AWB Chapter 466 When Was There Ever Been Fatherly Love? (Bonus Chapter)
Chapter 466 When Was There Ever Been Fatherly Love? (Bonus Chapter)
Overnight, the political landscape of the Great Liang Dynasty changed dramatically.
The Third Prince's Mansion.
The night was deep, and the sky had not yet turned light.
Chu Yi was still in the dungeon, eating porridge with his younger sister, Chu Nian.
The Third Prince never returned, and when he left, he didn't give many instructions, so no one cared about Chu Yi.
This is the chicken porridge he bought; it smells delicious.
Chu Nian ate her fill, her little face flushed.
"Brother, you should eat too. It won't taste good if it gets cold." Chu Nian also ladled out a bowl of porridge for him and handed it to him.
Chu Yi was about to take it when he suddenly frowned and listened intently.
A very faint, hurried sound of footsteps approached.
Chu Yi got up and went outside, where he saw a flustered clerk running past from the side corridor.
"Stop!" he shouted coldly.
The clerk trembled in fright and immediately stopped, "Young Master Chu..."
What's going on outside?
The clerk hesitated for a moment, then finally whispered, "The Third Prince... is dead."
"what?!"
The clerk swallowed hard, looked around, and then approached Chu Yi, lowering his voice.
"Rumors are circulating outside that the Third Prince led a coup last night and was killed by the Emperor himself! The Emperor was so enraged that he vomited blood on the spot and did not survive."
"All the civil and military officials have entered the palace and are discussing matters in the Golden Palace. I heard they're going to establish the Ninth Prince as the new emperor. If we don't run now, it'll be too late!"
Chu Yi's gaze quickly turned cold, and his expression became somber.
After saying that, the clerk hurriedly fled.
Chu Yi glanced at Chu Nian sitting not far away, "Pack your things, let's leave right away."
The capital of the Great Jin Dynasty.
"Young Madam, Young Master, Young Master Chun has arrived."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Jingchun had already rushed in, his forehead still damp with sweat.
"Father, Mother, I would like to ask you to help me find someone."
“My friend Chu Yi has disappeared again. I’ve searched all the places he usually goes, but I haven’t found him anywhere.”
Qin Jiuwei did not answer, but turned to look at Xie Yanli.
Seeing his expression, Qin Jiu pursed her lips.
It's time to tell Chu Yi the truth about what happened.
Just as she was about to speak, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard, and a servant loudly reported.
"Your Highness! Urgent report from the front: a palace coup has occurred in the Great Liang Dynasty! The Third Prince has murdered his father, and the Emperor of Liang has died suddenly!"
"Last night, the Third Prince forced his father to abdicate and murdered him. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Ninth Prince ascended the throne. The new emperor changed the era name to Jingyun, and the political situation in the Great Liang Dynasty has completely changed."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.
-
royal palace.
The eunuch rushed in and presented a secret, urgent letter from the border.
Gao Xian took the letter and unfolded it, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, his face darkening.
"Li Wuyang has ascended the throne and become emperor."
The Empress Dowager sat not far away, frowning as she said, "This man is ambitious. He provoked our Great Jin many times when he was on the frontier. He even tried to besiege the capital. Now that he has gained the world, I'm afraid our next target will be us."
Gao Xian said coldly, "We cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom. Issue my imperial edict to summon Xie Yanli to the palace immediately to discuss military matters."
The Empress Dowager sighed inwardly and glanced at Gao Xian without making a sound.
Xian'er trusted Xie Yanli far too much.
When a subject wields too much power, he will overstep his bounds and become the ruler or father, which is not a good thing.
She didn't like him either.
His appearance is so similar to someone else's...
The Empress Dowager lightly tapped the tea lid with her fingertips, remaining motionless for a long time.
She slowly closed her eyes, finally suppressing this absurd thought.
Gao Qiyuan is dead.
She repeated it to herself.
Hou House.
Xie Jingchun stood beside the soft couch, his eyes filled with surprise. "You're saying that Chu Yi is from Daliang?"
Qin Jiuwei nodded.
Xie Yanli handed over an intelligence booklet drawn by his secret guards.
"These are the findings we made."
Xie Jingchun hesitated before taking the book, turning the pages one by one, his expression growing increasingly grim.
He lowered his head, his lips pressed tightly together.
Chu Yi's original name was Chu Jin. He was from Daliang and had a younger sister who was affiliated with the third prince of Daliang...
