But Wei Hong shook his head, his gaze resolute despite the gauntness on his face, which had been thin from the long journey day and night.
"I don't want her to wait a second longer."
She was so timid that every moment in the palace was torture for her.
The capital city will always be here; it won't run away. He can attack it at any time.
But he only has one Ning'er. If something really happens to her, he will never be able to find her again in his lifetime, just like he will never be able to find his mother.
He had already missed one chance to save his loved ones, and he would not allow himself to miss a second.
Chapter 109 Meeting
"Are you sure it's the King of Qin himself?"
Inside the council chamber, Wei Chi asked in a deep voice.
News just came from outside the palace that the King of Qin had appeared near Wa'angou two days ago.
Appearing in Wa'an Valley means that we are not far from the capital, or even that we may have already arrived in the vicinity of the capital.
Liu Fu lowered his eyes and replied, "Absolutely right, it is the King of Qin himself."
"It's a pity that only two scouts discovered him at the time. He was also accompanied by many trusted men. The two scouts knew that they couldn't defeat him on their own, so one of them went to ask for reinforcements, while the other continued to follow him."
"By the time the scout who had requested the troops arrived, another scout had already been discovered by the King of Qin's men and died in the dense forest. The King of Qin's whereabouts were thus lost."
"After their fruitless search, they immediately sent someone to the capital to tell His Majesty to make preparations as soon as possible."
Wei Chi pursed his lips, his face was tense, and his eyes burned with two clusters of fire.
The King of Qin came from Shangchuan, but no trace of him was discovered along the way, which shows that he must have brought a small number of troops. He must have secretly sneaked here to rescue his queen.
Having few troops meant they couldn't compete with the capital's army. Even though the Jingyuan Army could fight ten men against one, they were still just ordinary people, without three heads and six arms.
If they were surrounded by an army that far outnumbered them, they would surely face certain death.
"Your Majesty! This is an opportunity not to be missed! We must seize this chance to eliminate the King of Qin!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, once the King of Qin is dead, all the things the Queen Consort of Qin said in court will be of no concern!"
The Princess Consort of Qin was willing to risk her life to expose His Majesty's actions, wasn't it all for the sake of the Prince of Qin?
What would be the point if the King of Qin died?
In the end, the living will have the final say on whether it's black or white.
Wei Chi raised his eyes, the fire in them burning even brighter.
Someone in the hall continued, "The Prince of Qin has committed a capital offense by not being summoned back to the capital. Your Majesty should not hesitate any longer and should immediately send troops to arrest him!"
"no!"
Someone nearby spoke up in denial.
"The Princess Consort of Qin is in the capital. She made those remarks in court a few days ago. If the news of the Prince of Qin appearing near the capital is spread now, everyone will think that he has come to rescue the Princess Consort."
“Recently, the army has been somewhat unsettled because of the arrival of the Princess of Qin in the capital. If those guards who are familiar with the Prince of Qin find him first, they might secretly let him go. Even if they do manage to capture him in the end, they certainly won't take his life, but will send him to the capital.”
"At that time, those people led by Lord Zhou will certainly not allow His Majesty to kill the Prince of Qin so easily, but will demand that he come to court to confront him."
"The more he says, the worse it will be for His Majesty, so... he'd better die outside the capital! And die quietly!"
No one knew that the King of Qin had come to the capital, so no one could prove that Wei Chi had killed him without a joint trial by the three judicial authorities.
Even if the people of Shuozhou come to question us in the future, who would admit to something without evidence? They could say that Shuozhou is slandering them and using this as an excuse to send troops against the imperial court.
"Your Majesty, things could change in the future. We absolutely cannot let the Prince of Qin enter the capital alive! Otherwise, who knows what might happen!"
The man cupped his hands in greeting.
Wei Chi pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.
"I have heard that... recently there have been many bandits in various places, robbing merchants and travelers along the way. Some cruel bandits and brigands kill and rob, sparing neither men, women, nor children."
