Chapter 612 - 612 The Struggle is About to Begin_1

Wei Ruo leaned out of the carriage and said, “Back to the Capital City.”

“Ruoruo, didn’t I tell you that you cannot go to the Capital City right now? It’s very dangerous there, why are you still…”

“Yingying, there is something I must do, even if it’s dangerous, I still have to go,” Wei Ruo said with a stern look on his face.

“But, you might lose your life…”

“Yingying, there are some things we cannot run away from, confronting them is a better solution than evasion.” Wei Ruo’s eyes were resolute.

Xie Ying looked at Wei Ruo’s unwavering gaze, her brows furrowed in thought.

After a moment of silence, Xie Ying eventually chose to trust Wei Ruo.

“You’ve always had good judgement. Since you’ve said so, I will no longer try to stop you. Just be careful in everything you do,” Xie Ying advised.

Wei Ruo responded with a smile, “Mm, don’t worry. I will be careful.”

Fan Chengxu, who was standing on the side, studied Wei Ruo’s party and asked, “Is this all the people the Prince and Queen are bringing along this trip?”

“We are going back to the Capital City to attend a funeral, how many people do we need?” Wei Ruo retorted.

Fan Chengxu solemnly said, “I must warn you, if you journey to the Capital City in this manner, I’m afraid it will be a one-way trip.”

“On what basis do you say this, Mr. Fan?” asked Wei Ruo.

Fan Chengxu replied, “I’m aware that Queen Rui’s father, Mr. Wei, and your foster brother, Mr. Xu, hold significant military power. However, you must not forget, one of them is in the southeast, and the other in the northeast. Their armies cannot desert their posts without imperial orders. And even if they dare to lead their armies back to the Capital City, they won’t be able to put out the imminent fire with pails of water from afar, meaning they cannot protect both of you.”

“You’re right, they cannot just leave their posts,” Wei Ruo agreed. He then asked, “Mr. Fan, why do you think we need military protection for our return to the Capital City?”

Fan Chengxu replied in a solemn tone, “Why does Queen Rui pretend to be ignorant? Since you two are returning to the Capital City, it must be because of that person. The Daxing Emperor has been dead for seven days. On our journey to Jiliao, King Jing has already ascended to the throne in front of the Daxing Emperor’s memorial tablet and temporarily taken charge of the court. All that’s left is to choose an auspicious day after the 27-day mourning period to hold the coronation ceremony. If you two still wish to remove him from his position, nothing but force will suffice.”

Then Fan Chengxu informed Wei Ruo, “The Capital City is currently under Chu Lan’s control. Both the Armed Forces Department of the Five Cities and the Imperial Army are under Chu Lan’s command.”

“Chu Lan is in charge of the Armed Forces Department in the Eastern and Central Cities.”

“The head of the Armed Forces Department in the Southern City is Tan Rufeng. He’s a member of the Tan Family, a great aristocratic family from the northwest. Three years ago, the Emperor borrowed food from the Tan Family and, as a favor in return, he granted several members of the Family official positions. Among these officials is Tan Rufeng, who became the head of the Armed Forces Department of the Southern City last year.”

“The head of the Armed Forces Department of the Western City is Yu Dongshan. He came from humble origins and served under General Lu in his early years. Because of General Lu’s mentorship, he has been in charge of the Armed Forces Department of the Western City for a decade, making him the longest-serving head among the Five Cities.”

“The head of the Armed Forces Department of the Northern City is Fan Xiu, my own clansman. My Fan Family has always united in whatever we do, following the direction set by my uncle. My uncle initially supported King Yu, but after the Qi Family fell from power, he began to observe and ultimately sided with King Jing among the three candidates.”

“The head of the Imperial Army is Han Jin, who was originally in charge of the Shen Shu Camp and was transferred to his current position by the Daxing Emperor three years ago. Han Jin is known for laying low and had never been involved in power struggles.”

“The Armed Forces Departments of the five aforementioned cities and the Imperial Army are the six most important military forces within the Imperial City. They have all pledged their allegiance to King Jing, obeying his command. I ask Prince and Queen Rui, do you have any strategies to counter this?”

After Fan Chengxu finished his explanation, Wei Ruo calmly asked, “Did he ascend to the throne with a testamentary edict?”

“The Daxing Emperor’s death was sudden, causing his will to be temporarily lost.”

“Did the courtiers accept his ascendancy?” Wei Ruo asked again.

Fan Chengxu fell silent for a while before giving a vague reply, “He has lost the trust of the people over the past few years.”

“Then let’s go and pay respects to our late Emperor,” stated Wei Ruo.

Despite Fan Chengxu’s long discourse, Wei Ruo apparently did not take his words to heart.

Fan Chengxu frowned for a while before finally saying, “Very well, do as you wish.”

###

Given they had a carriage, luggage, and quite a sizeable party, the journey from Jiliao back to the Capital City would typically have taken half a month. They traveled more quickly this time.

However, they still couldn’t match the speed of their initial 800-li express journey. Their eight-day trip couldn’t compare to the speed at which Fan and Xie had arrived riding on horseback.

The Emperor’s death had been announced in Jiliao on the third day by means of an 800-li express relay. After Wei Ruo and his party had been kept waiting for two days, they set out on the fourth day and arrived in the Capital City on the eighth day. Today marked the sixteenth day since the Emperor’s demise.

They hadn’t encountered any robbers or bandits along the way.

Upon their re-entry to the Capital City from the Eastern Gate, they were immediately stopped by a group of soldiers.

The news of Prince Rui and his wife’s return had already reached the Capital City.

The eunuch who had initially traveled to Jiliao to deliver the imperial edict had returned before them to deliver the news of their departure.

Wei Ruo lay inside the carriage, holding the snoring little Yan. Despite the commotion outside, her features remained calm.

She trusted her second brother. Since he had decided to return, he must have a plan.

All she needed to do was fulfill the obligations of her status as per her brother’s plan. There was no need for her to worry about the rest.

Eventually, the carriage started moving again. Yet, instead of stopping at the entrance to the King Rui Residence in the Capital City, it continued forward towards the Imperial Palace.

Wei Ruo guessed that the people who’d stopped them earlier were likely sent by Chu Lan to bring her and her husband directly into the palace.

It looked like they wouldn’t have time to rest. The struggle was about to begin.

Upon entering the palace and stopping their carriage, Wei Ruo and Wei Jinyi stepped down.

Both of them had already changed into mourning attire. They were dressed in white from head to toe, even the little Yan in Wei Ruo’s arms was no exception.

Just as they were settling down, they saw Qin Maomao, who had been waiting for Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo and Qin Maomao were well acquainted. Back when they were in Taizhou prefecture, Chu Lan had sent Qin Maomao to liaise with Wei Ruo regarding matters about the reclamation of wasteland.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Upon seeing Wei Ruo, there was a fleeting expression of surprise on Qin Maomao’s face. However, she quickly recovered her composure and said with a straight face, “Queen, the consorts are all currently at Concubine Hui’s place. Please follow me.”

During the reign of the Daxing Emperor, Concubine Hui had always resided in the Cold Palace. But now, a few days after the death of the Daxing Emperor, she was the one in control of the harem.

“Very well, please lead the way,” Wei Ruo agreed readily.

She handed Yan over to Wei Jinyi and followed Qin Maomao to the harem.