Xie Jingchun stood there, the thin book in his hand feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.
For a moment, I didn't know whether to be angry, resentful, or hateful.
Qin Jiuwei gently stepped forward, "Chun Ge'er, this is not your fault, you don't need to blame yourself for it."
"It was my stupidity, my inability to recognize people," Xie Jingchun said in a low voice. "From now on, I will never trust people so easily again."
Qin Jiuwei looked at him and suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
Xie Jingchun was ambitious and outgoing in his youth, yet also loyal and righteous...
These are all excellent qualities, but they are also the easiest for others to exploit.
This experience taught him a lesson, and he will no longer easily trust others in the future.
He was bound to grow up eventually, but I never expected it to happen this way.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Zizhu bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor summons you to the palace."
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.
Gao Xianzheng leaned against his desk, his face still somewhat pale, but much better than before.
"You've come." He looked up, his voice low. "Sit down."
Xie Yanli bowed and then took his seat.
“You already know the situation. Li Wuyang has ascended the throne. He harbors wolfish ambitions, and it’s only a matter of time before he sends troops against us. The situation has changed, and we can’t wait any longer. What good plan do you have?” Gao Xian asked.
Xie Yanli looked at the map in front of him and said, "After Li Wuyang ascends the throne, he will definitely spend some time dealing with domestic affairs. We can use this time to set up defenses in advance."
"Your Majesty suggests that we first transfer troops from Pingyang and Wudu counties in the four northwestern prefectures to the north to reinforce Yanmen Pass, and then order 20% of the Lingnan garrison to be temporarily stationed at Xiling."
Gao Xian frowned: "The scale of the military operation is too large, which may arouse suspicion in the court."
“It can be done discreetly,” Xie Yanli said calmly. “Using it as a pretext for border inspections, troop reorganization, and troop rotation, without alarming the court or disturbing the people.”
Gao Xian nodded, his tone softening slightly: "Very well, I will draft the decree today."
After a moment of silence, Gao Xian looked up at Xie Yanli.
I was a little dazed for a moment.
When was the last time the two of them discussed things like this?
It's been too long, I can't remember some of it.
"Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Gao Xian looked up upon hearing this, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded slightly.
Evening, Qinglan Courtyard.
"Young Madam, Young Master, the Marquis has sent word that he would like to invite you to dine at Yi'an Courtyard tonight."
Before Qin Jiuwei could speak, Xie Yanli said calmly, "Tell Father that Jue-ge'er is sick and not fully recovered. He might catch a cold if he goes out at night and will cough. So we won't bother him."
Granny Zhang hesitated for a moment: "Shall we choose another day?"
Xie Yanli twirled his teacup, "I will personally pay my respects another day."
Granny Zhang dared not say another word and bowed her head as she left.
Qin Jiuwei couldn't help but chuckle upon seeing this.
After finding his biological father, Xie Yanli's already limited patience with Lord Xie was completely exhausted.
Indeed, Lord Xie has never been particularly kind to Xie Yanli.
What we neglected as children, we can use as adults.
He never showed Xie Yanli any fatherly love.
Thinking of what happened to him when he was a child, Qin Jiuwei felt a pang of pain in her heart.
If the eldest prince hadn't met with misfortune back then, Xie Yanli would surely have grown up happily and carefree.
"Mom, I'm hungry~"
Seeing Qin Jiuwei lost in thought, Xie Jue reached out and tugged at her sleeve.
Qin Jiuwei snapped out of her daze, chuckled, and ruffled his hair. "Alright, serve the meal."
The maids outside responded and quickly brought bowls of hot dishes to the table.
The aroma filled the room.
Xie Jue cheered and immediately grabbed her chopsticks to start eating, saying as she ate, "The tofu is so tender today, as tender as a little girl's face."
Qin Jiuwei: ……
You still can't forget your little sister.
Xie Jing sipped his soup slowly and deliberately, as always.
He was only halfway through his drink when he suddenly noticed Xie Jingchun and frowned slightly: "Brother, why aren't you eating?"
Hearing this, Xie Jue turned around, puffing out her cheeks as she looked at him, "Yeah, big brother, what's wrong? This dish is super delicious, why aren't you eating it?"
Xie Jingchun lowered his eyes, holding the chopsticks in his hand, but remained motionless.
After a long pause, he replied in a low voice, "I'm fine."
Xie Jing and Xie Jue exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked at Qin Jiuwei.