Chapter 57 Your Highness, why is there blood on your body?
"This is... the Taihuang Bell in front of Zhengde Hall?"
"How many times has it rung?"
"Second Master, it's five times!"
"Ding!"
As the sixth bell rang, Ning Fan's face was filled with solemnity. There is a bell and drum tower in Yuwang City, with morning bells and evening drums!
Every morning, the Taihuang Bell in front of Zhengde Hall rings, announcing the start of the morning court!
But when encountering some changes, such as the death of the emperor, the death of the princes, or someone rebelling and launching a coup, etc., this big bell will be rung, and according to Dayu's law, there are strict regulations on how many times the bell should ring!
For example, every morning court, the bell rings once, and if the royal princes die, the bell will ring three times, and if the royal heavyweights, such as the queen and the queen mother, die, the bell will ring six times!
If the emperor dies, or someone rebels and coups, or even launches a national war, the bell will ring nine times!
Now, the bell stops at six rings!
According to the law of Dayu, all officials above the fifth rank must enter the palace within one stick of incense after hearing the six rings of the bell!
"How could it be..."
"The Queen Mother has passed away long ago, but the Queen is fine..."
"Could it be that a prince has passed away?"
Lin Yong frowned at the side, it seemed wrong!
"Uncle Lin, have you forgotten that according to the law of Dayu, anyone who rushes 800 miles across the border or holds the gold medal bestowed by His Majesty can ring the Grand Emperor Bell!"
"Your Highness means..."
"It should be news from the East!"
Ning Fan's eyes flickered, watching Dian Wei take down several men in black, and said lightly: "Hand these people over to the Jinyiwei for interrogation overnight!"
"Your Highness!"
"They are all dead men, with poison sacs hidden in their teeth!"
"If it weren't for my quick reaction, I'm afraid not a single one would be alive!"
Dian Wei's face was also solemn, and he spoke in a deep voice.
"Haha, whether they are assassins or dead men, let the Jinyiwei pry their mouths open!"
"All the guards who died in the battle in the mansion should be compensated and given more silver!"
"Yes!"
Lin Yong nodded heavily, looked at Ning Fan and said, "Second Master, if you want to go to the palace, you should bring Dian Zhuangshi with you!"
"No need, Dian Wei will go and hand over this survivor and the bodies of these people to the Jinyiwei!"
"Don't worry about my safety!"
As soon as Ning Fan finished speaking, he rode on the purple lightning flying dragon and rushed out of the palace.
"My Lord!"
In a dark alley, Zhuan Zhu appeared silently in front of Ning Fan, knelt on one knee, and saluted respectfully!
"You know everything that happened tonight, right?"
"I'm late, please punish me, my lord!"
"No need to punish them for now, find out the identities of these people and who is behind it!"
"Yes!"
Ning Fan rode out of the dark alley, and Zhuan Zhu escorted him all the way outside the palace before he gradually disappeared into the darkness.
...
Imperial study!
Emperor Yu sat here for half a night, and did not go to bed for a long time, flipping through the memorials.
If it is true as Ning Fan said, the East Territory will be settled tonight, and there will definitely be a war report sent to the capital.
But whether it is a victory report or a defeat report... it is still unknown!
Time passed slowly, and Emperor Yu dismissed the urging of his concubines and fell asleep on the table.
As the bells rang, Emperor Yu was startled, and he quickly got up, put on his robe and walked out of the palace, and his majestic voice came out of the hall.
"Wei Ying, who rang the Taihuang Bell?"
"Your Majesty, great joy!"
Wei Ying staggered over and said with a look of surprise: "Great victory in the East Territory, the three dukes defeated the main force of Donghuai in one fell swoop and annihilated more than 100,000 enemies!"
"What!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Great!"
Emperor Yu was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud. Jing Li led the scouts who reported the victory to meet him and handed over the victory report respectfully!
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhenguogong asked me to tell your Majesty in person that in this battle, I, Dayu, cut off the retreat of Donghuai's 300,000 troops, and the three armies surrounded and annihilated 170,000 enemies!"
"Now, Donghuai's army has been defeated one after another, and our army is expanding the results of the battle!"
"In this battle, His Royal Highness Xuanyong Wang Jinyiwei should be the first to make contributions!"
Emperor Yu listened to the scout's passionate speech, and couldn't hide the smile on his face, and nodded frequently!
"Okay!"
"I got it. You can go down and have a rest too!"
"When the three dukes return, I will reward them according to their merits!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Jing Li on the side also showed a happy expression. Wei Ying reminded him softly: "Your Majesty, now that the Grand Emperor's bell has rung, the civil and military ministers have entered the palace and are waiting in the Zhengde Hall!"
"Go, Zhengde Hall!"
...
In the hall, the civil and military officials stood in awe.
Emperor Yu passed the news to the civil and military officials, which immediately caused an uproar!
"Haha, you are worthy of being the Duke of Zhenguo. Now that there is this battle, my Dayu will have another unparalleled god of war!"
"Duke Zhao is a master of strategy, and he is truly an unparalleled general!"
"Looking at all the generals of my Dayu, I am afraid that only the military god Duke Jingguo and His Royal Highness Prince Sheng can be compared!"
The court officials did not hesitate to praise him. Emperor Yu sat at the top, and the smile on his face never disappeared. The East Territory has always been a headache for him. Now that the East Territory is stable, the big stone in his heart has finally fallen!
"Ahem!"
Emperor Yu coughed lightly, and all the ministers stood up in awe, and the hall gradually quieted down!
"The result of this battle in the East Territory is a great victory that my Dayu has never had!"
"King Xuanyong should be the first to win!"
As soon as Emperor Yu finished speaking, all the ministers were stunned and looked at Ning Fan in surprise.
"Your Majesty, what does the victory in the Eastern Territory have to do with King Xuanyong?"
"Did King Xuanyong go to the battlefield in the Eastern Territory?"
"He should be the first to win... Your Majesty, this is a bit too much!"
All the court officials looked indignant, while Lin Qiushi and other important ministers looked at Ning Fan with complicated expressions. They all knew the inside story. I am afraid that after today, King Xuanyong's weight in His Majesty's heart will be second only to His Royal Highness Prince Sheng!
"Hmph!" Emperor Yu listened to the criticisms of the court officials and said lightly: "If it weren't for the Jinyiwei of King Xuanyong passing on military intelligence, my Huainan City of Dayu should have been lost at this moment, and my 200,000 main forces of Dayu would probably have been trapped!"
"What?"
"Jinyiwei passing on military intelligence?"
The ministers looked at Ning Fan in surprise when they heard this. The Jinyiwei had only been established for a few days. Could it be that it has such power?
"I congratulate your majesty. I am the prince of Dayu, and everyone is like a dragon!"
"Congratulations, your majesty!"
The court officials all changed the subject and flattered Emperor Yu. Ning Fan stood in front of the hall, silent.
"King Xuanyong, tell me, what reward do you want?"
"Reporting to my father, I don't need any reward. This is my duty and responsibility!"
Ning Fan spoke neither servilely nor arrogantly. The face of Ji Sui, the Minister of War, was full of admiration, and he looked at Ning Fan with respect.
"Blood stains?"
"Your Highness, why are there blood stains on your body?"
A cry of surprise suddenly resounded throughout the hall. At this moment, the entire court fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Ning Fan.
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