Chapter 775: Chapter 486: Rallying the Army! Cleaning the Court! (5k)
The sky was completely dark, and one by one, lanterns lit up, illuminating the towers and tiled roofs of the Zhao Mansion.
Sitting on the steps with her knees hugged, Zhao Pan turned her head. The young girl’s delicate features appeared warm and jade-like under the light, and the sorrow between her brows added a touch of fateful elegance.
"Can’t sleep again?" You Jinhua placed the lotus lamp she held onto the ground and squatted beside her daughter, causing the rounded curve of her full hips to tighten.
"Yes, I miss brother." Zhao Pan nodded, speaking softly.
Her eyes, like autumn waters, reflected the southern sky.
"I wonder if brother is doing well now? Whether he is safe, and where he might be." Zhao Pan’s mood was downcast, and the Pekingese dog lying at her feet whimpered in agreement.
You Jinhua remained silent.
With the status the mother and daughter hold in the elite circles of the Capital, they could quickly gather many pieces of information.
Including the secrets of the Empress failing to seal and fleeing, accompanied by Zhao Douan to protect her.
As women, their hearts were naturally filled with worry and unease.
In recent days, although the Zhao family appeared calm, in reality, there was a sense of panic; the servants of the mansion often whispered among themselves that if Your Majesty were no more, a family relying on the existence of the Empress might soon face downfall.
"No, it won’t happen," You Jinhua suddenly said forcefully:
"Your brother won’t be in trouble. Over the past year, hasn’t he weathered so many dangers unscathed? Surely, this time won’t be an exception, perhaps he is already not far from the Capital, he might return within some time."
Zhao Pan gazed at her mother’s profile in a daze and suddenly said:
"Mother, you’ve changed from before."
With a gentle character, You Jinhua smiled and blinked:
"Mother is growing too. Women are vines, men are trees, the larger the tree grows, the more robust the vine becomes, even if one day the tree is gone, the old vine wouldn’t be the same as initially."
From managing a small Zhao family to now overseeing the vast Zhao Mansion, dealing daily with comings and goings of the elite women in the Capital, how could You Jinhua not progress?
Zhao Pan hugged her mother, burying her head in her mother’s generous chest:
"Mother, you’re not old."
You Jinhua smiled softly, gently patting her daughter’s arm, just like coaxing her to sleep when she was little, looking up at the sparse stars:
"Sleep, our family hasn’t come this far to fall easily. Even if the rebel army were to breach the city, we would flee south in advance, to find your brother. We’ve overcome so many challenges, this is nothing."
"Yes." Zhao Pan murmured softly, closing her eyes.
The Pekingese dog at her feet snuggled against the young girl, closing its eyes.
...
The night deepened.
In the inn, a small light flickered like a bean, as Zhao Douan examined the information sent by the Hidden Guard of the inner court, his face growing increasingly grave:
"Your Majesty, the situation is indeed problematic, from the clues, the Li Party has been acting restless since you left the Capital."
The information sent by the Hidden Guard was very detailed, definitely not obtained in a short period.
With a slight mental shift, Zhao Douan realized that Your Majesty might have assigned a group of Hidden Guards before heading south to seal, to watch over the potentially unstable officials of the Li Party in the city.
Xu Zhenguan stood by the window, gazing at the scattered stars through the gaps in the clouds over the Capital:
"Wasn’t this anticipated long ago?"
Her expression was calm, without much surprise:
"Thinking from another perspective, if I were in Li Yanfu’s position, I wouldn’t miss such a heaven-sent opportunity."
Zhao Douan felt a jolt in his heart and said:
"Based on the Hidden Guard’s intelligence, this might cause disturbances in the coming days."
Xu Zhenguan understood the implications of his words and calmly said:
"Everything as usual, enter the palace tomorrow morning, during the Court Meeting, I will publicly announce my return."
Even waiting a few more days could force these internal rebels out, but she would wait no longer.
"Besides, with the intelligence at hand, a good number of pests can already be eradicated." Xu Zhenguan’s voice was cold as ice.
Zhao Douan nodded, but felt his right eyelid twitch slightly, a sense of unease creeping in.
...
Imperial Court, Governor Hall.
Ma Yan sat upright in the hall, working by candlelight.
He frowned, repeatedly reading the documents on the table, without lifting his head, he said:
"Why wasn’t this information reported earlier?"
Sitting in the hall, Haitang with a single ponytail and a tear mole by the eye, exuded a heroic demeanor, yawning lightly:
"Lord, recently all halls have been busy round the clock, working shifts, with the city being so unstable, as you know, it’s already quite a feat this information came through."
Her face was covered with fatigue, along with Zhang Han and other Masters in the hall "no less exhausted."
During these days, the entire Imperial Court was extremely busy, too many things to do, night reporting was dragged into the early morning, if they weren’t martial artists, ordinary people would have long been unable to withstand it.
Ma Yan raised his head, solemnly tapped the table: "Involving the Li Party, it’s not a small matter. This time it’s forgiven, if it happens again, you’ll face punishment yourselves."
Haitang sighed a lament, not daring to retort.
Regarding batches of suspected martial artists sneaking into the city from outside, suspected to be related to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, it was intelligence Haitang acquired today.
Not daring to delay, immediately presented it to Ma Yan.
In the past, such movements shouldn’t have been discovered this late by the Imperial Court, but the recent situation was special, thus overlooked.
"Continue investigating and gathering evidence on this matter, it’s a sensitive time with Your Majesty absent in the Capital, it’s inappropriate to act hastily, wait until the Court Meeting tomorrow, I will question Li Yanfu personally." Ma Yan pondered for a moment, making a decision.
With a poker-faced look, Zhang Han asked: "Will it alert the snake in the grass?"
Ma Yan glanced at him, his stern and slim face serious:
"Now isn’t the time for solving cases and gaining merits, maintaining stability within the city is the top priority. This action serves to shake the mountain and deter the tiger."