Changsui City.
In Zhao Huan's residence, the Dragon Spear Guards, clad in light black armor and wielding white-haired spears, stood in neat and solemn ranks in the courtyard.
Zhao Yi and Zhao Huan's two sons hid behind a corner and peeked. They saw Zhao Huan lecturing the Dragon Spear Guards. Although he didn't know what was going on, he could feel the heavy and oppressive atmosphere.
"Report—"
A soldier ran in from outside and said, "Commander Long, all the gates of Changsui City are closed, and half of the guards at each gate have been transferred to Jing Palace!"
Zhao Huan asked suspiciously, "Why close the city gates in broad daylight? Have you found out where the order came from?"
"The order came from the Imperial Prison! I heard from the brothers there that they discovered Southern Zhou spies were planning to operate extensively in Changsui City, so they were going to close the gates and arrest people. But... I didn't see anyone from the Imperial Prison searching the city; instead, they all went to Jing Palace!"
Zhao Huan looked at the middle-aged man with a feather fan and silk turban beside him and said, "Mr. Lian, what is Chen Xi, the Chief Justice, trying to do? Is he planning a rebellion?"
Lian Zhongyi waved his folding fan and said, "With the city gates closed, even if the troops outside the city are at the gates, they won't dare to force their way in, otherwise it would be a capital offense. But... although Chen Xi has isolated the imperial army outside the city by doing this, can he really rebel with just a few hundred men in the imperial prison?"
Zhao Huan said, "It seems he bribed the city gate guards, so there are probably over a thousand of them."
Lian Zhongyi shook his head and said, "Jing Palace is guarded by three thousand Imperial Guards, and the Emperor is also surrounded by a thousand Imperial Feathered Forest Guards..."
At this point, Lian Zhongyi's expression froze, and his folding fan suddenly stopped. He exclaimed, "This is bad! The commander of the Imperial Guards is the man of Grand Marshal Wu Zhijian!"
Zhao Huan also realized what was happening and exclaimed, "What if Wu Zhijian and Chen Xi join forces? If they work together from the inside and outside, the three thousand Imperial Guards might not be able to stop them!"
Lian Zhongyi sighed, "It's possible that the emperor hasn't woken up for three days and the crown prince hasn't been established!"
Zhao Huan frowned and suddenly shouted, "He Zhi! How many Dragon Spear Guards can we mobilize right now?"
He Zhi clasped his hands and said, "The main force of the Dragon Spear Guard is training outside the city; only the thousand men in the manor are available to move."
Zhao Huan said, "Then bring these thousand men with me into the palace to protect the emperor!"
"yes!"
"Wait..." Lian Zhongyi pressed Zhao Huan's arm and said, "We've overlooked one crucial element. If Wu Zhijian really joins forces with Chen Xi to force the emperor to abdicate, it won't just be the Imperial Guards and the people from the Imperial Prison involved. Wu Zhijian's private army in his residence far outnumbers our thousand Dragon Spear Guards..."
Zhao Huan said solemnly, "Mr. Lian, His Majesty has treated me with the greatest kindness. How could I abandon His Majesty in danger just because I am afraid of death?!"
Lian Zhongyi shook his head and said, "You've misunderstood. What I mean is, Wu Zhijian hates you to the bone. If he really got involved, is it possible that you're also part of his plan?"
Lian Zhongyi's reminder made Zhao Huan's pupils shrink.
Zhao Huan exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, you mean... Wu Zhijian will take advantage of the fact that my house is empty and send his private soldiers to deal with the family members in your household?"
Lian Zhongyi solemnly said, "In these extraordinary times, we must be on guard!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan paced back and forth, deep in thought. At that moment, his gaze met that of Zhao Yi and his sons, who were secretly watching them.
"Come listen if you want, don't hide it!"
Zhao Yi then led the two young masters over.
Zhao Yi's life has changed dramatically in the past two years. With improved nutrition, he is only twelve years old and is now only a head shorter than Zhao Huan.
