The arrival of Imperial Son-in-law Feng and the Iron-Armored Guard brought the situation under control in short order. When the treacherous generals who had not yet managed to flee saw the Iron-Armored Guard escorting Mo Yi and Xie Mingzheng back, they knew the game was up. They cast aside their weapons and silently surrendered.
Seeing this, the heart that Xie Qiqi had been keeping in her throat finally settled. She emerged from her hiding spot with Jiang Xing, Yinchen, and Moqi Yi and immediately set to work, treating the wounds of the Imperial Guard soldiers and the Jinyiwei. Seeing that the situation had been stabilized, the officials emerged from their cover as well. Lin Zeming and Wang Yan, seeing Xie Qiqi and the others tending to the wounded, hurried forward to assist.
However, some officials lacked the situational awareness to understand the atmosphere; they watched, helpless and confused, as the Jinyiwei bound the captured generals. Senior Academician Li, already fifty years old, had lived a life of unremarkable, diligent service, neither achieving great success nor committing major errors. He stared blankly at the Emperor lying slumped on the royal chariot, the Crown Prince’s corpse discarded to one side, ignored by all. Utterly at a loss, he grabbed Senior Grand Secretary Zhang in a daze and asked, "Senior Grand Secretary, the Emperor has passed, and the Crown Prince is dead. What... what are we to do now?"
Chapter 346