Having played around enough, she gritted her teeth and decided to deal with Lan Huajing quickly.
Retracting her steel whips, the Queen of Myriad Phoenixes grabbed Lan Huajing, and Lu Qingwan drew her Palm Thunder.
However, she only drew it out when a dark figure broke through the door and struck at Lu Qingwan with a palm.
The powerful aura directly threatened her vital points. Without a word, Lu Qingwan retreated while firing her weapon.
Amidst the chaos, the twelve December guards swiftly moved forward, intending to help Lu Qingwan deal with the black-clad man and capture Lan Huajing. Unexpectedly, a cloud of smoke billowed in, causing tears to stream and eyes to blur.
When the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the black-clad man or Lan Huajing.
However, Lu Qingwan turned to Ruyue and said, "Bring Da Bai over and chase them!
Take more people. That black-clad man is a seventh-level martial artist with extraordinary skills."
Ruyue acknowledged the order and left, followed by three of the twelve December guards.
At that moment, Yangquan Palace was already empty. Si Fengming arrived in a hurry and his pupils constricted as he saw Lu Qingwan's bloody arm. "You're injured?"
"A superficial wound, it's nothing."
With Feng Xiwu absent, Lu Qingwan was more defiant than anyone. "But you, weren't you going to welcome the King of Youzhou? Why did you come back?"
She had been manipulating Lan Huajing, deliberately provoking her, hoping Lan Huajing would act against the Empress Dowager.
She had also been confident that with the twelve December guards present, she and Yan Ruozhao would be safe. She hadn't expected Si Fengming to be the one to return at such a crucial moment.
"We've all been tricked by Emperor Gengshi."
Si Fengming said with a grim expression, "The King of Qingzhou's rebellion is a lie. The Lan family's rebellion is the truth.
He intends to use the King of Qingzhou's rebellion as an excuse to eliminate the Lan family and carry out a complete reshuffle.
The King of Qingzhou is his greatest touchstone."
Lu Qingwan kicked over a small table on the ground. "The connections between the twelve December guards, the Xuanjia Army, you, and the King of Youzhou are all exposed.
And you're telling me now that we've been set up?
Then what about my Prince? Where is he now?"
Emperor Gengshi had orchestrated a grand scheme and trapped them all within it.
She cared about nothing else now; she only wanted to know if Feng Xiwu was safe.
"Lan An intends to lead the Tiger and Leopard Camp into the imperial city. Feng Wu was ordered to quell the rebellion. Although the opponent has changed, the mission remains the same."
Lu Qingwan nodded. "I understand. Originally, he was supposed to deal with the Northern Army of Qingzhou, but now he's dealing with Lan An's Tiger and Leopard Camp, is that right?"
Si Fengming, showing no surprise, nodded calmly. "That's right."
"In other words, if the King of Qingzhou truly enters the capital, Feng Xiwu will be facing not only the Tiger and Leopard Camp but also the Northern Army of Qingzhou?"
Si Fengming's expression changed drastically. Lu Qingwan strode out.
Si Fengming quickly called out, "My horse is outside Yangquan Palace. Take more people with you!"
Lu Qingwan had already rushed out of Yangquan Palace. Hearing this, she shouted back, "Twelve December, follow me!"
The imperial palace was already in utter chaos, with no guards at any of the palace gates.
Lu Qingwan rode out of the palace. A white eagle circled overhead before flying towards the outskirts of the city.
As she left the palace, Ying Yi was already waiting at the gate. Seeing Lu Qingwan, he rode to meet her. Lu Qingwan slowed her pace but did not stop.
"How many people from the Tiger and Leopard Camp are currently confronting the Prince? How far is the King of Qingzhou from the imperial city, and how many troops does he have?"
Ying Yi followed behind, his tongue as sharp as ever. "The Tiger and Leopard Camp has a total of thirty thousand men. Lan Huajing took five thousand, and Lan Huaxiao took ten thousand.
Currently, fifteen thousand are confronting the Prince.
The King of Qingzhou is still thirty li from the imperial city, with fewer than ten thousand accompanying personnel.
He reached the first post station outside Zhongzhou City about an hour ago, but for some reason, he has remained stationary.
Also, Your Highness, I just received news that the King of Youzhou will arrive soon, more than a day earlier than the King of Yuezhou and the King of Liangzhou, who were scheduled to arrive after the King of Qingzhou."
Lu Qingwan suddenly tightened the reins. "How many troops did the King of Youzhou bring?"
Ying Yi was stunned. "Given the urgency, I only investigated those who might be hostile to us. The King of Youzhou is the Prince's maternal grandfather, so I didn't investigate."
After speaking, he quickly added, "I will order someone to investigate immediately..."
"No need. Send someone with my token to find the King of Youzhou immediately and tell him to be sure to arrive in the capital after the King of Qingzhou, the King of Yuezhou, and the King of Liangzhou.
Tell him that no matter how many troops he brings, not one should be left behind in Zhongzhou."
Ying Yi took the order and quickly galloped away.
Lu Qingwan didn't linger long, heading straight for the city gate where Feng Xiwu was stationed.
This morning, the streets were peaceful as she entered the palace. Now, there were no ordinary citizens on the streets, only the deafening sounds of battle. Lu Qingwan didn't even need to ask for directions to know where Feng Xiwu was.
She rode towards the sounds and indeed found chaos on the city walls.
Lu Qingwan dismounted and instructed the twelve December guards, "Shuangyue and Jiaping, stay here. The rest of you, return and follow the Crown Prince. Ensure his life is protected."
The twelve December guards dispersed, leaving only a few by Lu Qingwan's side.
Upon hearing the order, they hesitated.
However, Lu Qingwan did not hesitate and charged onto the city wall.
Shuangyue and Jiaping quickly followed. The others dared not disobey Lu Qingwan's command and turned back to protect Si Fengming as ordered.
Meanwhile, upon reaching the city wall, Lu Qingwan found that the people standing there were all familiar faces from the Heavenly character camp of the Xuanjia Army.
Upon seeing her, a group of young soldiers shouted without surprise, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Lu Qingwan did not waste time with pleasantries and directly asked, "Where is the Prince?"
"Your Highness, look there!"
A soldier pointed downwards, "The one in heavy armor."
In fact, even without pointing, looking out at the nearly twenty thousand Jinwu Guards and Tiger and Leopard Camp soldiers, Feng Xiwu still stood out like a beacon.
At that moment, he was astride a white horse, wielding a great saber that Lu Qingwan had never seen before, engaged in a fierce battle with the rebel forces of the Tiger and Leopard Camp.
Although his side had only just over three thousand men, and the Tiger and Leopard Camp had five times their numbers, they were not at a disadvantage.
Lu Qingwan took a glance, then took out her spyglass to observe. "Lan Huajing is not here. Who is the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Camp?"
"The Grand Commandant's Lieutenant General, Chai Xihan. He is said to be the nephew of Lady Lan's family. He was a valiant general in Daqin when he was young."
"Valiant general?"
Lu Qingwan scoffed. "A coward hiding behind the army dares to call himself a valiant general. What are you archers doing?
At this distance, if you shoot ten times, you're bound to hit Chai Xihan at least once!"
The centurion scratched his head awkwardly. "It's not that the brothers' archery is poor, but that there are no arrows to shoot!
That stingy emperor only gave us equipment for five hundred men, and it was used up long ago."