After Being Forced to Marry the Evil Star General

Today, Zhao Yelan was summoned to the palace. Three days later would be the worship ceremony for the late emperor, and Zhao Xuan invited him to discuss some important details.

Zhao Xuan didn’t want to make it too grand, but the Xuan Dynasty had always attached great importance to worship rituals, so a superficial attempt was necessary.

But Zhao Xuan came to him not only to discuss how to hold the worship ceremony, which the Ministry of Rites was in charge of, but how to deal with the people in the other palace.

There was also a former prince under house arrest in that palace.

When Zhao Xuan seized the throne, the deposed prince was the first to be toppled, and then the other families began to move and seek power. When the Second Prince and Fourth Prince saw that Zhao Xuan was beginning to show his power, they joined forces and sent people to assassinate him. However, there was no danger at that time. The Gold Collar Guard rescued him in time, and Zhao Yelan also blocked an arrow for him. Afterwards, the two planned to kill the two princes.

Now, apart from Zhao Xuan, there was only the former Crown Prince and a timid and simple Fifth Prince. After Zhao Xuan ascended the throne, the Fifth Prince was sent to the northern border as a vassal lord. During the New Year, he even went to Beijing to attend the state banquet, but had not returned at this point and would wait until the ceremony was over before departing.

“The people from the Ministry of Rites say that the former Crown Prince should participate in the worship ceremony. Is there any way to prevent him from participating?” Zhao Xuan asked.

“There is, assassinate him before he can participate,” Zhao Yelan said.

Zhao Xuan laughed: “Wouldn’t that give the Ministry of Rites and that Imperial Censor more topics to play with?”

Zhao Yelan sighed: “Why is that fellow still not dead?”

It was called the ‘other palace,’ but it was actually a deserted cold palace on the mountainside on the outskirts of the city. There were only a dozen or so servants to clean it, and the former Crown Prince, who was self-indulgent by nature, suffered a lot.

They had originally thought it would take a few years for him to die, but last year, Yu Junliang was sent to visit the other palace, and when he returned, he said that the other party was a bit crazy, but still alive.

“No matter, forgive him for not being in good condition. Let him participate, and let the Father Emperor in the sky also see how shameful his favorite prince is now,” Zhao Xuan said. “You take someone to the other palace to inform him.”

“Shi.”

After Zhao Yelan left the palace, he set off immediately. When he passed the market, he happened to bump into Yan Mingting, who was on patrol.

Yan Mingting asked where he was going, and he told him about the other palace.

“I’ll accompany you.” Yan Mingting glanced at the dozen or so guards the other party had brought and whispered, “Why bring the Imperial Guard? Don’t you know that your husband is a great general, ah? There are so many people under him. You can go to the training grounds and pick a few who are better than these people.”

Zhao Yelan was amused, and said: “The Emperor arranged it.”

“Don’t listen to him, wait until I find some new people.” Yan Mingting called out a few times on the road, and after a while, He Cuizhang, Zuo Ran, and some others appeared.

Listening to the chirping of the group behind him, Zhao Yelan felt that he had brought a flock of birds along with him.

“When we get to the other palace, you should keep quiet. Do you hear me?”

“We hear you.” Everyone agreed again and again.

The mountain road to the other palace was rugged. Fortunately, Yan Mingting was pulling him, and picked him up after walking for a while. When they came before the other palace, he quickly patted Yan Mingting on the back: “Okay, okay, let me down quickly.”

“Why, we’re already an old couple and you’re still shy, ah,” Yan Mingting teased, letting him down.

“You all wait outside.” After speaking, Zhao Yelan turned around and walked inside, only to find that Yan Mingting had also followed. He said, “You also wait for me outside, ba.”

“Not possible, I heard that the former crown prince is a little crazy. I must protect your safety.”

Zhao Yelan still had some misgivings, and urged: “Then he will talk some nonsense later, you must not worry about it.”

“All right.” Yan Mingting looked around. The palace had been abandoned for a long time, and even the servants were somewhat perfunctory.

