Everyone waited anxiously for an hour, and finally a guard came on horseback to report the news: "Report to the Emperor, Chang Yuankai, Li Ci, Cen Xi, Xiao Zhizhong, the four leaders of the Yulin Army and the Nanya Army have been killed. The scale has been hung outside the Xuanwu Gate city wall."
Xuanzong, King Qi, King Xue, Wang Maozhong, etc. all wore armor, took weapons, and rode their horses in the courtyard of Xingqing Palace. They also took the 100 imperial guards who followed Xuanzong and headed towards Taiji Palace. Since the 100 Praetorian Guards currently had no horses, the entire team was not moving fast.
Xuanzong took everyone to Taiji Palace and ordered all the 500 soldiers in the palace to go to the inner garden to ride horses. Five hundred Praetorian Guards, three hundred on horseback, and two hundred on foot, were all assembled.
Wang Maozhong and 50 imperial guards from Wang Shou's area took Jia Yingfu to Neike Province, took him to the Xuanwu Gate in the north of Chang'an City, and beheaded him. They went to Dou Huaizhen's house and searched for Dou Huaizhen in the imperial city but could not find him. Later they found that he had committed suicide by jumping into the river.
Xuanzong gathered all the Yulin Army and Nanya Army, and together with King Qi and King Xue, led troops to Princess Taiping's house. Princess Taiping led three hundred guards and rode south out of Chang'an City.
Princess Taiping's guards had some strong martial arts skills. The Yulin Army who rushed in front fought with them and tried to stop them, but in the end they were allowed to escape. There were more than a dozen Yulin Army casualties, and three of the opponent's guards died in the battle.
Princess Taiping's horse was a bloody horse. It ran very fast and disappeared without a trace. The horses guarding the back were also thousands of miles away, and they followed closely behind. After leaving the city, they fled towards Zhongnan Mountain.
Xuanzong led fifty cavalry guards back to the Daming Palace and saw Guo Yuanzhen and Gao Lishi, leading two hundred guards and eunuchs, standing with weapons outside the closed city gate.
Xuanzong took out the written call letter from the cloth bag hanging on the neck of the war horse and handed it to Guo Yuanzhen: "Guo Yuanzhen, send light cavalry with the call letter and talisman to Huazhou to mobilize 20,000 troops to Chang'an City."
Guo Yuanzhen took the edict with both hands: "I obey the order, and I will arrange for two light cavalry to go to the Huazhou Barracks to mobilize troops."
After Princess Taiping escaped, King Qi, King Xue, Wang Maozhong, and Wang Shouyi led nearly 2,500 troops and pursued her in the direction of Zhongnan Mountain.
Princess Taiping and nearly three hundred guards fled into Zhongnan Mountain. The huge Zhongnan Mountain has dense trees and complex terrain. More than two hundred people ran into the mountain and disappeared without a trace.
More than two thousand people searched, but no one found where Princess Taiping had fled into Zhongnan Mountain.
Wang Shouyi said: "Maybe Princess Taiping's guards dispersed after running into the mountains. Princess Taiping is probably still in the mountains. Some of us will guard the intersection in and out of the mountains, and the others will search again."
After Xuanzong learned of the situation, he sent people to notify the government offices in surrounding prefectures and counties, and arranged for police officers and government officials to set up checkpoints at various intersections to intercept suspicious persons.
After searching to no avail, King Qi and the Xue Dynasty returned to the city. The others retreated to the two intersections leading in and out of Zhongnan Mountain and continued to guard.
When King Qi and King Xue returned to the city, they met Xuanzong, Gao Lishi, Guo Yuanzhen, Wang Ju, Jiang Jiao, Cui Riyong, Li Lingwen, and Li Shoude, riding towards them. King Qi and King Xue told Xuanzong that Princess Taiping ran into Zhongnan Mountain but was not found.
Xuanzong said: "You two brothers, please go back to the city and rest first. You have worked hard today."
The two princes did not return to the city, but returned to Zhongnan Mountain with Xuanzong and his group.
When they arrived at the intersection of Zhongnan Mountain, Wang Shou saw Xuanzong coming and said to Xuanzong: "Your Majesty, can we shout that those who throw away their weapons and come out to submit to the court will be exempted from punishment. Those who escorted the rebellious Princess Taiping will not only be exempted from punishment." In addition to punishment, gold and silver will also be rewarded.”
