12dz Chapter 330 Black Hand
Chapter 330 Black Hand
Jiang Xing couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
Ah.
The truth was finally revealed.
The two palace maids who died suddenly and were used to divert their attention should be the two people who knew the most about the inside story. He wanted to see how the emperor would explain it!
After a moment of shock, the flesh under the emperor's chin trembled, and a chill immediately filled his eyes. "Is this really true?!"
A fierce look flashed across his slightly plump face, "I had no idea that someone would actually dare to disrespect my mother!"
A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he immediately called out, "Pei Fan!"
Pei Fan, who was outside the door, strode in. "Your Majesty, Your Highness!"
"I heard from Prince Jin that the palace maids who previously served in the Empress Dowager's palace dared to disrespect her, and he has already decided to have them buried alive with her. Since this happened right under my nose, I will not tolerate it!"
Hearing this, Jiang Xing secretly said in his heart that something was wrong.
The emperor barely gave anyone a chance to interrupt before he spoke: "You must quickly lead your men forward and execute those audacious servants on the spot! By ignoring the Empress Dowager, they are actually disrespecting me. At this critical juncture, we must enforce the law and serve as a warning to others!"
"Yes!"
Pei Fan's sonorous and powerful response echoed throughout the Cining Palace.
The sound of armor marching quickly faded away. Jiang Xing looked at the back that seemed to have almost no emotion. His fingertips were as cold as a sharp sword that only knew how to kill.
Unexpectedly, the emperor killed all the palace maids!
It was obvious that they took action against those people so quickly because they didn't want him to be put in prison for interrogation, for fear that the news would leak out.
This means that he is not completely unaware of what is happening around his mother.
Those palace maids are all his!
Those people were imprisoned by the imperial guards and had previously felt a bit lucky, thinking that the emperor would save them. They certainly didn't expect that this man would kill them without a trace of hesitation.
Thinking about it, Jiang Xing found it a little funny again.
My royal brother is such a cruel and cold-hearted person, isn't he?
He had never been merciful to his previous royal brothers, let alone these palace servants who were just working for him.
At the pinnacle of power, there is never any emotion.
Jiang Xing smiled and saluted, "Brother Emperor, you are wise. This evil slave should be brought to justice as soon as possible!"
The tone sounded very satisfying, and even had a bit of the pleasure of revenge.
But that smile was always cold and did not reach his eyes.
The emperor accepted his salute calmly, but did not ask him to stand up. Instead, he took He Yuanguang and a group of Jinwu Guards away.
Looking at the back that was already filled with displeasure, Jiang Xing curled his lips sarcastically.
The Empress Dowager's coffin has been moved away and is placed in the Renzhi Hall.
The Ministry of Rites arranged a grand mourning and sacrificial ceremony at Sishan Gate. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory would choose an auspicious day, and the body would be kept for three days before being buried in the imperial mausoleum.
After the emperor left, Jiang Xing welcomed Lu Xuan out from the small Buddhist temple at the back of the palace.
Her face was heavy and there was resentment in her eyes.
"I was terrified when I heard this in there. I originally thought that Jiang Yuanfeng was responsible for my mother's death and that the emperor had nothing to do with it. But now it seems that he is also the mastermind behind it!"
Jiang Xing looked at the palace gate, where the emperor was no longer visible, and swallowed the sighs in his chest. "Now, I only suspect one thing."
"From the situation when he arrived, it seems he was indeed unaware of the Queen Mother's passing. However, the deaths of these palace maids and Aunt Yinpei were also his doing. So, what is his relationship with the Jiang Yuanfeng that Ah Xuan mentioned? They both attacked the Queen Mother. Was it a coincidence? Or did they work together? If they worked together, it would be extremely difficult to deal with..."
……
That night, the Ministry of Rites arranged for the emperor and other princes and grandchildren including Jiang Xing to keep vigil over the body.
The Renzhi Hall was brightly lit, filled with mourning and wailing. The sound of chanting for the salvation of the souls echoed through the palace, and a large number of royal family members knelt on the ground.
Jiang Xing and Lu Xuan were the last to arrive. In order to avoid a direct meeting with the emperor, they deliberately stood behind the fourth prince.
Sang Luo stayed behind with Lu Xuan to keep vigil. Due to seniority and etiquette, Jiang Xing went to the front of the vigil team and knelt down.
Looking at the prince kneeling peacefully in front of him, Lu Xuan slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the prince is healthy, everything will be fine.
But after all, at this moment, she had no way of asking the prince what had happened.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in front of the wake team, and there was a faint sound of quarreling.
Lu Xuan stretched his neck to look forward, only to find that it was a dispute between the emperor and the empress.
Empress Ji was ill, but in order to gain a reputation as a filial son, she deliberately forced herself to come out to keep vigil and kneel, which made the emperor feel distressed, so the two of them quarreled repeatedly.