Zhao Yelan had been here several times, so when the servants saw him, they called out ‘Zhao-daren.” But when they looked at Yan Mingting again, they were a little dazed, as if they didn’t know who he was.

There was no access to news here, and even the food was brought up by people from the bottom of the mountain. It was likely that Yan Mingting deeds were rarely heard of, let alone his appearance.

The two of them didn’t intend to make more introductions, and walked straight inside until they came to a door and saw a person lying on the floor beside the bed, holding a jug of wine in his hand. He held it high, and half of the wine fell into his mouth while the other half dripped on his face. He laughed loudly: “Good wine, good wine, waiter, serve me another jar.”

Zhao Yelan walked inside and said: “The worship ceremony of the late emperor will be held in three days, and the First Prince is invited to attend.”

Turning to look at him, Zhao Xu asked after a while: “Zhao Yelan? You’re here again?”

Zhao Yelan remained silent.

Zhao Xu sneered and threw the jug at him, only to be stopped by Yan Mingting, who frowned at Zhao Xu with displeasure.

Zhao Xu’s eyes fell on him again, and they were full of mockery. He then said: “Zhao Yelan, lapdog, how are you worthy of talking to me?”

Unperturbed, Zhao Yelan walked up to him and stepped on his hand that was on the ground. He looked down and said: “If I’m a lapdog, who are you? A beast that is not as good as a pig or a dog.”

He would always remember that when he was in the dungeon, this beast swaggered into the cell and picked out young and beautiful women. This pair of rotten hands even touched his mother’s chin as he said sarcastically: “Good-looking is good-looking, but you’re a bit old. I’m looking for young birds.”

“Ahhhh!” Zhao Xu’s fingers were crushed hard, and after Zhao Yelan lifted his foot, he immediately rolled on the ground with his arms folded, his eyes red. “Zhao Yelan! You just wait! Sooner or later, I will definitely peel off your skin!”

Zhao Yelan slapped him across the face: “Then how about I kill you now?”

“You dare!” Zhao Xu covered his face and looked at him furiously. Glancing at Yan Mingting from the corner of his eye, he thought of something and sneered, then suddenly said, “I have something to tell you. Troubling you to make Zhao Yelan get out.”

Yan Mingting was displeased, and ignored him altogether.

“Don’t you want to know the real cause of the old general’s death?” Zhao Xu asked.

Yan Mingting was startled at once, and looked at him in disbelief: “What do you know?”

Zhao Xu glanced at Zhao Yelan with obvious meaning.

“You go outside and wait for me for a while,” Yan Mingting whispered.

Zhao Yelan walked out the door anxiously, and couldn’t hear the voices from inside.

Yan Mingting walked up to him: “Will you speak now?”

“It was ordered by Zhao Xuan.” Zhao Xu lowered his voice.

“Impossible.” Yan Mingting controlled his temper.

“You just don’t want to believe it. Did the Imperial physician he sent to the border for you win the father and son’s hearts?” Zhao Xu paused and said, “I heard with my own ears when he ordered the Imperial physician to poison the old general’s wine. This was in order to let you take charge of the army, so that you would be obedient because of a little kindness. Look, aren’t you qualified as a dog now?”

Yan Mingting became short of breath. After a while, he took a deep breath and looked at him fixedly: “Is what you said true?”

“I swear to Heaven.”

Zhao Yelan waited outside the door for a while, and when he heard the door open, he stepped forward anxiously and asked: “What did he say?”

“Go home first, I have something to do.” After speaking, Yan Mingting asked Xiao Gao and Zuo Ran to take him back, then called He Cuizhang aside, giving him a few instructions with a hasty expression before leaving quickly.

“Yan Mingting!” Zhao Yelan shouted. The other disappeared in the blink of an eye, and he turned to ask He Cuizhang what had happened.

He Cuizhang also wore an extremely nervous expression, and he only asked Xiao Gao to take him back to the General’s Mansion quickly before disappearing with the others.

Zhao Xu’s wild laughter came from the room.

“What exactly did you tell him?” Zhao Yelan asked, walking in quickly with a dark expression.

