Watching Prince Min run away, Yan Liqiang finally understood that every family in this world has its own problems, even the emperor's family is no exception.
Imperial Concubine Rong, who was sitting in the main seat, did not let the awkward atmosphere in the room continue, but continued to ask, "Just now, Eunuch Jiang wanted to ask Captain Liu of Luyuan to investigate the situation outside, but the captain refused to go. When Lord Yan came, he changed the subject. I wonder if Lord Yan knows what the situation is outside now. The Imperial Capital is in danger now. Can you organize soldiers and horses outside the city to come in and help?"
"You all came here from the palace, but have you not yet stepped out of the Deer Garden to take a look?" Yan Liqiang asked.
Concubine Rong and the people sitting there looked at each other. Several women shook their heads, but Concubine Rong nodded slightly. At this time, shaking her head and nodding her head had the same meaning.
"We just arrived at Luyuan. We were frightened all the way here, but now we have calmed down a little. We haven't gone out to take a look yet. But I see that Luyuan is calm and peaceful, and it seems that it is not affected by the outside world. Even if there is chaos outside the Imperial Capital, it is probably limited..." Concubine Rong said.
Yan Liqiang shook his head and glanced at the women in the room. "When the smoke of war rose in Stanley last night, I left Luyuan and went outside to investigate the situation. I also entered the Imperial City and went to the Imperial Palace, so I know exactly what the situation is outside now!"
"Ah, Master Yan came to the palace last night?" Concubine Duan, who was just pointed out by King Min and asked Yan Liqiang to recognize her, stared at Yan Liqiang with wide eyes and covered her mouth with her hands, looking very surprised. This Concubine Duan was less than 30 years old, with fair skin, beautiful appearance, mature and charming, just in her prime, with a face full of collagen and no wrinkles on her face. She was wearing a blue long skirt, which was supported by her voluptuous figure and had the effect of wearing a cheongsam. Her chest was bulging, with a slender waist, a peach-shaped plump round buttocks and thighs tightly stretched by the hem of the long skirt. It felt like water could be squeezed out with a slight squeeze. What surprised Yan Liqiang even more was that when Concubine Duan spoke, her voice was delicate and cute, like a girl of 16 or 17 years old, very coquettish, and I don't know if it was born or cultivated like Sister Zhiling.
When Concubine Duan suddenly spoke, Yan Liqiang could instantly hear several women in the room cursing her as a vixen in their hearts. However, those women kept a straight face. Yan Liqiang glanced at Concubine Duan, and coincidentally, Concubine Duan's watery eyes looked over at him. Their eyes met slightly, and Yan Liqiang felt that Concubine Duan's eyes were watery and soft. He quickly withdrew his gaze, and his face remained as straight as the other women's.
"The palace was in trouble last night. As a court official, I saw the smoke and flames in Stanley, so I naturally went to rescue. At that time, the entire Imperial Capital was in complete chaos. When I arrived at the palace, I saw hundreds of thousands of mobs outside the palace smashing through the palace wall like zombies and rushing into the palace. Later, I rushed into the palace and saw Lord Sun and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Lord Sun died in the palace last night. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his entourage escaped from the secret passage of the East Palace and encountered mobs outside the city, where they unfortunately died. Now the situation in and outside the Imperial Capital is a hundred times more serious than you can imagine. In addition to the Imperial Capital, the villages outside the Imperial Capital are also in chaos. The situation is the same as in the Imperial Capital, with cannibalistic zombies everywhere. If you go out for a walk, you will understand that if a living person encounters those people, in the blink of an eye, those people can gnaw you down to only a pile of bones..."
The people sitting here had never experienced the bloody scenes last night. They were probably protected by someone and entered the secret passage as soon as the palace wall was broken. At this time, these people had no idea of the real situation outside. They thought that the White Lotus Sect had rioted in the city last night and caused a big commotion. They were still fantasizing that they could put down the riot and rush back to the Imperial Capital. At this time, after hearing what Yan Liqiang said, everyone sitting here, from Concubine Rong to the palace maids and guards, all turned pale. Yan Liqiang's words made them understand all of a sudden that the situation before them was no longer a riot, but that overnight, they had almost lost everything they had relied on. This court, this Imperial Capital, was no longer what they had imagined...
Princess Anping, who had been listening without saying a word, was slightly shocked when she heard Yan Liqiang talking about the Crown Prince's misfortune. She stood up all of a sudden and stared at Yan Liqiang. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears and her whole body trembled. "You...what did you say...Lord Sun and the Crown Prince...The Crown Prince also...died..."
As soon as the snake moved, Yan Liqiang knew that Princess Anping was the Crown Prince's biological sister.
"Lord Sun and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have indeed died!" Thinking of the tragic scene of Sun Bingchen's death, Yan Liqiang's eyes could not help but turn red, and his voice lowered, "The Crown Prince's body is now buried in a bamboo forest in the eastern suburbs of the Imperial Capital..."
