There is a god in the sky

Chapter 398 Leaving the Palace

“Dynastic changes and political instability cause many deaths,” Shen Lan said.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with me?"

Li Ge covered his face, then laughed, "Later, when I met you all, I realized it was still related to me. With the world in chaos, it's even harder for ordinary people to survive."

Shen Lan also did not want the dynasty to perish, because the people suffer the most from war.

"Alright, you can leave the palace now. I need to go see the Second Prince."

Li Ge walked to the door, turned to look at Shen Lan, and said, "You don't need to keep watching me. I'll be fine for now."

Shen Lan placed the medicine bottle on his desk and instructed him, "You need to change the dressing every day, and don't let the wound get wet for three days. You can only use the trick of pretending to faint today once."

Li Ge raised an eyebrow, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "Thank you."

Shen Lan was stopped on her way out of the palace.

"Lieutenant Li, the commander has ordered us to assemble at the palace gate."

"Who is the commander?"

The former commander and deputy commander of the palace guards are all dead, and everyone now obeys Li Ge's orders.

A new leader has appeared so quickly?

"He was originally General Xuande, and is now the commander of the Imperial Guards."

Shen Lan didn't recognize the man, but she knew he was a confidant of the Second Prince.

Shen Lan followed the man and asked along the way, "Have all the ministers left the palace?"

"Yes, the Imperial Guards have suffered heavy losses. The new commander will probably redistribute the troops, and our tasks will definitely become more demanding."

Just as Shen Lan was about to speak, he leaned closer and said mysteriously, "However, the Imperial Guard is short-handed right now, and they will definitely need to recruit new people in the future. We have made a great contribution this time, so we will probably get promoted again."

Li Ye has already been promoted from a junior officer to a captain, and based on his merits this time, he might be able to become a deputy commander.

When they arrived at the palace gate, it was already crowded with people, all of them exhausted.

After listening to the newly appointed commander lecture him for a full half hour and assigning him a new post, he was finally allowed to go back and rest.

That night, the palace guards were personally led by the new commander and his trusted confidants.

Shen Lan walked into the quiet, deserted streets, letting the exhaustion engulf her.

The sound of horses' hooves approached from behind, so she stopped.

Sitting on horseback, Xiao Ji asked her, "Can you still walk?"

Shen Lan reached out her hand to him, "I can't walk anymore, please give me a ride, Lord Xiao."

Xiao Ji frowned as he looked at her attire. "If people see me riding with Lieutenant Li, they'll say tomorrow that I have homosexual tendencies."

Shen Lan looked down at her clothes, completely forgetting that she was now Li Ye.

Xiao Ji jumped off the horse and handed it to her, saying, "Get on, I'll lead you."

Shen Lan climbed onto the horse's back, not even wanting to straighten her back, and started chatting with Xiao Ji while lying on the horse's back.

What if we lose today?

"do not know."

"How sure are you?"

"If Marquis Pingyang can successfully hold off the Eldest Princess, there's a 70-80% chance of success. After all, Prince Zheng's ascension to the throne was indeed illegitimate, and forging imperial edicts and the imperial seal is a serious crime."

Shen Lan remembered that she had a phoenix seal hidden in her home, and she was somewhat unsure of Li Ge's purpose in hiding the phoenix seal.

Could it be to do a favor for the future empress?

"With the Second Prince ascending the throne, will his consort be the Empress?"

"The Second Prince's wife's family has no power. It all depends on how anxious the Second Prince is. If he intends to proceed steadily, he shouldn't be changing his empress at this time, nor should he be taking in so many concubines into the palace."

Like the former empress, whose powerful family background could indeed help him, but the troubles it would leave behind would definitely be numerous.

Do you think he will be a wise ruler?

"It's hard to say, but among the princes of this generation, he is considered quite wise."

"Yes, people change. Even wise rulers can become senile in their old age."

Shen Lan fell asleep halfway there.

Xiao Ji noticed that she hadn't spoken for a long time. When he turned around and saw that she was already asleep, he felt both sorry for her and amused.

He placed one hand on Shen Lan's back to prevent her from slipping off the horse.

As they slowly walked towards Shen Lan's house, they saw a person sitting at the door; it was Li Ye, who had just woken up.

He remained calm and didn't even ask about what had happened in the palace that day.

Seeing Shen Lan asleep, he quickly lifted her off the horse, preventing Xiao Ji from touching the hem of her clothes.

Xiao Ji shook his head and smiled, then followed him inside.

Aren't you curious about what happened today?

"I'm not curious. As long as you come back safely, I don't care about anything else."

"Okay, then let her explain to you tomorrow and let her get a good night's sleep."

Xiao Ji turned to leave, and just before leaving, he told Li Ye, "Congratulations, you're likely to get a promotion. Take this opportunity to save some money so you can buy yourself a place to live."

Li Ye deliberately said, "No need, I'm quite happy living here."

Xiao Ji wasn't angry when he heard this.

He was even more worried about Shen Lan living alone, but there were some things he would have to face eventually.

“If the Second Prince wants to promote you, he will definitely investigate your background beforehand. Your identity cannot withstand scrutiny.”

Li Ye thought about it and agreed, "I don't want a promotion."

He didn't even want to be a member of the Imperial Guard.

Only with this identity could he enter and leave the palace and have a way to contact Li Ge.

"That's not up to you, and that person needs your help too."

Xiao Ji left, but he also had many things to do.

The Second Prince doesn't seem like the type to betray someone after using them. He needs to think carefully about where the Xiao family should stand.

The Xiao family cannot become the second Tong family, and he doesn't have that much ambition.

But some things have already been done, and it's impossible to keep a low profile now.

For the next two months, the entire court was busy preparing for the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

The generals guarding various regions and the officials of various prefectures had already set off for the capital, but they did not expect that by the time they arrived, the emperor had already been replaced.

But it doesn't matter, they came at just the right time.

The capital city is bustling with activity.

The threshold of the Xiao family's house was almost trampled flat.

Some came to build rapport, while others came to act as matchmakers.

Looking across the entire capital city today, Xiao Ji is definitely one of the most desirable husbands.

At his age, holding a high position, with a promising future, and being without a wife, concubine, or children, he was an excellent candidate for marriage.

Xiao Zhengyang didn't want to offend anyone at first, so he received most of the guests.

We couldn't handle it after only a few days; not every guest was easy to deal with.

Many marriages that fail end in enmity.

So he announced that he had already chosen a fiancée for Xiao Ji, and they could get married as soon as the new dynasty was settled.

As for who the woman was, he had no comment.

After Madam Xiao finished her postpartum confinement, besides taking care of the baby, she was also troubled by Xiao Ji's marriage prospects.

Hearing her husband say this, she asked curiously, "Do you really have someone in mind, or are you just fooling them?"

Master Xiao said mysteriously, "There are candidates, but they may not be willing to marry."

Madam Xiao is not stupid. Now, looking around the whole city, there is no family that is not willing to marry into the Xiao family.

"You mean Miss Shen? That's hard to say. Is our son really that incompetent? He hasn't won her heart after all this time."

"You don't object?" Master Xiao thought that his wife looked down on Shen Lan's background.

"What happens after he objects? Where am I supposed to find him a wife he'll be satisfied with?"