Xuan Yuanzhan said bitterly, "Forget it. The Emperor is seriously ill now, and the Second Prince and the Third Prince are in control of the court. They are afraid of me and don't want me to return to the capital. There's no use in explaining."
Ling Lang frowned, feeling nervous. He had been guarding the border for so many years and really didn't know much about what was happening in the capital.
Logically speaking, as the heir of the Holy Prince, the Prince should not be a competitor of the Second and Third Princes. Why would the Second and Third Princes be wary of the Prince?
Moreover, although he hadn't spent much time with the prince, he could tell that the prince wasn't the kind of person who was ambitious and wanted to seize the throne. Perhaps they were targeting the wrong person.
Although he had many questions in his mind, Ling Lang didn't dare to ask them out. He only asked worriedly, "But the Princess Consort and the Dowager Consort have been arrested. Should Your Highness return to the capital?"
Xuanyuan Zhan looked at the Northern Rong army below, his face full of worry: "I have wanted to go back for a long time, but can I just leave like this?"
Ling Lang also looked down at the Northern Rong army below and stopped saying such foolish things.
If the prince leaves now, he may not be able to defend Beifeng City.
His death is a small matter; the loss of the border is a much bigger one!
Ling Lang lowered his eyes in shame: "It is this humble general who has implicated Your Highness."
"Don't say such things," Xuan Yuanzhan said, then looked at Ling Lang and said, "Let's go to the council hall and discuss our battle strategy."
The sooner he defeats the Northern Rong, the sooner he can return to the capital.
No matter how worried or anxious he was in the North, he couldn't do anything about it!
"Yes." Ling Lang responded and went down the city wall with Xuan Yuanzhan.
Below the city gate was a council hall, specifically for Xuan Yuanzhan and his men to discuss battle strategies.
In addition to summoning Ling Lang, Xuan Yuanzhan also summoned all the generals, including Vice General Liu.
The group stayed in the council chamber all night.
The next morning, before the people in the council hall had even left, a soldier rushed in to report: "Your Highness, General Ling, someone from the capital has arrived with an imperial edict."
Upon hearing this, everyone present tensed up.
Imperial edict?
Why would an imperial edict suddenly arrive at this time?
Ling Lang also glanced at Xuan Yuanzhan with concern.
Xuanyuan Zhan, however, stood up without changing his expression and left with Ye Feng and Ye Yun.
Seeing this, Ling Lang immediately got up and followed him out.
When the imperial edict arrived in Kyoto, everyone else naturally went out to receive it as well.
Once outside, Xuan Yuanzhan was surprised to see Yang Feng, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, followed by what appeared to be three thousand Imperial Guards.
Seeing this display of force, Xuanyuan Zhan narrowed his eyes with a sinister glint.
They're here to take him away!
Three thousand Imperial Guards?
Xuanyuan Yu and Xuanyuan Zhi think highly of him!
Upon seeing Xuan Yuanzhan, Yang Feng didn't even offer a greeting, but immediately opened the imperial edict on his horse: "By imperial decree!"
Upon hearing Yang Feng read out the imperial edict, Ling Lang and the others all knelt down.
The Imperial Guards behind Yang Feng also knelt down.
Bai Ying and his men, who were distributing porridge and food not far away, stopped what they were doing when they saw such a large-scale operation and knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
The people who were waiting for porridge and grain distribution had no choice but to kneel down as well when they saw Bai Ying and the others kneeling.
Soon, only Yang Feng, Xuan Yuanzhan, Ye Feng, and Ye Yun remained standing in this large area.
Seeing that Xuanyuan Zhan did not kneel, Yang Feng immediately shouted angrily, "The Emperor has decreed that the Holy King should kneel to receive the decree."
Xuanyuan Zhan coldly retorted with disdain: "I don't even need to kneel before the Emperor, so what are you!"
With just one sentence, Yang Feng's face turned a deep shade of liver.
