of those ministers had worked, Murong Shiling rubbed his brows and prepared to leave the court. Unexpectedly, at this moment, a notification suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience!"
The court officials dared not breathe a word, but secretly murmured in their hearts, "How dare this queen rush into danger at this time!" However, these officials also roughly knew the queen's purpose, and it was probably for Murong Feng.
It has been a rule since ancient times that the harem is not allowed to participate in politics, but the current situation is somewhat special, so there are not so many rules.
Murong Shiling was also stunned at first, but then he thought it would be abnormal if the queen did not come.
Murong Feng is still being held in the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Although some people have tried to test Murong Shileng's attitude from time to time in the past few days, they have all been perfunctorily dealt with by Murong Shileng. Murong Shileng knows very well in his heart that Murong Feng cannot be detained like this forever. It's just that the situation was so sudden when Murong Feng was arrested, and he had not yet thought of a response plan, so he put the case aside for the time being.
Unexpectedly, the queen could not sit still, but it was understandable. How could a mother live peacefully after her son was captured? The power relations in the palace were mutually dependent. Once the offspring were lost, these concubines would have no future at all.
Therefore, Murong Shiling could understand the queen's behavior very well, and he was also very curious about what good ideas the queen could come up with in such a short time.
"Empress Xuan enters the palace!"
With Murong Shileng's approval, Queen Li walked into the palace soon.
Murong Shiling's gaze fell on Queen Li. The fears she had endured over the past few days had made this woman's face look a little haggard, but her eyes were still proud and noble. She was wearing a dark red dress inlaid with gold peonies, which was simple and elegant. Her graceful face was now full of anger, and she didn't seem to be begging for mercy, but rather to be collecting a debt.
Queen Li entered the palace and politely saluted Murong Shiling. Murong Shiling asked, "Queen! Do you know the consequences of your reckless intrusion into the palace?"
Empress Li wore a resolute expression, but her eyes were already red. She fell to her knees with a thud and kowtowed vigorously. "Your Majesty, I understand that the harem shouldn't participate in government affairs. However, what I'm reporting today is of great importance. I hope Your Majesty will grant my consent."
Murong Shiling's eyelids twitched, vaguely feeling that something bad was about to happen, but he was indeed interested in the big event Queen Li mentioned. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Tell me about it!"
"Before I speak, Your Majesty, I want to see someone first!"
Murong Shiling was a little surprised. Who was she meeting? Could it be that the Queen had found some help? Seeing that Queen Li was still kneeling on the ground, surrounded by a group of ministers, this situation was indeed a bit unpleasant, so he raised his hand.
"Get up, I allow you to get up and answer."
After thanking the emperor, Queen Li stood up and clapped her hands calmly. Soon, two guards came in, escorting a tall and thin man. The man was wearing a green gown and carrying a waist box on his back. The gray hair on his temples showed that he was not young anymore. Although he was not short, he was timid and hunched over, looking very wretched.