Give Him the Handle

Chapter 2 Desperate

The military drum outside the palace was getting louder day by day.
In addition to going to the Yangju Palace to greet Xiao Jing and serve decoctions every day, Pei Qing took Xiao Jian to the Hanning Palace to read and practice calligraphy.
Zhi Lan has been reporting more and more frequently in recent days. At first, the eunuchs and maids in the palace escaped with the treasures in the palace. Pei Qing didn't say anything. They were all human beings. Seeing the impending disaster, who would be willing to be implicated and die.
But in the past few days, the things she reported were not trivial. Although the emperor was not lewd, the harem was still full of concubines, and those who were protected by the maternal clan , but they did not ask Queen Pei if she would agree, so they took them out of the palace without permission. Pei Qing couldn't stop them and had no intention of stopping them
It's just that those concubines whose natal families had no one to care about, in order to escape for their lives, secretly conspired with the guards, defiled the palace and absconded privately. This clearly showed that the emperor and empress were not looked down upon. Although Pei Qing knew that they were also trying to survive, this was too much. She had no choice but to ask Xiao Jing before deciding what to do.
In the afternoon, after coaxing Xiao Ji'an to take a nap, Pei Qing told Zhi Lan to add more charcoal fire and asked her to stay with the prince to prevent him from kicking the quilt and catching cold.
Zhi Lan nodded, worriedly getting her the thick cloak, and then sent Pei Qing to the entrance of Hanning Palace, watching her walking alone in the snow towards the Yangju Palace. The majestic queen did not even have a sedan chair.
Also, everyone with connections in the palace is almost gone. Who has the heart to serve this queen whose mother's family has no power and who has no heir?
When Pei Qing walked to Yangju Hall, the sky was a little dark, which was a sign of the coming blizzard.
"I've seen the Queen!" Meng Chuang, the commander of the imperial army guarding the Yangju Palace, had a knife on his waist. When he saw Pei Qing coming, he stepped forward to salute.
Pei slightly nodded, "Commander Meng, is your majesty awake?"
Meng Chuang nodded, "Reporting to your Majesty, your majesty just sent someone to get the scroll, and he is reading at the moment."
Pei Qing understood, stepping on the steps step by step and entering Live in the palace. There was a familiar medicinal smell inside. As she walked inside, she heard a few coughs.
"Brother-in-law." She hurriedly stepped forward, poured a cup of hot tea and put it in Xiao Jing's hand.
He took a sip and stopped coughing. A smile appeared on his handsome but pale face, "Where's Ji'er?"
Pei Qing pulled the charcoal stove to the couch and said, "He's taking a nap. After studying for half a day, he still had to practice martial arts in the evening. He fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow. "
Maybe it was because the stove was close, or there were more people in the hall, so Xiao Jing felt less cold, so he took another sip of hot tea. , returned the tea cup to her, "I had something to say to you alone, and you happened to come here alone."
Pei Qing took the tea cup with both hands and was a little surprised when he heard this.
"Tell me first, what do you want from me?" Xiao Jing put the scroll in his hand aside and looked at her gently.
"Yes... Concubine Yu had an affair with a guard, took the palace property with her, and tried to escape through a side door, but was stopped by the imperial army. Since it was a palace matter, she reported to my palace first. Pei Qing
looked at Xiao Jing, and he was indeed expressionless. She continued, "Concubine Yu has been in the palace for a long time, and she has been with brother-in-law the longest, so I wanted to ask her brother-in-law first."
He smiled, and when he saw her coming in with a solemn expression, he thought something big had happened. Husband and wife are originally birds of the same forest, and they fly separately when disaster strikes. What's more, this Concubine Yu is just a concubine, not a wife, so she is nothing. Just run away.
"This is what I want to tell you." Xiao Jing looked at Pei Qing, "After staying in the palace for so long, it's time to leave."
Pei Qing originally lowered her head, but when she heard these words, she suddenly raised her head. Come.
"I know my body, and the doctors have done their best. Ji'er is still young. If I die, you can't fight against the group of people outside the palace. They are crazy about the throne and will not care about the concubines.
Humiliating . If they attack while I am still alive, they will inevitably come to me to force you, either with oral instructions or with edicts. I can always delay it for you for a few more days so that they have no time to worry about anything else. "Listening to this, I burst into tears. But  didn't say yes.
Once Ji'er leaves this palace, he will no longer be a respected prince. He will have to hide in Tibet for the rest of his life and will never live a peaceful life.
"I leave Meng Chuang and his confidants with you. When I send you to a safe place, they will leave separately."
At this point, Pei Qing choked and retorted: "Brother-in-law makes such an arrangement, Commander Meng may not obey his orders . "
Xiao Jing was amused, "You know his strong temper. He has been with me for so many years, from being a servant to the commander of the imperial army. He has suffered a lot, but he is still very capable even when he is nearly thirty. If I die in the palace without a wife and children, it will be my fault, don't you think?"
Pei Qing burst into tears but refused to answer him.
"Hu Fu can no longer mobilize troops. The court officials are busy forming cliques for personal gain, and the clan members are busy taking advantage of the chaos to seize the throne. Pei Qing, we are in a desperate situation."
Xiao Jing suddenly started coughing again, and black blood even overflowed from the corners of his lips.
Pei Qing hurriedly wiped him with a brocade handkerchief, and in a panic she blurted out: "I wrote a letter for help, brother-in-law, I wrote a letter for help to King Nanchuan. He still has soldiers and horses in his hands. If, if... "
But she didn't have the confidence to say the following words. It has been seven days since the letter was sent, but it has disappeared without any news.
"King Nanchuan..." Xiao Jing thought thoughtfully, "I'm afraid he won't mind such nosy matters."
Pei Qing lowered his eyes, but she didn't know.
Suddenly, Meng Chuang's roar came from outside, and the fire suddenly burst into the sky.
"Breaking into the palace and killing people! Breaking into the palace and killing people -" The shout outside suddenly stopped, followed by the deafening sound of sword fighting.