Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 239 The Crown Prince Prays for Blessings at Kongshan Temple!

The eldest princess was determined to punish the third prince.

This process inevitably involves being torn apart, covered in wounds, and even the dignity of a prince might be trampled underfoot.

But the Third Prince has already been spoiled and will never change unless we do this.

If it weren't for the fact that they were siblings, the eldest princess wouldn't have given him this opportunity.

After Zhou Wei left the Third Prince's residence and got into the carriage, Jiang Yueli asked, "Is everything arranged?"

The two now have a perfect understanding and are of one mind. Zhou Wei knows what the princess means without her having to say anything.

"It's all arranged. The person won't die, but they'll suffer physical pain and mental torment. They might not even be recognizable as human in a few days."

The eldest princess took a deep breath: "My feelings towards Yue Lin are complicated and hard to describe. Whether he can get through this ordeal depends on his fate. I have already done everything I can."

When the carriage returned to the princess's residence, the sounds of Hongxiu and the others playing with Abao could already be heard inside.

As arranged by Zhou Wei, A Bao was sent back to the princess's residence ahead of schedule by Zhu Zhen.

As soon as this guy came back, Hongxiu and Ziyu hugged him tightly and wouldn't let go, afraid that he would run away again!

If you listen carefully, you can even hear Ning He and Jiang Zao's clear laughter.

As the two entered the mansion, they saw Abao rolling around in the snow.

Hongxiu held a towel and tried to wipe Abao's face whenever she could.

Ziyu, holding a plate of watermelon, coaxed Abao with a grin: "Okay, Abao, if you do another split, I'll give you some watermelon, okay?"

Jiang Zao stood carefully to the side, her bright eyes wide open, clearly showing her curiosity and fondness for A Bao.

Ning He spoke to everyone with great interest: "This little guy is amazing! Look at its movements, it seems to know kung fu. I can't even do those moves."

Jiang Yueli looked at the beautiful scene before her, a warm current surging in her chest.

Ning He noticed something amiss behind her and turned around to see the Princess looking deeply moved.

"Yue Li, you're back!"

The princess snapped out of her daze and reached out to grab Ning He: "Sister Ning, we owe you so much this time, otherwise my princess's residence would have been in serious trouble."

When the refugee riots broke out, Ning He sent someone to inform Hongxiu and others to close the mansion gates, which was a great help.

"Yue Li, there's no need for formalities between us, but this time it wasn't entirely my doing."

The eldest princess looked at her with a puzzled expression. Ning He explained, "When the refugee riots broke out, I was at the General's Mansion and hadn't gone to the soup kitchen yet. It was Lu Zhiyan who reminded me that I should send someone to your residence."

Jiang Yueli and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance, not expecting that Lu Zhiyan was involved in this matter.

Zhou Wei asked Ning He, "That's strange. Lu Zhiyan has sided with the Crown Prince, and this palace coup was clearly intended to be a coordinated effort with the Crown Prince from within. Why did he suddenly change his mind?"

Ning He sneered: "I was a little confused at first, but I figured it out later."

It turned out that Lu Zhiyan was extremely excited after returning to the General's Mansion that night.

The plan to force the crown prince to abdicate had already been set. As long as he cooperated from within and without to open the city gates for the Roushan army, the crown prince could ascend the throne.

At that time, he will have rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor, and will no longer need to compromise with Ning He out of fear of Prime Minister Ning's power.

However, when Lu Zhiyan returned to the manor and saw that Ning He, who had not been home for a long time, had actually returned, his heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

He had only experienced this feeling twice in his life, both times on the battlefield during life-or-death situations!

So when the same feeling returned, Lu Zhiyan immediately calmed down.

He was anxious all night, constantly calculating the probability of the Crown Prince's coup attempt succeeding.

With the auspicious beast recognizing him as its master and the 100,000-strong army of the Roushan Camp supporting him, Lu Zhiyan couldn't think of any reason why the Crown Prince would fail.

The next morning, before he could even go to the Five Cities Garrison, he heard commotion from the streets caused by a riot by displaced people.

Lu Zhiyan shuddered, his hair standing on end. The feeling he had last night had finally come true!

