Chapter 105

It takes only one day to travel from Yulin to the capital by fast horse.

The angel will arrive in Yulin tonight. After Prince Xin receives the news, he can return to Beijing the day after tomorrow at the latest.

According to the plan, Prince Xin can be killed tomorrow night. Once Prince Xin is dead, the only one the emperor can appoint is the Fifth Prince. Success or failure depends on this one move.

On the 27th, the eldest princess did not go anywhere, but waited silently for news in Changchun Palace.

It was not until noon that news finally arrived from the Yulin border.

"What did you say? Prince Xin did not obey the summons? What's the reason?"

"His Royal Highness Prince Xin traveled hundreds of miles to chase the Mongol army. On his way back to the camp, he was ambushed by spies and was seriously injured. He will not be able to return for a while."

"Injured? That can't be fake, right?"

The eunuch smiled bitterly, "The angel has personally checked it, so it must be true."

Chao Yun stood at the entrance of the palace, and when she heard the eunuch's report, her face changed a thousand ways. She was stunned for a moment, and then hurried to the side of the princess, "Your Highness, this Prince Xin obviously suspected that there was a trick, and did not take the bait."

At that time, the princess was sitting behind the desk, staring intently at the open door. When she heard the news, her brows furrowed sharply, then she heaved a long sigh and regrouped, "Prince Xin probably guessed that I would not agree to him being the crown prince, so he became suspicious and did not dare to return to the capital easily. He wanted to find out whether he was truly injured or faking his illness."

"Yes, but Your Highness, what should we do next? We can't just sit there and wait for death."

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't come back. I'm just looking for an opportunity to deal with him."

Chao Yun was relieved to see that the princess was confident, and then asked, "What are your plans, Your Highness?"

The eldest princess frowned and said nothing. She would not take that step unless she had no other choice. But now she had no choice but to succeed or die. She had no way out.

"Things have already been planned, now everything is ready except for the east wind." As she was thinking, the princess suddenly remembered something.

"You said earlier that the Queen would go to the Swallow Garden to hold a flower viewing banquet tomorrow?"

"That's right. All the female students from the Women's Academy will be attending. The Second Young Madam and the Princess will also be there."

The princess was about to say something when she saw someone coming to the door and stopped talking. Then she saw Li Xiangwu, the Grand Chamberlain beside the Queen, coming over in a dustpan. The eunuch was about to ask for instructions, but the princess saw it, raised her chin and motioned for the person to come in.

The eunuch Li came over with a smile, bowed, and said in a flattering manner,

"Your Highness, the Empress is planning to go to the Swallow Garden tomorrow. I woke up today with a headache. I asked the Imperial Doctor He to see me and he said I had caught a cold. I'm afraid I can't go. The Empress sent me to ask for your opinion. I want to ask if you can go to the flower viewing banquet tomorrow. There are so many officials and their wives present. It would be embarrassing if a master from the palace doesn't go."

Doctor He is the eldest princess's man, which shows that the queen is really ill.

The eldest princess was just trying to find an excuse to avoid the incident, but someone brought her a pillow when she fell asleep.

However, the old lady did not show it on her face, and only said calmly, "The Queen is ill at a really good time. I am too busy to take care of her, so how can I have the time to go?"

Eunuch Li bent even lower, "The Queen Mother loved Yanque Lake the most when she was alive. She said there was a pool of good water and a good forest there, which was a great place to spend her old age. Unfortunately, the Queen Mother was so busy that she never went to Yanque Lake to live until her death. Your Highness, you have inherited the Queen Mother's legacy and led all the officials and their families to remember the Queen Mother and pray for the soldiers. Perhaps this will be more in line with the Queen Mother's wishes."

The princess raised her brows slightly and pretended to be convinced. "Oh, after hearing what you said, I really have no choice but to go."

Eunuch Li smiled awkwardly.

The princess hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, Queen, take care of yourself. I'll go tomorrow."

In the afternoon, the princess went to Fengtian Palace and told the emperor about this matter, complaining.

"The Queen is ill in a strange way. She was in high spirits two days ago, but today she is using illness as an excuse to not go, and she has to ask my sister to go."