"In that case, it is time to send troops to suppress the bandits, so as to prevent people from being in a state of panic, so that the common people will not dare to go out to visit their relatives, and merchants will not dare to go out to do business."
His tone shifted so quickly that some people didn't react in time, but those with sharp minds immediately understood what he meant and continued, "That's right, I heard that a few days ago, bandits appeared on an official road only a few dozen miles from the capital, and they even robbed an official's family!"
"How dare they be so arrogant right under the emperor's nose! They really deserve to be punished!"
Wei Chi nodded: "Then let's put this matter on the agenda at tomorrow's morning court session."
Whether or not someone actually robbed officials' homes near the capital was not important; he just needed an excuse to mobilize troops.
Even if this didn't happen, if they say it does, then it could happen anytime.
If someone brings up this matter at tomorrow's court assembly, he can use the pretext of suppressing bandits to find Wei Hong's whereabouts and secretly kill him.
Of course, the troops sent to "suppress the bandits" were all his trusted soldiers; there were no other guards.
Everyone understood and nodded in agreement, thinking it was a good idea. They would contact the generals tonight and have them send some men to search secretly, and then send out a large army to search tomorrow. They were sure they would find the whereabouts of the King of Qin!
Since the King of Qin brought few men, there was no need to worry that he could break into the capital within two or three days.
Even if they broke into the capital, it would be impossible for them to storm into the palace and take Princess Qin away.
After the death of the Imperial Concubine, the late emperor replaced almost all the palace staff. Princess Qin could hardly even walk out of the palace where she was imprisoned, let alone reach Huayang Gate.
They were certain that the King of Qin had not yet entered the capital, but was instead searching for a way to secretly rescue the Queen Consort. So they gathered together and focused intently on discussing who would lead the "bandit suppression" operation. But before they could finalize their choices, a sharp, piercing cry suddenly rang out from outside: "It's terrible! It's terrible! The King of Qin has led his men to attack!"
Everyone in the hall was stunned for a moment, then chaos erupted. Some rushed towards the door to escape, while others, regaining their senses, immediately protected Wei Chi, shouting, "Protect His Majesty!"
The person who had reached the door was also startled awake by the shout. After opening the door, he paused, but instead of leaving, he grabbed the palace servant who was about to rush in, pretending that he had only come to ask someone a question.
"How could the King of Qin enter the palace so quietly? What are you shouting about?"
Let alone entering the palace, it's impossible for them to even enter the capital!
If he wanted to save people, he couldn't have come alone; he would have brought at least several hundred people with him.
A few hundred people entering the capital, could they possibly escape the eyes of the city gate guards? Are they all blind?
The palace servant, his face filled with panic, pointed outside and stammered, "They're...they're really coming! He..."
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Fu, who had rushed over, pulled him away.
After Liu Fu pulled the palace servants aside and pushed aside the officials blocking his way, he walked straight to Wei Chi.
"Your Majesty, the King of Qin has somehow dug a secret passage through the palace and led three hundred men through it, heading straight for you."
"Fortunately, their numbers are small. I have ordered men to guard this place firmly, which will surely protect Your Majesty's safety."
The officials in the hall and Wei Chi all breathed a sigh of relief, but then remembered something and asked urgently, "Where is Princess Qin? Have they sent anyone to guard her?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already sent people over there, and they will absolutely not allow them to take Princess Qin away!"
Liu Fu was always reliable in his work, which put Wei Chi at ease, but he was still not completely at ease. He sat in the hall, anxiously waiting for news from outside.
Wei Hong has limited manpower and it is impossible for him to kill his way to him in this palace. His only worry is that Yao Youqing and Yao Yuzhi will be rescued by him.
If these two are rescued, he will have nothing left to control him, and he will become unscrupulous and could start a war against the court at any time.
