After two and a half years, Empress Dowager Su Wan'er returned to Jinling City. After experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Previously, Su Wan'er had been cautious and treading on thin ice since returning to the capital. However, after learning that the current emperor Chen Huai'an had agreed to Prince Chen Longxiang's request to allow the three of them to live openly on the Goguryeo Peninsula;
She naively believed that Chen Huai'an's admonition at the Jiangyin naval camp and her past as the former empress dowager had all vanished and been wiped clean.
Therefore, she took advantage of the good weather on the first day of the Lunar New Year to stroll through the bustling streets and alleys along the Qinhuai River, the most prosperous area in Jinling City, and fully experience the urban prosperity of the capital of the Central Plains dynasty.
The remote Goguryeo city of Pyongyang could never compare to the capital of Jinling.
Along the way, Su Wan'er, supported by her personal maid Liu Ye'er, strolled around, stopping and shopping as she went, and was in a very good mood.
Before long, the servants from the Prince of Jin's residence behind him were carrying large and small bags full of things, a significant portion of which were baby toys such as rattles, tiger-head hats, and toddler shoes.
Suddenly, a group of Longcheng Imperial Guards, dressed in civilian clothes, gathered from all directions and surrounded Su Wan'er and her entourage who were purchasing cosmetics at a cosmetics stall.
Immediately afterwards, Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of the Dragon City Inner Guard and Marquis of Wuping, dressed in a white splendid robe, appeared and said to Su Wan'er, who was still in shock and had not yet reacted, "Your Highness, please come with us!"
"It's you?"
Su Wan'er's expression froze, and the surprise in her peach blossom eyes was instantly replaced by fear and despair.
Clearly, she recognized the man and knew that Luo Yucheng was the "lackey" of Chen Huai'an, the Prince of Jin and the current emperor.
Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard, suddenly appeared beside him with a group of men and asked him to go with them.
Even if Su Wan'er were naive and innocent, she could understand the danger involved.
Besides, she's not stupid!
In that instant, a thousand ominous thoughts rushed into Su Wan'er's mind. She knew very well that today was likely to be a day of great misfortune.
However, two and a half years of exile had instilled in Su Wan'er a calm and composed personality in the face of danger. Especially at times like these, it was even more important to remain calm and deal with things with composure.
Su Wan'er put down her rouge and powder, maintaining her haughty demeanor, and said to Luo Yucheng, "Lord Luo, since you recognize me, you must know my current identity, right?"
"I wonder what brings Lord Luo to accompany me on this journey?"
As Su Wan'er spoke, she cautiously glanced around from the corner of her eye, looking for an opportunity to escape.
Beside her was Liu Ye'er, a palace maid who had also followed the former empress dowager and the deposed emperor in their exile from the Jinling Palace for two and a half years. She immediately sensed that Luo Yucheng and his party were up to no good.
A pair of bright little eyes were also darting around.
Su Wan'er continued, "Lord Luo, did you obtain His Highness Prince Jin's permission to suddenly rebel?"
Luo Yucheng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for me. I don't want to be rough with you, lest I disturb the child in your womb!"
As he spoke, Luo Yucheng gave a look, and two burly men from the Dragon City Guard immediately moved to Su Wan'er's left and right sides.
"Luo Yucheng, how dare you!"
Sensing that the other party was about to resort to violence, Su Wan'er disregarded everything else and immediately rebuked sharply, "Do you know that I am carrying the child of His Highness Prince Jin?"
"If anything happens to the child in my womb while it's in the hands of your Dragon City Guards, His Highness Prince Jin will skin you alive!"
"Luo Yucheng—"
However, the other party did not listen to her at all. Two burly men reached out and tried to lift Su Wan'er's arms from the left and right.
"Your Majesty, let's go quickly!"
No sooner said than done.
Just as the two burly guards from Longcheng were about to grab Su Wan'er with their thick hands, Liu Ye'er, the palace maid beside Su Wan'er, suddenly erupted. She rammed her head into one of the burly men with all her might, while screaming in a shrill voice through the bustling marketplace, "Help! Someone help me—"
"A scoundrel abducted a woman in broad daylight!"
Wow!
Liu Ye'er's cry of "forcibly abducting a woman" was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
The bustling, lively street in Jinling City was instantly ignited by Liu Ye'er's exclamation. Countless people stopped what they were doing and turned to look at them.
"Help! A thug is abducting a young woman!"
The next moment, Liu Ye'er, who had just crashed into the burly man to Su Wan'er's left, continued to scream at the top of her lungs.
"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how dare they forcibly abduct a young woman!"
"Is there no law anymore? Is there no justice?"