The emperor knew that she was busy reorganizing the Imperial Household Department and had no time to care about other things, so he advised her, "You will be back soon."

That's settled.

On the 28th, the sky was clear and the wind was light. The eunuchs and their wives, who had not left the city for a long time, rode in luxurious carriages and headed for Yanque Lake in the eastern suburbs.

Yanque Lake has a wide water body with a circumference of 400 acres. The water body is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is lush and green. Only the west bank is covered with a vast grassland, extending to the bottom of the mountain pass. Many pavilions are built around the lake, and there is also a long and narrow section of the lake that goes deep into the mountains and forests, like a colorful ribbon and pearl. The girls who come early can climb the mountains, cross the water, and walk through the trees and flowers, which is so enjoyable.

To the south of Yanque Lake is Hulu Mountain, on which stands a temple called Xiangshan Temple. Young men and women who do not participate in the competition walk along the mountain paths to the temple, climb up to the top to see the distant view, pray for incense and worship Buddha without noticing any human habitation.

There are two buildings standing opposite each other across the water beside Yanque Lake, one is the Zhaixing Tower and the other is the Lanyue Pavilion.

The talent show was held in the Zhaixing Tower.

The second and third wives stayed at home to look after the children. The fourth wife could not get along with the younger generations, so she finally dragged the eldest wife over to join in the fun. Except for Zhou Min who was pregnant, the other grandmothers followed Xie Yunchu into the garden to play.

The Queen invited Madam Ming to be the presiding judge and arranged five royal relatives to serve as jurors. Madam Ming's father was a tutor of the dynasty and a famous talented woman in the capital when she was young. She had a noble character. The girls were all convinced when she was the presiding judge.

Xie Yunchu had selected a large private room in advance to accommodate the teachers and girls of the academy. The unmarried girls gathered around several female teachers to ask for advice. After all, Xie Yunchu was a top student and had the most beautiful girls around her. From the beginning of the Si hour to the end of the Shen hour, she was almost busy all the time and talked until her mouth was dry.

But hard work pays off.

A girl under her command named Shi Ruyun was very talented and won the championship. In addition, three other girls made it into the top ten, which was a great achievement.

"In this way, more and more girls will come to our academy to study."

The eldest princess was so busy that she didn't show up at the banquet until noon. After that, she went to the Lanyue Pavilion opposite to rest.

The Empress Dowager lived in the Lanyue Pavilion for some time before her death. There are still palace maids cleaning the place today, and the original furnishings in the pavilion remain unchanged. The eldest princess occasionally comes here to remember her mother. The Lanyue Pavilion has three floors. The eldest princess came to the study by the window on the third floor and sat down.

Opposite was the Zhaixing Tower. She could hear the girls laughing and talking as they crossed the water. The hustle and bustle of the place actually gave the princess a rare moment of peace.

Many officials and noble ladies came today, and naturally some took the opportunity to visit the princess. The princess summoned several wives of important officials above the third rank in Lanyue Pavilion. At three quarters after 3 pm, Chaoyun, remembering that there were important matters in the palace, urged her, "Your Highness, we should go back to the palace."

The princess sat behind the desk drinking tea, not in a hurry, "Wait a little longer."

Chaoyun didn't know what the princess was waiting for.

After sitting for less than half a quarter of an hour, a eunuch rushed in from the corridor outside, held the door sill, bowed to the princess, and said, "Your Highness, it's done."

The princess's expression brightened when she heard this. "Really?"

The eunuch nodded and chuckled, "Just now I saw a bunch of purple smoke burning in the southeast corner of the palace, which means the matter has been accomplished."

The princess held her forehead with a complicated mood, but she did not hesitate and quickly stood up and said, "Let's go back to the palace."

Chaoyun hurriedly took her silver-gray cloak from the screen, put it on her, and helped her walk out in a hurry.

"Your Highness, what's going on?"

The princess' steps became heavier when she heard this. She held onto the railing and walked downstairs step by step. Her tone was calm and indifferent.

"Your Majesty has had a headache recently, so I had someone put some medicine in his Gastrodia powder to put the blame on the Queen and Prince Xin. Since the Queen happened to be ill, I took the opportunity to avoid suspicion and also established evidence of the Queen and Prince Xin's guilt."

