Xie Ming

As Xiao approached the palace gate, he deliberately befriended Mei Cheng'an in order to delay Qin Jing and Chang Ting's arrival.

However, to everyone's surprise, this boy was quite uncooperative, and his words were veiled and contradictory, suggesting that there was a considerable rift between them.

Afterwards, Eunuch Liu opened the palace gate and went out, urging everyone to hurry.

Caught between these two, Xiao Lang grew increasingly anxious.

"Alright, if that's the case, then let's go to the palace."

"go!"

Finally, glancing around, I realized I couldn't see the person I should see.

Left with no other choice, Xiao hesitated for a long time before finally deciding that he could no longer pretend to delay. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the task of entering the palace.

After speaking, he turned his head and gave a wink to the seven or eight armored soldiers he had brought with him.

The guards, with their clear minds and strategies, threw down their reins and took steps in unison, each one anticipating the next.

But upon witnessing this scene, Mei Cheng'an, standing nearby, frowned and then spoke.

"Uh, wait."

He let Xiao Jiang go, and then hurriedly stepped back to block him.

"The palace is above all else; how dare you barge in?"

"The imperial edict inside only summoned the Duke to the palace; you..."

"You should wait here."

Mei Cheng'an's sudden use of these words was a direct confrontation, intended to make things difficult for him.

"kindness?"

"It's alright, these are all my personal guards, they won't cause any trouble."

"Come on, follow me."

At this point, Xiao no longer wanted to argue with Mei Cheng'an, so he simply brushed it off and ignored him.

However, to everyone's surprise, General Mei was determined to oppose the plan.

"Wait!"

"Your Excellency, this is probably against the rules."

In terms of words, Mei Cheng'an pressed on, and judging from his posture, this man really didn't want to let go.

Upon hearing this, Xiao's anger flared, and his tiger-like eyes fixed intently on the man, his imposing presence undeniable.

"rule?"

"My word is the rule."

"What's wrong?"

"Should we also hand over my sword, Commander Mei?"

Having said all that, Xiao Jiang was now practically gritting his teeth as he said the last two words, "Chief of the Army."

However, it is clear that Mei Cheng'an is determined to sabotage the situation and is using his authority to do so.

"Duke Jingguo, if I am not mistaken, there has never been a precedent in our dynasty for people to wear swords and shoes in the palace."

"You are a scholar-general, so I don't think I need to explain this to you."

"You know perfectly well what is right and wrong."

"Rules are rules."

“If this sets a precedent, it will be difficult to clean up the mess later.” Mei Cheng’an refused to back down an inch.

"You've had enough, kid."

"If I insist on not following the rules, what can you do about it?!"

Xiao Yi raised his voice and stared intently.

The two men were on the verge of drawing their swords, and it seemed that they could draw their swords at any moment.

Suddenly!

At this critical moment, suddenly, a shout came from afar.

"General! General—"

Then, the sound of horses' hooves gradually became clearer.

Before long, Gu Changting arrived at full speed, leaping off his horse and approaching Xiao's side.

"General, we rushed as fast as we could, but thankfully we didn't miss the mission." He clasped his hands in a fist and reported.

However, when he glanced at Mei Cheng'an, he belatedly realized that the atmosphere between Xiao and Mei seemed unusually strange.

"Uh, this"

Of course, with several groups of people in front of him, and everything in chaos, he didn't have time to say much. Behind him, Qin Jingye had already caught up.

"Lord Duke, Qin Jing greets you."

When Qin Jing arrived, Xiao Jingchuan truly breathed a sigh of relief.

The tense atmosphere dissipated considerably.

For a moment, Xiao and Mei had to slow down their stances.

Qin Jing is not like Chang Ting; he has a sharper eye.

Even though the two weren't staring directly at Qin Jing, they could still sense that something was amiss. A quick glance at Xiao and Mei confirmed that something must have happened. As the commander of the Imperial Guards, he immediately had no choice but to question Commander Mei, his eyes filled with tension and anger.

"Cheng'an, what happened?"

But as soon as he lowered his voice and spoke, Qin Jinglian stood up and deliberately moved closer to the two of them.

"Heh, it's nothing, Qin Jing, it's good that you're here."

"This is a very important place, and tonight is different from usual. Please keep a close watch on things."

Unexpectedly, Mei Cheng'an was a man of few words; he was unwilling to speak and remained silent.

Xiao, however, did not want to lose sight of the bigger picture and delay important matters.

So he interrupted and took the lead, said a few words, and then moved on to the next topic.

Hearing this from the person in front of him, Qin Jing, judging from the implication in the words, could probably guess the underlying discord.

Lai Yijue felt that now was not the time to punish him, so he glared at Mei Chengan and had no choice but to give up for the time being.

He turned back and faced Xiao Chu as he hurried away.

"Ah, yes, yes."

"Um, Your Excellency, may I... perhaps we could speak privately?"

Just like that, Qin Jing pulled Xiao aside, their eyes met, and he whispered something in her ear.

"My lord, on the way down, Changting told me the general details of the matter."

"This matter is of utmost importance."

"I still think you shouldn't have gone in so rashly."

"What risks might arise? How could we possibly bear it?"

"If we can stall until dawn tomorrow, we can take advantage of the court assembly to enter the palace again, and the matter will surely be resolved peacefully."

Why rush things?

Well, Changting alone wasn't enough, so Qin Jingye came to persuade them.

Obediently, Xiao Yi had no choice but to explain again.

"Alas, I knew it was dangerous."

"However, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Imperial Concubines are all inside."

"If this matter isn't resolved tonight, I'm afraid these people might resort to desperate measures."

"But if it leads to some irreversible disaster, it will be too late to regret it then."

Xiao's reasoning was still the same old rhetoric.

"But," Qin Jing still intended to offer some advice.

Seeing that the person had arrived, Xiao didn't want to delay any longer, lest things change.

He then forcibly interrupted and offered advice again.

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

"They are nothing but corrupt eunuchs and scoundrels, nothing to be afraid of."

"Now that you're here, you'd better guard this palace gate well for me, and don't let a single mosquito out."

"I led a few armored soldiers into the palace, closed the gates, and beat the dog."

"It won't take half an hour to settle things," Xiao Huai said confidently, disdainful of the scheming and plotting inside.

"No, no, no."

"Lord Duke, since you insist on going to the palace tonight..."

“Then, then I, Qin Jing, will accompany you on this journey.”

But to everyone's surprise, the Qin general had these words waiting for him.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan raised an eyebrow, quite taken aback.

"Nonsense, why are you meddling in this?"

"What are you going to do?" He immediately grinned and frowned, retorting.

"No, that won't do, I'm not comfortable with that."

“I also told Changting on the way here.”

"Either you take me in, or you can just stay away from this door."

They eagerly joined in the donation, truly enjoying the spectacle and never minding making things worse.

In reality, Qin Jing was originally a soldier. After being persuaded to surrender by Xiao Yu in the south, he followed him on his campaign southwards. His feelings for General Xiao were self-evident.

Tonight, he knew that danger lurked within.

His willingness to take the risk and resolutely go together at this moment demonstrates his loyalty and courage.

This was out of concern for Xiao Jingchuan's safety, and thus they decided to follow and protect him.
A loyal heart shines like the moon's frost, a courageous spirit illuminates the vast wilderness.

Before ten thousand cavalrymen, only the death banner remained; for ten years, the wall under their command had not been moved.

The wind howls through the ruined ramparts, the blood still warm; the flag flutters over the lonely city, yet the bones still stand tall.

If you ask where the loyal souls rest, the green mountains will all stand as chapters of gratitude to their lord. (End of Chapter)