After a stick of incense, a red lacquer and gold food box sent by Li Yunxie was delivered to Mrs. Shoufu as quickly as possible.

After the food box was opened, there was only a small dish of golden cake inside.

nothing else.

"Master, what do you mean?" Mrs. Xiao who was sitting on the Arhat's bed was over half a century old, and there were strands of silver between her temple hair combed into a bun.

She looked at the unfamiliar plate of snacks, rubbed the Jiangzhenxiang bead string with one hand, and frowned slightly.

Xiao Shoufu, who had changed into Taishiqing's regular clothes, was sitting beside him, staring at the plate of dim sum for a long time with downcast eyes as if he had never heard of it, with a pensive look on his face.

Before he came to the imperial mausoleum, he made an agreement with King Kang that Princess Kang would test Fengyang today to see how Fengyang was doing.

If the phoenix body in Fengyang is healthy, Princess Kang will send a plate of yam and jujube paste cake.

If there is something wrong with Fengyang, Concubine Kang will send a plate of other snacks.

Xiao Shoufu's right hand formed a fist, and unconsciously tapped lightly on the coffee table next to him.

The plate of snacks in front of him meant that Fengyang was seriously ill and his time was numbered.

The sky outside has completely darkened, and as night falls, the night in the mountains and forests is especially quiet.

At this moment, apart from the couple, there was no one else in the room, and the servants had already been pushed back.

"Master, what's wrong?" Mrs. Xiao asked again in a cautious tone.

She is not young, and she has been tired all day today, and her description inevitably reveals a bit of exhaustion.

Xiao Shoufu shook his head slowly, Nianxu continued to look at the plate of cake in the food box, thinking of something, lost his mind for a long time.

There was a slow sound of dripping water from the pot leak in the corner, and it gently dripped into the bronze unicorn-patterned water tank, making the room especially quiet.

After a while, Xiao Shoufu let out a long sigh, his cloudy eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, and said again: "Ma'am, I just think things went too smoothly."

Everything developed according to their expectations, without any deviation, it was really smooth.

Ever since the eldest prince came back from Yue, they had never been so smooth, Xiao Shoufu couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, and always wanted to go over the details again.

"Is it going well?" Mrs. Xiao stared straight at Xiao Shoufu, and raised her hand to rub the sore brows.

Although Xiao Shoufu's tone was very calm, but after decades of husband and wife, she could naturally hear the uneasiness hidden in her master's tone.

This is a matter of great importance, and there is absolutely no room for error.

The corners of Mrs. Xiao's eyes twitched suddenly, she took two deep breaths, and quickly stabilized her emotions.

The couple only spoke a few words, and the atmosphere in the room became dignified, and even the breathing of the two seemed a little depressed.

Xiao Shoufu frowned, nodded first, then shook his head again after a while, and said in a low voice, "If it goes well, it's actually not smooth..."

As he said that, Xiao Shoufu suddenly stood up from the Arhat bed, walked back and forth in the room slowly with his hands behind his back, and carefully thought about what happened in the past month in his mind.

As he walked, he said to himself: "First, the emperor repeatedly prevented us from entering the palace to visit the eldest princess Fengyang, and later, Fengyang, who had been ignoring the government for a long time, suddenly went to the court to ask for the crown prince for the eldest prince..."

"Even Dou Zixiang proposed a marriage between the two countries, but Fengyang never showed up."

Except for the last time he asked Chu Yi to be crowned prince and this time the imperial mausoleum sacrifice, Fengyang has never appeared in front of people these days, and he didn't even raise any objections to the marriage between the two countries, and even let the emperor let the eldest prince go to Yue in person, This is really not like Fengyang's usual style.

Unless, Fengyang is powerless.

Mrs. Xiao gracefully took a sip of tea, her eyes flashed.

It was not until she put down the teacup that she said: "Princess Fengyang has a temper like that of the great ancestor, and she has always been the only one who respects me. It seems that her real life is approaching. Master, what do you think?"

Xiao Shoufu stopped in his tracks, nodded in agreement, and the candlelight was reflected in his eyes.

The evening wind blew from the window, and the candles flickered on and off, making his eyes dark and strange.

He turned around suddenly, facing the evening wind blowing in his face, looked up at the full moon in the night sky outside the window, as if remembering something, his eyes became deeper.

He snorted softly coldly: "The late emperor took great pains in order to suppress Fengyang, although it was still a bad move...but this day of longevity should not be wrong."

"Before he died, the first emperor specially instructed King Kang..."

