The soldiers withdrew their hands that were holding the fish awkwardly.
The commander of the city defense walked to the front of the cart, looked at the bamboo basket, and then glanced into the bucket. The bucket was big enough, but there were also many fish inside. He laughed and scolded his men, "The two princes have worked hard to catch fish for you to eat. Why don't you thank us quickly?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Several soldiers hurriedly expressed their gratitude.
There was so much noise here that no one noticed that Mrs. Meng's carriage was shaking as it passed through the layers of inspection at the city gate and entered the city.
The general defending the city went to help drive the carriage, and all the way he calmly said: "The two princes are still as skilled as they were in the past. Their fishing skills are superb!"
Prince An withdrew his gaze from Madam Meng's carriage, snorted, and said, "You're still not convinced? I said I would definitely win! Just find a scale to weigh it!"
"We're competing in quantity! Quantity! Let's see who catches the most!" The old prince was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, but he was almost relieved. Madam Meng's idea was good! Sure enough, no one gave it a second glance.
Prince An glared back: "Is it so great to have big eyes? We are competing in weight!"
Seeing the two princes about to quarrel, the general defending the city hurriedly intervened: "You two are both right, but this time you should finish fishing at the imperial farm, right? I wonder how they will report to their superiors later."
The old prince said coldly, "What errands are you doing? The Royal Farm is supposed to serve our royal family. What's wrong with eating a few fish from it?"
As they were talking, they arrived at the gate of the palace. The commander of the city looked at the gate of the palace, which was almost next to it, and asked, "My lords, whose house should we go to first? How do we divide the fish in this bucket?"
"I know my fish! Let them come out and divide it!" Prince An jumped off the carriage and waved towards his own gate: "Bring over some buckets."
Several servants from both families immediately came out with buckets and began to catch fish under the command of their own princes.
The two bamboo baskets are not big enough, so no one can hide in them.
The bucket was quite large. The general defending the city was watching the fun from the side, occasionally saying a few words. After seeing that all the fish had been scooped out, he calmly walked forward and said, "Are they all scooped out?"
Prince An stepped forward and kicked the wooden barrel. There wasn't much water in the barrel after he had taken out the fish. He kicked the barrel over, and the water flowed all over the floor.
Prince An walked towards the palace with his hands behind his back: "Clean up the doorway and don't leave any mess sticking out!"
The old prince smiled and shook his head, and ordered his servants: "Clean it all up, don't leave even a single fish scale behind, or people will say our palace is slovenly!"
"yes!"
Immediately, a group of servants came out with buckets and brooms, poured water on the ground, and started sweeping the floor.
Water splashed everywhere, and the generals defending the city retreated repeatedly, but their pants were still splashed with water.
The corners of his mouth twitched. Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, he turned and walked away. After a few steps, he spat on the ground and said hatefully, "You bastard!"
The old prince and Prince An returned home safely, and Madam Meng also arrived safely at the Meng Mansion.
Two tall and pretty maids got off the carriage. They did not help Madam Meng, but hurriedly wiped their faces and mouths with their sleeves.
Madam Meng was helped down from the carriage by her maid and said to them with a smile, "Go and wash up quickly. We have water at home."
Xie Qing and Qin Bai hurriedly followed the maid to wash up. Only after they changed back into their own clothes did they feel comfortable.
Xie Qing looked at Qin Bai and said with a straight face, "Don't tell Wan'er that I've worn women's clothes."
Qin Bai sighed: "Don't worry, I won't tell. If I do, it won't be good for me. They will make us wear it again for them to see."
they?
Xie Qing looked at him in confusion. After a moment, he realized what was happening and nodded heavily: "We won't tell anyone."
Mrs. Meng came over and asked at the door, "Have you two finished packing?"
"We're done packing, we'll leave now." Xie Qing opened the door, looked at Madam Meng, and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Madam."
"With traitors in power, I do this for the common people." Madam Meng had already understood the situation at home. She quickly explained the situation in the capital: "The palace is now controlled by the Li family. Since there is no imperial decree to depose the empress, she has appointed herself Imperial Noble Consort."
"The Fourth Prince is now also the Regent. Yesterday, they invited the wives of the nobles into the palace and have not released them since. Furthermore, yesterday was a grand court meeting, and all the civil and military officials were trapped in the palace. I think they now understand what is going on."
What could be going on?
Regardless of whether the crown prince was plotting a rebellion or not, the Fourth Prince controlled the palace and the emperor, and naturally controlled the situation. Whether the crown prince was plotting a rebellion or not was a foregone conclusion.
All civil and military officials were trapped in the palace. If they opposed, they would be killed. If they did not object, they had to stay in the palace. They would probably not be released until the overall situation was settled.
Xie Qing and Qin Bai both understood this very clearly.
Neither of them needed to discuss it, just as they didn't ask the old prince and Prince An how they knew he hadn't left the capital.
Xie Qing said directly: "Let's go to the Xuanwu Marquis' Mansion first and see if there is a chance to enter the palace. Madam Meng is at home, closed the door, be careful."
Madam Meng was well prepared: "I've called the doctor over to prescribe some medicine for me to rest in bed. Otherwise, if Li knows I'm back, she'll definitely try to get me into the palace. I've caught a cold, which is a good excuse."
There is a chance that the cold could be contagious. The situation in the palace is chaotic right now, and Imperial Noble Consort Li certainly doesn't want to make matters worse.
Seeing that she was well prepared, Xie Qing nodded and followed Qin Bai quietly out of the back door of the Meng family.
There were people watching overtly and covertly around the Marquis Xuanwu's Mansion, but Xie Qing and Qin Bai, one of whom often visited the mansion at night and the other was the son of the mansion, naturally knew the appropriate way to enter.
Half an hour later.
Qin Xie looked at the two people in front of her and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Haven't you eaten yet? Eat something first."
Xie Qing asked, "Is there any news from the palace?"
Qin Xie shook her head. "I suspect the Eastern Palace has been taken under the control of the Imperial Concubine, and the people inside probably haven't received the news. However, Yijia is a careful girl, and I think there will be news tonight. There's no point in worrying now. You might as well take advantage of this time to eat a full meal and have a good rest. You'll be busy tonight."
Qin Bai nodded and looked at the meal on the table. It was simple, with a few side dishes and a bowl of beef noodles. It was quite filling but didn't take long to eat. "How many people are available at home?"
Qin Xie counted on her fingers and said, "Father has taken away all the young and strong men in the family. The Crown Princess has taken away all the female relatives who can fight. Do you want to use the half-grown boys like Chengming who can be used?"
Qin Bai scratched his head. These were all teenage boys and girls. He could use them if he wanted, but...
He looked at Xie Qing, somewhat hesitant.
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