Chapter 133: Capturing Princess Yunyin
That night, Princess Yunyin led nearly a hundred personal troops to raid the West Stream Alley, intending to raze the entire residence to the ground. Her order was to kill anyone they saw, leaving no survivors!
However, to her surprise, as soon as her troops broke through the gate, they were surrounded by dozens of black-armored soldiers. These soldiers descended from the high walls, each one valiant and formidable, their aura intimidating!
The two sides clashed, and in a matter of moments, the two officers leading her troops were apprehended, their hands bound behind their backs. The remaining troops, seeing their leaders restrained, dared not move.
Princess Yunyin tried to flee, but at that moment, torches suddenly ignited in the previously dark courtyard, illuminating the entire space and revealing her fearful expression with stark clarity!
“I’ve been waiting for you. You finally came!”
As the voice rang out, she saw Xiao Jinyu, Xiao Xian, and Lady Xiao Yuan emerge from the main hall, accompanied by the Northern Qi envoy, Prince of Lanling!
Princess Yunyin’s face registered astonishment. Only then did she belatedly realize that the black-armored soldiers were actually the Prince of Lanling’s guards. Northerners were known for their martial prowess, their physique taller and more imposing than their southern counterparts.
The personal troops she had brought were only trained in recent years, intended to replace the core officers of the Crown Prince’s personal army who were loyal to Xiao Luan. She had put in considerable effort over the years, but the troops she had managed to train were far from satisfactory, nowhere near the caliber of the personal troops under Xiao Luan’s command.
Those troops had evaded Hou Jing’s pursuing forces, and after escaping to Jingkang, they were strong enough to protect the local populace. To think that in her hands, they had become so feeble!
No, it wasn’t that they lacked courage. It was those traitors… they actually fled!
They fled!
The thought made Princess Yunyin grind her teeth. At that moment, she noticed two familiar faces flickering in the light among the soldiers, suddenly catching her eye.
“Gongliang Cheng, Gongyi Zhong! Why are you here?”
So the two officers who had fled were hiding here!
“Your Highness, we were persecuted by you back then. We defied the Crown Prince’s wishes, abandoned our mistress, and clung to life, obeying your commands. Did you think it was simply because you seized the Commander of Personal Troops’ seal from our Lady?”
“It was because our Lady, though imprisoned, still cared about the Crown Prince’s entrustment, unwilling to see his legacy squandered by someone like you. She also couldn’t bear to see our lives destroyed by the Chen clan. That’s why she had us remain in Chen territory, enduring humiliation, guarding the Xiao manor and the Crown Prince’s legacy as servants and soldiers!”
“Princess, if you were merely using the Xiao family for harmless purposes, we could have ignored it. But you colluded with that Prince of Shixing, ordering us to support his rebellion. This is something we find shameful and refuse to do!”
With that, Gongliang Cheng turned to the personal troops brought by Princess Yunyin and shouted, “Now our young Lady has returned to Southern Chen. If you still remember the kindness and righteousness of Crown Prince Zhao Ming, abandon the darkness and return to your former mistress!”
Seeing the hesitation among the troops behind Princess Yunyin, Gongliang Cheng continued, “You may not know this, but all these years, we have been deceived by this vicious woman, Princess Yunyin. The antidote she gave us was never an antidote. It was poison to control us.
Our young Lady is the renowned Divine Physician of Jiankang City. She can cure the poison you have been afflicted with!”
Hearing that the poison could be cured, the dozens of troops’ faces lit up with joy, their bodies stirring with anticipation.
“Who dares!”
Princess Yunyin, though panicking, refused to show weakness and shouted, “Whoever dares betray this princess, I will have their entire clan exterminated by my imperial brother!”
“Hahaha… you don’t even dare reveal your true identity, yet you threaten to exterminate clans!”
Xiao Jinyu stepped forward, a cold smile on her lips, and held up a purple jade ring for all to see:
“Sagely wisdom reaches far and wide, it is called Zhao. Zhao illuminates the four corners, it is called Ming. Graceful and beautiful in bearing, it is called Zhao. Slanderous accusations cease, it is called Ming. This is Zhao Ming!”