Zhao Huan said, "Zhao Yi, you heard everything just now. Tell me, is it possible that the enemy will come after my family?"
Zhao Yi thought for a moment and said, "You've never asked me about my past, but now I can tell you. Two years ago, before I met you at the bottom of the cliff, my companions and I were split into two teams on a mission. My team's mission was to ambush a group of bandits, while the other team's mission was to kill their families."
Zhao Huan's expression hardened, and he turned to face the Dragon Spear Guards, saying, "Mr. Lian, you leave five hundred Dragon Spear Guards to guard the house! He Zhi, you lead five hundred Dragon Spear Guards to accompany me into the palace to protect the Emperor!"
"yes!"
Lian Zhongyi said worriedly, "Five hundred men is far too few for you to bring into the palace!"
"There are only so many people, there's no other way." Zhao Huan waved his hand, having made his decision, and said, "The emperor's favor is important, but family is important too. We'll each take half!"
Zhao Yi stepped forward and said, "Let me go with you!"
Zhao Huan glanced at Zhao Yi, shook his head, and said, "You stay at home with Mr. Lian."
Zhao Yi insisted: "I want to protect you!"
Zhao Huan insisted, "You're too young."
“She’s not very old either,” Zhao Yi said, pointing to a girl standing next to He Zhi.
Zhao Huan followed Zhao Yi's gaze and said, "You mean Tao Zhi... If I remember correctly, she's two years older than you. At your age, two years makes a big difference!"
Zhao Yidao said, "When I entered the manor, she had already gone to war with you. At that time, she was about my age."
Yang Taozhi crossed her arms and interjected, "Little one, when will you be able to beat me? Then Commander Long will take you on an expedition."
Zhao Yi was enraged and said, "Then let's try it now!"
"Time is of the essence, stop fooling around." Zhao Huan pressed down on Zhao Yi's shoulder and said, "You are no match for her. If you don't believe me, you can have a match when you come back this time."
As he spoke, Zhao Huan leaned closer to Zhao Yi and pointed to his two sons standing behind Zhao Yi.
The two sons were about seven or eight years old, and about three or four years old.
Zhao Huan said, "Madam took the second and fourth sons to the temple to pray for blessings. If the enemy really comes, the eldest and third sons will be in great danger. Zhao Yi, they are the most important people to me. If you really want to protect me, then protect them for me."
Knowing that continuing the argument would delay Zhao Huan's actions, Zhao Yi stopped arguing, nodded heavily, and said, "Anyone who wants to hurt them will have to step over my dead body!"
Zhao Huan patted Zhao Yi lightly on the shoulder and led the five hundred Dragon Spear Guards away.
As the Dragon Spear Guards passed in front of Zhao Yi, Yang Taozhi paused and said with a cold expression, "You're not very old, but you have quite the big mouth. I hope you keep your word and don't wet your pants when you see the enemy."
"you!"
Just as Zhao Yi was about to argue, a pair of small hands grabbed him.
"Zhao Yi, don't argue with my sister, she's really amazing!"
"Young Master..."
Zhao Yi turned around and looked at eight-year-old Zhao Cheng.
Zhao Cheng, holding her younger brother Zhao Yan's hand, smiled at Zhao Yi and said, "I know you don't like being with us kids. If you're bored, why don't you teach Zhao Yan some martial arts? Zhao Yan told me that you look really cool when you wield a knife and when your sister uses a sword, and he wants to learn martial arts too..."
Zhao Yi looked at Zhao Yan, who wasn't even as long as his legs, and said, "The Third Young Master is still so young..."
Zhao Cheng said, "You were unhappy when my father said you were too young. How can you say my brother is too young now?"
"Aren't you contradicting yourself by saying that?"
Zhao Yi was taken aback for a moment, then bowed slightly to Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yan, saying, "The eldest young master is right, Zhao Yi has learned a lot. Alright, I will teach the third young master!"
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