Xuanzong said: "Okay, let's do it. If you have a loud voice, just shout and say it is my will. My gentleman's words are hard to follow."
Queen Wang's brother Wang Shouyi shouted with a loud voice that could carry the sound to a radius of five miles. What's more, it was already night and it was very quiet.
After Wang Shouyi shouted a few times, he walked some distance into the mountain and shouted. The shouting worked as expected. Under the light of the soldiers' torches, Wang Shouyi saw a dozen people escorting a middle-aged woman with messy hair down a mountain road.
One of the leaders said: "We heard the shouting and knew that the emperor was magnanimous and would ignore past grievances, so we escorted the traitor Princess Taiping out. The others ran away on horseback. In order to hide, we also let the horses go. . We all have elderly parents or young children at home. We hid in the jungle to figure it out, and escorted Princess Taiping out, hoping to atone for her sins."
Xuanzong said: "As long as you put down your weapons and hand over Princess Taiping, you will atone for your sins and be exempted from punishment. You are just ordinary guards, not traitors."
Princess Taiping scolded: "You ungrateful things, I treat you badly, and you betrayed me."
The dozen guards who were escorting Princess Taiping threw their weapons on the ground. The imperial guards stepped forward to pick up the weapons they threw. More than 2,500 soldiers, led by Xuanzong, the two princes, and several ministers, escorted Princess Taiping to the imperial city in a prison car.
Princess Taiping was sent to death row.
In the early morning of the next day, a white fish belly appeared in the east, and 20,000 reinforcements arrived. They first went outside Xuanwu Gate to wait for Xuanzong to receive him. Xuanzong stayed up all night and met with the soldiers outside Xuanwu Gate. He explained Princess Taiping's rebellion and the eradication of all her party members in the DPRK. Xuanzong ordered them to rest in the barracks of the Nanya Forbidden Army.
When Xuanzong returned to the palace where Queen Wang lived in the middle palace, it was almost dawn. Queen Wang stayed up all night, waiting for his return in the orange candlelight.
Gao Lishi asked the imperial kitchen to cook the food. Xuanzong and Queen Wang were waiting for dinner in the room.
Queen Wang said: "Your Majesty, you have worked hard. I am really worried about you."
Xuanzong said: "Your brother, my brother-in-law, Prince Consort Wang Shouyi, was very loyal and brave today. I will definitely reward him."
"Your Majesty, this is what my brother should do. I am a female and don't know martial arts. Otherwise, I would have been there to protect you."
After hearing Queen Wang's words, Xuanzong was a little moved and held Queen Wang in his arms.
Gao Lishi reminded softly outside the door that the food from the imperial kitchen had been brought. It was delivered by the young eunuch Xiao Kangzi and a palace maid from the imperial kitchen. After the palace maid tasted the food, Xuanzong and Queen Wang began to eat.
After the meal, it was dawn, but Xuanzong did not leave the Queen's room. Princess Taiping was taken to death row, and all her gang members were eradicated. The two of them could finally sleep peacefully.
Xuanzong slept for an hour. When he woke up, he went to Wude Hall without having breakfast. The civil and military ministers were already waiting outside the hall.
Xuanzong sat on the dragon chair and said that Princess Taiping had been put on death row and all her followers in the court had been killed. Although individual military guards and governors at the border or local areas had contacts with Princess Taiping, they were not strong party members and most of them were loyal to the court.
Xuanzong added: "Today Princess Taiping is imprisoned on death row, and individual generals or governors will also turn to the court like weeds. Princess Taiping is a capital offender, and I will let her commit suicide tomorrow. Today, I am announcing a general amnesty for the world, except for those who have committed extremely heinous crimes." Criminals and those who commit treason will be pardoned."
The ministers shouted that the emperor is wise, long live the emperor, long live the emperor...
After retiring from the court, Xuanzong wanted to go to the other hall of the East Palace of Taiji Palace to see Yang Guibi. He mainly wanted to see how Li Heng looked. After watching Li Heng, she wanted to find Concubine Wu Hui in Xingqing Palace and live and eat with her. Since he had been bullied by Princess Taiping recently, he was in no mood to flirt with his beloved Concubine Wu Hui. Now he could finally go to Concubine Wu Hui.
Before Xuanzong reached the East Palace, he saw Concubine Wu Hui standing in the corridor of the palace: "Hey, my little beauty, why are you here?"
"I haven't spoken to Your Majesty for a few days. I miss you very much, so I came to see you."
