Chapter 177 Asking for Imperial Order
Surrounded by verdant trees and lush vegetation, Fengzhengtai stands majestically, peaceful and tranquil.
Before Gu Nianting entered the palace, he originally arranged for Mur Chen to send people to observe the movements of the Privy Council and the National Treasury.
Knowing that his second sister Mu Rong was angry and didn't want to care, Mu Erchen made an excuse to shirk responsibility.
Zhong Hua took the opportunity to suggest that it might be more appropriate to leave the matter of waiting and watching to Feng Zhengtai.
There was no other choice but to agree.
This was what Zhong Hua intended.
Gu Nianting only said to be careful of Prince Di Jin; but he felt that after falling into the trap, the emperor would also be ready to make a move.
When the meat is right in front of your mouth, even if you can resist not eating it, you will still unconsciously enjoy the delicious fragrance of the delicacy.
Therefore, he suggested to the two powerful officials, Feng Zhengtai, that when arranging spies, they should have someone observe the movements in the Feng Palace and report immediately if anything unexpected happened.
Gu Nianting had already instructed that his third uncle be allowed to participate in the matter and that everything should be discussed with him, so the two adults naturally listened.
Sure enough, a Feng Zhengshi came back running and falling.
"My Lords, something terrible has happened!"
At this time, Qi Lei and Tao Kangping fell into Lin Mu's trap and had just returned to Shengjing.
After hearing this, both of them were shocked and asked at the same time.
"Why are you so nervous?"
Zhong Hua sat on one side, calm and composed. He roughly guessed what had happened and began to ponder countermeasures.
Feng Zhengshi was tired from running and was breathing heavily, his face still panic-stricken.
"I just got the news that the two gentlemen left the capital as part of the Emperor's plan to depose them!"
"Now, the emperor refuses to acknowledge the oral order, and the two gentlemen do not have a written order. Leaving the capital without permission almost caused a disaster. Eunuch Fu has come here with the imperial edict to dismiss the two of you!"
"Mr. Zhongcheng Yu urgently ordered Mr. Geng, the official attendant of Fengzheng, to enter the palace under an excuse to report to our prince. He also ordered me to rush back to Fengzhengtai and ask the two gentlemen to think of a countermeasure as soon as possible."
Tao Kangping's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Why is there no written order?"
"The imperial edict given to me by the emperor is in the hands of Lord Zhao, the Minister of Yinsi. I have been waiting for a few days but I have not received it yet."
"Just after returning to the capital, I asked my attendants to ask about it. Lord Zhao had some problems on the way, so he didn't make it to Tuobin County to meet me."
"At this moment, Lord Zhao has just returned. He said that after he has settled all the affairs of Yin Sitai, he will personally bring the handwritten order and deliver it to my residence."
Qi Lei had a complicated expression, as if he was having a hard time expressing his pain.
“My situation is not much different.”
"The relevant official in Yin Sizhong said that the official business is urgent and can only be handled quickly at Yin Sitai. The handwritten order is on the carriage, and the attendants have been ordered to deliver it to Qi Mansion as fast as possible."
"It should have been delivered by now, right?"
Seeing that it was indeed the case, Tao Kangping put away his surprised expression and sighed in frustration.
"It seems that we have fallen into a trap."
Qi Lei didn't want to believe it, and there was still a look of disbelief in his brows.
"How can Yin Sitai cooperate with the emperor's plan?"
Frustrated, Tao Kangping sighed repeatedly.
"I think King Dijin has already given instructions."
After saying this, he turned his head intentionally or unintentionally and glanced at Zhong Hua a few times.
Noticing the hint in his eyes, Qi Lei adjusted his mood, put on a flattering smile, and turned to walk towards Zhong Hua.
"Alliance Master Qi..."
Seeing this, Zhong Hua stood up and bowed.
"What advice do you have, Lord Qi?"
Qi Lei smiled apologetically and returned the greeting.
"I am truly ashamed, how dare I give you advice?"
"When the incident happened, Alliance Leader Qi advised us not to pay any attention to it, as there was something fishy going on."
Tao Kangping followed and also smiled apologetically.
"Yes."
"It's all our fault for acting on our own. That's why we fell into the trap."
"Alliance Master Qi, please be tolerant and bear no grudges. I beg for your forgiveness."
