Liu Xiangnan was anxious to dismiss the civil and military officials, rather than taking everyone to rescue the Emperor, for fear that Sun Yuliang might still have loyalists among them who could harm the Emperor.
Liu Xiangnan and Fang Zheng, along with Liu Ce and others, returned to the main hall.
They called out to Liu Rumei and, with Sun Yuliang subdued, slowly headed towards the cold palace, where Emperor Xiao An was being held.
The guards at the entrance of the cold palace were all Sun Yuliang's loyalists. Seeing him being escorted, they knew something was seriously wrong, but they were unwilling to give up and wanted to make one last desperate attempt.
The leader, named Li Guang, seeing the situation, immediately turned back, dragged Xiao An out of the cold palace, and, like Liu Rumei, pressed a sword to his throat.
Witnessing this, Liu Xiangnan pointed with his right hand and sternly rebuked, "Li Guang, you damned fool, how dare you treat the Emperor like this?"
Li Guang laughed heartily, "Marquis Liu, you seem to be mistaken. It's you who are pointing swords at the Emperor now." [Soudan Novel Network]
The Lotus Cult Leader and Huang Ying exchanged glances and tacitly took a step to the side.
After stepping aside, the Lotus Cult Leader was almost face-to-face with Li Guang. She suddenly raised her hand.
This sudden movement naturally drew Li Guang's attention, and his gaze shifted to the Lotus Cult Leader.
But the Lotus Cult Leader merely raised her hand, then retracted it to adjust her hair.
Seeing that Li Guang was distracted, the Lotus Cult Leader secretly rejoiced and threw him a flirtatious glance.
In modern terms, it was a bit of a coquettish pose.
Li Guang was still a man, and he was susceptible to such overtures.
When someone suddenly gave him a meaningful look, he couldn't help but feel a stir of excitement.
At that moment, Huang Ying suddenly raised her hand, and three points of cold light shot towards Li Guang's eyes and throat.
Li Guang's peripheral vision caught Huang Ying's unusual movement.
Oh no.
He quickly dodged backward, but it was too late. A flying needle lodged directly into his right eye.
"Ah!"
Li Guang cried out in agony, dropped the sword in his hand, and jumped up and down, covering his eye.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Lotus Cult Leader darted to Xiao An's side and pulled him away.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao An was rescued.
Seeing that the tide had turned, Sun Yuliang sighed in resignation.
Without Xiao An, he had lost his last chance of self-preservation.
Immediately after, Liu Ce stepped forward and, with another swift blow, chopped Li Guang in two.
With their commander dead, the remaining Imperial Guards scattered like birds and beasts.
Once the situation was settled, Liu Xiangnan and Fang Zheng, smoothing their robes, knelt before Xiao An. "This old subject was late in rescuing Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Xiao An, with tears in his eyes, reached out and helped them up. "Not late, not late. Your excellencies arrived just in time, just in time."
The three embraced and wept uncontrollably.
Liu Rumei and the others stood by silently, waiting until the three had finished venting their emotions.
Liu Xiangnan was the first to stop crying. He wiped his tears and cupped his fists to Xiao An. "Your Majesty, you have suffered. Please return and rest."
Fang Zheng seized the opportunity and cupped his fists. "Your Majesty's ability to quell the rebels this time is all thanks to Liu Rumei. She entered the palace with the Crown Prince's decree, apprehended Sun Yuliang, and killed Lü Jia."
Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Xiao An's eyes. He looked up towards the distance.
Liu Rumei was still holding her sword to Sun Yuliang's neck.
Xiao An's anger flared instantly. He pointed at Sun Yuliang and said, "Execute this dog official and hang him on the city walls for public display."
Liu Xiangnan quickly cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, do not be hasty. Please allow this old minister to offer a word."
"Killing Sun Yuliang is easy, but it will be difficult to uproot his accomplices after his death. This time, we must capture all his party members to eliminate future troubles!"
Heeding Liu Xiangnan's words, Emperor Xiao An nodded. "Very well, then let him live a few more days."
"Your Majesty, please return to the palace to bathe and change. You can summon the ministers for a discussion shortly," Fang Zheng bowed again.
Meanwhile, at the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Jueding Daoren and Sun Qi heard that the palace gates had opened, but after waiting for a long time, there was no sign of Sun Yuliang.
Upon further inquiry, they learned that the civil and military officials had all gone home.
Jueding immediately realized that the plan had likely failed and Sun Yuliang was finished.
As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. With Sun Yuliang gone, staying in the capital was meaningless; he needed to find a new patron quickly.
Looking at Sun Qi, who was still busy, Jueding Daoren had a thought.
Taking Sun Qi with him might not be a bad choice, as the Grand Tutor's banner was still useful.
With this in mind, he called out to Sun Qi to stop. "Sun Qi, have you heard? The civil and military officials have all gone home, but the Grand Tutor hasn't returned yet."
Sun Qi nodded. "Yes, perhaps the Grand Tutor was delayed by something."
Jueding Daoren shook his head. "I don't think so. If the Grand Tutor had been delayed, there would be no need to withdraw the troops guarding the palace gates."
Upon hearing this, Sun Qi scratched his head. "That makes sense. Daoist priest, what do you think has happened?"
Jueding Daoren sighed. "I suspect, most likely, something has happened to the Grand Tutor, and perhaps this whole endeavor has failed."
A flicker of panic crossed Sun Qi's eyes. "Then what is your intention, Daoist priest?"
Jueding Daoren smiled faintly. "We should leave the capital immediately and head to Qingniu County to seek refuge with Marshal Zhu."
"But if the Grand Tutor returns and cannot find us..."
Hearing this, Sun Qi was also tempted. Jueding Daoren knew that if he gave him one more push, the matter would be settled.
With this thought, he waved his hand. "It's fine, it's fine. There are so many servants at home; they don't necessarily need us both. We'll go meet Commander Zhu and urge him to finish the task assigned by the Grand Tutor as soon as possible and return to the capital."
"I suspect Commander Zhu is unfamiliar with the terrain of Qingniu Mountain, which is why there has been no progress. I am very familiar with Qingniu Mountain."
"When we return, we will be meritorious officials for suppressing the Crown Prince."
After hearing his words, Sun Qi was moved.
Suppressing the Crown Prince was a task of immense merit.
"Alright then, I'll make some arrangements, and then we'll go to Qingniu County."
Jueding Daoren grabbed his sleeve. "What arrangements? If we leave this Grand Tutor's mansion, it will fall apart. We must go now!"
Just as the two were hastily leaving, Liu Xiangnan arrived with a large contingent of troops.
Looking back and seeing the Grand Tutor's mansion surrounded by heavy troops, they exchanged glances. Sun Qi even wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Fortunately, Daoist priest, you made a decisive move; otherwise, my life would have been over."
At this moment, Chen Xiaobei was brought by Liu Rumei to see Sun Yuliang.
Sun Yuliang was tied to a pillar in the main hall, dejected and disheveled, looking utterly pathetic.
He looked up upon hearing footsteps and saw a young man standing beside Liu Rumei, whom he did not recognize.
Chen Xiaobei looked at him and sighed. "Sun Yuliang, Sun Yuliang, why couldn't you have been content as a Grand Tutor? You had to dream of being an emperor."
Sun Yuliang looked at Chen Xiaobei and retorted, "Who are you? What right do you have to lecture me here?"