Chapter 205 A Close Call

Just as Prince Rui was laughing, Xie Yunyu seized the opportunity, suddenly jumped up, and stuck a needle into Prince Rui's arm.

Suddenly, Prince Rui felt his arm go numb and lost all feeling, and the dagger in his hand fell to the ground.

Almost the instant Xie Yunyu made her move, the old eunuch Cui followed suit.

When Xie Yunyu lunged forward, the wind she created alerted Yuan Che, but before he could react, Yin Fengshan was already in front of him.

The three worked together almost in sync.

From the moment Prince Rui felt the numbness in his arm until the dagger hadn't even hit the ground, the old eunuch Cui's hand was already at his throat.

Yin Fengshan and Yuan Che have already clashed.

After Xie Yunyu finished inserting the needles, she immediately retreated, leaning against the wall to dodge.

The Thousand Bull Guards swarmed forward and surrounded everyone.

Xiao Ling walked through the crowd and hugged Xie Yunyu tightly.

He felt Xie Yunyu's trembling body, so he held her still and reached out to comfort her from behind.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here... I'm here..."

Once everyone inside was under control, the Crown Prince walked over from behind and said:

"Take them all away."

The eldest princess breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the person being brought out.

The empress rushed into the house like a whirlwind to see the emperor.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was already in front of the soft couch, he struggled to step forward, took the Emperor's hand, and said:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Seeing that the emperor was barely breathing, he hurriedly called out:

"Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!"

The eldest princess in the courtyard strolled leisurely toward Prince Rui, looking at him with a sarcastic smile:

"When I deduced that you were an imposter, I found it very strange. For so many years you've been so careful, letting that double do it for you."

How could I be so foolish as to enter the palace alone this time?

But thinking about it later, it makes sense; this supreme position should definitely be occupied by you personally.

After saying that, she gave him a disgusted look and said, "Tear his face off."

Dou Kun obeyed and reached out to peel off the human skin mask from Prince Rui's face.

The eldest princess smiled as she looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar face:

"That's right, it's this face. It looks exactly like Consort Ye. It's disgusting."

Prince Rui, his eyes blazing with fury, glared at the eldest princess, wishing he could tear her to pieces.

The eldest princess glanced at him indifferently and said to Yin Fengshan:

"Take him away and keep an eye on him. Don't let him die."

You and Dou Kun should personally guard him; no one is allowed to see him.

If he dies, or is rescued, then you will be held accountable.

"Here you go."

Yin Fengshan and Dou Kun both accepted the order.

The eldest princess then looked at the general of the Eagle Guard and said, "You stay and clean up the mess."

"Here you go."

After arranging everything, the eldest princess saw the Imperial Guards carrying the emperor and his soft couch out together.

The eldest princess stepped forward, looked at it, and said, "Take it to Taiji Palace."

The Empress hesitated for a moment and said, "Wouldn't that disturb the Empress Dowager?"

"The Empress Dowager visited Prince Rui today and she already knows, so there's no problem," the eldest princess said.

The empress then led people to carry the emperor to the Taiji Palace.

At this moment, Xiao Ling helped Xie Yunyu out, and the two of them walked out of the main hall of Chunhua Palace, which was filled with corpses and arrows.

After arranging the emperor's affairs, the princess turned her head and saw two people, one with a face covered in blood and the other with an arrow stuck in his arm.

He asked nervously, "Are you all injured?"

Xiao Ling waved his hand and said, "It's alright."

Xie Yunyu also said weakly, "Mother, it's alright."

"Quickly, help the Prince and Princess to Taiji Palace," the Princess instructed.

The group hurried to Taiji Palace.

All the imperial physicians on duty today have been summoned to the Taiji Palace to wait.

Those who saved the emperor saved the emperor, and those who removed the arrows from Xiao Ling's head removed the arrows.

Xie Yunyu only had a head injury and bled a lot, which looked frightening.

In fact, her injuries were the least severe.

However, Xie Yunyu felt extremely dizzy. After bandaging Xiao Ling's wound and watching him finish treating it, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Xiao Ling turned his head and looked at Xie Yunyu, who was sleeping. He reached out and pulled the blanket up over her.

