Rebirth of Her Royal Highness the Princess

"Empress, there are soldiers gathering outside the palace." The guard reported in panic.

The queen was shocked when she heard this: "What? Whose troops are these? How dare they act so presumptuously under my nose!" Her voice was full of majesty and anger.

The guard quickly replied: "Judging from the flag, it should be the flag of the wise king."

"The Virtuous Prince... How dare he!" The Queen's eyes widened in disbelief, "This traitor actually dared to rebel! Where is Concubine Xi?"

"Your Majesty, Concubine Xi has defected from the palace." The guard lowered his head, not daring to look the queen in the eye.

"Hmph, how dare she! How dare she leave the palace? Then forget about coming back alive!" There was a gleam of ruthlessness in the queen's eyes, and she said through gritted teeth.

"Prince! Prince! Send an elite force to wipe out the rebels immediately! We can't just sit there and do nothing!" The Queen urged anxiously. Her eyes were filled with anxiety and anger, and her hands were clenched into fists, as if she wanted to vent all her dissatisfaction.

The prince looked at the queen with a serious expression. He knew that the situation had reached a very serious level, but he still tried to comfort her: "Please calm down, mother. Although the virtuous king is currently gathering troops, he has not yet taken any actual action. We need to calmly think about how to deal with it."

The queen interrupted the prince angrily: "Wait until he has assembled all the troops, will you still be able to keep your throne? What are you still hesitating about!"

The prince was choked by the queen's questioning and was speechless. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he was thinking about how to deal with the crisis in front of him. He knew the severity of the situation and that if he did not take timely measures, the consequences would be disastrous.

But at the same time, he also understood that rashly sending troops might cause greater chaos and losses. Faced with this dilemma, the prince fell into deep thought.

At this moment, Prince Duan hurriedly walked into the hall, bowed, and said, "Mother, brother, I have a plan."

The Queen and the Crown Prince looked at each other and asked in unison: "Speak quickly!"

Prince Duan took two steps forward and lowered his voice, saying, "The situation is tense now. The virtuous prince has surrounded the palace. We cannot confront him head-on. Why not send an envoy to negotiate with the virtuous prince outside the palace and try to resolve the issue through peaceful means."

The prince frowned and questioned, "This... he wants the throne. Can negotiation really be effective?"

The Queen also expressed her doubts: "Yes, the virtuous king is so deliberate, I am afraid he will not compromise easily."

Prince Duan smiled and said confidently, "It is precisely because he wants the throne that he is more likely to accept negotiations. After all, war will only cost both sides a huge price. If he can get the throne through negotiations, he may consider it. Moreover, we can put forward some conditions, such as retaining his status and power, in exchange for peace. In this way, we can avoid the destruction caused by war and ensure that the interests of the royal family will not suffer too much loss."

After hearing this, the Queen and the Crown Prince pondered for a moment and felt that this proposal was worth a try. So they decided to send an envoy to the outside of the palace to negotiate with the virtuous king.

The messenger came to the Xianwang residence and conveyed the Queen and the Crown Prince's intentions. After listening to them, the Xianwang was silent for a long time.

"Go back and tell them that I can consider negotiations, but I want to meet with the prince in person." The wise king finally spoke.

The messenger brought the virtuous king's reply back to the palace. After discussing with the crown prince, the queen decided to let the crown prince go to negotiate with the virtuous king in person.

The prince brought a group of his trusted followers to the Xianwang Mansion. After the two met, the Xianwang came straight to the point: "As long as you are willing to give up the throne, I can guarantee your safety."

The prince's heart sank, but he tried to remain calm: "I can give you the throne, but you must promise not to harm the people."

The wise king laughed: "Haha, you are worthy of being the crown prince. You still care about the people. Okay, I promise you."

The two sides reached a preliminary agreement, and the prince returned to the palace to prepare to formally abdicate. However, at this time, an accident happened...

"Whoosh whoosh..."

Arrows rained down from the sky like raindrops, densely piercing into the Xianwang Mansion. These arrows seemed to have eyes, and each one hit the target accurately.

The wise king and his soldiers were caught off guard and shot by arrows one after another. They fled in terror, but there was nowhere to escape. Many soldiers fell in a pool of blood, staining the ground red.

The virtuous king was also injured, and a painful expression appeared on his face. He looked at the sky angrily, his eyes full of despair and helplessness.

This sudden attack threw the Xianwang Palace into chaos. The soldiers were panicked and didn't know how to respond. And those who shot arrows hid in the dark and continued to attack the Xianwang Palace.

As time went on, the losses of the soldiers and horses of the Xianwang Mansion became more and more severe. They were unable to withstand the fierce attacks of the enemy and could only watch their companions die.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince! Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The prince woke up from his sleep, looked at the sweaty guard in front of him and asked, "Why are you so panicked?"

The guard gasped and said, "The wise king has been strangled."

The prince's eyes widened and he asked in disbelief, "What? Whose handiwork?"

The guard shook his head and replied, "I don't know."

The prince was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "God helps me. Hahahaha."

The laughter echoed in the palace, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm...

The prince's mood gradually calmed down, and a firm light flashed in his eyes.

"Pass the order down to clean up the mess and stabilize the situation." He ordered calmly, "Also, send more people to investigate this matter and make sure to find out who is behind this."

The guard took the order and left. The prince stood alone at the window, staring into the distance.

——The "Last Emperor's Memorial Hall" of the Imperial Family

The queen stood in front of the palace, looking at the people kneeling below, and said to the eunuch beside her: "On the left are the concubines, and on the right are the ministers. Everything will be arranged properly."

The eunuch nodded quickly and said, "Yes."

Then he turned around and began to direct everyone to adjust their positions.

Groups of concubines and ministers started to move, wearing white cloth without any bright colors or decorations, not even jewelry. They knelt on the ground silently, lowered their heads, and cried softly. The whole scene was solemn and full of sadness and grief.

At this time, a graceful woman came in. She was Hua Xiulan. She was dressed in plain clothes, her face was haggard, and her eyes were full of sadness. Hua Xiulan walked towards the mourning hall step by step, and each step seemed extremely heavy. She knelt down in front of the coffin and burst into tears.

The maids at the side came forward to support her and comfort her. The queen looked at Hua Xiulan and could not help but feel compassion in her heart. She said to Hua Xiulan softly: "Lan'er, you are here. When the late emperor was alive, he often mentioned you and said that you were his most beloved daughter."

Hua Xiu Lan raised her head and looked at the Queen with gratitude, "Thank you, mother. I am unfilial for not being able to fulfill my filial duties to the late Emperor." The Queen sighed softly, "The dead are gone, and the living should be self-reliant. From now on, we should work together to assist the new emperor and protect this great country." Hua Xiu Lan nodded heavily, her eyes revealing a firm determination.

Xianfei walked in slowly, supported by the palace maids. "Your Majesty, why are you leaving without seeing me?"

"Xian Concubine, if you are not feeling well, please don't move around." The Queen looked at Xian Concubine worriedly.

"Empress, I want to see the Emperor for the last time. Woo woo." Concubine Xian said with sadness in her eyes.

The Queen came over and pulled Concubine Xian together, her face solemn.