The captain scoffed, “Enough nonsense! Just because you say there’s gunpowder means there is? Do you have proof!”

Seeing the captain being disrespectful to Qin Huaiyuan, Huzi retorted, “Proof? If it really explodes and blasts everyone to the sky, what use would proof be then!”

“How dare you! This is a place the Emperor ordered strictly guarded. How can we allow you to cause such repeated disturbances! If you refuse to withdraw, don’t blame us for being impolite!”

As the captain’s words fell, he drew his long sword, revealing a snow-white, cold blade. The Capital Guards behind him also drew their weapons.

“Princess!” Huzi stepped sideways, shielding Qin Yining, Bingtang, and Ji Yun behind him while also drawing his weapon.

Qin Yining supported her waist with one hand and patted Huzi’s shoulder with the other, signaling him to step back.

Huzi’s face bore injuries as he glared fiercely at the captain, but ultimately obeyed orders by sheathing his sword and stepping aside.

Qin Yining stepped forward, facing the captain’s blade without showing the slightest fear: “Officer, I have no time to waste words with you here. You should know that every moment we delay here increases the Emperor’s danger by several degrees.

“Your loyalty in following the Emperor’s orders is indeed admirable. But you must also know flexibility. If you don’t trust us and won’t let us enter, that’s fine—you can send someone in to relay the message yourself. Is it really so difficult to just send one person to deliver a message to the Emperor?

“Once the gunpowder explodes, what will become of the Emperor, the prince, the imperial relatives, and the pillars of the court who are in the underground palace?

“If anything happens to these people, could you bear the accountability and revenge from the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the families of court officials?

“I’ll count to ten. If you send someone in to deliver a message to the Emperor, that will be the end of it. If you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to order a forced breakthrough!

“What I carry in my womb is Prince Zhongshun’s heir. If you harm me, just wait for the prince to emerge and unleash his fury!”

“One.” Qin Yining raised one jade-white finger of her left hand, her voice steady.

The captain’s expression darkened as he faced such a forceful princess consort, uncertain what to do after thinking it over.

“Two.”

If he didn’t let them pass and something really happened, when the Empress Dowager and imperial relatives blamed him, how could a mere Capital Guard captain bear such responsibility?

“Three.”

After all, this was news brought by Princess Consort of Prince Zhongshun. If it was true, he could earn great merit. If it was false, at worst he could push the prince’s mansion people forward to take the blame.

“Four.”

“Five.”

…

Qin Yining switched from her left hand to her right, her bearing distinguished and gaze sharp. Even though she was six months pregnant and her figure might appear delicate, her imposing aura truly made the Capital Guards before her wary and greatly invigorated the accompanying Tiger Guards.

The prince was truly extraordinary—even the wife he married was so formidable!

“Eight.”

“Nine.”

“Fine! I agree!”

Under Qin Yining’s pressure, the captain thought it through and finally understood: “Princess, please calm your anger. This subordinate is also following orders. The Emperor doesn’t permit disturbance, so disturbing him would indeed be improper. But for the Emperor’s safety, this subordinate can only take the risk.”

Qin Yining lowered her hand, her expression becoming gentler: “Then I’ll trouble you, officer. Please immediately send someone into the underground palace to tell the Emperor and all the nobles and ministers to evacuate the underground palace immediately. After checking to confirm there’s no gunpowder, if the Emperor wishes to punish anyone, I’ll be right here!”

Qin Yining’s voice wasn’t loud and her pace wasn’t fast, but each word fell clearly on their ears, demanding attention.

The captain secretly gritted his teeth. Today he had really taken a fall—in front of all his brothers, he’d actually been threatened by a woman. Prince Zhongshun was indeed a fierce man, even marrying such an extraordinary wife.

The captain turned and called over a trusted subordinate: “Go immediately into the underground palace and report this to the Emperor. Say it’s a message from Princess Consort of Prince Zhongshun, and that we acted without following orders out of concern for the Emperor’s safety.”

“Yes.” The young soldier nodded, turned, and ran into the mountains.

Qin Yining watched the soldier run off, and the hand hidden in her sleeve wiped against the cuff, removing the sweat covering her palm.

Qin Huaiyuan had originally wanted to help his daughter, but facing danger, his daughter hadn’t given him a chance to perform. She had grasped the captain’s psychology and, combined with her forceful presence, compelled him to yield. Qin Huaiyuan felt gratified and smiled as he called for Qin Yining to rest.

“Sit down and rest for a while. You’re tired too.”

Qin Yining nodded. Ji Yun had already brought over several folding stools and set them up under some shade.

But just as Qin Yining took two steps, the ground beneath her feet suddenly shook violently. As the earth trembled, fortunately Ji Yun and Qin Huaiyuan were quick to support her, preventing her from falling.

“This is bad!”

Everyone turned to look toward Chong Mountain. The small hill that rose from the flat ground was now emitting rumbling vibrations. Birds scattered from the mountain, and the statues and stone tablets built facing each other at the mountain’s base all swayed precariously in the tremors.

The Capital Guards surrounding Chong Mountain all stood dumbfounded.

“An earthquake? Is it an earthquake?”

“Earthquake my foot! It’s gunpowder!”

…

As the words fell, another “boom” rang out.

Even from the base of the mountain, Qin Yining saw a flash of golden light from behind the slope, followed immediately by dust clouds shooting skyward.

