Chapter 196
Zhou paced back and forth in the hall. According to the time, it should be almost time. But since her uncle hadn't sent anyone to reply, it meant that things... weren't going well!
Zhou sighed deeply. Ever since she married the Emperor at the age of sixteen, she had held the distinction of Crown Princess. She couldn't imagine losing this dignity. The Zhou family would be wiped out by the Emperor. She knew the Emperor's personality all too well. Although he seemed indifferent, he knew everything.
Finally, she stared at the candlelight burning in the hall and finally couldn't help herself. She said to her attendant, "...Go and bring Madam Luo San here!"
These attendants with great martial arts skills were left to her by Zhou Yingyou.
The attendant responded and was about to leave when the door to the main hall suddenly burst open. A group of men dressed in Chengzi robes, with broadswords slung from their waists, quickly rushed in from outside the palace gate. The deputy commander of the Jinyiwei, who was leading them, said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Zhou's face turned pale. "You actually...he knew, how did he know?"
There must have been an ambush in Kunning Palace!
The commander continued smiling, "I advise the Empress: resisting His Majesty is like striking a stone with an egg. I urge the Empress to surrender, lest any harm be done to her."
Zhou's entire body went cold. She had thought about the consequences of a failed attempt to force the emperor to abdicate a thousand times. But seeing those people ruthlessly surrounding her and roughly holding her hands and feet, she struggled like crazy: "What are you doing! I am the queen, how dare you!"
"Ever since you stole the imperial edict, you have regarded yourself as the queen!" The deputy commander said in a cold tone and ordered people to tie Zhou up.
"Stealing the imperial edict?" Zhou thought it was ridiculous, "What on earth are you talking about... Woo!" A piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth to prevent her from hurting herself.
The deputy commander snorted coldly, "You're still stubborn even when death is imminent!" He waved his hand and ordered the once-dignified queen to be taken away. He then said to the attendant, "Go, tell Lord Cheng to bring Madam Luo San out. Otherwise, I will kill you right now!"
The attendant got up from the ground and ran out of the hall, only to find that the ladies in the house had disappeared, probably taken away by the deputy commander. By then, the Jinyiwei had surrounded the hall, and only Zhao Mingzhu and Xu were still waiting for Luo Yining. He knocked on the door of the side hall and heard Cheng Lang's cold voice, but there was a long pause and no movement.
The deputy commander grew impatient and immediately shouted, "Kick the door!"
The door was kicked open with a bang, revealing only Luo Yining, bound to a chair and gagged. The deputy commander looked around, seeing the windows and doors wide open. Cheng Lang and several of his subordinates were nowhere to be seen. He ran over and untied Luo Yining. "Madam, I'm here to rescue you, following Lord Daoyan's orders. Where's Cheng Lang?"
"When you sent someone to knock on the door, he realized something was wrong and jumped out of the window." Luo Yining said, moving his wrist.
Cheng Lang heard something strange outside, and when he looked at Luo Yining, he realized that the truth had already been revealed, and that she was now in danger. He immediately took out a handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth. He whispered in her ear, "The person who came must be your third brother's men. They won't harm you. I can't stay long, I have to leave first."
Finally he left.
The Empress was of no importance to him. As long as the Third Prince was there, forcing the Emperor to abdicate would be no problem. With Kunning Palace surrounded, there was no need to save the Empress. He might as well go and learn peace with Lu Jiaxue. Since the Deputy Commander had already taken action, it proved that the two sides had already begun direct combat. There was no point in wasting time here.
Luo Yining, bound and unable to react, stared wide-eyed as he disappeared, then closed her eyes. Cheng Lang's handkerchief wasn't tucked in tightly enough; she could have shouted to attract attention, but she didn't. Perhaps she still couldn't bring herself to do anything to Cheng Lang; after all, if the deputy commander caught him, he would surely die.
Why did he help Lu Jiaxue force the emperor to abdicate? Why didn't he stay away from these things?
That madman, Lu Jiaxue, was always so unscrupulous. He didn't care about anything and was adventurous by nature!
Luo Yining followed the deputy commander out of the room. Zhao Mingzhu and the other two immediately surrounded her, pulled her to a seat, and asked if she was alright. The deputy commander, however, signaled to the person next to him to lead his men out, shouting, "Help! The Empress is desperate and has kidnapped the ladies, intending to silence them!"
A few of Cheng Lang's guards in Kunning Palace suddenly rose up and put up a desperate resistance. After a clatter of swords and knives, everything died down, so Luo Yining didn't hear anything.
At least, Kunning Palace had calmed down. Only layers of arrows piled up on the walls in the night.
This sound alarmed Cheng Lang who was not far away!
The Queen... suddenly went ballistic? He knew the Queen had attendants at her disposal. Could it be that the deputy commander had failed to protect those ladies?
What about Luo Yining?
He suddenly heard a shrill cry, one of immense fear, and it even sounded a bit like Luo Yining. He hesitated for a moment, and his steps slowed down.
"Sir, the pursuers will be catching up soon!" the person next to him whispered.
Cheng Lang gritted his teeth, held the hilt of the sword and headed towards the Daming Gate.
Lu Jiaxue's troops were all elite, while Daoyan's troops hadn't been through his drills. Soon, they began to lose ground. Daoyan was being forced back step by step. Seeing his decline becoming increasingly apparent, he rode back without a second thought. Lu Jiaxue and his men were about to give chase. Someone ran over and said, "Sir, the Kunning Palace has been defeated! The Empress is desperate and is holding women hostage to silence them. I'm afraid it's too late to stop them!"
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