Chapter 270
Regardless of his uncle Cui Hong's objection, the King of the East Sea wanted a thousand soldiers and insisted on going to the palace to check the situation. On the way, he encountered a group of fugitives, who seemed to be Jianghu people invited by the Tan family.
"What happened in the palace?" Donghai King asked loudly.
Someone recognized him and ran back and said, "Trap, it's a trap, the palace is full of old guards, they are killing people, killing everyone, even the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace are not spared..."
East Sea King's face changed, his mother and wife were in the palace.
Looking back at the soldiers of the Southern Army who followed behind, King Donghai gave up the idea of rushing to the palace to save people, "The queen entered the palace voluntarily, mother... Mother could have escaped." King Donghai said to himself, not forgetting to give to Mrs Tan. "Queen" status.
The King of Donghai returned to the army camp to find Cui Hong, "Shangguan Sheng is crazy, the battle outside the city has not yet been decided, and he actually started killing in the palace. My mother is only afraid... I am afraid... Uncle, unless you Send out all the southern troops in the city, and the people in the palace will be killed."
Cui Hong was sitting on a chair, with no lights around, his body was hidden in the darkness, motionless, not opening his mouth, like a statue, still like one... The King of the East Sea was frightened and took two steps forward carefully. Meeting my uncle's indifferent gaze, I felt a little relieved, "Uncle."
"Shangguansheng is planning to escape."
"Why?" King Donghai was a little confused, but he knew that his uncle guessed right, Shangguan Sheng massacred the palace staff, and he must have abandoned the palace.
"Because he is too young and inexperienced, and the situation is a little chaotic, he can't hold his breath, thinking that the general trend is coming, and the sooner he escapes, the better."
"He's bigger than me and Han Ruzi!"
"Hey, no matter how old you are, there are still people who are brave and resourceful. The men of Shangguan's family are extremely incompetent, and the Queen Mother is useless no matter how talented they are."
"Don't worry about who Shangguan Sheng is, what should we do?" King Donghai had a lot of ideas in his stomach, none of which could be separated from his uncle's army, so he still had to ask for help honestly.
"What should we do? Of course, we will not move. Shangguansheng is now a poor bandit. He runs and runs and his subordinates are scattered. The most urgent task is to defeat the Marquis of Wan, and then collect Shangguansheng's remnant army. However, if it is not willing, the Southern Army will have the only way to win the capital."
King Donghai thought this was a good idea, but there was something he had to say to avoid being called unfilial afterwards, "My mother..."
Cui Hong stared at his nephew and said coldly, "Since you have become emperor, then Concubine Cui is the queen mother, and the daughter of the Tan family is the queen. What to do is up to you."
The King of Donghai scolded inwardly, the old fox Cui Hong didn't seem to intend to take the slightest responsibility, he thought for a while, and said solemnly: "Shangguansheng has already started, and rushing into the palace at this time will not save anyone, it will only increase casualties. Just act according to Uncle's plan, and don't move. But no matter what, in the future, Shangguan Sheng must be captured alive and taken back to the capital to be beheaded and displayed to the public!"
"Well, you are the emperor, what you say is what you say." That said, Cui Hong is not a nephew and an emperor now. He called in the generals outside and ordered everyone in the city to stand by and monitor Su at all times. The movement of the guards, once Shangguan Sheng fled, he immediately took over the gates of the whole city, and then went to occupy the palace.
Both uncles and nephews saw the hope of victory. They didn't want to think about it, and they didn't even want to take a look at whether Taifei Cui and Mrs. Tan were really killed.
Shortly after the first batch of eunuchs and palace maids escaped from the east gate, Cui Xiaojun heard the rumor that the Su Wei army was going to massacre the palace servants. The Tien Hou outside the city is winning.
She has to talk to someone.
Concubine Cui and Wang Meiren were both kept by the Queen Mother, and the only person Cui Xiaojun could find was Mrs. Tan, who had just entered the palace.
Mrs Tan entered the palace privately, and was soon discovered, without being punished, but sent to the residence of Taifei Cui, in the same courtyard as Cui Xiaojun.
The person who let the Tan family into the palace did not have such good luck. After being arrested by the Su Weijun, he was beheaded on the spot. This is also the original origin of the rumor of the massacre.
For many people, it was a sleepless night. As soon as Cui Xiaojun knocked, the door was opened. Mrs. Tan, without a maid, stood at the door and looked at the visitors coldly.
Cui Xiaojun didn't bring a maid. Feeling the opponent's resistance, he took a step back and said, "I am Mrs. Tien Hou, and the King of the East Sea is my cousin..."
"I know who you are."
The two were silent for a while, Cui Xiaojun said, "Have you heard the rumor?"
Tan nodded.
"We can't just stay here and wait, we have to find a way to protect ourselves."
Tan was still silent.
"Su Weijun will kill us all," Cui Xiaojun reminded.
"Do you think you can be a queen again?" Tan asked suddenly.
Cui Xiaojun was stunned for a moment. If Marquis Juan returned to the throne, of course she would still be the queen, but now is not the time to think about this kind of thing. "Shangguan Sheng doesn't care who is the queen."
"You're right." Mr. Tan seemed to suddenly change his mind, "What are you going to do?"
"Only the queen mother can protect us..."
"Ha, the queen mother? She is the one who wants to kill you and me."
