An Yang said she had never seen the noble scions of the capital so utterly disheveled at the same time.
They cried out in pain, each knowing what had happened, yet none daring to believe such a thing could occur.
When they all arrived at the Hall of Official Virtue and saw the panic in the Emperor’s own eyes, they finally understood that the palace city was truly in danger!
As she spoke of this, An Yang had lost all her previous arrogance and willfulness.
Unconsciously, she had reached out and tightly gripped Song Chaoyu’s sleeve: “What happened next was even more terrifying!”
At first, everyone seemed to harbor a sliver of hope.
Even though they knew Mu Hansu’s army had entered through the southern gate of the imperial city, they still thought, how could such a grand capital, with its imperial palace of a hundred years, be so easily breached?
All of this would surely end soon, and the Emperor’s army would quickly counterattack.
An Yang said that when they first arrived at the Hall of Official Virtue, the entire Imperial Garden outside was still within their control.
At that time, many imperial relatives and nobles complained that the space was too small.
If the Emperor were not present, they would likely have caused a scene.
But the Emperor paid them no mind, only cursing Mu Hansu.
Ultimately, it was the Crown Prince who arranged seats for everyone who came to the Hall of Official Virtue, and then pacified them, allowing them to slightly quell their anger, distress, and confusion.
Concurrently, the Emperor also began to find ways to mobilize the army, intending to counterattack.
Even in the beginning, whether it was self-comfort or something else, the Emperor told everyone that all of this would soon subside, and the entire palace city would quickly be back in their hands.
But later, everyone discovered that things were not that simple!
On the first day, everyone was full of confidence, but as night fell, Mu Hansu’s army advanced again, killing officials who thought nothing was amiss and were leisurely strolling in the surrounding Imperial Gardens.
On the Emperor’s side, he claimed to be mobilizing the army, but the signals sent out received no reply, and even the guards who had gone out were nowhere to be found.
The Hall of Official Virtue seemed capable of holding out, but due to the lack of any news from outside and the fact that some people had been killed by Mu Hansu’s men, everyone in the Hall of Official Virtue was sleepless that night.
An Yang was no different. Even when recounting the events of the first night, her memory was still vivid: “That night, none of us knew what our future would be. We all seemed to retain only a superficial strength, but deep down, we all knew that things were likely heading for the worst. We were afraid of this, perhaps more afraid of our own uselessness.”
An Yang seemed to have grown up suddenly after experiencing these events: “Believe it or not, at that time, I really thought of you and Prince Chang. I was thinking, if it were you, you probably wouldn’t just sit and wait for death, would you? If it were you, you’d have better ways to solve all this, at least… you’d know what to do, right?”
Song Chaoyu had not expected to appear in such a state before An Yang.
She gently patted An Yang’s arm as a form of comfort: “An Yang, thank you for trusting me. I also didn’t expect that in your heart, I would be like this.”
“I know that you and Prince Chang are different.”
An Yang lowered her head and sighed softly: “Actually, I’ve sensed many things for a long time. Especially everything that happened between you and Ti Le later, it always made me feel that something was wrong. I think… what you went through must be something others wouldn’t even dare to imagine, right? If possible, no one would want to experience such things. But it is precisely because you have been through such things that you are different from us!”
She tightly clasped Song Chaoyu’s arm: “Seeing you return, I knew everything was safe. We are saved, all of us are saved, don’t you think?”
Seeing the lingering fear in An Yang’s eyes, Song Chaoyu understood that she was expecting her words.
They had gone through so much, and they desperately needed more reassurance.
“Yes.”
So Song Chaoyu answered An Yang without hesitation: “We are saved, all of us are saved. Trust us, and trust the Crown Prince. Everything will be alright!”
For the first time, Song Chaoyu realized that she and Mu Changxi had, without realizing it, become people who brought hope to many.
Sometimes, having such responsibility on one’s shoulders made one feel that everything they did was meaningful.
—
Following An Yang to the back, Song Chaoyu discovered that almost everyone in the Hall of Official Virtue seemed to have fallen into despair.
Even though Mu Hansu had been captured, they were filled with fear when facing tens of thousands of soldiers outside.
Is this the royal family of the Great Yue Dynasty, the ones who were supposed to protect the people?
At one moment, Song Chaoyu suddenly felt that the Emperor had probably been on the throne for too long.
If it were the Crown Prince, he probably wouldn’t have let everyone fall into such a predicament, would he?
“There’s one more thing I think you should know.”
Arriving at the rear hall of the Hall of Official Virtue, An Yang sighed: “This rear hall is now only occupied by those loyal to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager holds command of five thousand elite troops of the inner palace.”
Song Chaoyu’s eyes lit up: “Five thousand? Then even if Mu Hansu doesn’t play the role we expected, we still have the strength to resist!”
An Yang gently shook her head: “If the Empress Dowager were willing to hand over command of these five thousand elite troops, the Hall of Official Virtue would not have reached this point. The Empress Dowager… seems convinced that Mu Hansu will win. That’s why she stationed these five thousand elites at the Ziwei Gate, the last gate behind the Hall of Official Virtue, so they can withdraw through the Ziwei Gate at any time. From what I see, the Empress Dowager’s intention seems to be to abandon even the Emperor’s safety, and to escape through the Ziwei Gate with her faction!”
Song Chaoyu was not at all surprised that the Empress Dowager would do such a thing.
She merely deepened her gaze and then looked at An Yang: “Take me to see the Empress Dowager!”
An Yang nodded. Seeing hope, she still couldn’t help but worry for Song Chaoyu: “You also know the Empress Dowager’s temper…”
“It’s alright.”
Song Chaoyu was naturally prepared: “At this point, I can’t worry about the Empress Dowager’s temper anymore. I must get these five thousand elite troops for the Prince!”