noveltune Chapter 75 Rumors Are Flying Everywhere
Chapter 75 Rumors Are Flying Everywhere
The sudden appearance of an extra person in Cining Palace might be concealed for a day or two, but it would eventually be exposed.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
The head eunuch of Cining Palace, panting heavily, led the way.
The eight eunuchs carrying the Empress Dowager were already drenched in sweat and panting heavily, but they still carried her at a brisk pace.
On the palanquin, the Empress Dowager kept urging loudly, "Hurry! Hurry!"
Just then, a group of eunuchs in red robes from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs carried a person and rushed over from the direction of Cining Palace.
"How dare you!" the Empress Dowager shouted sternly.
The eunuchs in red robes were so frightened that they hurriedly turned around and disappeared into a nearby alley.
The head eunuch had served in the palace for decades and knew every path by heart. He immediately shouted, "Go around! Go around! Take the path that just came up behind us!"
The group quickly turned around and headed back towards the road they had just passed.
Outside the gate of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Dai Quan stood at the bottom of the stone steps, looking into the distance with some anxiety.
When the emperor learned that the Duke of Chengen had already hidden in the Cining Palace, he was furious. He invited the Empress Dowager to the Imperial Garden in the name of the Dowager Consort, intending to take the opportunity to arrest the man from the Cining Palace.
But just as news arrived, the Empress Dowager turned back halfway to the entrance of the Imperial Garden.
"They're here! The Ancestor is here!" a sharp-eyed eunuch exclaimed.
In the distance, a group of eunuchs in red robes carried the Duke of Cheng'en as they hurried towards them.
Just as Dai Quan breathed a sigh of relief, he saw the Empress Dowager's palanquin rush out from another alley, blocking the red-clad eunuch's path.
Dai Quan's expression changed drastically.
On the palanquin, the Empress Dowager slowly turned her head and her gaze swept over them.
Dai Quan's expression changed several times before finally settling into a sigh. He respectfully bowed to the Empress Dowager and retreated back inside.
With a creak, the gate of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs closed.
"How dare you! Put down the Emperor's brother-in-law!" the head eunuch shouted angrily.
Several eunuchs in red exchanged glances and suddenly lifted the Duke of Cheng'en high off their shoulders.
The Empress Dowager's face turned pale: "If the Emperor's brother-in-law dies, I won't live either!"
The red-clad eunuch's hand froze in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward.
Empress Dowager: "Hurry up and bring him back!"
The head eunuch hurriedly led his men forward and snatched Cheng'en Gong away.
Upon escaping, the Duke of Cheng'en flew into a rage, snatched the whisk from the head eunuch's hand, and began lashing out at several red-clad eunuchs.
This is no ordinary whisk; it's wrapped with cow tendons and iron wire. If you whip someone with it, they'll be covered in bruises; if you whip someone's face, they'll draw blood on the spot.
"Stop!" the Empress Dowager suddenly shouted. "Isn't it chaotic enough already?"
The Duke of Cheng'en lashed out a few more times before stopping, muttering, "You dog slave!"
The Empress Dowager's expression immediately changed. She stepped down from her palanquin, walked a few steps to the Duke of Cheng'en, and slapped him across the face.
The Duke of Cheng'en covered his face, looking at the Empress Dowager in astonishment: "Sister..."
The Empress Dowager slapped her again: "I'll beat you to death, you foolish and wicked child!"
The Duke of Cheng'en then realized that cursing the emperor's servant was the same as cursing the emperor!
He immediately lost his previous arrogance, lowered his head, and hid behind the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager glanced at the several red-clad eunuchs whose heads and faces were covered in blood, and said to the head eunuch, "Send them to the Imperial Hospital, and give each of them a reward of fifty taels of silver."
......................
The eunuchs in red robes dared not go to the Imperial Hospital and scrambled into the Imperial Study.
The back window was wide open, and Emperor Yankang stood quietly by the window, watching the withered leaves fall silently outside.
Several people knelt on the ground, their heads and faces covered in blood, and a pool of blood had accumulated on the gold brick in front of them.
Finally, Emperor Yankang spoke, his voice filled with sorrow: "...Go."
The group exchanged glances, kowtowed heavily, got up, bowed, and left.
Dai Quan walked in silently, his eyes immediately drawn to the bloodstains, but his expression remained unchanged. He first went to the side room to fetch a copper kettle, refilling the teacups on the imperial table, then went to close the back window. Only then did he wring out a rag from the basin, walk to the bloodstains, kneel down on one knee, and begin to wipe them away.
