Chapter 113 The Prince's Palace is Under Siege: Are You Planning a Rebellion?
Yu'er was afraid that her expression would give away her mother's secret, so she could only lower her head and be respectful.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your son was not trying to pry into politics, but rather he deeply resents the Phoenix Kingdom."
"The Phoenix Kingdom slaughtered my soldiers and seized my city; this enmity is irreconcilable."
"Your Majesty, I hate you and wish for the Phoenix Kingdom to be in chaos. That's why I spoke carelessly when I heard what Lord Wang said just now... Your Majesty, I know I was wrong and hope you will forgive me." Yu'er knelt down and kowtowed, not mentioning Yuan Yan at all, trying to find a way to exonerate herself.
Emperor Wu stared at him, seemingly lost in thought, unsure whether he believed Yu'er's explanation.
"It's good that you have this intention, but these political matters are not something a man like you should meddle in."
"Now that the Dark Pavilion's foundation in the Phoenix Kingdom has been destroyed, it no longer needs anyone to manage it. You are also about the age to get married, so you should settle down and wait for an arranged marriage in the palace. Don't worry about these things anymore."
Yu'er understood the meaning behind her mother's words: she wanted to take back the power in his hands and marry him off out of the palace.
His fingers tightened slightly inside his sleeve. "But Mother Empress, I still have a few things you instructed me to do that I haven't finished..."
"I will have someone else take over; you don't need to worry about it anymore." Emperor Wu gave Yu'er no room to argue, making the final decision and then dismissing him.
"Yes, Your Majesty understands."
Yu'er was thinking about Yuan Yan, and her heart was still uneasy. She was anxious to find someone to find out what was going on. She lowered her eyes to hide her expression and left with a heart full of worries.
...
However, Yuan Yan ordered the troops to retreat not for any other reason than because he had received an urgent summons from his mother, the Empress.
Yuan Hao said that his illness was severe, and he had just recovered a little, but his condition suddenly deteriorated in the past few days.
She worried that her days were numbered and the matter of the throne was still undecided, so she specially summoned Yuan Yan back to the capital.
"The Empress was gradually recovering just a few days ago, how could her condition suddenly become so dangerous?"
Yuan Yan tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, his intuition sensing something amiss. The moment he received the news, Yuan Yan immediately sent someone to contact his subordinates remaining at the Prince's residence to inquire about the situation in the capital.
However, the information that came from the Prince's subordinates was the same as what Yuan Yan already knew, without any more useful details.
"Host, what are you worried about?" the system asked.
“Naturally, it’s the situation in the capital,” Yuan Yan pondered.
The system is confused: "But didn't the email say there were no problems?"
"Given the current situation, the biggest problem is that there are no problems."
Yuan Yan then asked the system, "If Yi'er knew that the Empress was critically ill, what would she do?"
[Let me think, host. Didn't you instruct Yang Lingyi to use the pretext of visiting the Empress Dowager to occasionally enter the palace while you're away from the capital? That way, if anything happens in the palace, he'll definitely find a way to write to you in advance.]
“Yes, but Yi’er doesn’t have one.” Yuan Yan raised his eyes.
"Not only that, it has been several days since Yi'er last sent a letter. We agreed to correspond every few days, both to let each other know we are safe and to keep track of the situation in the palace. Now, there has been no reply for several days in a row, which is really not normal," she said thoughtfully.
[Oh right... Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit strange.] The system also started to think about it.
“I’m a little worried about Yi’er. Something must have happened in the capital right now,” Yuan Yan concluded.
In order to return to the capital as quickly as possible, Yuan Yan ordered the army to abandon its baggage and travel light, marching at the fastest speed.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the capital, Yuan Hao's imperial edict was delivered.
"I am gravely ill and know my days are numbered. The Prince of Qin has led his army in triumph, a great achievement for the nation, which greatly comforts me. To honor his merits, I hereby grant permission for the Prince of Qin's main force to be stationed at the Baqiao camp, where all the generals and soldiers may rest and recuperate in peace."
"Furthermore, the generals and officers under the King of Qin, such as Yuan Shi, Xue Lang, and Zhang Man, are all pillars of the state. They should accompany the King of Qin to the palace to receive their titles and rewards, so as to boost the morale of the army."
After the attendant finished reading the decree, he said with a smile, "Your Highness, please accept this decree. This is an immense favor. I congratulate Your Highness."
Upon hearing the imperial edict, Aman Cheju and the soldiers were overjoyed. Yuan Shi and Yu Liu, however, couldn't help but exchange a glance.
Yuan Yan knelt at the very front, his expression natural, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty." Yuan Yan accepted the imperial edict, thanked the attendant, and had someone escort him out of the camp.
Xue Lang saw the attendant out on behalf of Yuan Yan, saying, "Please, sir."
"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Xue. We'll leave it here."
The attendant said to Xue Lang with a smile.
However, once he left the camp, the attendant's smile vanished, and he returned to the palace.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Qin has received the decree. She only said that she would obey His Majesty's order and enter the palace immediately after preparing herself, without any suspicion," the attendant respectfully reported to the person in the hall.
"Good, well done. I will remember this merit, and you will be richly rewarded after the matter is resolved."
The man turned around, stood with his hands behind his back, and it was none other than Yuan Jing.
After the attendants withdrew, Yuan Jing straightened his clothes and walked towards Yuan Hao's bedroom.
The palace was filled with the strong smell of medicine. Yuan Hao lay on the dragon bed with his eyes closed, surrounded by Feng Qing's trusted palace servants.
"Cough cough..." Yuan Hao's suppressed coughing echoed in the palace. The palace servants, who should have stepped forward to serve him, immediately put down what they were doing and bowed as they saw Yuan Jing coming.
