Seeing that everyone had run away, Xie Yushu led her people down to clean up the battlefield, sweeping away anything that shouldn't have been there, and then led the Divine Eagle Guard back to Rainbow Feather Robe.
Not long after they withdrew, the commander of the Five Cities Garrison arrived with a troop of men.
Han Zhongyu inquired about the situation in other places and learned that the chaos had been basically quelled and the injured people had been treated. He then ordered Han Zhongyu to send half of his men to escort the envoys of various countries back to the Sifang Pavilion, while the rest would accompany him to rescue the emperor.
Not long after Daozi and his men intercepted the reinforcements, Pei Ji's Pei family army decimated the Chu family army, and the Tianji Guards also killed all the secret guards. Although it was a Pyrrhic victory, Emperor Qingyuan and the Crown Prince were still relatively safe.
By the time Han Zhongyu arrived with his men, Daozi had already quietly retreated with the Divine Eagle Guards.
Han Zhongyu then led 50% of the soldiers from the Military Command, along with the remaining Pei family troops and the Tianji Guard, to escort the emperor back to the palace.
Before long, the imperial city garrison troops, having received the news, arrived one after another.
Emperor Qingyuan looked at the massive, dark army and felt heavy-hearted.
Although I have already made up my mind, I still feel deeply heartbroken.
The palace gates still stood majestically, but with fewer guards, they felt somewhat empty.
Everyone knew that the palace gates were like a tiger with its mouth wide open, waiting for them to walk into its jaws like lambs to the slaughter.
But today, they are destined to knowingly walk into danger.
Emperor Qingyuan waved his hand, and the garrison commanders led their men to charge forward.
The gate was not closed; as soon as it was pushed open, a barrage of swords came rushing towards us.
That's right, the Imperial Guards left in the palace were secretly replaced by the Fifth Prince and the First Prince with their own men.
There's no turning back once the arrow is released; it's either success or death.
However, since they knew there was a rebellion, how could the garrison of the capital region not be prepared? Upon seeing someone hit by an arrow, the garrison commander immediately withdrew the first batch of men and replaced them with shields to lead the charge.
Half of the Imperial Guards in the palace were brought out by Emperor Qingyuan, which is at most 10,000 men, plus the 5,000 Blue Guards who guard the harem.
Even in the worst-case scenario, even if they all become henchmen of the Fifth Prince and the First Prince, with a combined force of over 20,000, they still have a chance of winning.
Therefore, with shields clearing the way, the garrison and the troops of the Five Cities Garrison charged in with great momentum.
Once inside the palace gates, they unleashed their full power and launched a full-scale counterattack.
The outcome was somewhat smoother than expected, because the families of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard and several captains were controlled by the eldest prince and had no choice but to obey him. The Lanling Guards were actually the Empress Dowager's men, and from beginning to end, they were only pretending to surrender. When they saw the garrison rushing in, they directly attacked the garrison from both inside and outside. In less than an hour, the rebellion was ended, and the eldest prince and the fifth prince were captured alive.
Emperor Qingyuan and his entourage strode into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The eldest prince, the fifth prince, the remaining rebel leaders, as well as Consort Hui and Consort Chu, were also brought up.
Before Emperor Qingyuan could even ask a question, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards took the initiative to plead guilty.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die, but my parents, wife, and children are in the hands of the Crown Prince. I have no choice but to obey. I am willing to atone for my sins with my death. I only beg Your Majesty to spare my parents, wife, and children. They are innocent!"
After saying that, he smashed his head against a pillar and died.
They moved so fast that they didn't give anyone time to react.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Qingyuan said coldly
"Drag him out!"
The next moment, the man was dragged out.
The eldest prince had disheveled hair and was covered in blood, while the fifth prince, Consort Hui, and Consort Chu remained as elegant and dignified as ever.
Seeing the Crown Prince's miserable state, Consort Hui walked to his side with a trembling voice and said...
"My son! Do you regret it?"
The eldest prince shook his head with a firm look in his eyes.
"I have no regrets! It's just that I've dragged my mother, maternal grandfather, and cousins into this mess!"
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