Xiao Shoufu's words stopped abruptly, and his lips were tightly pressed together.

Yes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

Xiao Shoufu withdrew his gaze, turned to meet Mrs. Xiao's eyes, a determined smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and continued: "Fengyang's time is running out, so she wants to establish a crown prince before her deadline." .”

"Fengyang is in a hurry, and the emperor is also in a hurry. They are more anxious than us, so we can push the boat step by step...it will come naturally."

His tone became more and more certain, and sharp rays of light burst out of his eyes, full of ambition.

Mrs. Xiao smiled in relief, and leaned on the big pillow behind her.

The expression on Xiao Shoufu's face gradually became relaxed, and he went back to the Arhat bed and sat down, patted the coffee table twice with his palms, and sighed with emotion: "After all, I am still old, so I will worry about gains and losses."

When he was young and middle-aged, he was courageous in killing and attacking when he was ready, so that the Xiao family could return to its current prominent position, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Yuan family.

But last night he tossed and turned, pondered over and over again, barely fell asleep all night.

As the person next to her, Mrs. Xiao knew how difficult it was for her master.

She personally refilled Xiao Shoufu's tea, and also delivered the teacup to him, comfortingly said softly: "Master, you are making a decision and then breaking it. For the future of the family, it should be like this."

"It's always right to be cautious."

To be disrespectful, the first emperor was too impulsive back then. In order to take down Fengyang first, he planned the whole thing alone without discussing with the aristocratic family. In the end, he was restrained by Fengyang instead.

If the first emperor had done it twenty-one years ago, why would they take another risk!

Xiao Shoufu took two sips of tea, settled down, and covered the red lacquered wooden food box again.

He has already made a decision in his heart: the arrow is on the string, and it is time to let it go.

"Crack!"

Xiao Shoufu clapped his hands twice, and Mrs. Xiao temporarily hid behind the screen.

Soon, the curtain leading to the outer room was opened from the outside, and a middle-aged man in a blue-faced straight gown walked in quickly.

He has a lean figure and an ordinary face, and there is a kind of strength in his steps that lifts weight as if it is light.

"Master." The middle-aged man saluted Xiao Shoufu respectfully.

There was the faint sound of insects outside the window.

Xiao Shoufu flicked his sleeves lightly, gritted his teeth secretly, his heart tightened, but his face was calm and calm, and he ordered lightly: "Ah Fu, you go back to Beijing immediately."

As he spoke, he took out a unicorn-shaped bronze token from his sleeve, and handed it to the middle-aged man named Ah Fu, with meaningful eyes.

This small token is as heavy as a rock at this moment.

Ah Fu raised his hands high, took the bronze token very cautiously, raised his head and looked at Xiao Shoufu in front of him, his eyes were as sharp as a sharp sword, and he replied concisely: "Yes, master."

Ah Fu put away the token, bowed and bowed again, then turned around and left decisively.

The door curtain was raised and then lowered, Mrs. Xiao walked out from behind the screen, and only the couple were left in the room.

Looking at the swaying door curtain, Xiao Shoufu's eyes flashed a trace of coldness, more determined.

Mrs. Xiao slowly twirled the bead string in her hand, looking at the bright moon in the night sky outside the window that seemed to have a hint of haze, and felt a faint fishy smell lingering in her nose.

"Master, it looks like it will rain tonight?" Mrs. Xiao frowned, her expression was extremely tired, and she suppressed the sigh that almost overflowed her mouth.

Everything depends on tomorrow!

"Don't worry." Xiao Shoufu elegantly twitched his beard and said, the tight lines around his body obviously relaxed a little, and a smile slowly appeared on his lips, "Qin Tianjian has long been over, these three days have been over. It's nice weather!"

There was a bit of eagerness in his tone, and a bit of can't wait.

Outside the window, a bird flapped its wings, and the wings brushed against the treetops inadvertently, and the branches swayed gently in the night wind.

The night gradually deepened. This night, the huge palace was very calm, but it was also very uneasy. The mountain wind was strong, and the sound blew non-stop all night. Many people stayed up all night.

The entire palace is brightly lit, and the lights stay on until dawn before they go out. The sun rises slowly among the mountains and mist, and a new day begins.

As Qin Tian supervised, today is a sunny day!

The sky had just turned pale, and the ministers came to the imperial mausoleum again in the gentle morning breeze. Under the guidance of the officials of the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple, they stood inside and outside the Longen Gate according to their ranks.

When the auspicious time came, the solemn ceremony and music sounded, and the bright yellow canopy swayed from afar.

