Chapter 106

The following day, Qing Yun lifted his heavy eyelids and sat up, holding his aching waist.

Glancing at the silent incense burner in the room, Qing Yun could not help but pinch the bridge of his nose. That Zhang Luoyan did not know what to burn. Although the power of the drug is not strong, it is lingering, and even he could not stand it.

The person beside him, Qi Yue, noticed his movements and fumbled to hold his warm body while half asleep. The corners of his mouth pulled out a happy smile, and he was just about to wake up when he felt a heavy blow on the back of his neck, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The smile at the corners of the man's mouth has not dissipated, and Qing Yun felt angry.

Last night, this man was simply using the power of the drug to do whatever he wanted. He was just casually teasing Qi Yue by mentioning the "Grand Prince" as usual, but the result was that this man had to force him to personally promise to guard against the Grand Prince in the future before he could stop.

Thinking of last night's rare display of softness, the veins on Qing Yun's head throbbed. He raised his hand towards the man's dog face and slapped it. Then he felt uncomfortable and kicked the man to the ground.

The man's good behavior in the past few days almost made him forget that he and Qi Yue's competition has not yet ended. I wonder who this foolish person will support to the throne after abandoning the Third Prince.

His eyes stained with shame and anger looked at the man on the ground. Then, Qing Yun quickly dressed and washed. The maid who came to serve him saw the unkempt General Qi lying on the ground. Even though her eyes were about to burst out, she did not dare to make a sound.

When Qing Yun finished washing up, a guard's knock sounded outside the door: "Gongzi, the carriage is ready. When will you return to the capital?"

"I will leave now. Remember not to disturb the people in the city."

Qing Yun left in a simple carriage, as he had done when he arrived.

It was not yet dawn. Qing Yun thought that no one would appear in the city, but once he came out of the Governor's residence, he found that the whole Xiangzhou city was brightly lit up. People were standing in front of every house, and once they saw his carriage, they knelt in unison to send him off: "Greetings to the Grand Prince, the Grand Prince will be safe and sound and will be well for the rest of his life!"

The people of Xiangzhou all knelt with sincerity. The people of Xiangzhou, who had just passed the great disaster, could not get anything to give to the Grand Prince, so they could only show their feelings with such a courtesy.

The road leading out of the city is long, and the roadside is full of people, from old women over 80 years old to children under five years old, all sincerely wishing Qing Yun well.

They were aware that the Grand Prince had stayed in Xiangzhou for such a long time, which was a great favor to them, and did not dare to keep him greedily, but only left him the purest blessings.

Even Qing Yun was shaken by what he saw and heard along the way. He had been spat upon and abused by millions of people and also worshipped by crazy fans, but this was the first time he really witnessed these simple people who were suffering so much, thanking him and blessing him so carefully and sincerely, just because he did his part.

Qing Yun got off the carriage. He bowed his head along the way and walked for a while after leaving the city gates before getting on the carriage again and rushing back to the capital at a swift pace.

The capital was agitated for a while because the Third Prince attacked the city that night.

Even if the ministers of the Third Prince's side thought out of their minds, they did not expect that it was Emperor Hongming himself who sent the Third Prince to the Imperial prison for the crime of conspiracy to commit rebellion.

The Emperor, who had been seriously ill for a long time, suddenly appeared. The previous rumor that the Grand Prince imprisoned Emperor Hongming, is it false?

In any case, the Third Prince has become a traitor. These ministers are all worried about themselves, afraid that they will also be implicated. The most panicked person is naturally the Minister of Rites. In fact, he had already received the news of the Third Prince's return to the capital before that night.

However, he never thought that the Third Prince would come over with troops to attack. After all, in the opinion of the Minister of Rites, since the Grand Prince was not here, the Third Prince could come in with a holy decree in hand, and no one would throw him out.

With the idea that he was working for the Emperor, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of Emperor Hongming.

The Minister of Rites was filled with obscurity and now had no desire to fight with his old rival, the Minister of Officials.

To the officials' surprise, the Emperor appeared that night but was seriously ill again and did not go to court. So it seems that Emperor Hongming's health is already completely irreversible.

Qi Yue did not wake up until noon. He woke up and felt soreness in his neck and could not help but smile bitterly. Who else could have knocked him out without a sound, except for the person on his pillow whom he had made love with last night?

"How cruel." Qi Yue covered his neck and groaned, but thinking about the scene he experienced last night, his face smiled more brilliantly, "but very sweet and soft and..."

The soft cries of the youth flashed in Qi Yue's mind again, and he felt a rush of hot air, which immediately made his body react and almost had a nose bleed.

Qi Yue wiped his face and stood up. Although he knew that the usually proud youth showed that state last night, he would undoubtedly be furious today. However, he did not expect that he would be so angry that he directly knocked him out.

Qi Yue could not help but reflect on whether he was too much last night. But then, he was being disoriented by that drug, and he listened to the youth at that moment even mention the Grand Prince in a defensive and incomparable tone, so how could he bear it?

Covering his face, Qi Yue still felt some weakness. Xiangfeng...Xiangfeng could not abandon him to leave early. Turning his head to look at the interior furnishings, Qi Yue's face completely collapsed.

Sure enough, he still left him behind.

But Qi Yue is not too disheartened. In his opinion, he and the youth already have the reality of husband and wife. He was not afraid of the young man leaving him behind. When he thought about his current relationship with Xiangfeng, Qi Yue couldn't help but laugh out loud.

They should be in such a relationship, right? The relationship between the Grand Prince and the youth will not be closer than his.

The whole Xiangzhou City has respect for Xiangfeng, so no one will be able to do such dirty tricks, except for that woman Zhang Luoyan.

He patted off the dust on his hands. Xiangfeng was unwilling to bother with the woman, but Qi Yue did not have such a good character. Qi Yue's eyes became darker and darker. That woman even tried to climb the youth's bed? This alone is unforgivable.

There is no mercy for his former "fiancée". After cleaning up Zhang Luoyan and Zhang Lin, the father and daughter, Qi Yue led his people back to the capital.

This delay made him completely unable to catch up with Qing Yun. Still, even though his heart was anxious, Qi Yue did not dare to leave Zhang Luoyan and Zhang Lin unattended. Xiangfeng left these two behind, and he must have given them to him to deal with. If he didn't get this done, he wouldn't have been able to see the youth again in the future.

Qi Yue was on his way back to the capital when he happened to meet up with the Northern army that had arrived from the northern border. Looking at the army's formation and thinking of his plan, Qi Yue's face was once again serious. In order to ensure the success of this time, he has drawn two-thirds of the Northern army. After all, he is different from the Third Prince. The Third Prince is still a royal person, and the battle between him and the Grand Prince is at most a struggle between the princes.

However, Qi Yue's is an actual rebellion. Concerning the youth, it can only succeed and not fail.

"This time, you should know what I have in mind when I return to the capital. If you do not want to, you can leave." Qi Yue said in a cold voice. His words were just a test. He had built the northern army like an iron barrel, and these soldiers had always recognized him, Qi Yue, and not his military symbol.

As expected, hearing Qi Yue's words, the army not only did not retreat but also shouted: "We are willing to follow the General to the death!"

Seeing this, Qi Yue nodded in satisfaction. He did not disguise himself but moved with this huge army and rushed to the capital with great vigor.

The military commander who reported to Qi Yue on the situation of the Third Prince saw Qi Yue's seemingly serious but actually revealing a joyful expression and could not help but tease, "Did the General succeed in holding the beauty?"

"You are the only one who is nosy." Qi Yue glanced at the military commander sullenly. His threatening intent was overflowing.

The military commander was horrified and immediately straightened his expression. He did not expect the General to think so highly of the young man that he could not even tolerate a single word of teasing from others.

The capital is in turmoil again when Qing Yun has returned. The story of his success in Xiangzhou and the scene of the people seeing him off when he left was slowly spread by the people of the neighboring counties who went to Xiangzhou to manage the situation. With his return, the news has reached the capital, causing all the ministers in the imperial court to praise him.

After many days, seeing the young but majestic Grand Prince again, the ministers only feel that the trip to Xiangzhou has made the Grand Prince even more unfathomable.

"Was there any situation while this palace is away?" The youth's voice was as clear and fresh as ever, resounding in the Xuanzheng Hall. Wei Lin and the others felt like they had an anchor in their hearts and immediately settled down.

Many ministers sighed in their hearts, not expecting that in just a few months of ruling, the Grand Prince had already gained such a solid position in their hearts. This position not only did not dissipate because of his absence for a few days but became even more solid.

Because the Grand Prince left the capital, all political affairs were placed on their heads. Only then did they really feel that the young man with a weak body was so wise and resourceful that he was able to lift the whole court in order.

After handling various matters efficiently as usual, Qing Yun leaned back in his chair with a slightly tired look and said, "Do all the ministers have any other matters?"

"I have a matter!" Wei Lin was the one who came out, "The country cannot be without a ruler for even a single day. The Emperor has been ill for a long time, and his condition is worsening. The barbarians are watching from the outside, and the Third Prince has been causing trouble inside. Great Yan is in dire need of a virtuous man to sit on the throne, so I beg the Grand Prince to ascend the throne and save the people from disaster!

Hearing Wei Lin's words, Qing Yun slightly raised his eyebrows. It was surprisingly a little faster than he had thought.

As soon as Wei Lin's words fell, other ministers in the hall echoed: "I second the motion! I implore the Grand Prince to ascend the throne!"

