The rebel leader, consisting of a commander-in-chief, four generals, and six captains, was either killed or captured alive.
The Imperial Guards, carrying torches, counted the corpses and prisoners, searching for the Crown Prince and members of the Wei family.
The inner doors opened one by one, and Gu Shaoyu, Yin Jin'an, Li Yunmu, Xie Yu, Ling Xun, and others were all invited into the palace.
Emperor Hui watched as the group approached against the light, covered in blood, their eyes bright and piercing.
Several people knelt down to pay their respects to His Majesty.
Emperor Hui reached out, beckoning Gu Shaoyu, Xie Yu, and Yin Jin'an to come closer. The three approached. Emperor Hui stood up, walked to them, opened his arms, and embraced them, saying, "I thank you."
As soon as he released his arms, the men immediately knelt down.
Emperor Hui pressed his hand to his chest and said, "You have rendered meritorious service in saving my life, and you deserve this honor."
Duke Xun looked at Yin Jin'an and walked over excitedly, saying, "Second Prince, what weapons are you using? Why is it so loud? How many men did you bring?"
Yin Jin'an said lazily, "The two of them."
"Just the two of you?"
"Yes, the Thunder God and the Lightning Goddess."
"You brat!"
He was cursing, his mouth wide open.
Everyone was overjoyed and congratulated the Emperor!
"Search the entire city! Search the whole city for the Crown Prince! Post notices that anyone who dares to harbor the Crown Prince or the Wei family will have their entire clan exterminated!"
Gu Shaoyu said, "Your Majesty, I suggest a reward: anyone who captures the Crown Prince or the Wei family shall be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver."
"Granted."
"Your Majesty, I brought Prince Rong back with me this time. He was wounded while leading the attack on the rebels."
Where is he/she?
"Without His Majesty's permission, I will temporarily hand him over to the Imperial City Guard for detention."
During the rebellion, no one knew what anyone else was thinking; he didn't trust the Dali Temple or the Heavenly Prison.
After much deliberation, Leng Luo's side proved to be the most reliable, so he handed over Prince Rong to the Imperial City Guard.
Emperor Hui ordered everyone to leave temporarily, as he wanted Gu Shaoyu to report on the affairs of Zizhou alone.
Even after the rebellion was quelled, the palace still dared not relax, since the crown prince had escaped and the Wei family had only captured Wei Shining, who was a cripple.
All the ministers were waiting in the council hall, and Gu Shaoyu sat in front of Emperor Hui.
"How is Your Majesty's health?" Gu Shaoyu asked, looking at Emperor Hui's unusually poor complexion with great concern.
"It's alright, I'm just a little tired." Emperor Hui noticed the weariness on his face and asked, "Was the journey not peaceful?"
Before arriving, Gu Shaoyu had secretly sent all the information to His Majesty. He and Xie Yu, along with Prince Rong, did not take the main road.
Nanxing and his men impersonated him and Prince Rong, sitting in a carriage. When they met up a hundred miles outside the capital, they learned that Nanxing had been robbed and killed four times along the way.
"After I met up with my subordinates a hundred miles outside the capital, my wife sent me a message saying that a large number of strangers were entering the city, which might be a problem. So I took my men and hid to observe first."
Emperor Hui smiled: "Little Xie is quite perceptive."
"Your Majesty, while we were hiding, we discovered that the Wei family had led tens of thousands of people to intercept reinforcements coming to the capital to rescue you at various intersections."
"That old scoundrel."
"The reinforcements from Yicheng and Yizhou, numbering 20,000 each, were blocked by the Wei clan's army. I heard that the Crown Prince led 60,000 troops to attack the city. Xie Yu and I discussed the matter and used the clan chief's order to mobilize the Xie family's Xuanyi Guards to rescue the Crown Prince."
"Does he have the authority to mobilize the Black-Clad Guards?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoyu immediately understood that Emperor Hui knew about the Xie family's Black-Clad Guards and such.
He then truthfully replied, "Xie Yu has already married and is about to have a child. Lord Xie has handed over all the Xuanyi Guards to Xie Yu. In haste, Xie Yu gathered 20,000 Xuanyi Guards to defend the emperor. If it weren't for them, I would not have been able to defeat the Wei family and the Crown Prince's rebel army."
Emperor Hui nodded.
Gu Shaoyu did not interrupt his thoughts.
All those in power are wary of the hidden power of aristocratic families, and Emperor Hui was no exception.
However, the Xie family has always been well-behaved, and this time they even used their trump card to support the emperor. Emperor Hui would not be so foolish as to make things difficult for the Xie family.
After a while, Emperor Hui asked, "What was that rumbling sound? It sounded like thunder was falling from the sky?"
"This is a new weapon created by Marquis Yin Jin'an. The Duchess of Xunguo dislikes warriors and values Yin Jinzhuo. Yin Er is completely ignored. He likes to tinker and play with firecrackers. He discovered the great power of firecrackers when he put them in a sealed earthenware jar, so he thought of making new weapons."
Gu Shaoyu subtly distanced himself from Xie Zhaozhao.
Who knows what those in power are thinking?
If people knew it was Xie Zhaozhao's recipe, they would inevitably think that the Xie family also possessed such a weapon.
The Xie family has the Black-Clad Guards and powerful weapons, which may have become a major concern for His Majesty.
Emperor Hui was skeptical, but when he heard that Yin Jin'an had accidentally discovered the destructive power of firecrackers hidden in earthenware jars, and that Chu Zhongtian had developed them into weapons, he immediately believed it to a great extent.
"That military fanatic Chu Zhongtian is actually capable of producing something like this."
Gu Shaoyu knew what he was thinking and immediately said, "I get along well with Yin Jin'an. He has no ambition and generously agreed that this weapon would only be used by the court."
Emperor Hui was overjoyed: "Did he really say that?"
"Yes! Today, he took me to the place where they were tinkering with weapons without hiding anything from me, and told me about this wish."
Gu Shaoyu looked at Emperor Hui and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Yin Er is loyal and righteous, and can be used by the court."
Speaking of which, he remembered something else: "By the way, these weapons are extremely expensive! And Yin Er can't save money. Who provided all the silver, Your Majesty? Can you guess?"
"Who gave it to you? Did Xie girl give it to you?"
"It was given by Li Yunmu, the second young master of the Duke of Ying's mansion. Didn't expect that, did you?"
"Him? The Duke of England's mansion is dirt poor. When will he ever make money?"
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