Empress Dowager Gu had a gloomy face and was extremely annoyed at this moment.
"If you had listened to me and let the girl from the Ye family go to the northern border to marry, none of this would have happened."
Queen Mother Gu slammed the table in anger and said, "As long as we can stabilize the situation in the north, we can deal with Yuezhou with peace of mind. But you insisted on going your own way. Now you have lost both your wife and your troops, and ended up with nothing."
"Now that things have come to this, what's the point of saying this, grandma?" Gu Tingchen said angrily, "Even if the entire city of Lin'an is destroyed, I will never let Wanwan go to the northern border to marry."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately ordered Liu Zhang: "Guard all the city gates strictly. Arrest all the families of the soldiers according to the roster. Anyone who dares to follow Fu Mingchi to fight against our Gu family will be executed."
"I obey your command," Liu Zhang responded and left.
Gu Tingchen had long noticed that Wanwan had developed feelings of love for her cruel father. Since that was the case, he wanted to see whether she would choose that bastard Fu Mingchi or her biological father this time.
"Come here, arrest all the courtiers outside the palace. No one is allowed to leave the palace without my permission."
After Gu Tingchen gave the order, he personally led his men out of the Cining Palace.
Empress Dowager Gu was getting anxious. If this continued, the entire Lin'an City would be filled with complaints.
"Zhou Fuhai, where is Gu An?" Empress Dowager Gu asked anxiously.
Zhou Fuhai raised an eyebrow and said, "Empress Dowager, Duke Rong heard about the incident at the Yangxin Palace right after entering the palace, and has already rushed to collect the eldest son's body."
"Such a disobedient bastard, if he's dead, then so be it. What's there to mourn?" Queen Mother Gu sighed softly. "Go and summon him to see me quickly."
Zhou Fuhai was about to turn around when he saw Gu An walking in slowly with Gu Tingzhou's body in his arms with a solemn expression.
Queen Mother Gu was startled and said, "Gu An, are you crazy? How could you move this evil creature's corpse into my bedroom?"
"Aunt, he is my son."
Gu An looked at Gu Tingzhou, whose face was no longer recognizable. "You watched them grow up. When Xie was alive, she took pity on you because you had no children, and treated you like her own mother. In your early years, I led troops outside. Although you were the queen mother in the Northern Capital, that enchanting Concubine Qin relied on the late emperor's favor to bully and harm you every day. Every time, Xie risked her life to enter the palace to rescue you. How could you watch her blood relatives kill each other?"
"How could I ever want to see them end up like this?" Empress Dowager Gu said with a sullen look on her face. "Your rebellious son has imprisoned me in this Cining Palace. Is there anything I can do to stop him?"
"If it weren't for Grandma's insistence on her own way, insisting on becoming emperor and forcing Wanwan to go to the northern border to marry, how would he have had the opportunity to seize power?"
Gu An looked at her with bloodshot eyes: "Grandma has been assisting the government for decades, but she still doesn't understand the situation in the northern border. How could the northern bandits, with their wolfish ambitions, stop their invasion of the south just because our dynasty compromises and gives in?"
"Now that things have come to this, what's the point of you saying this?"
Empress Dowager Gu was also a little annoyed. She advised in a deep voice, "Gu An, you are the person I, and the entire Gu family, rely on the most. I order you to quickly pull yourself together and never let that bastard Fu Mingchi enter Lin'an."
"Aunt, the situation is hopeless. I beg you not to make any more mistakes." Gu An advised, "Now is the time for the entire court to work together to resist the northern invaders."
"Asshole," Queen Dowager Gu cursed. "Do you know what you're talking about? If it weren't for me, the Daye Dynasty would have fallen thirty years ago. How could I hand over the empire I've protected for decades to someone else?"
"Even though Prince Yongning is Taizong's descendant, he also has the blood of the Fu royal family flowing in his veins. Why can't he inherit the throne?" Gu An asked, "Does my aunt really have to watch the empire collapse before she repents?"
