Yun Duoduo closed her eyes. She was too tired to say a word, and her body ached terribly.
It is said that love between men and women is a bittersweet experience.
She felt the warmth of the golden violet and fell asleep peacefully.
...
Inside the imperial palace in the capital, the lights were bright, and large red lanterns hung from the eaves of each palace, while red silk ribbons adorned the pillars, creating a very festive atmosphere.
Today is Yun Duoduo's wedding day, a day of national celebration. The Empress Dowager has specially ordered the palace to be lit up for blessings.
The palace was brightly lit at night, but very quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves and the occasional chirping of birds.
"Report!"
A sharp, urgent scream pierced the night sky, startling the person from their dream.
The armored soldiers rushed all the way to the Zichen Palace.
"Report! Urgent news from Jiangning! The governor of Jiangning has been killed! Jiangning has fallen!"
"Requesting backup!"
Zhao Zhongquan was resting in a side hall when he heard about the urgent military situation. He opened his eyes, jumped out of bed, grabbed his clothes, and ran outside.
The guards on duty also gathered at the entrance of the Zichen Palace to await orders.
Zhao Zhongquan's eyes widened, and he grabbed the general's sleeves with both hands, shouting anxiously, "Say it again? The governor of Jiangning has been killed?!"
He doubted whether he had heard correctly. A few months ago, there was a rebellion in Jiangning, and His Majesty had sent Jin Jinzhi to deal with it and had all the rebels executed. How could the governor of Jiangning have been killed?
The soldier's face was covered in blood, his eyes were bloodshot, his armor was tattered, and his hair was disheveled. His lips were cracked, and he cried out in grief, "The soldiers are all dead! I request reinforcements!"
After saying this, the soldier's knees buckled, and he could no longer hold on, collapsing from exhaustion.
"Quickly, go to Zhaoyang Palace and report to His Majesty!"
Zhao Zhongquan led a few eunuchs and hurriedly rushed to Zhaoyang Palace.
Along the way, the group walked quickly. Zhao Zhongquan wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked, while the eunuchs following behind him kept their heads down and took small steps.
His Majesty was already in a bad mood today, as the Ninth Princess was getting married.
[Now look what's happened! His Majesty is bound to be furious!]
Upon arriving at Zhaoyang Palace, Yun Beiye was still awake and was talking with Empress Zhaoyuan.
Cui Ling hurriedly walked to Empress Zhao Yuan's side in a panic and whispered a few words in her ear. Empress Zhao Yuan's expression changed drastically.
"What?"
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Zhao is waiting outside the palace."
Seeing Empress Zhaoyuan's tense and anxious expression, Yun Beiye waved his hand and quickly let Zhao Zhongquan in. He stood up and walked towards the door, grabbing Zhao Zhongquan's arm as he entered, and asked anxiously, "Has something happened to Duoduo?"
He was most worried about his daughter. Although she was intelligent and quick-witted, this was her first time getting married, and she certainly had no experience.
Moreover, so many people in the palace wanted to kill her before, so she didn't know if she was safe in the Prince of Jibei's residence.
"ah?"
Zhao Zhongquan was visibly taken aback.
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Princess is unharmed. This is an urgent report from Jiangning, a critical military situation!"
"Jiang Ning?" Yun Beiye loosened his grip on Zhao Zhongquan's hand.
Zhao Zhongquan knelt on the ground and repeated what the soldier had said.
"Jiang Ning has betrayed us after all."
Yun Beiye snorted coldly. He had sent people to suppress the turmoil in Jiangning before, so it seemed that the mastermind was someone else.
"Zhao Zhongquan, quickly send Sun Ren to check on him!"
"Let Sun Ren lead the Ministry of War to suppress this! This is outrageous!"
Yun Beiye slammed his fist on the table. He already felt a tightness in his chest all day, and now something had happened in Jiangning.
Jin Jinzhi was sent to quell the unrest in Jiangning, but today is his wedding with Duoduo, so naturally he cannot be sent.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Empress Zhaoyuan quickly handed over a cup of hot tea.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you've forgotten, Lord Sun went to the southwest for disaster relief and hasn't returned yet. Young Lord Sun is currently stationed in Yuze." Zhao Zhongquan wiped the sweat from his forehead; the journey here had exhausted him.
Yun Beiye rubbed his eyes. Yes, he was really getting old; he had actually forgotten about this.
"Send Xue Guang in to take a look..."
"No, the Left Prime Minister is too old, he's already quite old."
Yun Beiye shook his head, denying it as soon as he spoke. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Send Xiao Xuheng over to take a look."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you mustn't! Lord Xiao is the commander of the Imperial Guards; he must protect Your Majesty's safety!"
Zhao Zhongquan was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.
"Where are Xiao Jinyu and Xue Deyi?" Yun Beiye thought of the military generals available in the court.
Empress Zhaoyuan gently placed her hand on Yun Beiye's hand: "Your Majesty, Xiao Jinyu was recently sent to the Sun residence. Lord Sun is away, as is Sun Huohuo. Madam Sun is pregnant, so Jinyu went to protect her safety."
Yun Beiye nodded helplessly, "Yes, these people all have important matters to attend to."
"Xue Deyi is also in charge of the defense of the capital."
"There's no one left in the court to use?!" Yun Beiye sighed, his chest tight with anxiety.
"Your Majesty, there are no more military officers available in the capital, only..."
"Only the Prince of Jibei remains, but today is the Ninth Princess's wedding..."
Yun Beiye clenched his fists.
Given the current situation, even if he didn't want to send Jin Jinzhi over, he had no choice.
【Duoduo, your father is so sorry!】
He felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, realizing that he, as the emperor, was about to leave his daughter alone in her wedding night.
He said helplessly, "Send someone to the Prince of Jibei's residence to order Jin Jinzhi to immediately lead the Zhenbei Army to support Jiangning!"
"Use the military horses as you see fit!"
Hopefully, Jin Jinzhi's trip will be quick and she can return to Duoduo's side soon.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Zhongquan led his men to the Prince of Jibei's residence to deliver an imperial edict.
...
Inside the Prince of Jibei's Mansion in the capital.
At night, a fierce wind howled outside, accompanied by lightning and thunder, and a torrential downpour.
Yun Duoduo was awakened by the rumbling sound. She reluctantly opened her eyes and saw the rain pouring down outside the window. She felt a little panicked for no reason.
But she was so tired and sleepy that she hugged Jin Jinzhi and fell into a deep sleep in his arms.
...
"Knock knock knock!"
Just as she fell asleep, Yun Duoduo was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. She turned over and rubbed her eyes.
"Your Highness! The Princess Consort is in grave danger!"
Military Advisor Cao called anxiously from outside the door in the rain.
"What's going on? In the middle of the night?"
Yun Duoduo asked in a hoarse voice, "I've been up all night and I'm really exhausted. I just want to get some sleep, but I didn't expect someone to come and bang on my bedroom door in the middle of the night."
She thought it was midnight, but the sky was already gray and somewhat bright.
The two spent several hours together last night, and it was already late at night when they finally fell asleep.
Yun Duoduo saw that Jin Jinzhi, who had been sleeping beside her, had gotten out of bed and gone outside.
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