Seeing that the Imperial Guards remained silent, Ye Yun raised her voice again: "My lord would never rebel. You are all Imperial Guards, and you have always been in the capital. You should know how much my lord loves the Princess. My Princess and the Dowager Consort are still in the capital. The Princess is currently six months pregnant and will give birth soon. How could my lord possibly rebel? Wouldn't that harm the Dowager Consort and the Princess?"
Ye Yun's words served as a reminder to the Imperial Guards.
The Holy King's Dowager and Princess are still in the capital. If the Holy King plots a rebellion, the first to suffer will be the Holy King's Dowager and Princess.
Before they arrived, they heard that the Third Prince had already sent the Imperial Guards to arrest the Holy King's Dowager Consort and the Princess Consort and imprison them in the Heavenly Prison.
If the Holy King were a heartless and ungrateful man, perhaps he wouldn't care about the lives of the Holy King's Consort and the Queen. But the Holy King is a romantic at heart.
He used to be averse to women, but after marrying the Holy Princess, he doted on her exclusively. Most importantly, the Holy Princess is currently six months pregnant and about to give birth. If the Holy King were to rebel at this time, it would truly put the Holy Princess and the Holy Princess in an unjust position. The Holy King should not do such a thing.
Seeing the expressions of understanding on the faces of the Imperial Guards, Ye Yun spoke loudly again: "My lord is devoted to the people and the North. Even though my princess and the Dowager Princess were imprisoned, he didn't rush back to the capital despite his anxiety. He continued to lead the troops to resist the Northern Rong. How could he possibly rebel? My lord has been wronged! The actions of the Second Prince and the Third Prince, who have destroyed and killed meritorious officials, are truly heartbreaking!"
Ye Yun's words instantly resonated with the soldiers and civilians, who all shouted in unison, "To obliterate meritorious officials! To execute meritorious officials! We refuse to accept this!"
Whether in the hearts of these northern soldiers or in the hearts of these people, the prince is a meritorious official!
Such a good prince must not be harmed by them!
The Imperial Guards heard the shouts of soldiers and civilians, and the noise of the Northern Rong soldiers pounding on the city gates outside. Suddenly, they felt that they had been a bit foolish.
The prince is too busy fighting the Northern Rong in the north to have any time to think about rebellion. Besides, the princess and the dowager princess are still in the capital. No matter what, he can't help but think about them.
The Emperor sent the Prince to the North to provide disaster relief and suppress bandits. The disaster in the North was so severe that the Prince had been trying to find ways to alleviate the situation. Even if the Northern Rong soldiers did not invade, he probably wouldn't have the mind to plot a rebellion.
After all, the Emperor dotes on the Holy Prince. If the Holy Prince can successfully complete the disaster relief and bandit suppression mission in the North, he will have made a great contribution upon his return. People in the palace say that if the Holy Prince can complete the mission and return, the Emperor will definitely make him the Crown Prince.
Therefore, the Holy King is the least likely to rebel, since he could obtain it so easily. Why would he rebel?
The Imperial Guards had finally come to their senses and stepped forward to bow to Xuan Yuanzhan, saying, "Your Highness, we believe you have not plotted a rebellion, nor do we have any intention of doing so. However, since His Highness the Third Prince has issued the decree, would you like to return to the capital with us and explain the situation to His Highness the Third Prince and the others?"
Although the imperial edict may have been issued by the Third Prince, it was issued in the name of the Emperor. If they neither kill the Holy King nor bring him back, then it won't just be the Holy King who is defying the edict, but also their group.
So the Holy King still has to go back to Kyoto with them!
Xuanyuan Zhan coldly rebuked, "Do you think I don't want to return to the capital? My mother and princess are still imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. Do you think I don't want to go back to rescue them, or to prove my innocence? But did you hear the bombing outside the city gates? Did you hear the shouts of the Northern Rong soldiers outside? And look at these refugees in the North! Did you see the drought in the North when you came here? How could I abandon all this trouble and rush back? You tell me!"
The Imperial Guards glanced at the crumbling city gate, which seemed ready to be breached at any moment, then at the soldiers bravely resisting the Northern Rong on the city wall, and the generals and refugees around them. Every face on theirs longed for the prince to stay. Their expectant eyes left the Imperial Guards speechless.
Ling Lang looked at the Imperial Guards and said, "Now that the Northern Rong are invading, we cannot do without Your Highness. Your Highness is righteous and stayed behind for the sake of the North and its people. We are deeply moved and ashamed. In order for Your Highness to return to the capital as soon as possible to save the Princess and the Dowager, we must find a way to drive out the Northern Rong as soon as possible! Why don't you stay in the capital and fight against the Northern Rong army with us? We are short of soldiers here!"
Ling Lang's words instantly resonated with the other soldiers.
"That's right, if you're so good at capturing princes, why don't you stay and help us fight? We're short-handed!"
"They should stay and fight. A well-fed man doesn't know the hunger of a starving man. They just grumble all day long, as if everyone is so idle that they're plotting rebellion!"
"We definitely can't let them go back. We should detain them, starve them for a few days, and then send them to the battlefield. If they survive, they've done their part in protecting the country. If they die, they've sacrificed themselves for the country!"
The Imperial Guards heard what these soldiers said and immediately felt even more ashamed.
Although these people said some unpleasant things, looking back now, they were indeed a bit too much.
The same Imperial Guard who had spoken before bowed to Xuan Yuanzhan again and said, "Your Highness, we were just following orders. Please don't be angry with us. Since we failed to complete the mission, it is considered disobeying the imperial decree. We are afraid we can't return to the capital. We might as well follow the advice of these soldiers and stay to contribute to the defense of the northern border."
The Imperial Guards finally said something that was pleasing to the ear.
Xuan Yuanzhan naturally had no reason to refuse this offer of assistance: "In that case, let's go up to the city wall and help resist the Northern Rong army. This is a battlefield, so please make sure you all protect yourselves."
These Imperial Guards were different from ordinary soldiers; they were all sons of nobles, many of whom were brothers of the same clan as Xuan Yuanzhan. Xuan Yuanzhan couldn't help but give them a word of advice.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
The Imperial Guards were surprised that even at this point, the Prince was still thinking of them, and they immediately felt guilty about what had happened before.
Xuanyuan Zhan had Ling Lang lead the Imperial Guards up to the city wall.
Xuanyuan Zhan, however, wanted to lead his soldiers back to the council hall for the meeting.
"Your Highness." Seeing that Xuan Yuanzhan was about to enter the council hall again, Bai Ying quickly called out to him.
Xuanyuan Zhan glanced at the white eagle, then waved to the soldiers and said, "You all go in first."
"Yes," the group replied and went back into the council chamber.
Xuanyuan Zhan waved to the people again, and they all withdrew.
After everyone left, leaving only Bai Ying and Zhang Debiao, Xuan Yuanzhan stepped forward and patted Bai Ying on the shoulder, saying, "Thank you for saving me."
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