Zhong Hua was sincere and had a modest smile.
"They set up a trap with their relatives, and it is only natural for the two adults to fall into the trap. I understand, and naturally I dare not complain."
Qi Lei immediately expressed his gratitude, also with full sincerity.
"Thank you, Alliance Leader Qi, for your magnanimity."
Thank you and ask for the responsibility sincerely.
"May I ask, do you have a plan to break the impasse?"
Just now, when they were frustrated, Zhong Hua had already thought of a solution.
"The only solution now is to ask for the Emperor's order and pretend that you two have been to Prince Dijin's mansion before leaving Beijing."
"It's not difficult to fabricate whereabouts, as long as there are witnesses; but it's hard to guess what King Di Jin is thinking."
"Whether it will be successful or not is still unknown, I can only try my best."
Qi Lei was slightly shocked and expressed his confusion.
"Prince Dijin instructed Yin Sitai to cooperate with the emperor's plan and use excuses to deceive and stabilize us. It is clear what he intended."
"Why would he help?"
Zhong Hua avoided any hidden meaning and did not say it explicitly, but just gave a simple explanation.
"If we explain the pros and cons, things might turn around. I always feel that they have no intention of dealing with Feng Zhengtai, and they are using his tricks against him, and they have other intentions."
Qi Lei didn't realize the hidden meaning and smiled happily.
"That's great."
Tao Kangping smiled and saluted.
"Thank you, Alliance Leader Qi."
Zhong Hua quickly returned the gift without losing any courtesy, and then gave careful instructions.
"When the eunuch who announces the imperial edict arrives, please make excuses to delay and pretend that the imperial edict is in the palace and send someone to get it immediately."
"Once I have obtained the imperial decree, I will hand it over to the two followers and treat them as if they were brought back from the palace."
Qi Lei smiled and nodded.
"understood."
Tao Kangping gestured for him to come in.
"Feng Zhengtai's side door is the best way to reach Emperor Jin's Palace as soon as possible. I'll have to ask Alliance Leader Qi to go through the side door."
Zhong Hua left immediately.
"Well, farewell."
After leaving Fengzhengtai, Zhong Hua got on the carriage without saying goodbye and quickly headed to Prince Dijin's Palace.
Yan Yu had something to do, so she left home early in the morning.
When Ning Yunxi made the plan, she knew that Zhong Hua would come, so she told her brother in advance to arrange for Lord Xie to wait inside before leaving the house.
Therefore, Zhong Hua did not see Yan Yu, but just smiled at Xie Mao.
"I heard that the prince is not in the palace, but the guard allowed me to come in and have a chat. May I ask who you are..."
Xie Mao bowed briefly, introduced himself, and gestured for him to take a seat.
"I am Yin Sicheng Xie Mao."
"I have long heard of your great name, Master Qi. I am honored to meet you."
Zhong Hua bowed respectfully and sat down at the side.
"It turns out to be Lord Xie. I bow my head and wish Lord Xie well."
"I am ignorant and disrespectful. I hope you will forgive me."
Xie Mao's eyes were peaceful and he smiled calmly.
"No, no, you are too polite, Alliance Leader Qi."
The maid served tea and then retreated. He responded with courtesy and a gentle smile.
"Alliance Master Qi, please have some tea."
Zhong Hua smiled faintly and did not overstep his boundaries.
"I dare not. Thank you, sir, for going first."
After the greetings, Xie Mao got down to business.
"Hearing that the two masters of Feng Zhengtai left the capital in a hurry, the prince knew that they had fallen into a trap, and he had prepared two imperial edicts a few days ago."
"Now that the seal has dried, when Eunuch Fu sees it, he will know that they came to ask for the imperial decree before leaving the capital. This will save the palace from accusing them of trying to avoid punishment and being quick-witted."
"The prince said that if you want to help, you can't neglect any details."
"Please rest assured, Master Qi. The imperial edict is escorted by Yin Sitai's men and has already set out to be delivered to Feng Zhengtai. It will definitely be delivered to the two adults' trusted hands as soon as possible."
It was such a thoughtful plan, which showed how profound it was. Zhong Hua couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"It seems that the prince left Lord Xie here just to use me as a commoner to test the strength of Feng Zhengtai?"