Chapter 191 Destiny is Here
Jiang Yingli and Shen Zhuxin's carriage moved forward in the night.
Suddenly, the horses neighed and the carriage
The body shook violently, and Jiang Yingli quickly hugged Xiao Chenan tightly. Qiuxia and Lianqiao surrounded her to protect her, while Chen Zhuxin protected the baby girl she brought with her.
"What's happening outside?"
The driver shouted, "Oh no! It's a tripwire!"
Chen Zhuxin frowned. "Coming all the way from that secret passage to here is clearly the most concealed route. Could it be that those rebels have set up an ambush around the garrison?"
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of weapons rang out from the dense forest not far away, the clanging sound of cold iron being unsheathed.
Jiang Yingli thought for a moment and ordered, "It seems we can't go to the garrison. Turn right and head towards Donghua Gate!"
When the driver heard the order, he pulled the reins hard to steady the horse which had become agitated because of the trip rope.
The carriage kept shaking and the pace of the pursuers behind them was getting faster and faster, obviously they had discovered them.
"Lianqiao, send out the signal arrow. Someone will come to support us from Donghuamen."
Lian Qiao nodded, took out the signal arrow from his sleeve, lit the fuse with a tinder, opened the side window of the carriage, and raised the signal arrow out.
After a sound of arrows whistling, red fireworks exploded in the night sky.
The carriage was like an arrow shot from a bow, running faster and faster.
Amid the whistling wind on both sides, Jiang Yingli suddenly heard the sound of iron claws hooking onto the carriage. The next second, the carriage was pulled apart from all directions, and the coachman urgently stopped the carriage.
When the sound of those claws breaking through the air rang out again, the whistling sound of arrows also broke through the air.
Screams echoed one after another in the dense forest.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. The next moment, a group of soldiers rushed out from the dark night ahead, and the sound of their horses' hooves was like the beating of drums.
They passed Jiang Yingli's position and ran straight back. Jiang Yingli looked back in surprise and saw that the leader was holding a long spear and pointing it at the pursuers behind him.
Are they the guards of Donghuamen?
But these people's armor had fur on it, which was not the standard of the Central Army.
While they were in doubt, the man with the spear had easily severed the necks of several people with his decisiveness. The blood and the red tassel on the spear danced in the moonlight.
After dealing with the pursuers, the soldiers turned their horses around and dismounted.
The man in the lead took a few steps forward with his long legs.
Lian Qiao vigilantly stood in front of Jiang Yingli.
Unexpectedly, the man suddenly plunged the spear in his hand into the mud, clasped his hands together, and half-knelt down.
"General Jiang Zhao has been ordered by the Emperor to return to the capital to punish the rebels and purge the emperor's court. I will obey the Empress' orders."
The moment she heard the name, Jiang Yingli's heart skipped a beat and she audibly took a breath of cold air.
Qiuxia was also surprised, and her eyes fell on Jiang Zhao without blinking.
Jiang Zhao knelt on one knee on the ground with his back to the moonlight. His facial features could not be seen clearly, only his upright figure and dark skin after he put on the armor.
Jiang Yingli handed Xiao Chen'an in her arms to Qiuxia beside her. She walked forward step by step as if in a dream and came in front of Jiang Zhao.
Jiang Zhao watched her approach, his eyes shining as he looked up at her.
But even when he was kneeling, he was not much shorter than Jiang Yingli.
Jiang Yingli placed her hand on his shoulder, her voice trembling: "You are, Zhao'er? Are you really Zhao'er?"
Jiang Zhao nodded: "Sister, it's me."
Jiang Yingli, who had refused to cry despite the extreme danger, now burst into tears and hugged Jiang Zhao.
"How come you've grown so big all of a sudden... I haven't seen you for a long time."
Jiang Zhao's nose was also sore, but he suddenly remembered a sentence he had heard before and said quickly, "Sister, I've been traveling all the way and I stink. Please don't hold me anymore."
Jiang Yingli wiped her tears and quickly came to her senses.
"The situation is urgent now, so it's really not suitable to reminisce about the past. You said you were returning to the capital by imperial order. Where is His Majesty?"
Jiang Zhao paused. When he left, the emperor had just fallen into a coma and he didn't know whether he was alive or dead. Could he lie to his sister and say that the emperor was fine?
Jiang Yingli noticed the confusion in his expression and sighed softly, "It seems that His Majesty is indeed injured, but it is definitely not what the military report says."
Jiang Yingli calmed herself down and stopped asking questions. No news was good news.
"How many troops did you bring back to the capital?"
"Thirty thousand. Except for the elite group of fifty people I led, the rest will be stationed outside the dense forest."
Jiang Yingli nodded. "The North Gate is weak and I'm afraid it won't hold out for long. Split the troops into two groups. They will escort me to the garrison camp, and you will lead the troops to the North Gate immediately. There are still two hours until dawn, and I will bring the Crown Prince back to the palace through the South Gate before then."