"Let's all attack together! We can't let these thugs get away with this!"
Among the crowd of onlookers in the bustling city center, someone took the lead and raised their arms, instantly igniting the sense of justice among the onlookers. They rolled up their sleeves and surrounded Luo Yucheng and his group, their eyes filled with righteous indignation, as if they wanted to devour Luo Yucheng and his "hooligans" alive.
Su Wan'er was also an extremely quick-witted person. As soon as her personal maid Liu Ye'er cried out for help and bumped into the Dragon City guard on her left with her body, she took advantage of the moment when everyone was stunned and squeezed into the crowd.
By the time Luo Yucheng and his group realized what was happening, Su Wan'er had already vanished.
When he tried to chase after them, he found himself completely surrounded by onlookers who were unaware of the situation.
Luo Yucheng roared, "What the hell are you all standing there for? They've run away, hurry up and chase after them!"
"We can't let them get away! Arrest them and hand them over to the authorities!"
Before Luo Yucheng could finish speaking, the agitated crowd stepped forward again, ready to tie them up and hand them over to the authorities.
Seeing that the situation was at risk of escalating and getting out of control at any moment, and that the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er had taken advantage of the chaos to turn back towards the Prince of Jin's residence.
Luo Yucheng disregarded Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's warning and directly revealed his identity to the people present.
Luo Yucheng ripped open his white outer robe with a "whoosh," revealing the flying fish robe underneath. He then roared at the crowd, "Dragon City's internal guards are conducting an investigation. All bystanders, get out of the way at once!"
Wow!
Upon hearing this, the crowd that had been so agitated just a moment ago, vowing to hand Luo Yucheng and the others over to the authorities, immediately scrambled to their sides like a tidal wave.
Even the vendors pushing carts along the street and the shops on both sides of the street closed their doors and windows, no one daring to provoke the Dragon City Inner Guard.
The once bustling streets instantly became deserted and quiet.
This shows that the reputation and terror of the Dragon City Guard had long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people of Jinling.
The streets were cleared, and Luo Yucheng could no longer see the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.
We're doomed!
Luo Yucheng's head was buzzing; he had been careless!
He hurriedly ordered, "Chase! Chase towards the Prince of Jin's residence! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find him for me!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Soon, the Dragon City Imperial Guards began searching the surrounding area, using the street where Su Wan'er had disappeared as the center.
Luo Yucheng also personally participated in the operation and ordered the arrest of Liu Ye'er, a palace maid who had disrupted the arrest operation, to await trial.
At the same time.
Less than two hundred steps away from Luo Yucheng and his group, in a tailor shop with its doors tightly closed, Su Wan'er leaned against the corner of the wall, barely daring to breathe.
Not far from her, the elderly tailor shop owners, a couple in their fifties, were peering warily through the door, listening to the commotion outside. They even made a shushing gesture to Su Wan'er.
It turns out that Su Wan'er hadn't gone far during the chaos.
In fact, with her large pregnant belly, she could hardly walk far, and in her panic, she stumbled into the tailor shop.
Subsequently, after Luo Yucheng revealed his identity as a member of the Dragon City Guard, the shop owner and his wife took the initiative to conceal it for Su Wan'er.
This is simply because the Dragon City Inner Guard, as a department that specifically does dirty and tiring work for the emperor, does not have a good reputation among the common people.
Therefore, after learning that the Dragon City Guards were searching for the pregnant woman who had broken into the shop, the shop owner and his wife took the initiative to cover for her.
After the Dragon City Guards dispersed to search the streets and pursued the Prince of Jin's residence, Su Wan'er, who was hiding in the tailor shop, immediately took off the valuable jade bracelet from her hand and handed it to the shop owner.
Su Wan'er said, "Boss, I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, please accept this bracelet!"
"I have another request. Could you please go to the Prince of Jin's residence and deliver a message to me, saying that Wan'er is waiting for His Highness Prince Jin here?"
Su Wan'er's eyes were filled with tears, and she looked pitiful.
In addition, the white jade bracelet on her wrist looked quite valuable. After exchanging a glance, the tailor shop owner and his wife immediately took the white jade bracelet from Su Wan'er's hand and also took on the responsibility of delivering the message to the Prince of Jin's residence.
......
Outside the palace gates of the imperial city, Prince Chen Longxiang rode his horse towards the palace, but just before entering, he suddenly reined in his steed.
Chen Longxiang, on horseback, felt his eyelids twitching incessantly, as if something was about to happen, which made him very uneasy.
Suddenly, Chen Longxiang slapped his forehead, as if he had remembered something.