Lu Xuan's heart moved.
Today I was busy dealing with various matters related to the passing of the Empress Dowager. With people coming and going around me, I didn't have the chance to call out the Empress Dowager's soul.
And if her soul is left alone for too long, it will definitely lose more memories.
Jiang Yuanfeng is seriously injured now, so his senses may not be as sensitive.
There were so many people gathered in the Vigil Hall right now, and Jiang Yuanfeng might be among them. It was a good opportunity to test whether he had arranged spies to keep an eye on him. If not, he could quickly let the Queen Mother's spirit come out and tell the truth!
The sooner the answer is found, the sooner the Queen Mother can be reincarnated.
The stars hang low in the sky and the night is as dark as ink.
Lu Xuan lowered his eyes and bowed, deliberately reducing his presence to the minimum. After leaving the Renzhi Hall, he immediately led Sang Luo to a secluded place.
Due to the death of the Empress Dowager, many people in the palace were transferred to the Renzhi Hall to help. The Emperor's harem was small, and many palaces were empty, so she didn't meet many people along the way she chose.
Relying on his memory of the several times Jiang Xing took him into the palace, Lu Xuan walked around the four corridors and finally came to an empty corner of the palace.
She pretended to chant a spell, and she and Sang Luo were alert to the movements around them.
If there were someone watching them like in the Eastern Palace, to prevent her from coming into contact with the Queen Mother's spirit, someone would surely attack them as soon as she chanted the spell.
Half a cup of tea passed, and she kept chanting the spell.
To her surprise, there was a gentle breeze and bright moon all around, without a trace of any disturbance.
Lu Xuan stared in deep thought.
Could it be that Jiang Yuanfeng really didn't send any spies to monitor her again?
So how did he manage to attack the Queen Mother today at the precise moment when she was about to tell the truth?
She couldn't think of a result, but Lu Xuan didn't want to waste such a rare opportunity. So, she asked Sang Luo to protect her. She immediately pulled out her golden hairpin and began to chant the spell.
After sensing the urging, the empress dowager's soul quickly emerged from the golden hairpin.
At this moment, a faint, sharp sound of wind came from far away, and with the speed of thunder, it created ripples in the air.
His ears moved slightly, and with a "whoosh" sound, Lu Xuan turned his eyes to the side and saw a thin silver needle flying towards him at a high speed.
"hide!"
With a low shout, Lu Xuan immediately cast out three immobilization spells on his body, which quickly wrapped around the silver needles.
In a flash, just before it was about to pierce the empress dowager's soul, the silver needle suddenly stopped in mid-air.
"Ding!"
With an imperceptible sound, the silver needle fell from mid-air to the ground.
Frightened by the scene, the empress dowager's soul suddenly turned into a puff of smoke and suddenly returned to the golden hairpin.
Lu Xuan picked up the long needle on the ground and sneered.
What a magical weapon, what a Jiang Yuanfeng!
Unexpectedly, there is really no way to hide.
She glanced around.
How exactly does he monitor everything in this palace?
He can act quickly while chanting his own spells, and can even tell the real from the fake.
She concentrated her mind and sensed a very familiar aura in the air...
Lu Xuan returned to the mourning hall of Renzhi Hall.
Everything was the same as when she left, with no signs of anything unusual.
Collecting her thoughts, she continued to kneel on her mat.
As soon as his knees landed, the voice of Ren Ze, the Minister of Rites, came from the front of the coffin.
"My Lords, it is already late, and the first mourning ceremony has concluded. The Queen Mother, grateful for the filial piety of her children and grandchildren, cannot bear to see you overtired. Therefore, you may return to the palace and rest."
He stood in the center of the mourning hall and politely read out the arrangements for tomorrow. "Tomorrow is the day when a hundred monks will chant sutras to pray for the Empress Dowager's soul. All the princes, grandchildren, and concubines present today must all be present tomorrow to chant along and pray for the Empress Dowager's passing."
Lu Xuan's heart skipped a beat.
The ceremony has been changed!
The previous arrangement of the Ministry of Rites was that the prince and the emperor would recite the sacrificial text together, and the crown prince and the emperor's grandson would follow suit to pay homage, but there was no mention of concubines.
As if sensing Lu Xuan's uneasiness, Jiang Xing turned around from the front and glanced at her from a distance.
Finally seeing her in position, his shoulders visibly relaxed.
Across the crowd and the candlelight, Lu Xuan looked at him, and suddenly, she saw the deep meaning in his pupils.
She and the prince had already agreed to leave the palace and return home tomorrow. Now the ceremony has been changed, and they are deliberately detaining her in the palace.
If this is the case, they may not be able to obtain the truth from the Queen Mother's spirit.
But at this moment, Jiang Xing was telling her that she couldn't leave.