Chapter 378
Tang Yin's words did not mention any names, but the faces of the ministers present all changed. Those standing were at a loss, and those sitting were on pins and needles.
Liang Xing was so angry that he almost exploded, but on the surface he was still calm and composed, talking and laughing with Tang Yin.
Not long after, a messy sound of footsteps came from outside. Tang Yin turned around and looked outside. He saw a group of people walking outside the hall. They were all burly and agile men. Among them, there was a person surrounded by stars. Because there were too many big men around, Tang Yin could not see clearly.
It was not until the one in the crowd entered the hall accompanied by two little maids that Tang Yin saw her appearance clearly.
This girl is said to be under 20, but she looks like a child of 14 or 15 years old. She is thin and skinny, with little flesh on her body. Her skin is tanned. One can guess that she was born in poverty and has been malnourished for a long time. However, the girl is still pretty and beautiful, with a pair of bright eyes.
After seeing her, Tang Yin couldn't help laughing. This is Zhan Ling! If you take off her gorgeous clothes, she will look no different from a refugee fleeing famine. Even the two little maids beside her look more like young ladies than her. He turned his head to look at Liang Xing and asked, "Prime Minister Liang, is this Miss Zhan Ling?" After seeing Zhan Ling, Tang Yin was happy, and the other ministers were also disappointed. They thought that Zhan Ling, the descendant of Zhan Xiong, was unusual, but now they saw that she was just a girl from a poor family.
Liang Xing could understand Tang Yin and the ministers' thoughts. He sighed deliberately, shook his head and said, "Miss Zhan Ling has been harmed by villains since she was a child. Unfortunately, she has been living outside and suffered a lot. But it is because of this that she has been blessed and escaped the persecution of the old thief Zhong Tian. She has left the only bloodline for my Dafeng royal family. This is the fortune of my Feng country and the Feng people!" "Fortunately for Feng country! Fortunately for Feng people!" Liang Xing's trusted ministers took the opportunity to echo and sighed in unison.
Hum! Tang Yin snorted in his heart, ignoring Liang Xing and those ministers who flattered him. He walked over to Zhan Ling and looked down at her. Perhaps her daily life was too difficult. The little girl was young, but her skin was very rough, especially her hands, which had small calluses.
His sudden approach made the girl's already tense nerves even more tense. Her shoulders trembled, her little hands twisted her clothes, and her feet subconsciously stepped back little by little, like a frightened little rabbit. Her big, round eyes looked at Liang Xing for help.
Just when Zhan Ling's heartbeat accelerated and her heart was about to jump out of her throat, Tang Yin, who was close to her, suddenly took a step back. A faint smile appeared on his cold face, and he asked softly: "Are you Miss Zhan Ling?" Zhan Ling didn't dare to speak, but just nodded timidly.
"Are you the daughter of Lord Zhan Xiong?" Zhan Ling nodded again without saying a word.
"What's the proof?" This time, Zhan Ling didn't need to answer. Liang Xing had already taken out a jade pendant from his arms, walked up to Tang Yin, handed it to him, and said, "This is what Miss Zhan Ling brought. I have verified it with the adults. It is indeed the thing of the previous king. The previous king did give it to Lord Zhan Xiong!" "Oh!" Tang Yin responded, stretched out his hand to take the jade pendant, just flipped it over, and then stuffed it into his arms and took it away directly. Liang Xing's face changed drastically when he saw this, and he said in surprise, "Master Tang, what are you doing..." Tang Yin shrugged and said, "This small jade pendant can't prove anything. Not to mention that it may be a counterfeit, even if it is really the thing of the previous king, it may be lost outside." As he spoke, he glanced at Zhan Ling again and said, "Whether this Miss Zhan Ling is real or fake, we will know once we go to the palace to ask." "Go to the palace?" Liang Xing and many ministers were all startled, not knowing what Tang Yin suddenly proposed to do in the palace.
Tang Yin looked at Zhan Ling with a smile, and said to the ministers. "As foreign ministers, we have never seen Miss Zhan Ling before she disappeared. However, among the wives of the previous king, there must be someone who has seen Miss Zhan Ling. As long as we bring her into the palace and let the ladies take a look, they will know whether she is real or not. What do you think, my lords?" His words are reasonable, and this matter involves the future king of Feng Country, so we must be cautious.
Wu Yu finally expressed his opinion at this time. He nodded and agreed: "What Lord Tang said makes sense. Real gold is not afraid of fire, and it is safest to let the wives of the previous king identify it." As soon as he spoke, the ministers who were close to him also responded: "Yes, yes!" Liang Xing was not afraid to bring Zhan Ling to the palace for verification. In his opinion, this Zhan Ling was absolutely genuine. If she was an outsider pretending, it would be impossible for her to know so much about the situation in Zhan Xiong's mansion, and it would be even more impossible for her to have the jade pendant awarded by Zhan Hua. He laughed and said, "Since all the gentlemen are willing to let the ladies verify Miss Zhan Ling's identity, I will not stop them." As he spoke, he whispered to Zhan Ling, "Miss Zhan Ling, are you willing to follow me into the palace?" The little girl had probably never seen such a big scene in her life. So many ministers and dignitaries were already frightened. She didn't hear what Liang Xing asked clearly, but just nodded blankly.
