Chapter 85: The Pingnan Prince's Family Will Surely Be Implicated

"You really tore it apart?!": Pei Shangling's eyes nearly burst, and he exploded with vulgar language for the first time.

Mu Yuanzhi has gone mad, she is absolutely mad!

If he weren't now tied up like a zongzi, he would have already exploded in rage, but he can only watch helplessly as the Qilin drags him away!

"You're heavy as hell, lose some weight!" The Qilin, using both hands and feet to barely drag Pei Shangling, complains nonstop.

He drags him like a dead dog, lawlessly pulling hard, and the forcibly dragged Pei Shangling feels his skin scraping the ground burn with pain, furious to the point of impotent rage: "You little brat, I will definitely kill you!"

The Qilin turns a deaf ear, continuing to drag.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuanzhi feels terrified and anxious.

Pei Shangling hates the Qilin more and more—what should he do? It's all her fault!

No, once Great-Grandma's illness improves somewhat, I will immediately send the Qilin away!

At this moment, the Qilin has already dragged Pei Shangling out and thrown him outside Weiyang Palace; the forbidden troops outside and Pei Shangyan are nowhere to be seen, he doesn't know where they went, nor does he care.

"You little brat, release this palace!" Seeing the Qilin walking back, Pei Shangling roars angrily at his back.

"Do it yourself!" The Qilin waves his hand without looking back.

He returns inside and asks Mu Yuanzhi: "Senior Sister, what should we do next?"

Staying here we receive no news at all.

"I need to go to Xuanshi Hall to check the current situation." Mu Yuanzhi decides.

The forbidden troops have left, and Xiao Nianzi and the others are now free; he volunteers: "My lord, let me go."

"I must go myself, this is of great importance." Not knowing what might happen, Pei Shangyan walks off without even caring for Pei Shangling, possibly something else has occurred.

She arrives at the gate of Xuanshi Hall, where outside there are more guards than usual, the hall doors are tightly shut, and Mu Yuanzhi guesses that the Prince Pingnan is still inside.

"Princess, please halt." The Chief Eunuch approaches with a cautious expression.

"Eunuch, how is it now?" Mu Yuanzhi asks.

The Chief Eunuch's expression is deeply taboo: "Princess, you'd better not ask; please return first."

"Eunuch, I am the future consort of the Prince Pingnan, I feel I must know the current situation!" Mu Yuanzhi does not yield.

"This..." The Chief Eunuch thinks Mu Yuanzhi is a deep-palace woman; telling her should be harmless.

He looks around and then lowers his voice: "The Senior Minister Xiao's people reported that the Prince Pingnan has stationed ten thousand troops outside Jingcheng, and whether the various vassal princes have responded is still unknown."

Ten thousand troops? The regular forces stationed inside and outside Jingcheng total only ten thousand; adding the forbidden troops and palace guards gives at most thirty thousand, yet the Prince Pingnan alone has brought ten thousand troops?

Even in an emergency mobilization, it would be impossible to swiftly recall several hundred thousand troops to the capital.

It seems the situation is truly serious, no wonder the atmosphere of the entire palace is so tense and oppressive.

But the Prince Pingnan entering the palace alone should not be plotting rebellion.

Just as Mu Yuanzhi is pondering, a guard runs over excitedly: "The General Who Suppresses Rebellion has returned victorious from the campaign!"

His shout is like a light dispersing fog; the Chief Eunuch's whole face lights up, almost jumping for joy: "The General Who Suppresses Rebellion has returned! He brought a hundred thousand troops!"

Thank heaven and earth!

The guards on duty outside all become spirited, they look at each other, tighten their grips on their waist swords, and their smiles are uplifting.

The General Who Suppresses Rebellion returns to the capital with a hundred thousand troops to report on his duties? Mu Yuanzhi cannot help but worry about the Prince Pingnan.

The situation instantly reverses—no one expected that the General Who Suppresses Rebellion, who had fought a year in the Xiongnu region, would triumphantly return at this very moment, with not a whisper of wind beforehand.

"Wonderful! May our ancestors bless us!" The Chief Eunuch hurries inside to report this great joy to the Son of Heaven.

Just as he enters, Mu Yuanzhi hears the resonant, powerful footsteps; turning back, she sees the General Who Suppresses Rebellion in black armor!

The general fresh from the battlefield radiates killing intent from head to toe, a bloody smell assaults the nose, every move exudes a rich and imposing aura; as he passes Mu Yuanzhi's side, he arrogantly glances over, his wicked, unrestrained face breaking into a smile: "Princess, greetings."

"General, greetings." Mu Yuanzhi nods politely.

She used to fear this person; when she was young, she once saw him return victorious, and the mount he rode actually bore a string of bones—said to be the skulls of enemy generals, which he used as decoration for his horse.

But after dying once, Mu Yuanzhi no longer fears him; no matter how evil or wicked, if he is not her enemy there is no need to fear, and even if he is her enemy she cannot fear!

Unsure whether Mu Yuanzhi's reaction is unlike usual, the General Who Suppresses Rebellion raises an eyebrow, glances at her a few more times, then pushes the door open and enters.

His arrival can be described as a savior; naturally, no report is needed for him to enter Xuanshi Hall.

After the General Who Suppresses Rebellion enters, Pei Shangyan follows shortly after; he should have learned of the General's triumphant return with a hundred thousand troops, his expression already restored to its usual calm composure; seeing Mu Yuanzhi here, he approaches: "Little Sister Mu, the divorce document..."

"I tore it up."

"You tore it up?!" Pei Shangyan instantly feels a terrible headache.

At that moment the Chief Eunuch comes out from inside, interrupting their conversation, and says with a smile: "No danger after the scare! No danger after the scare!"

Mu Yuanzhi strains her neck to look inside, then hears the Chief Eunuch continue: "His Highness the Crown Prince, the Emperor says you may withdraw the troops that were dispatched."

"What about the Prince Pingnan?" Mu Yuanzhi asks eagerly.

"The Prince Pingnan will temporarily reside in the capital until the Heir Gu returns." The Chief Eunuch says.

Pei Shangyan: "What does that mean? Is the Father Emperor going to issue an imperial edict to pursue Heir Gu?!"

"The Emperor's meaning is that once the Heir Gu returns, everything will become clear." The Chief Eunuch tells Pei Shangyan: "Your Highness, if you have any doubts, you may ask the Emperor directly later."

Pei Shangyan impatiently strides inside, the hall doors close again.

Mu Yuanzhi is now completely in a fog; the Emperor has not defined Heir Gu's guilt, nor blamed the Prince Pingnan?

Unable to settle the matter, she truly cannot rest easy; despite the Chief Eunuch's repeated advice, she does not leave, until Pei Shangyan comes out from inside and still no sign of the Prince Pingnan appears.

Upon seeing Mu Yuanzhi still there, Pei Shangyan frowns again, he walks over and says earnestly: "Little Sister Mu, do you know why Heir Gu has not yet been convicted? It is because the Father Emperor has detained the Prince Pingnan, a turtle in the jar, waiting for his return—then the Prince Pingnan's whole family will surely be implicated!"

"Or perhaps it is because the Father Emperor lacks solid evidence to convict Heir Gu? You and Senior Minister Xiao thought you could capture Heir Gu and find his criminal evidence in this operation, but the person was not caught, nor was any evidence uncovered, and now you simply want to detain the Prince Pingnan and wait for Heir Gu to walk into the net."