However, considering the contents of the imperial edict, he couldn't be bothered to stay angry with Xuan Yuanzhan.
If he won't kneel, then he won't kneel. He's not going to live much longer anyway!
Yang Feng opened the imperial edict and read it aloud: "Holy King Xuanyuan Zhan has privately recruited bandits and amassed a private army, intending to rebel. Xuanyuan Zhan is hereby arrested on the spot and beheaded in the street as a warning to others. This is the imperial decree!"
Upon hearing Yang Feng read out the imperial edict, the entire street erupted in chaos.
"What nonsense is he spouting? The prince intends to rebel? How could the prince possibly rebel?"
"Didn't Your Highness simply recruit those bandits? What does that have to do with treason?"
"The prince's offer of amnesty to the bandits must have been submitted in a memorial, right? This is practically treason!"
"They want to behead the prince? If they kill the prince, who will defend Beifeng City!"
"Has the Emperor gone mad? The Northern Rong army is still besieging the city. If the Emperor kills the prince now, it's like beheading the commander on the battlefield. How can Beifeng City possibly be defended then!"
Not only were the soldiers in an uproar, but the common people were also in an uproar.
"What does this imperial edict mean? Is it an order to execute the prince?"
"What did the prince do wrong? Why should the prince be executed?"
"They're saying the prince has secretly granted amnesty to bandits, that the prince is plotting a rebellion!"
"There must be some mistake here. How could the prince be plotting a rebellion?"
"Yes, the prince is such a good man. He has done so much for the people in the north, from suppressing bandits to providing disaster relief, and he even personally dug river channels. Now he is leading troops to resist the Northern Rong. Even so, he still remembers to distribute grain to us. How could such a good prince rebel? There must be a mistake. Your Majesty cannot kill the prince!"
Bai Ying, Zhang Debiao, and the others were stunned when they heard the imperial edict.
Zhang Debiao stared blankly at Bai Ying: "Secretly recruiting bandits? Does that mean the prince recruited us?"
Bai Ying's gaze was cold, and he didn't reply, but his eyes also showed astonishment and worry.
Zhang Debiao panicked: "No, the imperial court doesn't want the prince to accept us as his subjects! We've harmed the prince!"
Zhang Debiao was truly desperate. Although he hadn't spent much time with the prince, ever since he decided to abandon the darkness and surrender to the prince, he had completely regarded himself as the prince's soldier.
Whether the imperial court is willing to grant them amnesty or not is irrelevant to them, but if it harms the prince, or even leads to the prince's execution, that is definitely unacceptable!
Not only were Bai Ying and Zhang Debiao worried, but Ye Feng and Ye Yun also looked at Xuan Yuanzhan with concern.
These people have chased the prince all the way to the north, intending to kill him. One can imagine how difficult it must be for the Dowager Princess and the Princess in the capital.
Xuanyuan Zhan thought the same way as Ye Feng and Ye Yun.
He wasn't worried about himself; he was worried about his mother and Ning'er.
Xuanyuan Yu and Xuanyuan Zhi are determined to kill him this time. They don't even want him to die in the capital. They want to kill him in the north!
Seeing that the Imperial Guards behind him had not reacted after he finished reading the imperial edict, Yang Feng roared angrily, "What are you all standing there for? Charge at me and take down the Holy King!"
Hearing Yang Feng's angry rebuke, the Imperial Guards finally reacted and rushed forward to seize Xuan Yuanzhan.
"Who dares to touch my prince!" Ye Feng and Ye Yun immediately stepped in front of Xuan Yuanzhan.
Even Ling Lang and Deputy General Liu instinctively stood protectively beside Xuan Yuanzhan.
White Eagle from the porridge stall used his lightness skill to fly over in a few steps, his meteor sword spinning as it flew towards them.
"Snap!"
Yang Feng, who was just shouting, had no time to react before his head was chopped off!
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