"As long as I still have breath left, I will never allow the deposed emperor and that bastard from Yuezhou to rise to power." Empress Dowager Gu's eyes were resolute. "I order you to go to the city immediately and win over the people."
"I'm sorry, nephew, I can't obey your order."
Gu An picked up Gu Tingzhou's body and walked out of the Cining Palace resolutely.
"This is outrageous." Empress Dowager Gu was so angry that she threw the teacup on the table.
"Queen Dowager, calm down," Zhou Fuhai advised. "Queen Dowager, the most urgent task is to prevent Prince Yongning from entering the city."
Queen Mother Gu snorted coldly, "Fu Mingchi has come to Lin'an alone. I'm afraid he's very concerned about the girl from the Ye family. Immediately have Prince Dao'an bring Ji Yuan to the city and have him persuade Fu Mingchi to hand over Princess Jinghe and return to Yuezhou. Otherwise, he will be executed without mercy."
Zhou Fuhai hesitated, "Empress Dowager, Ji Yuan and Princess Jinghe don't have a close relationship."
"Even if they're not close, blood is thicker than water." Queen Mother Gu smiled faintly, "I don't believe it. This girl would rather bear the stigma of being unfilial for a wild man."
Zhou Fuhai thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he immediately responded and left.
......
Outside Lin'an City, in the Chaojiang tent, after waiting for Fu Mingchi to leave, Ye Wanshu sat up from the bed again.
Thinking about the concerns in her heart, she anxiously called Yan Jin in: "General Yan, how many troops do you have?"
"There are less than two thousand people, and there are hundreds of wounded soldiers among them," Yan Jin answered truthfully.
"You must lead a thousand men back to Yuezhou immediately to pick up the Concubine Dowager and everyone else and proceed to Qizhou." Ye Wanshu instructed, "You must return as soon as possible."
Yan Jin looked confused: "Princess, His Highness asked me to stay and look after you and General Zhu. What am I going back to Yuezhou for now?"
"Gu Tingchen has the imperial seal and the empress dowager in his hands. If he can't defend Lin'an, I'm afraid he will take risks."
Ye Wanshu reminded him, "Don't forget, there are still 300,000 imperial troops stationed in Huizhou and Yezhou. The Huizhou garrison commander is a relative of the Gu family. If he flees to Yuezhou, mobilizing the 100,000 troops stationed in Huizhou City will be a piece of cake."
Yan Jin couldn't help but frown at her reminder. "Except for the 50,000 garrison troops in Qizhou, the rest of Yuezhou has no defenses. If Gu Tingchen really takes the risk, Yuezhou will surely be in turmoil."
"So you must hurry back as quickly as possible and avoid letting anyone know." Ye Wanshu thought for a moment and said, "On your way back, send a message to Zhao Changshi early, asking him to bring his men to Yuzhou's aid. We must hold on to Yuzhou."
Yan Jin sighed softly: "Princess, you don't know yet, but when His Highness left Yuezhou, he punished the Princess. I'm afraid she's unwilling to rush to Yuzhou's aid."
"That's fine," Ye Wanshu pursed her lips. "Have someone deliver the letter to General Yubai, who will then present it to Zhao Changshi personally. I know Zhao Changshi's character. He's managed Yuezhou for the Yongning Palace for over ten years and has it in perfect order. He would never stand by and watch the people under his rule being slaughtered and trampled upon."
Yan Jin nodded thoughtfully, and when he looked up at her, there was some worry in his eyes.
"Don't worry about me, I will take good care of everyone for you." After saying this, Ye Wanshu urged him to leave quickly.
After all, if he wanted to lead his men back to Yuezhou without anyone noticing, he had to return along the original route, and the journey might not be as smooth as taking the official road.
After Yan Jin and his men left, Ye Wanshu was wondering about the current situation in Lin'an City when she suddenly saw Ji Ningxi rushing in with his guards.
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