Xiao Jian no longer cared about that fool Meng Dan. He quickly racked his brains, and another detailed plan formed in his mind.
Xiao Jian waved his hand, and the remnants of the White Lotus Sect gathered together, surrounding him tightly and forming a circle.
Xiao Jian whispered something to everyone, and they all nodded in understanding. Then they followed the wedding procession toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Qing'er, who was holding binoculars on the artificial hill, felt that their direction seemed to be different from the direction An'an had just told her.
Qing'er anxiously looked back and forth through her binoculars. "What's going on? Weren't they supposed to leave the palace soon? Why are they heading towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony?" Could this be an unexpected turn of events?
An'an isn't here either, and Qing'er is panicking and at a loss, afraid that this little change will affect An'an's later plans.
Ji Chu stood beside Qing'er, and seeing her panicked and disoriented state, he quickly reached out and grasped her shoulder. "Don't worry, the princess is such a smart person, she will surely be alright."
Ji Chu's words were like a tranquilizer, calming Qing'er's panicked heart.
Qing'er placed the binoculars on the stone table, then tightly grasped Ji Chu's hand and asked, "Really? How did you know?"
Ji Chu smiled and reached out to ruffle Qing'er's soft hair, then gently stroked her eyebrows and eyes, softly coaxing her, "Didn't you see that it was that eunuch Xiao Lu who gave the decree to Fu Erkang? Since eunuch Xiao Lu is safe, then it proves that the Emperor is definitely safe. Didn't the princess just go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"
"Yes, yes!" Qing'er immediately understood after being enlightened, her eyes shining brightly. "An'an will definitely be alright, I was just worrying too much."
"Concern leads to panic, and you're so flustered because you care about Princess Yong'an," Ji Chu said with a smile, watching Qing'er's changing emotions.
Once Fu Erkang's wedding procession was notified, Ziwei's procession would be notified as well.
Ziwei sat in the sedan chair, tightly holding the apple that symbolized future peace and prosperity in her hand, still imagining her future with Erkang, with a smile on her face. But just as the sedan chair turned, Ziwei suddenly realized something.
This isn't the way out of the palace. Which way do we go?
Ziwei gripped the apple in her hand tightly, her voice trembling with nervousness. "This isn't the way out of the palace. Where are you taking me?" she asked hastily.
The old nanny next to him, having received the message from the Emperor, also approached the sedan chair with a beaming smile and said, "This was sent by someone close to the Emperor. They said that the Princess and Young Master Fu will hold a ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This is an immense honor!"
When the nanny mentioned Fu Erkang's name, she paused for a moment. She didn't know how to address him. Calling him "Efu" (驸, meaning imperial son-in-law) seemed inappropriate, as even the Emperor hadn't used that term. Calling him "cook" didn't seem quite right for such a joyous occasion. After much thought, the nanny compromised and simply called him "Young Master Fu."
At this moment, Ziwei's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was immediately relieved, and she was instantly moved to tears. It seemed that her father, the Emperor, had not abandoned or forgotten his daughter.
During her time in the palace, Ziwei heard a lot about the wedding ceremony. Most of them involved going to Cining Palace to say goodbye to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. It was very rare for the ceremony to be held in Taihe Hall. She never expected that the Emperor would break this rule for her.
Ziwei felt a surge of pride. So what if Princess Yong'an was favored? She wasn't the Emperor's daughter after all, and her wedding wouldn't be held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Ziwei straightened her back and sat upright in the sedan chair.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards in the palace had been lying in ambush near the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Some were hanging from the roof beams, some were hidden in the wood, and some even reluctantly wore eunuch clothes.
The Empress Dowager was also notified, as the performance needed to be made to appear respectable. As for the Fu family, the Emperor hadn't originally intended to invite them, but given the circumstances, he feared it would all be for naught. At An Ke's urging, the Emperor finally ordered Fu Lun and his wife to attend the ceremony.
The Emperor tidied himself up and boarded his sedan chair, ready to depart, with Anke and Fuertai accompanying him.
*
Just as they weren't paying attention, Meng Dan quietly slipped out of the wedding procession under the pretext of needing to use the restroom.
He had already memorized the palace layout map and knew the location of Baoyue Tower. He evaded the guards and quietly slipped to the vicinity of Baoyue Tower.
Just as Xiao Jian had said, the place was heavily guarded, making it difficult to break in. If he alerted the enemy, he might never be able to escape the palace again.