“Zhao Yelan, you became Zhao Xuan’s lapdog. Did you ever think that he would die one day?” Zhao Xu said sorrowfully, “Especially dying at the hands of Yan Mingting?”

Zhao Yelan’s pupils shrank abruptly.

“If Yan Mingting murders the emperor and rebels, do you want to help Yan Mingting or Zhao Xuan?”

Zhao Yelan immediately guessed that the killer he mentioned was Zhao Xuan.

He couldn’t be sure if it was Zhao Xuan, just as Zhao Xuan didn’t know that he had arranged a spy in Beijing. It was impossible for him to know everything about Zhao Xuan like the back of his hand.

But he intuitively felt that it wasn’t him. Although Zhao Xuan did everything possible to win his position, it was true that he had the country in his heart, and there was no reason to kill the old general.

But what if……

Zhao Yelan didn’t dare to think about the one in ten thousand possibility. He walked quickly out of the other palace and descended the mountain with haste. However, the terrain was rough, and his footsteps were too slow. It was already evening when he returned to the city, and he walked without stopping toward the palace.

“My Lord, the General and Brother He asked me to take you back home,” Xiao Gao said awkwardly.

“Then you go follow them instead of me.” After speaking, Zhao Yelan saw a horse at the side of the road. He quickly mounted it, tossed a piece of silver to its master, and hurried to the gate of the palace.

Xiao Gao had no choice but to run behind fearfully, worried that he would fall off. Fortunately, the General had taught his disciple well, and his lord arrived at his destination quickly and steadily. He was, however, a little flustered when he got off the horse.

Xiao Gao couldn’t follow him further inside, so he took the short weapon from Zhao Yelan’s body.

It was forbidden to bring weapons through the palace gate unless one had a special status, such as the General.

Zhao Yelan asked the guards in a fluster: “Has Yan Mingting entered the palace? Did he leave behind his sword?”

“I don’t understand, it’s been half an hour since he went in.” As soon as the guard finished speaking, Zhao Yelan turned around and ran in.

The number of guards patrolling the palace had clearly increased by a lot. Zhao Yelan questioned them all the way, and finally came to a side hall. He heard that Zhao Xuan was arranging defenses with the new commander of the Imperial Guard, and hurried into the hall.

“Why are you here? Didn’t anyone pass you a message?” Zhao Xuan stopped and gave the commander a meaningful look, and the commander promptly retreated, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

“Did Yan Mingting come to look for you?”[1] Zhao Yelan blurted out.

“En.” Zhao Xuan raised his eyebrows. “You’re so nervous that you forgot your honorifics?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t pay it much mind, asking: “Where is he now?”

“Not here,” Zhao Xuan said.

“Where did you take him?” Zhao Yelan asked, stepping forward.

Zhao Xuan gazed at him silently.

After staring at each other for a moment, Zhao Yelan lowered his voice and asked word by word: “Did you send someone to poison the old general?”

Zhao Xuan frowned, looked into his eyes, and suddenly pointed at him and laughed. Supporting himself on the desk behind him, he laughed uncontrollably and then swept the booklets on the desk to the floor.

“Zhao Yelan! Who are you speaking to? Who are you suspecting?!”

Zhao Yelan said: “I want you to say it, was it you or not?”

“We’ve known each other for so many years, am I actually this kind of person in your heart?” Zhao Xuan spoke in a hoarse voice. He had forgotten to use his honorific title, as if they had returned to the old days, but this was not truly the past.

Zhao Yelan sized him up for a while, paused for a moment on the throbbing veins on his forehead, and then crouched down and picked up the booklets one by one, saying: “It’s good that it wasn’t you.”

Zhao Xuan looked down at him: “What if it was me? Would you rebel with him?”

Shaking his head, Zhao Yelan got up and put the booklets back on the table, saying: “I never thought of turning against you. No matter what, you are my savior. Without you, there would be no Zhao Yelan today. But if you want to kill my person……”

The following words were unfinished, but Zhao Xuan had already guessed them. He smiled desolately: “You are actually willing to abandon me for him and bear the charge of regicide?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes: “Not only for him, but also for myself. If something happened to him, it would be difficult for me to live on, so I would definitely stand by his side.”

