Su Wanwan secretly sent a palace servant to have the Imperial Household Department send a few hawks and hounds into Xiaoyuan.
In addition, Liu Jin, the Director of Ceremonial Affairs, was instructed to relay a message to the Ministry of Rites, ordering them to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter of Xie Yihu Xian.
To Wang Yong, who had been waiting outside the gate for a long time, the emperor merely sent a palace servant to deliver a message: "I am busy and have already ordered the Ministry of Rites to handle this matter."
Wang Yong looked very unhappy and left in a huff.
As soon as they left the imperial city, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Chongshan came to greet them, asking anxiously, "How did it go?"
Wang Yong shook his head: "His Majesty is busy training hawks and dogs and has no time to see me. He has handed this matter over to the Ministry of Rites."
The Crown Prince of Chongshan's expression shifted between light and shadow. "Are you sure the Emperor is at Xiaoyuan?"
"How can I be sure without seeing the Emperor?" Wang Yong frowned.
"But we can't be sure if he's not here."
"It's not surprising that the Emperor enjoys having fun. He's done things like playing with hawks and training dogs before, and he was even advised against it by the former Chief Minister Su."
Wang Yong's eyes flickered. "If you want to confirm the Emperor's whereabouts, it would be more direct to have the Princess Consort request an audience with him."
The heir of the Marquis of Chongshan waved his hand impatiently.
Yanruo is his younger sister.
If Yanruo could have an audience with the Emperor, the Wang family would have made her act long ago.
Why go through all that trouble?
Unbeknownst to them, someone nearby had already spotted their meeting and quickly reported it to Su Wanwan.
Su Wanwan's heart sank suddenly.
He was also the heir of the Marquis of Chongshan.
The Wang family has grand ambitions.
She had someone report this news to Liu Jin.
With no one to help her, all she could do was maintain the status quo and quietly wait for Lu Xingjian to return.
The days passed slowly in this tense waiting.
As dusk fell, Su Wanwan was still in Jingtianzhai.
They were calculating how much silver the Hangzhou and Suzhou textile and dyeing bureaus could bring to the imperial court if they operated at full capacity.
Yanruo rushed in, her face full of anger: "Su Wanwan, was it you, you bitch, who did this?!"
"If you can't do anything to me, then you'll target my family!"
Su Wanwan was completely confused and looked up at Yanruo.
The hair ornament in Yanruo's hair was crooked and about to fall off.
What could have made her so flustered, completely disregarding her elegant image as a talented woman?
He Ying blocked Su Wanwan's path and sternly rebuked her: "How dare you! To behave so disrespectfully in front of Her Majesty the Empress and to disregard palace rules, you deserve thirty strokes of the cane!"
Yanruo sneered, but tears streamed down her face: "Go ahead and kill me if you dare! Let's see if you have the guts!"
Su Wanwan didn't indulge her with her good temper, and asked coldly, "What happened?"
The eunuch from the Imperial Household Department, carrying a large wooden board, has already entered.
The palace servants following behind Yanruo glanced nervously at the large wooden board that could potentially kill someone, and hurriedly replied.
"Your Majesty, we have just received the news that the Earl of Chongshan, his son, and all the men in his household have been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and imprisoned in the Imperial Prison!"
Su Wanwan was taken aback: "What's the reason?"
"He didn't say."
Su Wanwan frowned in thought.
This matter is suspicious.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards are under the command of Lu Xingjian, so why would they suddenly attack the Chongshan Earl's residence?
It should be noted that before the Spring Festival, Lu Xingjian had shown his gratitude to Wang Jun, the younger brother of Chongshan Earl.
Could it be that Liu Jin issued the order without authorization?
However, she didn't dwell on the issue too much and immediately gave the order.
"The princess has shown no respect for her superiors and disregarded palace rules. By imperial decree, she is forbidden from entering Wan'an Palace and may not leave without being summoned."
The strong and capable eunuch, Gong Zhengsi, immediately stepped forward and escorted Yanruo and her maid away.
