"No, impossible, you can't possibly expect that!"
He flatly refused Lu Qingwan's request, then belatedly retorted, "The late Emperor and Imperial Consort Jinghui, the late Crown Prince and his wife were all killed by Prince Liang, it has nothing to do with me!"
"Is that so?"
Skillfully injecting the syringe into Emperor Gengshi's body, Lu Qingwan shouted into the void, "Come over and record."
Duan Yue floated down like a shadow.
Lu Qingwan directly handed Emperor Gengshi to him, "After questioning him thoroughly, before the various feudal lords arrive, if he kicks the bucket, this will be the only evidence to avenge the late Emperor and Imperial Consort Jinghui, and the late Crown Prince and his wife."
Lu Qingwan would have liked to have Emperor Gengshi confess his crimes under everyone's gaze, but this man's body had been hollowed out by Lan An's elixir of longevity.
She was also unwilling to save him with her skills like she did Emperor Jingyou. This confession today would be considered a backup.
After thinking for a moment, she took out a voice recorder from her spatial laboratory.
As she took out the item and looked at the round stone in her palm, her lips twitched. She handed it to Duan Yue, "Keep this with you during the interrogation and don't go too far."
Duan Yue looked at the strange little stone and hesitated, but asked no further questions.
Over the long period, Duan Yue had learned Lu Qingwan's interrogation methods through constant exposure and began questioning him on his own.
After Lu Qingwan handed Emperor Gengshi over to him, she summoned Li Qing, "How is the situation with the Prince?"
Li Qing sauntered in, "During this period, the brothers of the Sky Guard have been infiltrating Zhongzhou in batches and have been arranged by the Prince and Crown Prince in various military camps in Zhongzhou.
The Emperor, in order to trap the Prince, assigned 500 new recruits, coincidentally all of them our brothers.
The remaining 2,500+ brothers have left the city under the guise of Crown Prince's Mansion guards and Prince Qin's Mansion guards.
Wu Ying also personally led a group of people, mixed among the civilians inside and outside the city, ready to support the Prince at any time. Please rest assured, Your Highness the Consort, the Prince is safer than you think."
Lu Qingwan was indeed not very reassured about Feng Xiwu, her brows furrowed tightly, "If it weren't for the need to re-establish the reputation of the God of War and gain a firm foothold in Zhongzhou, why would we need to fight against overwhelming odds."
She and Feng Xiwu never engaged in unprepared battles. Before she had even arrived in Zhongzhou, the elites of the Black Armored Army had already entered.
The guards of the Crown Prince's Mansion and the Prince's Mansion, the soldiers scattered in various military camps, and even the escorts traveling across Da Qin, all had the most loyal Black Armored Army soldiers.
Even if Emperor Gengshi had not provided Feng Xiwu with a single soldier this time, he could have blocked Prince Qingzhou outside the city of Zhongzhou.
But a battle of equal strength like that, after it ended, Feng Xiwu might receive some jewelry as a reward, but time would pass, and he would be forgotten.
Only by defeating a larger force and fighting a fierce battle beyond everyone's expectations could Feng Xiwu shed the condescension that came with his identity as a minor prince and gain the conviction of the people of Da Qin.
They were in Da Qin, and only by gaining the trust of the people of Da Qin could they live here in peace.
Li Qing also knew that Feng Xiwu's situation was not optimistic.
Seeing Lu Qingwan's worried expression, Li Qing racked his brains to try and reassure her. After much thought, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"By the way, Your Highness the Consort, His Highness the Crown Prince has been dispatched to welcome Prince Youzhou. He is not in Zhongzhou now, so the Prince can fight without any worries."
Lu Qingwan raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't Prince Youzhou already on his way back to the capital? Why would His Highness the Crown Prince personally go to welcome him?"
The dignified Emperor, changing his decrees at will. Emperor Gengshi's reign was truly coming to an end.
