Chapter 778 Leaving the Palace and Returning Home
Qiao Qinghe left the palace in the evening.
Just as Wen Jue and the Marquis of Yongning said, the palace was under Wen Jue's control, while the capital was under the control of the Marquis of Yongning.
On the way back to the mansion, there were large numbers of city guards stationed at every street corner.
Marquis Yongning rode his horse to protect Qiao Qinghe's carriage the whole way.
Because of Wu Bo's death, Su Rongrong and her child are now living at the Qiao residence.
Therefore, when Marquis Yongning escorted Qiao Qinghe back to his residence, he also took the opportunity to visit Su Rongrong and the child.
However, when they returned to the Qiao residence, Su Rongrong and the child were not there.
Only Wei Jia, Qiao Ning, A Mo, the He family mother and daughter, and Chen San and others remained at the Qiao residence.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Qiao Qinghe return safely.
After exchanging greetings, Wei Jia explained, "I sent Rongrong, Yuerou, and all the other children out of the capital at noon."
The city guards have declared martial law, and the situation in the city is tense.
She feared that if she waited until dark, or until unrest broke out, to send the children out of the city, it would be too late. So, she sent the children out ahead of time.
Wei Jia briefly explained the situation, and only then did Qiao Qinghe learn about what had happened in the mansion that day.
It turned out that Qiao Qinghe had just left in the morning when Amo returned from the Xishan camp.
He came directly to the Qiao residence, saying that the 50,000-strong army of the Xishan camp was already stationed 20 li outside the city. He said that if chaos broke out in the city, the army would likely enter.
Therefore, he returned early to inform the Qiao family so they could make plans in advance.
Not long after, A-San and A-Si, carrying their child, also arrived at the Qiao residence with Zhou Bing and Xiong Peng.
Zhou Bing and Xiong Peng each brought a team of people with them, originally intending to escort them out of the city and settle them in first.
As a result, A-San and A-Si insisted on bringing the child to the Qiao residence.
Therefore, Wei Jia arranged for Sheng Xia, Nuan Chun, and several skilled people from the manor, along with people from the Enping Marquis's manor, to leave the capital with Su Rongrong, Feng Yuerou, and the eight children from the manor, following Zhou and Xiong's group.
Amo originally intended for Qiao Ning and the He family mother and daughter to leave together, but they both resolutely refused to go.
Amo couldn't force the issue, and besides, he himself wanted to stay and protect the Qiao family.
So everyone stayed.
Qiao Qinghe grasped the key point: "Fifty thousand troops from the Xishan Camp are stationed outside the city!?"
Amo nodded and said, "That's right. The command of the Xishan camp army is in the hands of Marquis Enping."
Qiao Qinghe turned to look at Marquis Enping.
Marquis Enping nodded: "His Majesty is taking precautions."
“Wen Jue, Marquis Yongning, and me—three layers of protection.”
"Even the biggest issues will remain confined to the capital city."
"Moreover, there are my men in both the Imperial Guard and the City Guard. Similarly, there are Wen Jue's men in both the City Guard and the Xishan Camp, and there are also Yongning Marquis's men in both the Imperial Guard and the Xishan Camp."
"The three of us know each other's situation."
"Therefore, we can't afford to cause any chaos today."
"Everything is under His Majesty's control."
Qiao Qinghe was shocked; it turned out that everything had been arranged in advance!
No wonder Emperor Xiaozhao wasn't in a hurry at all, no wonder Wen Jue didn't dare to really use force, and no wonder Li Sanqi failed to achieve his goal.
"Was His Majesty's choice of today's date also pre-arranged?"
Marquis Enping once again clarified for her: "Yes. Also, when Marquis Yongning returned to the capital, I was threatened, and Lady Zheng was misled. His Majesty saw all of this."
"We chose today because it is the day of the gathering planned by those behind the scenes."
"Who among us doesn't know what other schemes the mastermind has in store for us?"
"Instead of passively defending, it's better to take the initiative."
Qiao Qinghe sighed, "Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. Although Min Ji has been exposed, His Majesty also..."
When they left the palace, Emperor Xiaozhao had already fallen into a coma again.
According to the imperial physician in the will, although the miraculous medicine of hibiscus extended Emperor Xiaozhao's life, it was ultimately only a temporary cure.
Now we'll see how long Emperor Xiaozhao's life can last.
Marquis Enping escorted Qiao Qinghe back to the Qiao residence. He had originally planned to visit Su Rongrong and her child, but since the mother and child were not there, he did not intend to stay any longer and prepared to leave.
"Madam, I'm entrusting Rongrong and the child to your care. I'll be returning to the military camp to oversee things."
Qiao Qinghe was taken aback. "From what you're saying, the Xishan army isn't planning to return for the time being?"
"Yes. I will not withdraw the army until everything has settled down."
Marquis Enping gave an explanation and then mounted his horse.
"Are you leaving or not?" Marquis Enping pointed at Amo with his riding whip, clearly recognizing Amo.
Amo nodded excitedly, "I'll go, I'll go back with the Marquis right now."
Amo used to admire Lao Qiao (Qiao Jingyao), but after following Marquis Enping to the battlefield, Marquis Enping became his most admired person.
Marquis Enping, in his early twenties, was truly young. Yet on the battlefield, he was a seasoned general, brave, resolute, and indomitable, capable of winning battles from afar. He easily commanded respect and inspired admiration.
Amo quickly exchanged a few words with Qiao Ning and her daughter, He Shi, and then bid farewell to Qiao Qinghe before mounting his horse and following Marquis Enping away.
After Marquis Enping and Amo left, everyone dispersed, and Qiao Qinghe then followed Wei Jia back to the main courtyard.
"Rongrong, Yuerou, and the children have all been sent to the estate on the outskirts of the city?"
While washing up and changing her clothes, Qiao Qinghe asked Wei Jia.
Wei Jia had just finished instructing the servants to prepare dinner and bring it over when she entered and heard this. She quickly replied with a smile, "It wasn't sent to the estate."
“Each family’s estate is counted, and I always feel unsafe.”
"So I sent Zhou Bing and his men to the villages on the outskirts of Beijing."
Qiao Qinghe looked at Wei Jia with a puzzled expression: "In the village?"
Wei Jia smiled and said, "Mother forgot that Steward Yang and Granny Fang's family live in a village on the outskirts of Beijing."
"I heard that a big house was built at the beginning of this year, and Yang Hongyuan's marriage was also arranged. They are just waiting to get married next year."
"Granny Fang also said that if Mother doesn't mind, she will bring her new daughter-in-law to the door and kowtow to Mother from afar."
As Wei Jia spoke, she carefully observed Qiao Qinghe's expression.
Seeing that she didn't show much resistance, he finally finished speaking.
Qiao Qinghe naturally noticed Wei Jia's cautiousness.
She sighed and waved her hand, "When the Yang family's grandson gets married, send them a congratulatory gift."
Wei Jia was overjoyed upon hearing this, knowing that Qiao Qinghe meant she had forgiven the Yang family.
He immediately smiled and said, "If Granny Fang knew, she would surely be overjoyed and weep with joy."
Qiao Qinghe glanced at her, "You're quite considerate of them."
Wei Jia stepped forward and put her arm around Qiao Qinghe's shoulder, saying coquettishly, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Mother!"
Sending the children to the Yang family was not only because the Yang family was indeed safer than the openly known estate, but also because Wei Jia wanted to give the Yang family a chance.
Whether the Yang family can win back Qiao Qinghe's heart and mend the relationship between the two families depends on whether they can seize the opportunity.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com