Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 170 The Endless Night: Prince Yu's Coup

Shortly after the news of the Crown Prince's death was reported to the Emperor and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs by officials of the Eastern Palace, Zhang Quan, the Emperor's close eunuch, personally went to the residences of Prince Heng and Prince Jin to summon the two princes to the palace.

At the same time, Liu Feng, the Minister of Rites, and He Yushi, the censor of Fuqian Street, along with several other officials of the fourth rank or above, jointly submitted a memorial impeaching Prince Yu for plotting to harm the crown prince.

Whether this was premeditated or based on hearsay, only a few people knew the specifics.

After Zhang Quan was summoned and left, Prince Jin exchanged a glance with Song, the chief secretary of the Prince's residence, in the Cunxin Hall. "Brother Song, I didn't expect that without Prince Zhan's assistance, the Third Prince would lose his composure. Moreover, the Seventh Prince made a wrong move in this game."

Song Changshi stroked his long beard, looked at the twenty-one-year-old Prince Jin, and said in one sentence: "It is all because of His Majesty's strategic planning."

This utterance of "Your Majesty" was utterly treasonous. The Prince of Jin laughed loudly, and the wind howled outside the palace as he strode out.

Chief Secretary Song whispered, "Your Highness, please be careful in everything you do. The Prince of Jin's residence will be safe tonight."

Prince Jin turned around, bowed to Chief Secretary Song, and instructed Jingming to send messages to Ruyi Palace and Yunyi Palace respectively. He then led a team of guards to leave the mansion and enter the palace.

......

Inside the Yunyi Palace.

After the eunuch left, Hua Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a strange sense of panic.

After discussing with Aunt Mei for a moment, Hua Yan immediately reported to Consort Zhen: she ordered Xiao Nianzi to guard the vicinity of Chengyun Palace overnight, close the main gate of Yunyi Palace, and leave only the side gate near the servants' quarters, which Mingyue would guard.

Aunt Mei went to the front before curfew and asked Zhu Zi to pass on a message: even if the Tang family could find out about the Crown Prince's death through their spies, they might not know the inside story of the Minister of Rites and others impeaching Prince Yu immediately.

However, Aunt Mei was overthinking it.

The Tang residence had its gates tightly shut an hour earlier. Tang Xian was not home; Tang Lin and the steward, along with guards, were stationed at the front gate. In the inner quarters, Madam Yun had not only summoned the Fifth Miss and others, along with Concubines Liu and Lu, to gather at Fu'an Residence, but had also dispatched Madam Zhou and her entourage to the vicinity of the Prince of Jin's residence before nightfall...

At the beginning of the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Consort Zhen, dressed in her undergarments, lay on the bed and asked uneasily, looking at Hua Yan, who was lying fully clothed beside the footstool:

"Before the Prince entered the palace, he ordered the Commander of the Guards in the Prince's residence to increase patrols. Could it be that the turmoil of the previous dynasty will affect our Prince's residence?"

Only the master and servant were inside the bedchamber. Hua Yan replied in a deep voice:

"The Crown Prince's health has been deteriorating day by day. The Emperor is mindful of the late Empress's affection for him, and there is no precedent for deposing a Crown Prince in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, he has not truly deposed the Crown Prince. However, everyone knows that the Crown Prince is merely a figurehead. What reason does Prince Yu have to take such a risk at this time?"

Tang Xian had mentioned to Hua Yan and the other woman that the Crown Prince was morally flawed, arrogant, domineering, and extremely lustful. The Emperor had once angrily rebuked him in court, saying, "The ancestral legacy cannot be entrusted to him." Furthermore, the true cause of the Crown Prince's illness was difficult to reveal...

Seeing the concubine deep in thought, Hua Yan said softly:

"But without concrete evidence or incriminating evidence, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Rites would not dare to impeach us so rashly. When we were at the manor, my eldest cousin mentioned that Minister Liu's eldest daughter, Liu Yuhe, might be going to become a concubine in Prince Heng's manor?"

If Prince Heng were to offer her the position of principal wife, coupled with his courteous treatment of scholars and the high praise he receives from the ministers, making him the most likely candidate for the crown prince position, the Liu family might very well go all in.

Consort Zhen suddenly realized and said worriedly, "Then the impeachment of Prince Yu is very likely the work of Prince Heng. I just don't know if our Prince will be involved."

Before Consort Min, Consort Shu, the birth mother of Prince Yu, was the most favored by the emperor. Consequently, Prince Yu was also greatly favored by the emperor from a young age, especially during the period when the crown prince was repeatedly impeached. (Mentioned in Chapter 103)

Consort Shu came from a military family. Prince Yu's maternal uncle, Chen Xuan, served as the commander of the Five Cities Military Command, which was under the Ministry of War.

The situation in the previous dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and Hua Yan was worried that Prince Yu would take desperate measures and launch a military campaign to force the emperor to abdicate...

"It is said that Prince Yu was skilled in riding and archery. When he was fourteen years old, he accompanied the emperor on his first hunting trip outside the Great Wall and hunted two deer, which shows his bravery. The emperor even specially appointed Zhang Yan, a descendant of Zhang Xingjian, as his teacher."

