kvmb Chapter 887 Forced into the Palace
Chapter 887 Forced into the Palace
Tomorrow morning, Zong Que will leave the capital and lead his troops north.
After returning to the city, Zong Que did not go back to the Eastern Palace, but instead went to the Princess's residence with Lu Yangyang.
The two of them have been extremely busy these past few days. Apart from that day at the East Palace, although they have met these past two days, they haven't been able to exchange a single word.
“Time is too short. I had Qingqing prepare quite a bit of medicine, but I’m afraid it’s just a drop in the ocean.” Lu Yangyang found Jiang Zhiyi’s letter and handed it to Zong Que. “Zhiyi wrote that a large amount of medicinal materials have been transported to the Northwest. It will take half a month to travel from the Northwest to the North. I wonder how the war is going in the North?”
Zong Que took the letter and glanced at it. "It's alright. I wrote to A Yao before I returned to the capital. Once the Northern Expedition is decided, he will immediately lead his troops to support us. The supplies will go with the army, which will be much faster."
"Can Big Brother leave the Northwest?" Lu Yangyang asked, somewhat surprised.
“In principle, it’s not possible,” Zong Que explained to her. “The Northwest is adjacent to a large number of nomadic tribes in the north. These tribes are loosely organized but numerous. If they were to unite, the Northwest would be unable to cope. However, with the trade over the past few years, those tribes have also tasted the benefits. In the past, they were able to cooperate with Northern Yan because Northern Yan was strong and well-equipped, and their small tribes could not resist them at all. Without any incentive, they could not unite against Northern Yan. Therefore, they could only cooperate with Northern Yan to constantly harass the Northwest, which was also for their own survival.”
"But now, with the opening of the trade markets and the trade routes to the Western Regions, those tribes can obtain the goods they want without fighting. They can even sell their goods to merchants at high prices, which is far more profitable for them than fighting. If the trade markets are destroyed, they will have to return to their previous state of relying on plunder to survive, living a precarious existence. If Northern Yan tries to threaten them to continue harassing the Northwest, it will do more harm than good to them. There is no shortage of smart people everywhere. Once they unite, Northern Yan will not only be unable to threaten them anymore, but will also try every means to win them over."
Lu Yangyang quickly realized, "So as long as Northern Yan starts to win over those nomadic tribes, there will inevitably be unrest in the Northwest. At this time, it is perfectly reasonable for my elder brother to send troops!"
"Smart!" Zong Que gently ruffled her hair. "As for the Northwest, there's no need to worry. The master gave me a powerful weapon, saying it was imported from overseas and improved. Although it's still in the experimental stage, once A Yao leaves the Northwest, if there are any disturbances in the Northwest, that weapon will be more than enough to defend it."
Lu Yangyang stared in surprise. She hadn't had a chance to correspond with Wenren Jing for a long time. She only knew that after they left, Aunt Jing said she had returned to Yingzhou. She never expected that she had gone overseas again.
Regarding the powerful tool Zong Que mentioned, Lu Yangyang had heard Aunt Jing mention it before, but Aunt Jing said that it couldn't be done in a short time, so she didn't think much of it. She didn't expect such a surprise!
Lu Yangyang couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "That's wonderful!"
The battle Rong Che didn't finish eighteen years ago, the mission he didn't complete—this time, they will definitely complete it!
She wants to personally go and bring Xiaoli back!
Lu Yangyang was anxious, but, “I want to go with you, but after we leave, it might not be safe for Aunt to stay in the capital. And the Sheng family, I don’t know if they will be purged. Sheng Qishen deserves his punishment, but what about Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Jiaojiao and the others who are completely unaware of the situation? We can’t just leave the whole family. Even if we leave, we can’t prevent the decrees from above.”
Although His Majesty said he would only strip the title of Sheng Qishen out of consideration for his elder brother and not implicate others, Sheng Qishen himself was willing to frame loyal officials for promotion and wealth. Similarly, if His Majesty so desired, many would fabricate evidence to frame the innocent. Lu Yangyang disliked the Sheng family and had never considered herself associating with them, but if the sentencing remained unjust, it would only lead to another tragedy.
"Furthermore, His Majesty will likely prevent me from leaving the capital."