Yuan Jing walked to the bedside, looked at Yuan Hao who was unable to get up, and bowed as usual.
"Mother, I have come to see you again."
Yuan Hao knew who it was just by the voice, but he was too tired to open his eyes: "What are you doing here?"
"Your Majesty, I have come to tell you some good news."
Yuan Jing wore a calm smile on his face. "My second sister is about to enter the palace, and Mother Empress will soon be able to see her."
Yuan Hao understood Yuan Jing's meaning almost immediately and finally opened his eyes. Her face was pale and thin, but her phoenix eyes remained majestic and sharp.
"Mother, the capital is now completely under my control. I have prepared an inescapable trap for my second sister in the palace, and we are just waiting for her to enter." Yuan Jing did not care about his mother's expression. He tucked the blanket around her and sat down on the couch.
Yuan Hao was fully aware of Yuan Jing's reasons for taking such a risk. Currently, both inside and outside the court were praising Yuan Yan's achievements, the Qi Prince's faction was increasingly weakened, and Feng Qing had been effectively placed under house arrest by Yuan Hao, who was interrogating him about the poisoning. This caused Yuan Jing to feel hopeless about succeeding to the throne, and he planned to forcibly seize it.
As Yuan Hao listened to Yuan Jing's words, he felt even more exhausted.
"Jing'er, you are no match for the second brother."
“My second sister is a skilled warrior who has repeatedly distinguished herself in battle. In Mother Empress’s eyes, I am no match for her in any way,” Yuan Jing said.
"But it doesn't matter. Once this matter is over, everything will be over."
"Your Majesty, I want to see if my Second Imperial Sister is truly the reincarnation of the founding emperor, as the rumors say. She is blessed by heaven in every situation and can turn misfortune into good fortune," Yuan Jing said mockingly.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao knew there was nothing more to say to Yuan Jing. He ignored Yuan Jing and closed his eyes.
Upon seeing this, Yuan Jing stood up and ordered the imperial physician to keep Yuan Hao alive. Then he turned and walked towards Feng Qing's palace.
“Father, I have made all the arrangements.” Yuan Jing explained the current situation of the Empress and the several places surrounded by troops.
“Jing’er, you did a great job. Remember, there’s no turning back once the arrow is released. Now that things have come to this, we only have this one path left. If we’re going to do it, we have to go all the way.”
Feng Qing was imprisoned by Yuan Hao for several days. For Yuan Jing's sake, she stubbornly refused to admit to poisoning him. Her spirits were clearly not what they used to be, and her eyes were now only filled with coldness.
After listening quietly to Yuan Jing's words, he spoke.
"Father, rest assured, how could I not understand this principle?"
There was not a trace of hesitation in Yuan Jing's eyes. "It's either you or me between Yuan Yan. After today, the outcome will be clear."
...
Outside the Prince of Qin's residence.
The entire palace was heavily surrounded by soldiers dressed in imperial guard uniforms. The leader, General Lang, stood before them, his hand on his waist sword, expressionless.
"How is it? Has the message been sent out?" Yang Lingyi waited anxiously in the mansion until Shen Lianzhou returned from the outer courtyard before asking impatiently.
Shen Lianzhou walked hurriedly, her eyes filled with worry: "No, those soldiers have surrounded the palace tightly, and the city gates are also under control, making it difficult for my servants to send out messages."
Not only the Prince of Qin's mansion, but also the residences of many important officials and several princesses' residences were surrounded by soldiers.
Yang Lingyi's heart sank to the bottom.
He arrived at the gate of the mansion and looked at the soldiers in armor and carrying swords. Although he felt uneasy, he forced himself to remain calm because he thought of the dangerous situation Yuan Yan was in. He then led a group of guards out.
"This is the residence of the Prince of Qin. Who are you people, daring to surround the Prince's residence and act so presumptuously here?" Yang Lingyi, displaying the authority of a Prince of Qin minister, raised her voice to rebuke the leading general, Lang.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness." Lang Jiang cupped his hands in a forced smile. "I am acting on orders from my superiors to bring troops here to protect the Prince of Qin's family. No one is allowed to enter or leave before His Highness returns to his residence."
Yang Lingyi took a deep breath and said, "You claim to protect me, but your heavily armed and valiant stance clearly shows that you regard my Prince Qin's mansion as a prison."
"I wonder whose order it is that is greater than the Emperor's. A prince's residence, without any imperial decree, yet they dare to send troops to surround it."
Lang Jiang did not take the bait: "Your Excellency, King of Qin, you flatter me. How could I dare to presume?"
Yang Lingyi showed no fear in front of the soldiers, her voice firm and threatening. An ordinary soldier would likely have been filled with trepidation upon hearing this.
However, the maidservant was clearly acting on orders from above and was fearless. Upon hearing this, her fake smile remained unchanged, and she cupped her hands in a gesture of respect again, her tone even carrying a hint of mockery.
"Your Highness, there's no need for such an unnecessary move. The Crown Prince's residence and the palace are already protected by soldiers, so he probably has no time to spare. Your Highness should first consider your current situation."
When Yang Lingyi heard that the Crown Prince's residence and the palace were also besieged, her pupils contracted slightly, knowing that Prince Qi had already torn off the mask and taken control of the capital.
In this situation, saying anything more is pointless.
Yang Lingyi took a deep breath and looked intently at the man, as if she wanted to remember him forever.
Just as he was about to have the gates closed, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Please wait, Zhengqing."
Lu Lingyue stepped out from behind Yang Lingyi and spoke to Na Langjiang.
"General Cen, do you remember Xiaonan?"
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