Chao Yun was horrified when he heard this. "What if something happens to His Majesty? We are outside now."

The princess stood still on the steps and looked at her dimly, "Don't worry, I have already made plans. I may not be able to control everything outside the palace, but I have the final say inside the palace. Have you forgotten whose daughter I am? No one can take the throne from me!"

The eldest princess said this calmly, gathered her cloak and strode downstairs.

Chao Yun was stunned and thought to herself, the eldest princess is the only daughter of the late empress dowager. She has been immersed in the harem since she was a child and has been influenced by everything. It was she who put the emperor on the throne. There must be spies of the eldest princess everywhere in the palace.

It was easy for her to control the emperor.

After figuring this out, Chao Yun quickly chased after him.

"Your Highness, wait for me!"

At that time, the setting sun was like blood, and the fiery red sunlight spread vastly over the mountains and ridges, contrasting with the fish-scale clouds above that were dyed red by the afterglow.

The eldest princess led a thousand guards out today. When they arrived at the entrance of Yanque Garden, they suddenly heard the earth-shaking sound of horse hooves coming from afar.

The leader of the guards listened carefully and was startled. He turned around and shouted,

"Your Highness, there is an ambush at the foot of the mountain!"

As the name suggests, Hulu Mountain has a narrow opening like the mouth of a gourd. There was a sound of fighting coming from below the gourd mouth, and a group of soldiers dressed as refugees were attacking Yanque Lake with bows and arrows.

Upon seeing this, Chao Yun immediately stepped in front of the princess and shouted, "Form a battle array to protect the emperor!"

At that time, the shouting outside also alarmed the women in the garden. They all looked out from the attic and saw dust flying in the direction of the garden entrance and the deafening sound of fighting. They were all terrified. In a short while, the garden was in chaos with people and horses falling to the ground and screaming.

Today, in addition to the one thousand guards brought by the eldest princess, there are also one thousand guards responsible for overseeing the flower-viewing banquet in Yanque Garden. These one thousand people are from the East City Military Department.

Seeing this, the leaders of the guards on both sides quickly rushed forward and organized the soldiers to fight.

The princess's 1,000 guards were all strong fighters in the army. Their leading general was battle-hardened and experienced. He quickly commanded the soldiers to form a crane-wing formation to deal with the enemy.

When he saw the refugees, he knew it was Prince Xin's trick. He wanted to use the same trick he used against the crown prince to deal with the princess.

The eldest princess stood behind the soldiers with a gloomy face.

"That bastard Prince Xin wants to kill me? He really made a wrong calculation."

Chao Yun looked back at her anxiously, "Your Highness, from the sound of fighting, there are many people coming. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to fight our way out. Besides, it's easy to protect Your Highness, but what about all these women?"

The princess was furious for a while, but soon calmed down. "Prince Xin's target is me. He will not kill the women here. Tell Luo Lin to hand over the defense of Yanque Lake to the military department. Leave 500 people to help the military department protect the officials and their families, and the remaining 500 people will protect me and break out of the siege!"

The most important thing right now is to rush back to the palace.

Soon the guards came with horses. Chao Yun climbed onto the horse first, then pulled the eldest princess up and sat behind her. They set off with the eldest princess. Five hundred elite soldiers held shields and swords to protect the eldest princess in the middle. While the enemy had not yet gained a firm foothold, they followed the edge of the mountain and tore a hole from the southwest to kill them.

Arrows flew towards the princess like rain, but were all blocked by the guards' shields. The horse was frightened and leaped faster. The princess hugged Chao Yun's slender waist tightly and was bumped around badly.

A deputy general among the refugees saw the guards protecting the princess from breaking out, and hurriedly asked the leader,

"The princess is trying to break out to the southwest, what should we do?"

The leader was short and ugly, wearing a brown short coat, holding a mouthful of mint leaves in his mouth. He sat on the horse's back in a carefree manner, squinting his eyes in the direction of the princess's breakout, and sneered,

"What are you afraid of? Outside the palace wall are all His Royal Highness Prince Xin's men. No matter where she flees, she will die. So, you take 500 people to chase her and kill her, and the rest of you follow me to guard the gourd entrance."

