Chapter 366 Flaw
The head guard at the palace gate, having received his order, stepped forward first and said sternly:
General Xiahou, be careful with your words!
"The Qilin Guard has thoroughly investigated. The Crown Prince has already passed away. Have you found two commoners from who-knows-where to deceive the Emperor?!"
Unfortunately, no matter how righteous and eloquent he was, no one inside or outside the carriage gave him a second glance.
The cavalry and infantry returning from the border had even colder eyes, looking at him as if he were some kind of fool.
Xiahou Zhong and Xiahou Yin remained kneeling outside the carriage.
The head guard, feeling utterly ignored and furious, was about to step forward when he saw the carriage curtain move.
A slender, delicate hand brushed aside the carriage curtain from the inside and emerged.
Upon seeing her maid's attire, the head guard's heart leaped into his throat.
He was on duty at the palace gates year-round, so of course he recognized her. She was dressed as a maid from the Princess's residence. Moreover, judging from the embroidery on her clothes and the jewelry she wore, it was clear that she was of high rank.
So, are the Crown Prince and Princess Chang Le truly dead inside the carriage?!
The captain of the guard held his breath, his eyes fixed intently on the carriage doorway.
The next moment, a man dressed in a plain robe, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, came out. Who else could it be but Crown Prince Qi Jun?
Even if the captain of the guard wanted to deceive himself at this point, he didn't know how to start.
The Crown Prince, the Crown Prince is really not dead!
He's still alive! And judging from his appearance, he's completely unharmed, just like when he left the palace for the border!
The head guard was immediately filled with regret. He really shouldn't have accepted the fourth prince's invitation so early and joined the fourth prince's ranks. Now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and stop him!
Just as he was fretting to himself, Qi Jun had already gotten off the carriage and took over Lan Xin's task. He reached into the carriage and gestured for Qi Yuxuan to get off with his help.
Lanxin's eyes were still red. She rushed over after hearing that the princess had returned. Several other maids also wanted to come, but considering that this trip to the palace was likely to be fraught with danger, her godmother only agreed to let her come.
Seeing the Crown Prince offer to help the Princess down from the carriage, she lagged behind, her nose stinging with emotion.
The Crown Prince and the Princess must have suffered a lot these days. Just now, she saw that the Princess's face was so thin that it broke her heart. How much more so for Her Highness the Eldest Princess?
Thus, under the watchful eyes of countless people at the palace gate, Qi Yuxuan slowly walked out and was personally helped down from the carriage by the Crown Prince.
She had just stood still when she tried to let go of his hand. How could she hold hands with him in public?
But Qi Jun held her hand tightly, not allowing her to break free, and led her step by step toward the palace gate.
Qi Yuxuan's ears felt a little hot, but she didn't say anything and walked silently alongside him.
When Qi Jun reached the head guard, who was still standing there with his neck stiff, his gaze was calm, as if he were looking at an ant, and he asked softly:
"To fail to kneel before me, to show disrespect for the Crown Prince, and to demonstrate utter contempt for rank—what is the punishment for this?"
At that moment, Xiahou Yin stepped forward two steps and respectfully replied:
"Confiscate all family property and execute him immediately!"
The head guard's heart sank into an ice cave, but he still stood guard at the palace gate, 'dutifully' saying:
"Who gave you the audacity to impersonate the Crown Prince! Guards, drag this ignorant criminal away at once!"
No matter how upright and unyielding his tone was, it was all bark and no bite, and he really didn't have much real confidence.
The guards standing nearby were all familiar with the Crown Prince's face. At this moment, let alone following the head guard's orders to pull him away, their legs were shaking uncontrollably.
Over the years, the subconscious act of bowing to the crown prince had become ingrained in their bones. The fact that they didn't all kneel down and kowtow at this moment was already a sign of their sense of duty as they were paid to do their job.
Seeing that no one was moving, the head guard gritted his teeth in anger, "What are you all standing there for? Take him away right now!"
After he finished speaking, he prepared to draw his sword. In the blink of an eye, Xiahou Yin, who was following behind Qi Jun, suddenly sprang up and severed the chief guard's wrist with a single sword stroke.
"Ah—" The captain of the guard stared in horror at his right hand that had rolled away, his face filled with disbelief.
Blood splattered everywhere, but Xiahou Yin blocked it all behind him.
Even though Qi Yuxuan had been mentally prepared for what they had discussed beforehand, she was still startled by the scene and her hands tightened. Then Qi Jun squeezed her hands back firmly to reassure her.
It's not that easy to achieve this without losing a single soldier. Making an example of someone is the best way to minimize casualties. If possible, Qi Jun wouldn't want his journey back to the palace to be filled with bloodshed.
It's difficult to be a wise ruler, but it's even more difficult to be a wise crown prince.
Fortunately, the Emperor is now bedridden and sleeps all day, neglecting state affairs. Otherwise, his behavior would surely have been condemned by officials and left a bad name for eternity.
At this moment, Xiahou Yin had already taken the initiative to face Qi Jun and Qi Yuxuan, kneeling down to beg for forgiveness. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, enough to once again remind the people at the palace gate:
"This humble general was worried that this person intended to harm the Crown Prince, so he acted rashly in haste. I beg Your Highness to punish him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the guards and palace servants who had come to greet General Xiahou at the palace gate, who had tried to stop him, suddenly realized what was happening.
They've only severed one of the guards' hands so far. If they continue this stalemate, who knows how far things might escalate?
They were just doing their jobs for money, and they also harbored a glimmer of hope that if the new crown prince ascended the throne, they would have someone to rely on. They weren't all truly willing to give their all for the fourth prince.
So everyone promptly knelt down, their upper bodies pressed tightly to the ground, and bowed to the two people at the palace gate with the utmost respect they had ever shown:
"This servant respectfully welcomes His Highness the Crown Prince back to the palace—"
The palace is large, and horses and carriages are not allowed to enter without special permission, but things are different today.
The carriage was of the kind that ordinary people could ride in; it was made of ordinary materials, was inexpensive to manufacture, and had no badges or totems on it to indicate status.
But this carriage, carrying the Crown Prince of Qi and Princess Chang Le, was far more distinguished than any other carriage.
Xiahou Zhong led nearly a thousand iron cavalrymen with overwhelming momentum. The palace servants, fearing that they would be too slow, opened all eight palace gates at once to humbly welcome the crown prince who had been away from home back to the palace.
At the same time, Qi Huan and his retainers were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, wishing they could fly out immediately and stab the suddenly resurrected Qi Jun to death with a sword!
But their anxiety was useless. No one knew the Crown Prince was coming back until today. Everyone was convinced that the Crown Prince was dead and that the Fourth Prince was the most likely to become the next Crown Prince. But unexpectedly, at this time, Xiahou Zhong and his son brought him back!
They were all baffled. They had personally seen the Crown Prince and the Princess's clothes and accessories, and the Qilin Guards had searched the area within a hundred miles of the cliff. How could such a huge oversight have occurred?!
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