The group was not moving very fast. Along the way, Zhong Muyu listened to the news coming from the capital. Compared to them, Prince Cheng and Prince Wen were making rapid progress.
Lu Ziying was terrified. He had tried to resist, but he was no match for them. Now they seemed to be discussing where to escape to.
By the time they arrived at Lingqing, the battle in Yuanjing seemed to be nearing its end.
King Cheng arrived in Yuanjing first and imprisoned Lu Ziying and others. He wanted to force Lu Ziying to write an edict of succession for him, but King Wen followed closely behind and led his troops into the palace. The two groups fought and Lu Ziying was killed by a hail of arrows.
Now that they no longer had a legitimate successor, the two factions fought even more fiercely, stirring up trouble throughout the entire Yuan capital, with neither side willing to give in.
Zhong Muyu listened to these reports silently. Lingqing was not affected at all. After Lu Ziying's misconduct, the military camps on the Lingqing border focused on guarding the border, and the Xi Rong had not yet made any moves.
The Prince's mansion was indeed completely ransacked, and all the houses and belongings were confiscated. Fortunately, most people were unharmed, and only a few who were caught were sold off.
The person who sold it can't get it back now, and as for those material possessions, they can earn them again later.
The people of Lingqing were undoubtedly happy to see them return, after all, with the Prince of Ling in charge, no one dared to lay a finger on them.
Uncle Qiu reported the entire situation during that period to Zhong Muyu, and he fell silent when he mentioned Yin Ruixin.
Zhong Muyu was not surprised at all. Yin Ruixin was Empress Rongning's person. How could she possibly live and die with Ling Qing? She must have tried every means to escape.
"Did it die, or did it escape?"
Uncle Qiu looked frustrated: "She originally wanted to run away, but after being caught, she persuaded the guards who wanted to kill her to take her to the capital during the ransacking of her home."
"The capital city..."
Zhong Muyu seemed to be deep in thought. Given the current state of the capital, she was better off staying in Lingqing.
"Since she's gone back, whether she lives or dies is none of our business. We don't need to worry about her. Right now, we just need to take care of Lingqing's affairs."
Uncle Qiu nodded in agreement. Although they had weathered the storm, none of the shops managed by Zhong Muyu had been affected. They were still in good condition and no one needed to worry about them.
After reviewing the account books, Zhong Muyu obediently drank the medicine to prevent miscarriage and rested, as instructed by the physician.
...
The capital city.
King Cheng occupied a house on the east side, and King Wen occupied a house on the west side. The two armies were stationed outside the city, and neither wanted to move an inch further.
After all, whoever withdraws from Yuanjing first loses, and of course they don't want that.
After Lu Ziying's death, the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Rongning were temporarily placed under house arrest in the palace. As for the Empress and Lu Ziying's concubines, since Prince Cheng had arrived first, he first put them all under his control. After all, these women were backed by the previous dynasty, and in order to gain the approval of those officials, they could not be left out.
The queen committed suicide because she could not bear it any longer. Everyone was terrified when they saw her before she died. For a time, everyone was in a state of panic, fearing that they might lose their lives one day.
Some clever people took the initiative to seduce King Cheng, but in such cases, King Cheng was afraid of ruining his reputation, so the women he seduced were either beaten or left to rot in the wilderness.
Yin Ruixin was also among these concubines.
After she was rescued, Lu Ziying, out of respect for Empress Dowager Rongning, bestowed upon her the title of Beauty. However, she was imprisoned shortly afterward.
Life is truly full of ups and downs.
The people in this house were filled with anxiety. Yin Ruixin's situation was even worse than theirs. After all, she was Empress Dowager Rongning's person and also Lu Ziying's person. Even if she went to surrender, Prince Cheng might not trust her.
Just as she was thinking this, a group of soldiers entered the courtyard, and the concubines were so frightened that they dared not breathe.
The captain in charge read out a few names, and the soldiers arrested these people, including Yin Ruixin.
Before they could understand what was happening, they were taken away.
When they saw the poisoned wine and white silk, everyone's face turned deathly pale.
Yin Ruixin remembered that these concubines, like her, had deep ties with Empress Dowager Rongning and Lu Ziying. Prince Cheng would never keep such people.
"Your Majesties, blame the situation as it is. There's nothing we can do. Choose between poison or white silk and set off."
Upon hearing this, one of the women immediately cried out, "I don't want to! I didn't do anything, I don't want to die!"
The team leader waved her hand, and she was dragged out, while the woman next to Yin Ruixin fainted from fright.
Seeing that no one was making a move, the leader said again, "Ladies, please don't force us to take action."
Someone shakily went to retrieve the poisoned wine. Yin Ruixin bit her lower lip tightly until a salty, fishy taste filled her mouth, which brought her back to her dazed state.
"I need to see His Highness Prince Cheng! Please, I beg you, let me see him!"
"Don't even dream about it. It won't do you any good even if you see His Highness."
"I have something to tell His Highness Prince Cheng—no, a secret, a secret about His Highness Prince Ling! And I guarantee that once His Highness knows this secret, he will be able to defeat Prince Wen and secure his throne!"
Yin Ruixin spoke with great certainty, which left the leading soldier unsure of what to do.
Seeing that his attitude had softened, Yin Ruixin added in one breath, "Even if what I say is useless, it's not too late to kill me then. Anyway, my life is in your hands, it's just a waste of a little time."
The leading soldier thought this made sense, so he ordered his men to take her to find King Cheng.
In the front hall, Prince Cheng, Lu Zifeng, had just returned from outside the city. He was still wearing his armor when the leading soldier rushed over to report: "Your Highness, among the concubines, a woman named Yin Ruixin says she has important business to discuss with me."
"Yin Ruixin? Is she on the Empress Dowager's side?"
Upon hearing her surname, Lu Zifeng immediately thought of Empress Dowager Rongning.
"Yes, she said she wanted to tell you a secret that would allow her to seize the throne, all to protect herself. Do you want to meet her?"
“Interesting. Then I’ll see what secrets she has. Let her in.”
A moment later, Yin Ruixin came in. She looked up at Lu Zifeng and greeted him with a respectful but not arrogant manner.
Lu Zifeng's temperament is completely different from the Emperor's. In a way, he is somewhat similar to Lu Ziyuan. After all, they are both people who have experienced the battlefield and have an intimidating aura.
What do you want to tell me?
Yin Ruixin lowered her head and said, "Your Highness, I wonder if telling you will save my life?"
Lu Zifeng chuckled: "If your secret is valuable enough, then I will spare your life."
These words were like a reassuring pill, and Yin Ruixin mustered up her courage to tell Lu Zifeng everything she knew.
Lu Zifeng didn't react much after listening: "You said that Princess Ling has many magical treasures and can create all kinds of powerful weapons? How can I believe that what you're saying is true?"
“Your Highness may send someone to Lingqing to investigate. As for that mysterious weapon, I once stole one and gave it to the Emperor… Lu Ziying. Later, he gave it to the palace’s imperial craftsmen for research.”
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