nucmednet Chapter 161 Catching a turtle in a urn
Chapter 161 Catching a turtle in a urn
The palace was surrounded by three layers of walls.
The soldiers stationed outside were from the Helan Prefecture, led by Mu Kong, who, wearing heavy armor and holding a spear, moved among the soldiers. The original imperial guards had vanished without a trace.
Mu Kong seemed to have spotted the two people running towards him at once. He stopped Helan with his spear and said, "Girl, go back."
"Let me in." Helan tightened the reins in his hands, ready to rush in at any time.
"The situation is not right now. It's hard to tell who's friend and foe. Miss, don't hurt yourself." Mu Kong grabbed the reins on one side of her, trying to control her. He lowered his voice and said, "The Third Prince and others are currently in Hengyang Palace. The old general is also there. His Majesty passed away suddenly without an imperial decree. I'm afraid there will be a fierce battle!"
"I want to go in!" Helan seemed to be unwilling to accept any explanation and was ready to rush in.
Mu Kong looked straight at the horse's head, his face blocked by the helmet. Helan Xuenuo couldn't see his expression, she only heard Mu Kong say the word "good".
The soldiers made way.
Helan and Yaniang ran inside.
Mu Kong ordered a soldier, "Go tell General Yuan that Miss Helan has gone in. Make sure to protect her safety."
When passing by the Jinyang Palace where the emperor held court, he saw a circle of people gathered outside, each holding a long sword, and they surrounded the Jinyang Palace so tightly that no one could get in or out.
Yaniang took a deep look and quickened her pace to catch up with Helan.
By the time they reached Hengyang Palace, thirty percent of the troops were stationed inside and outside, half of them were Yuan Xu's men, and half were from the palace.
It was quiet inside.
The young soldiers of the Yuan Mansion seemed to know of their arrival and welcomed them in, only asking them to wait in the outer hall.
Inside the hall, the Second Prince, the Queen and others were sitting and waiting for Shouchun to come out and deliver the message. Also in the hall were Gu Shicheng, Yuan Xu, General Helan and others.
Uncle Yuan was in the outer hall.
Seeing Helan Xuenuo and Yaniang coming, he raised his brows worriedly, "What time is it now? Go back quickly!"
Helan looked into the hall. The third prince had red eyes and lowered his head, occasionally looking up at the door of the bedroom.
The second prince only sat on half of the chair, leaving half of his body exposed. He also looked around, but he was more nervous. From time to time, he would glance at the third prince, and there was not only anxiety but also a bit of pride in his eyes.
No one drank a sip of the tea around them.
On the other hand, Gu Shicheng had lost his usual coolness and seemed to have wilted. He stood with his back turned, fiddling with a few bamboo leaves in his hands.
General Helan saw Helan Xuenuo at a glance, and when he was about to jump up, he was held down by Yuan Xu. Yuan Xu and Helan looked at each other, and he said a few words to General Helan, and the old general calmed down, but there were still traces of sadness in his eyes.
Helan's heart also became nervous. General Helan had followed His Majesty since he was young, and then assisted the prince. After the prince died unexpectedly, he only followed His Majesty loyally.
Now that His Majesty is dead, how can he not be sad?
Yuan Xu stood up and walked to the Second Prince's side. After whispering for a while, he walked towards the outer hall. As soon as he came out, he glanced at Yaniang and asked, "I asked you to watch people, why did you come to the palace?"
Yaniang shrugged.
Helan grabbed his hand and said, "I'm worried..."
Uncle Yuan sighed with relief and patted Helan, "Good daughter-in-law! You must not make any mistakes. Listen to your uncle and go back obediently."
Helan didn't dare look at Uncle Yuan, fearing he would chase her away. She held onto Yuan Xu's hand tightly. Yuan Xu gathered her cloak and brushed off the snow stains on her clothes. He said helplessly, "Hengyang Palace is the most dangerous right now. Your mother and my mother are both in Jinyang Palace. You should go there too."
Helan nodded in compromise, but Yaniang seemed impatient and dragged her away...
Before they could leave, Shouchun's voice rang out from the hall. He had probably been crying, his voice was hoarse, and his old body was even more hunched. He stepped out of the bedroom step by step, and he glanced at everyone in the hall. His eyes stopped at the Second Prince, and then he withdrew his disappointment, "His Highness has passed away!"
The Second Prince hurriedly asked, "What did Father say? Where is the imperial edict?"