“The Crown Prince was virtuous and upright, his governance strict and impartial. How could he allow the sword in his hand, meant to protect the nation and benefit the people, to become a tool for greedy and treacherous individuals!”
“From this day forward, those who inherit the Crown Prince’s will and wish to follow, shall become the Xiao clan’s personal troops. Those who do not, their names shall be removed, and you may change your surnames to serve under the Chen clan. Do not tarnish the name of Crown Prince Zhao Ming!”
As Xiao Jinyu delivered her solemn and impassioned speech, many of the troops bowed their heads in shame, dropping their weapons and kneeling down.
The purple jade ring!
“That is the purple jade ring the Crown Prince gave our young Lady, representing the eldest legitimate daughter of the Xiao clan’s main branch. Whenever you see this ring, it is as if you are seeing the Crown Prince himself!”
Gongyi Zhong couldn’t help but sigh.
“We are all willing to abandon the darkness and follow the young Lady! Follow Seventh Young Master Xiao!”
Their unified voices echoed throughout the courtyard!
Princess Yunyin finally felt fear.
“Seize this imposter!” Xiao Jinyu ordered.
“Xiao Jinyu, how dare you! I am a princess of the Chen clan!”
“I am a princess of the Chen clan!”
Princess Yunyin continued to rant, but Gongliang Cheng and Gongyi Zhong had already dragged her before Xiao Jinyu and forced her to kneel!
“Princess—”
Nurse Jiang, who had accompanied her, also struggled and cried out, but she was quickly subdued by two soldiers!
“Audacious! Audacious! You rebellious scoundrels, how dare you arrest the princess? How dare you?”
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Nurse Jiang shrieked, but her mouth was immediately gagged!
“What if she’s a princess of the Chen clan? Before our young Lady, she is nothing. It’s hateful that a woman like her, who is nothing, would resort to such despicable means to ruin our young Lady’s reputation!”
“Hahaha…”
Seeing that none of the surrounding troops moved, Princess Yunyin seemed to deflate, bursting into laughter.
“So what if the eldest legitimate daughter of the Xiao clan is noble and flawless? Isn’t she still dragged down from the clouds by a single man, subjected to the scorn and contempt of thousands?”
“Xiao Jinyu, you even seduced the Northern Qi envoy, Prince of Lanling. You are no different from your shameless mother!”
Her words caused Gao Changgong to frown and clench his fists in astonishment and anger.
With a resounding slap, Fenghuang strode forward and struck Princess Yunyin across the face!
“Your mouth is truly filthy! Say another word, and I’ll tear it apart. Do you want to try me?”
Princess Yunyin’s arrogance quickly dissipated. She knew this Northern Barbarian boy wasn’t bluffing. He would definitely carry out his threat!
“So what if you have more people? So what if these troops no longer obey me? I am still a princess of the Chen clan. The current Chen state is still ruled by my clan!”
“Xiao Jinyu! What can you do to me? How dare you do anything to me?”
“Are you rebelling?”
That was a serious accusation!
But it was nighttime, and apart from those personal troops, everyone in the courtyard was on her, Xiao Jinyu’s, side!
No, even the personal troops she had brought were now this little wench’s people!
“Rebelling? You colluded with the Prince of Shixing, intending to attack Jiankang City. Isn’t that rebellion?”
Xiao Jinyu approached, her voice laced with cold sarcasm, and continued,
“Chen clan, since you married into my Xiao family, you should abide by the Xiao clan’s rules and ancestral laws. I will expose your crimes to all the aristocratic families. You must atone for your actions!”
“You dare? You dare!”
Princess Yunyin tried to rise again, but two soldiers pressed her back down, forcing her to kneel!
“Guess if I dare?”
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“Guess if I dare?”
Even as Xiao Jinyu ordered Princess Yunyin to be bound and locked away in a secret chamber, those words continued to echo in her mind!
This wench… she’s insane!
She’s insane!
She dares to imprison me!
She dares to imprison me!
I am a princess of the Chen clan! I am a princess of the Chen clan!
No, there’s nothing she wouldn’t dare do. She even had the Prince of Shixing killed!
The Prince of Shixing is dead! That was the Prince of Shixing, who held power and whom no one in the court dared to offend! My imperial brother’s most beloved son!
What should I do? What should I do?