The Evil Emperor's Favorite: The Sickly and Poisonous Concubine Goes Crazy

Dijing.

Yesterday, people all over the city saw the fourth son of the Su family, Su Jingyi, covered in blood, rushing into the imperial city. For a time, people were in a panic. A few days ago, three major generals of the Su family were ordered to go to the southern border to suppress bandits. At this time, the fourth son of the Su family entered the capital in such a state, and everyone thought that something happened in the southern border.

Today, the blood letter that Su Jingyi risked his life to send to the capital shocked all the civil and military officials in the court.

The three-foot-long white silk was densely covered with the imperial edict on Chen Xu's crimes, which was written with the lives of 218 heroic soldiers who guarded the Great Zhou and the people of the Great Zhou. Every word was written with tears in their eyes.

They were extremely talented and brave, and their instinct was to protect the safety of more people, but they died tragically at the hands of Chen Xu.

Chen Xu was an ambitious man who relied on his own army and disregarded the grace of heaven in his attempt to rebel and establish his own regime.

Above the Golden Palace, the blood letter was displayed by the palace servants in the center of the hall. Chen Xu's crimes were clearly listed on it. The ministers were furious when they saw it, and they wanted to convict Chen Xu immediately and avenge the soldiers who died unjustly.

Emperor Zhou sat upright on a high seat, looking at the angry ministers in the hall, and remained silent, making it impossible to figure out what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty! Chen Xu has been stationed in the eastern border for many years and has become self-reliant. Today, he has even defied the majesty of Heaven and plotted a rebellion. The land of Qingzhou can be reached in five days from the capital. Chen Xu is extremely ambitious. Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible." Prime Minister Liu stood at the head of the civil officials and bowed to Emperor Zhou with an angry look on his face.

Now that Concubine Shu has fallen and the Shen family is weak, if we can capture Chen Xu in one fell swoop and gain control of the military power in the East, no one will be able to shake the prince's position even if the empress dowager returns to the capital.

The prince stood on the steps, glanced at Emperor Zhou, then stepped out, knelt down in front of Emperor Zhou, and said loudly:

"Father, Chen Xu has betrayed your grace and has occupied the Eastern Territory for many years. His ambitions are obvious. I am willing to personally lead the army to the Eastern Territory to quell the rebellion and retrieve Chen Xu's head for you."

Seeing that Prime Minister Liu wanted to kill Chen Xu immediately, Duke Shen was furious. He sent so many people to intercept Su Jingyi, but he didn't expect that he would still let him sneak into the capital and deliver the blood letter to the palace. If the troops of the East Territory were lost, the Queen Mother would be like losing an arm. It would be difficult for his Shen family to stand at the center of power without fear. Chen Xu could not be saved, but the military power of the East Territory must not fall into the hands of the prince's party.

Duke Shen stepped forward and stood beside Prime Minister Liu. He glanced at the Crown Prince and leaned toward Emperor Zhou to speak.

"Your Majesty, Chen Xu is plotting treason, and his entire clan is guilty. The Queen Mother is still in the East Territory, and she controls the Netherworld Guards, which may be able to resolve Chen Xu's rebellion. It will take some time to mobilize troops, so why not just order the Netherworld Guards in the East Territory to take action?"

Emperor Zhou did not look at the prince kneeling on the ground, but glanced at Prime Minister Liu, looked at Duke Shen with cold eyes, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Then he swept his eyes to the ministers in the hall and said coldly:

"I had anticipated Chen Xu's rebellion. As soon as the blood letter arrived in Beijing yesterday, I sent the Jing'an Army, which is closest to the East Border, to suppress the rebellion and capture the traitor Chen Xu. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy."

He looked at Duke Shen again, his eyes cold and stern: "As for the Netherworld Guards, the Eastern Territory is in turmoil, so it is more important to protect the Queen Mother."

Duke Shen felt a little nervous. His Majesty was indeed going to send the Jing'an Army!

The Queen Mother said that Chen Xu would join forces with the Nanji survivors to start an uprising on the day she left the East Territory, and she would use the Nether Guards to quell the rebellion. By then, she would have a way to keep the East Territory navy in her hands. Fortunately, the Queen Mother returned to Beijing one day earlier than originally planned. No matter how close the Jing'an Army was, it could not stop the Queen Mother from using the Nether Guards to quell the rebellion.

Emperor Zhou looked at the prince who was still kneeling on the ground, his expression softened slightly, motioned him to stand up, and said in a deep voice:

"Prince, I have something more important for you to do immediately. The Queen Mother has been away from the capital for many years. Now that she has returned to the capital, she has run into the chaos caused by Chen Xu. I order you to set off immediately, travel a hundred miles in a hurry, and personally welcome the Queen Mother back to the capital."