“It’s gunpowder—the gunpowder exploded!”

“Heavens! The princess was telling the truth!”

“Is the Emperor in the underground palace? If he’s in there, I’m afraid the situation is dire!”

“Shut up! Do you want to die!”

The captain and Capital Guards were shocked beyond measure, already in complete chaos.

Qin Yining stared blankly as Chong Mountain gradually calmed down, but the birds from the mountain continued circling overhead without dispersing. A chill shot up from the soles of her feet, filling her entire chest with icy cold.

Pang Xiao was still in the mountain.

With the gunpowder exploded, was Pang Xiao already…

“Yining, stay calm!”

Qin Huaiyuan gripped Qin Yining’s shoulders, forcing her to look at him, his large hand patting her arm: “Listen to Father. The situation on the mountain is unknown—people haven’t necessarily been harmed. The explosion just occurred, so this is the optimal time for rescue. You cannot lose your composure or miss this opportunity!”

Qin Yining looked at Qin Huaiyuan in panic, breathing rapidly, unable to say a word.

“Did you hear? Stay calm. Pang Zhixi is fine!” Qin Huaiyuan raised his voice.

Pang Zhixi is fine.

Pang Zhixi is fine.

Pang Zhixi is fine.

Qin Yining’s head and ears buzzed as this phrase repeated many times in her mind. Only then did her eyes gradually regain sight and her ears gradually regain hearing.

“Father, I’m fine.” Her voice was hoarse and trembling, but her gaze had already regained clarity. She turned to the captain: “Why aren’t you sending people back to the palace immediately to report to the Empress Dowager and request reinforcements?”

The captain and his group were also stunned. Several who had recovered their senses were already rolling up their sleeves, preparing to rush in for a rescue.

The captain nodded repeatedly. Facing Qin Yining and thinking of how he had obstructed them earlier, if he hadn’t delayed too long, perhaps everyone would have already received the message and evacuated…

Feeling both ashamed and afraid, the captain called two subordinates and personally went to report to the palace.

The Capital Guards surrounding the imperial mausoleum quickly received instructions from their superiors. Now they couldn’t care about any encirclement—everyone rushed in together to rescue people.

With no obstacles ahead, Qin Yining took a deep breath: “Father, let’s also take people to see the situation.”

Hearing the commotion from the low mountain nearby, Qin Huaiyuan shook his head: “Yining, the mountain is chaotic. You shouldn’t risk going. You should return to the mansion now. Father will take the Tiger Guards to investigate.”

“Father, please don’t try to dissuade me. I know my own condition—I won’t rush up to rescue people personally. I’ll find a quiet place to observe. I just want to be closer so I can know the situation immediately.”

Qin Yining’s eyes were wide open, tears spinning in her eyes but refusing to fall.

Qin Huaiyuan looked at Qin Yining for a long moment before finally sighing.

He knew Qin Yining’s temperament. Even if she agreed to return to the mansion now, once he took people into the mountain, if she wanted to come, she would still find a way to arrive again. It was better to keep her under his watch where he could protect her more easily.

“Very well. You’ll take a sedan chair and have them carry you up the mountain. But let’s agree beforehand—you’re not permitted to participate in rescue efforts, only to observe.”

“Agreed.” Qin Yining nodded.

Tiger Guards immediately brought over a bamboo sedan chair.

Qin Yining sat on the soft seat, and immediately two strong Tiger Guards lifted the bamboo poles from front and back. Without effort, they carried her forward at a quick pace.

Bingtang and Ji Yun jogged alongside on the left and right.

The other Tiger Guards moved even faster. Huzi’s eyes had turned red, and the group was like fierce tigers returning to the forest, ready to charge forward.

Qin Huaiyuan still reminded everyone: “Don’t be impulsive. You still need to follow my commands and not let people misunderstand that we’re rebelling, lest we bring trouble to the prince.”

Only then did Huzi calm down slightly. Gripping his sword tightly, he called for the brothers to form orderly ranks and follow Qin Huaiyuan together.

Chong Mountain Imperial Mausoleum was located on a small hill with sparse trees.

This place had mountains behind and water in front—an excellent feng shui location. The mountain behind had the formation of a coiling dragon, considered auspicious.

The entrance to the imperial mausoleum at the base of the mountain was paved with neat brick and stone, with statues of elephants, deer, horses, and others on both sides, plus stone tablets carved with inscriptions. The atmosphere was very solemn.

However, now the brick ground had many cracks and was uneven, like the patterns that appear when drought-stricken land splits. Some stone tablets and sculptures had already fallen, while others had broken in the middle, leaving only half a tablet pointing its sharp end toward the sky, as if questioning why such a tragedy had occurred.

The soldiers from the Five Military Camps who had been deployed to dig and search for treasure in the mountain were already in complete disarray.

Going further up the mountain, they would occasionally encounter wounded helping each other down the mountain, and soldiers enduring their injuries while carrying dusty officials—whether dead or alive was unclear.

Wang Su, commander of the Five Military Camps’ Capital Guard Office, had been injured in the arm by a falling tree during the tremors. With one shoulder impaired, he stood not far away shouting loudly, directing his subordinates not to panic and to save as many people as possible.

Seeing a group approaching the mountain, all neatly dressed with an imposing presence, and even carrying a pregnant woman, Wang Su immediately frowned and approached: “Who goes there!”