Although they could not yet fully confirm the identity of this child, for Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran, such a young child should not have to endure this.
At this moment, all the people from Fengxi Palace had run to the palace gate, leaving only these two maids here. Without any hesitation, they broke down the door and entered.
Mo Jiuye took a firm step forward, knocking out the two maids, then he and He Zhiran approached the iron cage.
He Zhiran asked softly, "What is your name? Why are you locked up here?"
The Fourth Prince looked disheveled, but his eyes shone with defiance.
"That woman killed my mother, and there's no way I'll acknowledge her as my mother."
Although he didn't directly answer the question, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran could already confirm his identity as the Fourth Prince.
Both were surprised that such a young child would have such fortitude.
Mo Jiuye searched the two maids and found the keys to open the iron cage, taking out the somewhat weak Fourth Prince.
He Zhiran asked, "This child's physical condition is not good, and he needs someone to take care of him. What do you plan to do?"
"Take him to Concubine Yuan."
After all, this is Emperor Shunwu's son, so taking care of him is his duty as the father.
Having reached a consensus, He Zhiran used a silver needle to render the Fourth Prince unconscious and sent him into her space.
The two concealed their tracks and went to Concubine Yuan's palace, while on Nan Yu's side, he swiftly captured the Empress and the real Xue Prime Minister.
This was something Nan Yu had not expected - the old fox Xue Prime Minister had pulled a body double trick, leaving a scapegoat at the palace gate.
But so what?
He still couldn't escape death.
At the same time, Nan Yu ordered Nan Rui to lead a team to besiege the Xue Family, to ensure that no one from the family slipped through the net.
Nan Qi had tried to run, but later realized that the situation had turned beyond his expectations. Although he didn't know Emperor Shunwu's current situation, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to show off in front of him.
Therefore, when Nan Yu led the army to storm the palace, Nan Qi followed behind with his own one thousand private soldiers.
He saw the Empress being captured, and Nan Yu sent Nan Rui to surround the remaining Xue Family members. Nan Qi became a completely different person from before.
Just as Nan Yu was about to have the main force gather everyone from inside the palace, Nan Qi had already arrogantly walked over.
"I told you, as long as I'm here, I can definitely regain control of the situation. Hahaha..."
At this moment, Nan Yu was utterly disappointed in Nan Qi. Although he was just a pretender prince, he had still enjoyed years of royal treatment, yet he acted so shamelessly when it came to doing things.
At this point, Nan Yu didn't even want to look at him, and ordered, "Guards, seize Nan Qi."
Nan Qi was currently in a state of complacent arrogance, and upon hearing Nan Yu's order, his expression immediately changed.
"Fei Nanyu, you dare to arrest me? Are you trying to rebel?"
Facing Nan Qi, Nan Yu didn't want to waste another word and simply ordered, "Seize him."
The soldiers only followed orders, not individuals, so naturally they did as Nan Yu commanded.
Before Nan Qi's men could resist, they had already bound Nan Qi and pushed him in front of Nan Yu.
...
Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran took the Fourth Prince to Concubine Yuan's palace.
At this time, Emperor Shunwu was pacing anxiously back and forth in the room.
The couple, dressed in black robes with their faces covered, unceremoniously pushed open the door and brought the Fourth Prince before him.
It was still He Zhiran who spoke.
"This is your son. We just discovered that the Empress had ordered him to be abused, so we rescued him on the way.
The child is physically weak now and needs someone to care for him."
After saying this, the two left.
If not for wanting to help Nan Yu, they would not have needed to get involved at all.
Now that they had done what they should and shouldn't have done, there was no need to continue participating.
They believed that with Nan Yu's capabilities and the forces he still had under his command, the Empress's faction would have no one slipping through the net.
Despite this, they had no immediate plans to leave the capital city.
The downfall of the Empress's faction was inevitable, but they had to personally avenge the Mo Family for the harm caused by her and her maternal clan.
They also planned to observe Minister Hao's stance after Emperor Shunwu regained control of the court.
If Nan Yu successfully became the Crown Prince, Minister Hao's decision to continue assisting them would be understandable, as he had already served the court for most of his life and might find it difficult to suddenly resign.
Of course, the final decision would depend on Minister Hao himself.
The two left the palace unnoticed.
Logically speaking, even if the Empress's faction had a few survivors slipping through the net, they couldn't cause much trouble. Minister Hao had already returned to the Minister's Residence safely.
That was He Zhiran's maternal home, and the couple should have returned there.
But considering that Nan Yu would definitely take action today, they wanted to hear the outcome and also mention their demand to personally deal with the Xue Family.
When the couple arrived at the Fei Residence, Minister Hao had already heard the news from outside and rushed to the palace.
The two directly went to the guest residence arranged by Nan Yu for them to wait.
Inside the palace—
Fei Nanyu ordered his subordinates to gather all the people inside the palace, including Concubine Yuan who was holding the Fourth Prince, and Emperor Shunwu.
Not long after Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran delivered the Fourth Prince to Concubine Yuan's palace, the child woke up.
Upon seeing Emperor Shunwu, the first thing he said was, "Father Emperor, even if you kill me, I will never acknowledge that vicious woman as my mother."
These words pierced Emperor Shunwu's heart like a thorn.
Recalling his past actions, he was no better than a child of just a few years old.
All these years, the person by his side was actually such an ambitious wolf.
After all, this was his own flesh and blood. Moreover, he had not been very impressed with Nan Qi and Nan Rui, which was why he had agreed to the Empress adopting the Fourth Prince.
He had thought that if the Fourth Prince was personally taught by the Empress, and if his knowledge and strategies surpassed Nan Qi's, wouldn't that be a great blessing?
Little did he know that the Empress adopted the Fourth Prince for the sake of the Xue Family, and for so many years he had ignored the child, resulting in this young child suffering abuse at the hands of that vicious woman.
Thinking of this, Emperor Shunwu couldn't help but feel pity for the Fourth Prince.
When the main force gathered everyone here, there was no need for Granny Wang's help, as Emperor Shunwu personally held the Fourth Prince as they left.
After about an hour, the consorts and maids from the rear palace were all gathered at the gate of the Empress's palace.
Upon seeing Emperor Shunwu, everyone knelt and paid their respects.
Nan Yu first approached Emperor Shunwu and respectfully presented the imperial token with both hands.
"I have not failed your command, Your Majesty. I have captured the entire Empress's faction."
Emperor Shunwu handed the Fourth Prince to Granny Wang nearby, then looked at Fei Nanyu with satisfaction and accepted the token.
"Good, I have not waited in vain, and finally have a son who satisfies me."