The prince's face lit up with joy. His father sent the Jing'an Army to the East Territory, obviously to take back the East Territory navy before the Royal Grandmother returned to Beijing. Now it seemed that his father no longer trusted the Royal Grandmother and the Shen family. He went to the East Territory in person to welcome the Royal Grandmother back to Beijing. Even if he could not get the East Territory navy, he would at least find a way to prevent the Shen family from getting what they wanted.

"Your son obeys your order. Your son will definitely escort the Empress Grandmother back to the capital safely!"

Emperor Zhou nodded: "Well, you should leave immediately and don't delay on the road."

"Yes."

Down towards the back.

Royal study room.

Emperor Zhou summoned the Duke of Zhenguo and the King of Beiyang to discuss the matter.

"Is General Su awake?" Emperor Zhou asked the Duke of Zhenguo in a gentle voice.

This time, the blood letter written by hundreds of generals was safely delivered to the capital, and he was able to dispatch troops successfully, thanks to the contributions of several young generals of the Su family.

The Duke of Zhenguo replied, "The imperial physician arrived just in time. He woke up last night and will be fine after a few days of rest."

Emperor Zhou nodded and said, "If you need anything, just tell the eunuchs. My general must be well taken care of. No mistakes can be made."

Then he asked, "No news about Jingchen yet?"

The Duke of Zhenguo looked slightly depressed, with a flash of worry in his eyes, and shook his head: "The person has not been found."

Ningning hasn't sent any news back yet, so I don't know what's going on.

Seeing his worried look, Prince Beiyang consoled him, "Jingchen is a steady kid, nothing will happen to him. Besides, Yan'an is here too, if anything does happen, he will send a message back."

The Duke of Zhenguo just nodded without saying a word, with worry in his eyes. Now his three children were in the East Territory with no one around him, and the situation in the East Territory was changing rapidly. He couldn't feel at ease until he saw them return safely.

Emperor Zhou looked at the chessboard by the window, then turned to look at the two people standing in front of him, and took a deep breath: "No matter what the result of the East Territory is, this time, I will never give in even a little bit, and the East Territory navy will no longer be a bargaining chip in the hands of the Queen Mother and the Shen family."

.........

Eastern Territory.

At the bottom of Qingfeng Cliff.

Su Jingning remained calm, enduring the pain in his waist. He stood up with Gu Yan'an's hand, and then took him out.

"I have been to the bottom of the cliff with my senior brother before. One side of the cliff is blocked by the cold pond, and the other side is a dense forest of ancient trees. It is very easy to get lost, and almost no one can get in. Fortunately, I still remember how to get out."

Gu Yan'an let her lead him and followed behind her, quietly looking down at their clasped hands. He felt warm in his heart, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He was reluctant to leave. His mind was filled with the girl's gentle but firm voice:

'You are the person I, Su Jingning, love most in my life. I will always be by your side.'

He told her everything about his past, and when he saw that she looked at him with only endless heartache in her eyes, the cage in his heart that had bound him for half his life seemed to loosen instantly. He had never felt so relaxed and happy as he did at that moment.

She said love yourself, no matter who you are!

Gu Yan'an looked at the petite yet resolute and upright figure in front of him, the tenderness and love in his eyes almost overflowing.

Su Jingning walked in front of Gu Yan'an, looking at the forest shrouded in fog in the morning.

The hazy fog shrouds the mountains and lakes, and the lush green lichen is looming, isolated from the world, as beautiful as a fairyland.

She held Gu Yan'an's hand and stood quietly in the mist, looking at the direction where the mist was flowing. Her bright eyes were full of sharpness and calmness.

"The fog is to the south, the exit is this way."

She smiled, pointed to the side opposite to the fog, looked at Gu Yan'an beside her, and then waved their tightly clasped hands in front of him. With a smile in her eyes, she said:

"The fog is too thick, hold on to me tight, don't let go."

Gu Yan'an lowered his eyes and looked at her, tightening her soft little hand, with a loving look in his eyes, and said in a gentle voice:

"Well, I will never let go."

Su Jingning looked satisfied as he turned around and walked into the fog.

"The bottom of the Qingfeng Cliff is connected to Youyang Town in Qingzhou. Youyang is remote but peaceful. Chen Xu and the Queen Mother's people should not be able to find it."

Gu Yan'an raised his eyebrows. He had been in the Eastern Territory for a few days and then hid in Youyang.

Although Youyang was in a remote area, it was only two days away from Qingzhou. To leave the Eastern Territory, it would only take a day and a half, so he arranged his people in Youyang to wait for orders. As long as Chen Xu started his army, the people he arranged in Youyang would try to delay Chen Xu first, or even kill him.