bestfiction Chapter 128 Retreat
Chapter 128 Retreat
There are not many masters in the palace. Apart from the old prince who has passed away long ago, there are only the old princess and Ji Zexu. Now Ji Zexu is imprisoned in the Sky Prison, and the old princess is the only master left in the palace.
The old princess was sitting in the main seat. The general was quite polite to her when she entered the room. He asked the maid to serve her tea and then asked her if she had noticed anything wrong with the second young master of the mansion in recent years.
The old princess looked pale. Her face, which had been carefully maintained for many years, was now bloodless, as if she had aged ten years overnight. There were wrinkles on her face, and the gold hairpin that had been inserted in her hair a few days ago had long been removed, revealing her gray hair on her temples.
In response to Xue Fei's questions, the old princess kept her head down and remained silent, neither arguing nor answering.
Xue Fei asked for a long time, but when he didn't get a single word out of the answer, he sighed and gave up.
Although there are not many people in the palace, the old prince has made great contributions to the country. He can't bully the women in his family just because he is dead, especially his brother's mother.
He, the emperor and Ji Yinghuai, they grew up together. Xue Fei used to feel sorry for Ji Yinghuai. When he was young, he was ignorant and often made fun of Ji Yinghuai, saying that the old princess might not be his biological mother, maybe he was picked up.
Otherwise, why would a biological mother be so cold to her own son, not caring or asking how he was doing, rarely seeing him once a year, with a hint of fear on her face, yet showing extra concern for a bastard's son.
This problem troubled both him and the emperor. At that time, they even suspected that Ji Yinghuai and Ji Zexu might have been switched brothers. Unfortunately, according to the results of the investigation, Ji Yinghuai was indeed his biological son.
After he said that, he was beaten up when he got home. The next day, he limped to apologize to Ji Yinghuai. From then on, he and the emperor never mentioned anything about their parents in front of Ji Yinghuai.
When he returned to Beijing occasionally, if Ji Yinghuai was still in Beijing, he would either go to the palace or be taken to his home by him.
As for festivals, he and the emperor never forgot to prepare food or daily necessities for their brothers who were far away in the frontier. They also privately asked whether the old princess had made any moves. But every time they were disappointed and speechless.
As a son, Ji Yinghuai would write a few letters every year to show his concern, but the old princess probably never even opened the letters, let alone replied.
The secret passage in the study was searched several times, but after the evidence found by the black shadow that day, nothing else was found, so everyone returned empty-handed.
Xue Fei stood up and said goodbye, looking at the old princess on the high seat with a complicated look in his eyes.
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At this time, the Imperial Palace.
In the magnificent hall, the dragon desk was filled not with memorials but a chessboard. Two people sat opposite each other, one holding the white pieces and the other holding the black pieces, watching the game in which the two were in a stalemate.
There was an old eunuch next to them making tea for the two of them. Apart from him, there was no one else in the hall.
"Now that we have all the evidence, will you come back once the matter is resolved?" Qin Chaohan, who was wearing a yellow dragon robe, put down a chess piece and spoke in a calm tone.
Ji Yinghuai said without even raising his head: "Why did I come back? Now the court is stable, the foreign enemies have been eliminated, and there are many people who can take my place. Although this capital is prosperous, it is really boring. You know, I have always disliked these rules the most."
"Oh." Qin Zhaohan glanced at him meaningfully, "I didn't hear you say you were uncomfortable staying here before. I'm afraid you have someone you love and don't want to come back."
Ji Yinghuai was not surprised that Qin Chaohan knew about his relationship with Jiang Shian. It was impossible for him to investigate many things so quickly with his own hands. Qin Chaohan probably noticed it when he contacted his old subordinates, otherwise he would not have sent Xue Fei to give him the Jade Order.
Dealing with Ji Zexu is a very simple matter. Although Ji Zexu has a good name and is scheming, he is too stupid and has revealed his true colors in many things. It only takes some time to investigate, but there are too many people involved behind him.
If we act suddenly, there is no guarantee that those people will become desperate and fight to the death, and the only ones who will get hurt will be the people of Beijing.
Fortunately, their efforts were not in vain. They had collected a lot of evidence in the past six months, and Ji Yinghuai's sudden appearance in the palace was a good opportunity. With such a big bait, Ji Zexu would never let him go.
When the last chess piece is placed on the chessboard, the situation of the white piece that was just surrounded by the black pieces is reversed instantly. The black piece is surrounded by the white pieces and there is no possibility of turning around. The situation is set.
The old man standing next to him had cold sweat on his face and lowered his head, not daring to look or listen any more.
He is worthy of being the King of Zhanbei. Only he can play chess with the emperor and win without changing his expression. There is no sign of unhappiness on the emperor's face.
Ji Yinghuai drank the tea in the cup. He had been delayed for more than half a month. If he didn't go back, the young man would be anxious.
Thinking of the people who were still waiting for him at home, a touch of tenderness appeared on his face, and his voice softened: "Yes, I promised him that I would be back in half a month at the latest. Now he has been delayed for a few days. Let's finish it as soon as possible and go back as soon as possible."
Qin Chaohan looked at the person opposite him who was smiling gently and was dazed for a moment. It had been a long time since he saw Ji Yinghuai smile so charmingly.
Tsk, it's really an eyesore.
The Ji family has been a military family since the time of the retired emperor. They are not loyal to any faction but only to the emperor. They never get involved in any party disputes and are a breath of fresh air in the court.
But the greater the power, the greater the suspicion. By the time of Ji Yinghuai, he had already reached the position of a king of a different surname, so naturally there were many rumors in the court.
Many old ministers advised to take back the tiger talisman and military power and confer the title of king on a new king. The power and honor were already great enough, and if it was any greater, he would probably have to sit on the dragon throne.
Qin Chaohan never took it to heart. He and Ji Yinghuai grew up together. If it weren't for Ji Yinghuai, he wouldn't be in his current position and would have died long ago.
Facts have proved that Ji Yinghuai is worthy of his trust.
But now that he has more and more power, people will change, especially those in high positions. He doesn't know when he will wake up and find that others are coveting his throne.
Once suspicion arises, it is difficult to dispel. No matter how impossible or unreasonable it is, it will become a possibility and definite evidence in the subconscious mind.
He was not sure what would happen at that time, whether he would kill Ji Yinghuai for this position.
Ji Yinghuai's plan to retire is a good thing for everyone. It is impossible to return to the military camp after regaining his identity, and he can only stay in the capital as an idle prince. Living under surveillance and rules every day, it is better to walk out of this world and travel freely in the outside world.