Unfortunately, that vile woman Yao Youqing had just spouted nonsense in court a few days ago, giving the King of Qin an excuse to send troops!
If the King of Qin were to declare war on him now, the number of people responding would certainly be much greater than before, making him even more difficult to deal with!
Wei Chi sat at the table, frowning, feeling agitated. Just as he was about to send someone out to inquire, a palace servant suddenly stumbled in, his voice hoarse, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Qin... the Prince of Qin's men have brought firewood and oil! They've blocked all the roads leading outside! Even the nearby palaces have been burned down! Outside... outside is all on fire! Everywhere is on fire! All on fire!"
The palace maid was clearly terrified; as she spoke, she sat down on the ground and burst into tears.
Wei Chi and the others, who had just begun to relax, suddenly felt their hearts leap into their throats again, even more anxious than before.
Just then, a palace servant rushed in, saying that the men Liu Fu had sent to mobilize troops to surround Baoqing Palace had been intercepted and killed on the way, and the news had not been able to get out.
Liu Fu frowned, turned around and walked outside. Standing at the door, he looked around and saw flames everywhere, completely surrounding the place!
Wei Chi followed closely behind him and came out as well. His expression suddenly changed, and he gripped the door frame tightly with one hand.
The King of Qin had no intention of fighting his men; instead, he deliberately set fire to trap him!
The fire was raging all around, and it was impossible to extinguish it by the Water Dragon Bureau alone [Note]. At this moment, everyone who saw the fire must have rushed over to help put it out. They didn't care about Yao Youqing or Yao Yuzhi anymore. They would be grateful if they could rescue the emperor of the country safely!
Even if someone remembered those two, they would send very few people. Wei Hong might have already broken into Baoqing Palace and rescued them!
He gritted his teeth in anger, slammed his fist on the door, and flung his sleeves back into the hall. Even though he knew of the King of Qin's scheme, he was helpless.
...
Yao Youqing, with her veil covering her face, looked at the glaring red before her eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but her sobs grew softer and softer. She had almost exhausted all her strength in the previous struggle.
She was bound and sitting on the edge of the bed. Her wrists were chafed raw from the ropes as she struggled, but she could no longer feel the pain. She only felt dizzy and as if she was about to faint at any moment.
But before she could actually faint, a palace maid outside suddenly shouted, "Fire! Fire over there!"
Hearing the commotion, the palace maids in the room ran out and saw that there was indeed a fire outside. Although it was far away, the fire looked very big.
"What happened? Why would something suddenly change like this..."
Before he could finish his sentence, it was cut off as a gasp of surprise.
Suddenly, a troop of soldiers appeared as if descended from the heavens, rushing in from outside and reaching them before they could react. The leader strode into the hall without even glancing at them.
This palace is guarded day and night. The fact that these people were able to break in means that the guards must be dead, yet they didn't hear a sound!
The palace maids screamed and scattered to avoid them. Some of the soldiers who entered drove them aside, while others followed the leader into the hall.
Wei Hong already knew that Yao Youqing was being held in Baoqing Hall, so he had someone impersonate him and go to the council hall, while he changed into ordinary soldier's clothes and came here directly.
But to his surprise, everything inside was a vibrant red, as if... as if some kind of happy occasion was about to take place!
His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed into the inner hall. There he saw a woman dressed in a bright red wedding gown, with a red veil covering her face, sitting on the bed with her hands tied behind her back and her shoulders trembling from time to time with her sobs.
Wei Hong felt a dull pain in his chest and walked towards her. The woman heard the footsteps and, not knowing who it was, struggled violently, making indistinct whimpering sounds.
Wei Hong quickly stepped forward, pressed down on her shoulders, and lifted her veil.
"Ning'er, it's me!"
Yao Youqing saw the person in front of her through her swollen eyes, and tears welled up in her eyes. After the gag was removed from her mouth, she sobbed and threw herself into his arms: "Your Highness!"