Jiang Zhao immediately understood. He looked at the people behind him and ordered, "Immediately escort the Queen to the northern suburbs garrison."
"yes!"
Jiang Zhao took out the spear from his side and his eyes fell on Xiao Chenan in Qiuxia's arms.
The situation was urgent and he didn't have time to take a good look at the appearance of his beloved nephew.
I heard from His Majesty that when she is cute, she is very cute, but when she makes a fuss, she is really annoying.
Jiang Zhao grinned, mounted his horse, and rode away.
The carriage was destroyed. Jiang Yingli sent out a small team to protect Chen Zhuxin, Qiuxia and Lianqiao, and she took Xiao Chenan and the elite troops to the northern suburbs.
An hour later, the sound of killing was deafening at the north gate, and Jiang Yingli and General Gu also met.
General Gu was so ashamed that he could not raise his head and knelt on the ground to apologize.
"It is because of this old minister's missed opportunity that the North Gate is in such dire straits! I have truly failed Your Majesty's trust, and I am ashamed of the Empress's confidence."
Jiang Yingli didn't blame him, but simply said, "The situation is like this, let's get through this first."
She held the prince in her arms and raised the military token high in her hand.
"Lieutenant Luo, listen to your orders. All officers and men, listen to your orders."
......
The bells of the morning market in the capital rang, but every household in the city stayed indoors.
The ringing of bells echoed in the empty streets, making the situation even more tense.
Before the bell rang, Jiang Yingli rushed back to the palace from the south gate.
She first went to Zhaohua Palace to get the phoenix seal, and then changed out of her dusty clothes and put on a dress representing her status as queen.
She held Xiao Chen'an in her arms, crossed the Chenghua Gate, which represented the boundary between the harem and the front court, and walked step by step towards the Chengqian Hall in the center of the imperial palace.
At this moment, at the north gate, all the private soldiers of the Xue family had no strength to fight. Jiang Zhao captured the enemy leader, stepped on the winding bloodstains on the ground, and rode his horse into the Chengqian Gate. He threw the enemy leader on the ground, dismounted and took out the imperial edict from his arms.
He held the bright yellow silk high in his hands.
"I was personally conferred the title of Marquis of Dingguo by Your Majesty. I was entrusted by Your Majesty to return to the capital to punish the traitors, support the crown prince, and restore order. Your Majesty has decreed!"
All the officials guarding the Chengqian Hall knelt down and bowed. On the 33 white marble steps in front of the hall, the four elders of the Council of State also knelt down. All the officials said in unison:
"Long live our emperor."
Fulin ran down the imperial steps quickly, took the imperial edict from Jiang Zhao, and then quickly returned to the platform.
This time, Jiang Zhao also knelt down to listen to the order.
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I am now in the northern border, and a rebellious party is disrupting the government, intent on usurping the throne. I hereby order Marquis Dingguo to return to the capital to purge the emperor's court, execute the rebels, and support Crown Prince Xiao Chen'an as regent, with the Empress ruling from behind the curtain. I also appoint Song Zhang and Ge Huaichuan as ministers of state to assist the Crown Prince in governing the country. All rebels, there is no need to persuade them to surrender; they will be executed... This is my decree—"
"Your Majesty, I obey your command! Long live the Emperor."
Fulin closed the imperial edict and saw Jiang Yingli, who was escorted by the imperial guards and palace maids, walking slowly towards him. He sang loudly:
"The Queen has arrived—His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"
The ministers, who had been in a state of panic all night and fearing a change in the situation, suddenly saw hope when they saw Jiang Yingli coming over with the prince in her arms, and they bowed down excitedly.
"Long live the Queen, long live the Crown Prince—"
"Please invite the Crown Prince to the Chengqian Palace to supervise the country."
"Empress, please come to Chengqian quickly to restore order!"
Jiang Yingli carried Xiao Chen'an as she walked past the officials, step by step up the white jade steps engraved with dragon patterns, and headed towards Chengqian Palace.
She held Xiao Chen'an in her arms and sat on the dragon throne. She looked at the crowd of people kneeling outside the hall and raised her hand slightly.
"Enter."
Fulin immediately sang loudly: "The time has come, the court is about to begin——"
The ministers outside were divided into two teams, and they walked into Chengqian Hall step by step and knelt on the ground.
Ge Huaichuan and Song Zhang, as regent ministers, stood at the highest position on the left. They did not need to kneel, but Ge Huaichuan knelt firmly.
Jiang Yingli looked at his sincerely convinced expression, smiled, and spoke clearly, "The Crown Prince has entered Chengqian. The Mandate of Heaven is upon him. From now on, the rebels will be nothing but rebels. Whether they are under the banner of assisting the Crown Prince or suppressing the rebellion, they are all traitors."
"Your Highness, I will obey your Majesty's command!"
At this moment, Jiang Yingli's tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and her gaze fell into the distance.
Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Li'er has defended this country, but when will Your Majesty come back?
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