Hua Yan's heart sank again as she carefully analyzed the situation with the concubine.

"Regardless of whether Prince Yu did this or not, he will definitely take action tonight, and many people will certainly be implicated."

Miss, please think carefully. Why did the Prince send someone to inform us before entering the palace? I suspect that if Prince Yu truly harbored rebellious intentions, he would very likely seize the opportunity to force a coup after murdering the Crown Prince...

As for what Prince Heng did in all of this, we have no idea, but the prince must have made arrangements in advance.

Or perhaps, these two events were orchestrated by the Prince of Jin himself...

Hua Yan looked at the concubine's worried expression and hesitated whether to voice her speculations to offer some comfort.

The Jiang family, whom the Prince of Jin relied on, is now stationed in the Northwest, while the Lu family, loyal to the Emperor, is far away in the Southwest. Although the Imperial Guards are in the Emperor's hands, the Prince of Yu and the Chen family have been plotting for many years, so it is impossible that they have not infiltrated at all.

When that time comes, the capital will be in chaos. Soldiers and bandits will break into the mansions of wealthy families at the beginning of the uprising. Even if the Prince of Jin's mansion is in the inner city and is not in danger, we must be wary of the princess suddenly having any ideas. After all, although General Jiang has gone to the Northwest, the troops kept in the general's mansion will definitely be assigned to the princess.

……

"Boom!"

A faint rumble of thunder sounded outside the window, and the wind rustled through the leaves; the first spring rain of the year had arrived in the capital. In several mansions throughout the city, candles burned all night, from the front courtyard to the back.

Ruyi Hall.

Jiang Jie leaned against the window, his expression inscrutable in the flickering candlelight.

Zhixue stepped forward and advised, "It's late. Let me, Luwei, Xingyu, and I help you rest for a while."

"What's the situation at Yunyi Palace?"

Lu Wei stepped forward and reported, "Consort Zhen is quite astute. As soon as the Prince's message reached Yunyi Palace, Chen Ling (a eunuch in Ruyi Palace) saw the palace gates close and Consort Zhen's maid, Aunt Mei, went out through the side gate, presumably to deliver a message to the Tang residence."

The princess was slightly surprised at first, then her face quickly darkened, and she slowly uttered a single word.

"Wait."

The night was long and arduous, and the capital was in turmoil.

Let's rewind two hours.

Located in the suburbs of Ninghe County, a neighboring county of Jinan, it is only about 50 li away from Anhuamen in Beijing.

Song Chengrui's father, County Magistrate Song, and Tang Xianju were gathered outside a military tent. The burly Zheng Shan was holding an umbrella, and the three of them gazed in the direction of the capital through the rain.

“My dear in-laws, there’s no need to worry. Your son-in-law’s opportunity to make a name for himself is just around the corner.” Tang Xian, still dressed in a scholar’s ​​robe, stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm.

County Magistrate Song looked distressed and wiped his face with his sleeve, though it was unclear whether he was wiping away rainwater or cold sweat.

......

On the fourth day of the third month of the forty-ninth year of the Qianyuan era, Prince Yu, Gu Yanwu, set up an ambush at Chengtian Gate.

At the end of the night, Prince Heng, Gu Yancheng, and Prince Jin, Gu Yanchen, were summoned to the palace. When the two groups of men arrived at Chengtian Gate, Prince Yu suddenly launched an attack.

Then, a firework exploded in the sky above the imperial city. Chen Xuan, the commander of the Five City Garrison, led his troops into the inner city through Shunyi Gate outside Buzhengfang and joined Prince Yu at Chengtian Gate.

Prince Yu's fiefdom of Annam Prefecture saw two cavalry groups, led by Commander Chen Jin and Commander Mu Yufeng, advance into the capital, only to be besieged by the Tianwu Army on the outskirts of Ninghe County.

In addition, hundreds of soldiers, ruffians, and bandits fled to Yongping, Pingxuan, and Anxing wards, attacking the residences of officials of the third rank and above in the imperial court. Inevitably, some unscrupulous individuals took advantage of the chaos to loot, and shops such as silver shops on the East Market Street of Anxing Ward were thrown into utter chaos.

The main gate of the Disi Pavilion, where Huanyun and Dingxiang lived, was quickly broken open by thugs amidst shouts and commotion. The Tang family could not send many guards, and in the melee, swords pierced bodies with dull thuds, and blood instantly stained the ground red.

In the kitchen of the backyard, Dingxiang trembled all over. In the darkness, she hurriedly stuffed Huanyun into the cellar behind the cupboard, which was only half a meter deep. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Miss, Dingxiang has been sold from place to place all her life. Only after meeting you did I have five or six years of peaceful life..."

Huanyun gripped Dingxiang's hand, holding her tightly. "You'll hide here with me. We'll die together, even if it means death..."

Dingxiang gave an awkward smile, struggling to push the cabinet while giving a stern instruction:

"I've had such a good life all these years... It's not a loss. Only if you live will you have a chance to meet Zhou Lang. If you don't live to see him... then listen to me and give up on this idea. I'll hide behind the door with a kitchen knife in a moment. When the thief comes, you must not make a sound."