"It really is that Yulang?"
The fourth prince looked at the two figures with some curiosity and asked in confusion, "Why is he suddenly being so nice to Ah Zhen?"
The Fourth Prince knew that Yuwen Hao was the "senior brother" of Empress Xie and her siblings, after all, when Yuwen Yulang came to the capital, all sorts of information about him were flying around.
However, the Empress and Ah Zhen did not seem to be very close to this senior brother.
Come to think of it, back in Lingnan, the Yong Prince's Mansion and the Yue Prince's Mansion had an extremely close relationship, and his own princess even had a carrier pigeon specifically for communicating with Xie Yuan.
These two were close friends, and they would exchange letters every now and then.
Having heard so much, the Fourth Prince naturally learned a great deal about Empress Xie.
Empress Xie even mentioned the shipyard and Xie Lin's overseas business empire to Princess Xu, but she never mentioned any famous scholar or senior brother.
Before Yuwen Hao returned to the capital in such a high-profile manner, the Fourth Prince did not know that he had any connection with the Xie family.
After not having contact for several years, they suddenly became close again. This is not normal at all!
"Yes! Why?"
Gazing at the two figures, one large and one small, Princess Xu murmured to herself.
In the chaos, the older one was injured while protecting the younger one.
Her smooth, jade-like skin was stained with specks of blood.
This made the usually refined and elegant Yuwen Yulang look both disheveled and pitiful.
Even though he was injured, he still protected Xie Zhen with all his might.
Tsk, just looking at this affection, people would believe he's Xie Zhen's biological brother.
This is not quite in line with what Princess Xu had guessed.
"Could it be that Your Majesty has made a mistake? Is this Yuwen Hao a good person?"
"The matter of the Yellow Sect has nothing to do with him?"
Princess Xu frowned slightly, feeling somewhat conflicted.
However, now is not the time to investigate these matters. She swung her spiked club forcefully, shouting, "Capture Chen Fuli alive! Annihilate the traitor!"
At Princess Xu's command, the guards she brought from the palace swarmed forward.
Princess Xu was not one to sit idly by; she brandished her spiked club and charged inside, engaging in a fierce battle.
"Ah Yuan, well done!"
"Yes, send that weasel-faced guy flying!"
"Ah Yuan, watch out! Haha, I knew it, my Ah Yuan is the best!"
The fourth prince was like an excellent cheerleader, standing on the sidelines, cheering and shouting for his princess.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with his wife being so cruel.
He even felt a sense of pride—such a remarkable woman is from my family!
Princess Xu has been giving birth and raising children, and has been staying in the inner courtyard for far too long.
Finally given the opportunity to showcase her talents, she thoroughly enjoyed herself.
She wielded the two spiked clubs with great force, and there was almost no one within ten steps of her.
Half an hour later, the battle was completely under control.
Chen Fuli was captured alive, and the Marquis of Anle, Lady Xiao, and all their family members were also arrested.
Even Zheng, the newlywed bride who had just married into the Chen family, became a prisoner along with them.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Zheng was somewhat anxious, desperately trying to say something.
Unfortunately, the person in charge of binding them was very experienced; he not only tied their hands and feet but also gagged them.
Zheng: ...Divorce! I want a divorce from Chen Fuli!
Her eyes were fixed on Zheng Yurong, who was bowing to Princess Xu: Sister, save me! Sister, I was wrong! Please save me!
Zheng Yurong: ...Alas, once a move is made, there's no going back!
She had tried all the advice she could, but the other person just wouldn't listen, and she was at a loss.
This time, the fact that the entire Zheng family wasn't implicated by her uncle's family and punished is already a testament to the Empress's leniency.
Zheng Yurong will not take advantage of the Empress's favor, nor will she make things difficult for her!
"Brother, are you...are you alright?"
Xie Zhen looked at Yuwen Hao, who was covered in wounds, with a sob in her voice.
"I'm fine! Ah Zhen, don't be afraid! My brother said he would protect you!"
Yuwen Hao's face was pale, as if he had lost too much blood.
However, he gritted his teeth and persevered, forcing a smile as he asked Xie Zhen, "By the way, Zhen, are you hurt?"
"No! My brother protected me very well! I... I wasn't harmed in the slightest!"
As Xie Zhen spoke, she could no longer hold back, and large tears streamed down her face.
"Brother!!"
He wiped his tears with his sleeve as he called out softly.
From "senior brother" to "elder brother," Xie Zhen's opinion of Yuwen Hao changed almost instantly.
The little boy was very grateful to the man who bravely stood in front of him during the crisis.
From this night onward, Xie Zhen will treat Yuwen Hao as one of her own!
"Ah Zhen, don't cry! Your brother is alright! Your brother—"
As he spoke, Yuwen Hao seemed to finally give in, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply.
Princess Xu stared intently, her suspicions growing ever stronger.
The next day, when she sent a letter to Xie Yuanfei, she recounted in detail everything she had witnessed.
...
"The leader of the Yellow Sect has been captured; it's Chen Fuli!"
"Cui Erlang surrendered on the city wall. According to his confession, Cui Hong was also involved."
"The fire at Yongshou Palace was caused by several palace servants who were deeply hidden within the palace, and it also vaguely involved the Grand Princess Yongchang."
"On the contrary, the Empress Dowager has always been very well-behaved, and has even helped Empress Dowager Xiao to control the situation and reassure the people!"
While feeding Helian Jue, Xie Yuan reported to him on the messages sent by various forces in the capital.
The couple were considered to have a perfect plan.
But they are, after all, human beings, not gods.
Some of the predictions made in the past were successful;
However, some of them seemed to contradict their assumptions.
However, overall, this incident still brought the couple considerable benefits.
Most importantly, we can finally get rid of the Cui family!
Perhaps it is impossible to completely expel this family from the center of power, but it can force Cui Hong, the prime minister, to "resign from his post".
Once he leaves the Council of State, even if the Cui family still has some nephews and nieces in court, it will be difficult for them to enter the central government again for several years or even more than a decade.
This family was destined to decline.
With only one of the three prime ministers, Cui, remaining, only Wang and Zheng, it's practically impossible for them to stir up any more trouble.
Thus, the struggle between imperial power and prime ministerial power in the Great Zhou Dynasty came to an end with Helian Jue's victory.
"Where is Yuwen Hao? And what about the Yong'an Marquis's residence?"
Helian Jue swallowed the food in his mouth and asked directly.
Others are one thing, but Helian Jue will never ignore Yuwen Hao, his "love rival".
Xie Yuan looked puzzled. "Your Majesty, it's strange. Yuwen Hao hasn't made any unusual moves!"
"Moreover, at Chen Fuli's wedding, Yuwen Hao risked his life to protect Azhen."
"Yuwen Hao suffered quite a few injuries while protecting Azhen!"
"Is he innocent? But I just feel there's something wrong with him!"
Helian Jue: ...Of course he has a problem. I bet he hasn't given up on A Yuan yet!
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