Before He Chao could respond, a loud "Imperial Edict has arrived" made the situation develop in the direction that the people in Prince Jingnan's Mansion least wanted to happen. In the end, He Chao's identity could not be concealed in the Golden Palace, and the fact that Prince Jingnan and the Princess left Beijing without permission was exposed.
The emperor had long wanted to deal with Prince Jingnan, and he took the opportunity to launch a sudden attack, blocking the capital and forbidding anyone to pass on any news. Then he surrounded the people in Prince Jingnan's mansion with lightning speed, because Sikong Zhan had warned before leaving that if he was not in the capital, things could not be concealed, and everyone in Prince Jingnan's mansion should make saving their lives their top priority. Therefore, no one in Prince Jingnan's mansion resisted, and the Beijing Defense Battalion, together with the Imperial Guards, easily captured everyone in Prince Jingnan's mansion.
Tang Xun didn't even have time to bury his sister. He just hurriedly sent a message to Mu Wenyao, and then he was taken to the Dali Temple along with everyone from the Jingnan Palace.
However, since the emperor had taken action, how could he allow the news to leak out? Tang Xun's news ultimately failed to spread.
After receiving the news that all the people in Jingnan Palace were arrested, Baili Zhe sighed and put down the defense map of Jingnan Palace.
"I can't believe Murong Shuo's move has actually cut off Prince Jingnan's retreat. First, Prince Jingnan detailed the crimes of Emperor Donglin, and then Emperor Donglin arrested everyone in Prince Jingnan's palace. From now on, Emperor Donglin and Prince Jingnan can no longer maintain superficial peace. Donglin Kingdom is bound to be in turmoil. Without Prince Jingnan, how can Donglin defeat Nanzhao? Nanzhao has been dragging its feet on this peace talk for so long, and it turns out this is their plan. I just don't know how Murong Shuo determined that Sikong Zhan would definitely leave the capital?"
After saying that, he picked up the defense map again and carefully planned a trip to Prince Jingnan's Mansion.
Baili Zhe thought he was just a spectator, but unexpectedly, he had already been calculated and became a part of the game.
The emperor was discussing with his trusted ministers how to capture the Jingnan Army in the Bugui Mountain and bring them to justice. Someone raised doubts.
"As far as I know, the person currently training his troops in the Bugui Mountains should be Prince Mu Wenyao. If we rashly go up the mountain to capture him, how will Prince Mu deal with it?"
"First, jail him. If he can reveal Prince Jingnan's whereabouts, I'll give Prince Mu a favor and tie him up and hand him over to Prince Mu for discipline, confining him to Prince Mu's mansion. If he refuses to cooperate,..."
The emperor did not say what to do if he refused to cooperate, and the ministers were tactful and did not ask. After all, this matter was of great importance. If it was not handled properly, Prince Mu's Mansion might be implicated, and the waters in the capital would be completely muddied.
After the discussion, the emperor left the imperial study with a heavy heart.
Although he was very happy in his heart that he could take over the Jingnan Palace, the peace talks with Nanzhao have not been truly completed yet, and the two sides have not really signed a treaty. Such a change has occurred at this juncture. I wonder if Nanzhao will take any action?
Before he could go and make out with the imperial concubine, the chief eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, the palace maid who was sweeping the floor today found this item at the place where the antidote was stolen that day."
The emperor ordered his men to open the box in the eunuch's hand, and saw a dragon pearl lying inside.
The emperor's expression changed instantly. He returned directly to the imperial study and summoned Xiao Ce, the commander of the Beijing Defense Camp.
During this turbulent time, Xiao Ce arrived at lightning speed. As soon as he finished paying his respects, the emperor asked, "Did you find out who was responsible for the fight that occurred in Prince Jingnan's mansion two days ago?"
Although the Prince of Jingnan's Mansion kept the matter secret, the fight was real. In addition, the emperor had been sending people to monitor the Prince of Jingnan's Mansion. Even though his people were far away, they saw someone kidnapped a person from the Prince of Jingnan's Mansion.