Just then, Jin Lingzi came out to take care of some business. The guards recognized her immediately; she was Consort Xiang's personal maid, so they let her pass.
Overjoyed, Meng Dan grabbed Jin Lingzi as she passed by.
Jin Lingzi was terrified. Could there be kidnappings in the palace? But when she saw Meng Dan's face, her struggle turned into confusion.
Mengdan spoke to Jinlingzi in Hui, and Jinlingzi repeatedly told Mengdan that their princess was doing well here, but Mengdan was lost in his own thoughts and couldn't get out of them.
Forced into a corner, Jin Lingzi had no choice but to ask Meng Dan to find a eunuch's outfit for her to change into. She couldn't possibly still be wearing the wedding dress; it would be too conspicuous.
Then Jin Lingzi quietly led Meng Dan into Baoyue Tower. Jin Lingzi didn't know if what she did was right or wrong, but given the situation just now, if she hadn't brought Meng Dan with her, she probably would have lost her life.
Jin Lingzi led Meng Dan, who was already dressed in eunuch's clothes, into Baoyue Tower, while Hanxiang was kneeling in front of the prayer mat, praying to Allah to protect her family whom she missed day and night.
Meng Dan hadn't seen Han Xiang for a long time. Now, seeing Han Xiang, whom he had been longing for day and night, kneeling there, Meng Dan couldn't hide his excitement and strode forward to hug her.
Hanxiang was terrified, having no idea who had grabbed her from behind, and nearly screamed. Luckily, Mengdan reacted quickly and covered Hanxiang's mouth beforehand; otherwise, if Hanxiang had been allowed to scream, the guards would probably have broken down the door.
"Hanxiang, don't be afraid, it's me," Meng Dan directly revealed his identity, believing that his Hanxiang would definitely follow him.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Hanxiang gradually relaxed. She just couldn't understand why Mengdan hadn't left yet. She had sent him away from the capital long ago, anywhere, or even back to his Hui homeland.
Hanxiang turned around stiffly, looking at her former lover, her eyes instantly reddening. She was helpless; she too had long since fallen in love with the emperor, a man of both literary and martial talents.
"Meng Dan, how did you end up here? How did you get into this palace? Weren't you discovered?" Han Xiang had a lot of questions she wanted to ask.
Seeing Hanxiang's state, Mengdan also wanted to tell her about his longing for her these past few days. However, this place was not a place to stay for long. He took Hanxiang's hand and said firmly, "Hanxiang, let's take advantage of the fact that there are few people around now and escape with you. Then we can wander to the ends of the earth and never care about the palace or the Hui people's affairs again."
Upon hearing this, Hanxiang quickly pulled her hand away from Mengdan's. With the Qing Dynasty's help, their Hui people had already resolved many troubles, and she had fallen in love with the Emperor and become his woman. How could she leave the palace?
Meng Dan was stunned for a moment, not understanding what this meant, and blankly called out, "Hanxiang".
With tears streaming down her face, Hanxiang said to Mengdan, "Mengdan, you should leave now. Don't stay in this palace, this place of trouble. We can't go back now, and I don't want to wander the world with you anymore."
Meng Dan seemed to have been struck by lightning, frozen in place. Then, his face contorted with rage, he tried to forcibly take Han Xiang away. Just as Meng Dan was about to deliver a chop to the back of Han Xiang's neck, a group of guards suddenly burst in from outside.
Meng Dan was dumbfounded. When they came in, the guards were completely unaware. How could they rush up so quickly and kick open the palace gates of the emperor and his concubines without any warning?
Unfortunately, the guards didn't give Meng Dan a chance to speak. After subduing him, they put a black cloth over his mouth, twisted his arm, and took him out of Baoyue Tower.
Hanxiang was left kneeling on the ground, her face still showing shock. She couldn't believe that Meng Dan would try to forcibly take her away from the palace for his own selfish reasons. He was completely different from the man she knew.
Hanxiang, helpless, hugged her knees, buried her head in them, and tears streamed down her face. Jinlingzi was also nearby, not daring to step forward to comfort her princess. After all, if it hadn't been for her, Mengdan wouldn't have so easily barged into Baoyue Tower.
After Hanxiang realized what had happened, she realized that the guards she had just seen did not seem to be the ones who usually guarded Baoyue Tower for her. After all, she often went out and was quite familiar with the guards who guarded her Baoyu Tower, but the group of people she had just seen were quite agile.