Su Wanwan left in a sedan chair, but when she arrived at the entrance of Shenwu Gate, she found that the palace gate had been closed ahead of schedule.
The guards protecting Shenwu Gate had also changed shifts, and they were all unfamiliar faces.
This is very unusual.
Shenwu Gate was the main passage for palace eunuchs and maids to leave the palace after their shifts.
When she, as Empress, returned to Xiaoyuan in the West Garden, she always used the Shenwu Gate.
Su Wanwan took a deep breath, her brain racing, sensing danger.
Without delay, she quickly ordered her men to retreat to Kunning Palace and issued a series of commands.
"All palace gates must be strictly guarded, no one may enter or leave, and unauthorized personnel are strictly prohibited from moving about at will. Anyone who disobeys will be killed on the spot."
"To ensure the safety of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, the Palace Administration Office has dispatched men to guard the gates of Renshou Palace, Cikang Palace, and Wan'an Palace. Anyone attempting to enter or leave will be killed without exception!"
He also ordered all the major gates around the inner palace to be locked, leaving only a small door and window open to transmit messages.
The Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace are the center of the entire harem, forming the inner court.
The defenses were self-contained, with the surrounding palace walls reaching a height of three zhang (approximately 13 meters) and a thickness of two zhang (approximately 6 meters).
Once the main and side gates were locked, it would be extremely difficult to force one in unless bombarded with artillery.
Su Wanwan didn't realize that her quick reaction had saved her life.
At this moment, the palace gates were about to be locked.
Some eunuchs and palace maids who should have left the palace to return to their residences north of Wansui Mountain did not leave in time and were forced to remain in the palace.
Soon, these people divided into several small teams and silently rushed into the inner palace.
Jingtianzhai was where the Empress handled palace affairs, and its main gate faced north to facilitate the reporting of matters by the heads of various departments and female officials.
There is only one small door leading directly into the inner court.
Perhaps due to safety considerations from the initial design stage, this small door is also made of extremely thick refined iron, making it very difficult to break in.
After the unusual commotion in the direction of Jingtianzhai, Su Wanwan immediately ordered the palace servants to retreat to Kunning Palace and close the gates tightly.
Waiting for this unusual night to pass.
When she left home in the morning, she had no idea that she would suddenly encounter a palace coup today.
A raging fire broke out in the direction of Jingtianzhai, the flames soaring into the sky and illuminating the night as if it were daytime.
Soon, the sounds of swords clashing could be heard.
Su Wanwan gazed at the firelight to the north through the paper window, lost in thought.
It's just like that great fire on the river back then.
Although there were no boats and the icy river water, the ambush that killed her was exactly the same.
It was sudden and unpredictable, and impossible to defend against.
Fortunately, having survived a near-death experience, her intuition is now exceptionally sharp.
Su Wanwan was extremely excited and quietly wiped the moisture from her face.
She suppressed her longing and cruelly refused to see her vulnerable spot.
In retrospect, it was the right decision.
She couldn't drag him into this extremely dangerous and unpredictable struggle, making him a victim of it.
In a split second, she suddenly made a decision.
They planned to bury this secret forever.
A mother's greatest expectation for her child is simply that he grows up safely and can breathe freely.
It is definitely not about power or wealth.
The commotion inside the palace lasted for one or two hours.
The fire at Jingtianzhai was quickly extinguished.
Someone knocked on the door outside Kunning Gate: "Guo Xun, the heir of Marquis Wuding, has been ordered by the Emperor to escort Her Majesty the Empress back to the West Garden!"
She did not readily believe it, but sent a message: "I am well, and the gate will be opened at dawn tomorrow."
Lu Xingjian hasn't even returned yet, so how could there be any imperial decree?
At this thought, a idea flashed through her mind, and her heart began to pound wildly.
However.
Not long after, a familiar male voice came from outside Kunning Gate, clear and composed.
"Wanwan, let's go home."
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