Outside Fengyi Palace, there was a strong formation at the moment.
Princess Tianxiang came from Qi State. At that time, the king of Qi State arranged for many eunuchs and maids to come with her as brides. These maids and eunuchs have always stayed with Princess Tianxiang to serve the Empress of Chu.
When the Yulin Army entered the inner palace, naturally someone immediately reported to the Queen. Someone immediately organized the eunuchs in Fengyi Palace around the Queen. Although they did not have weapons in hand, they picked up chairs, sticks and many other objects as weapons. Guards were outside the gate of Fengyi Palace, and the maids also picked up porcelain and other items as a second line of defense.
In fact, everyone knows that once the Yulin Army really enters Fengyi Palace, no one can stop it at all, but these people are loyal to the queen, even though the eunuchs and maids are in chaos in many places in the palace, like headless flies. He looked around for a hiding place, but everything in Fengyi Palace was in order.
Of course, the queen did not get confused because the Yulin Army entered the palace. People kept asking for information. When they learned that the Yulin Army had withdrawn from the inner palace, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Soon they learned that the Yulin Army had blocked the imperial city. Foreign troops came to the city, which really surprised the queen.
"The Queen...!" A eunuch hurried over and knelt down in front of the Queen: "The Protector of the Country, Qining, wants to see you!"
"Qining?" The queen frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Let him in!"
Qi Ning came to the queen, knelt down on one knee, and said straight to the point: "Queen, the rebels are besieging the city, and I am guarding the imperial city. However, the rebels are strong, and I have reached an agreement with the outside of the city. Before dawn, the empress will lead When people leave the city, they will make arrangements for the queen.”
The queen stood up and said: "Duke Protector, what happened suddenly tonight? I heard that you were on the front line. When did you return to the capital, and when did you come to the palace?"
Qi Ning looked around. The queen understood what Qi Ning meant. She waved her hand to signal left and right to retreat. After everyone retreated, Qi Ning looked at the queen and said, "Does the empress know that Xiao Shaozong is plotting to rebel and usurp the throne?"
"Xiao Shaozong?" The Queen frowned and said, "Is it the Prince of Huainan who just inherited the title?"
"Exactly." Qi Ning said: "The emperor is controlled by this person, and now his life or death is uncertain. I entered the palace tonight with the intention of rescuing the emperor, but fell into Xiao Shaozong's trap and was trapped in the city. Xiao Shaozong is now detained by me. Being accused of regicide and rebellion, he mobilized troops and horses to rush into the city to take the minister's head. Naturally, I cannot surrender to the traitor, so I have to live and die with the imperial city. However, I am worried that once the city is breached, the rebels will enter the city. In the chaos of the army, it is inevitable that the nobles in the harem will be hurt, so... I ask the queen to leave the city first."
"Are you regicide and treason?" Although the queen was surprised, she was still very calm: "Why would Xiao Shaozong be charged with such a crime? Your Majesty... where is he now?"
"I can't know for sure the whereabouts of the emperor." Qi Ning said: "Xiao Shaozong found a puppet who looked exactly like the emperor. He used the puppet to pretend to be the emperor and gave orders. He seized the jade seal and used the emperor's name to issue imperial edicts. The civil and military officials of the dynasty It’s impossible to argue whether it’s true or false.”
"Puppet?" The queen's delicate body trembled, as if she suddenly realized: "So that's it, it turns out... that person is a puppet!"
Qi Ning immediately asked: "Has the Queen already noticed it?"
The Queen said: "Originally, the Emperor will come to Fengyi Palace to rest after taking care of the court affairs. Even if he is very busy, it will not last more than three days. But this time, the Emperor has not set foot in Fengyi Palace for more than a month. I sent I went to see the emperor, and the emperor also said that he was busy with government affairs and could not spare the time to come." After a pause, he continued: "More than half a month ago, I went to see the emperor in person and saw that the emperor was reviewing a mountain of papers. Memorial, he... didn't say a few words to me, he only said he would come and see me some time later. The strange thing is, he only glanced at me, and then he never looked at me again."
Qi Ning said: "What the queen saw was naturally a puppet pretending to be the emperor."
The queen sighed: "I have always thought that the emperor was alienated because of the Qi State." After hesitating for a while, she finally asked: "Duke Guo Guo, please tell me, has anything happened to the Qi State...? "
"Why does the Queen ask this?"
"You don't have to hide it from me." The queen sighed softly: "Although I am in the deep palace, I am not ignorant of the things outside. Moreover, even if the emperor wants to hide such a major matter, it will not be easy. , There are many people in the palace, so it is not difficult to get some news."
Qi Ning thought for a moment and then said: "No matter what happens, the queen is still the queen of my Dachu, and the emperor is sincere to the queen."
"I understand your Majesty's intentions." The Queen said, "I came to Chu State not just for the sake of the alliance between the two countries." She smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know how I can do this with just one woman. Change the general trend of the world." Then a look of worry appeared on his eyebrows, and he asked: "Are you sending someone to look for the emperor in the palace?"
