Prince Chengguo stared blankly ahead.

Yes, from the moment he decided to rebel, there was no turning back.

“Once you achieve great accomplishments, Your Highness can ennoble Dowager Consort Yuan as Grand Empress Dowager!” Xie Shi’an said slowly. “The other Yuan family members can also be ennobled as princes and marquises, have their memorial tablets established, and receive offerings of incense from all the people!”

A trace of resolution flashed through Prince Chengguo’s eyes.

At this moment, Dowager Consort Yuan standing on the city tower clearly sensed that the sixth prince could not turn back.

If she hadn’t seen with her own eyes that the sixth prince had brought over two hundred thousand people to surround the capital, she would probably never have believed that her son had actually rebelled.

That once willful and immature child could actually accomplish such a momentous undertaking.

She knew the sixth prince had taken the wrong path, but he had already gone astray. There was no way to turn back. How could she, as his mother, hold her child back?

Dowager Consort Yuan suddenly broke free from the guards behind her and leaped down from the city wall with her body.

“Bang—!”

A tremendous crash.

Prince Chengguo was completely shocked, then dismounted and tried to rush forward.

Xie Shi’an grabbed him: “Your Highness, be careful of trickery, don’t go over there!”

He turned to order the private soldiers beside him, “You few, bring back Dowager Consort Yuan’s body without a hair harmed. Go quickly!”

The soldiers swiftly moved forward and carried back Dowager Consort Yuan’s body.

“Mother Consort… Mother Consort! Ahhh!” Prince Chengguo roared in anguished fury. “Chu Hongyu! Yun Chu! I cannot share the same sky with you! Just you wait!”

He personally held Dowager Consort Yuan’s body and returned to the camp.

He had people properly groom and dress Dowager Consort Yuan, change her into the finest clothing, and place her in the best coffin. Once he ascended to that position, he would bury Mother Consort in the imperial mausoleum, buried together with the late emperor.

“Shi’an!” Prince Chengguo spoke. “Find a way to contact eldest imperial brother Prince Ren. I want to cooperate with him.”

Prince Ren was the crown prince before Chu Yi, and three days after requesting his own demotion, he went to his fief. Prince Ren’s fief wasn’t very far from the capital.

Xie Shi’an shook his head: “Before this, I already wrote to Prince Ren. Prince Ren didn’t reply. When I wrote a second letter to Prince Ren, Prince Ren directly refused to receive it.”

“Eldest imperial brother is simply useless!” Prince Chengguo said angrily. “If eldest imperial brother hadn’t abdicated, what would Chu Yi and Yun Chu have to do with anything!”

If he could unite with eldest imperial brother, plus himself and the seventh prince, three legitimate imperial princes could easily gain the support of all the common people… What a pity.

He said in a deep voice, “Increase the dosage, make these common people willing to charge into battle. Tomorrow we formally attack the city gates!”

Xie Shi’an nodded: “Yes, I’ll give the orders immediately.”

They had no grain supplies to support them and weren’t suited for a prolonged war. They should have launched a strong attack on the capital long ago.

While preparations were underway in full swing outside the city, news also arrived on Yun Chu’s side.

“Empress Dowager, Yuan Shi and Xie Shikang have been brought back and settled in the suburbs of the capital.” Qiutong hadn’t even changed her clothes, still covered in travel dust. “These two people were hidden by the Xie family clan members in a pigsty and suffered terribly… Those Xie family clan members weren’t loyal to Xie Shi’an at all. With just a little petty profit, they handed over the people without much effort.”

Yun Chu spoke: “Take Yuan Shi and her grandson to find Concubine Jiang. Have Concubine Jiang come forward to meet Tao Guizhi.”

Her current status wasn’t suitable for coming forward personally.

As for Concubine Jiang, she had once been a concubine of the Xie manor together with Tao Guizhi. The two had some feelings between them, so having Concubine Jiang come forward was the best option.

Qiutong nodded and immediately went to handle it.

At this time, it was dusk. Golden sunset light scattered down, falling in the courtyard, with some birds flying past overhead.

Yuan Shi held Xie Shikang sitting in the courtyard, looking up at the sky, filled with endless emotions for a moment.

Last year, when she learned that Xie Shi’an had returned to Jizhou, she immediately decided to sell the Xie family residence in the capital.

This residence was purchased after Jingyu passed the imperial examination as zhuangyuan, with the family exhausting everything to acquire it. It was a symbol of the Xie family entering the capital and the spiritual pillar of every Xie family member. Even in the most difficult times, she had never thought of selling the residence… She truly couldn’t hold on any longer and could only sell everything and return to their ancestral home in Jizhou.

She had originally thought that returning to Jizhou would be a fresh start.

She never expected that the silver from selling the residence would be swindled away by Xie Shi’an.

That would have been one thing, but then suddenly one day, Xie Shi’an took Kang’er away and locked him up. When she scolded this eldest grandson Xie Shi’an for the first time, the result was that she was also locked up, watched over by Xie family clan members.

She and Kang’er were locked in a pigsty for a full two months. During these two months, she hadn’t seen the sky or eaten a full meal.

Until yesterday, when she and Kang’er were rescued.

She recognized the person who saved them—it was the maid beside Yun Chu.

She didn’t know why Yun Chu would save her, but it was a good thing after all, because Kang’er finally saw the sun.

This child was born prematurely and hadn’t developed properly in the womb. After birth, when the Xie family fell, they could still afford doctors to treat his illness at first, but later they couldn’t afford doctors anymore and just struggled day by day… Fortunately, as he slowly grew up, although Kang’er was still slow and dull, at least he could speak now, saying a few words at a time, and he could walk too…

“Grandma… birds flying…”

Xie Shikang excitedly pointed at the sparrows on the branches.

Yuan Shi guided him to speak: “It’s a sparrow flying…”

As she was speaking, the courtyard door was suddenly pushed open.

Yuan Shi instinctively held the child in her embrace. Looking up, she saw Concubine Jiang.

“Madam!” Concubine Jiang walked in. “We haven’t seen each other for so long, how have you become so thin… But Kang’er has grown up, that’s wonderful, truly wonderful!”

Yuan Shi’s gaze held caution: “What is this about?”

“Don’t be afraid, Madam.” Concubine Jiang smiled warmly. “I’m acting on the Empress Dowager’s orders to take Kang’er to find his mother.”

“Kang’er’s mother?” Yuan Shi froze completely. “Concubine Tao?”

Concubine Jiang nodded: “On your journey from Jizhou, Madam, you must have heard people mention the Heavenly Maiden, right?”

Yuan Shi had indeed heard of it.

When locked in the pigsty, although she couldn’t get out, she could hear the Xie family clan members chatting. Recently they often mentioned something about the Heavenly Maiden and sweet dew.

She heard that in Xie family village, quite a few villagers went together to request the Heavenly Maiden to bestow sweet dew water.

Before, she had thought that if there was an opportunity, she would also seek sweet dew for Kang’er, hoping Kang’er could quickly become a normal child.

“The Heavenly Maiden is Concubine Tao, Kang’er’s birth mother.” Concubine Jiang spoke. “It’s getting late, let’s hurry.”

Yuan Shi opened her lips in astonishment, completely unable to comprehend.

But she knew this wasn’t the time to ask about these things. She picked up the child and followed her out the door.

At this time, the sun had slowly fallen below the horizon. A trace of afterglow illuminated the earth as the horse carriage drove toward the encampment at the capital’s main gate.

After the sky darkened, the dense mass of people ahead appeared even more alarming, because one couldn’t see the end at a glance. People are always filled with fear toward the unknown.