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Xiao Yiqing found it strange that Chen Run was to marry Jiang Yan, also known as Liu Ruyi, by a marriage decree from Prince Su. Prince Su was now the de facto ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty; who would dare to openly oppose him?
Then there's Chen Run. Although he's not as powerful as Prince Su, he's very famous in the capital and even throughout the country. Everyone knows his name. No one with a brain would want to oppose him. So who is it? How could someone be so bold as to have troops at their disposal?
Xiao Yiqing didn't have to guess for long before she connected this person with "Shangguan Zeyu".
Because she simply couldn't imagine who could be involved with Liu Ruyi, Chen Run, and Prince Su at the same time, and who would be so fearless as to send troops into the capital!
Once Xiao Yiqing was certain of her guess, she immediately went to find her father, hoping to learn Shangguan Zeyu's exact whereabouts from him.
Her father was placed under house arrest by Prince Su in his residence, where he spent his days reading books and never even stepped out of his study.
When Xiao Yiqing came to find him, he had just picked up a new book, which he hadn't opened yet.
"Qing'er, what brings you here? Why didn't you knock?"
Since learning that the Emperor had been placed under house arrest by Prince Su, and that her father and other court officials were also under house arrest at home, Xiao Yiqing stopped making a fuss about wanting to see Shangguan Zeyu, and she no longer insisted on rescuing him. As a result, her father's attitude towards her returned to its usual gentle and tolerant manner.
"Father, when did I ever knock on your study door?!" Xiao Yiqing asked with a charming smile.
Her father couldn't do anything about it, so he simply dropped the subject and said, "What brings you to visit your father today? You're usually so busy."
“Father, it doesn’t mean I don’t care about you just because I don’t come to visit you! You can’t be so petty.” Xiao Yiqing circled around her father’s desk, but didn’t look at the things on it.
Her father immediately guessed that something was wrong and said, "Just say what it is, don't keep me in suspense!"
Xiao Yiqing chuckled twice, ran quickly to his side, sweetly called out "Father," and then said seriously, "Father, can you tell your daughter that Prince Duan..."
Her father, who had been beaming with joy, immediately darkened his face upon hearing her mention "Prince Duan" and coldly interrupted her: "Why are you mentioning him again?"
“Father, I’m not going to go see him or save him anymore! I just want to know if he’s alive or dead. Father, I just want to know, please tell me!” She shook her father’s right arm like a spoiled child, swaying it left and right.
But her father, who usually fell for her act, ignored her this time.
Seeing her father's stern face, as if he were about to erupt in anger at any moment, Xiao Yiqing restrained herself slightly, but still said, "Father, what I'm thinking is that when Prime Minister Chen's wedding was disrupted, and that person even brought soldiers, it shouldn't have been Prince Su, right?"
Her father remained unmoved.
She continued, "Currently, it seems that only Prince Su holds military power in the court. But since there is someone else who can lead and mobilize troops just like Prince Su, who could that person be?"
Her father, his face cold, slowly looked at her and said, "Even if it is him, so what?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yiqing's face lit up with joy, and she exclaimed excitedly, "Is it really him? Has he already been rescued? When did this happen? Father, why did you keep it from your daughter? Don't you know that your daughter is worried sick about this?"
Her father was heartbroken and speechless. He closed his eyes, calmed his impending outburst, and then said, "Qing'er, what are you thinking about all day? Do you know what this means?"
Xiao Yiqing didn't see anything wrong with it and innocently asked, "What's wrong with that? It's a good thing that Prince Duan is still alive! And my daughter is pregnant..."
"Enough!!!" Her father could no longer tolerate her idiotic behavior. He shouted angrily, "We were on the Emperor's side before. Your father deserves the most credit for his capture! Did you ever consider that he might retaliate? That he might take our lives?!"
"How could it be Father?" Xiao Yiqing clearly didn't understand what his father was talking about.
Her father continued, "Back then, I was the number one person who supported the Emperor in arresting Shangguan Zeyu! Number one, understand? If it comes to revenge, I'll be the first to be killed!!!"
