Her intention was not to have Jing Lu personally receive him, but rather to send "Jing Lu" out for a walk so that his 30,000-strong army could see that Jing Lu was safe and sound.
As for how to deal with the 30,000 troops, they can delay and do it secretly.
Jing Lu frowned and glared angrily at Yue Jiang: "Sister-in-law, don't be so clever. If you mess things up, they'll be even angrier when they find out they've been deceived."
Jing Huaixu could not tolerate Jing Lu's threats. Yue Jiang's method was to use appeasement to keep the people outside occupied. He nodded and instructed his servants.
“Choose someone of similar stature to Jinglu to greet the Empress Dowager, and have Princess Li accompany her.”
"I was shocked to hear the terrible news brought back by Prince Li. The Crown Prince is in danger, and the young grandson is too young to be of any use. I am considering the matter of Prince Li's succession. I have asked Prime Minister Zhao to spread the word."
The attendant who had been given the order received the verbal instruction and left the main hall.
As Jing Lu watched the person disappear from sight, he became somewhat flustered and twisted his body, trying to resist.
Jing Huaixu looked down at him coldly and said, "Isn't this the result Lu'er wanted to hear? Your father will grant your request. Your father is entrusting you with an important task. Let's see if those people outside dare to make a move for now."
Jing Lu's expression changed drastically. He tried to calm himself down, knowing he couldn't keep up the act for long.
***
After the trial of Jing Lu was completed, the remaining steps were to proceed according to Yue Jiang's words and Jing Huai Xu's ideas. Empress Dowager Zheng was taken back to the palace by the fake Jing Lu and Zhao Nian Fu.
There has been no news of Jing Yan, Jing Shuo is disabled, and the young grandson Jing Mingzhang is too young. Only Jing Lu is capable of great things.
The news of his ascension to the throne spread throughout Pingkang City within a few days. Jing Huaixu valued him highly and was so busy with state affairs that he had no time to spare.
The 30,000 troops who had been waiting outside heard the news. Although they could not see Jing Lu, they could only wait quietly without instructions from their commander. In any case, the imperial court could not summon them.
Yue Jiang was worried about what would happen if she couldn't keep it a secret anymore, because Pingkang City would still have a hard time withstanding a siege by 30,000 people.
Jing Yan took too many people with him on his expedition, and it was impossible to spare any troops from the vicinity of Pingkang City in a short time.
After barely half a month, Yue Jiang heard that the 30,000 soldiers stationed outside the city often harassed the people, who were quite unhappy about it.
Yue Jiang waited for news from Jing Yan, but she learned too late that Jing Yan was short of food and that those who had gone out had not yet sent back any news.
More than half a month later, they heard that soldiers were forcibly abducting women and committing atrocities outside. Fortunately, they saw it in time and a tragedy was averted.
Yue Jiang thought that most of them were not regular soldiers of the Jing Kingdom, and some of them, although soldiers, had been back for a long time without receiving any rewards.
The commotion was probably an attempt to elicit a response from Jing Lu.
Three to five days later, perhaps the commotion reached the prison, Zhao Zuo Chengxiang bribed a jailer to go out of the city to report the news and rescue Jing Lu.
The 30,000-strong army was shocked to learn that Jing Lu had been placed under house arrest and prepared to storm the city.
Due to the recent unrest, few people left the city. The city guards paid close attention to the movements at the city gates and closed them in time to prevent the rebels from entering the city.
However, Pingkang City was on the verge of collapse. The rebel army stormed the city four or five times in one day, but failed to capture it each time because the city was well-fortified.
But the rebels did not stop late at night. They cut down thick trees from the forest and several men worked together to pull the thick trees to ram the city gate.
All the imperial guards and military officers in the city were stationed at the city gates to resist the enemy.
Soon after, someone announced that a breach had been made in the city gate, and that rebel troops were gradually breaking into the city.
Yue Jiang let Zhang'er enter the secret room again. Her Zhang'er was the young grandson of the Crown Prince, and she herself was the Crown Princess.
With Zhang'er protected in a safe place, the Eastern Palace couldn't be left without someone to step in and protect him.
So Yue Jiang, along with the imperial guards left to her by Jing Yan, and Jing Huaixu and the rest of the palace staff, stood guard on the palace tower, defending the last line of defense.
As Yue Jiang saw the flames in the city gradually burning towards the palace, suddenly many black-armored soldiers rushed out of the city streets in an orderly fashion.
Someone was calling out faintly.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is back! His Highness the Crown Prince has returned with his men after annihilating the rebels! Don't be afraid, and don't retreat!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
