Appointing a General as a Concubine: Where Can General Xiao Escape?

Chapter 266: Planned Attack

Among the three of them, only the person Yang Zerui cared about was by his side.

He didn't know what to say to persuade them to relax about this matter.

Just when the atmosphere in the room was becoming a little solemn, the guard at the door came in to report that Princess Zhaoning had arrived.

As soon as Xiao Mo and Yang Zekuan stood up, Zhao Ning ran towards them.

"Arui!" She first threw herself into Yang Zerui's arms for a while, then stuck her head out to look at Xiao Mo.

"Sister Mo, the prince is about to ascend the throne."

In the past, she always called him Brother Yue, until he and Concubine Liang did that thing, and he was no longer her royal brother.

This statement shocked everyone in the room.

Xu Renchuan, Xiao Mo, and Yang Zerui looked at each other and then looked at her.

"Are you serious?" Xu Renchuan was the first to ask the question in his mind.

Then, Xiao Mo walked over and pulled her to sit on a chair beside her: "Who told you that?"

In fact, she had expected Qi Yue to ascend the throne in the next two days, but Qi Minxiu had not returned, so it was difficult for them to attack.

Otherwise, if they conquered him, who would they choose as the new emperor?

Zhao Ning looked at everyone with a rare serious expression: "He instructed the chief eunuch to prepare the dragon robe and crown, as well as the items needed for the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors."

"How dare he do that when he doesn't have the imperial seal!" Xiao Mo blurted out and regretted it immediately.

The importance of this thing cannot be simply compared to the word "trust".

Sure enough, as soon as she said this, Xu Renchuan, Yang Zerui and Zhao Ning looked at her in confusion.

"Sister Mo, how do you know he doesn't have the imperial seal? Father made him the crown prince, so the imperial seal must be with him."

Zhao Ning's delicate brows frowned for a moment and then quickly relaxed.

Xiao Mo covered her mouth and coughed twice, then explained very naturally: "When I was trapped in the East Palace before, I accidentally heard Qi Yue say that."

Her explanation was so reasonable that it was hard to tell what was wrong.

Yang Zerui smirked and sneered, "It seems that the emperor changed his mind at the last minute, otherwise why would he not hand over the jade seal to him?"

"Yes! Father's ideal crown prince should be Brother Xiu. The imperial seal is the symbol of the heir to the throne. If he doesn't even have such an important thing, he won't be able to sit firmly on the throne."

Zhao Ninglian followed closely behind Yang Zerui and added.

Xiao Mo also thought so, but Xu Renchuan just closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You are too naive. To inherit the throne, the imperial seal is important, but the people's hearts are more important.

When our previous ancestor, Emperor Sheng Yao, ascended the throne, the imperial seal was stolen by traitors. Yet, didn’t he still sit firmly on the throne for more than ten years and govern the country well?

Qi Yue could just follow his example and lie that the imperial seal was stolen. Without him having to do anything, his supporters would help him get rid of those who are blocking his ascension to the throne."

If the jade seal was really lost, Xiao Mo might be frightened by his words.

But with the imperial seal in her hands, she felt much more at ease.

She curled her lips and sneered, "That depends on who his seal falls into the hands of, and whether the emperor has made a will or something."

"Will? I haven't heard of that." Yang Zerui glanced at Zhao Ning, then turned back to look at Xiao Mo and Xu Renchuan.

Zhao Ning lowered his eyes and sighed softly: "Even if there is, only Eunuch Wei knows it, but Eunuch Wei has already been sentenced to death by Concubine Liang."

"What? Eunuch Wei was killed?" Xiao Mo was a little surprised. She thought that Concubine Liang or Qi Yue would at most lock him up or remove him from his position.

Zhao Ning raised his head with some sadness, pursed his lips and nodded.

"Not only Eunuch Wei, but all the high-ranking palace maids, eunuchs, and guards who served my father were liquidated by Imperial Concubine Liang."

When it comes to this, Xu Renchuan has the most say: "I was not killed because I was still useful to you, otherwise I would have died in prison long ago."

"If you had returned to the East Army Camp a few days later, I would have been almost finished." Yang Zerui glanced at Zhao Ning half-jokingly.

After hearing their words, Xiao Mo clenched her fists in anger: "This Qi Yue, he is not worthy of being a monarch respected by all the people."

"But he's going to ascend the throne tomorrow, and there's no news from Prince Chen. Should we send troops?"

"Of course we have to. Otherwise, once he sits on the throne, we'll have to sacrifice some people to pull him down."

Xiao Mo gritted her teeth, tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, and suddenly stood up and looked at the others.

"I'm going out for a while, Zhaoning, you stay here tonight and don't come back to the palace."

"Yes, that's what I planned to do. Look, I even brought my luggage."

Zhao Ning smiled and pointed at the two palace maids behind her.

Xu Renchuan and Yang Zerui looked at each other, puzzled as to why she was going somewhere so late.

Seeing their confusion, Xiao Mo briefly explained, "I'm going to the General's Mansion to see how many troops General Murong has brought back."

Qi Yue has a strong military force, and it is not certain who will win or lose if a real battle breaks out.

It would be even more difficult if those who support him only recognize him and not the imperial seal.

But the possibility of this is very low.

Xu Renchuan lowered his brows and thought for a moment, then sighed helplessly: "Be careful and come back soon."

"Yeah." She walked to the door and looked back at the people in the room again.

This time, Xiao Mo left the East Military Camp not only to find Murong Shou, but also to retrieve the jade seal that she had hidden in the dense forest.

In the general's mansion, Murong Ze, dressed in black and holding a sword, was about to go out when he was bumped into by Xiao Mo who was climbing over the wall.

"Mo'er? Why are you here? I was just about to look for you!" He went to greet her in surprise and joy.

Xiao Mo looked around, said nothing, pulled him over and strode into the house.

After entering the house, she relaxed her tense brows: "Where is Shen Hanzhou?"

"I asked him to go outside the city to support the Zhenbei Army." Murong Ze looked at Xiao Mo's face, his gentle eyes carrying a hint of solemnity.

"Zhenbei Army?" Xiao Mo asked with her head tilted in confusion.

He nodded. "Last time I went to Taoyuan, I sent a secret letter to the deputy commander of Hanqueling, asking him to transfer 8,000 cavalry back."

"Eight thousand cavalry..." Xiao Mo lowered her eyes and calculated in her mind how many soldiers she and Yang Zerui had plus his.

Murong Ze thought she thought it was too little, so he quickly explained: "We need to leave people at the North Gate, otherwise, once the internal troubles are solved, it will be easy for external enemies to come."

Moreover, the Iron Cavalry is not like ordinary troops; one man of the former can be as good as five men of the latter."

"I know." Xiao Mo realized what he wanted to express, looked up and chuckled.

"By the way, cousin, where is my uncle? What is his attitude towards this matter?"

She glanced outside the courtyard and found that the entire general's mansion was very deserted, with only their room having lights on.

Speaking of this, Murong Ze's eyes suddenly turned colder: "He was detained in the palace by Qi Yue to keep vigil for the emperor."