"Don't worry, Madam. We are not afraid. We will definitely guard Qingpu Garden and protect your safety."

Xie Zhaozhao saw that everyone was in high spirits, nervous but not flustered, which was very good!

She issued the orders methodically:

"Do not tell the women of the Xie and Bo families for the time being. Continue with the original arrangements and do what you were supposed to do. Do not cause panic."

Bei Chen went south out of the city to scout ahead and meet the Grand Secretary and his entourage. If they encountered a large army along the way, he advised them to avoid it and not return to the city for the time being.

Since moving to Qingpu Garden, about two hundred soldiers have been stationed there. Xie Zhaozhao instructed Hongshu: "Prepare all the earthenware pots and grenades hidden in the forbidden area by the lake."

Without asking any questions, Hongshu executed the order: "Yes."

Lu Feiyan blinked her eyes. After everyone had received their tasks, she went to find Doctor Chai. She needed to prepare more poison.

After Qingpuyuan was set up, everything was handed over to Yuanyuan, and Xie Zhaozhao went to chat with her grandmother and the others as if nothing had happened.

The incident in the city happened much faster than expected.

Just two hours later, the streets were in chaos.

Xiao Xin ran over again to report: "Master, the city gates are closed, and a large number of rebels have been discovered outside."

The watchmen at Qingpuyuan lookout point all came to report.

"A large number of troops have been discovered outside the southern city, and they are rushing towards the capital."

"A large number of troops have been discovered outside the western city."

"A large number of soldiers have been discovered outside the East City."

"Two groups of soldiers have already started fighting outside the north gate."

Standing behind Xie Zhaozhao were Lu Feiyan, Uncle Chai, Aunt Chai, and Yuan Yuanman. Xie Zhaozhao said, "Keep an eye on it."

The Imperial City Guards rushed out of the palace, holding up their tokens and shouting "Avoidance!" "Close the city gates!" "Close the palace gates!"

The commanders guarding the four city gates received orders to immediately close the gates.

The people packed their belongings very quickly; those who could go home went home, and those who could hide went into hiding.

Qingpu Garden is located in the western part of the city. From the observation deck, one can see the general layout of the area outside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial Palace.

All the civilians on the Imperial Street had been evacuated, and only the Imperial Guards were running around.

The Xie family's female relatives, Madam Lu and her two sons, were all waiting for her in the courtyard in a panic.

Madam Xie, leaning on her cane, remained calm and composed, like a pillar of strength.

When Xie Zhaozhao came in, the old man smiled, took her hand, and said, "Don't be afraid."

Zhou Tangtang also laughed and said, "It's a bit of a pity. I was carrying two heavy goods in my belly, otherwise, I would have picked up a gun and killed a few of them."

With a sob in her voice, Madam Lu asked, "What happened? Why is there a war all of a sudden? What if Second Master..."

Although Gu Zhongyu was only an eighth-rank military officer, he was still required to go to the battlefield once the enemy reached the capital.

Gu Zhongyu is a half-baked expert; his position as an eighth-rank military officer is nothing more than a lazy bum who can't fight.

Xie Zhaozhao comforted her, "Things are unpredictable, and nobody wants to fight. Sister-in-law, take Chengsi and Chenghuan to the tea room and wait. Don't panic, the courtyard has already been guarded by the government troops."

The old lady said firmly, "Zhaozhao, your grandmother is with you."

To facilitate information reporting by the guards on lookout, Xie Zhaozhao was stationed at Lanyue Pavilion outside the island in the middle of the lake.

Madam Xie refused to hide on the island in the middle of the lake and insisted on facing the situation together with her.

With her pregnant belly bulging, Zhou Tangtang smiled and said, "I won't hide. If you can be my child, you must be able to withstand the storms and never back down."

She also sat with Xie Zhaozhao in the Lanyue Pavilion.

The south gate was more dilapidated than the west gate, and the rebels attacked the city particularly fiercely from here.

Those rebels who had entered the city ahead of time tried to open the city gates from the inside and fight to the death with the Imperial Guards. The area inside the gates was littered with corpses and rivers of blood.

Although the city gates were some distance from Qingpu Garden, the sounds of shouting and chasing from inside the city created an extremely tense atmosphere.

Xie Zhaozhao sat calmly, while Old Madam Xie sipped her tea gently and asked, "The people you sent out to pick up Grand Secretary Gu should have met them by now, right?"

"Pretty much. Bei Chen's lightness skill is excellent. He should be able to travel at least a hundred miles out of the city now."

"That's good." It's good that Grand Secretary Gu and Yu'er are safe.

The Imperial Palace.

Emperor Hui sat on the dragon throne in the Hall of Diligent Governance, quietly observing his officials.

The court officials all stopped arguing, and people from all factions waited.

The rebels have confirmed that it was the crown prince who led the troops to force the emperor to abdicate.

That day, in the case at the Earl's Mansion, the Crown Prince was confined to his residence for a year, and the old ministers also knew about his drug use.

Both the Crown Prince and Wei Jingzhong understood that their lives would end with him being the Crown Prince.

Confined for a year, I wonder if the Crown Prince will even survive another year.

Not to mention the Crown Prince's faction, even Wei's supporters hoped that the Crown Prince would ascend the throne as soon as possible, otherwise, all their years of planning would be in vain.

Everyone supports it! Against it!

Wei Jingzhong had done his homework well in advance for this day.

From the moment Princess Meatball wanted to become empress, he began to take action. Almost all the men in the clan were quietly lured out of the city by various means.

On the surface, everything in the Wei family remained the same. With the Empress Dowager gone, all entertainment activities were canceled. On his wife's birthday, the Wei family and the palace even publicly sent gifts.

No sooner had Gu Shaoyu and his group left than three urgent military reports of the Western Xia invasion of the border were sent to the imperial court.

A few days later, an urgent report of the Eastern Liao invasion was also delivered to the imperial court.

Beset by internal and external troubles!

Before the generals who had suppressed the Rong and Ning princes returned, the court dispatched two more generals and military supervisors with troops and provisions to the frontier to join the original border troops in resisting the Western Xia and Eastern Liao.

The capital city has lost its capable military generals, and half of the troops in the camps outside the capital are either from the Wei family or the Crown Prince's faction.

Those unfinished secret guards that Old Ghost had trained, those who were not wiped out in Daqingshan, hid in manors a hundred miles outside the capital, disguised as merchant caravans, and entered the city in several batches.

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