The first time in history

Although Qian Mingduo's appearance had changed drastically after the disguise, Qing'er and Zi'er recognized that the voice of the purple-faced man was that of His Highness.

They both pulled their horses to a halt, dismounted and knelt to salute.

"Qing'er, why are you injured?" Qian Mingduo asked.

"Sister Qing'er blocked a sword for the emperor." Zi'er said with a pout.

"What?" Qian Mingduo jumped off his horse. "What happened to my father?"

Qing'er told him about the ambush that Rui Yuhuan encountered. Qian Mingduo nodded, "Is Qing'er seriously injured?"

"Qing'er is fine!" Qing'er looked at Qian Mingduo's wound, "Your Highness, are you injured too?"

Qian Mingduo nodded, "Qing'er, go back and have a rest. Zi'er, follow me."

Qing'er said anxiously: "Your Highness, Qing'er is fine, I want to go with Your Highness."

"Okay!" Qian Mingduo jumped on the horse's back, "Then let's go together."

The group galloped on horseback until it was getting dark. They saw the emperor's procession from afar. Qian Mingduo rushed to the procession, dismounted, and knelt in the middle of the road.

The procession slowly stopped. "Who dares to stop the emperor?" the imperial guard at the front of the procession asked loudly.

Qian Mingduo was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly remembered that he was in disguise, so he used his sleeve to wipe off the grease and other things on his face.

"It's the Fifth Prince." The imperial guards said in surprise.

"Go and report to the Emperor quickly. Tell him that Ruichen wants to speak to his father in person. Quick!"

The imperial guard turned his horse around, and soon he rode back. "The emperor has ordered that the fifth prince Ruichen come to see the emperor."

When he came to Rui Yuhuan's imperial sedan chair, Rui Chen fell to the ground and kowtowed, "Your son pays respect to the emperor, father."

"Come in!" Rui Yuhuan's low voice came from the imperial carriage.

Looking at Ruichen kneeling on the ground, Rui Yuhuan asked, "How did you get injured?"

"Your Majesty..." Qian Mingduo recounted what had just happened in Huapilingling.

"How did you sense the danger and hide so early?" Rui Yuhuan asked.

Qian Mingduo looked up at Rui Yuhuan and said, "After returning from the Royal Aunt's residence, I sensed that danger was coming, so I..."

"What did your royal aunt tell you?"

Qian Mingduo recounted in detail what happened that day when he went to Rui Yulan's house.

"Your premonition is correct, and your guess is also correct." Rui Yuhuan sighed. "I took back her military power of the Lion and Bear Battalions because I wanted to leave a stable and trouble-free ending! I just didn't expect that she would..."

Qian Mingduo asked carefully, "Father, is the military token I use to mobilize the Lion and Bear Battalions still in the hands of the Imperial Aunt?"

"Yes." Rui Yuhuan said, "But I have also made arrangements."

Rui Yuhuan clapped his hands, and Gao Quanfu stood in front of the window, "Your Majesty!"

"You go back to the capital first in casual clothes and order the general of the capital to bring 5,000 soldiers and horses to protect the emperor. Send three other groups of people to convey the order to the generals commanding the Dragon, Tiger, and Leopard battalions respectively. Order them to bring 30,000 troops each to the capital to defend the king." Rui Yuhuan ordered decisively.

He looked at Qian Mingduo and said slowly, "Chen'er, you also go back to Beijing and look for Feng Wenshan, the director of the Shadow Guard Division. You just need to tell him to do as I ordered before I left Beijing. He will understand. Go directly to the Shadow Guard Division Office when you return. Feng Wenshan will not be home these days."

"Your Highness is willing to stay by your side and protect your Majesty."

Rui Yuhuan patted Qian Mingduo on the shoulder and said, "After you deliver the imperial edict to Feng Wenshan, return to your hiding place immediately. Wait for the emperor to summon you. Remember, the emperor will order Gao Quanfu to deliver the imperial edict. If the person delivering the imperial edict is not Gao Quanfu... kill him! Remember."

"Father..."

Rui Yuhuan interrupted Qian Mingduo, "The general of Jingji will be here at this time tomorrow. You don't have to worry about your father, you have to be more careful. This is your father's gold medal, and it depends on how you use it at the critical moment. Go quickly!"

Qian Mingduo did not dare to disobey the order, so he asked Guan Wuye to stay with the brothers of Moyilou to protect the emperor. He, Qing'er, Zi'er and Liu Jingxue's four maids returned to Beijing first.

After running all night, Qian Mingduo and his companions returned to the capital at dawn. He asked four maids to go back and protect Liu Jingxue.

When the gatekeepers opened the city gate halfway, three fast horses rushed into the city like a gust of wind.

The door of the Shadow Guard Division had not been opened yet, so Qian Mingduo jumped off his horse and knocked hard on the door.

Watching Feng Wenshan leading two hundred shadow guards heading west, Qian Mingduo felt a piercing pain in his left shoulder.

Back in the cellar, Lu Ran cleaned Qian Mingduo's wounds while listening to him tell her what had happened.

"Our judgment is completely correct." Qian Mingduo said, "All this was done by the imperial aunt. Although the emperor did not say what to order Feng Wenshan to do, I guess he was asked to arrest the imperial aunt. This is obviously an arrangement made by the emperor long ago."

Lu Ran nodded, "It seems that the emperor has already prepared a foolproof plan."

"But father never thought that the aunt would set an ambush to attack father's procession. Qing'er performed a great deed last night."

"Your Highness, *** should not be in the mansion, right? Could she have hidden herself?" Lu Ran asked.

Qian Mingduo blinked, "It's possible. If the imperial aunt senses the danger like I do, she might hide herself as well."

"In that case, the *** is in the dark, and the emperor is in the light..." Lu Ran shook his head.

Qian Mingduo tried to move his left shoulder, and grimaced in pain. "I think General Jingji has received the imperial edict. He brought 5,000 soldiers to protect the emperor, and he should be able to keep father safe."

"Your Highness, I'm worried about the Ruishi Battalion, which is closest to the Emperor. If they accept the Emperor's orders, the five thousand Jingji Guards may not be a match for these people, right?"

Qian Mingduo leaned back on the bed. "Although the imperial aunt has the military order to mobilize the Lion and Bear Battalions, the commanders of the two battalions may not obey her orders."

"If you don't obey, what's the point of having the military token?"

"Father said that the military amulet is still in the hands of the imperial aunt, but father has already made arrangements. I guess... father may have given secret orders to the deputy generals of the two battalions. It's fine if they don't obey the imperial aunt's orders, but once the commander-in-chief mobilizes the troops, his deputy general will definitely show father's secret order."

Lu Ran sat down beside the bed and gently fanned Qian Mingduo. "Since the emperor has already made arrangements, all you have to do now is hide yourself. Just wait patiently for the emperor's order."

There were footsteps in the tunnel, and Xiu'er walked in in a panic. "Your Highness, the Shadow Guard went to arrest ***, but *** was not in the mansion. The Shadow Guard returned empty-handed."

"It seems that the imperial aunt also foresaw the danger coming and hid herself like me." Qian Mingduo smiled.

Lu Ran frowned, "When the *** learns that the truth has been revealed, will he make a desperate attempt? Wouldn't the emperor be in even greater danger then?"

"Father will not sit still and wait for death." Qian Mingduo said, "If I were father, I would have appeared in the marching tent of the Ruishi Camp by now. With father's dignity, even if the commander-in-chief of the Ruishi Camp wanted to be dispatched by the imperial aunt, he would not dare to act rashly."