diskusbooks Chapter 153 Make sure none of them come back!
Chapter 153 Make sure none of them come back!
Hearing the voice coming from behind, Consort Lan and the other concubines turned around to look.
The newcomer was none other than Wu Yue, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
Consort Lan, with her sharp eyes, noticed that he was covered in sweat and coldly rebuked him, "Commander Wu, His Majesty is unwell, and you are not on duty in the palace. Where have you gone?"
Wu Yue stepped forward and bowed, then straightened his back and replied, "Academician Lu said that His Majesty's prescription was missing one ingredient, so I, being quick on my feet, went outside the palace to find it."
"Where are the medicinal herbs?" Consort Lan narrowed her beautiful eyes, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"The medicinal herbs have been retrieved."
"What medicinal herbs are they? Let me see them!"
Wu Yue's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Your Majesty, it is true that you are in charge of the inner palace, but this is Qianning Palace. Please do not lose your composure!"
He ignored Consort Lan's expression, his eyes sweeping over the other concubines like sharp swords, and shouted to the guards, "Guards, seize all these unauthorized individuals who have come without summons!"
Fortunately, the Emperor allowed him to return early; otherwise, given Consort Lan's temper, she might have turned Qianning Palace upside down today!
The concubines had originally accompanied Consort Lan to inquire about the Emperor's well-being, but seeing Consort Lan displaying her power in front of Qi Sui, they only wanted to watch the spectacle. Upon hearing Wu Yue's ruthless command, the concubines scattered like birds, and before the guards could make any further move, they all fled for their lives with their palace servants.
Only Consort Lan and her palace maids remained.
Wu Yue took two more steps forward, staring directly at Consort Lan with an ruthless expression, "Is Your Highness sure you want to go in and disturb His Majesty's recovery?"
Consort Lan's imposing aura was immediately halved by him.
She had intended to curry favor with Qianning Palace, but Qi Sui, who had always been respectful to her, unexpectedly blocked her and embarrassed her in front of the concubines in the harem. How could she save face?
And now they're being threatened by Wu Yue...
“Your Majesty, since the Emperor is resting, let’s come to pay our respects later.” Chen Mama helped her up, signaling her to stop arguing with Wu Yue.
"Hmph!" Consort Lan had no choice but to back down, but before leaving, she glared sternly at Wu Yue and said, "I will come back later. If the Emperor does not improve, see how I deal with you!"
After watching the people from Lanxia Palace leave in a grand procession and making sure they wouldn't come back, Wu Yue finally let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Qi Sui pulled him by the hand and led him into the palace, asking anxiously, "How did things go? When will the Emperor return?"
Wu Yue frowned and said, "Worried that the palace would become suspicious, I only escorted the Emperor to the imperial mausoleum and then returned."
Qi Sui paced anxiously in place for a moment. "If we really have to open the coffin, the Emperor definitely won't be back for a while. This Consort Lan is becoming more and more difficult to deal with. What should we do when she comes to Qianning Palace again later?"
Wu Yue frowned and said, "There's no other way. We can only stall for time! If anyone causes trouble again, we can just arrest them all and wait for the Emperor to return and make a decision!"
The two then found Lu Changqing and asked him to pretend to lead the palace servants to brew medicine.
……
Consort Lan returned to Lanxia Palace.
As she calmed down, the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
The Emperor has been ill before, but in the past, whenever a concubine went to attend to him, the Emperor would always choose one of them to give her a chance to prove herself.
The Emperor's illness came on suddenly this time, and he also refused any visits. Doesn't this clearly indicate that something is amiss?
Considering Qi Sui's reaction, she couldn't help but ask Chen Mama, "Is His Majesty really ill? Why do I feel that His Majesty's illness is somewhat strange?"
Granny Chen earnestly advised, "Your Majesty, whether the Emperor is truly ill or feigning it, these are turbulent times. We should refrain from causing trouble at Qianning Palace. As the saying goes, it's better to avoid trouble. What do you say?"
Consort Lan said with a long face, "My visit to Qianning Palace was out of good intentions. If I were to disregard His Majesty's health, that would be giving people something to criticize!"
