Emperor Qingyuan did not travel quickly on his way back to the palace. When he arrived, it was still light out, and he saw a bustling crowd and lively streets.
As far as the eye can see, there is a constant flow of people and vehicles.
When we returned, it was already night, and the city was ablaze with lights.
To share the joy with the people, Emperor Qingyuan did not impose martial law on his trip. Although it was quiet near him, people continued to go about their daily activities a little further away.
Since ascending the throne, Emperor Qingyuan rarely left the palace, looking at the completely renovated scene before him, which exuded prosperity everywhere.
Perhaps out of curiosity, many people in the distance were looking in this direction, and many people wanted to catch a glimpse of the emperor's face.
On the street, there were simple, honest people with smiles on their faces, children playing with lanterns, couples chatting and laughing, spirited scholars, handsome young men in bright brocade robes, and delicate young women with veils covering their faces.
The street vendors were very hospitable.
These things, more than the bright and clean shops along the street, truly embody the splendor of a prosperous era. Emperor Qingyuan felt that these peaceful, happy, and joyful faces were more dazzling than today's lanterns.
Emperor Qingyuan gazed at them with longing, thinking that those who bowed to him from afar must have light in their eyes.
These are the people living in his prosperous era.
At that moment, he felt that all those mountains of memorials he had reviewed and all the struggles he had endured to push forward the government's policies were worthwhile.
Although he was not the late emperor's favorite prince, and in fact, he was practically handed the throne by chance.
However, he did a better job than anyone else, and he was very satisfied with himself.
Before long, the lantern festival came to a complete end, and many fireworks and firecrackers were set off in the open space in the center of the venue.
Watching fireworks after the lantern festival is a long-standing tradition.
Everyone at the banquet had been asked to move to a designated safe area at the back to watch.
While everyone was getting moving, Xie Yushu led her people back to the Rainbow Feather Robe Clothing Pavilion.
By the time Xie Yushu stood at the second-floor window, the fireworks outside had already been lit.
Fireworks burst in the sky, their vibrant colors illuminating the sky and sending dazzling sparks streaking overhead, eliciting cheers and gasps of amazement from the crowd!
Through the window, one could see a group of officials and envoys still looking up, watching with great interest, gesturing wildly.
After the fireworks were set off, some envoys even took fireworks to the stage to set them off themselves.
Of course, officials from Honglu Temple also accompanied them.
Xie Yushu stood sideways by the window, looking down at the crowd below, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Han Zhongyu's side.
I have a feeling that something is wrong. This place is clearly the best place to make a move. Once things get chaotic, it would be easy to succeed. But nothing happened until Emperor Qingyuan and the Third Prince left. Why did they give up the easiest place to succeed and choose another place instead?
If the route back to the palace is chosen, Yongxing Street is the only street with some advantages. However, Yongxing Street is easy to blockade and be surrounded.
Once reinforcements arrive, they will have almost no way out.
Upon returning to the palace, one finds the Divine Eagle Guard, the Imperial Guard, and Emperor Qingyuan's personal guards.
They were outnumbered and had no chance of winning by simply forcing their way in.
Then the only options are poison or assassination.
However, it is clear that assassinating someone inside the palace is much more difficult than doing it outside. Emperor Qingyuan is not someone who can be easily approached!
Looking at the envoys from various countries having a great time below, some of them were princes and princesses from other countries, and even some were crown princes. At the very least, they were high-ranking officials of the third rank or above.
A terrifying thought suddenly popped into Xie Yushu's mind: if a riot broke out here, in order to maintain peace between the countries, the Imperial Guards of the capital would certainly do their utmost to protect these envoys, which would directly restrain the Imperial Guards.
Meanwhile, if some ministers' families are assassinated again, or if the situation becomes more serious, ordinary people and shops along the street will be subjected to looting, vandalism, and arson.
The person in charge of the capital's security and criminal justice is the eldest prince's man, so it goes without saying what they will do.
Kyoto will then be plunged into complete chaos.
If something were to happen to Emperor Qingyuan at this time, there would be almost no way to get help.
If they really schemed against even the common people and envoys, they would be utterly depraved!
This matter is of great importance, and Xie Yushu can only assume the worst about human nature and take precautions.
So she immediately told him her guess and asked Nanxing to inform Han Zhongyu to quickly escort the envoy back to Sifangguan, and also to make sure that the commander of the Five Cities Garrison brought people here.
And we must be wary of any defection within the Imperial Guard.
As a result, just as Nanxing arrived at Han Zhongyu's side and relayed Xie Yushu's speculation, before Han Zhongyu could react, a commotion broke out behind them.
Immediately following were screams and shouts, and the next moment, someone yelled.
"Murder!"
The scene immediately descended into chaos. From their elevated position, Xie Yushu and her companions saw many people dressed as ordinary citizens suddenly drawing large knives and hacking and slashing wildly, closing in on the envoys.
Meanwhile, the people in front, completely unaware, lit another round of fireworks.
Xie Yushu quickly aimed at the few people approaching Han Zhongyu and fired several shots in quick succession, immediately causing several people to fall to the ground.
Meanwhile, people in other places also started to collapse suddenly, clearly indicating that Lanting and his group had also taken action.
Although the sound of fireworks and firecrackers masked the gunshots, Han Zhongyu and Lan Ting had practiced shooting and naturally knew what was going on with the people who suddenly collapsed.
The situation is unclear, and it is obviously no longer feasible to send the envoys back to the Sifangguan. Han Zhongyu decisively called on the ministers to lead the envoys of various countries to the study on the right to take refuge.
Firstly, that place was originally the hiding place of the Third Prince's faction, and it was heavily guarded. Moreover, the place was large enough to barely accommodate all of them.
Secondly, that place is right opposite Xie Yushu's Rainbow Feather Robe. Xie Yushu's two hundred Divine Eagle Guards have surrounded the place tightly, with half of their guns aimed at it. Those who wield broadswords will not be able to step into the study!
Xie Yushu clearly saw through Han Zhongyu's intentions and ordered Nanxing, who had rushed back, to give orders to everyone to do everything they could to cover Han Zhongyu and the other officials and envoys as they entered the study.
The men posing as bandits and killing people here are the three thousand scattered soldiers who were recruited by the Fifth Prince and hidden in the North Mountain hunting grounds.
They acted swiftly and with a clear objective from the outset, targeting mostly envoys from various countries, and their attacks were deadly.
The remaining half went directly to the Han residence, the residence of the Third Prince, or rather, a high-ranking official of the Crown Prince's faction.
Their original plan was to launch a sudden attack, kill a few officials, kidnap a few foreign princes and princesses, and hold off the nearby imperial guards, making sure to delay them for half an hour.
But the reality was as if they were possessed; the brothers who rushed to the front collapsed to the ground as if their souls had been ripped out.
One batch goes up, another falls down, and there's always a bloody spot on their body.
However, no one around them made a move. At first, they suspected it was a hidden weapon, but they didn't even see the person who threw it.
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