“Imperial Teacher Old Tan should be kept in the dark by the Crown Prince. After all… the Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the nation! When something happens to the sovereign… who else can be most relied upon but the Crown Prince!” Zhong Shaozhong said.

The more Zhong Shaozhong refrained from going all out to discredit everyone around the Crown Prince, the more others would believe his words, nodding one after another.

“Originally, I wanted to take action during Prince Liang’s wedding, but I’m afraid that won’t work now! Everyone… rather than choosing another day, let’s crash into today—today we shall charge into the palace to rescue His Majesty! Rescue the Empress!” Zhong Shaozhong made up his mind, his eyes filled with ruthless determination.

Someone walked to the window, gently pushed open the lattice, and looked down at the street below. Seeing the patrol battalion surrounding the flower house so tightly that not even water could leak through, he said, “But right now, the patrol battalion has the flower house surrounded. With just these few of us, how can we fight our way out?!”

“General Bi Heng…” Zhong Shaozhong looked at his newest subordinate and said, “After we go downstairs, you find a way to leave the flower house and bring the Imperial Guards to the Court of Judicial Review… force Lu Jin to either release the prisoners or explain clearly why he’s detaining them!”

“Yes! Sir, rest assured!” Bi Heng clasped his fists in acknowledgment.

“The safety of His Majesty and the Empress rests entirely on General Bi alone!” Zhong Shaozhong gripped Bi Heng’s hand firmly.

Before long, Zhong Shaozhong and his group dressed and came out through the front door of the flower house.

Fan Yuhuai also did as he had just promised, calling over several horse carriages. Though simple, they were better than nothing.

Zhong Shaozhong smiled as he glanced at Fan Yuhuai, then boarded the carriages separately with the Imperial Guard generals.

Fan Yuhuai leaped onto his horse and shouted, “Go!”

Bai Qingyan had just dozed off for a while when she heard extremely light footsteps outside the window. She opened her eyes and quickly got up, throwing on an outer garment.

Chun Tao, who was keeping night watch, was startled awake. She stood up and was about to take the lamp from the foot of the bed to light it when Bai Qingyan made a gesture for silence.

“Master!”

Only after hearing this call did Bai Qingyan signal for Chun Tao to bring her the lamp, then pushed open the window lattice slightly.

The golden yellow candlelight in her hand outlined the delicate contours of her jaw. The candle flame reflected in her dark, bottomless eyes showed not a trace of warmth.

The hidden guard knelt on one knee beneath the window with his head lowered: “Master, Zhong Shaozhong and his group were invited by Patrol Battalion Commander Fan Yuhuai to the Court of Judicial Review. But after Fan Yuhuai led his men away, this subordinate personally saw someone come out from the private room Zhong Shaozhong had reserved, then leave the flower house by running along rooftops and walls. This subordinate saw that the Crown Prince’s people also noticed, but strangely… even though the Crown Prince knew that fewer people were captured by the patrol battalion, he said nothing and simply returned to his mansion.”

“Good, I understand. You may withdraw!” Bai Qingyan responded.

After the hidden guard left, Bai Qingyan lowered the window lattice.

Chun Tao took small steps forward: “Eldest Miss, has some major incident occurred again?”

One fish had escaped the net, yet the Crown Prince didn’t lose his temper. It seemed… the Crown Prince wanted Prince Xin’s rebellion to become a fact and wasn’t planning to leave Prince Xin any way out.

If so, conflict between the Crown Prince and Prince Xin was inevitable. This time, perhaps the patrol battalion and Imperial Guards would clash first, and then Prince Liang would make his entrance.

Bai Qingyan pulled her garment tighter around her shoulders and said to Chun Tao, “Sleep!”

It wasn’t yet time for Bai Qingyan to make her move. She needed to conserve her energy… to guard against Prince Liang sending people to assassinate her.

The next day, before dawn had broken, the Imperial Guards surrounded the Court of Judicial Review, questioning why the Court was arbitrarily detaining many Imperial Guard generals without cause, demanding that the Court immediately release their generals.

The patrol battalion rushed over and confronted the Imperial Guards.

