C71 (1/2)

King Fan's rebellion came as a surprise, but who would have thought that the tiger poison would be the food as well?

The imperial court was in a state of disarray, and both provinces had lost their minds.

It was still dark when Rong'er got up and went to the table to pour himself a cup of water. Rong'er did not have the habit of letting the maids stay at the table at night, but the Palace had assigned maids to the masters, so they could tell them what to do. Under normal circumstances, the lords would arrange for the maids to accompany them at night, so that they might not need them at night, but Rong'er felt that he was too young to bother them, so he sent them to rest in the middle of the night. Rong'er sat alone at the table, worrying about the king of Pingxi.

Suddenly, a light knocking sound came from the door. At the same time, an eunuch called out softly, ”Rongzi, do you want to rest?”

Rong'er heard the voice of his father-in-law, Zhang DeShun, who was serving the emperor. Why did he come at this time? But the Emperor passed her down? He hurriedly replied, ”I didn't rest. I'll open the door now.” As he said this, he draped his coat over his shoulders and walked over to open the door. When he opened the door, he saw that the person standing outside the door was not only Zhang DeShun, but the Emperor as well.

Xuan Ye said to Zhang DeShun, ”You stay here and guard it. I'll come out in a while.” Zhang DeShun respectfully retreated to the door.

Rong'er knew that Xuan Ye had something on his mind, so he followed behind him. Xuan Ye walked straight towards Rong'er's bed, took off his boots, and laid down beside the bed. ”Rong'er, come here and lie down beside Zhen.” These were the first words he had spoken since he had entered the room.

Rong'er walked over, took off his shoes, and lay down next to Xuan Ye. Xuan Ye embraced him and said, ”Rong'er, I'm so tired. I'm so tired. Not tired, but tired.”

Rong'er hesitated for a moment before saying, ”Your Majesty, Rong'er has found out about the matter regarding San Fan. When the empress dowager received the news today, Rong'er and the empress were currently in the Tzu Ning Palace.”

”You all know about it?” Surprised, Xuan Ye looked towards Rong'er. Seeing Rong'er nod, Xuan Ye smiled bitterly and said, ”Rong'er, are you thinking too much of me? I was the one who forced you to rebel. I am useless. Rong'er, are you laughing at me?”

”Your Majesty, how could this be? Have you forgotten what Rong'er said? No matter what happens, Rong'er will support any decision the Emperor makes. ” Rong'er gently held Xuan Ye's hand as he spoke.

”Yes, I've come here to listen to this. You know that I need Rong'er's support no matter what.” Xuan Ye laughed bitterly and continued, ”Today, I have linked three urgent acts. The first one was from Yunnan, and it was said that Wu Sanguan rebelled ten days ago, threatening Zhu Guojiu, and Zhu Guoguang refused to be killed by Wu Sanguan. At the same time, he also ordered everyone sent by him to guard the mountain pass and to prevent anyone from entering or exiting, making it difficult for our people to send back a message.” Xuan Ye paused for a moment, and Rong'er did not interrupt, letting him continue. Xuan Ye looked up at the bed, and said with a heavy heart, ”The second letter was written with blood by the governor of Guizhou, Gan Wenjun. The messenger was sent to protect the delivery of the letter, and it said that a few days ago, Wu Sanguan had led the troops to the east and moved into Guizhou. Cao Shenji, Tatsuo Li Benshen and others out of the rebel army. As soon as Gan Wenjun learned of the sudden change in circumstances, he hurriedly led a dozen men away from Guiyang, to the far edge of the town, only to find that the Qing army guarding the far side of the town had already surrendered to the rebel army. Gan Wencun wrote this letter in blood and sent it to the imperial court, indicating that he would rather die than surrender, in which he claimed that he had failed to repay the Emperor's kindness and was unable to protect his territory. At this point, Xuan Ye's eyes turned red.

Rong'er's eyes were already brimming with tears. ”Governor Gan is such a loyal official.”

Xuan Ye nodded, his eyes bloodshot. ”Third letter, Wu Sanguan's rebel army is invading Hu Guang.” Xuan Ye looked at Rong'er. ”Maybe …” More bad news tomorrow. Rong'er, this … It's all my fault. I was too self-righteous. I thought Wu Sanguan wouldn't go back on his words. ”