Three days later, at night.
A huge explosion suddenly erupted deep in the mountains outside Beijing, followed by a series of loud bangs.
Instantly, flames soared into the sky, illuminating the heavens and earth.
"Quickly, put out the fire..."
"The gunpowder depot has exploded. There's no way to save it. We can't even get close. It's still exploding. Everyone, run for your lives!"
"Run! Run away!..."
Everyone in the mountains panicked and ran out.
The gunpowder was so powerful that, with its dense forests, it quickly burned down the houses as well.
Song Anxin covered her mouth and nose and quickly followed Qingyun, who was disguised as a guard, out of the mountains. As for Granny Zhang, she had already been scattered in the chaos of the escape, and no one cared about her anymore.
"Shuren, don't worry, General Yan has already made arrangements," Qingyun said.
Song Anxin nodded. The secluded and ingenious location in the deep mountains chosen by the Second Prince was excellent. There was only one way in and out of the mountains. Although it was very good for offense, defense and secrecy, once the rear fell, these people would be walking into a trap.
"Arrest them all! Don't let a single one escape!"
Yan Shuping, who was guarding the mountain pass with his soldiers, saw a large group of people run out and immediately gave an order.
Those who escaped were panicked and ran indiscriminately. Some resisted for a while, but it was to no avail. Before long, all of the Second Prince's henchmen were captured.
Lin Fenghe spotted his mother in the crowd and ran straight towards her.
Song Anbang and Yan Ping'er also hurriedly followed behind.
"Sister!"
"Aunt Anxin!"
The two exclaimed excitedly.
Song Anxin was also very excited to see them. Before she could respond, Feng He rushed over and hugged her. Then she felt that Feng He was wet on her shoulder.
"Mother, I'm so glad you're alright, so glad! I'm so glad to see you again..."
A muffled sound came from Feng He's shoulder.
Song Anxin's heart skipped a beat. She gently patted Lin Fenghe's shoulder and said softly, "Fenghe, I'm sorry to have worried you. Mother is fine, Mother is alright, don't cry."
Although she was comforting Fenghe and telling her not to cry, the moment Fenghe looked up, she almost burst into tears herself.
Feng He, standing before me, had slightly disheveled hair, dark circles under his eyes, bloodshot eyes, and a tired and haggard face. His clothes were also wrinkled.
Her third child was the most meticulous about cleanliness. She raised her hand to touch Fenghe's face, and her eyes immediately reddened: "Fenghe, you've lost weight."
"Sister, Fenghe has been searching for you day and night, barely taking off his clothes and eating only a few bites each time. Luckily, he found out about the message you sent out, otherwise Fenghe would have gone crazy."
Song Anbang said from the side.
Song Anxin noticed that her younger brother's complexion wasn't much better; his cheeks were much thinner, and his eyes were bloodshot. Yan Ping'er was in a similar state, looking much more haggard.
"Hui Shuren, it's so good that you're safe and sound!" Yan Shuping said as he walked over.
His face was covered in stubble, and he looked tired, but his eyes were full of joy as he looked at Song Anxin.
Song Anxin looked at them, deeply moved: "You've gone to so much trouble to find me, thank you."
At this moment, a soldier came to report: "General, the Second Prince has been captured by the Marquis of Dingguo and the Crown Prince at the city gate."
Upon hearing the news from Dongshan, the Second Prince suspected something was amiss and immediately went out of the city to gather his soldiers and followers from the outskirts to raise an army. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Dingguo were already lying in ambush at the city gate and captured him on the spot.
Yan Shuping nodded: "Consort Liang and the First Prince in the palace have also captured him. We really owe a lot to Consort Hui this time. Now that things are settled here, let's hurry back to the city."
When Song Anxin and her party arrived at the city gate, they saw the captured soldiers and the Second Prince among them.
The second prince's eyes practically popped out of their sockets when he saw Song Anxin.
"Consort Hui, it's you! You vile woman, why, why do you have to stand on the Crown Prince's side? Why did you betray me!"
Song Anxin stared coldly at her, but before she could speak, the Crown Prince spoke first.
"Second brother, why are there so many questions?"
The Crown Prince looked at the Second Prince with coldness and bitterness in his eyes: "Wasn't this all destined from the moment we were born? Why do you have to take what doesn't belong to you? Why can't you just be a prince and behave properly? Why can't we be brothers like before, without any conflicts?"
The second prince scoffed, his eyes full of self-mockery: "Yin Chengsheng, you are as naive as ever. Do you think everyone is like you, born with love and honor throughout your life? The empress dotes on you, and even the emperor favors you. We are both princes, so why, why are you destined to be the crown prince?"
"I am clearly superior to you in every way, and more qualified to sit on the throne. Is it just because you were born of the Empress while my mother was merely a palace maid? Without the Empress, without the Yan family, you are nothing. The throne should be occupied by someone as strong as me!"
The crown prince remained silent for a long time before looking up: "Second brother, you are wrong. It is true that the strong will sit on the throne, but the people need more than just a strong person. They need a monarch who will allow them to live in peace, prosperity and stability, and I am indeed more qualified than you in this regard."
The second prince was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Based on your so-called benevolence, hahaha... Bullshit! I'm a hundred times, ten thousand times better than you! I should be on the throne! What do you mean by peace and tranquility for the people? Strength is everything!"
“But you, who were once a powerful figure, are now my defeated opponent,” the prince said, glancing at him.
The Second Prince's arrogant eyes shattered instantly, utterly defeated: "I... I've become his defeated opponent, how could I have become his defeated opponent?" He murmured maniacally, "Why, why... why did I fail like this? Everything was planned perfectly, I was supposed to be the strongest..."
Song Anxin sighed helplessly to herself. In fact, there are really not so many "whys" about many things. The Second Prince may be stronger than the Crown Prince, but personal ability is not the only standard for a monarch who governs all the people.
He may have been a good minister, but he was definitely not a good ruler.
The Crown Prince ignored the Second Prince and walked up to Song Anxin. He bowed deeply to her and said, "Consort Hui, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you, the people of the capital would have suffered unnecessary war. If it weren't for you, my father would not have known that someone had poisoned him. Perhaps I wouldn't be standing here."
Song Anxin quickly helped him up: "As a noblewoman of the court, I must do my duty for the people and the court. This is what I should do. Your Highness, please get up."
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