"The emperor is not in the palace." Qi Ning said: "I suspect that the emperor has been taken out of the palace long ago and is now in the hands of Xiao Shaozong."
The Queen closed her eyes: "So, Your Majesty... is already in danger?"
"Xiao Shaozong wants to take back the throne that he thinks belongs to him. Before he ascends the throne, the emperor should be fine." Qi Ning said: "I can only send the queen out of the city now. Please make preparations quickly."
"Then what's the point of you staying in the Imperial City?" The Queen said, "The Emperor is not in the city, so who are you guarding the Imperial City for?"
Qi Ning was not completely sure of the queen's thoughts. After all, Chu State attacked and destroyed Qi State. He could not make an accurate judgment on what the queen thought about this. At this moment, he did not want to reveal all his plans. He just said : "If Xiao Shaozong wants to usurp the throne and ascend the throne, he must naturally do it within the palace. Now I have no other way. If I can defend it for a day, I can hold off Xiao Shaozong for a day. Maybe...!" He smiled faintly and said, "If I really died in the city in battle, , it can be regarded as being loyal to the emperor, queen, I will wait outside first."
He didn't wait for the queen to say anything and went out directly.
Chi Danmei was waiting outside the door. When she saw Qi Ning coming out, she stopped talking. Qi Ning chuckled and said, "What do you want to say?"
"If you haven't found him when the city is broken, I will come back and take you with me." Chi Danmei hesitated for a moment before sighing: "You have tried your best. Once the city is broken, there is no need for you to throw your life away. here."
The two of them walked to a quiet place, and Qi Ning said: "I will try my best to buy you as much time as possible. Breaking the imperial city is a symbol for Xiao Shaozong. When the city is broken, it means that he has truly taken back the imperial city. What you want, so as long as the imperial city is not destroyed, you can attract him here. After leaving the city, you must contact the people from the Beggar Clan. Do not act alone, and those two places must be attacked at the same time. Only in this way can we be surprised." After thinking for a moment, he said: "If the Yulin Guards defend the city with all their strength, with the strength of the imperial city, there should be no problem in holding on for a day, so you must move quickly."
Chi Danmei frowned and said, "What if... there is no emperor in the two places you mentioned?"
"That can only mean that I have bad luck." Qi Ning sighed: "This bet between me and Xiao Shaozong, I completely failed."
Chi Danmei knew in her heart that Qining was in a real desperate situation now. She left this time and didn't know if she would see him again. She bit her lips and suddenly opened her arms to protect Qining's neck. Her lips were pressed against Qining's. On the lips, Qi Ning hugged Chi Danmei's waist, kissed Chi Danmei for a moment, and then said softly: "You also need to pack up and get ready first, find a set of palace maid's clothes to change into, the queen is leaving soon, You mingle with the crowd and go out of town together."
Chi Danmei knew that she also had a heavy responsibility, so she nodded slightly, bit her lip, twisted her waist, and walked away.
Qi Ning naturally had no doubts about Chi Danmei's ability. With her methods, it was really easy to disguise herself and blend into the crowd.
He looked up at the night sky, dawn was approaching, and suddenly he heard someone beside him saying: "My lord, the queen has invited me!" Qi Ning turned his head and looked. A palace maid stood respectfully beside her, lowering her head to invite him in. Qi Ning thought to himself The queen packed up quickly and was about to go inside. Suddenly she felt a strong wind blowing. The maid who invited her in suddenly had a dagger in her hand and stabbed her directly. The two were very close and Qining didn't even notice. He was shocked when he thought that the maid in Fengyi Palace would be cruel to him. The maid's attack was not only ruthless, but also very fast. It was obvious at a glance that she was not an ordinary person. If it had been anyone else, this stab would have been very painful. There are eight or nine times she wants to succeed, but her target is Qi Ning.
Before the dagger could strike, Qi Ning let out a low cry without dodging, reaching out to grab the dagger. The palace maid obviously did not expect Qi Ning to grab the blade with her bare hands. With a twist of her wrist, the sharp blade pierced Qi Ning's palm. Ning's wrist became faster, as if he had expected that the palace maid would change her moves. He turned back to avoid the dagger, and then smacked his palm down hard, hitting the palace maid's wrist hard. The palace maid's arm went numb, and the dagger It fell from his hand, but the palace maid's momentum did not diminish, and her figure was still forward. Qining was not polite. He waved his arm, and the back of his hand hit the palace maid's shoulder. Although he waved casually, his internal strength was really amazing, even if it was just Using 50% of the skill, not many people in the world can withstand it. Fortunately, Qining wanted to leave her alive and did not want to kill her immediately. Even so, the body of the palace maid flew straight out. He hit a stone pillar and then landed heavily, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The sound immediately alerted the eunuchs nearby. Several eunuchs had already rushed over. They were all surprised when they saw the palace maid lying on the ground struggling and unable to get up. Qining's face was stern, he walked up slowly and said in a cold voice: "Who are you? Why? Want to kill me?" As he approached, he saw the palace maid raising her head, with blood at the corner of her mouth, but a beautiful face. When Qi Ning saw that face, her color changed, and she lost her voice: "Why... why is it you? ?”