"I owe them, but it's time to pay them back over the years," Emperor Yankang sighed softly.
Dai Quan lowered his head and remained silent, continuing to wipe the bloodstains on the ground.
"I'm all alone—" Emperor Yankang chuckled self-deprecatingly, turned and walked back to his desk, took a sip of tea, and his gaze fell on Dai Quan. "She doesn't consider my interests, but I must consider the fate of our ancestors' empire. This Great Qian Dynasty belongs to our Liu family..."
Dai Quan was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "But what about the Empress Dowager..."
"Do you want to die?" Emperor Yankang suddenly asked.
Dai Quan immediately understood that if even a eunuch like himself wanted to live, how much more so the Empress Dowager, who was treated with the highest honors?
Just then, the head eunuch on duty hurried in, bowed, and reported, "Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Rumors have suddenly spread outside the city, saying that the Duke of Cheng'en colluded with the Tartars, betrayed the Divine Machine Battalion, leading to its complete annihilation and the disastrous defeat of the Beijing Garrison... Several neighborhoods where military households live in close proximity are in chaos. And, there is also..."
A nursery rhyme...
Emperor Yankang looked at him.
The head eunuch opened his mouth, but it was as if something was blocking his throat, and he couldn't make a sound.
Emperor Yankang frowned, about to lose his temper.
Dai Quan got up and walked over, gesturing for the head eunuch to speak to him.
The chief eunuch, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly leaned close to Dai Quan's ear and whispered a few words.
Dai Quan's expression instantly became interesting. After listening, he cautiously looked at the emperor.
The emperor frowned and said in a deep voice, "Speak!"
Dai Quan hesitated for a moment before speaking:
The enchanting concubine's smile leads to the crown prince's death.
She became empress when her own son ascended the throne.
She decides the imperial decree.
The minister came with an order.
The emperor only knew how to say "good fortune"—
He was wearing women's clothing under the dragon robe.
Emperor Yankang's mind went blank, and blood rushed to his face.
Dai Quan, his face full of worry, called out softly, "Your Majesty..."
Emperor Yankang suddenly burst into laughter.
Dai Quan and the chief eunuch exchanged a glance. Had he gone mad with anger?
The laughter abruptly stopped. Emperor Yankang slammed his hand heavily on the imperial desk, uttering each word with deliberation: "That wretched creature, indeed, is hiding in the capital!"
Dai Quan realized what was happening and immediately ordered the chief eunuch, "Quickly investigate where this nursery rhyme came from!"
"Yes!" The head eunuch rushed out.
Dai Quan stepped forward, picked up the teacup, and presented it with both hands: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. If you harm your health, it will only benefit those filthy vermin..."
Emperor Yankang took the teacup and smiled, "I'm not angry. On the contrary, I'm quite happy."
He took several sips of tea and looked out the window. "Have your men add more firewood, make this fire burn as brightly as possible... as big as possible. Then, I can use this as an excuse to 'sacrifice a relative for the greater good.' This will not only eliminate this threat but also win back the hearts and minds of the army and the people."
......................
It is said that rumors stop with the wise, but how many people in this world can truly distinguish between truth and falsehood?
Moreover, the rumor was quite detailed and believable, and given Cheng Engong's habit of doing all sorts of despicable things, it seemed even more credible.
As a result, the rumors quickly spread from the outer city to the inner city, and became more and more outrageous—that the Tartars had given the Duke of Cheng'en a princess, and the Duke of Cheng'en had fallen at her feet, which was why he betrayed the Divine Machine Battalion.
The more outrageous it is, the more people believe it, and it even spawns several versions:
The Tartar emperor's concubines, mother, and even mother and daughter together...
The people of Beijing certainly got their fill of gossip.
Some people also sensed something unusual in these widespread rumors.
The doorman came out of the tavern, put on a straw hat, and walked quickly toward the Shuntian Prefecture government office.
At the beginning of last month, he followed Zhao Chongjian, the prefect of Jinling, to the capital to take up his post. The constables in the yamen were still acting as doormen, secretly gathering information for Zhao Chongjian.
In the past month or so, Menzi has witnessed both the prosperity of the capital and the hardships of life there.
You could bump into anyone on the street, and they might be from the household of some prince or minister. He, a lowly servant, is nobody in this area; he has to be incredibly humble wherever he goes...