As soon as the four words "Ning Xihua" fell to the ground, the guards surrounding them drew their swords one after another, and the atmosphere was murderous for a while.

"You dare!"

The fourth princess was a little frightened by the battle, but she still stiffened her neck and refused to admit defeat.

Ning Xihua, however, no longer looked at her. She just leisurely picked up the teacup and said lightly,

"Can you try and see if I dare?"

Of course Su Yue didn't dare to risk her life. Who knows what this crazy woman Ning Xihua would really do!

But she didn't want to give in. During the confrontation, she suddenly saw Qin Songya who was still sitting next to Ning Xihua.

"Third sister-in-law! You are the Princess of Rui, you must come out and speak for justice! What is the difference between the Crown Princess's current actions and imprisoning us?"

This statement not only reminded Qin Songya of her identity, as the Princess of Rui, she should stand on their side. It also hinted to everyone that Ning Xihua was up to something and intended to take everyone present as hostages.

Unexpectedly, Qin Songya was still sitting there calmly, not showing any panic at all in the face of such a tense situation.

"Princess Kang Le is wrong. We have not received the emperor's order yet. Those who surrounded Linhua Palace are the ones who have ulterior motives. Before the dust settles, the Crown Princess's actions are for the sake of the overall situation."

Su Yue didn't expect Qin Songya to speak for Ning Xihua, and her face instantly turned ugly.

Qin Songya is the Princess of Rui. She is not on the side of her husband at this time, but is helping her opponent. She is either stupid or has other hidden motives.

Judging from her calm expression as if she had expected it, it was obviously the latter, which also meant that the situation might have changed with her third brother.

"Okay, so you two are actually in the same group!"

The fourth princess reacted and pointed at the two of them angrily.

Qin Songya, however, remained calm and just responded with a smile. Ning Xihua was too lazy to pay attention to her.

The people around also got a general idea of ​​what was going on during this confrontation. When the ladies who were clamoring to leave saw that even the Fourth Princess was defeated, they remained silent for a while.

Seeing that they had calmed down, Ning Xihua began to give orders.

"Huaichuan, go to the gate and tell those soldiers who claim to be from the Five Cities Military Department that these are all royal relatives, high-ranking officials and noble families. If they dare to step into Linhua Palace and startle these nobles, don't blame us at Linhua Palace for beheading them first and reporting to them later in order to protect everyone's safety."

Huaichuan leaned forward to accept the order and immediately went to the door to negotiate with the people who surrounded the palace.

"Chang Yi, today's banquet may be a bit long. Please take good care of the ladies. If you feel tired, please take them to the rooms to rest. Don't neglect them."

Chang Yi smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, Crown Princess."

Ning Xihua glanced at the various looks in the hall and said calmly, "Everyone, please rest assured. Since you are here to attend the Beginning of Autumn Banquet at Linhua Palace, Linhua Palace will ensure your safety. As for when you can return home..."

She glanced at the sky and said, "I believe it won't be long before there are results."

When people saw Ning Xihua's calm expression despite the collapse of a mountain, and her orderly arrangement of various matters, their anxious mood was surprisingly soothed by her calm performance.

Not long after, Huaichuan came back to report.

"Replying to the Crown Princess, the soldiers outside the gate said that since no one is returning to the palace, for the safety of all the nobles, they promised to only surround it but not attack."

Ning Xihua nodded.

After hearing this reply, the ladies felt half relieved.

They also realized that at this point, regardless of whether the officers and soldiers surrounding the palace released anyone or not, the Crown Princess had already placed everyone under house arrest in Linhua Palace.

Fortunately, neither side had any intention of fighting, so their lives were safe for the time being.

Chang Yi led the eunuchs and maids to comfort the nobles in the hall one by one and led them to rest. Qin Songya and some calm ladies still accompanied Ning Xihua in the hall, waiting for the final news.

Ning Xihua stared out the wall in a daze, tapping the armrest of the chair with his index finger.

The Wucheng Bingmasi was under the Ministry of War and was responsible for patrolling the capital to arrest thieves, prisoners, and fire bans. Although it could not be compared with the Yulin Army, it was responsible for the security of the capital, and the officers and soldiers under the command of each command totaled more than 18,000 people.

It turns out that this is Su Xu's trump card.

The Minister of War was old, and the real power was in the hands of the Vice Minister of War. Everyone knew that the Vice Minister of War was Shao Yuandi's man, and the entire Ministry of War was under the control of Shao Yuandi.

However, Su Xu secretly pried open the Ministry of War and made the Wucheng Bingmasi work for him.

The Wucheng Bingmasi's combat power is not as good as that of the regular army, but they are also fully armed officers and soldiers. If the Yulin Army stands idly by or even encourages it, Su Xu can really overturn the entire capital city with this.

but……

Su Bi's 20,000 private soldiers should have entered the city by now.

…

East Gate.

Bai Luoqiu, dressed in military uniform, led his troops and knocked on the gate of the capital.

Although the city guards were under the jurisdiction of the Yulin Army and Qin Songfeng had made arrangements in advance, Bai Luoqiu was still on high alert, ready to fight with the city guards and attack the city gate at any time.

Fortunately, when the guard at the city gate saw Bai Luoqiu, he immediately let him pass without saying a word.

Bai Luoqiu led 20,000 soldiers and entered the city smoothly, and even until he entered the palace gate, he was not stopped at all.

…

Inside Qian'an Hall.

Su Bi was preparing to report the plague in Yizhou to Emperor Shao Yuan, who was ill in bed.

Just when he said there was evidence to prove that this was man-made, Emperor Shao Yuan's heart-wrenching cough was heard from the bed.

Although Emperor Shao Yuan was too ill to get out of bed, he was still very clear-headed.

Hearing that the plague that had frightened him for a long time and that he was even afraid that it was blamed by God was actually a man-made disaster, he was so shocked that he suddenly lost his breath and couldn't stop coughing.

Seeing this, Su Bi stopped immediately and asked the eunuch to call the imperial physician, but Emperor Shao Yuan raised his hand to stop him.

The eunuch hurriedly brought the warm medicine, and after testing it for poison, he served Emperor Shao Yuan to drink.

Su Bi watched Emperor Shao Yuan slowly drink the bowl of black medicine and lowered his eyes.

After Emperor Shao Yuan took the medicine and his cough subsided, he raised his hand to signal him to continue.

"Yesterday, a Yizhou citizen stopped me in the street and asked me to speak out for justice. After I took him back to the government office and interrogated him, I learned that before the Yizhou plague broke out, someone had specially poisoned the well where the Yizhou plague first broke out."

"Is there any evidence?"

"When I was in Yizhou, a royal doctor confirmed that the well was poisonous, but at that time he only thought it was caused by an epidemic. But this person said that he saw the person who poisoned the well make contact with someone else, and that person spoke with a Beijing accent. When this person went to the capital to seek justice, he saw the person in person in the city."

Emperor Shao Yuan seemed to have guessed something, staring at Su Bi with heavy eyes, and asked,

"Who is it?"

Before Su Bi could answer, a eunuch rushed into the hall in a hurry.

"Your Majesty! His Royal Highness Prince Rui...he has rushed into the palace with many soldiers and is already approaching the Qian'an Palace!"

"He's rebelling! Where are the soldiers from Yulin? Tell Qin Songfeng to come and tie up this rebellious son for me, cough cough cough..."

Emperor Shao Yuan was so angry that he slammed the bed hard.

Before the eunuch could ask Qin Songfeng for emergency help, Su Xu had already broken into the Qian'an Palace.

"Don't worry, Father. I'm here on my own."