Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Du Han held the imperial edict in his hand and read it gently. Xianfeng let out a long breath and his eyes gradually became unfocused.

Seeing that Xianfeng had no reaction, the ministers came to check on him. The imperial physician Gong Zhengtai placed his finger under Xianfeng's nose, but at this time, Xianfeng was already dead!

"Your Majesty, Long Yu has passed away!"

Gong Zhengtai let out a shrill cry and fell to the ground. The room was suddenly filled with wailing and howling!

Not long after Liu Ye walked out of the palace and returned to his residence, he called Zhu Hai and others and was about to return to Beijing when he heard faint crying sounds coming from the direction of the palace.

Liu Ye sighed deeply. Xianfeng had died. He had clearly worried that Xianfeng would die in the summer, but it was only early spring now. He had passed away three or four months earlier than in his previous life. It seemed that his butterfly wings had flapped too vigorously, and Xianfeng could not withstand such torment and had to die.

Zhu Hai and Yan Chunyu also heard the crying in the distance. They were startled and looked at Liu Ye. Liu Ye sighed and said, "Don't look at me. The emperor has passed away. From now on, Rehe will be a place of trouble. We absolutely cannot stay here for long. Let's go quickly. The farther the better. Return to the capital!"

Zhu Hai and Yan Chunyu were shocked and dared not say a word. They prepared the horses with Liu Ye, whipped their horses, and rushed out of Rehe overnight and headed straight for the capital!

They rushed all the way and in less than two days, the three of them rushed back to Beijing.

Liu Ye did not return to his residence, but went straight to Prince Gong's Mansion. When he arrived at the gate of Prince Gong's Mansion, he grabbed the reins and jumped off the horse.

It was afternoon, and the gate to the palace was open. Several guards stood before it. Seeing Liu Ye approaching on horseback, exhausted and dusty, they hurried over, took the reins from him, and asked, "Master Liu, what are you doing..."

Liu Ye shouted, "Don't ask too much. Is the prince in the mansion?"

The guard was startled and nodded quickly, saying, "The prince did not go out today and is resting in the mansion."

Liu Ye shouted, "Quick, take me to see the prince!"

Led by the guards, Liu Ye came to the study and met Yi Xin.

Yi Xin was shocked when she saw Liu Ye. What was wrong with this guy? His eyes were bloodshot and he was covered in dust. What was going on? Why was it so urgent?

Yi Xin asked: "Liu Ye, what are you doing..."

Liu Ye said anxiously: "Your Highness, there are two things, one happy and one sad!"

Yi Xin was startled and asked, "What are you happy about? What are you worried about?"

Liu Ye sighed and said, "The Emperor has already stamped the treaty. This is great joy. As for the great worry, the Emperor... has passed away!"

Ah!

Yi Xin was stunned as if he was struck by lightning. The emperor's death meant that half of the Qing Dynasty had collapsed. Liu Ye really didn't know the seriousness of the matter. In the face of the emperor's death, everything else was nothing!

"Your Majesty!"

Yi Xin fell down on the chair and burst into tears!

The love between brothers and the loyalty between ruler and subject, even if two people have always been at odds with each other, at this moment, they cannot help but feel sad.

Liu Ye immediately became anxious. He quickly pulled Prince Gong aside and said urgently, "Your Highness, this is not the time to grieve. The messenger announcing the death will arrive soon. Rehe is now under the control of Sushun and his faction. I'm afraid the new emperor will take power. Your Highness, our situation, the situation of the two palaces, and even the situation of the new emperor are all in a bad state. How can you still have the mind to mourn?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Gong's body stiffened and he slowly looked at Liu Ye.

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Before his death, the emperor drove me out of Rehe in the name of exchanging treaties. Wasn't it because he was afraid that we would cooperate with him from within? Now Sushun has taken control of the court. The new emperor is only five or six years old and knows nothing. All the government orders are in Sushun's hands. What do you think of your current situation..."

Prince Gong's heart skipped a beat. He pushed open the door and shouted, "Ejir! Take my name card and go see Lord Wenxiang immediately. Invite him to the mansion to discuss matters. It's urgent! Quick!"

It wasn't long before Wenxiang arrived at Prince Gong's Mansion and met the two men.

Seeing Prince Gong's sorrowful face, Wenxiang felt an ominous omen in his heart.

Wen Xiang hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, Lord Liu, what's the matter? Why are you so anxious?"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Wenxiang, I just came back from Rehe, and the emperor passed away..."

what……

Wen Xiang sat down on the ground and began to wail: "Your Majesty, I was unable to see you for the last time..."

Prince Gong shouted, "Alright, Master Wen, stop this. The situation is not good now. Let's talk about business first, and then talk about sadness..."

Wen Xiang wiped his tears and said sadly, "Your Majesty, is there anything worse than this?"

Liu Ye replied, "Lord Wen, the entire Rehe Prefecture is now under the control of Sushun. We have always had bad relations with him, and the new emperor is young and inexperienced. Do you think we can get away with it?"

Wenxiang was struck by lightning and turned pale instantly. This Sushun was not a good man. There were at least a dozen, if not dozens, of big men who fell into his hands. Now that he was in power, if he really wanted to attack his political enemies, I am afraid no one would be able to escape. Even the prince would have no chance of making a comeback!

Wen Xiang stammered, "Master Liu, that's impossible. After all, the prince is the first prince of the Qing Dynasty, a member of the royal family. In terms of ability, qualifications, status, and prestige, which one can Sushun compare to?"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Wenxiang, you are too naive. If it is really as you said, when the Emperor feels that he can no longer hold on, the first thing he will do is to summon the prince to Rehe and entrust his orphan to him! But what about now? The Emperor has passed away, and you haven't received any news yet. Although I rushed back as soon as possible, we are not an express messenger of 700 miles after all. Can we compare with the imperial court's express messenger of 700 miles?"

Prince Gong said in a deep voice, "Yes, Liu Ye is right. Now we are like meat on a chopping board, helpless at the mercy of others. But I am unwilling to accept this. Why? In terms of talent, identity, and status, how am I inferior to them?"

Wen Xiang asked, "Master Liu, what do you mean?"

"Just wait and see what happens!"

Liu Ye replied, "Now we can only wait and see. I think news from Rehe will reach the capital by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. We must quickly revise the treaty and urge the Anglo-French coalition to withdraw. As for the rest, Your Majesty, only you have enough energy to challenge Sushun at this time. Others, even the Monk King, are far behind. After all, Sushun is now a regent and has the imperial edict entrusted to him. No one else can do anything to him..."