The emperor agreed to Zong Que's northern expedition, but he would not feel at ease without holding hostages in his hands.
Therefore, if things go as expected, His Majesty will definitely try to prevent her from leaving the capital.
“Mr. Rong will be leaving the capital with me tomorrow. You can stay for a few more days.” Zong Que whispered a few words in Lu Yangyang’s ear.
Lu Yangyang stared in surprise, wondering if she was hallucinating.
"Are you scared?" Zong Que gently pulled her into his arms.
Lu Yangyang shook her head. "I'm not afraid. I'm just a little surprised."
It was more than just an accident, it was downright...
She really hoped that Zong Que was overthinking things.
But she knew Zong Que; he would never have said that to her unless he was absolutely certain.
Lu Yangyang was a little flustered for a moment.
“If you’re worried, have Jiang Zhiyi return to the capital to help you. There’s not much point in her staying in Changyang County now; in fact, she might be in danger. Have someone send a message to her at top speed, and she should be able to return to the capital in time,” Zong Que said after thinking for a moment.
Hearing this, Lu Yangyang breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll make the arrangements right away."
"Be careful in everything you do." Zong Que looked down at her.
Lu Yangyang looked into his eyes and nodded solemnly.
Zong Que smiled and lowered his head to kiss her lips. "I've been waiting for you."
……
Lu Yangyang's prediction was correct. Before nightfall, an imperial edict arrived from the palace, saying that the Ninth Princess was seriously ill and requesting her to come to the palace to treat her.
This wasn't just an excuse; they also wanted to test Rong Xin's attitude.
Lu Yangyang packed her medicine box and followed the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree into the palace, without telling her aunt about it at all.
His Majesty clearly intends to detain her as a "hostage," and along with her aunt. However, since Rong Xin is the last surviving member of the Rong family, even if His Majesty truly intends to, he will not openly invite her into the palace for the time being. Otherwise, if word gets out, he, as the emperor, will lose face, especially with the army about to launch a northern expedition. No matter how anxious he is, he dares not force Rong Xin at this moment.
When Lu Yangyang arrived at the palace and met the Ninth Princess, sure enough, the Ninth Princess's wounds were healing very well and there were no abnormalities. However, with the palace maids watching over her, she could only lie in bed.
Upon seeing Lu Yangyang enter, her eyes lit up immediately. She dismissed everyone else before cautiously speaking, "I'm fine. It was a nanny sent by my father who was watching over me, saying I was ill. I was afraid they would actually make me sick, so I didn't dare to resist. Tonight, I'll pretend to be sick and have them invite the imperial physician over. Then I'll find a chance to let you leave the palace."
Lu Yangyang patted her hand, "Don't worry, I don't need to rush to leave the palace. I can go back after your second brother leaves tomorrow."
The Ninth Princess's eyes widened, clearly understanding what Lu Yangyang meant.
"I'm sorry, I..." The Ninth Princess looked at her with some guilt. If it weren't for her, Lu Yangyang wouldn't have had to enter the palace.
Lu Yangyang laughed and said, "What does it have to do with you? Even if it's not you who's sick, it could be someone else. I'll still get my turn. Don't overthink it. I'm not leaving these next few days anyway, so I'll stay in the palace with you."
The Ninth Princess looked at her in surprise.
Lu Yangyang blinked: "It's a secret!"
The Ninth Princess quickly covered her mouth.
Early the next morning, Zong Que led his army away from the capital, and the emperor personally led civil and military officials to see him off.
For a time, the people of the capital were also filled with enthusiasm, spontaneously donating money and supplies to the Northern Expeditionary Army and praying that the Crown Prince would return victorious.
After Zong Que left, the capital city enjoyed a few rare days of peace.
Lu Yangyang stayed in the palace, not only examining the Ninth Princess, but also wandering around the harem, examining and taking the pulses of each of the concubines, without mentioning leaving at all.
However, one night after nearly half a month of calm...
The thing Zong Que reminded Lu Yangyang before leaving has actually happened.
The Third Prince, Zong Chen, joined forces with the Imperial Guards to force the emperor to abdicate, and within a single day, they had taken control of the entire capital.
Even the emperor was caught off guard.