"Your Highness..."
Xuanfeng hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He was now filled with dread for failing to protect the princess...
But I've heard that Marquis Dingyuan is actually quite unkind to the Princess...
From the princess's mother's experience, and the princess's exile from the capital, to the humiliation and bullying she suffered at the hands of her illegitimate children...
Furthermore, since his exile, the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence has shown him the utmost concern...
Xie Zhun raised his long eyebrows slightly, saying nothing, but the chill emanating from his body was enough to freeze everything into ice.
"Don't worry! What you all know, how could His Highness not know?"
Qin Yuan's words finally put Xuan Feng and the others at ease.
"Your Highness treats the Princess Consort as precious as the apple of his eye..."
How could she let go of someone who treated her badly?
Moreover, Your Highness has met the Princess's mother and knows about her ordeal.
Xuanfeng saw that Xie Zhun's expression hadn't changed, and realized that he had been worrying too much.
Qin Yuan comforted him, "Not only will we not let them go..."
"Isn't this using the father-in-law's people to pave the way?"
The high-ranking officials in the resettlement area were all allowed to return home by Xie Zhun's approval.
After all, the guards at their respective residences had been removed by people arranged by Ning Xi'er...
These people were not removed, and if these ministers harbored ulterior motives, Xie Zhun would quickly gain control.
Of course, with fierce fighting raging in the capital, Xie Zhun wasn't letting them go back to watch and wait for the outcome...
Rather, it was to borrow troops.
The officials' household servants and guards, plus the people watching over the estate, each household could muster at least two or three hundred people.
Xie Zhun didn't use their men to attack the Imperial Guards, the men of the Second Prince and the Third Prince...
As long as they seal off the city gates and the capital fortress...
The personnel mobilized from the homes of several high-ranking officials who were loyal to him and the Duke of Huguo...
Before confiscating Xie Zhun's private army, they transferred the Prince's mansion's silver and had these three hundred men infiltrate blacksmith shops of all sizes throughout the capital...
Even when the city gates were sealed during the uprising...
They are armed and ready to appear at any moment.
Xuan Lei, carrying Xie Zhun's token, was on his way to gather manpower...
They, along with several trusted high-ranking officials, will form the core force of the attack...
The striker, naturally, was Xie Zhun's "own man," his father-in-law, Marquis Ningyuan—Xie Zhun.
At this moment, Marquis Ningyuan had already returned to his residence.
The high-ranking official imprisoned in the palace was not originally his.
Therefore, the Ningyuan Marquis's residence was not besieged in the first place.
He appeared at the resettlement site because a spy in the palace informed him that Emperor Xiaowen, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and Shen Tuo had all died...
I learned that the high-ranking officials and the Duke of Protectorate were all settled outside the city...
He went there voluntarily to avoid any unforeseen events that might lead to the Marquis's mansion being purged.
If he were imprisoned in the palace, and Ning Xi'er went out to rescue him...
Not only will they not rescue him, they might even stab him in the back...
"My lord!"
Ning Wei's advisors cautioned, "Even if we charge into battle now, there will be consequences later..."
They must know how many people sided with the crown prince back then...
Your stance at the time will also be exposed by other ministers...
My lord, why don't we take advantage of the lax security at the city gates and leave the city now...?
Even if dynasties change, with Qi and Jin eyeing us covetously, if they are wise enough, they won't target us first...
"It's better to be a local warlord than to have a knife hanging over your head..."
Ning Wei frowned and paced back and forth.
The illegitimate sons, Ning Yuan and Ning An, ignored the guards' attempts to stop them and barged in.
Ning Yuan's face lit up with joy. "Father, I heard that Prince Cheng has returned? And he can walk again?"
Ning An: "Father, I heard that Prince Cheng and the Duke of Huguo's men have taken control of the situation?"
What if next...?
Congratulations, Father! I heard that Prince Cheng values Ning Xi'er highly! If she is later made Empress...
"You must be the Emperor's father-in-law!"
Ning Yuan and Ning An couldn't hide their excitement, but Ning Wei stopped them with a stern rebuke!
"Stop talking nonsense!"
He glared at the two of them, and couldn't help but find the way they addressed Ning Xi'er particularly grating...
Even before, when Ning Xi'er was in the manor, the two addressed each other in this way...
Ning Wei never thought it was a big deal...
But things are different now. For some reason, the words "father-in-law of the emperor" that Ning An mentioned kept lingering in my mind...
Recalling Xie Zhun's attitude just now, and his respectful use of the phrase "one of our own"...
He also mentioned that his ability to stand up again was all thanks to his daughter...
Even with a lifetime of shrewdness and calculating mind, Ning Wei couldn't resist the urge to act impulsively at this moment...
The allure of being the Empress's father or the Emperor's father-in-law is unparalleled, even by the highest ranks of nobility.
Ning Wei immediately gave the order, sending his personal guards with his token to gather all available manpower...
He must be credited first for his role in supporting the emperor!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
