Then there was the former head of the Imperial Guards, Xie Yuchang, who was implicated in the Wude Gate incident. Because of his inability to control his subordinates, he was stripped of his position by the Emperor and is now idling away at home.
Yet, Xie Yuchang had managed the Imperial Guards for many years, and even though he was dismissed, he still held considerable influence within the guard.
Perhaps, Xie Yuchang could help the Crown Prince survive.
Among the people Fan Yuhuai coerced, were those initially placed by my eldest sister, but these individuals cannot be revealed to the Crown Prince. Otherwise, when Dadu City is pacified someday, the Crown Prince will undoubtedly suspect the Bai family and my eldest sister.
At this moment, Bai Jinxiu was plunged into a deeper problem. She was uncertain whether her eldest sister intended to help the Crown Prince ascend the throne, or... she wanted to revolutionize the world order.
Although her eldest sister never explicitly stated, Bai Jinxiu vaguely sensed her eldest sister’s ambition to change the world order. Her resolve to unify the realm was stronger than any ancestor of the Bai family. However, the Crown Prince was not a ruler with great ambition.
If the ruler’s ambition was merely to defend the territory, then as a minister... one could not have overly grand ambitions. Too far-reaching ambitions would provoke the ruler’s suspicion. Bai Jinxiu believed her eldest sister understood this very well.
Therefore, Bai Jinxiu guessed... her eldest sister intended to replace the Lin family’s imperial power.
Then, in this case... the Crown Prince must die, but not too early. The crime of treason must firmly be placed on King Liang, and they should be allowed to fight each other to the end within Dadu City.
·
The Residence of King Liang.
King Liang sat behind the desk, entirely different from his usually timid and cowardly demeanor. His elbow leaned on the armrest of the chair, and the half of his face illuminated by the candlelight was chillingly cold.
"Military reports take time to return from the Liang Kingdom. Given the speed at which the Princess of Zhen is capturing cities, it’s possible she has already taken Jiangdu, Yangjiang... or even Yuegu and Hancheng!" Li Mingrui’s voice was deep, "Your Highness cannot delay any longer! Only when the Emperor and the Crown Prince are dead, can you rightfully ascend the throne. Whether it is the Princess of Zhen or Liu Hong, they will have to bow down and will no longer pose any threat!"
As he spoke, Li Mingrui glanced at the one-eyed Fan Yuhuai: "Before coming to the Residence of King Liang, I had already informed Lord Fan to replace all the defending soldiers in Dadu City with our own men. Your Highness, the Imperial Guards and half of the Patrol Camp are now under our control. Neither the Princess of Zhen nor Liu Hong can interfere, now is the perfect time!"
King Liang rubbed the armrest of his chair contemplatively. If it hadn’t been for Bai Qingyan during the last Wude Gate incident, he would have become the supreme emperor by now.
Li Mingrui was right. Currently, Jin Kingdom’s main forces were all in Liang Kingdom. In Dadu City... the Imperial Guards were under Fan Yuhuai’s command, and half of the Patrol Camp had also been coerced by Fan Yuhuai. It was indeed the right time and place.
As a member of the Imperial Family, as long as he decided now, and issued the Imperial Edict to Liu Hong and Bai Qingyan, the situation would be settled.
Otherwise, if it was not accomplished before Liu Hong and Bai Qingyan returned with their troops, it would be too late.
After the last Wude Gate incident, even though a favored concubine in the Liang King palace spoke on his behalf, his trust with the Emperor had never been the same. If he did not seize this opportunity to stage a coup, it would be difficult for him to achieve the supreme throne in the future.
Determined, King Liang looked up at Fan Yuhuai: "Then, I entrust everything to you, Lord Fan!"
After watching Shen Bozhong leave with her mother and Wang Geer at the side door of the Princess of Zhen’s residence, Bai Jinxiu ordered the guards to send Nanny Luo to the Qin Mansion, while she herself hurried to the Crown Prince’s residence on horseback.
On the way to the Crown Prince’s residence, Bai Jinxiu passed by the Xie Mansion, and unexpectedly ran into Xie Yuchang, who had just returned home.
When Bai Jinxiu told Xie Yuchang about Fan Yuhuai and Li Mingrui following King Liang, possibly planning to kill the Crown Prince and force a coup, Xie Yuchang didn’t appear surprised.
Xie Yuchang cupped his hands towards Bai Jinxiu and said: "To be honest, Mrs. Qin, some of my close subordinates in the Imperial Guard had mentioned this to me before."
"Commander Xie was implicated in the Wude Gate incident and is still idling at home. It’s said that only in times of chaos can heroes emerge. Although this is a crisis for Dadu City, it is also an opportunity... an opportunity for Commander Xie to atone for his crimes and earn merits. Commander Xie, as long as you protect the Crown Prince, you will be a great meritorious official!" Bai Jinxiu calmly said to Xie Yuchang.
Looking at the second Miss Bai, Bai Jinxiu, Xie Yuchang thought of the Princess of Zhen. If it were the women of other families who heard of such matters, they would have been terrified.
Indeed... this second Miss Bai had fought in battles alongside the King of Zhen. The women of the Bai family were indeed extraordinary!
Xie Yuchang pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, clenched his fist tightly and said: "I just don’t know... whether the Crown Prince would still be willing to use me!"
"That is not a problem. If General Xie Yuchang is willing to protect the Crown Prince, you should immediately gather your old subordinates from the Imperial Guard. This must be done secretly!" Bai Jinxiu tightened her palm, "If I’m not mistaken... King Liang and Li Mingrui, along with Fan Yuhuai and others, will likely act tonight."
Xie Yuchang nodded: "They must have heard the news that the Princess of Zhen is about to capture Hancheng and feared that if they waited any longer, once the Princess of Zhen, Commandery Princess Gaoyi, and General Liu returned with their troops, they would have no chance left!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress