Zhu Di led the kings to the backyard of Prince Yan's Mansion, then pointed to the well in the center of the courtyard and said, "This is the passage."
All the vassal kings and princes looked at each other. Although they had formed a verbal alliance just now, it did not mean that they would completely trust Zhu Di at such a critical moment.
If Zhu Di took the opportunity to throw them into a pot and then use them to express their loyalty to the new king, wouldn't they be unable to find a place to cry?
So with everyone looking at each other, King Yan Zhu Di had no choice but to jump into the well first.
Fortunately, the well was not deep. After Zhu Di jumped in, he shouted to everyone: "Can you come down now? There is only one stick of incense left before the Royal Forest Army surrounds and discovers this place."
Only then did everyone remember that it was not completely safe for them to enter the secret passage, and they could only escape if they left Nanjing City.
So they jumped into the well one after another.
However, some people immediately remembered that their family members were still in their respective palaces.
But it's too late to go back now.
Zhu Di could only comfort them. At most, the court would use their family members as pledges and would not do anything to them.
As for Zhu Di himself, he did not come on behalf of the princess this time, so he avoided most of the trouble.
When these people left the Prince Yan's Mansion down the mine, they heard the rumble of horse hooves coming from above.
It seems that the Imperial Guard has arrived.
This frightened everyone so much that they didn't dare to speak out, so they could only move forward at a slower speed.
Fortunately, the secret tunnel was dug very wide, otherwise they might not be able to leave tonight.
…
Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen, received the news soon.
The Imperial Forest Army who surrounded Prince Yan's Mansion did not capture anyone.
The people who went to Prince Dai's Mansion also failed, which made his face suddenly look ugly.
When Lan Yu who was standing nearby saw this, he immediately came over and knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops to capture these rebels. I believe they have not escaped far."
Emperor Ming Hui was lost for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
He nodded and said: "Okay, I'm sure, the general will immediately lead people to capture them, whether they are alive or dead."
"yes."
Hearing this, Lan Yu's eyes flashed with joy.
That's right, he shouldn't have been so active in this matter. After all, these vassals and princes all belonged to the royal family, and there was no reason for him to get involved.
But when he thought that Zhu Gui, the acting king who had humiliated him many times, was among them, Lan Yu felt that this was an opportunity to avenge his shame, so he stood up.
As for discussing the details of reducing the vassalage with the emperor, Lan Yu didn't care much at all. Anyway, Fang Xiaoru was enough.
So Lan Yu quickly left the palace and immediately sent people to gather heavy troops in the military camp outside Nanjing.
This time Lan Yu directly mobilized an army of 10,000 people.
And he directly led half of them, that is, five thousand people, towards the direction of Datong Mansion.
As for the other armies, they were directly divided into seven parts to pursue the other vassal kings and princes.
This shows Lan Yu’s hatred for Zhu Gui.
…
At this time, Zhu Gui was talking to Xu Miaoqing at the exit of a small town outside Nanjing.
"You and Er Niang should take the first step. I think there are still some things that need to be dealt with."
"Your Majesty? Didn't we agree to leave together?"
Xu Miaoqing grabbed Zhu Gui's clothes and said with a worried look.
"Don't worry, I won't abandon you, it will just be a few days late. Er Niang, you must protect the princess."
After Zhu Gui comforted Xu Miaoqing, he immediately said to Zuo Erniang on the side.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, as long as Er Niang doesn't die, nothing will happen to the Princess." Zuo Er Niang assured her seriously.
Zhu Gui nodded and said: "By the way, I'm afraid the court will know that the king is missing within a day. The worst-case scenario is that troops will be sent to pursue you, so you must not take the main road."
Xu Miaoqing and Zuo Erniang nodded together.
"Then what if the pursuers arrive in Yunzhou?"
Xu Miaoqing asked.
"Don't worry, I have asked Gongsun Ming to prepare."
Zhu Gui said with a smile.
However, he felt a shiver in his heart, that was the worst case scenario.
Zhu Gui sent a letter to Gongsun Ming in a flying pigeon, explaining everything to him in a vague way.
As for whether Gongsun Ming will stand on his side, it is still unknown so far.
It would have been better if he had not brought Xu Yingxu to Beijing. With him here, he wouldn't have to worry so much.
Zhu Gui feels a little regretful now.
He also didn't expect that so many things would happen when he went to Beijing this time.
Almost in a few days, we encountered something that would only happen in a few years in later history.
If Zhu Gui knew that Zhu Di and the others had also escaped at this time, he would probably even scream "f*ck".
After half a stick of incense.
Zhu Gui finally said goodbye to everyone, then turned and walked towards Mr. Jin and his friends.
"Your Majesty, are you really not leaving? I have received news from Nanjing City that the Emperor has sent out pursuing troops."
Mr. Jin said seriously.
"So soon? It seems that the emperor has already planned to take action. Does Mr. Jin think the Jin family is still safe?"
Zhu Gui looked at the young man in front of him and asked.
"What does the prince mean by this?" Mr. Jin looked at Zhu Gui in surprise and said.
"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Jin. I am just guessing. I am afraid that the entire city of Nanjing is not safe now. How about we stay here for two days and wait and see what happens?"
Zhu Gui said.
"Here? But... okay."
Mr. Jin hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed to Zhu Gui's invitation.
In return, Zhu Gui also explained why he stayed.
That is to find a way to rescue Concubine Guo Hui and Duke Xu.
Although Xu Guogong is an important official of the imperial court, he will not be in any danger for a while.
But that's not necessarily the case for Guo Huifei.
As the late emperor's beloved concubine, she would most likely be buried as a sacrifice.
Zhu Gui also just realized this problem.
Although Guo Huifei is not Zhu Gui's (real body) biological mother, her feelings for Zhu Gui are not fake.
This is a warmth that Zhu Gui has rarely felt since he came to this world.
So even if it was to live up to his own feelings, Zhu Gui had to give it a try.
Moreover, he is also worried that once the conflict between King Yan and the court breaks out, Duke Xu, who is the father of Princess Yan, may also be implicated.
So in order to prevent Xu Miaoqing from worrying, Zhu Gui also wanted to rescue Xu Guogong's family. Of course, he did not forget Xu Yingxu, who had the best relationship with Zhu Gui and was also the most capable general.
That night, Zhu Gui, Jin Gongzi and their party stayed in this small town ten miles away from Nanjing.
And early the next morning, they received news that Nanjing City had been placed under martial law.