novelhk Chapter 131: No Interest in the Throne
Chapter 131: No Interest in the Throne
The night before his enthronement, dozens of suspicious people entered the capital in batches at the city gate, but were quickly abducted without a sound.
Before dawn, more than a hundred people were gagged, tied up and thrown into the underground prison of the Ministry of Punishment.
"I want to see the boss."
A voice came from the dark cell of the Ministry of Punishment.
When the guards delivered the news to the East Palace.
"Big sir, it will be dawn in an hour. Do you really want to go?" Xue Yuan was a little worried.
Lu Jingning nodded.
The guards brought news that Mo Yunyao took the initiative to meet her and wanted to reveal things about the Northern Qi royal family, and also mentioned Bu Yan.
So, she had to go.
"But……"
"It's nothing to worry about. There's still time." Lu Jingning changed his clothes, stood up and walked out the door.
Xue Yuan followed closely behind.
The originally quiet early morning was already being prepared because of the upcoming coronation ceremony. They were preparing in a hurried and orderly manner.
The white silk hanging under the eaves had been torn down.
"Big bastard, your earlobe has fallen off." Xue Yuan reminded.
Lu Jingning stopped and raised her hand to touch her ear crotch. There was indeed one missing ear on her left ear. She was a little anxious: "Look for it quickly."
The guard who came to deliver the message asked, "Do you want to find a few more people to look for it?"
"Alright!"
Lu Jingning nodded and called over a dozen palace maids and eunuchs: "I just lost an ear crotch. It is very important to me. We must find it."
"Yes."
So everyone started to look around with their heads down.
Lu Jingning and Xue Yuan also walked all the way back to look for it. Fortunately, after walking a few steps, they found it at the corner at the end of the corridor.
She stood up and looked at the sky: "Let's go!"
The dark and damp Ministry of Punishment was bustling with activity. Many people who had been tortured were screaming in agony as they could not sleep due to the pain.
When Lu Jingning passed by, many people looked at her and stretched out their hands to try to grab something, but she remained calm and continued walking forward.
Finally arrived at a cage.
It was Mo Yunyao whom I hadn’t seen for a long time.
Completely different from his appearance in his previous life, the high-spirited young man has now become a miserable, filthy prisoner.
"Are you looking for me?" she asked.
Mo Yunyao didn't expect her to really come. He stood up emotionally, his eyes full of guilt: "Big bastard, it's my fault. I'm sorry for you."
Lu Jingning raised his eyebrows.
The Mo Yunyao she knew was extremely proud and complacent. When would he ever show such an expression?
"Big ***, please give me another chance to make amends..."
"You came to me just to talk about this?" Lu Jingning frowned, slightly displeased. Mo Yunyao hurried to explain: "I can help the emperor seize power, seize the power of Northern Qi, how about that?"
Lu Jingning glanced at the time through the narrow window. The coronation ceremony would be held in more than half an hour.
"How do you take it? How do you take it? What are your rights?"
He asked three questions in a row, showing great patience.
"I am the Sixth Prince of Northern Qi."
"But there is more than one prince in Northern Qi, and the Emperor of Northern Qi does not trust a prince who has failed in his mission. You have no power and no influence, so why do you say such arrogant words to help me? You are just trying to fool me and get out." Lu Jingning bluntly exposed Mo Yunyao's words.
Mo Yunyao's thin face was a little surprised.
With his intelligence, wouldn't it be a simple matter for him to seize power?
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the cell.
Screams were heard.
"what!"
"Help me."
Lu Jingning looked back the way he came. He didn't know when a raging fire had started at the door. The fire spread and burned down the cells.
This cell is full of serious criminals, so their hands and feet are all in heavy shackles, and the shackles are fixed to the ground and cannot be removed at all.
When the fire broke out, these people had nowhere to escape and could only watch the fire lick their legs, clothes, hair and skin.
The severe burning pain made the prisoner scream miserably.
Mo Yunyao stared at Lu Jingning.
Lu Jingning withdrew his expression indifferently and continued to look at Mo Yunyao: "You haven't finished yet."
"You!" Mo Yunyao choked, "The fire is spreading. This is the last cell. Do you really want to die with me?"
How could he be so calm at a critical moment of life and death?
……
Outside the temple
As the time approaches
All the civil and military officials have gathered, and the grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven is about to begin, but there is no sign of Lu Jingning.
"Why hasn't the boss come yet?"
"Who knows?"
"Maybe you have other ideas?"
Civil and military officials were talking a lot.
After the auspicious time passed and the person still hadn't shown up, all the officials became a little uneasy.
At this time, a eunuch came hurriedly with a message. Two hours ago, the emperor went to the Ministry of Punishment to visit the prison. As a result, there was a fire in the Ministry of Punishment. A big fire blocked all the exits and the fire inside could not be controlled at all.
"The Ministry of Punishment is on fire?"
"Quick, go and take a look."
All the officials rushed towards the Ministry of Punishment.
Before I got close, I could smell a strong, pungent smell of burning coming from above the Ministry of Punishment, which was nauseating.
A group of guards and eunuchs were watering the plants with buckets of water.
All the officials looked at each other.
"On the day of his ascension, a fire burned down the Ministry of Punishment, causing countless casualties. If this matter were to get out, would it be considered a warning from God?"
"Could it be that the late emperor did not agree with the crown princess ascending the throne, so he used the fire to warn us?"
One or two people started talking.
The newly appointed Jingzhao Yin Shen Rufeng glanced at the minister who was speaking and snorted coldly.
The fire was not put out until evening. The gate of the Ministry of Punishment had already been burned down and was still emitting thick smoke. The guards were choked and coughed repeatedly before they could get close, and tears kept flowing from their eyes.
The smell in there is really bad.
It took several more hours to count the burnt bodies inside, including the guards from the Ministry of Punishment, there were two more people.
In terms of numbers, the two extra people are Lu Jingning and Xue Yuan.
"The Crown Princess is dead?"
"This is how to do?"
"Then we can only ask His Royal Highness to ascend the throne." Someone suggested: "The country cannot be without a ruler for a day, so we can only ask His Royal Highness to ascend the throne as soon as possible, stabilize the morale of the army first, and then find out the cause of the fire."
So all the officials reached a consensus and went to the East Palace immediately.
When the Crown Princess Shangguan learned that her daughter was most likely killed in the fire, she fainted on the spot. The imperial physician rushed to treat her. After a few injections, Shangguan woke up faintly. "Aning, where is Aning? My Aning will be fine. How can you be sure that the body is Aning's?"
Meizhu advised, "Please calm down, Crown Princess. The Queen went to the Ministry of Punishment before dawn today. There were more than a dozen palace maids who could testify, so the body was indeed the Queen's."
Shangguan shook her head to express her disbelief.
"No, why would Aning go to the Ministry of Punishment at this critical moment?"
Mei Zhu said: "I heard that it was Mo Yunyao from the Ministry of Punishment who invited you in the name of Lord Bu."
Shangguan's face suddenly turned pale. She tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes empty, and suddenly fell into a broad embrace.
"Li'er."
The prince took her into his arms and held her tightly.
Shangguan's nose felt sore, she held back her tears, stretched out her hand and placed it on the prince's chest, creating some distance between them. She pointed at the civil and military officials outside the door, "Are they here to persuade His Highness to ascend the throne?"
The prince shook his head: "I have no intention of ascending the throne."