As dawn broke, the eastern sky gradually revealed a pale white hue, heralding the arrival of a new day.

Xiao Shunzi, who served Emperor Liang Kang, was a perceptive man. Seeing that the matter was settled, he took the initiative to pledge allegiance to Yan Wu and testify that Yan Wu had rendered meritorious service in saving the emperor.

At this moment, he held the imperial edict and announced its contents.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Crown Prince has raised an army in rebellion; his wolfish ambitions are unforgivable... Fortunately, my second son, Yan Wu, has led troops to his aid, for which I am deeply gratified. On my deathbed, I pass the throne to my second son, hoping that he will be diligent and capable in governing the country... So be it!"

The ministers were shocked, wondering where this Second Prince had come from. Wasn't the Second Prince supposed to have died at birth? Some even wondered if this person was an imposter.

He looked up in suspicion and saw a face that looked exactly like the Crown Prince's.

Everyone's doubts were instantly dispelled. He looked exactly like Yan Huainan and even resembled the Emperor by five or six points. Who would believe that he wasn't of royal blood?

Of Emperor Liang Kang's surviving sons, two are under ten years old. The third prince is disabled and was granted a princely title and sent to his fiefdom at a young age. The fifth prince recently lost an arm and is physically disabled, thus he cannot ascend the throne.

Looking across the entire court and the country, who else besides the Second Prince who has suddenly returned is capable of taking on this role?

The princelings dared not speak out; the prince was dead, what use was their opposition?

Ji Baichuan knelt down first, "Your subject Ji Baichuan respectfully requests Your Highness to ascend the throne as Emperor, to inherit the late Emperor's grand aspirations, and to promote the prestige of our Great Liang!"

The officials all knelt down and loudly echoed, "We respectfully request that His Highness ascend the throne!"

Yan Wu looked at the people kneeling all over the ground, but what he was thinking about was the little princess waiting for him in the other courtyard.

Is the little princess still asleep?

From now on, they can be together openly and honestly. They will get married, and he will give her the best wedding and present her with the throne of Empress. Thinking of this, Yan Wu couldn't wait to go back and see his little princess and share his joy with her.

"Your Excellencies, please rise. We will discuss the enthronement later. There are still many things to arrange in the palace, and the late Emperor needs to be laid to rest as soon as possible. This matter will be handled by the Ministry of Rites. The rest of you may return to your quarters."

Everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought that the Second Prince would immediately imprison the officials of the Crown Prince's faction. It seemed they had overestimated him; this Second Prince hadn't grown up in the palace and didn't understand the complexities of court politics.

"We take our leave."

After arranging the remaining tasks, Yan Wu left the Hall of Diligent Governance, leaving Ji Suizhou and his son to count the remaining personnel. Just as he stepped out of the Hall, he bumped into a guard rushing towards him.

He was one of the bodyguards he had specially left in the villa.

Yan Wu's expression darkened slightly. "What happened? Did something happen at the villa?"

The guard hurriedly told him, "Master, the princess is missing!"

"What?!"

Yan Wu's face turned deathly pale. A wave of panic surged from the depths of his heart and gradually spread throughout his body. "How could they have disappeared?!"

“Your subordinate is unaware that this morning, when Miss Bichun went into the room to wake the princess, she found the room empty. Your subordinate and others searched the entire courtyard inside and out, but could not find her. The guards on night duty last night also did not see the princess leave.”

"If they didn't go out, how could they just disappear into thin air?!"

The guards had no way to explain themselves. They had been keeping a close watch on the villa all night, and since no one had entered or left, it was as if the villa had simply vanished into thin air.

Yan Wu abandoned his guards, grabbed a horse, and galloped out of the palace, heading towards the villa.

Back at the villa, he checked the room for any traces... but found none.

The blanket was pulled back, and the outer clothes and shoes were on. There were no signs of struggle or fighting, so it didn't look like she had been forcibly taken away. Yan Wu's heart did not relax in the slightest.

"Find her! Find her! Seal the city gates and search every house! We must find the princess safely, no matter what!"

Yan Wu couldn't fathom where this pregnant, frail woman would be at night. Last night, chaos reigned outside; tens of thousands of soldiers marched through the capital. With so many people and such confusion, wouldn't she encounter some danger?

just in case……

His knuckles were white as he gripped the bedpost, his eyes, which hadn't slept all night, were bloodshot, and the blood on his face, stained with the blood of the killings, had turned dark red over time. At first glance, he looked like a demon crawling out of hell, bloodthirsty and terrifying.

The palace maids, Bichun and Hongxiu, stood to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

"What are you all standing there for? Get out there and search!"

Yan Wu led a group of people, searching one street after another in the capital.

...

In a small courtyard.

Yan Chaoxi successfully gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. She cut the umbilical cords herself, then took off her outer clothes to use as swaddles for the two babies, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Giving birth alone without help was truly exhausting.

Fortunately, she had the recovery pills, and she immediately recovered half of her strength after giving birth, and her body was also restored to 50% of its original state.

Only then did she realize that it was already daylight outside. She would usually have gotten up by now, and the people in the other courtyard must have already noticed that she was missing.

She regretted leaving a note in her haste last night; what if Yan Wuji went mad with worry?

The Crown Princess had already woken up and was outside angrily berating Yan Chaoxi. Yan Chaoxi, annoyed by the noise, found a cloth and gagged her. As soon as the Crown Princess's voice disappeared, Yan Chaoxi held the two children and gently soothed them until they closed their eyes and fell into a sweet sleep.

The faint sound of galloping hooves came from outside the courtyard. She pushed open the door and went out, just as a squad of guards galloped past her.

"Quick! Go search over there! Search house to house, you must find the princess!"

Yan Chaoxi shouted, "I'm here!"

The other person didn't hear them and turned a corner, already far away.

Yan Chaoxi, "..."

She waited a while longer, and then another group of people rushed across the street next to her. The leader was none other than Yan Wu. Yan Chaoxi's eyes lit up, and she quickly called out, "Yan Wu! Yan Wu! I'm here!"

Yan Wu heard the sound and looked over sharply, only to see Yan Chaoxi standing at the entrance of a small courtyard, waving excitedly at him.

He relaxed and quickly spurred his horse over.

"Princess!" He jumped off his horse, and upon confirming that the person standing in front of him was indeed Yan Chaoxi, he immediately hugged her tightly in his arms, filled with the joy of having her back after a loss.

He searched for more than an hour, and the more he searched, the more panicked he became. He didn't even dare to think about what he would do if something really happened to her!

How did you get here? Are you hurt?

"I'm not injured..." Yan Chaoxi didn't know how to explain. She was in a hurry to stop the Crown Princess Yang from tipping off the Crown Prince, and she didn't know how to explain it.

"I... woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, feeling uneasy, so I secretly went out for a walk to clear my head. I found out that the Crown Princess was going to the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion to deliver a message, and I rushed after her to stop her."

Her words were full of holes, but Yan Wu didn't have time to worry about that, because he discovered an even bigger problem.

He gently stroked Yan Chaoxi's flattened belly, trembling as he asked, "Where is the baby?"

Taking the opportunity, Yan Chaoxi pointed to the courtyard and smiled gently at him, "They're inside."

Yan Wu, “?!”