Xie Ming

More than ten garrison cavalrymen lined up, with General Xiao, heavily armored, leaping onto his horse at the head.

As the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) draws to a close, a cold moon hangs on a lonely branch.

This group of armored cavalrymen rode away from the mansion and just reached the entrance of Qianyan Alley.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, at this very moment, a person suddenly ran out from the shadows beside a pile of firewood at the corner of the alley and stopped the car in the street.

"who!"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yi reined in his horse and was genuinely startled.

As defenders pressed forward, the sound of swords being drawn rang out in rapid succession, without any sign of slackness.

However, he then borrowed a torch from Changting to investigate.

Unexpectedly, this person was none other than Xiao Chunzi, the eunuch who served Yu Zhen.

To be honest, this person had met Xiao Jingchuan a few months ago in the suburbs of Huzhou.

This young eunuch truly contributed to rescuing Yuzhen and Consort An from danger.

Seeing that the man was loyal to his master and also clever, Xiao later took some care of him.

But who could have predicted that he would stop them today?
However, seeing his flustered appearance, Xiao Juma, on the spot, felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

I fear that there might be the slightest mishap or loss at Yuzhen's place.

You are the fragile spring of this world, and I am the shield that keeps me awake all night.
Afterwards, Xiao Chunzi, in a great hurry, revealed all the intrigues and secrets within the palace.

They said the eunuchs were plotting a rebellion and were waiting to kill the general.

He also recounted in detail how the Empress Dowager and Consort Hui were coerced into this situation.

How did the Empress Dowager find Yuzhen, and how did Consort Yihui secretly scheme to get him to report?

The verbal order was false; there was no other way but to accept it.

That's how it is, and that's how it is.

Upon hearing the young man's detailed and detailed report, General Xiao was greatly alarmed.

Unexpectedly, such a deadly trap was hidden within.

Thankfully, the news came in time. Otherwise, if I had recklessly plunged in, I would have been terrified and feared for my life.

Then, when Xiao Chunzi stopped talking, even Gu Changting, who was listening, was speechless with astonishment.

Before Xiao Lang could finish his thought and remain silent, he took two steps forward on his horse and quickly urged him to stop.

"General, this..."

"Fortunately, the little eunuch in front of the Empress Dowager came to inform us, otherwise we would have just stood there and gone, wouldn't that have been a disaster?"

"General, now that things have been clarified, we must not act rashly."

"Since the master is not here, I think it would be best to discuss this with Young Master Qiu first."

"As for those traitorous scum in the palace, we'll deal with them sooner or later. They won't be able to escape the palace walls anyway."

Gu Changting offered wise advice, and his loyalty and courage need no further explanation.

However, it is true that Xiao Jiang is worried about Yu Zhen's safety and his subordinates are unwilling to rely on him.

"Uh," she said, frowning as she gazed at the night sky and stars.

"What time is it now?" Suddenly, an unexpected question arose.

As luck would have it, Xiao Chunzi was quick-witted and rushed to inform the horse in front of him.

"My lord, it's already the end of Xu hour, and it will be Hai hour soon." The reply came quickly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan exhaled a puff of white breath into the night wind from his horse.

"Forget it, it's too late. Going to Feiyu's place will just be another hassle."

"The situation in the palace is critical. It is difficult to predict the exact situation of the Empress Dowager, Consort Hui, and the Emperor."

"We must deal with this as soon as possible, lest things change if we delay."

"I'll stop here. You may all come with me to the palace."

"They're just some eunuchs causing trouble, nothing more than petty thieves. What can they do to me?"

In the end, Xiao Lang still couldn't let go of Yu Zhen's worries, and he didn't hesitate to take risks.

Upon hearing this, Changting became impatient. His duty was to protect the general and ensure his safety.

Right now, it's clear that just a palace wall separates the two sides, but inside lies a dangerous and treacherous place.

