"What identity?" Jiang Shuyue blinked in confusion.
"Of course we should make him our Jiang family's son-in-law. Don't you think Young Master Nangong is more suitable than the heir?"
Hearing Qiu Ju's words, Jiang Shuyue laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.
After a while, Jiang Shuyue stroked her belly and said, "Silly girl, Young Master Nangong is my friend. I would really feel embarrassed to ask you to make a move on him."
"Miss, have you thought about this? If the young master succeeds tonight, he will be the ruler of the country. Will he allow you to find another stepfather for Young Master Sui Sui?"
“I’m nobody to him. Even if he succeeds, he’ll have a harem of concubines and children. He’ll be busy enough with the imperial court and the inner palace. It’ll be good enough if he even thinks of Sui Sui then. How could he care who I marry?”
Jiang Shuyue disagreed. Men all have a common problem: when they have power and beauty, they have no interest in other people's business.
"Alright then, this servant will take her leave now." Qiuju had always believed that what her mistress did and said was the truth.
After Qiuju left, Jiang Shuyue changed into her nightgown and tied her long hair back with a hairband.
As I opened the window, the rich fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted in, filling me with its delightful aroma.
As autumn deepened, she took a thin blanket and lay diagonally on the soft couch.
She was exhausted, but still couldn't fall asleep. She wouldn't be able to sleep until Gao Mu and Cang Yun returned.
Tonight, it wasn't just the court officials who were filled with anxiety; the princess's residence was also brightly lit.
The guards sent out by Princess Song Yunzhi kept returning to report on the battle situation.
"Reporting to the princess, the soldiers of the western suburban camp have entered the city."
"Reporting to the princess, the Imperial Guards have suffered heavy casualties, and a mutineer has appeared in the western suburban camp. Prince Xiao has ordered the commander-in-chief of the western suburbs to lead his troops back to the camp to await further orders."
"What should we do? I've warned that scoundrel Song Rui so many times already. He spends his days indulging in wine and women, only caring about enjoying himself. The Song family's empire is doomed." The princess paced back and forth anxiously.
The prince consort was a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations that year, but his career was ruined because he was chosen to be the prince consort.
Despite years of living a life of luxury, the handsome prince consort still retains a scholarly air about him.
"Princess, don't worry. Things have come to this point and there's nothing we can do. Fortunately, Prince Xiao has a good relationship with us. As long as we don't interfere, he won't try to kill us."
Song Yunzhi, however, did not see it that way. She gritted her teeth and said to the prince consort, "Quickly have a carriage prepared. I need to go see the young master."
"Princess, swords have no eyes, let's wait until dawn!" The prince consort had never seen the princess so nervous before, and he became nervous as well.
Song Yunzhi rebuked sharply, "What do you know? It will be too late if we go at dawn. The young master entered the city so smoothly and unstoppably. He came prepared."
Xiao Jingzhao had a good reputation, which Song Yunzhi had always known, but the emperor ignored her advice and went his own way, turning a blind eye to the disaster victims.
Even though Song Yunzhi was mentally prepared for this situation, she was still unwilling to accept it.
After tonight, whether the Princess's mansion can retain its wealth and status is something she can only gamble on.
As the princess led a group of people out of the princess's residence, the prince consort's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
As soon as the carriage arrived outside Donghua Gate, the air was filled with the stench of blood.
In the firelight, figures clashed, and the sounds of swords clashing mingled with screams of agony.
Who is it?
A sharp shout.
A group of soldiers quickly surrounded Song Yunzhi's carriage.
"Don't be rude, the princess is inside," the coachman quickly said.
Song Yunzhi lifted the carriage curtain, and the stench of blood filled the air. The scene before her eyes secretly horrified her.
"I have come to welcome the Crown Prince. Make way at once!"
Not far away, swords clashed, and several of the emperor's loyal guards put up a fierce resistance.
As Song Yunzhi stepped down from the carriage, a soldier noticed that the lanterns on her carriage were the symbol of the Princess's residence and stepped forward, saying, "The Crown Prince is currently meeting with ministers. Princess, please move aside."
Song Yunzhi arrived alone with the soldiers without a single servant, at the foot of a palace wall.
"We, your humble servants, have arrived late to welcome Your Highness. Please forgive us."
The exceptionally handsome man waved his hand at the crowd and said, "What crime have you committed? If Song Rui were a wise ruler who cared about the world, I would have nothing to say. But his actions are outrageous and the people have seen it all."
Looking at the scene before her, Song Yunzhi secretly rejoiced that she had made the right choice.
"The eldest princess has come to greet the crown prince."
With a loud shout, the ministers who came to see Xiao Jingzhao finally felt relieved.
Just as Song Yunzhi was walking towards Xiao Jingzhao, someone shouted, "Look, the palace is on fire!"
Song Yunzhi stopped a few steps away from Xiao Jingzhao.
"You have finally come. Please, Your Highness, spare his life out of consideration for our grandfather's deep affection."
"Let him go. What about those fallen soldiers? The disaster victims are displaced, while he lives a carefree life in this city. The people are suffering, yet he continues to sing and dance. What use is such a piece of trash?"
Faced with Xiao Jingzhao's questioning, the eldest princess was speechless.
At this moment, the fighting subsided, and Xiang Yang came to Xiao Jingzhao's side and whispered something in his ear.
As the ministers watched the flames soaring into the palace, Du Zhongxian said, "Let's go and call someone to open the palace gates."
"You are all civil officials. The Princess can handle this matter alone. Go back and wait for news."
Song Yunzhi's lips twitched. To show loyalty, one could not simply make empty promises.
Xiao Jingzhao ordered the civil officials to leave. Seeing that the burning area in the palace was where the emperor lived, everyone wanted to know what had happened in the palace at this critical moment.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Song Yunzhi walked towards the palace gate.
As the eldest princess, she had to set aside her pride for the sake of the more than one hundred people in her princess residence, especially when facing an army at the gates.
Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and every step she took required a lot of effort.
Her splendid attire stood in stark contrast to the corpses lying scattered on the ground in the distance.
With her mother still in the palace, and unaware of how Xiao Jingzhao would deal with her family, she felt a sense of helplessness and sorrow.
When the palace gates opened, the palace maids and eunuchs were in chaos, shouting "Fire!"
...
As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, a night breeze blew into the room through the window. Jiang Shuyue glanced at the hourglass; it was already late afternoon.
"puff."
With a soft pop, the candle flame burst open.
Just as Jiang Shuyue was thinking that this was a good omen, she heard the sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves outside the window.
Then Gao Mu's voice rang out, "Miss, the great thing is done."
Jiang Shuyue was instantly roused, her drowsiness vanishing.
"What are the casualties among the soldiers?" Jiang Shuyue quickly sat up straight.
Cangyun squeezed his head out of the window and replied, "After careful inspection, the most casualties were among the Imperial Guards and assassins."
"That one in the palace..."
"He set himself on fire, along with the Empress Dowager. The entire Qianqing Palace was burned beyond recognition," Gao Mu replied before Jiang Shuyue could even ask.
"Some court officials and the eldest princess welcomed the crown prince into the palace. The wounded soldiers were all carried into the Imperial Hospital. The crown prince won a great victory, and the young lady can rest now."
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