Chapter 9

In the Qin Zheng Hall, the emperor, who was over thirty, suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp as he looked at the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards kneeling inside the hall. “What did you say?”

The deputy commander bowed his head. “Last night, the Grand Princess mobilized two hundred elite soldiers to surround the Duke’s mansion. Early this morning, she sent her trusted subordinates out of the city to bring ten thousand soldiers into the capital.”

A look of shock flashed in the emperor’s eyes, followed by a burst of anger. “Is she planning a rebellion?”

“The Grand Princess mobilized troops?” The man standing by, waiting for the meeting, turned pale. “Why so suddenly? Didn’t Donghuang just get married last night? According to the rules, she should be entering the palace today to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Why is she mobilizing troops?”

“I do not know the details,” the deputy commander bowed his head. “Please, Your Majesty, make a decision!”

“Summon the commander of the Imperial Guards, Ying Rong,” the emperor ordered angrily. “Have him come immediately.”

“Yes.”

Ying Rong, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was the top martial artist in the inner court. He was responsible for protecting the inner palace and the emperor’s safety. He was ruthless and loyal only to the emperor.

Hearing the emperor’s summons, Ying Rong seemed to guess what was happening and arrived at the Qin Zheng Hall as quickly as possible.

“Your servant Ying Rong, at your service, Your Majesty.”

“The Grand Princess mobilized troops without authorization, which is considered treason,” Emperor Zhaoming coldly ordered. “I command you to gather the Imperial Guards and arrest the Grand Princess immediately.”

Ying Rong replied, “Your servant obeys!”

“Brother,” the young man bowed and spoke, “shouldn’t we first ask the Grand Princess why she mobilized troops? She just got married yesterday and mobilized troops into the city early this morning. Could it be related to the Duke’s mansion?”

Emperor Zhaoming clenched the red pen in his hand, his eyes dark and gloomy. He naturally guessed the reason. Yesterday was the wedding, and according to the plan, Sheng Jing’an should have put the seven-day poison in the wedding wine. It was uncertain whether Yan Donghuang had drunk that cup of wine.

If she had drunk the wine, even if the poison didn’t act quickly, she shouldn’t have suddenly mobilized troops into the city. Did she not want the antidote anymore?

Or was she using this method to threaten Sheng Jing’an to hand over the antidote?

Emperor Zhaoming’s face was gloomy. “Even if the Duke was disrespectful to her, there is no need for ten thousand soldiers to suppress him. Apart from Sheng Jing’an, the Duke’s mansion is full of old and weak women and children. Who does she want to fight?”

The young man was speechless. “This…”

“If it was just a conflict with the Duke’s mansion, the two hundred elite soldiers from the Grand Princess’s residence would be enough to protect her,” Emperor Zhaoming’s eyes flashed with a dark light, his voice carrying a hint of murderous intent. “I’m afraid Yan Donghuang has treasonous intentions.”

The young man was the emperor’s seventh brother, Prince An, Yan Ling, who had unconditionally supported the emperor during the struggle for the throne. After the new emperor ascended the throne and eliminated his opponents, he was the only surviving prince. Because he had always been on the emperor’s side, Yan Ling understood Donghuang. He knew that she only cared about the country and had never harbored rebellious thoughts.

Hearing the emperor’s words, he couldn’t help but retort, “But Donghuang is a woman, and she just got married yesterday. How could she suddenly have treasonous intentions?”

“What does it matter if she’s a woman?” Emperor Zhaoming scolded. “She has led troops in battle for years. If a woman can lead troops, why can’t she have ambitions to seize power?”

This was a case of adding guilt without evidence.

Ying Rong lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Yan Ling pressed his lips together, a trace of coldness in his eyes. Donghuang had been loyal for many years, killing enemies on the battlefield and steadfastly supporting the emperor’s ascension. Today, she mobilized troops, and the emperor didn’t even ask for the reason before deciding she had treasonous intentions?

Did he always want to kill Yan Donghuang, or did she discover some conspiracy at the Duke’s mansion?

Yan Ling said no more.

The emperor wasn’t entirely wrong. If a woman could go to the battlefield, she could have ambitions to seize power because she conquered half of the Yong dynasty’s territory. She had the right to aspire.
Back then, during the struggle for the throne, the princes were evenly matched. If not for the favored Princess Qingluan’s assistance, how could the Empress Dowager and the emperor have easily won the throne?

But once the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked.

An eternal truth.

“Ying Rong,” Emperor Zhaoming, unaware of Yan Ling’s thoughts, coldly ordered, “no matter how many people you need, you must arrest Yan Donghuang!”

“Yes,” Ying Rong accepted the order and left.

“Brother,” Yan Ling suppressed his complicated thoughts, “let me go to the Duke’s mansion and see what happened last night.”

Emperor Zhaoming was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. “If Yan Donghuang has any harmful intentions towards the Duke’s mansion, you must find a way to stop her.”

“Your servant obeys,” Yan Ling bowed and left the Qin Zheng.

Standing on the palace steps, looking into the distance, Yan Ling suddenly felt a bit cold, sensing that a storm was brewing in the palace.

The Duke’s mansion was a hereditary dukedom, a noble family in Yong, most prominent during the reign of Emperor Shengzu, earning the title and mansion through military achievements. Unfortunately, the descendants were somewhat thin after two generations, and each generation was more mediocre than the last, making the family less prominent. Without outstanding achievements and official support, the mansion’s decline was inevitable. When Emperor Shengzu granted the title to the Sheng family, he promised it could be inherited for three generations without demotion, and Sheng Jing’an’s father was the third generation. As the son of the Duke, Sheng Jing’an often accompanied his father to the palace and occasionally visited military camps. He seemed to want to follow his ancestors’ military path, thus gaining some favor from the late emperor.

Yan Donghuang, being a princess skilled in martial arts, was taught by the late emperor from a young age and often met Sheng Jing’an, making them childhood friends. The late Duke probably saw that his son wasn’t suited for military leadership, so he often brought him to Yan Donghuang, using his relationship with the late emperor to create a childhood friendship.

From a father’s perspective, the late Duke was undoubtedly a competent father. He planned for his son and the Sheng family, created opportunities for his son to bond with the martial Princess, and made marriage a natural outcome—things developed as he expected.

At twelve, Yan Donghuang followed the late emperor to the battlefield, initially training, then repeatedly earning military merits, and eventually leading troops alone. She was titled Grand Princess, showing her extraordinary abilities. Before his death, the late emperor arranged their marriage. This marriage was the best choice for both the Sheng family and Yan Donghuang because the Sheng family needed a meritorious daughter-in-law, and Yan Donghuang, who had no mother and was somewhat solitary, showed warmth only with Sheng Jing’an.

Marriage could soften her—if the Sheng family treated her sincerely.

However, fate is unpredictable. The two who arranged the marriage were gone. The late emperor passed away, and the Duke died. What would happen next was beyond their control.

Yan Ling sighed softly. As he left the palace, he saw the silent, imposing Qingluan elite soldiers lining the imperial road. Officials arrived early for court, those far away changing into court robes at the hour of the tiger and those closer arriving at the palace before the hour of the rabbit.

The Qingluan army probably entered the inner city after the officials went to court to avoid causing a stir. Riding in a carriage, he first went to the Duke’s mansion. It was already near the hour of the snake, and the two hundred elite soldiers had gradually moved all the dowry to the Princess’s residence.

Outside the Duke’s mansion, it was deathly silent. The two gatekeepers, pale with fear, saw Yan Ling alight from the carriage and, after a moment of shock, knelt with a thud. “Greetings, Prince An.”