Hearing this, Shen Qianbai frowned slightly, but after just a moment he smiled and shook his head. “Leave the palace and go to the Song residence.”

“Master.”

The young eunuch seemed puzzled. Shen Qianbai strode forward and handed his token to the palace guards checking those entering and exiting.

Only after the two had walked out of the palace gates did Shen Qianbai say, “I trust my mother consort.”

If that position were a good thing, his mother consort would certainly scheme for him. Since she had never mentioned that chair again, it meant that chair was no longer suitable for him to fight for.

Having understood this matter, Shen Qianbai strode toward the Song residence.

“Master, look at that.”

The two had just walked a short distance when the young eunuch looked up and pointed at the sky. Following his gesture, Shen Qianbai raised his head to see thousands upon thousands of white paper notes floating down from who knows where. Written extensively upon them was how the Crown Prince was trapped at the Suo River while Emperor Wenhui held back his troops, as well as how he had sent an imperial consort to Nanqing and handed over Suncheng and Chiyang to others—all of it written out in detail.

“Stop looking, hurry home.”

“Is this matter true or not?”

“Whether true or false isn’t something for common folk like us to worry about…”

The common people on the street hurried past. Some wine shops and stores that had been open just moments ago, after seeing what was written on those notes, had also hastily closed up. Shen Qianbai picked up a sheet from the ground, his brow tightly furrowed.

“Master, who wrote so many of these overnight? Do they not value their life?”

“They weren’t written.”

The handwriting on the paper notes was identical throughout—one could tell at a glance that someone had made wooden blocks to print them.

“The capital is about to descend into chaos.”

Shen Qianbai stood up and, after sighing quietly, hurried toward the Song residence.

Tonight the Song residence was brightly lit. Song Lan’an, Song Fu, as well as Duke Yingguo Ming Huaxin and the fifth son of the Duke Yingguo residence Ming He were all in the main hall. When Shen Qianbai entered the hall, everyone stood and paid their respects.

“Now is not the time for such formalities. My mother consort sent me to find Uncle, but from the looks of it, you already know what has happened.”

Song Lan’an nodded. Shen Qianbai had never seen his face look so terrible.

Before everyone could say anything, the Song residence steward came to report that Vice Minister of War Yan Tongfu, Left Vice Minister of Personnel Guo Qing, Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial Zuo Zhengyan, and several other ministers had all sent calling cards to the residence.

Before he had even finished these few sentences, someone else came to report that from Jingshan Academy, Third Young Master Su was leading a group of fellow students toward the palace. The Su family matriarch Li Zhen hoped their young master could be persuaded not to invite taboos on this day.

Song Fu frowned. Just from hearing this succession of reports, he knew the capital had already descended into chaos—he just didn’t know to what degree. But how could he possibly have the spare energy to concern himself with Su Xie’s affairs right now? He could only have the residence steward dispatch some people to look after those students.

“Master, Minister Zheng has gone to the palace.”

Hearing this, Shen Qianbai frowned and said nothing.

Zheng Yunshan was the Left Vice Director of the Central Secretariat. Old Minister Zheng, over seventy years old, had been ill for some time and hadn’t attended court for quite a while.

Those accusations against his father Emperor were scattered everywhere, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. Yet among the important court ministers, the common people of the realm, and even those students from Jingshan Academy, not a single person questioned whether they were true or false.

His father Emperor…

What kind of person was he in the hearts of the people of this realm?

“Forget it, why don’t we also just enter the palace directly? I imagine all our colleagues are already there.”

Song Lan’an spoke, and Duke Yingguo nodded. The two both headed toward the palace.

After the two departed, the fifth son of Duke Yingguo’s residence, Ming He, remained. Ming He said to Song Fu, “My family’s grandmother has three thousand elite troops under her command—troops the late Emperor left to the old lady. These elite troops are currently stationed with the Capital Camp. The Duke Yingguo residence holds half the seal.”

Song Fu raised his eyes, understanding his meaning.

Deploying troops without an edict was tantamount to treason, and without the Emperor’s written order, even if the Grand Princess herself came, the Capital Camp would not release the troops.

