It was two days later when Ji Huang finally calmed down. By then, he had sorted out all the matters in his mind.
Looking at the person standing at the gate of his courtyard, a hint of guilt welled up in his eyes.
"I've really worried you, Mother, these past two days. Please forgive me."
"It's all right. It's not a big deal. Besides, even if it were someone else, it would take time to calm down after experiencing such a major incident. By the way, how do you plan to deal with the head of the He family?"
The man's eyes flickered. "He laid out such a huge scheme, all for the throne of our Ji family. Now that we've exposed his plot, he must pay the price for what he's done."
"Since you've already got a plan in mind, I won't worry anymore. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Okay, Mother. Take a rest. I'll come back to have dinner with you after I've sorted out the matter with the He family."
"Don't rush. I've already had people seal the news. No one will know Jun Lin's background. Children are always innocent. Besides, we've promised before."
"You're thinking the same as I am, Mother. I don't intend to make things difficult for that child."
Just as Ji Huang was about to lift his leg and head to the detention area, a guard stumbled towards him, seemingly having suffered quite serious internal injuries.
Seeing this, his sword-shaped eyebrows knitted slightly. "What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry? And how did you get these injuries?"
The guard's lips were deathly pale. He managed to hold on just to report what he had seen.
"Your Highness! The head of the He family has escaped. He had already brought many shadow guards and stationed them around the mansion. Taking advantage of our inattention, those shadow guards rescued him and seriously injured many of our men."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guard fell straight to the ground and didn't make a sound again.
Seeing this scene, the mother and son glanced at each other and then rushed to the detention area.
When they arrived, it was already too late. The place was littered with injured guards and corpses, and the person inside had vanished without a trace.
The man was extremely angry and punched the wall beside him.
"How dare he! He even brought people here. Mother, it's not safe here. You'd better go back to my elder brother."
He wasn't a fool. He knew that he wouldn't have achieved what he had today without the support of the He family.
Now that he and the He family had become enemies, he didn't have many people he could rely on. Although he didn't want to say it, all his pride was nothing compared to his mother's safety.
However, Shi Muyuan refused to leave no matter what.
She looked at the man in front of her with a determined look in her eyes.
"Huang'er, I know what you're thinking. How about you come with me? I won't be at ease leaving you here alone."
As expected, this suggestion was rejected.
Almost without hesitation, Ji Huang took a step back.
"It was my huge mistake that caused so many innocent people to be involved. Although I also want to fight for power, I will take the lives of the common people into consideration. The people of the He family never think like this. I will stay here and share weal and woe with the common people."
It had to be said that the original owner had done a good job in teaching this stepson since childhood, and had taught him to be an upright person.
Even though he had done many wrong things before because of the instigation of villains.
She had also sent people to investigate. Even though he had captured so many cities in a row, he never harmed innocent people.
If he had really harmed innocent people, she wouldn't have brought this stepson back.
"Moreover, I know your thoughts, but we're in a difficult situation now. If the He family causes any trouble in the future, it will be difficult for us to resist with just these people."
Ji Huang pursed his lips and suddenly thought of something.
"I've stationed an army outside the city. No one will be able to find it. Mother, take that army back. It can be regarded as my explanation to my elder brother."
The young girl's eyes were slightly red. She didn't want to say these words of parting with him.
"Don't talk nonsense. If you're not willing to leave, I won't leave either. You share weal and woe with these common people. As the empress dowager, can't I do the same? However, I hope you can still apologize to your elder brother in time. He's not a cold-hearted person. If you're in trouble, he will surely come to your rescue."
After saying that, she returned to her own courtyard.
Saying those words on the surface was just because she hoped that she could still stay here to supervise Ji Huang and prevent him from being misled by villains again. At the same time, she was also gambling on this stepson's character.
This didn't mean that she wouldn't make any preparations.
"Immediately send someone to inform the national teacher. Also, send a message to my maternal family and the emperor, asking them to send troops for reinforcement."
The Thirteen Guards were stunned and couldn't quite understand their master's actions.
"Master, actually, the young master has the ability to keep you safe. Why do you have to get involved in this mess?"
"Of course I know his abilities, but this time, I also want to quell the civil unrest and bring peace and prosperity to the Great Liang Dynasty."
Mei widened her eyes and thought her master's actions were really risky.
"Master, it's just about quelling the civil unrest. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. With just the people under the young master, they won't be able to hold out until the reinforcements arrive. Moreover, we previously found out that the head of the He family has a long reach. The army he promised you is already in the hands of the head of the He family. He just doesn't know it yet."
Shi Muyuan frowned. "When did this happen? Why didn't you report it earlier?"
"Master, just when we were about to tell you, such a big incident happened in the mansion. We originally wanted to go and confirm it again, but unexpectedly, the head of the He family escaped."
The young girl forced herself to calm down. She knew that this wasn't the time to panic.
"Do as I said first. I'll try my best to stall for time."
There was nothing they could do at this point. The Thirteen Guards had no choice but to act separately, but they still left several people to protect Shi Muyuan's safety.
Night fell quickly, but Ji Huang couldn't fall asleep at all.
He had cooperated with the head of the He family for so long, and combined with what Jing Hong had said before, he realized that his opponent was a person who didn't play by the rules at all.
He and several of his trusted subordinates had been discussing how to deal with the situation in the study. Looking at the city defense map, the defending general could only muster up the courage to speak.
"Your Highness, why don't we think of other ways? Or ask the emperor for reinforcements. With just our people, we definitely won't be able to defeat them. In the end, we'll have no choice but to surrender."
As expected, he received a fierce glare.
"When did the soldiers of our Great Liang ever have to resort to surrender? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to our family? Besides, there are so many old people, children, women and children in the city. If we all surrender, what will happen to them?"