"What?!
An Ling, you are clearly my subordinate, why do you only report such important matters to Feng Si~"
...
"Rong San, what time is it, and you're still in the mood to joke!"
"How is it a joke~
When it comes to this issue, this king is being unprecedentedly serious and earnest, okay~"
"Alright, tell me what's going on."
The new Emperor spoke at the opportune moment, ending the discussion that would yield no results.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, news just came from outside the palace stating that Prince Wu Cheng, who was guarding the imperial mausoleum, has gone missing.
Because Prince Wu Cheng had a habit of napping after meals, those responsible for monitoring him didn't pay much attention when he did not wake up for a long time.
Later, Prince Wu Cheng's attendant claimed he had caught a cold and needed bed rest, and that no one was to disturb him.
But even if one is sick, they still need a doctor and medicine.
The monitors sensed something was amiss and found an excuse to check.
As a result, they discovered that Prince Wu Cheng was no longer in the room."
Upon hearing this, the new Emperor asked with a furrowed brow:
"Do we know where Prince Wu Cheng went?"
"Although we don't know, according to the news from Bai Er.
It's said that Lian Cheng Yi, who was cured by him, has also gone missing tonight.
Fortunately, Rong San is somewhat intelligent and knew to have people watch Ren Ji Tang.
According to those ambushed there, Lian Cheng Yi, whose poison was just cleared and body not yet fully recovered, escaped by carriage.
Judging from his escape direction, his destination should be the Northeast Great Camp.
And Lian Cheng Yi, as Prince Wu Cheng's adopted son, is highly likely to meet up with Prince Wu Cheng.
In other words, Prince Wu Cheng has most likely returned to the Northeast Great Camp."
After Feng Qingchen analyzed, his brows were actually tightly knitted:
"The Northeast Great Camp has Lord Yan and his wife. If Prince Wu Cheng returns rashly, not only will he gain no advantage, but he might even be captured by Princess Ping Yang.
Prince Wu Cheng is extremely cunning and would surely know such a simple logic.
Yet, knowing this, Prince Wu Cheng is still determined to return, there must be some unknown reason for it.
And during the time Prince Wu Cheng and his adopted son Lian Cheng Yi left the Northeast Great Camp, Lord Yan has already gained control of two-thirds of it.
Unless Prince Wu Cheng has some method to make Lord Yan obey him unconditionally..."
At this point, Feng Qingchen fell into contemplation.
But Lin Qing Ge, who had heard everything from beginning to end, suddenly slapped her forehead!
"Oh no!
Where is Constable Yan?
How could I forget that simpleton?"
"My lord, isn't Constable Yan always by your side, never leaving you~"
"He was never leaving my side before, but after the banquet ended, he said he needed to go to the latrine and asked me to proceed ahead with Lu Ming Xuan, who was impersonating Princess Chang Le."
Although she didn't quite understand why the topic had shifted from Prince Wu Cheng to Constable Yan, Princess Yong Ning still raised her hand high and said:
"I know, I know!
I encountered Constable Yan on the way here!
But Constable Yan wasn't coming towards Chang Shou Palace; he seemed to be heading towards the palace gate.
However, I was busy looking for you then, so I didn't think much of it.
Now that I recall carefully, the palace maid accompanying Constable Yan was very unfamiliar; I had never seen her in the palace before."
Upon hearing Yong Ning's words, Lin Qing Ge and the others changed their expressions in unison.
Before the new Emperor could speak, Hua Jin Rong had already vanished from his spot.
A moment later, Hua Jin Rong appeared, holding Lin Zi Mo, with Leng Ning Yue.
"Your Majesty, there's good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first~"
"Good news."
"The good news is that those people acted extremely quickly. As soon as Constable Yan left the palace, he vanished like a stone dropped into the sea~"
"Rong San, Constable Yan is the Prince of Zhen Nan, and his whereabouts are unknown. How can that be considered good news?"
"Feng Si, don't get agitated~
It's precisely because there's no news that it means Constable Yan is still useful and temporarily safe.
As for the bad news.
It's that the Fourth Prince, for some unknown reason, has gathered a large number of men outside the city.
Judging by the formation, he intends to stage a coup and usurp the throne, just like in the opera~"
"Holy shit!
Rong San, why didn't you say anything about something so important earlier?
Everything is about to go up in flames, and you're still playing guessing games here!?"
Feng Qing Chen, completely losing his composure, swore loudly. If he hadn't been aware of the other party's strength, he would have charged forward and hit him.
"The Fourth Prince has been dormant for a long time. Suddenly pulling off something like this, he must have malicious intentions.
But to choose such a critical juncture, it's probably not a coincidence, right?"
Lin Qing Ge said, rubbing her chin. The new Emperor said solemnly:
"When Prince Wu Cheng was confined to the capital by the late Emperor, he supported the Fourth Prince. It's not strange for them to be in secret contact.
After all, among the officials who seconded General Xu at today's banquet, more than half were followers of the Fourth Prince."
Lin Qing Ge continued, picking up the thread:
"It's likely that they have been planning today's events for a long time.
General Xu Qing, who was in charge of the garrison in the capital, has now been completely exposed after tonight's banquet and has become a disposable pawn.
However, before that, his identity as the General of the capital garrison served as an excellent cover.
This allowed the Fourth Prince to secretly gather so many men outside the capital, under your noses, without anyone noticing.
It's highly probable that most of those men were already from the capital garrison.
So, you've essentially capsized in a gutter?"
"My lord, don't say it so heartlessly~
It's not 'you,' but 'us'~"
"No, this official is merely a fourth-rank prefect, I really can't afford to be associated with all of you."
Lin Qing Ge's words were by no means exaggerated.
Besides royal relatives, this room was filled with first-rank officials, and even Lin Zi Mo had acquired the status of Crown Prince.
Therefore, in terms of rank, she was truly the least qualified.
"My lord, please rest assured. As soon as I received the news, this student had already ordered An Yi to send messages to the major military camps, including General Xiao.
There are still two thousand Imperial Guards in the city. If the Fourth Prince truly launches a rebellion, as long as we can delay for three days, we will be able to wait for reinforcements and avert disaster~"
Feng Qing Chen shook his head upon hearing this:
"Distant water cannot quench nearby thirst.
How to use these two thousand men to delay for three days is a problem in itself.
Besides that, there are many influential figures in the capital, and they are well-informed.
If rumors deliberately spread by those with ulterior motives cause unrest among the people, then the situation will be truly precarious."
"That's simple, we just need to spread the rumors before they do, right?"
Lin Qing Ge finished, then added with her chin propped in her hand:
"A head-on confrontation is certainly not feasible, but it should still be possible to delay for a while."
"My lord, you must have thought of a wicked scheme that benefits yourself and harms others~"
This time, Lin Qing Ge did not refute Hua Jin Rong's words as usual, but said with some hesitation:
"It's not a brilliant plan, but it is indeed a bit wicked."