Those rebellious officials were just waiting for Xiao to fall into their trap.

Given such danger, how could Changting not stand up and persuade him?

"General, General, be careful!"

"After all, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. If something goes wrong, then..." he said anxiously.

However, Xiao Jiang seemed to have already made up his mind, and it was difficult for him to stop offering his advice. So he gestured with his hand, stopping the conversation.

"Okay, okay, okay."

"The key is that even if we calculate things further, what can we do about this huge black thing?"

"The incident happened in the palace. At this hour, we can't just openly lead a whole troop of people to trample the palace on horseback, can we?"

"In my opinion, even if there are some petty scoundrels, they won't amount to much. Why would I be afraid of them?"

"Let's finish this quickly; there's no need for a major conflict."

"After all, the Empress Dowager and Consort Hui are in the inner room."

"It's hard to say whether they've been taken hostage right now."

"We should turn the tables on him and catch him off guard; that's the right thing to do." He acted unilaterally.

Seeing this trend, the anxious Gu Changting still tried to stop him.

"General."

However, Xiao Lang was impatient and straightforward, offering further details.

"Alright, there's no need to persuade me anymore."

Immediately, he turned his gaze straight ahead and fixed it on the front of the horse.

"Yes, Xiao Chunzi, do you know who the Imperial Guards are on duty at the palace gate tonight?" He was just about to ask.

"Oh, I understand, Your Highness."

"It is Mei Cheng'an, Commander Mei."

Xiaochunzi answered without hesitation, without the slightest ambiguity.

Upon hearing this, Xiao's eyes flickered.

"Oh?"

Mei took a deep breath and devised a plan.

"Okay, then let's do this."

"Changting, send someone to take Xiaochunzi to find Feiyu. Go now."

“When you get there, Xiao Chunzi, tell Qiu Qianyuan (Qiu Zhizhong, who was newly appointed as the head of the Censorate, hence the title) what you just told me without holding back.”

"He will have his own plans." Xiao Jingchuan said before leaving.

Upon hearing this, Xiaochunzi acted swiftly and decisively, clasping her hands in greeting to announce her acceptance of the appointment.

"Ah, yes, yes, I understand."

After speaking, Xiao Lang turned his head to look at Gu Changting again.

"Also, Changting, you still need to make a trip there in person."

"Go find Qin Jing immediately. Right now, he's either in the guardhouse outside the palace or in the east courtyard of his family home."

"Go check the duty room first; the chances are higher there."

"Find him and have him come with you to meet me at the palace gate."

"If we encounter Qin Jing, there's no need to worry. Just tell him how urgent things are here," Xiao gave another order.

Upon receiving the order, Changting saw that the general intended to ask for more help, and his eyes lit up. He then readily accepted the order with a smile.

"Yes, I understand."

A series of arrangements were made, and time was of the essence; there was no time for idle chatter.

He then gave the order to stop, and Changting took the lead, leaping forward twice, and galloped away and disappeared from sight.

At the same time, at Xiaochunzi's place, the messenger also hurried along with the guards.

Seeing both sides leave the team, Xiao took a deep breath, his eyes sharp as knives, and he seemed to be fully prepared and mustering his strength.

"Alright, brothers, let's go. We'll stay in the same direction and keep riding towards the palace gate."

"drive--"

Without further ado, he lashed the whip, and the white horse beneath him reared up and galloped forward again.

Several people lined up behind him also moved, keeping up closely.

The dark alleyway was like a ravine, where horses' hooves seemed to freeze; the northern wind pierced to the bone, and the firelight was blue.

Ahead, the palace wall looms, casting a shadow that seems to press in; one can almost hear the clanging of rusty locks within the deep chambers.

The wind peers through the cold arrow in the midnight fog, the moon hides behind a sliver of light from the hanging blade.

Desiring to rein in the silken path and forge a blood-soaked trail, to part the clouds and reopen the Nine Heavens Court. (End of Chapter)