After the death of the previous emperor, the Empress Dowager became arrogant

Chapter 118 Fang Yue'e escapes

Fang Yuemei rested for a while, then said goodbye to Yuan Qing with Qiao Yunzhen and returned to Fang Mansion.

None of the maids were waiting in the yard, and the windows and doors were closed. She reached out and pushed the door open, and saw a person vaguely sitting in the inner room.

After a while, the man lazily asked, "Are you back?"

Fang Yuemei suddenly felt a chill down her spine and was about to leave.

But the woman in the house was faster than her. In a blink of an eye, she had blocked the way and closed the door again.

"What are you going to do?" Fang Yuemei uttered these words with difficulty. Her lips moved, but only a breath came out.

The woman's cold fingers slowly slid across her throat, stopped at the painful and swollen area, and pinched it suddenly.

"Where have you been carrying me? Huh? Speak!"

The injured area was itchy and painful. Fang Yuemei was so uncomfortable that she wanted to pry her hand away, "Let go...let go..."

"Don't interfere in my affairs in the future. If you do something bad, remember to hide it. Don't let me find out. Otherwise, don't blame me for not caring about our sisterhood!"

The woman let go of her hand and disappeared into the yard in a flash.

Fang Yuemei stared blankly and saw the old swing in the yard still swaying.

She stood up, walked toward the swing, and reached out to touch the vines wrapped around the chain.

Suddenly she felt an unbearable pain and itchiness in her throat. She covered her mouth and squatted on the ground, coughing violently, with blood flowing out from between her fingers.

That night, a carriage drove out from the back door of Fang's house and gradually disappeared into the darkness.

A few hours later, when it was almost dawn, a fire broke out in the backyard of the Fang Mansion, and even several inner courtyards to the east were burned to ashes.

Yuan Qing slept uneasily and woke up before dawn. He was sitting at the table dealing with the official business that had accumulated over the past few days.

Seeing the candlelight in the room, Mu Xiaoxiao pushed the door open and walked in.

"Master, something happened at the Fang Mansion! Second Miss Fang and Mr. Qiao returned to Puzhou overnight, and the eldest Miss Fang..." She hesitated and said, "She died in the fire..."

Yuan Qing stopped writing, "Are you sure?"

"It's confirmed that the one who was sent away was the Second Miss Fang who suddenly coughed up blood and fainted, but the First Miss Fang also suddenly met with a disaster. Isn't it a bit too much of a coincidence?

I heard from the servants of the Fang Mansion that when the body was found, it was impossible to identify its appearance. They only judged it based on the body shape and personal belongings. Could it be... that this was her plan to escape?"

Yuan Qing pondered for a moment and said, "It's too early to draw conclusions now.

So, you take the token and order a dozen secret guards to disguise themselves as ordinary people and carefully patrol inside and outside the city. If you find anything unusual, stop the action immediately and send someone back to report to me first. "

As there was no definite news coming from the Fang Mansion yet, Yuan Qing did not go to express his opinion directly.

After breakfast, Mr. Lou called her to the study.

It seemed that the real culprit was about to be caught, but unexpectedly this kind of thing happened at the last minute.

The old man was really uneasy and wanted to know the truth from Yuan Qing.

"It's no use asking me, I can't make the decision." Yuan Qing helped the old man sit down and advised softly, "This matter can be big or small.

You can relax, your uncle and us younger generations will take care of everything, the sky won’t fall.”

"My old bones are still strong. How can I ask you to carry all the burden?" The old man snorted in dissatisfaction.

"Yes, yes, grandpa is still as skilled as ever..."

"Tell me the truth, what exactly is your majesty's plan?" The old man stopped smiling and his expression became serious.

This is something you must know.

Yuan Qing sighed, turned around and poured a cup of hot tea, and said: "The imperial power is unstable, surrounded by tigers and wolves, this has been a problem since the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty.

When the previous emperor ascended the throne, Emperor Taizong still had some prestige, and various forces were wary and did not dare to act rashly.

When my father was young, he followed the late emperor and always remained true to his original intention. However, because of a false prophecy made by a wandering monk, the emperor and his subjects were alienated for more than ten years, which gave those people an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. "

The tea was no longer as hot as before, so she slowly handed it over and asked, "Grandfather, have you ever heard of 'Anzhuang'?"

The old man took the tea and warmed it in his hand. "Could this matter be related to them?"

“This is not something that can be explained in just a few words.

According to the currently known information, some of the chess pieces in the "Dark Village" have been trained since childhood and have special identities and clear mission objectives.

Fang Yue'e meets all these points.

She was lost at the age of six and returned home at the age of eleven, which was the time when the princes of the Yuan Dynasty were fighting most fiercely.

The previous emperor passed away suddenly. If it weren't for the quick response of my aunt and Your Majesty to stabilize the former dynasty and the harem, the Yuan family would have been hard to escape the turmoil.

What is even more frightening to us is that we have no idea about the scale of their development, the forces they are connected to, the list of "hidden spies" they have inserted into the court, or the information they possess.

Your Majesty has tried many methods, but has not been able to dig out their true roots."

The previous emperor had neglected state affairs for many years. Except for a very small number of old ministers who could still stick to their original intentions, the rest either tried to protect themselves or went with the flow.

This gave those people great convenience, and a large number of "hidden agents" poured into the Yuan Dynasty, waiting to strike a fatal blow one day.

But Empress Dowager Yuan and Wen Chengyu did not give them this opportunity.

The legitimate succession of the eldest prince to the throne was already legitimate, but after years of preparation failed, they lay dormant again, waiting for the next opportunity.

Who is giving orders behind the "hidden stakes"?

The prince who covets the throne, the Liang State rulers who are eyeing the throne covetously, or the members of the famous gangs who are hiding in the underworld?

Since the enemy's eyes are on the court, let's start there.

If you can't advance, it's better to retreat.

Gradually weaken the power of the resident princes, bring military and political affairs back to the imperial city for coordination, improve the supervision system, and specify responsibilities.

This is the safest approach at the moment, and it is also the direction she and Wen Chengyu are working towards together.

The prerequisite for the Yuan family's stability is a wise monarch.

Wen Chengyu once told her frankly that he would not be able to sit on the throne for too long. He trusted Yuan Xiang, on the one hand because of their blood relationship, and on the other hand because he knew him well, so he did not doubt him.

But if someone else came to the throne, there is no guarantee that the future new emperor would not make the same choice as the previous emperor.

At that time, the Yuan family will once again face the same tragic ending as in the previous life.

If you want to preserve your life, you have no choice but to withdraw from it. This is a helpless move.

Thinking of this, Yuan Qing suddenly knelt down in front of the old man and said in a serious tone: "Grandfather, I dare to ask you: Have you ever thought about the future of the Lou family?"

The old man paused as he stretched out his hand. "What does this mean?"

“After this incident, I’m sure my grandfather knows clearly that they are determined to take over the Lou family. Even if they managed to avoid this plot, they may not be able to avoid the next one.

To the Lou family, this enormous wealth is like red-hot charcoal; holding it in your hands will only hurt yourself."

It’s not that the old man doesn’t understand this truth.

It's really hard to accept that I have to give up the family business that I have worked hard for half my life.

But Qing'er's reminder is correct. Money can be earned again if lost, but family is the priceless treasure that cannot be replaced by any amount of money.

He clenched his fists, as if he had made up his mind, "If you want to give it up, you should give it up for something valuable."

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"Anzhuang" is a place, and "Anzhuang" refers to people. It can be understood as: raising "Anzhuang" in "Anzhuang".