Princess Anping had tears on her face and her body was shaking. She pointed at Yan Liqiang and asked loudly and sternly, "Didn't you say last night that you were in the palace? Aren't you the archery master of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Aren't you capable? Then what were you doing when Lord Sun was in trouble? Where were you when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in trouble?"
Yan Liqiang did not blame Princess Anping, because he knew that Princess Anping, who suddenly heard the bad news about her relatives, was very excited and a little emotional at the moment.
"Lord Sun could have left through the secret passage of the East Palace, but he didn't want to leave. Instead, he chose to stay and sacrifice his life for his country. Lord Sun and I were together and left the palace at the last moment. After the Crown Prince left the palace through the secret passage, he encountered the White Lotus Sect's troops. When I arrived, the Crown Prince had already died. All I could do was to avenge the Crown Prince, kill all the White Lotus Sect's troops, and bury the Crown Prince. From last night until now, I fought my way into the palace alone in the Imperial Capital City where millions of zombies were rampant, and finally fought my way back. The number of zombies that died from my robbery was countless, and more than a hundred White Lotus Sect masters also died from my robbery. Two of the White Lotus Sect's eight great Vajras, Lu Tianxing and Situ Fei, have been killed by me. What I have done is worthy of the conscience of heaven and earth, and worthy of the court and His Majesty. I have a clear conscience. I know how Your Highness the Princess feels at the moment, but I still ask Your Highness the Princess to mourn..."
Princess Anping's body swayed twice. Seeing this, the maids beside her hurried over to support her. Finally, Princess Anping sat down on the chair dejectedly, biting her lips and crying silently...
“Master Yan… you said… since it’s already so chaotic outside, with a million rioters… then… then shouldn’t the Deer Park be peaceful?” Imperial Concubine Rong’s face turned pale, and her voice, which had just been calm, trembled a little.
"Your Highness, you don't know that all the mobs inside and outside the Imperial Capital are like zombies at this moment. They have long lost their normal human minds and are worse than wild beasts. They only know how to kill and eat people. There are no villages within a few miles around the Deer Park. The Deer Park is located in a quiet place and is surrounded by high walls, so it has not been discovered by the zombies for the time being. But I estimate that this is only temporary. It won't be long before this place is exposed. Once more zombies gather outside the Deer Park, the high wall outside the Deer Park will be knocked down in an instant, and this place will become a purgatory on earth. Therefore, the Deer Park is not safer than the Imperial Palace, and the area outside the Imperial Capital is not safer than the Imperial Capital. If your Highness doesn't believe it, you can ask Elder Liu or the capable guards around him to go to the villages closest to the Deer Park to see if there are any living people in those villages. Then you will know whether what I said is true..."
Concubine Rong stopped talking. She turned her head and looked at the royal family's expert. Elder Liu looked at Yan Liqiang deeply and bowed to Concubine Rong. "Your Majesty, please wait here for a moment. I'll go outside and come back..."
After saying this, Elder Liu walked out of the yard, and his entire figure suddenly rose from the ground and disappeared in an instant...
Elder Liu left because he believed that Yan Liqiang would not do anything to the people in the room. At the same time, he was somewhat skeptical of Yan Liqiang's words and wanted to go and personally verify whether the situation outside Dijing City was really as Yan Liqiang said.
"Look, you've made Lord Yan stand for so long. Someone, show Lord Yan a seat..." It wasn't until Elder Liu left that Concubine Rong seemed to remember that Yan Liqiang had been standing in the room since he came in. She quickly asked the guards around her to bring a chair for Yan Liqiang to sit down. Her attitude towards Yan Liqiang also changed subtly, becoming much more polite...
Seeing the chair being brought over, Yan Liqiang thanked them and sat down calmly. "Excuse me, Madam, did anyone else in the palace also leave the palace through the secret passage?"
Concubine Rong sighed, tears welling up in her eyes, then she took the handkerchief handed to her by a palace maid and gently wiped her eyes. "Last night was supposed to be my 41st birthday. When the chaos started, Concubine Duan, Concubine Rui, Concubine Yi, and several other sisters, as well as Prince Min and Princess Anping, all celebrated my birthday in Ningxiu Palace. I didn't know there was any secret passage in Ningxiu Palace before. It was His Majesty who asked Elder Liu and several eunuchs to rush over with people and let us take refuge in the secret passage in Xiuning Palace. That's why we came to Deer Garden. As for the people in other palaces, I don't know how they are now. There must be other secret passages in the palace that can lead us out. Since His Majesty can arrange for us to leave in times of crisis, he can probably arrange for others to leave as well. We, the sisters, orphans and widows, have come to Deer Garden now. Our safety depends on Lord Yan..." "After saying this, Concubine Rong remembered something and quickly called a guard beside her. She whispered a few words and told the guard to go out and call Prince Min back and not to run around in the Deer Park...
(End of this chapter)