The emperor looked through the things the Grand Commandant brought back with a sullen face, then tossed them aside: "They are all useless."
The Grand Commander knelt down and apologized: "I am incompetent and cannot help Your Majesty."
Xie Qing said, "I sent people to investigate all those who were related to the Fourth Master, but the Pingyang Marquis' family disappeared without a trace."
The emperor looked up at the Grand Commander and said, "Lu Yan is from your Five Armies Commandery. Don't you know where he went?"
The Grand Commander quickly said, "I truly don't know. The judge is in charge of the military's criminal justice system. He doesn't spend much time in the army, so I don't know if he reports for duty every day."
The emperor snorted coldly, "Then I ask you, where were you during the coup? If you were in the palace, how could they have easily taken control of everyone there? Come up with a good excuse for me, or I'll treat you as a rioter!"
The Grand Commander said, "There are wars everywhere. I have to mobilize troops and food within the Five Military Commandery, and I also have to mobilize troops and generals within the camp. When the incident happened, I was in the camp. When the news came, Your Majesty was already under the control of Li and others. I dare not act rashly."
The commander of the imperial guards also said: "I was ill at the time and did not enter the palace."
These two people usually do not attend grand court meetings. Even if they do, it is only when summoned by the emperor or when they have something to report at the time. They are very flexible. What's more, when the commander of the imperial guard came two days ago, he had a runny nose and it was obvious that he was unwell.
The emperor snorted, letting them go for the time being, and then asked, "How many soldiers do you have now?"
The Grand Commander said, "There are a total of 150,000 troops sent from various border areas. Now there are less than 50,000 troops left in the camp. If we leave those who are left to guard the capital, there are only 30,000 who can be mobilized."
The commander of the Imperial Guard said, "There are only 5,000 Imperial Guards."
The emperor was stunned. "There are 5,000 guards. So where did Xie Xiao mobilize his troops for the palace coup?"
The Grand Commander said, "Since Lu Yan was involved, he must have used his private soldiers."
There were quite a few people involved in the palace coup. With just a quick calculation, everyone knew that Lu Yan had stationed his own troops!
The emperor had already ordered Lu Yan's capture, so there was no point in discussing it now. He looked at the court officials and said, "The capital is under siege, and we only have these troops. There are no generals available in the capital. My dear ministers, do you have any good plans?"
Someone hesitated and said, "I have one question: Why did Lu Yan join the Fourth Prince in rebellion? Now that the Fourth Prince has been executed, Lu Yan should have surrendered. Yet, he still deploys his troops everywhere, refusing to surrender. Is it because..."
This person quietly glanced at Xie Qing and said, "Is it because the Crown Princess is Lu Yan's ex-wife that he harbors resentment and is thus rebelling?"
Xie Qing looked at him coldly, then suddenly smiled: "Are you saying that the Crown Princess is a seductive villain and a disaster for the country?"
"I dare not."
The man quickly knelt down and apologized: "I simply couldn't bear to see the suffering of the people."
The emperor looked at this person and said quietly, "If you really can't bear to see the suffering of the people, if you really have some blood in your veins, you should be like those imperial censors who confronted the traitor Xie Xiao a few days ago and sacrificed your life for the country, instead of putting the ambitions and sins of others on an innocent woman!"
Xie Qing looked at the man and said indifferently, "Even if Lu Yan has resentment in his heart, that is his own business and has nothing to do with the Crown Princess. Let me ask you, if a woman likes you and wants to marry you, and if you don't marry her, and she kills someone or burns something, can I say that it is your fault?"
"How can that be possible!" This person retorted subconsciously, and then realized that both the Crown Prince and the Emperor were protecting the Crown Princess. It would be useless for him to say anything at this point, so he could only remain silent. He did not think that he was wrong, but felt that the Crown Princess was a disaster for the country, and he really shouldn't marry a child who had been married twice.
The emperor looked at his courtiers and said, "What is the truth now? It remains to be verified. Please refrain from making irresponsible remarks and causing confusion among the people."
Qin Bai held no official position, but was among those who were discussing the matter. He took note of the official's words and then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead my troops to attack Zhengnan City!"
"Okay." The emperor immediately assigned Qin Bai some men, but the manpower available was limited. He asked Qin Bai, "How about 10,000 men?"
"Yes." Qin Bai clasped his fists and said, "I need another hundred musketeers."
The Musketeers were originally supposed to stay in the palace, but the other side used a shady trick, and the Musketeers were afraid to act rashly, so they were of no use.
The musketeers felt humiliated. It was originally a secret weapon, but who knew it would be useless!
This time they were going to follow Qin Bai to attack Zhengnan Mansion, and they signed up enthusiastically, but it was not something they could decide, and Qin Bai could only take away 100 people.
At the same time, Xie Qing also sent a team of people to take advantage of Qin Bai's attack on Zhengnan City to take a detour and deliver a letter to Shenyang.
However, Qin Wan was not in Shenyang at the time. She was stationed in Huzhou Prefecture. She sent troops to Jianning, intending to open up this route from west to east and then return to the capital via Haijin Town.
As for the food and fodder for border Yuguan, Wugu and other places, they were purchased and mobilized directly from Nan'an, Guangling and Dongwu. With the help of the Sun family, the food and fodder were raised quickly and sent to the border continuously.
The border was peaceful, and the commander-in-chief of the left army also rushed over with his troops in Shenyang and stayed by Qin Wan's side.
Qin Wan had no shortage of soldiers or food, and soon fought from Jianning to Jining City.
On the day they captured Jining City, Qin Wan entered the city with the army. In a trance, she seemed to see Bai Wanyi. She frowned and said, "Send someone to call the Marquis of Pingyang."
Lu Yan had been following the army in battles during this period. When he heard Qin Wan summon him, he immediately ran over excitedly.
"Wan..." Lu Yan blurted out when he saw Qin Wan, but after seeing her solemn Crown Princess attire, he changed his words and said, "Greetings, Crown Princess. I wonder what business you have brought me here for?"
Qin Wan felt a little weary, but in front of Lu Yan, she didn't show it. She simply shifted the cushions behind her waist slightly, leaned back, and instructed, "I think I saw Bai just now. Look around Jining City and find her. She stole the military token, a serious crime. Capture her immediately, preferably alive, and interrogate her about the Fourth Prince's deployment of troops."
"Yes!" After receiving the order, Lu Yan left reluctantly and then wandered around the city. However, he did not find Qin Wan, but saw a familiar figure, and he immediately caught the person.
The man was startled when he saw Lu Yan, and quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "This servant greets the Marquis, please spare my life, please spare my life.
Lu Yan frowned and looked at her: "Are you the servant who used to clean Qitongju? What's your name? When did you run away?"
Being a fugitive slave is a serious crime.
The day Xiaolian escaped, she knew she would have to hide for the rest of her life. Now that she was caught, she felt relieved. With a pale face, she said, "Your servant Xiaolian."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