Xiao Yiqing finally understood, but was still very confused: "Why, Father? Why is it like this? Father... don't you feel sorry for your daughter?"
Xiao Yiqing's father looked at her with an expression that seemed to say, "How could I have given birth to such an idiot like you?" and said, "Behind me is the entire Xiao family, the entire Xiao family, do you understand? In the court, beside the emperor, if you don't take the initiative, you'll be dealt with. And you still ask your father why?"
"Even so, Father, you can't do this!"
Xiao Yiqing's father was truly angered by her, and then he began to speak recklessly: "Qing'er, do you know why your father agreed to let you marry him?"
Xiao Yiqing vaguely guessed that there was another reason, but she did not answer him. She just stared at him intently.
"So that we can know what he's doing at any time and report back to the Emperor!!"
Xiao Yiqing's head suddenly buzzed, and she froze on the spot.
Her father continued, "I never thought much of him! Because he was the Emperor's greatest threat from the very beginning! For the sake of the entire Xiao family, I had no choice but to do this! Do you understand now? Do you still want to think about him and miss him?"
Xiao Yiqing couldn't accept it, and she couldn't understand it: "Why did you do this? Why did Father say these things? Didn't Father originally congratulate his daughter on finally marrying the person she wanted to marry?"
Her father didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer, saying, "Now that things have come to this, there's nothing I can do. Qing'er, you are his princess, and you've visited him; he should treat you well. As for me, the others..."
Xiao Yiqing was still in a daze, as if she were in a dream, and couldn't understand her father's meaning at all.
Her father started talking again, but she couldn't hear a single word. She could only see his mouth opening and closing, sometimes angry, sometimes worried, and sometimes regretful.
Zhang Qin led his troops to search almost the entire capital, but they found no trace of Jiang Yan. So he wrote a letter to Shangguan Zeyu about the matter.
Shangguan Zeyu had just achieved a great victory over Prince Su, and then brought the Su Dynasty to the capital.
As he marched north, he conquered almost all the territories he could, and by then, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was his.
Shangguan Zeyu changed his name to "Shangguan Wuhen" and stopped his subordinates from calling him "Prince Duan" and instead called him "Your Majesty".
From then on, there were no more rumors of Shangguan Zeyu's heroic battles; instead, all the stories became about Shangguan Wuhen's heroic deeds.
Shangguan Zeyu's entry into the capital was effortless. Upon entering the city, he replaced all the soldiers with his own, then joined forces with Zhang Qin, who led a large army into the palace.
The fact that the emperor was under house arrest in the palace was very important to him.
Even if he didn't say it, he would still be imprisoned like the emperor had once imprisoned him. But no matter what, he is now a criminal and deserves some torture.
Then he led his troops back to the Prince Duan's residence and ordered Steward Cui to change the plaque.
To Shangguan Zeyu, Steward Cui was a man who had given him a second life, so as soon as things settled down, Shangguan Zeyu personally brought gifts to Steward Cui to express his gratitude.
Steward Cui was undoubtedly flattered.
Shangguan Zeyu said sincerely, "Uncle Cui, if it weren't for your strong support from behind, I would never have this day."
It turns out that after Steward Cui guessed that the Emperor's true intention was to deal with Shangguan Zeyu, he expressed his concerns and worries to Shangguan Zeyu. After discussing with Shangguan Zeyu and Zhang Qin, he secretly recruited soldiers for Shangguan Zeyu in various places, using Shangguan Zeyu's official token. This laid a solid foundation for Shangguan Zeyu to be able to return to the light of day after being imprisoned by the Emperor in the Heavenly Prison.
Steward Cui smiled humbly and said, "Your Highness is too kind! What I did was what I should do, Your Highness need not take it to heart."
But Shangguan Zeyu said, "I will never forget the kindness Steward Cui has shown me in this lifetime." Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes hardened, and he said, "Blood is thicker than water? Hmph! That's utterly absurd!"
The steward, Cui, seized the opportunity to ask, "Your Highness, what should we do next? Imprisoning the Emperor indefinitely is not a proper solution."
Shangguan Zeyu was already prepared and sneered, "I have my own plans for this matter!"
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