Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 149 General Wei is in trouble

"Your Highness! Your Highness..." Su Ming trotted all the way, looking panicked, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He hurriedly stepped into the vermilion gate of Fengluan Palace.

Xu Zhouye, who was quietly reading a book in the hall, felt his heart tighten when he heard the urgent call, and a bad premonition came to his mind.

He put down the book in his hand and looked up at Su Ming, who was breathing heavily at the door. He frowned slightly and asked, "What happened? You are so panicked."

Su Ming supported his knees with his hands, gasping for breath. After finally catching his breath, he spoke incoherently, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish his words, Xu Zhouye could no longer suppress his inner anxiety. He stood up suddenly, walked quickly to Su Ming, and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Su Ming took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but his tone was still hurried. "Today... during the morning court session, two pieces of urgent news were rushed to the court. First, General Guide was ordered to suppress bandits, but unfortunately he was seriously injured and fell from a cliff. His whereabouts are still unknown. Second, we won a great victory in the battle with the Rouran, but the commander-in-chief heroically died... When His Majesty heard the tragic news, he was so angry that his blood rushed to his chest, vomited blood, and then fainted!"

After saying that, Su Ming took a few deep breaths.

Xu Zhouye felt as if struck by lightning. His face turned pale and his body shook involuntarily. He stared wide-eyed and muttered in disbelief, "Impossible... How could Big Brother..."

Before he could finish his words, he felt his heartbeat speed up rapidly, as if it was about to jump out of his throat. His chest felt heavy and he had difficulty breathing. "Father... How is Father..."

Seeing his master in such pain, Su Ming looked embarrassed, lowered his head and did not dare to answer immediately.

Xu Zhouye's mind was in a state of confusion as he received no response. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen, as if thousands of needles were piercing him simultaneously. He endured the pain and managed to utter with difficulty, "And His Majesty, take me to see... to see His Majesty..."

However, just as he finished speaking, Xu Zhouye's vision suddenly went dark, he lost consciousness, and fell backwards limply.

"Your Highness!"

……

Ningfo Temple

The incense is burning brightly and the Buddhist chanting is lingering in the air.

Queen Mother Jiang was dressed in plain clothes and knelt in front of the solemn and sacred Buddha statue with a dignified posture.

She gently twisted a string of crystal clear Buddhist beads in her hand, her lips moved slightly, and she muttered something. The buzzing sound of chanting echoed in the silent temple.

At this time, Nanny Liu walked forward quietly, fearing that she would disturb Queen Mother Jiang who was praying devoutly.

Queen Mother Jiang slowly opened her eyes, glanced at Madam Liu, and said softly, "It's time to copy the Buddhist scriptures."

As soon as she finished speaking, she slowly stood up with the careful support of Aunt Liu, and then walked towards the door with light steps.

The two walked side by side, passing through the path in the courtyard, bypassing the rockery and pond, and slowly moving towards the Zen temple.

After about half an hour, they finally arrived in front of the Zen temple.

Queen Mother Jiang walked into the house gracefully and sat down on an antique chair.

As soon as they sat down, Madam Liu couldn't wait to speak: "There's news from the palace..."

Nanny Liu whispered to Empress Dowager Jiang everything that the emperor had experienced during the court session this morning.

As Matron Liu continued her narration, Empress Dowager Jiang became more and more engrossed, with surprise flashing in her eyes from time to time.

When she heard the key point, her hands trembled slightly with excitement, and the irrepressible joy in her heart was simply beyond words.

"How could the Emperor not be anxious after losing two great generals at once..." Empress Dowager Jiang raised her lips. "Especially Xu Cheng, the son of Duke Dingguo, a young and promising young general who was destined to inherit the Duke Dingguo's legacy. Now he's gone just like that... How could the Duke Dingguo withstand such a heavy blow?"

Nanny Liu chimed in, laughing, "Of course she can't withstand that. By then, Duke Dingguo will have fallen... The Xu family has no successor, so the Queen's downfall is only a matter of time."

Hearing this, Queen Mother Jiang couldn't help but smile softly, a hint of pride on her face: "Xu Cheng's death is really thanks to General Fu."

Nanny Liu laughed along a few times, but soon she put away her smile. With a look of hesitation on her face, she spoke cautiously, "But... Empress Dowager, the news from the Prince of Yue's Palace is not optimistic."

"What's wrong?" Queen Mother Jiang frowned.

"The Prince of Yue's mansion was robbed at night, and Ke Xin was unfortunately killed. She is dead." Nanny Liu answered nervously.