Oh, right, that's the matter. The two young ladies I selected for my elder brother in Goguryeo are still living in the Prince of Jin's residence, and I haven't had the chance to send them to the palace yet.
Why not take advantage of today, when Your Majesty is hosting a banquet for all the civil and military officials and envoys from various countries in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and bring two young ladies into the palace with the envoys and present them to Your Majesty?
In this way, we can keep our secret from being discovered by the Empress Dowager and my two sisters-in-law!
Thinking of this, Chen Longxiang suddenly turned his horse around and headed back towards the Prince of Jin's residence.
at the same time.
Luo Yucheng, leading a large number of Longcheng guards, had already followed the streets and alleys where the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er had disappeared, all the way to Prince Jin, but had not found any trace of Su Wan'er.
The Dragon City Guards who remained at the Prince of Jin's residence to monitor the situation did not notice the heavily pregnant woman returning to the residence.
"That's strange. How could a heavily pregnant woman possibly fly or disappear into the ground?"
Luo Yucheng took a few deep breaths, recalling every detail of the pursuit.
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and immediately ordered, "Pass down the order: everyone go back to Yangliu Lane and search every house for me!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Luo Yucheng finally realized that Su Wan'er had played a trick on him!
She was just a woman, and she was heavily pregnant. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn't possibly outrun the four legs of the warhorses of the Dragon City's inner guards!
That almost caused a disaster!
Hundreds of Dragon City guards, under Luo Yucheng's command, marched back to Yangliu Lane in a grand procession.
No sooner had they left than the tailor shop owner emerged from his hiding place and hurried toward the gate of the Prince of Jin's residence, bumping right into Prince Chen Longxiang, who was returning from the palace.
......
Bang, bang, bang!
"Open the door! Open the door now!"
Inside Yangliu Lane, a large number of fully armed Longcheng Imperial Guards banged on the shops along the street, launching a thorough search for the heavily pregnant woman.
The brutal practices of the Longcheng Inner Guards aroused widespread resentment among the people of Yangliu Lane, who dared not speak out against their anger.
Soon, the knocking sound, like a death knell, rang out outside the tailor shop where Su Wan'er was hiding.
Thump, thump, thump!
"Dragon City Guards, open the gate! Open the gate now for inspection!"
Inside the house, the tailor shop owner was deathly pale, staring blankly at Su Wan'er.
call--
Su Wan'er breathed a sigh of relief, took off all her earrings, rings, and another white jade bracelet, and stuffed them into the landlady's hand.
After giving the landlady a forced smile, she finally managed to open the door herself before the Dragon City guards could break it down.
He said calmly, "Stop knocking, the person you're looking for is me!"
Immediately afterwards, Su Wan'er was taken into custody by the Dragon City Guards outside the house.
A short while later, Luo Yucheng, the deputy commander of the Longcheng Inner Guard, also arrived at the scene and said to Su Wan'er, "Your Majesty, your trick of hiding in the dark has made it quite difficult for me to find you!"
After saying that, Luo Yucheng waved his hand and said, "Guards, take him away!"
Clang, clang, clang!
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats grew louder and louder as they approached.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The next moment, before the Dragon City guards in Yangliu Lane could react, two arrows came flying one after the other, killing the two Dragon City guards who were holding the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er on the left and right.
"Luo Yucheng, how dare you touch my woman?"
Upon receiving the news, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin rode up on horseback.
Chen Longxiang, mounted on horseback, held a pair of golden hammers used for drumming, and a hard bow was still hanging on the horse's back.
"Guards, stop the prince!"
Having come to this point, Luo Yucheng was not to be outdone and immediately ordered, "If we let this woman escape, we will all die! Draw your swords and form ranks!"
Clang, clang, clang!
The next moment, hundreds of Dragon City guards in Yangliu Lane drew their swords and stood guard around Luo Yucheng and Su Wan'er, confronting the lone Prince Chen Longxiang.
Luo Yucheng, sword drawn, stood on his horse and called out to Chen Longxiang, who was on horseback: "Your Highness, the Dragon City Guards are handling a case. Please excuse us!"
snort!
Chen Longxiang snorted coldly and said angrily, "Luo Yucheng, I advise you to release her immediately. If you dare to harm Wan'er in the slightest, I will make sure that you and your Dragon City guards all die without a burial place!"
Luo Yucheng retorted sharply, "Your Highness, do you know what your actions mean?"
Ha ha!
Chen Longxiang suddenly burst into a sinister laugh, saying, "What's the big deal about killing a few of your mere Dragon City guards? Do you think I'm rebelling?"
"If you do not release Wan'er today, what harm is there in rebelling and fighting your way out of this Jinling Imperial City?"
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