Lu Zhiyan made a decisive move, instructing Ning He to send someone to the princess's residence to deliver the message, while he himself rode to the Five Cities Military Command to disperse his troops and fight against the refugees.

As for the message to be secretly passed on to the guards of the four city gates, instructing them to open the gates for the Roushan Army, Lu Zhiyan silently suppressed it until the Princess appeared alone at the South Gate.

"So, Miss Ning means that Lu Zhiyan has bet on both sides?"

Ning He nodded. "The peasant uprising exceeded his calculations. Because of his caution, he did not open the city gates casually. When Yue Li appeared in armor, Lu Zhiyan naturally realized that Yue Li was related to the Roushan Army."

After listening, Zhou Wei couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he's the male lead in the story; he managed to turn a seemingly hopeless situation around."

"So, Lu Zhiyan will no longer admit to colluding with the Crown Prince from the inside?"

“Of course he wouldn’t admit it,” Ning He sighed. “He didn’t open the city gates to let the Roushan Army into the city without permission, he organized troops to resist the refugee uprising, and he opened the city gates to subdue the Roushan Army after Yue Li appeared. He deserves credit no matter how you look at it, right?”

“The Crown Prince is now a prisoner. Even if he insists that Lu Zhiyan was involved in the coup, it depends on Yue Li’s opinion.”

The eldest princess said thoughtfully, "Now that I have just become the Crown Princess, the stability of the court is the top priority."

This means that Lu Zhiyan will be let off the hook for the time being, but the position of General of the Five Cities Garrison will probably have to be changed!

Jiang Yueli thought for a moment and said, "The Five Cities Garrison is very important in protecting the capital. We need to place one of our own people here to put our minds at ease."

“Princess, there is someone suitable. Do you still remember Sun Cheng?” Zhou Wei suggested.

Jiang Yueli naturally remembered that on the day of the beast tide, Sun Cheng was the first to get off his horse and climb the tree to help everyone test the waters.

Although there were some speculative intentions, it was not shameful. If you risk your life, you should naturally get something in return.

“Sun Cheng is excellent! I worked with him in the army back then. Because of his straightforward personality and tendency to argue with his superiors, he is still only a captain after many years.”

After the eldest princess finished speaking, she looked at Ning He and asked, "Sister Ning, now that Sun Cheng has taken over the Five Cities Military Command, how should Lu Zhiyan be arranged?"

Ning He thought for a moment and then smiled: "No need to make arrangements, just let him stay at home, but we'll keep his general title for him."

Zhou Wei was stunned. Wasn't this just a lone commander with no one to command?

What use is the title of general if you don't even have a single soldier under your command?

However, upon reflection, one can understand the brilliance of Ning He's move.

Power is a man's greatest asset. Without this asset, given Su Yunjin's personality, problems are bound to arise between them.

The eldest princess asked with concern, "Sister Ning, are you all ready?"

Ning He nodded and smiled. She was naturally prepared and was worried that there might not be enough time!

Just as Jiang Yueli was about to ask a few more questions, a guard from the palace came to report that an imperial decree had arrived.

The person who arrived was still the chief eunuch who was in charge of delivering the imperial edict on behalf of the Great Zhou Emperor at today's grand court assembly.

"Your Highness, His Majesty's decree: The Crown Princess's conferment of a title and the sudden cessation of the blizzard are truly auspicious omens! I originally intended to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, but given the recent great disaster and the suffering of the people, I do not wish to waste resources. Therefore, I hereby order the Crown Princess, in her capacity as the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou, to travel to the blessed land of Kongshan Temple to pray for the Great Zhou and its people."

After receiving the decree, Jiang Yueli asked the head eunuch, "Does Father have any other instructions?"

The head eunuch glanced at Zhou Wei and nodded, saying, "His Majesty said that although Your Highness is the Crown Prince, since you are praying for the country and the people, you should not be too extravagant. You should keep a low profile on this trip."

“Zhou Dianjun is highly skilled in martial arts and can accompany Your Highness to protect you. In addition, there is a criminal imprisoned in the Eastern Palace who is impersonating the genius of the Divine Physician Valley. Your Highness should also take him with you and hand him over to Wan Fengnian, the head of the Divine Physician Valley, for disposal.”