While things were going quite merrily here, on the other side, there was no such calm.
Early in the morning, the young emperor came to look for Shi Muwǎn. He almost turned the entire Shoukang Palace upside down, but still couldn't find that familiar figure.
His face full of anxiety, he scolded the maids and guards beside him. "The empress dowager has suddenly disappeared. What on earth are you all doing? Hurry up and go look for her."
Just then, Xiao Fuzi rushed in in a hurry.
"Your Majesty! Bad news! We just got word from the city gate that the empress dowager left the city last night and hasn't returned yet."
"What!"
Ji Heng's expression became tense. With so many troubles at hand, he had a thought in mind.
Shi Muwǎn's decision to leave the city in the middle of the night was probably to look for that person.
No, he couldn't just wait like this.
"Immediately send people to check on Ji Huang. If there's no sign of the empress dowager, report back immediately."
"Yes."
After giving these instructions, he also had the news blocked and secretly invited Cui Qizhou and the eldest young master Shi to the imperial study.
"What? The empress dowager went to find Ji Huang? Didn't we just receive news of his rebellion yesterday? Going there at this time is just like a sheep walking into a tiger's den."
"Maybe the empress dowager still sees him as her own child and can't bear to part with him for a while. Right now, we should find the empress dowager as soon as possible and not let those people take advantage of the situation."
"I'll immediately lead some men to quietly leave the city and look for the empress dowager. Your Majesty, don't be too anxious. Since their rebellion has been confirmed, we still need to prepare our troops as soon as possible. Otherwise, when they reach the city gates, it will be too late."
"Okay, then I'll have to trouble the national teacher."
So, Shi An went to prepare the troops to deal with the situation, while Cui Qizhou led some men out of the city to look for the empress dowager.
Soon, he caught a few sneaky people near Changjing City.
The man sat high on his horse, looking down at those panicked figures with a voice as cold as ice.
"Tell me, who are you? Why are you around here?"
The men exchanged glances. They originally wanted to muddle through, but before they could say a word, he cut them off.
"You'd better think clearly before you speak. Otherwise, I can't guarantee where this sword of mine will fall."
Looking into his cold eyes, the men knew he wasn't joking. There was nothing they could do but tell the truth.
"We're an advance team sent by the prince. We're here to find out the situation in Changjing City and see if you've been gathering troops, so that we can catch you off guard when the time comes."
The man's forehead was lined with annoyance. He looked at the tops of their heads, as if thinking about how to twist them off.
This look only made the men even more frightened.
"Sir, we've told you everything we know, even things we shouldn't have. Can't you spare us? We're just cannon fodder sent out to die."
"Humph. Since you've betrayed your master at this time, you don't deserve to live any longer."
As he finished speaking, he whipped his horse and galloped forward. Behind him, when a shadow flashed by, the heads of those men fell to the ground in unison.
From the information revealed by those men just now, he knew that Ji Huang was now in Yijin City. As long as he went there, he could find the empress dowager.
Just as he was about to reach his destination, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Master, please think twice. After all, we don't have many men with us this time. If we rush in recklessly, we might alert others. We might not find the empress dowager, and we'll end up getting ourselves killed here."
Anger flashed across the man's eyes. He looked at the three characters on the plaque not far away, and something seemed to be welling up in his heart.
"We're already at the door. Do you want me to turn back?"
"I don't mean that, master. I just want you to be safe. Besides, the prince used to listen to the empress dowager so much. I'm sure he won't do anything to her."
"Who do you think he is? After all, he's not her own son. Moreover, the empress dowager didn't give him the same kind of support as she did to the emperor. Anyway, we've come this far. I'm definitely not going to back down. But I'll be careful. You just need to follow me closely."
After saying that, he didn't want to say another word and directly entered Yijin City.
The numerous shadows behind him all sighed in unison and could only follow.
When he found Ji Huang at the porridge - giving shed, there were refugees and common people all around.
Actually, Ji Huang was surprised by his appearance. Seeing that a few soldiers beside him wanted to step forward and arrest Cui Qizhou, he immediately raised his hand to stop them.
"On this wonderful day, I don't want to cause any bloodshed. Moreover, the national teacher must have something important to see me about. Otherwise, with his cautious nature, he would never come here to court death."
After all, he had studied under Cui Qizhou for a long time, so he naturally understood his character.
The soldiers listened to his words and slowly retreated.
The two walked to a corner, and Ji Huang spoke with a hint of a smile.
"What kind of days are these? Why do the empress dowager and the national teacher both come to see me when I'm giving out porridge?"
Cui Qizhou got straight to the point. "I'm here to ask the prince about the whereabouts of the empress dowager. Surely the prince wouldn't really do anything to his own mother? Even if she once neglected you a bit, she still treated her three children equally."
Hearing his question, a look of surprise and confusion flashed across Ji Huang's eyes.
"I don't quite understand what you're saying. Even if I've come to this point, I've never intended to do anything to my mother. I let the empress dowager go yesterday. Do you suspect that I kidnapped her to make a deal with you? Does the national teacher think I would do such a heinous thing?"
"That's for the prince to answer. Where exactly is the empress dowager? Even if she knows what you've done, she still hopes you can turn back from the wrong path. Don't break her heart."
Ji Huang actually felt rather aggrieved by his question.
"Whether when I was a child or now, all of you think I'm an unreasonable child who never thinks about others. Even when you see what I've done now and know why I've come to this point, you'll never think that you're in the wrong."
Since Shi Muwǎn came to see him yesterday, he had been holding back a lot of frustration. Now he finally had a chance to let it out.
Hearing his almost - broken voice, Cui Qizhou comforted him. "The prince has misunderstood. We've never thought of you as an immature child. In my eyes, you've always tried not to cause trouble for anyone around you since you were a child. You're so sensible that it makes people feel sorry for you."
A hint of self - mockery and desolation hung on Ji Huang's lips.
"The national teacher might as well not make such nice speeches. Anyway, I'll say it once again. The empress dowager is definitely not in my hands."