Zhulan waited for the boss to go out. She was calm and stood up and walked back and forth. The prince had been looking for secret passages everywhere in the past few days and suddenly closed the city gate, which meant that the secret passage had been found and under control.
There must be a lot of people hiding in the capital, and now we have to close the door and beat the dog.
People have enormous potential in the face of death, and these hidden people are even crazier. If they are caught, they will die, so why not give it a try? Therefore, the area where the Zhou family is located is the best candidate to take the blame.
Zhulan's heart was pounding, and she said to Mrs. Song, "Go to each courtyard and inform them to bring the children to the main courtyard. The maids in the mansion who have nothing to do should go back to their rooms and lock all the doors."
Mrs. Song glanced at the maids standing at the door, then hurried out.
In about a cup of tea, each room walked very fast and arrived at the main courtyard. There was sweat on Li's forehead, which showed how fast they walked.
Zhulan gestured to Li to sit down, fearing that something really happened and that Li would go into premature labor. Her eyes fell on Li's belly, but fortunately Li was in good health.
Zhao was a very brave woman, but she was also very timid. She held the handkerchief tightly in her hand because she valued her life. "Mother, what happened?"
Zhulan looked at her eldest grandson and said to the grandchildren who were standing, "Don't stand, sit down."
After the children were seated, he explained the lockdown of the capital and the news coming from Ninghou Mansion.
Zhulan suddenly thought of Zhang Jinghong. If something really happened, it would be dangerous for Zhang Jinghong's family. She pressed her eyebrows and walked back and forth.
At this time, Jin Yan came back with a few soldiers, "Madam, the master asked me to guard back and forth. These soldiers were sent by Prince Ning."
Zhulan felt very excited. Lord Ning sent the message because of their in-laws, and Rongchuan really treated them as his parents.
Zhulan asked Jinyan, "What's the situation on the street?"
Jin Yan said: "There are soldiers patrolling the streets, and several city defense camps near the capital have entered the city."
Zhulan exhaled and said to Jinyan, "Go to Lord Zhang's house to check the situation. If there is no one there, bring back Lord Zhang's wife and children."
It seems that the search has not yet begun and there is still time.
Jinyan, "Yes."
Zhulan added: "Yes, I have already asked someone to pick you and Shenxing's wife up."
Just when Mrs. Song left, she called the housekeeper over. The housekeeper personally picked up Xuemei's family and also brought his cautious wife over. He also sent someone to the Wu family.
Zhulan frowned. The Ran family didn't have to worry, as the prince would make arrangements. The Liu family didn't have to worry either, as the Liu family and the Ningguo Mansion were engaged, and nothing was left out from the beginning to the end. Only then did Zhulan feel at ease.
Jinyan was touched, and he was also thinking about her.
Soldiers were stationed outside the Ministry of Revenue and other ministries in the capital. Qiu Yan walked back and forth. He was very worried about his family. "Master Zhou, do you know what happened?"
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that something big had happened.
Zhou Shuren pressed his forehead, he was the most worried. He had accidentally attracted a lot of hatred, but Qiu Yan and the Qiu family would never become targets.
Seeing that Zhou Shuren didn't say anything, Qiu Yan didn't ask any more questions. It would be useless for him to ask because Zhou Shuren wouldn't say anything even if he knew the answer.
On the streets of the capital, Rongchuan was riding a horse following the prince with a sword on his waist. Rongchuan was a little dazed. He was a civil servant in the Hanlin Academy, but these days he followed the prince to search for secret passages everywhere. This change was quite big, and the prince was not at all shy about letting him know all the secret passages he found. Although they would be sealed afterwards, this trust was too great.
The prince saw Rong Chuan was absent-minded and asked, "Are you scared?"
He knew that he was putting himself in danger, but if he didn't show up, he wouldn't be able to catch all the rats in the capital. Only if he showed up would he attract attention and reduce some unnecessary casualties. This was not courage, but strategy, and also a test for himself. Only the baptism of blood would make him grow and make him understand more about what an emperor is.
Rong Chuan shook his head, "I am not afraid, I just don't understand."
The prince laughed, "What don't you understand?"
"You trust me too much."
After he finished speaking, Rongchuan was stunned. He spoke his true feelings so bluntly!
The prince laughed. Brothers from the same mother are different. This is the trust of blood. He patted Rongchuan on the shoulder and said, "In the future, you are the only one I trust the most."
Rongchuan was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, the prince had already taken a step ahead on his horse, and he rode quickly to catch up.
The prince listened to the sound of horse hooves and looked around. His father could not afford to take the risk of seeing the two sons he cared about the most together, so there were people everywhere in the dark.
In the Mansion of Marquis Yao, Yao Wenqi sat motionless, staring at the person who came back to report. The city gate was blocked, the secret passage was found, and he closed his eyes, thinking of the more than 30 people in his family who were killed. He made an oath with one foot, and the emperor made him fulfill it right after that. In the current situation, he could not afford to take the risk, and his retreat was blocked.
Yao Wenqi closed his eyes, the only thing he was thankful for was that people passed away day by day while the Zhang mansion was burning.
At Zhou's house, Jin Yan came back soon, "Mrs. Zhang was taken away by the Shi family first."
Zhulan felt relieved when she knew where the person was going, "Yeah."
Xuemei tried to comfort her parents-in-law. She was also afraid. The streets were full of soldiers. "Mom, is there something serious?"
"It's okay, don't be nervous, it's just a search and it will be over soon."
As he was talking, the housekeeper came running back and said, "Just now he stopped at the gate of the mansion and seemed to be chasing someone. Madam, I asked the servant to guard the main courtyard."
Zhulan was also nervous, "Okay."
On the streets of the capital, soldiers have begun searching suspicious places. Some places are empty, while some still have people, some resisting and fleeing.
There were corpses all in front of the prince, who stared at the blood all over the ground without changing his expression. He had thought that there were many people hiding in the capital, but he didn't expect there would be so many. He had just counted nearly a hundred people, not including those who were scattering to create chaos or those who wanted to take others with them to die.
There was blood on Rongchuan's sword, and his eyes were fixed on the surroundings, fearing that someone might be careless or hiding.
The prince said to the group of people, "Search around."
The general guarding the city took orders to lead the team to search, and the people left behind remained on guard.
The prince did not move. At this time, his goal had been achieved and it was not appropriate for him to move for safety reasons.
At Zhou's house, Zhulan sat motionless. She heard the noise. As expected, the Zhou family had attracted a lot of hatred and was the target. Fortunately, the servants of Zhou's family were all good in martial arts.
Zhulan looked at Mingyun and the others and nodded with satisfaction. Mingyun, the eldest grandson, was very responsible and did not lose his composure due to fear. Mingteng and the others also behaved well. What surprised her was that Yushuang and the others were also very calm.
The noise outside soon stopped, and Zhulan waited for Jinyan to come back and report.