He was unwilling to accept defeat, but knew he had no chance of winning. "Fine, we surrender. But you must guarantee our safety."
The eldest prince sneered, "Who will guarantee the safety of you traitors? Arrest them all and await their fate!"
After Lord Zhang and the others were taken away, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai emerged from the bushes.
"Whose message did the Crown Prince receive that prompted him to come here?" Xu Yuehuai asked in confusion.
Qi Guze shook his head. "I had someone inform the Crown Prince before I came here, but I didn't expect him to bring so many people. But the most important thing now is that we have successfully stopped Lord Zhang's plan, and the palace is safe."
Xu Yuehua nodded. "Yes, this time it's all thanks to you and the First Prince. If you hadn't arrived in time, I would probably be in danger."
Qi Guze looked at Xu Yuehuai with deep affection, "No matter when or where, I will do everything in my power to protect your safety."
Xu Yuehuai felt a little shy under Qi Guze's gaze. She lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you, Aze."
The eldest prince walked over and patted Qi Guze on the shoulder. "This time, we owe you a lot, Your Highness. If you hadn't reported the news to me in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Qi Guze smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. We are all doing this to protect the palace and the people."
The eldest prince nodded. "I will report your achievements to my father, and you will become my capable assistant."
Qi Guze felt a warmth in his heart, realizing that his efforts had been recognized by the Crown Prince.
From then on, he could enter and leave the palace more legitimately and do more things more conveniently.
Xu Yuehuai watched Qi Guze and the First Prince's conversation and felt deeply moved.
She understood that from now on, they would face more challenges and dangers. However, as long as Qi Guze was by her side, she had the confidence and courage to face everything.
Bathed in the morning light, the three stood side by side, the atmosphere very harmonious.
Ling Feng had already secretly retreated from this place.
Soon after, Lord Zhang was escorted back to the palace. Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai also returned to the palace with the Crown Prince's entourage. A crisis was finally averted.
"Sister, you really scared me to death! I thought you would never come back." Xia Sen rushed to Xu Yuehuai's side, looking at her with great concern.
The little princess stood beside her, looking worried.
Zhou Wan, Jiang Shichen, and others also stood guard nearby.
"How could anything happen to my sister? Look, I'm back perfectly fine."
"You don't need to worry about me anymore!"
Xu Yuehuai comforted Xia Sen for a few moments and told him to go back and rest first.
The little princess obediently followed Xia Sen away.
"Mother, I'm so glad you're alright," Zhou Wan said with concern. "We've been worried about you these past few days."
“Yes, we were all very worried when you suddenly disappeared,” Jiang Shichen said.
Xu Yuehuai smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have worried everyone. I'm so grateful that Aze showed up in time, otherwise I might not have been able to come back."
Qi Guze looked at Xu Yuehuai and said, "It's good that you're alright."
They don't need many words; a single glance is enough for them to understand each other's feelings.
"By the way, when I saw Lord Zhang being taken away just now, he seemed quite resentful." Jiang Shichen suddenly remembered something. "Could he have other accomplices?"
Qi Guze shook his head. "It shouldn't be. We have completely suppressed Lord Zhang's power, and I believe the other accomplices will not dare to make any rash moves."
Xu Yuehuai nodded, "Yes, this matter has been resolved satisfactorily."
However, none of them realized that an even greater crisis was quietly approaching.
A few days later, another major event occurred in the palace.
The eldest prince was framed and poisoned to death, and the entire palace was placed under strict lockdown.
Upon receiving the news, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai immediately rushed to the Crown Prince's palace.
They saw that the eldest prince's body was already stiff, and there was still a painful expression on his face.
"How is this possible?" Xu Yuehuai exclaimed. "How could the Crown Prince suddenly be poisoned?"
Qi Guze frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "There must be something fishy about this. We need to find out the truth as soon as possible."
They began to secretly investigate the cause of the eldest prince's death and discovered that the poison he had been poisoned with was extremely rare; only the imperial physicians in the entire palace were capable of preparing such a poison.
"Someone must have deliberately poisoned the Crown Prince!" Xu Yuehuai said angrily.
Qi Guze nodded. "That's right. We need to find the imperial physician and ask him about the poison."
However, when they found the imperial physician, they discovered that he had already been murdered.
His room was filled with signs of a struggle, clearly indicating that someone had come to silence him.
"What are we going to do now?" Xu Yuehuai said anxiously, "All the leads have gone cold."
Qi Guze pondered for a moment, "We have another lead to follow."
"What clue?" Xu Yuehuai asked.
A resolute glint flashed in Qi Guze's eyes, "That is Lord Zhang."
They immediately went to the prison to interrogate Lord Zhang, asking him if he was involved in the death of the eldest prince.
However, Lord Zhang insisted that he had nothing to do with the death of the eldest prince, and even claimed that he had been framed.
"I had no chance to even get close to the Crown Prince," Lord Zhang exclaimed. "How could I possibly poison him?"
Qi Guze stared intently at Lord Zhang, "You'd better not lie. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead."
Lord Zhang's expression changed; he was clearly frightened by Qi Guze's threat.
But he gritted his teeth and refused to admit his crime. Qi Guze sneered and turned to leave the cell.
He knew that Lord Zhang was merely a pawn being used, and the real mastermind was still lurking in the shadows. He had to find evidence as soon as possible to uncover the truth.
Xu Yuehuai, on the other hand, began investigating other clues within the palace, hoping to find some leads.
She carefully examined the eldest prince's bedroom and discovered some strange traces.
These traces indicate that someone had been secretly moving around in the palace.
Xu Yuehuai's heart stirred, and she followed these traces all the way to a side hall in the inner palace.
The side hall's door was tightly shut, as if no one had been there for a long time. But Xu Yuehuai sensed a familiar aura, an aura that had once appeared in Lord Zhang's residence.
Startled, she rushed into the side hall. The hall was empty, but there were some messy footprints.
Xu Yuehuai followed the footprints to the backyard of the side hall and discovered a hidden door. She immediately notified Qi Guze, and the two entered the hidden door together.
Behind the hidden door was a secret passage. They followed the passage and eventually arrived at a basement.
In the basement, a man in black was busy with something. When he saw Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai break in, he immediately pulled out a dagger and rushed at them.
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