Chapter 199 Leaving the City (Part 2)
Chen Yi rode his horse quickly to the princess's mansion, only to find it completely dark. He caught a servant and asked, "Why aren't there any lights on?"
The servant was taking a nap when he saw him come back unexpectedly. He replied nervously, "My dear son-in-law, you're back? Today is the Lantern Festival. The princess gave everyone a day off early in the morning. Since no one is at home, they didn't light any lights."
"No one? And where's the princess? Is she back?"
"I'm back! I'm in the main courtyard."
Chen Yi hurried to the main courtyard again, but the maid guarding the door stopped him.
"Sir, please wait." The maid said, "The princess has gone to bed."
Chen Yi looked at the sky and asked, "So early? Did you just rest or have you been resting for a while?"
The maid didn't know why he asked this, but she obeyed the princess's instructions and said, "The princess has gone to bed. Don't let anyone disturb her."
"Just say I came to see her."
"Sir," the maid said, "the princess has said that you are not allowed to disturb us."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi stopped.
He looked silently at the dimly lit bedroom, and after a while, nodded.
"Okay, if she wakes up, just tell her... I'll come see her tomorrow."
Inside the room, Princess Wu Jing lay on the couch, holding a pillow she had brought from Lu. The pillow was a bit old, and the pattern on it had faded from washing.
In fact, she hadn't fallen asleep at all. She had always had trouble sleeping when she was away from home. When she first came to the capital, she had been holding her pillow. But now, even with her pillow, she couldn't sleep well.
The scene of Chen Yi holding Jiang Baohe's hand and leaving kept popping up in her mind, disturbing her.
After a moment, she heard Chen Yi's footsteps leaving, and she hugged the pillow and slowly closed her eyes.
.
At the west gate, a man in black, wearing a mask, swiftly passed through the high walls and green tiles and headed east. When he arrived in front of a magnificent mansion, he went forward and knocked on the door.
The copper ring rang twice and the door creaked open. He immediately slipped in and ran straight to the study.
This is the residence of Duke Xin.
At this moment, Duke Xin was already anxiously waiting in his study. Seeing the newcomer, he hurriedly asked, "How is it? Are they really from the Red Wind Battalion?"
The man in black pulled down his mask, revealing a face of a man in his forties. It was none other than Marquis Cheng'en.
"Duke, I've confirmed it. They're truly from your Red Wind Camp." He was horrified. "A full 30,000 men, and they showed up here without a single word."
This is also what shocked Duke Xin. The Chifeng Camp was his army, and they were able to leave the camp without his order.
"Duke, what should we do?" Marquis Cheng'en said anxiously, "I don't know who spread the news, but now everyone is saying you're planning a rebellion."
"Damn it--" Duke Xin wanted to throw the teacup, but he managed to hold himself back.
His face was gloomy. "Who wants to frame me? Pei Xingju?"
A quarter of an hour ago, his people discovered that Pei Xingju had entered the palace and had a secret conversation with the emperor for a long time, so he made this guess.
An aide said, "In my opinion, it shouldn't be Pei Xingju. This situation is undoubtedly forcing the Duke, but it won't benefit the Duke to rebel now."
"Could it be the Queen Mother?" asked another.
"Impossible! How could a woman like the Queen Mother be so capable? Putting aside the question of whether she could mobilize the troops of the Red Wind Battalion, she lives deep in the palace. If she makes any move, we will definitely be able to see it through."
Hearing this, Duke Xin turned around suddenly and said, "It's not impossible."
"What do you mean?" asked Marquis Cheng'en.
"There is another person she can command, and this person's ability can be hidden from everyone's eyes and ears."
"Who?"
"Duan Hongyuan, Commander of the Imperial Guards."
"But Duan Hongyuan is not yours..." Marquis Cheng'en stopped talking here.
He knew about Duan Hongyuan's past with the Empress Dowager. He hadn't married yet because he still missed her. Now that the Empress Dowager was in trouble, it wasn't impossible for her to ask Duan Hongyuan for help.
Duke Xin wandered around the room for a while and asked, "Who is leading the troops?"
"Yang Zheng, the deputy commander of the Red Wind Battalion."
"I should have thought of it earlier! I should have thought of it earlier!" Duke Xin sneered repeatedly: "They are trying to force me to rebel!"
.
At three quarters past midnight, Pei Xingju left the city with the emperor's secret order. The bustling scene outside the city was completely different from the one inside. The darkness cast a shadow over the city, making it seem like a ghost town. A cold wind rustled the trees along the official road.
There was still snow on the ground, and the horses' hooves stepped on the snow, splashing up countless mud.
When they reached Yangting Pass, ten miles away, Pei Xingju reined in his horse and stopped.
Here, 30,000 soldiers were stationed in an orderly manner with torches lit. The torches in the soldiers' hands almost illuminated half of the sky and also illuminated the tense and solemn faces.
"Who is coming?" A man came forward to inquire.
Pei Xingju was followed by only a few guards. He was not wearing any official uniform. He had a handsome face, was thin and elegant, but he had an imposing aura.
The visitor was unsure of his identity and spoke in a slightly respectful tone.
Pei Xingju, riding on his horse, asked, "Are you from the Red Wind Camp?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm someone sent by the Emperor." Pei Xingju showed a token and asked, "Where is General Yang Zheng? Come see me immediately!"
When the man heard this, he hurried over.
Soon, Yang Zheng arrived on horseback. He had spent some time in the capital and recognized Pei Xingju. Seeing him approach, he quickly dismounted.
"Master Pei," he said, bowing, "Master Pei, are you coming from the capital?"
"Of course I came from the capital."
"May I ask what the situation is like in the city right now?"
"General Yang, you dare to lead your troops into the city without even knowing the situation inside. Do you know that this is a rebellion?"
Hearing the word "rebellion," Yang Zheng was shocked. He angrily said, "Master Pei, please don't talk nonsense. I have received an oral order that someone in the capital is plotting a rebellion, and I have been ordered to come to your rescue as soon as possible."
"Oral order, whose oral order?"
"Of course it was the order from Duke Xin."
"Did Duke Xin tell you this himself?"
"This... this person is a close confidant of Duke Xin, and he is holding a token of his loyalty."
Pei Xingju was almost amused by his stupidity: "If it wasn't said by Duke Xin himself, where did the order come from? General Yang, you've been fooled."
Upon hearing this, Yang Zheng was shocked, but still had some doubts.
He looked at Pei Xingju and asked suddenly, "Just now, your subordinates informed Master Pei that he had received orders from the Emperor. Do you have any imperial decrees?"
Pei Xingju remained silent. There was no imperial edict, but there was an order to mobilize troops, but it could not be shown unless it was absolutely necessary.
Seeing that he didn't have an imperial edict, Yang Zheng immediately became alert: "Come here, arrest Pei Xingju!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