Seeing that she agreed, Tang Yin couldn't help but raise his mouth. As long as she was willing to enter the palace, everything would be fine.
Tang Yin, Liang Xing, Wu Yu, Ziyang Haochun, and all the civil and military officials in the court took Zhan Ling to the palace.
The guards at Liang Xing's mansion were already tight enough. Twenty thousand soldiers from the plain army were protecting a mansion. What a magnificent sight. The defense of the palace was even tighter than Liang Xing's mansion. Not only were there soldiers everywhere, but the patrols were almost uninterrupted. The protection was so tight that even a mouse couldn't get in, let alone a person.
When she arrived outside the palace and saw such a battle, Zhan Ling was so scared that her face turned pale and her legs became weak. She didn't dare to move forward.
Tang Yin, who was walking in front, stopped and looked back at Zhan Ling with a smile, and asked, "Miss Zhan Ling, are you scared?" Liang Xing frowned, walked quickly to Zhan Ling's side, and whispered to comfort her, "Miss Zhan Ling, don't be afraid. Just go into the palace and show it to the ladies." "I..." Zhan Ling wanted to say something, but Liang Xing had already pulled her sleeve and strode into the palace.
Now Feng State has no king, and the throne in the palace is vacant. According to the duties of the ministers, Wu Yu should decide on political affairs, Liang Xing should be in charge of military affairs, and Zi Yang Hao Chun should be in charge of commanding troops to fight. However, Tang Yin is in charge of military power now, and Liang Xing, Wu Yu, and Zi Yang Hao Chun are all in name only, without real power.
In the court, although Tang Yin has the lowest official position and stands at the end of all officials, the decision of major and minor matters depends on his face. Now is no exception.
Without waiting for others to speak, Tang Yin waved his hand, and with the sound of footsteps, a guard officer ran in from outside the palace. Without even looking at the others, he walked directly in front of Tang Yin, knelt on one knee, saluted, and said, "What do you want, sir?" "Please come to the palace to discuss matters!" "Yes!" The guard officer agreed, stood up, and ran out quickly.
Seeing this, all the ministers shook their heads and sighed secretly, daring to be angry but not to speak. They thought that if Zhong Tian was driven away, Feng Kingdom would see the light of day again, but Tang Yin, who held a large army, was simply the second Zhong Tian. The only difference between them was that Zhong Tian defied the will of heaven and established himself as king, while Tang Yin did not dare to cross this bottom line.
Tang Yin didn't care how the ministers viewed him. He turned his eyes around and made his own plans.
After half an hour, the concubines of Zhan Hua finally came, including Mrs. Hua Rong.
"I greet all the ladies!" Although these concubines had no real power, they were Zhan Hua's wives and concubines after all. In terms of etiquette, the ministers still had to pay great respect. While Tang Yin was paying respect, he raised his eyes and looked at Mrs. Hua Rong among the concubines. The latter did not miss his inquiring eyes, and did not say anything, but just nodded slightly to Tang Yin, indicating that the matter had been settled.
With Hua Rong's personal confirmation, Tang Yin felt much more relieved, and the smile on his face gradually deepened.
"Ministers, please stand up!" the ladies said one after another.
"Thank you, Madam!" After all the ministers stood up, a concubine said with a smile: "I heard that Prime Minister Liang found Zhan Ling, the daughter of Marquis Zhan Xiong. I wonder if it is true?" "Madam, you are right!" Liang Xing said seriously: "This time, I invited all the ladies to come to the hall for this matter!" As he spoke, he looked at Tang Yin and continued: "Lord Tang is very suspicious of Miss Zhan Ling's identity, so I asked all the ladies to come to confirm!" The concubine nodded and said: "As far as I know, Marquis Zhan Xiong does have a daughter named Zhan Ling." Liang Xing was delighted when he heard this. He was really afraid that the concubines didn't know who Zhan Ling was! He hurriedly pulled out Zhan Ling who was hiding behind him and said to the concubines: "Madams, this is Miss Zhan Ling!" The concubines looked up one after another. After seeing Zhan Ling's appearance clearly, they were stunned at first, and then they couldn't help laughing out loud.
No matter what, Zhan Ling is also a royal family, and this little girl in front of her is dark and thin. How can she have the temperament and appearance of a royal family? Not to mention that Madam Ronghua had already told them in advance, even if she hadn't told them, they would not think that this girl was Zhan Ling.
The concubines were laughing, and the ministers were dumbfounded, looking at each other, not knowing what to say.
Tang Yin asked, "I don't know why you ladies are laughing?" The older concubine said, "I am laughing at you adults bullying our ignorance!" This made everyone's face change at the same time, Liang Xing hurriedly asked, "What do you mean, Madam?" "If you want to establish a king, just do it. Why do you have to find someone to pretend to be the descendant of Lord Zhan Xiong? Let Lord Zhan Xiong, who is under the nine springs, have no peace." "Ah?" Liang Xing, who was so calm and mature, couldn't help but change his face after hearing this. He asked with a slightly stuttering tone, "Madam, what do you mean... this Miss Zhan Ling is a fake?"