Last night, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery suffered a relapse of his old illness and was bedridden.
The generals of the Imperial Guard suddenly fell ill, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea. The Imperial Guard was without a commander and became a group of disorganized people without a leader.
The palace guards suddenly rushed out of the palace, holding the empress dowager's decree, ordering the imperial guards to stay where they were and not to move without permission.
Early this morning, the palace guards, together with the guards from the Crown Prince's Mansion, were arresting people everywhere, causing panic among the people. People in the capital stayed indoors, not knowing what was going on.
When Prime Minister Ji received the news and was about to go out, he was stopped by a team of guards.
Ji Yunping, who was following his father, drew his sword and shouted, "What do you want to do? This is the Prime Minister's residence. You won't be allowed to act recklessly!"
The guards of the Prime Minister's Mansion drew their weapons one after another, and the two sides confronted each other at the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The leader was a dark and strong man, wearing the uniform of a guard of the Prince's Mansion. However, his behavior was very rude, his face was full of banditry, and he couldn't even speak Mandarin fluently.
"What? You want to fight? With all your fancy moves, I can kill any of you with just one punch!"
A team of imperial guards also rushed over. The leader, Captain Xiao, frowned. How could the prince have such vulgar guards around him? It was really not presentable.
If the palace guards were not short of manpower, they would not have to borrow people from the Prince's Mansion.
Xiao Weichang stepped forward, pushed the strong man aside, showed the token in his hand, and said loudly:
"I am a palace guard. The Empress Dowager has received a secret report that the Prime Minister's Office is colluding with the remnants of the previous dynasty to assassinate Your Majesty and plot rebellion. She has specially ordered us to apprehend the traitors!"
"Put down your weapons immediately! If you dare to resist, you will be executed on the spot!"
Prime Minister Ji pushed aside his eldest son who was protecting him and looked at Xiao Weichang calmly. "Your Majesty will return today. You will know who is right and who is wrong once you ask him. I am loyal to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will prove my innocence."
Xiao Weichang sneered, "Prime Minister Ji is very courageous, worthy of being a veteran of two dynasties. Unfortunately, the truth cannot be hidden. His Majesty's remains have been recovered, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will soon ascend the throne. Your conspiracy has been exposed, so surrender."
"What?" Prime Minister Ji's body shook, and he said sternly, "Impossible! His Majesty is still alive, he will definitely come back!"
Captain Xiao waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards rushed in, surrounding the Prime Minister's residence. "Don't struggle! The Empress Dowager saw His Majesty's remains with her own eyes. How could this be false? Prime Minister Ji, just follow me to the Heavenly Prison. This will save me some energy."
Ji Yun'an supported his father with one hand and held the sword tightly with the other.
He also practiced some moves with his second brother, but he was not proficient in them. However, if a person is forced into a desperate situation, he has to fight hard, which is better than surrendering.
"Master, let's fight him! You can't go with him!"
"We are not afraid of death. Let's protect the lady together and not let them succeed."
"Master, please say something. Let's fight our way out together!"
Prime Minister Ji held his eldest son's hand and shook his head at him, "Don't be impulsive. There are hundreds of people in the Prime Minister's Mansion. They can't die here."
"I believe that Captain Xiao is not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. I am the Prime Minister of a country. You cannot punish me based on so-called secret reports. I will go with you, but you cannot touch the women in the mansion, nor can you harm the servants."
Xiao Weichang breathed a sigh of relief. Prime Minister Ji was a powerful figure, and Ji Yunping was in charge of the Imperial College at a young age. His talent was well-known throughout the world. He was just following orders and did not dare to kill the father and son rashly.
"Come here, lock them up and search inside. If you find any clues, report them immediately!"
Two teams broke into the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The maid's screams were heard in the front yard. The guards of the Prince's Mansion were like bandits entering the city. They wanted to stuff any good things they saw into their arms, and even wanted to rape the maids in the mansion.
Xiao Weichang couldn't stand it any longer, so he stopped the dark and burly man in the lead and warned him, "We're here to investigate, not to rob. I'll turn a blind eye if you steal things, but if you dare touch the women in the mansion, I won't be able to control you if Prime Minister Ji goes crazy."
Zhao Hei looked at Prime Minister Ji, who was standing obediently at the door in chains, and taunted him, "A phoenix in trouble is no better than a chicken. He's about to be thrown into prison. Whether he lives or dies depends on the Crown Prince's words. You people in the palace are just cowards."
Xiao Weichang said coldly: "Stop talking nonsense, I said no and it means no!"
Captain Xiao brought more guards with better weapons. Zhao Hei didn't dare to confront them head-on, so he had to let go of the beautiful maid and go looking for valuable gold, silver and jewelry.
After a thorough search, the Guards found no evidence.
Moreover, the second young master of the Prime Minister's Mansion is missing. The maids in the mansion said that the second young master ran away from home in anger a long time ago and it would be impossible for him to come back within a few months.
"Never mind. Ji Yun'an is just a playboy. He's neither good at literature nor martial arts. He's useless. Don't bother with him."
Captain Xiao tied up Prime Minister Ji and Ji Yunping and left. The female members of the family were locked in a room in the front yard, and the male members were tied up and locked up next door.
Zhao Hei volunteered to stay and guard the Prime Minister's Mansion. Captain Xiao was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he left a few guards on the scene.
————
Ji Yunhuan leaned on the window and watched his father and elder brother being taken away.
She had clearly changed everything, so why couldn't the Prime Minister's Mansion escape the fate of being confiscated and exterminated?
Even Long Haochang ascended the throne earlier than in the previous life. If she did nothing, could everyone live longer?
Ji Yunhuan fell into endless self-blame and regret, and she was unaware of the sharp nails digging into her palms.
Zhuo Wei pried her daughter's hand apart and gently wiped the blood from her palm. "Don't be afraid, Huan'er. Mother is here. Mother will protect Huan'er."
"Don't worry about your father and elder brother. They are not unknown people. Without solid evidence, the guards would not dare to kill people indiscriminately. Those material possessions are not important. As long as people are alive, that's all that matters."
Ji Yunhuan was very glad that he had thrown away all the gifts that Long Haochang had sent him, without keeping a single one.
In the previous life, Long Haochang tampered with the gift and slandered his father for treason. His father had no way to defend himself. Even though some people in the court pleaded for mercy, Long Haochang still sentenced his father to be executed.
The eldest brother's eyes were gouged out and he died of his injuries, and his mother was severely tortured, all because Long Haochang felt that the Zhuo family must have hidden treasures.
She was unwilling to be inferior to Shangguan Ruoxue and refused to enter the palace as a maid. She would rather be exiled with her second brother.
The second brother had his martial arts skills crippled, but he still protected her all the way. Before he died, he was most worried about her.
Ji Yunhuan forced himself to calm down. At least they didn't find any evidence, and his second brother ran away!
Without the help of Meiling Villa, the people from the Prince's Mansion would not be able to capture my second brother.
Ji Yunhuan turned around and hugged his mother tightly. "Mother is right. We are not in dire straits yet. The Prime Minister's Mansion will definitely be safe."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com