Jin Wang Dotes on His Concubine

Chapter 198.1

Li Dequan went to look again, only to find that Emperor Hongjing had already fallen asleep.

This wasnt the first time he had experienced this situation, but every time, he couldnt help feeling anxious. It wasnt until he reached out to feel his breath, did he finally put his mind at ease.

He sat down on the ground, his mind starting to think about the secret passage in the Jingren Palace.

There had always been a secret passage in the Jingren Palace, which led to Qianqing Palace.

The secret passage was built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. It was said that Emperor Gaozong had a woman who appeared unremarkable in the harem, but she was the most beloved woman in his lifetime.

This woman had a legendary life. She didnt give birth to the most heirs, nor was her appearance the most outstanding in the harem. Every three years in the Dagan Dynasty, there would be a selection process for new concubines, which resembled a cycle for those who had been in the palace for a long time. During this period, various new favoured concubines would emerge, overshadowing her.

However, if one looked at it in the long run, they would discover that over the decades, those favoured concubines had long since disappeared, while only she remained like an evergreen tree. For decades, she remained unchanged, regardless of old age or declining beauty. Although she didnt become the Empress Dowager in the end, her son became the emperor.

This person was Emperor Xian.

After her death, Empress Xiao Yide was posthumously given the title of Empress Dowager, but she could have continued to enjoy the pinnacle of wealth and luxury as the Holy Mother Empress Dowager had she lived. However, she accompanied Emperor Gaozong on his final journey and went away with him.

The secret passage was specially built by Emperor Gaozong himself to visit Empress Xiao Yide. Almost no one in the palace knew about it. Li Dequan only knew about it because Emperor Hongjing had used this secret passage before. At that time, he finally learned why His Majesty deliberately moved Consort De from Zhongcui Palace to Jingren Palace.

The reason Emperor Hongjing mentioned this secret passage was not because he missed Consort De, but because this secret passage had another branch that leads outside the palace.

To be precise, there had always been a secret passage in the palace that leads outside. Only the reigning emperor knows about it. The secret passage in Jingren Palace was actually a branch added to this secret passage.

Li Dequan didnt think about it anymore and returned the same way outside.

The scene in the hall was the same as when he left, quiet and peaceful.

However, Li Dequan remained calm, thinking about how to use that secret passage to get out of the palace.

The battle lasted for a whole afternoon. Due to the flanking attack by the imperial mausoleum guards, the soldiers in the Five Army Battalion were completely defeated.

Some died, some were injured, some were captured, and a part of them fled towards the direction of the palace. The imperial mausoleum guards and Jin Wangs men pursued them in victory until they reached the palace, where they had to stop.

Qing Wang was dressed in armour and his face was covered in dust. His armour and weapons were stained with blood, clearly indicating that he had been fighting for a long time. He rode his horse to Jin Wang, who was wearing an all-black armour, and cupped his hand in greeting, saying, Fifth brother, fortunately, I didnt let you down.

Jin Wangs all-black armour made his face appear even paler and colder, like an ice mountain that hadnt melted for a thousand years. He gazed darkly at the nearby palace gate and nodded slightly, his face covered in frost and dust, Youve worked hard.

Qing Wang choked back his words, knowing it wasnt the right time. He could only swallow all his words into his throat.

Older brother has worked harder.

Although the rebels had fled into the palace, the victory was not complete. In the end, Jin Wangs goal was not to defeat the rebel army but to enter the imperial city, capture Dai Wang, rescue the trapped courtiers, and find out what had happened inside the palace. However, the towering walls of the imperial city stood as a barrier, blocking everything.

The Forbidden City was built according to the principles of fortress construction. Which emperor wasnt afraid of death? Their own stronghold naturally had to be built to be impregnable.

Jin Wang had fought in siege battles before, but at that time, he had sufficient forces and plenty of men to use. Now, with such a small number of troops in his hands, in addition to clearing out the remaining rebels outside, he had to guard against other moves by the rebels. Clearly, he couldnt devote all his forces to the siege.

Some people had already started shouting at the imperial city, but there was no response from inside. The gate tower was guarded by many bright-armoured soldiers, but they stood like statues, paying no attention to the shouts outside.

Fifth brother, should we continue the attack?

Jin Wang pondered for a moment and said, Order people to guard the various gates outside, dont let anyone inside come out.

Fifth brother, are you planning to trap the enemy?

To save troops, this is the only thing we can do at this point. They are trapped in the imperial palace. Besides these rebels, there are tens of thousands of palace maids and eunuchs. The food reserves in the palace are not enough to sustain them for long.

Fifth brother is wise.

This wasnt Jin Wang being wise, but an issue that anyone can think of. There were simply too many people in the imperial palace. Although there were many grain and rice storehouses, the consumption exceeded the storage capacities. According to Jin Wangs estimation of the food in the palace, it would be enough for them to hold on for at most ten days.

But these ten days were enough for him to do many things, enough to block off any paths of retreat for the enemy.

Jin Wang did not slack off because of this. There were still many things he needed to do.

For example, eliminating the remnants of the rebel forces in the city, pacifying the people, and reorganizing the Shuntian Prefecture Patrol and Wucheng Militia, as well as the imperial capital guards. He also needed to work together with the court officials to restore the government offices. At the same time, he had to gather reinforcements from outside the capital.

For several days, he was so busy, his shadow could barely be seen. Yaoniang was also very busy. After a thorough rest, she began to send away the families who had temporarily stayed at Jin Wang Manor.

Especially when it came to the etiquette between noble families, they would come to express their gratitude, and she couldnt avoid meeting them. Yaoniang was exhausted every day and naturally had no time to think about Jin Wang.

This chaos in the capital had caused heavy losses. Not to mention the damage to various families and households, many common people also suffered.

There were too many deaths, and the capital was covered in white mourning cloths. Because the rebel forces had not been completely eradicated, the prosperity of the past could not be restored temporarily. There were very few people walking on the streets, and they were all filled with fear.

Jin Wang did not forget the chief culprit and immediately sent someone to Duke Weiguo Manor.

Except for Duke Weiguo and his eldest son who were not at home, everyone from the Wei Family was present. In general, they did not expect that things would fail. Some people were actually innocent and had no idea of what the head of their family had done. But because their surname was Wei, they were also considered guilty.

In theory, Jin Wang had no authority to deal with a ducal manor, but due to the urgency of the situation, he didnt have extra troops to besiege Duke Weiguo Manor. Therefore, he could only imprison all the members of the Wei Family. It wasnt just the Wei family; anyone who appeared in this rebellion couldnt escape.

The merits of the dragon made people forget everything, but once the situation failed, it implicated the whole family, young and old.

In the midst of the capital city, cries once again enveloped the surroundings, but this time the target had changed. Life truly was filled with miracles, with so many unexpected turns of events.

Inside the palace, however, a gloomy atmosphere shrouded everything.