The common people in the capital had never seen such a scene. A couple selling breakfast in the capital took one look—soldiers were about to cause trouble—and didn’t even set up their breakfast stall. They quickly packed up and pushed their wheelbarrow away.

Other vendors saw this couple, who set up their breakfast stall rain or shine, leave, and feeling uneasy, some also hurriedly packed up and went home.

The Imperial Guard commander, upon inquiry, hurried to the front of the Court of Judicial Review and ordered the Imperial Guards not to cause trouble and to quickly return to camp. But the Imperial Guards wouldn’t retreat an inch—either release their generals or… explain the reason for detention.

Bi Heng shouted even louder: “It can’t be that just because they visited a brothel, several generals of the court’s Imperial Guards are detained in the Court of Judicial Review. What kind of reasoning is this? Don’t tell me our Imperial Guards are soft persimmons that anyone can squeeze?! In any case… If no explanation is given today, even if we Imperial Guards are punished, we absolutely will not leave!”

“Exactly! Exactly!”

“We want an explanation!”

“Release our generals!”

The Imperial Guards clamored noisily outside the Court of Judicial Review.

Inside the Court of Judicial Review, Lu Jin sat restlessly. The Crown Prince and Imperial Teacher Old Tan had long since left. Lu Jin had already sent someone to request instructions on how to handle Zhong Shaozhong and the others.

The Court of Judicial Review’s prison had caught fire, and now several Imperial Guard generals were still detained in the government office.

Imperial Teacher Old Tan intended to gather up those preparing to cause trouble, and once His Majesty awakened, everything would be easily resolved. But they never expected the Imperial Guards to come back and cause trouble.

Lu Jin tapped his fingers on the desk, called someone over, and instructed: “Prepare breakfast and send it to the several Imperial Guard generals. Then invite Minister Zhong over, saying this official wants to conduct routine questioning. After questioning and confirming that the several ministers have no problems, we can request the Crown Prince’s permission to send the ministers home.”

“Yes!”

After that person left, Lu Jin made preparations to conduct questioning.

Outside the Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Guards’ shouting grew more intense. Bi Heng shouted, “Why did the Crown Prince have Imperial Guard generals arrested? Could it be he has a guilty conscience! Knowing the Empress is pregnant with the legitimate heir, and seeing Prince Xin return to the capital, he fears that once the legitimate heir is born, his position as Crown Prince won’t be secure. Openly, he went far to Dengzhou… but arranged for someone to harm His Majesty by causing him to fall from his horse, framing the Empress and Prince Xin—killing two birds with one stone!”

“Bi Heng! Have you gone mad?!” the Imperial Guard commander sternly reprimanded.

“Whether I’ve gone mad or not, all the Imperial Guard officers and soldiers present know! His Majesty isn’t in seclusion praying for the nation at all, but fell from his horse! Rumors have long spread throughout the capital! This is all the Crown Prince’s conspiracy! Commander… if you don’t believe it, have Lu Jin release Minister Zhong, and everything will be known! The reason they don’t dare release Minister Zhong is because they’re worried Minister Zhong will make the truth public, isn’t it?! Otherwise, why detain so many Imperial Guard generals in the Court of Judicial Review? It’s because those generals all know the truth, and they’re afraid those generals will enter the palace to rescue the sovereign!”

The Imperial Guard officers and soldiers looked at each other, not expecting such secrets to be involved.

“What nonsense are you spouting! Shut your mouth!” the Imperial Guard commander shouted.

Inside the Court of Judicial Review, Zhong Shaozhong was invited to the main hall, his heart surging with excitement. This was the moment he had been waiting for—for Bi Heng to bring the Imperial Guards.

Just as Zhong Shaozhong was about to step over the threshold, he suddenly turned and ran toward the direction of the front of the Court of Judicial Review, shouting as he ran: “Bi Heng! Don’t worry about our lives! Quickly invite Prince Xin to lead troops into the palace… to rescue His Majesty! Rescue the Empress!”

Lu Jin, sitting in the main hall, hadn’t expected Zhong Shaozhong to shout at the top of his lungs toward the outside. Startled, he stood up: “Drag Zhong Shaozhong back here!”