"Were those guards from the palace gate just now?" Hanxiang asked Yinlingzi beside her, feeling helpless.
After a moment's thought, Yinlingzi firmly said, "It doesn't seem to be from our palace."
Hanxiang collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. Chaos erupted inside Baoyue Tower, and Jinlingzi immediately went out to find the imperial physician.
The guards here were arranged by An Ke beforehand. These were not ordinary guards, but several top imperial guards were stationed here, just waiting for Meng Dan to take the bait.
Yes, An Ke had anticipated this long ago. Meng Dan looked like a hothead. How could he possibly obey Xiao Jian's orders?
If the goal is to capture them all, then how can it be considered a complete capture if even one is missing? Anke calculated every step meticulously.
When Fu Erkang and his wedding procession arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Empress Dowager was already seated there, while the Emperor's palanquin stopped right in front of Fu Erkang's wedding procession.
This was something Anke had calculated well in advance, estimating the travel time and distance, and reminding her uncle to get into the sedan chair when it was almost time.
An Ke spotted Xiao Jian hiding inside early on. His eyes left a deep impression on An Ke.
It wasn't just the hatred in his eyes, but also the deep wound he had inflicted on Ertai in Qijiang Town. Anke had said then that he would make him pay for his sins in blood.
The moment Xiao Jian saw the Emperor, he couldn't contain himself any longer and unconsciously took a step forward. At that moment, it seemed that only he and the Emperor existed in his eyes, and no one else existed.
This was the enemy who killed his parents, this was his blood feud, this was the person who demoted his own sister to a palace maid. The hatred in Xiao Jian's eyes seemed to transform into a sharp sword, piercing through the crowd and into the emperor's chest.
Fu Erkang realized what was happening and immediately dismounted, kneeling on the ground to kowtow and pay his respects to the Emperor.
In order for the play to be completed, the Emperor even turned his head to look at An Ke and An Ke nodded in acknowledgment, meaning that the Emperor should bear with it a little longer.
The Emperor could only force a smile and pat Fu Erkang on the shoulder. "Get well soon. Today I'm marrying Ziwei to you. I hope you will treat her well. If she wants to return to the palace in the future, you must bring her back for a short stay." The Emperor's words were utterly helpless.
These words deeply moved Fu Erkang, who almost knelt down to kowtow to the Emperor. "Your subject will obey Father Emperor's words."
The Emperor nearly stumbled at the sound of "Father," and gave Fu Erkang a forced smile. Wasn't it a bit premature to call him "Father"? Even if Ziwei hadn't married him yet, he would never dare accept a son-in-law like him.
You never know when you'll be allied with the enemy and they'll want you dead. It's like having a knife hanging over your own room.
Just then, the other attendees arrived, and Mr. and Mrs. Furen hurried over. Fortunately, their wedding procession had to circle half of the palace, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to wait for Furen and his family.
When Anke saw Furen and the others, she was a little worried about Ertai's mood, so she reached out and quietly squeezed Ertai's palm.
Ertai noticed Anke's little thoughts and was happy for her delicate and sensitive heart. He reached out and held Anke's hand tightly, and the two hands were intertwined.
"Alright, Fu Lun, we're in-laws now, no need for formalities. Rise. I invited you to the palace today so you could witness the ceremony together." The Emperor's polite words came so easily that Fu Lun and the others were completely taken aback.
Fu Lun was deeply grateful for the Emperor's boundless grace; it was truly a great favor bestowed upon the Fu family by the Emperor. Fu Lun dared not address the Emperor as a relative by marriage, repeatedly saying he dared not.
The Princess Consort was initially somewhat dissatisfied with Ziwei, but being invited to the palace to witness the ceremony was a first among the imperial consorts. A smile unconsciously appeared on her face, but it immediately tightened when she saw Ertai.
Ertai didn't care at all; it didn't matter anymore. He had long since stopped caring about such things. Now, there was someone more important in his heart.
The Emperor said he would invite Fu Lun to enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but at that moment a riot suddenly broke out in the wedding procession. The two sides actually started fighting.
The emperor stopped as Xiao Jian had suggested. Xiao Jian felt that Heaven was looking out for him, allowing him to avenge his parents today.
He pulled a soft sword directly from his waist, used his lightness skill to leap forward, and headed straight for the emperor, shouting, "You dog emperor, prepare to die!"
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