Queen Mother Jiang's smiling face suddenly darkened. She slammed the table, furious. "This isn't just a case of being robbed. It's obvious the King of Yue did this on purpose to express his dissatisfaction with me!"

Matron Liu frowned, looking embarrassed as she tried to defend the King of Yue: "Queen Dowager, please calm down. In my opinion, Kexin was able to enter the Prince of Yue's palace because the Emperor took advantage of the situation. I think the King of Yue is dissatisfied with the Emperor..."

Queen Mother Jiang snorted coldly, "The King of Yue and the Emperor appear to be on good terms, but they're often at odds behind the scenes. How could I not see that? The more I think about the East Lake flooding incident, the more I think about it. I'm afraid the King of Yue orchestrated it all, and is using it as an opportunity to shift the blame entirely onto the King of Huai!"

"And on Mid-Autumn Festival, when we all gathered at the Cining Palace to pay our respects to me, the King of Yue's actions that day were clearly intended to sow discord between the King of Huai and him, leading him to attack him so that the Emperor could punish him, thereby driving the two further apart... Oh, with such scheming, I'm afraid that once he successfully eliminates the Emperor, I'll be next!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu was filled with astonishment and said in disbelief, "But Queen Mother, the King of Yue respects you the most!"

Queen Mother Jiang: "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, but even a venomous human cannot bear to be close to anyone. The King of Yue certainly remembers my love for him, but when that kindness clashes with power, do you think he will uphold the principles of filial piety or will he risk the wrath of the world to eradicate this stumbling block, me?"

Aunt Liu: "Then according to your Majesty's wishes..."

Queen Mother Jiang was silent for a moment and gently turned the Buddhist beads in her hand.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and glanced inadvertently at the ancient tree outside the window that had stood for a hundred years.

The swaying shadows of the trees seem to be telling the vicissitudes of time.

"The Emperor's illness recurs from time to time, and I imagine it's related to the King of Yue... The King of Yue has countless talented individuals under his wing... Looking at this situation, if the Emperor can't hold on, what will become of the King of Yue taking advantage of the opportunity to rise up in rebellion?"

Upon hearing this, Nanny Liu lowered her voice and said soothingly, "Don't we still have the King of Wei and the King of Huai? Not to mention the King of Wei, the King of Huai is a prince who commands a large army! If the King of Yue dares to make any unauthorized moves, the Kings of Wei and Huai will certainly not sit idly by!"

Queen Mother Jiang sneered, "Prince Huai is fine, but Prince Wei? Humph! What great things can he accomplish? If he were truly capable, he would have held the position long before the late emperor ascended the throne! Why wait until today? The only reason he still retains that title is because he holds an imperial edict left by his ancestors, allowing him to preserve it. Ultimately, Prince Wei is just a figurehead. On a daily basis, he can only act as an elder and offer insignificant, friendly words."

Hearing the Queen Mother's comments, Matron Liu dared not say anything more and could only bow her head respectfully in agreement.

Queen Mother Jiang frowned and said irritably, "Now all we have to do is have our people interact more with the Prince of Huai. Isn't Wei Xian's career flourishing right now? If he had any sense, he should take this opportunity to recommend himself and volunteer to train the Prince of Huai's troops! That way, he can both demonstrate his abilities and win his favor. Why not?"

Before she had even finished her words, there was a sudden, sharp knock on the door, which sounded particularly abrupt in the silent palace.

The two people in the room were startled by the sudden noise. Their bodies trembled violently and they looked at each other with expressions of astonishment on their faces.

Madam Liu calmed herself down and hurried forward, tiptoeing to the door. She lowered her voice and asked, "Who is so rude as to disturb the Empress Dowager's quiet meditation?"

A slightly low male voice came from outside the door: "Madame Liu, it's your servant Huanxi." The voice seemed a little nervous, and the volume was deliberately suppressed.

Hearing the familiar voice, Madam Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she remained vigilant and continued to inquire, "What are you doing here? If it's nothing important, please don't disturb the Empress Dowager."

Huanxi, who was outside the door, quickly replied, "In reply to Madam Liu, I do have something extremely urgent to report to the Empress Dowager."

After receiving a positive answer, Matron Liu hesitated for a moment, and finally slowly opened the door.

After the door opened, Huanxi rushed in hurriedly, trotting all the way to Queen Mother Jiang, and then fell to her knees with a plop. Her whole body was trembling, and she stammered, "Queen Mother, this is bad! General Wei...he, he's in trouble!"