However, Ming He’s words were not meant for him to hear, but for Shen Qianbai to hear.

Only then did Shen Qianbai realize the purpose of Song Yuning having him come to the Song residence tonight. He took out the Third Imperial Prince’s gold seal from his robes and handed it to Ming He.

“With this gold seal plus the Grand Princess’s seal, you should be able to mobilize troops out of the capital.”

Song Fu said, “When will Young General Ming depart? My residence still has several hundred guards…”

“I have three thousand Tiger Guard troops under my command.”

Shen Qianbai spoke lightly. “Young General Ming, take this gold seal and go to the Tiger Guard camp to find Tiger Guard Lieutenant Xu Moshan.”

Both Song Fu and Ming He were extremely surprised. Shen Qianbai lowered his eyes, his heart bitter.

He didn’t know how his father Emperor treated others, but toward him he had always been affectionate and generous. These three thousand Tiger Guard troops had been personally placed in his hands by Emperor Wenhui after his injury. Along with that Tiger Guard seal came an imperial testament.

His father Emperor had designated the best territory in Dongning as his fiefdom. Fearing the Crown Prince might develop thoughts of reducing the princes’ power in the future, he had even arranged matters decades in advance for him.

Shen Qianbai bit his teeth, unable to speak for a long time.

Ming He accepted the Third Imperial Prince’s seal, clasped his hands together, and performed a military officer’s salute, then turned and departed.

“This subject must go to the palace gates. Will Your Highness accompany me?”

“I’ll go with my cousin.”

The two looked at each other without speaking, both deeply worried as they walked out of the residence. As soon as Song Fu stepped out of the Song residence main gate, he saw a coarse cloth carriage the color of mouse-brown hair stopped at the street corner. The moment he stood still, someone descended from the carriage.

“Lan Jiu?”

Lan Yunhe was wearing a loose pine-frost green robe and still carried a faint scent of alcohol. From this appearance, he must have been somewhere at a social engagement and hurriedly extracted himself to rush here.

“Is it true or false?”

His words were somewhat slurred, but his tone was very steady.

Song Fu and he were former classmates, and the two had quite some friendship. Were it not for this, the Lan family would not have used Song Wan as a matchmaker back then to arrange Lan Yunhe’s marriage to Miss Bai.

“It’s true.”

Lan Yunhe nodded. “I’ve already had the servants at home prepare three thousand measures each of millet and fodder, and additionally prepare wound medicine and other medicinal items to send to the Suo River. If the Song residence has anything you want brought to the border, you can send it to the Lan family estate in the capital’s outskirts.”

Song Fu clasped his hands in salute, already unable to express any words of gratitude.

Though the Lan family was an enormously wealthy clan, they had no need to wade into these murky waters. That they could do this much was already immensely admirable.

“Young General Ming from the Duke Yingguo residence will lead troops to the Suo River tonight. If you can make it in time, you can have the Lan family people go with them.”

“Did His Majesty issue an edict?”

Song Fu shook his head. Lan Yunhe understood. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Let them go first. I’ll prepare some more things in the city.”

Since Emperor Wenhui could secretly send Consort Jiang to Nanqing, he probably had no intention of dispatching troops at all. If that was the case, that grain and fodder was merely a drop in the bucket—he needed to prepare more.

“You two attend to your business first. If there’s anything, I’ll come find you.”

Having finished speaking, Lan Yunhe raised a hand toward Song Fu and Shen Qianbai, then nimbly returned to his carriage.

His manner was carefree. Without caring that before him stood a current imperial prince and a court official, after boarding the carriage he extended a hand from within the curtain, waved it casually to indicate the two needn’t see him off, then departed with panache.

Song Fu sighed silently. Shen Qianbai covered the mask on his face with his hand, not knowing what he was thinking about.

“Let’s go. Let’s go together to see what’s happening at the palace gates.”

The two went together toward the palace gates, only to see the palace gates tightly locked, while outside knelt people covering the ground. At the forefront was the old madam of the Marquis Chengyang residence in plain white mourning clothes.