The emperor had a guess in his mind about the fact that they were able to kidnap people from Prince Jingnan's Mansion and considering the sudden appearance of the dragon pearl - these things were probably done by people from Xiqi!
"I've found out. The person who infiltrated the Jingnan Palace that day was able to become invisible. I think he was from Xiqi. Later, a fight broke out at an inn in the capital. I've just found out that both incidents were committed by the Sixth Prince of Xiqi, with the intention of kidnapping the Jingnan Princess."
In fact, Baili Zhe's identity was not found out by Xiao Ce. How could Baili Zhe's work be easily discovered by others? The reason why he knew Baili Zhe's information was actually because Murong Shuo secretly sent someone to provide him with the information.
But he was smart enough not to mention this kind of thing - who would think that the credit he had taken was too great?
Bang! The emperor slammed the imperial table, "What a great Xiqi Kingdom, what a great Sixth Prince, to actually appear in the capital so openly! Go, invite the Sixth Prince of Xiqi to me!"
In fact, it would be unwise to provoke Xiqi at this time. The emperor did not want to know about the feud between Xiqi's Sixth Prince and Prince Jingnan. However, Xiqi's unique dragon pearl appeared in the place where the palace was stolen. If the theft was indeed the work of Xiqi's Sixth Prince, and he had some motive, perhaps to alienate Donglin and Nanzhao, or perhaps Xiqi itself was colluding with Nanzhao, then the antidote had gone into Murong Qi's stomach.
The most important thing is that Baili Zhe was able to steal things from his palace quietly, which seriously threatened his safety as the emperor.
Thinking of this, the emperor had a deep sense of crisis. Even if he had to provoke the Western Qi Kingdom, he had to "invite" the most outstanding Sixth Prince of Western Qi over first!
The dragon pearl was naturally placed secretly into the palace by Murong Shuo's men. On the day when he chose his own son-in-law, his men placed a dragon pearl there when they went to pick up Murong Huan.
To be honest, he really had to thank Baili Zhe. Not only did he take the blame for him, but he also attracted the attention of Emperor Donglin for him. In this way, he could plan to leave the capital.
In the palace, Xiao Ce had just received the order to leave when he met Prime Minister Lin who had returned. The two talked for a while, and then Prime Minister Lin hurried to the imperial study.
The emperor was very surprised. "Minister Lin, are you returning? Is there something urgent?"
Lin Jingshan was worried, "Your Majesty, I disagree with the arrest of the Buguishan Jingnan Army!"
As long as there were no other troubles, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief, sat back in his chair, offered a seat to Prime Minister Lin, and slowly asked, "Why?"
Seeing this, Prime Minister Lin understood that the emperor was determined to deal with Prince Jingnan, and he refused to sit down. He said in a very serious tone:
"First, although Prince Jingnan left the capital without permission, he arranged for a replacement. There were no unusual movements in Prince Jingnan's Palace or the Jingnan Army remaining in Bugui Mountain. This means he had no intention of rebelling.
"Secondly, the peace talks with Nanzhao haven't yet been signed. The Emperor sent a letter to Emperor Nanzhao last time, but he hasn't yet expressed his stance. Fighting with Prince Jingnan now will undoubtedly give Nanzhao an opportunity to exploit, which is unwise. If they tear up the armistice and declare war, without the Jingnan Army, who can we send to fight them?
"Thirdly, Xiqi has already gotten involved. Regardless of their motives, they are definitely not here for good. The capital is now awash with forces from all sides. A single move could have repercussions on the entire system. We must be extremely cautious with every step we take.
"Fourthly, if the two thousand Jingnan troops in Bugui Mountain stubbornly resist, we will suffer heavy casualties in the capital. The capital will be ill-prepared, and if Nanzhao or Xiqi plot anything, we will be hard-pressed to deal with them."
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