Li Qing said with sarcasm, "This morning, didn't the Empress Dowager summon the families of the various households to the palace? The Crown Princess and Young Master Gu were among them.
The Emperor issued the order for His Highness the Crown Prince to welcome Prince Youzhou into the capital after those two entered the palace.
My subordinate had someone consult with Young Master Gu, and from Young Master Gu's words, the Emperor intended to hold you, the Crown Princess, Young Master Gu, and the Prince hostage to threaten His Highness the Crown Prince into persuading Prince Youzhou to send troops to Qingzhou, disrupt Prince Qingzhou's plans, and force Prince Qingzhou to surrender."
Lu Qingwan understood this point and knew why Li Qing had such a sarcastic expression.
"If I recall correctly, among the regions bordering Qingzhou, Youzhou is neither the strongest nor the most advantageous in terms of geographical location.
Yet Emperor Gengshi specifically ordered Prince Youzhou to send troops. He calculated that Prince Youzhou, whose entire family is loyal, would not let the empire and its people fall into dire straits, even if he had some dissatisfaction with him, right?"
Li Qing nodded sarcastically, "It's just the actions of a petty man. If Prince Youzhou really sends troops to Qingzhou, he can capture Prince Qingzhou effortlessly and simultaneously weaken the forces of both Youzhou and Qingzhou.
If Prince Youzhou were not inherently upright and disdained to scheme with others, how could he let himself be so calculated?"
"Tsk, the Emperor's calculations are so obvious, the abacus beads are practically bouncing into my face."
Lu Qingwan sneered in disgust, "Pay close attention to all movements inside and outside the imperial palace, and make sure that Prince Rui and Lan An's people engage with Prince Qingzhou first, and then let the Prince come to clean up the mess.
Remember, when the Prince takes action, he must create the momentum of propping up the collapsing palace and turning the tide.
Otherwise, people will find excuses to shift the blame..."
Li Qing nodded repeatedly, "This subordinate understands, this subordinate will now head to the imperial city to keep watch. Your Highness the Consort may summon me again if needed."
Having said that, with Lu Qingwan's permission, he rushed out of the Zichen Palace.
As for Lu Qingwan, she stood at the entrance of Zichen Palace.
From her perspective, she could only see a small patch of the world outside the gate.
However, with the aid of her perspective skill, in reality, she could see the entire situation in Zhongzhou.
From inside and outside Zichen Palace, to Yangquan Palace, Fengyi Palace... Lu Qingwan's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked all the way to outside the imperial city.
"Ru Yue."
As soon as she spoke, Ru Yue quietly appeared behind her.
"What are Your Highness the Consort's orders?"
"The Imperial Guards are responsible for the security of the imperial palace, the Jinwu Guards maintain public order within the city, and the Hubiao Camp guards the capital. Are there any overlaps in the jurisdictions of these three forces?"
Ru Yue shook her head decisively, "The Imperial Guards are mostly from aristocratic families, and they consider themselves close to the Son of Heaven, so they have always looked down upon the Jinwu Guards who patrol the city and deal with petty criminals every day.
The Hubiao Camp considers itself a legitimate royal army with meritorious service in guarding the capital, and they look down upon the overbearing Imperial Guards.
The Jinwu Guards, caught in the middle and looked down upon by both sides, have an even harder time.
Therefore, the responsibility areas of these three forces have always been clearly defined. Unless the Emperor personally dispatches them, they will never cross into each other's jurisdictions."
Lu Qingwan nodded. What Ru Yue said was largely in line with her own guess. However, with Prince Qingzhou about to arrive in the capital, why wasn't the Hubiao Camp stationed outside to guard the capital, but instead began to move closer to the imperial palace?
Her eyes were fixed on the soldiers of the Hubiao Camp converging on the imperial palace from various directions, while she desperately tried to recall who the commander of the Hubiao Camp was.
Thanks to the lineage of aristocratic families, she did manage to remember. Unfortunately, "Lan Huajing... Damn it, the Lan family is truly everywhere!"