A group of important clan officials walked over the emperor stepping on the red carpet at a leisurely pace, and everyone held their breath.

Under the guidance of the ceremonial officer, the emperor quickly came to the outside of the Long En Hall, and then he was washed by the attendant of the ceremonial supervisor, and then he entered the main hall and went straight to the incense table.

The incense table in the Long En Hall not only enshrines the tablets of Emperor Taizu, the late emperor and several empresses, but also enshrines the tablets of the ancestors of the four generations of the Chu family. Four generations of ancestors were emperors.

The Sixiang officer knelt down to offer incense. After the emperor received the incense, he knelt down on the futon and respectfully faced the ancestral tablets on the incense table, kneeling three times and prostrating nine times.

If it is an ordinary people's sacrifice, after this step, it is only a matter of burning paper money, but the royal sacrifice is much more complicated and grand.

Next, there are three more gifts, and the reading officer knelt down to read the Zhu text.

Every time a gift was offered, the emperor had to kneel three times and bow nine times to the ancestral tablet.

When the emperor wanted to kneel down, the honorable clansmen and the civil and military officials outside naturally couldn't just stand there. They also knelt down and kowtowed again and again under the instructions of officials from the Ministry of Rites. Dare to be lazy.

The people outside the Long En Hall had no futons to kneel on, and could only kneel directly on the cold, rough ground.

After kowtowing again, Li Yunxie only felt that her knees were hurt by the ground, and the seven-di crown on her head was so heavy that her neck could hardly be straightened.

Li Yunxie straightened his upper body quickly, and looked at Fengyang who was kneeling behind the emperor in the Long En Hall again.

Fengyang's status is so high that even her princess make-up is different from ordinary princesses, and she is the only one who can wear the five-clawed golden dragon pattern on her body like a prince.

The five-clawed golden dragon embroidered with gold thread shines in the sunlight and candlelight.

This is a great honor.

Among the female family members present, she was the only one who could enter the main hall with the emperor and other princes. The other princesses, concubines, and princesses could only bow down outside.

But……

An old saying came to Li Yunxie's mind: A tree is as beautiful as a forest, but the wind will destroy it.

People like Feng Yang should not belong to this era.

A strong shadow flashed across Li Yunxie's eyes, his eyes were deep, and he lowered his head to see the changes in the shadow below, using this to calculate the time.

Soon, soon.

She murmured to herself inwardly, her heart beating faster, like a drum beating.

A loud voice from the ceremony official came from ahead: "Send Liao off."

As these two words fell, the solemn ritual and music sounded again, resounding throughout the imperial tomb.

Immediately afterwards, the reading official presented the wish plate, and the Sisi official presented the silk, and walked out from the middle door of the main hall of the Longen Hall one by one, and sent them to the furnace for burning.

"The gift is over!"

When these two words sounded, the people kneeling outside the hall all heaved a sigh of relief.

The grand sacrificial ceremony was half completed at this step. Next, they had to go through the mausoleum door to mourn in front of the Ming Tower, and they still had to kneel down to worship, but at least their knees could rest for a while.

When many officials got up, they couldn't help but wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads with their cuffs.

At this moment, a ritual officer's exclamation came from the Long En Hall ahead: "Your Highness!"

The officials outside the hall, whether they were kneeling or standing up, all heard the reputation and looked over.

In the main hall, Feng Yang fell straight forward, accompanied by a muffled sound...

All this happened so fast, the ritual officer next to him only shouted, and it was too late to support Feng Yang, she had already fallen on the ground askew, motionless.

The luxurious nine-zhai crown on her head also fell to the ground as she fell.

Li Yunxie watched this scene with wide eyes, without blinking, his pupils contracted to a point of coldness, and his hands were tightly clenched into fists in his sleeves.

The royal family and princes next to Fengyang were all in a mess, and they all went to check on Fengyang, who was lying on the ground, and the voices of chattering were one after another:

"Miss Huang fainted!"

"Aunt Huang, Aunt Huang..."

"Could it be that my aunt is out of strength? Pass it to the imperial physician!"

"..."

With the support of the chief eunuch, the emperor stood up, looked at the comatose Fengyang in shock, and shouted with a pale face: "Quick...quickly help the emperor's aunt up! Where's the imperial physician?"

The hall became a mess, and the original solemn and solemn atmosphere disappeared.

Li Yunxi outside the hall stood up slowly, brushed off her dress, and smiled.

Chen Hui coated her face with a faint halo, which made her smile especially bright and her eyes even more radiant like the scorching sun.

She strode towards the Long En Hall.

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