Granny Chen had no way to refute it.
After all, what the Empress said makes sense.
"The prince has arrived——"
As the announcement ended, Yuchi Rui entered the hall.
Seeing his tense expression and anxious look, Consort Lan rose from her seat and stepped forward to ask, "Weren't you at the Prime Minister's residence with the Crown Princess? Did you come back for your father, the Emperor?"
Yu Chi Rui grabbed her wrist and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess received a secret report that Yu Chi Ling and Ye Shi Shu headed towards the Imperial Mausoleum at dawn!"
"To the imperial mausoleum?" Consort Lan was completely bewildered. "What are they going to the imperial mausoleum for?"
"Anyway, they went!"
Consort Lan's eyes suddenly widened in anger, "Could it be that the Emperor has also gone?"
Now it was Yu Chi Rui's turn to be puzzled. "Wasn't it said that Father Emperor was unwell?"
Consort Lan then recounted what had happened during her visit to Qianning Palace.
After listening, Yuchi Rui gritted his teeth and said, "Qi Sui and Wu Yue are really acting strangely. Perhaps Father really is not in Qianning Palace!"
Consort Lan's face darkened.
Without a major festival, the emperor had no reason to go to the imperial mausoleum to offer sacrifices. Besides, even if he were to offer sacrifices, he shouldn't do it so secretly.
Most importantly, Prince Seung also went to the royal mausoleum!
Whom did he go to the imperial tomb to pay homage to?
Could it be...
A thought flashed through her mind, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Yu Chi Rui quickly helped her up and asked with concern.
"Quickly, send someone to the imperial mausoleum!" Consort Lan urged him excitedly.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I have already sent someone!"
"No, I mean..." Consort Lan suddenly lowered her voice and said in his ear, "If your father really went to the imperial mausoleum with Prince Cheng, then let them stay there forever!"
Yu Chi Rui froze.
After all, he hadn't even considered doing something like that...
"What... what if... what if we fail?"
"If we can't succeed, then do this... or do this again..." Consort Lan continued to whisper in his ear.
"Fine!" Yu Chi Rui narrowed his eyes fiercely.
Although he hadn't considered that his father would abdicate so soon, if the opportunity was right in front of him, he would naturally seize it.
……
Now let's talk about the imperial mausoleum.
Having accepted his son's suggestion, Yu Chisheng gave up the idea of digging up the grave and opening the coffin.
He left the imperial mausoleum with the four guards left for him by Wu Yue, along with his son and daughter-in-law.
Once outside the imperial mausoleum, there was a wide official road, and a carriage could be seen waiting by the roadside in the distance.
"Did you prepare this?" Yu Chisheng asked.
Ye Shishu and Yu Chiling exchanged a glance, then shook their heads together.
Yu Chisheng said, "Could it be that Wu Yue prepared this?"
After saying that, he headed toward the carriage.
"Father!" Yu Chi Ling quickly stopped him.
"what happened?"
"For the sake of Father's safety, please cooperate and exchange clothes with the guards."
Yu Chisheng glanced at the carriage in the distance, then looked at his son's cold expression. He then led a guard into the bushes nearby and exchanged robes and hair ornaments with the guard.
After they changed their clothes, Ye Shishu took off the veiled hat that she was carrying on her back and put it on the guard.
Then she and Yuchi Ling went to the carriage first.
Beside the carriage were a coachman and four men dressed in identical uniforms.
When the coachman saw the couple, he bowed respectfully and greeted them, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Cheng, Greetings, Your Highness Princess Cheng."
"Were you sent by Commander Wu to pick us up?" Ye Shishu asked with a smile.
"Yes!" the coachman replied. "Commander Wu left in a hurry and was afraid it would be inconvenient for you to return to the city, so he asked me and a plainclothes guard to wait here."
As Ye Shishu saw Yuchi Sheng and four guards approaching, she took the initiative to help the guard who was wearing a long robe with gold thread and a veiled hat, and urged him with concern, "Father, it's windy outside, let's get in the carriage quickly."