The common people, the imperial guards, and those besieged in the prince's palace all looked over.
The imperial guards reined in their horses, dismounted, and knelt to report, "Commander, His Majesty urgently orders you to return to the palace!"
The imperial guards behind him, seemingly not traveling the same route as their leader, also reported:
"Commander, all the shops on Imperial Street have been robbed, but the thieves left behind enough money!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards' eyelids twitched. He glanced back at the gate of the Prince's Mansion and asked the reporting guard:
"How could so many shops on Imperial Street be robbed at the same time? And how could so many goods be moved?"
His subordinates couldn't answer, so they just clasped their hands and knelt down.
The Imperial Guard commander then asked, "Did all these shop robberies occur in the morning?"
The imperial guards nodded, lowering their heads even further.
Commander of the Imperial Guards: "Was anyone in the shop when the theft occurred?"
The Imperial Guard replied, "Nothing has changed. There are many managers and customers in the shop!"
Isn't this exactly the same situation as the theft at the Prince's mansion?!
The last imperial guard, kneeling at the back, seeing that his commander had stopped asking questions and that his colleagues had finished reporting, timidly spoke up:
"Reporting to the commander, the Imperial Medical Academy... has also been raided!"
"Copied it?!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What do you mean by 'confiscated'? Who dares to confiscate the Imperial Hospital?!"
Never before in history has an emperor ordered the confiscation of the Imperial Medical Academy; besides, who else would dare to do so?!
The commander of the Imperial Guards was overcome with anger and spoke in a rather sharp tone.
The imperial guard at the rear of the column, though frightened, still managed a halting reply: "The Imperial Hospital just reported that the entire warehouse has been robbed and razed to the ground!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards' veins bulged.
The other imperial guards chimed in, "The merchants' thefts were all the same. It wasn't that some items were lost, but that the warehouses were reduced to just four walls—completely empty!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards became increasingly convinced that the thieves who stole from the Imperial Hospital and shops were the same group who stole from Prince Cheng's residence!
The head of the imperial guards looked anxious, especially after hearing his colleagues mention the thefts on the Imperial Street...
He straightened up, leaned close to the commander of the Imperial Guards, and whispered a few words in his ear...
The commander of the Imperial Guards almost fell to the ground because he lost his footing!
The search and seizure of the residence was an extra task assigned by His Majesty, but protecting the Imperial City and its surrounding areas was the Imperial Guards' primary duty...
Now, not only the Imperial Street and the Imperial Medical Academy have been robbed, but the Prince of Cheng's Mansion has also been burgled. Even the inner and outer treasuries of the Imperial Palace have been looted, and the Imperial Pharmacy and Imperial Kitchen have been emptied out...
He's reached the end of his reign as commander of the Imperial Guards!
Being held accountable and dismissed from his post is a foregone conclusion. Now he only hopes that His Majesty will not bring disaster upon his family!
In an instant, the once arrogant and domineering commander of the Imperial Guards was as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant, needing his subordinates to help him mount his horse...
The commander of the Imperial Guards led a group of men back to the capital. Before leaving, he ordered his men to continue guarding the Prince Cheng's residence.
As for Prince Cheng and his household, the commander of the Imperial Guards had no intention of questioning them and ordered his men to imprison them all and set off for their exile the next morning.
The hundreds of imperial guards surrounding the Prince's mansion suddenly made a move and scattered in a flurry.
Xuanfeng and the other three guards carried Prince Cheng on a stretcher and, driven by the imperial guards, proceeded toward the prison of the Prefect of the Capital.
As Ning Xi'er walked, she removed the hairpins and jewelry from her head, and then instructed the four maids accompanying her to hand over their jewelry and valuables...
Although Haitang and the others did not understand why, since Ning Xier had given the order, they all took off their belongings, including the copper coins and silver coins in their purses, and handed them to Ning Xier.
Ning Xi'er appeared to be hiding in her wide sleeves, but in reality, she had completely concealed herself within the space.
Because they moved cautiously, the imperial guards leading the way did not notice them.
Ning Xi'er landed slightly, took out two bottles of ointment from her spatial storage, and slipped them into Eunuch Xu's hand when the Imperial Guards were off guard.
Xu Gonggong felt slightly depressed, but Ning Xier reminded him not to attract attention.
"Eunuch Xu, these two bottles of ointment, one can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, applying it to Prince Cheng's wounds will reduce his suffering; the other, you can apply it to the chafed areas on your palms, it will help them scab over faster..."
Eunuch Xu looked at Ning Xi'er with a complex expression, a mixture of doubt and gratitude...
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