Then, holding her hand, I lay down too.

Outside the palace, the imperial physician's examination results for the emperor were the same as Xie Yunyu's.

The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief and had two chairs brought out for him and the Princess to sit together on the veranda outside the palace.

After Princess Jinyang sat down, she began to issue commands:

"Summon Luan Ming, the Grand General of the Thousand Feather Guard, to an audience."

"Summon Cheng Kaixuan, the Prefect of Jingzhao and General of the Golden Guard, to an audience."

"Summon the six ministries and nine ministers to an audience immediately..."

Soon Luan Ming of the Thousand Feather Guard arrived, and the Princess looked at him with a solemn expression, saying:

"Yuan Che, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, conspired with Prince Rui to rebel. For the next few days, the Imperial Guards will be on duty in your Thousand Feather Guards."

If you dare to make any mistake, your entire family will perish with you.

On his way here, Luan Ming already knew a little about what was going on in the palace.

Hearing Princess Jinyang's words, a cold sweat broke out on his back despite the hot weather.

Although Princess Jinyang wielded immense power and was occasionally arrogant, she would never casually utter words like "exterminating nine generations of a person's family."

Luan Ming sensed overwhelming anger from her few words.

"Your humble servant obeys."

Just as Luan Ming left, General Cheng Kaixuan of the Golden Guard arrived.

Princess Jinyang continued to give her instructions:

“Prince Rui infiltrated the palace and took His Majesty hostage. Even if there are problems with the palace, there must still be Prince Rui’s spies in the capital.”

You have five days to search the entire city and eradicate them completely.

If you can't do it, then bring me your head.

"Here you go."

Cheng Kaixuan knelt down and acknowledged.

At this moment, the Prefect of Jingzhao also arrived, and the Eldest Princess said:

"The Jingzhao Prefecture assisted the Jinwu Guard in investigating the remaining followers of Prince Rui in the capital."

If you dare to hold a position without doing your job properly and fail to put in your best effort, I'll take your head.

The Prefect of Jingzhao wiped the sweat from his brow with trepidation and knelt down to acknowledge him.

After the two left, the six ministries and nine ministers slowly arrived.

The crown prince looked up at the sky; it was almost late afternoon, the hottest time of the day. He then suggested:

"Aunt, shall we go to the East Palace to discuss matters?"

The eldest princess shook her head firmly: "No, let's discuss it here."

These people have become increasingly lazy over the years. They can't handle the northern border, they can't manage the court affairs, and all they know how to do all day is attack each other.

If you can't even stand this heat, you should go home and farm as soon as possible.

Standing in the imperial court would also mean achieving nothing.

Seeing that the eldest princess was in a bad mood today, the crown prince did not dare to provoke her, so he touched his nose and remained silent.

After a while, the eldest princess said again, "Never mind, I'll give them a warning first, and then you can tell me to take them to the East Palace later."

After all, the reins of government are now on your shoulders; you need to show them favor in order to make good use of their talents.

How could the Crown Prince not understand the Princess's good intentions?

So he said in a low voice, "Thank you for your hard work, Aunt."

The scorching heat made it difficult for the officials to bear.

Facing the wrath of the eldest princess made it even more unbearable.

Princess Jinyang launched into a tirade against the ministers for half an hour, nitpicking, finding fault, and attacking them.

Several of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers were so rebuked that they almost fainted.

However, the eldest princess was still not satisfied and made them stand in the courtyard for a full hour.

Finally, two older men were on the verge of fainting from the heat, so the Crown Prince quickly spoke up:

“Aunt, there are still many political affairs to be dealt with today. How about I take all the court officials to the East Palace to handle the affairs of state?”

The eldest princess remained silent for a long time before finally humming in agreement.

Then, looking at the people on the ground, he said, "His Majesty is unwell, and all state affairs will be handled by the Crown Prince from now on."

"If anyone dares to cause trouble for me again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

The Minister of Rites, who was at the head of the group, looked up at the Princess and asked:

"Your Majesty, is your health alright?"