The deputy general bowed and accepted the order, and immediately selected five hundred men to follow the princess.

When the war broke out, the officials in charge of guarding Yanque Lake summoned the stewards to appease the female relatives and gathered everyone near Lanyue Pavilion.

When many women in the family saw the eldest princess leaving, they thought they were abandoned and burst into tears.

The princess finally managed to break out of the encirclement and walked south for a while. Luo Lin asked the princess,

"Your Highness, it seems that Prince Xin has rebelled ahead of time. I'm afraid that all the people outside the city are theirs. Where do we enter the palace from?"

Chao Yun pulled the reins of her horse and slowed down. The princess was lying behind her, unable to open her eyes due to the wind and sand, but she spoke calmly, "Go to Guangqu Gate and enter the palace from there."

Luo Lin was shocked. "Your Highness, Guangqu Gate is very far from the Imperial City. If there is a war outside, the gate will definitely be locked. How can we get in?"

The princess' eyes were dim, "You can go ahead. I have a way to get into the city."

Luo Lin naturally believed her, so the group turned west towards Guangqumen, which was the direction of the new canal port.

Two hundred men were left behind to cover the retreat, and the remaining three hundred guards followed the princess to the vicinity of Guangqumen. After the sunset completely sank into the clouds, Hulu Mountain in the distance looked like a fully drawn bow in the dark blue sky.

As expected, the Guangqu Gate was tightly closed. The guards on the city wall didn't know who was coming, nor who was causing the riot. No one dared to open the door without the imperial decree. The princess didn't plan to knock on the door. She just stumbled off her horse, took Chao Yun's hand, and strode to the foot of the city wall.

She was old, and after all this trouble, she was already out of breath, but she didn't care about her tiredness at the moment, and quickly came to a corner at the foot of the city wall, where she saw a high battlement with a hole under it that was big enough for one person to pass through.

The princess was not without any precautions. She never left the city easily in these years. Once she left the city, she would always carry the secret key left to her by the late queen. She took out the secret key from her chest and handed it to Chaoyun.

"Go in, find the iron bolt, open the door, and there is a passage inside the city wall that leads directly to the imperial city."

Luo Lin and Chao Yun looked at each other and showed their delight.

"No wonder Your Highness is so calm, it turns out there is a trick up your sleeve."

The eldest princess' hair was slightly messy, her face was solemn, and she said nothing.

Chaoyun hurriedly squeezed in from the parapet. With the help of her peripheral vision, she saw a medium-sized iron door under the parapet, facing the city wall. She immediately found the copper lock and unlocked it. After some effort, she pushed the door open a little. A heavy, musty smell surged out and choked Chaoyun a few times. She hurriedly squeezed in and grabbed the iron ring from the inside to pull the door open a little.

"Your Highness, that's enough."

The princess immediately led fifty elite soldiers into the alley under the city wall, and then ordered a captain to stay behind.

"The rest of you, fight your way back to Yanque Lake and find a way to send the women to Xiangshan Temple on the mountain, and hold your ground until help arrives!"

"clear!"

As soon as the iron gate was locked, Luo Lin personally carried the eldest princess on his back and ran quickly towards the northern direction of the imperial city.

At this time, at Yanque Lake, the five hundred soldiers who followed the princess turned back.

"Boss, the princess seems to have disappeared out of thin air. We ran all over the southern city wall but didn't see her."

The leader had a gloomy face, and he held the knife at his waist and looked towards the capital city where dark clouds were looming.

"Forget it, never mind. Leave the rest to Your Highness. We are only responsible for capturing these women!"

After saying this, he turned around and looked at the majestic and vast Hulu Mountain in front of him, then slowly raised his hand.

"Everyone, attack Hulu Mountain in three groups."

"Remember, His Royal Highness Prince Xin has ordered that no one should harm the officials' families, especially not the Second Young Lady of the Wang family. Anyone who hurts her will be killed. Do you understand?"

"promise!"

As he swung his long arms, the refugees followed the night and rushed towards Hulukou along the hillside like a tide.