The voices in the Xuanzheng Hall have been heard one after another. The incident in Xiangzhou has made the ability and character of the Grand Prince known to the public. The previous rumors about the Grand Prince have been dispelled, and the "plotting to rebel" Third Prince has been set off as useless.

Seeing that the call is getting stronger and stronger, the ministers in the hall have kneeled down and chanted in unison, asking Qing Yun to ascend the throne.

Qing Yun raised his hand to stop the appeal. He stood up and did not show any pride, nor did he pretend to be humble. He simply arched his hand and said, "Sa respectfully accepts the order."

The news of the ascension of the Grand Prince to the throne has spread. The entire palace is preparing for it in a frenzy, and the people of the capital are also overjoyed to get the news.

In the past, whenever there was a change of Emperor, there was a lot of turmoil. Regardless of who the crown prince was, many ministers would fall after he ascended the throne. Therefore, on these occasions, the people inside the capital were still worried.

However, the Grand Prince is different. The Grand Prince has been in power for a few months, and although his methods are harsh, they never affect the innocent, and the corrupt forces in the court have been removed. The people of the capital can be said to be looking forward to the ascension of the eldest prince. They were afraid that another prince would be crowned first and cause turmoil. Now, when they hear that the eldest prince will finally ascend to the throne, how can they not run around and tell each other?

Qi Yue also got the news and ordered his soldiers to speed up so that he could return to the capital before the enthronement of the Grand Prince.

After rushing through the night, he finally arrived at the capital on the day of the Grand Prince's enthronement. Looking at the gates of the capital, Qi Yue did not cover up and boldly walked over on his horse.

"The Northern army returned to the capital!"

The soldiers guarding the city were immediately shocked when the name of the army came out.

The imperial army got the news and immediately came to stop it. Fang Rui looked at Qi Yue's imposing, bloody army behind him and had to grit his teeth. Their imperial army trained hard for many days but was still completely inferior to Qi Yue's Northern army.

After all, the Northern army are veterans who have been fighting with the brave and warlike Mongols for more than ten years. How much blood do they have on their hands? On the other hand, the capital's imperial army was only trained in exercises. They have not experienced an actual battle. So, compared with the northern army, the high and low levels can be seen immediately.

Tigers raised in a cage and those living in the wild are naturally in two different states.

Even by the Northern army's frightening aura, Fang Rui did not retreat. He gritted his teeth and said sternly: "The one in front is the Northern General Qi Yue? The Emperor sent you to station at the border. Why did you return to the capital at this time without reason?"

Qi Yue sat on his horse and did not stop because of the imperial guard's obstruction. Behind him, the neatly organized black-armored army marched with him at a heavy pace. With each step forward, the momentum climbed a notch.

"Oh? The Grand Prince has ascended to the throne. This General has come to congratulate him, so why not?" Qi Yue returned leisurely, full of power.

The entire Great Yan fears the Northern army because as long as Qi Yue has a rebellious heart, no one in the entire Yan can stop him. He does not need a great reason, and he does not need to be afraid of other people's words. As long as the army behind him is released, it can be used to absolutely suppress them by force.

Against the enormous pressure of the Northern army, Fang Rui spoke with a drop of cold sweat on his forehead and his spear in his hand pulled up: "General, please stop. Except for the imperial army, the other armies cannot enter the capital without the order of His Majesty. Otherwise, they are guilty of the same crime as rebellion!

As soon as he saw the man's hand movements, Qi Yue's dark eyes suddenly flashed a trace of tenderness. It seems that the Imperial guard was really trained by Xiangfeng.

But suddenly, the tenderness turned into a deep possessiveness.

Xiangfeng taught them? How was it taught? And what kind of contact with this person?

Seeing Qi Yue's eyes become unkind, Fang Rui took the lead against the pressure to go forward and fight with him.

Qi Yue watched as the man made one move after another, and his eyes grew increasingly dark, almost bursting with killing intent. For some reason, he used the same moves as Fang Rui. However, their moves were suppressed. Eventually, he used his long sword to directly knock Fang Rui off his horse.

Seeing the two leaders fighting and their own leader completely defeated, the imperial army's momentum suddenly fell. Fang Rui covered his chest and climbed up, looking at Qi Yue's eyes but shocked beyond measure: "You...you and the Grand Prince..."

Not waiting for Fang Rui to finish his words, Qi Yue grunted and laughed: "You, not as good as him."

Seeing the army about to enter the city, Fang Rui was anxious. He was just about to order them to stop when he saw a person from the imperial city spurred his horse to come, came to his ear, and whispered.

Fang Rui frowned but still respected the order and bowed towards the Northern army: "I was reckless before. Please forgive me, General Qi. General Qi, please, the Grand Prince has been waiting in the palace for a long time!"

Hearing Fang Rui's words, Qi Yue raised his eyebrows. He did not expect that this Grand Prince had the guts to invite him into the palace.