Ji Xinhe coldly looked at Lady Sun: "What role did you play in this assassination plot?"
Lady Sun hurriedly shook her head: "I don’t know anything. I’m just a chess piece under the Emperor’s command. I really don’t know anything!"
"Then why did the position of Lady Hou fall upon you?" Ji Xinhe pressure step by step.
Lady Sun hastily replied: "Because I have been well-behaved since I entered the Hou Mansion, at that time, apart from Lady Hou, I was the only concubine. When Lady Hou passed away, there was no one to manage the internal affairs of the mansion, Lord Marquis was heartbroken and uninterested in marrying someone else, so he directly promoted me to his legal wife. I really didn’t know anything about Lady Wu’s death!"
Ji Xinhe stared at Lady Sun with a murderous look in her eye. Whether out of urgency to save her daughter or newfound courage, Lady Sun boldly met Ji Xinhe’s gaze: "You promised me that if I told you all this, you would let me go."
Ji Xinhe coldly stood up and decisively walked out.
Xiaoyu hurriedly followed: "Madam, how shall we deal with Lady Sun?"
Xin He walked outside and looked up at the bright sun, feeling for the first time that the warm sun was so dazzling: "Let her go."
Xiaoyu frowned: "Does Madam really intend to just let Lady Sun go? Her words may not be trustworthy. She is a chess piece placed in Le Yuanhou’s Mansion by the Emperor. The death of Lady Hou may have been orchestrated by her under the Emperor’s arrangement. If we let her go like this, Lady Hou’s spirit in heaven will be restless..."
Ji Xinhe sneered: "Do you think that if I let her go, she’ll live?"
Xiaoyu was stunned: "What does Madam mean?"
Xin He spoke softly: "Don’t forget, today’s Emperor has just been played for a fool. On the very day the Emperor was deceived, Lady Sun openly came to my residence and then left safely. Our suspicious Emperor would probably react immediately, believing that Lady Sun and I colluded to trick him. Do you think the Emperor would let her live?"
She would most likely die a horrible death.
If the abandoned chess piece, Song Yalin, could end so miserably, let alone Lady Sun, a traitor.
To kill Lady Sun, there is no need to dirty one’s own hands.
Xiaoyu suddenly realized: "So Madam deliberately wanted to let her go?"
"In today’s matter, someone has to take the blame." Ji Xinhe said softly.
By rescuing Le Yuanhou and secretly leaking information to the powerful ministers planted by Mu Houchu in the Imperial Court, Ji Xinhe could leave safely, but those who were found by the Emperor were doomed. Ji Xinhe was in a hurry to save her father, but she didn’t want to cause such trouble for Mu Houchu. Lady Sun was the perfect scapegoat.
Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up: "This slave understands. I’ll take care of it right away."
"Find someone to keep an eye on Lady Sun in secret."
"Yes."
After Lady Sun was released, a secret guard soon came back with news.
"Greetings, madam."
"How did it go?" Xinhe asked eagerly.
"In response to madam’s question, Lord Marquis has been successfully rescued from the execution ground. According to madam’s orders, he has left the city directly. Should we leave now? The Emperor is likely to react soon."
Xin He calmed herself: "What’s the situation in Lotus Alley?"
"Following madam’s orders, the people in Lotus Alley are still on the run with Li Junyan. The Emperor’s men are in hot pursuit. It is precisely because they haven’t captured anyone in Lotus Alley that the Emperor has deployed the city’s entire imperial guard to arrest and suppress them, allowing Lord Marquis to be rescued safely."
Xin He nodded: "Alright, let’s set off immediately."
"What about Li Junyan..."
Xin He said lightly: "There’s no need to deal with that anymore. Order everyone to retreat."
"Yes!"
Xiaoyu and Shulan had already prepared the carriages and luggage. Ji Xinhe put on a veil, went out, and got on the horse carriage.
Because they were well-prepared, their actions were swift.
The carriage drove out of the small alley, and the streets outside were full of imperial guards trying to intercept them. The main street seemed to be under martial law.
The coachman was low-key in dress, and the carriage moved quickly, hopefully avoiding any trouble.
Shulan carefully pulled back the window curtain and glanced outside: "Now the whole capital is searching for Li Junyan, so the city gate must be guarded very strictly. I don’t know if we can make it out as quickly as we wish."
Xin He said calmly: "There are dark lines of His Highness among the city gate guards, so there shouldn’t be any major problems."
Shulan finally felt a little relieved: "Once Madam safely returns to Yu State, this servant can be somewhat at ease; otherwise, I really can’t sleep well."
As they were talking, the city gate approached. There was a long line of people waiting to leave the city. Due to the sudden martial law, the speed of going out was slow. Ji Xinhe was not in a hurry, sitting in the carriage calmly waiting for the inspection.
The coachman lifted the curtain and entered, lowering his voice: "Madam, don’t worry. The person in charge of this city gate inspection is His Highness’s man. When he lifts the curtain and takes a look, he will let us pass."
Xin He nodded: "I understand."
With her veil on, Xin He sat calmly in the carriage, waiting quietly. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
Finally, it was their turn.
The soldiers guarding the city gate began to question loudly: "Who goes there? Where are you going?"
The coachman quickly presented prepared documents and a bag of silver: "We are a merchant family from the capital city, surnamed Li. Our master is doing business here, but suddenly received news that the elder back home is critically ill, so we are in a hurry to return. We ask that you let us pass, sir."
The soldier took the money skillfully and pocketed the bag of silver directly. Just as he was about to lift the curtain for inspection, another soldier approached obsequiously: "I’ll handle this, sir. Why bother yourself with such trivial matters?"
"Ha, you’re quite diligent."
The servile soldier smiled: "If I am diligent, sir will naturally remember my good deeds in the future."
The soldier apparently enjoyed the attention and knew the man just wanted to curry favor with him. He waved his hand, letting him proceed.
The servile soldier got his wish and climbed onto the carriage. After a glimpse, he got off and said, "Let’s go."
The coachman hastily expressed his gratitude before getting onto the carriage and preparing to leave.
But just as they were about to leave, a sudden voice called out: "Wait!"
Ji Xinhe’s forehead twitched, knowing deep down that trouble was about to happen.
"Oh, Deputy Commander Wang, you actually have time to come here today?" The money-taking soldier immediately greeted with a low bow.
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