Shouchun shook his head, feeling as if his backbone had been pulled out, and almost fell to the ground. Gu Shicheng helped him over and let him sit on a chair.
The Second Prince pressed the issue again, "Is Father really gone?"
Princess Ning'an walked out of the bedroom and said, "Uncle Emperor is gone." She was wearing a veil and was terrifyingly calm, without any emotion being detected.
The Third Prince jumped up from his chair, wiping away his tears. "Second brother, can't you just let Father go peacefully? Is this Hengyang Palace so attractive? Does it make you forget Father's kindness?"
"Stop being hypocritical!" The second prince put his hands behind his back and was already impatient. He waved his hand and everyone in the outer hall gathered around him.
The Queen slammed the table in anger, "Gu Yanli! You're just a servant's child? And you still dream of becoming the ruler of Hengyang Palace?"
"I'm not worthy? Then who do you think is worthy, mother?" The second prince waved his hand again, and the two guards beside him drew their swords and pointed them at the queen.
The Queen's guards also drew their swords, and the two sides became somewhat tense. She sneered, "You... just don't deserve it!"
The Third Prince stopped the Queen, tears still in his eyes, "Mother, that's enough! Father just left! Can you let him go in peace?"
"Useless thing!" The Queen flung her long sleeves and gazed at the Second Prince with aloof pride. "Xingzhi is my son! In terms of bloodline and whether he is legitimate or not, he should be the most suitable heir to the throne of Donglai Kingdom!"
"Then I will let you know who will rule the Donglai Kingdom!" The second prince snatched the teacup and threw it down. The two armies received the imperial edict and started fighting.
Helan Xuenuo and Yaniang didn't have time to leave and joined the battle.
"General Helan, let's capture them!" The second prince looked determined to win.
But General Helan drew his sword, protected the Queen and the Third Prince, and pointed his sword at the Second Prince.
The second prince's heart trembled, knowing that he had fallen into a trap. He was escorted out of the palace by his personal guards. He glanced at General Yuan and found that Yuan's soldiers had rebelled and started fighting with his men.
The Second Prince was protected and mounted on his horse. He shouted into the palace, "Prince Ding'an, kill them!"
However, an accident happened again. Gu Shicheng looked at him meaningfully and smashed the cup as a signal. The soldiers of the palace surrounded the second prince's men, and the second prince's men were completely trapped.
The Second Prince was completely panicked. He fled outside Hengyang Palace under the escort of his personal guards. Hundreds of people were protecting him, but he was still unwilling to give up. He looked towards the palace gate and asked, "Where are Mengnan's troops?"
At this moment, the Second Prince of Mengnan entered with a group of soldiers. The Second Prince smiled sideways, feeling a little relieved. He still had hope. He shouted, "Kill them for me. When I ascend the throne, there will be a huge reward!"
At the same time, the third prince Yuan Xu and others came out. The third prince shouted to stop, and the sounds of fighting around gradually died down.
Behind the second prince were Meng Nan's troops, in front of him were the troops of Yuan Mansion and Wang Mansion, as well as his own group of Jingwei personal soldiers.
The fight between the two sides stopped at this moment.
The Second Prince laughed heartily and gave the Third Prince a disdainful look. "Gu Xingzhi, you've always said you don't fight for anything and don't want anything! So you've always been playing the easy game in front of me! Compared to those who clearly state what they want, you really disgust me!"
The Third Prince's face was still flushed from crying. He lowered his head, seeming somewhat helpless. "Second Brother, I never wanted to fight for anything! I've come to this point because of you! As long as you surrender today, I will spare your life and we can still be brothers."
"Brother?" The second prince's eyes darkened. He grabbed a longbow and shot an arrow at the third prince, but Yuan Xu blocked it with a knife.
The Second Prince's expression completely lost its optimism. He gritted his teeth and glared at Yuan Xu and He Lan, "You two are such good actors! You've tricked me into a complete mess! Do you think I'm going to lose just like that?" He laughed heartily, pointing at the Mengnan troops behind him, "You never imagined it! I still have Mengnan's help!"
"Are you really here to help you?" Helan's inexplicable smile made the Second Prince panic. He dared not speculate any further...
The Second Prince looked back and saw a carriage standing among the Mengnan soldiers. The curtain of the carriage was lifted and Princess Mengnan stepped out. She sneered and said, "Your Highness, I'm not dead. Are you disappointed?"