“What live on?” Yan Mingting appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

Zhao Yelan turned his head and went to him in two or three steps, asking with a frown: “What did you do?”

“I just went to arrange the defenses of the palace and the capital.” Yan Mingting touched his somewhat messy hair. “Didn’t I tell you to go back to the mansion first? Why did you come here?”

“Could I go home with peace of mind?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting smiled: “That’s right, thanks for your hard work. If you didn’t make a show for Zhao Xu, I feared he would not make his next move.”

“What move?”

Yan Mingting’s eyes darkened slightly: “Do you still remember the private meeting between the Princess of Nanjiang and a man after New Year’s Eve?”

“Could it be him?”

Yan Mingting nodded his head: “Zhao Xu told me that His Majesty sent an Imperial physician to poison my father. I just asked His Majesty for confirmation. You were the one who sent the Imperial physician to the border, and during this time, His Majesty never intervened in the matter. And you, there is absolutely no way you would do such a thing, so Zhao Xu could only have lied.”

“When he finished talking about this, I was thinking, the servants in the other palace didn’t know who I was, so why did he recognize me? He also knew the two of us had a good relationship, and even knew everything about my father being poisoned? Either he really heard His Majesty make that order, or…….he was the murderer.” Yan Mingting’s eyes turned cold.

“So you came to the palace to seek confirmation?” Zhao Xuan had calmed down by now. Recalling the scene in the other palace, he suddenly said, “You deliberately snubbed me in front of him, and then secretly sent He Cuizhang and the others to guard the other palace?”

Yan Mingting nodded: “For him to hit the grass to startle the snake like this, he must have a second move planned. And he has long lost his eyes and ears in the capital, unless he found a new backer and a way out.”

“The Princess of Nanjiang.” Zhao Yelan turned to ask Zhao Xuan, “When the King of Nanjiang came to the capitol, did he bring the princess with him?”

“He did one time, and it seemed that they came to talk about a marriage. It was the Second Princess, not the Eighth Princess. But I was still in confinement back then, and Zhao Xu, the Crown Prince, was in charge of receiving them,” Zhao Xuan said.

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting exchanged glances: “It is very likely that they have been secretly working in the dark.”

“That’s right. As soon as the Princess of Nanjiang left, Zhao Xu couldn’t wait to raise this matter to anger me. On the one hand, he wanted to see if he could instigate me, and on the other, he had already arranged to escape from the capital, and he was worried that we would bring him directly to the palace to participate in the ceremony, which would ruin his plans.”

“Then when the Princess of Nanjiang said she wanted to marry you, that was just to test you out,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting nodded, glancing sideways at Zhao Xuan: “Your Majesty, if I beheaded the First Prince with the Chisha Sword, would you blame me?”

“Zhao Xu had an affair with the princess of another country, and had the intention of committing treason. You can cut first and ask permission later.”

Yan Mingting cupped his hands. The veins in his hands stood out, and with dark but resolute eyes, he turned and left the hall while gripping the sword on his body.

Then, it was unknown what he had thought of, but he turned around to call: “Mengting, just wait for me here.”

The palace was much safer than outside. Zhao Yelan walked to the door and sadi: “Be careful.”

“En.” Yan Mingting whispered in his ear worriedly, “You just stay here, don’t get too close to him, do you hear me?”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

Zhao Xuan: “I can hear you.”

Yan Mingting hadn’t controlled his volume at all, and said it on purpose. He just raised his chin and left with haste.

Zhao Xuan resignedly walked to the door to watch him go, and Zhao Yelan subtly moved two steps to the side.

“…….Am I some kind of plague god?”

Zhao Yelan also felt that his subconscious action was a little funny, and touched his nose in embarrassment, laughing softly.

[1] Zhao Yelan uses the casual ‘you’ here (你) instead of a more respectful honorific when addressing the emperor. ⮐