Chen Xiaobei shook his head repeatedly, "I must go, I must capture that Chen Yuliang myself."
Liu Rumei shook her head again and said decisively, "Brother Xiaobei, that's not what I mean. You said you would personally chop off Zhu Meng's head, and before that, I must ensure your absolute safety."
Chen Xiaobei also calmed down at this moment. He sighed and said, "Alright, I know I don't know martial arts. If I go, you'll have to be distracted to take care of me. We're short-handed as it is."
Seeing that Chen Xiaobei had accepted her suggestion, Liu Rumei breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, the list was finalized. Liu Rumei, Xiao Qing, Lianhua Cult Master, and Huang Ying would all go.
Liu Ce, Liu Ziming, and Liu Ziliang would go.
Ma Biao was left behind to accompany Chen Xiaobei at home. The reason Ma Biao was not to show himself was that he had been in the capital for a long time. If he were recognized, everything would be lost.
The plan settled, they quietly entered Plum Blossom Palace under the cover of darkness again, and then transferred to Lotus Flower Palace.
As dawn broke, the inner palace became busy. People were shouting from palace to palace, summoning personnel to prepare meals for those confined in the great hall.
After all, dozens of princes and ministers were trapped there, and Sun Yuliang could not neglect them, so the variety of dishes could not be lacking.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Rumei and the others mixed in with the palace maids and eunuchs and joined the cooking crew.
Every time, they were summoned from various palaces at the last minute, so these palace maids and eunuchs were not familiar with each other and simply worked according to their assigned tasks.
Soon, various dishes were prepared, fragrant and steaming, placed on steamers, with basins and bowls and various containers.
Dozens of small carts, loaded to the brim, were escorted by several Imperial Guards and majestically headed towards the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Before reaching the Hall of Diligent Governance, the guards had clearly become much more stringent. Not only were the dishes checked one by one, but the palace maids and eunuchs were also searched one by one.
Seeing this scene, Liu Rumei secretly felt a pang of apprehension. Fortunately, they had made the final decision to discard all their weapons. Now, it seemed this decision was very wise.
After three thorough searches, they were finally allowed to enter the hall.
As soon as they entered the hall, a pungent smell assailed their nostrils.
It was understandable. Dozens of people had been eating, drinking, and relieving themselves in there for nearly ten days. It would be truly strange if there were no smell.
Seeing that the food had arrived, Lü Jia, who was standing on a high platform, waved his hand.
"Quickly distribute the food to the lords."
Liu Rumei's eyes immediately fell on her own father. After not seeing him for many days, he looked haggard, leaning against a large pillar, appearing somewhat weak.
Liu Rumei carried a bowl of thin porridge and a plate of vegetables, and slowly approached her father, squatting down. She lowered her voice and said, "Marquis, it's time to eat."
Hearing his daughter's voice, Liu Xiangnan's expression paused.
However, as a seasoned general who had been on many battlefields, he merely raised his eyes slightly, feigning disinterest. Inwardly, however, seeing that his daughter had infiltrated, his excitement was imaginable.
As the saying goes, one whose face is like a calm lake but whose heart is full of thunder can be appointed a great general.
Liu Xiangnan remained impassive, subtly raising his right hand and pointing upwards. Then he pressed his hand downwards.
Liu Rumei understood her father's meaning: Sun Yuliang would appear in a moment.
Liu Rumei stood up and returned to the small cart. She picked up another portion and went to the side of the old Prime Minister, Fang Zheng.
She again squatted down and said in a low voice, "Your Lordship, please have breakfast."
Fang Zheng was not familiar with this voice, but he habitually opened his eyes slightly.
Liu Rumei rarely returned to the capital, having spent most of her time in Qingniu County. She only visited Fang Zheng's residence during festivals.
Therefore, Fang Zheng found the person familiar but couldn't recall who it was for a moment. Liu Rumei seized the opportunity and lowered her voice, "I am Liu Rumei."
Upon hearing her name, a golden light flashed in the old Prime Minister Fang Zheng's eyes.
Liu Rumei whispered again, "Help me stabilize the situation in a while."
With that, she stood up without waiting for Fang Zheng's reply.
When the food distribution was nearly complete, Lü Jia personally stepped forward, selected a few dishes, and took them to the imperial platform.
He then placed them on the imperial desk.
Immediately, someone shouted, "The Emperor has arrived."
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials who had been leaning against the pillars straightened their clothes, stood up, and then knelt down again.
Liu Rumei also knelt down.
With the corner of her eye, she could vaguely see Sun Yuliang, clad in dragon robes and wearing a dragon crown, walking out from behind with a swagger. He slowly ascended the imperial steps and stopped before the dragon throne.
Seeing him stop, Lü Jia knelt on one knee and shouted loudly, "We respectfully invite His Majesty to be seated."
At his command, Fang Zheng, Liu Xiangnan, and others weakly shouted "Long live the Emperor," "We pay our respects to our Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years."
Sun Yuliang slowly sat on the dragon throne, extended his hands, and chuckled, "All my ministers, please rise."
As he spoke, he looked triumphantly at his breakfast.
"I will share the hardships with all of you. You eat what I eat, and I eat what you eat."
Fang Zheng once again took the lead and shouted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your heavenly grace."
This display greatly pleased Sun Yuliang. He nodded approvingly.
"Alright, all my ministers, please eat."
Fang Zheng and Liu Xiangnan ate with unusual relish today. In a short while, the food in front of them was finished.
Liu Xiangnan held up his bowl and shouted, "Give me another bowl of rice!"
Fang Zheng also said loudly, "Yes, yes, yes, give me another bowl too."
Seeing the two eating so heartily, the other civil and military officials were quite surprised, thinking to themselves, these two have been listless in the past, what's gotten into them today?
Seeing their performance, Sun Yuliang was also very happy. It seemed these two had come to their senses.
He didn't know that the reason they were deliberately making such a commotion was to attract the attention of everyone present. At this moment, Liu Rumei, accompanied by Huang Ying and the Lotus Flower Cult Master, had quietly reached the foot of the imperial steps.
Lü Jia suddenly turned his gaze and happened to see Huang Ying. He raised his hand and pointed, "Bold servant, retreat!"
As he spoke, with a clang, he drew his sword and lunged towards Huang Ying, making a few gestures.
Huang Ying had been waiting for this opportunity. She suddenly raised her hand, and a cold glint flew directly towards Lü Jia's throat.
Lü Jia, as the commander of the Imperial Guards, was indeed quite skilled.
Seeing the cold glint approaching, he turned his body to dodge it, and then thrust his sword towards Huang Ying.
Upon seeing this, several guards following Lü Jia shouted, "Assassin!"
Before the words had even fallen, Liu Rumei and the Lotus Flower Cult Master on the side had already acted together, charging towards Sun Yuliang, who was still eating.
Sun Yuliang saw the two charging towards him and realized something was wrong. He raised his hand and overturned the bowls and plates on the table, throwing them towards Liu Rumei and the Lotus Flower Cult Master.
But how could these small objects block Liu Rumei?