Exile is exile, is half of the capital enough as compensation?

Eunuch Yu was just ordering people to count the number of boxes when he was frightened by his stern shout and stood there in shock.

When he reacted, he quickly called out to the guards around him, "Quick, open..."

As the boxes were opened one by one, a pungent smell came out.

Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the boxes for a long time without daring to make a sound.

Because it was winter, the upper layer of gold, silver and jewelry was covered by a thick layer of ice and their original appearance could not be seen.

The water that had frozen into ice gave off an unpleasant smell, and was black and yellow with a hint of black gas.

Someone in the crowd suddenly retched, breaking the silence.

What followed was the cry of Eunuch Yu.

"Quick, call the imperial physician..."

"Your Majesty is vomiting blood..."

"Quickly call the imperial physician..."

Outside the imperial study, which had been in good order, there was a sudden chaos.

Zhao Mingyao, his eyes tightly shut and blood smearing the corners of his mouth, was held in Eunuch Yu's arms, muttering, "Kill them! Kill them all! Whoever sent these things here, don't spare a single one."

Eunuch Yu conveyed Zhao Mingyao's order, and the commander of the imperial guards quickly led his men out of the palace.

The Yingchun Hall outside the imperial palace had just received dozens of distinguished guests, but before they had time to rejoice, they were surrounded by the imperial guards.

After entering, the imperial guards didn't care who was inside and killed anyone they saw.

Soon, Yingchun Hall was flooded with blood.

The third brother, who was living in a remote courtyard far away in the capital, had just chatted with his roommate for a moment when someone knocked on the door.

Before I could get up and open the door, it was knocked open from outside.

At that moment, screams were heard in the yard...

Zhao Mingyao in the palace had already woken up when the two commanders of the imperial guards reported back.

When the Queen and the Queen Mother heard the news, they also rushed over. As soon as they entered the room, they saw Zhao Mingyao's body, which looked like his soul had been taken away, half leaning on the dragon couch and not saying a word.

When the commander of the Imperial Guards came in, he spoke slowly, "Is everything dealt with?"

"Your Majesty, everything has been handled."

Zhao Mingyao didn't want to say more and waved his hand to signal the commander of the imperial guards to leave.

The Queen and the Queen Mother didn't know the whole story yet, but they both guessed that it must be a big deal.

"Everyone, please go back. Queen Mother, please stay and accompany me."

The palace maids dispersed, and the queen left the Yangxin Palace with a lot on her mind.

When they reached the door, Eunuch Yu tactfully walked aside and quietly told her what had happened tonight.

The queen almost fell down after hearing this.

Fortunately, the palace maid behind her was observant and prevented her from getting hurt.

"Father-in-law, please be careful and serve me well these two days!"

How could Eunuch Yu not know this? He brushed his body and said, "Thank you, Queen. I will remember this."

The Queen looked very lonely as she left, and Eunuch Yu was the only one in the palace who knew how difficult it was for the ladies in the harem.

These days, the emperor's expenses are entirely covered by the subsidies from the concubines in the harem.

If they didn't have it, they would ask for it from her mother's family outside the palace.

The New Year is approaching and the expenses are already considerable. Now that His Majesty has encountered this incident, I think this heavy responsibility will fall on the concubines in the harem.

Why....

Eunuch Yu sighed inwardly and stood outside the Yangxin Palace without saying a word.

The mother and son in the hall were discussing countermeasures.

They also know that such things are by no means accidental, but more like intentional targeting.

"My prince, haven't those people sent to assassinate the Li and Leng families returned?"

"No, Zhao Xu sent word that Commander Liao had rebelled and was killed by him. He is currently on his way with a group of people and they don't expect to reach the Northland until spring. Many of my men have been killed or wounded, so I don't want to send any more. However, they won't have a good time in the Northland."

"My dear, what are you considering? Will Liao Dahai really turn against us?"

"I sent people to investigate. His family received the news at some point. When I sent people there, the place was already deserted. Even if I didn't want to be suspicious, it would be hard to do so."

The Queen Mother heaved a sigh of relief. "Never mind. He was just a minister. He died, so what? But as for Zhao Xu, I heard that his mother..."

"Well, the body was cold when it was found."

"Zhao Xu must not be informed of this matter. Now we can only get news about the Li family and the Leng family from him."

"Yes, I understand. But, Mother, the treasury is empty now. My subordinates have all written to me saying that their belongings have been lost. What should I do?"

The Queen Mother was also very anxious. Such things happened one after another, and they couldn't even find the root cause of the matter.

I thought it would be fine after a few days, but I didn't expect it to happen one after another.

"I still have a lot of property outside the palace. Please have someone look at it. If it really doesn't work out, sell it off first. The people in the harem can't keep it anymore. If this continues, not only the concubines but also the ministers will complain."

Zhao Mingyao's eyes were red, not knowing whether he was moved or angry. "Never mind. The Ye family has handed over a lot of property. I will have them sold off right away. I'll keep the properties of the Queen Mother for now! It doesn't make sense for the Queen Mother to work hard for you for half her life and now she has to sell off her dowry."

"Silly child, everything your mother does for you is worth it. If the late emperor had told us about that place, we wouldn't be in such a difficult situation."

"Hmph, my father has never had any affection for me. Even at that point, he would rather be tortured to death than reveal the location of the treasure. But so what? His most beloved son is dead, completely dead."

***

In Wuzhou City.

Chong'er, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly shouted, "Father, Mother, please don't abandon me. I will never be naughty again..."

His mumbling just happened to reach the ears of Qin Fangya who was about to leave.

The mountains were closed due to heavy snow for the past two days, and there were mostly women on their journey, so they stopped and started many times and ultimately failed to reach Liangzhou before the end of the year.

Fortunately, Leng Youran caught up with them a few days ago and told them that the family had arrived in Liangzhou.

I wanted to travel with her, but Leng Youran said that too many strangers coming into Liangzhou at once would arouse suspicion, so they stopped in Wuzhou.

In order to make living more convenient, they discussed with Ye Chaoyang and bought a house, planning to spend the New Year here before going to Liangzhou to meet Hua Qinrou and others. Chong'er had a high fever for the past two days for some reason, and the fever had subsided today, but she was still worried and came to check on him.

Unexpectedly, just as I was about to leave, I heard Chong'er's mumbling.

Cui'er stood in front of Chong'er's bed, her hands clenched, looking nervously at Qin Fangya who had already taken a step forward.

Chong'er was talking in her sleep very loudly just now, and she knew Qin Fangya must have heard it too.

"Don't worry, I already knew Chong'er's identity. Don't worry, I think you've figured out who we are these days. Since the prince entrusted Chong'er to you, you must know our relationship with him. We won't reveal Chong'er's identity to anyone else. You just need to take good care of him. After the New Year, we'll go to a safer place. The people there will only care about Chong'er and won't reveal his whereabouts."