"All the empress dowager's resentment lies in... Concubine Cui alone, and the empress dowager is the only one who can control Shangguansheng. Asking her for help, even if she just hides under the eaves of the empress dowager's palace, may be able to save her life."
"In that case, you can go alone, why did you come to me?"
Cui Xiaojun couldn't make up his mind alone. He wanted to hear Tan's opinion, but he didn't expect her to be so indifferent, "I... I thought you would have a better way."
Mrs Tan was relatively tall, took a step forward and crossed the threshold, lowered her head slightly, saw Cui Xiaojun more clearly, and said, "I have no better way, I will go with you to the Queen Mother for help."
Cui Xiaojun had no choice but to nod, "Champion Hou's son is also here, take him with him..."
Looking at the back of Cui Xiaojun walking away in a hurry, Mrs Tan was a little surprised. Champion Hou's son was her nephew and had nothing to do with the Cui family.
Cui Xiaojun came back with the baby, followed by three palace maids, who had also heard the rumors and looked panicked.
It is not so easy to meet the queen mother. Cui Xiaojun, the Tan family, and the son of the champion Hou are all under house arrest. The key to the courtyard is in the hands of a female official. She can allow "prisoners" to communicate with each other, but cannot let anyone leave the courtyard at will. door, let alone to see the queen mother.
The female official was about forty years old and heard rumors, but many years of life in the palace told her that being indifferent is the best choice, "Unless there is an order from the Queen Mother, no one can go out, unless it is ordered by the Queen Mother, no one dares to be there. Murder in the palace, unless it's the queen mother..."
Mrs Tan stepped forward, grabbed the female official's right arm, twisted it behind her easily, and said to the three palace maids who followed, "Search your body and find the key."
In the palace, the female official has seen stern, ruthless, and arrogant people, but she has never seen such a woman as Tan shi, and she has a lot of strength. Her wrist was pinched so tightly that she cried out in pain, " Whoops...all the gates in the palace are in charge...ohh...it is a capital crime to steal the door key without authorization...ohh..."
The three palace maids were both nervous and excited. They didn't recognize the Tan family and only looked at Cui Xiaojun.
Cui Xiaojun was also taken aback, and nodded quickly, indicating that the palace maids should obey Tan's orders.
Five women and a baby went out, and the key was returned to the female officer.
"You should go with us." Cui Xiaojun said kindly.
The female official shook her head, "I only listen to the queen mother..." She hurriedly closed the courtyard door, locked it again, and did not inform others, pretending that everything was normal, with deep fear in her heart.
The group walked to the nearby Queen Mother's Palace, and Cui Xiaojun asked, "Have you studied martial arts?"
"Well." The Tan family has practiced martial arts regardless of gender, and the Tan family is no exception. Although his skills are average, it is more than enough to deal with ordinary palace maids or the East Sea King.
The door to the bedroom was closed, and Cui Xiaojun handed the baby to a palace maid and knocked on the door.
A question quickly came from the door: "Who?"
"The Princess Tan of the East China Sea and Mrs. Cui, the Lady of Tien Hou, asked to see the Empress Dowager."
"Has the queen mother summoned you?"
"No, we..."
"Who allowed you to roam in the palace?" The voice inside the door became stern.
"Please speak to the queen mother."
"Hey..." The people in the door suddenly stopped speaking, as if they were forbidden. After a while, a voice changed from the door, "Xiaojun, is that you?"
"It's me." Cui Xiaojun heard that it sounded like Wang Meiren's voice, but did not dare to confirm it.
"You can't come in."
Cui Xiaojun was startled, "But Su Weijun..."
"Find a way to escape, the queen mother is not safe here. She will attack Taifei Cui and will not let you live."
"But... at least accept this child, he didn't do anything wrong." Cui Xiaojun wanted to cry without tears.
"It was his fault to be born in the royal family."
There was no sound in the door, and Cui Xiaojun was heartbroken. In her memory, Juan Hou's mother was gentle and amiable, and she never thought that she would shut herself out at the most dangerous time.
"It's your fault that you were born in the Cui family," said Tan Shi who was on the side.
Cui Xiaojun turned his head to look at Mrs Tan, feeling a burst of anger.
"That's the mother of Hou Juan, she is really a visionary mother, um, she is already thinking about the matter after her son is proclaimed emperor, and solves problems for him: the Cui family first supported the champion Hou, and now they support the East Sea King, they just don't. Willing to support Marquis Juan, once Marquis Tien becomes emperor, he must solve the Cui family, but his queen is the daughter of the Cui family, what is difficult, once you die, all problems will be solved."
"No, it's not like that..." Cui Xiaojun didn't want to admit it.
Tan didn't argue.
A piece of torches appeared in the distance, and there was the sound of weapons colliding with armor. Cui Xiaojun held back his grief and said, "Follow me."
The three palace maids followed with the baby, and Mrs Tan stood there for a while, and then stepped forward to catch up.
"Where are you going?" Tan asked.
Cui Xiaojun didn't answer. She was quite familiar with the palace, and she knew the general direction and walked fast. If it was normal, someone would have come out to intercept it. Tonight was an exception. hide.
Cui Xiaojun knocked on the courtyard door again and said to Mrs Tan, "Only this person can save us."
A trembling voice came from the door, "Who?"
"The queen mother wants to see Yang Feng." Cui Xiaojun lied calmly.