Rescue Of Wei Zheng

The **Rescue Of Wei Zheng** rescued Wei Zheng from the prison of the Xuanjing Bureau. It occurs in Episode 35, Episode 36, and Episode 37. There were two prongs: the rescue of Wei Zheng from prison, and the battle in the Palace to defend Xiao Jingyan, Prince Jing from the charge of treason for having ordered the rescue.

## Background

Xia Jiang, the director of the Xuanjing Bureau, had participated in the Chiyan Conspiracy to protect his power from Prince Qi, who had wanted to disband the Bureau. Prince Jing was a supporter of Prince Qi, and so Xia Jiang feared that if Prince Jing gained power, he would destroy the Bureau as well. Therefore, Xia Jiang allied himself with Prince Yu. As the Chiyan Conspiracy is one of Prince Jing's weaknesses, Xia Jiang and Prince Yu believed that if they could bring the case up again, the Emperor would stop favoring Prince Jing.

Wei Zheng was a former member of the Chiyan Army. Capturing and holding him would put pressure on Prince Jing and force Mei Changsu to make a risky plan of resuce.

## The First, Unsuccessful Rescue

A first rescue attempt was made by members of the Jiangzuo Alliance as Wei Zheng was brought into the city. This attempt failed. It injured mutiple members of the Alliance, including Zhen Ping, though.

## Participants

### Mei Changsu's Faction

* Mei Changsu
* Prince Jing
* Xia Dong
* Yan Que
* Yan Yujin
* Gong Yu
* Prince Ji (did not know of his own involvement)
* Fei Liu
* Li Gang
* Su Tianshu
* Yaowang Valley martial artists, including Wang Yuan and Zheng Xuting
* Jiangzuo Alliance
* The Capital Patrols
* Lie Zhanying

### Xia Jiang's Faction

* Xia Jiang
* Xia Chun
* Xia Qiu
* Prince Yu

## Sequence Of Events

1. To set the trap, Xia Jiang moved Wei Zheng to being imprisoned in the prison of the Review Court, which is run by Zhu Yue, the brother-in-law of Prince Yu
2. Xia Jiang set bombs around the dungeon, which will explode if the fuse next to the dungeon door is lit.
3. Yan Que invites Xia Jiang to join him at a temple. Xia Jiang and Xia Chun meet Yan Que and Yan Yujin there. Marquis Yan keeps Xia Jiang occupied until the initial parts of the plan are complete. All four then return to Jinling.
4. Xia Dong goes to visit Nie Feng's grave and asks Xia Qiu to find a witness for her in her absence.
5. Xia Dong returns to Jinling and orders that the gate to the Bureau be left open.
6. The Jiangzuo Alliance and the martial artists from Yaowang Valley attack. They go as far as the dungeons, then turn back and leave without trying to enter the dungeons. As they were out of the range of the bombos, the Bureau forces did not light it.
7. As the attackers are leaving the Bureau, Capital Patrol guards are chasing a thief, and so complicate the pursuit from the Bureau soldiers.
8. Xia Jiang returns to the Bureau to hear what has happened. Thinking that it was a smokescreen to cover the real rescue of Wei Zheng, Xia Jiang and Jia Chun go to the prison of the Review Court to see if Wei Zheng is still there. They are followed there by the Jiangzuo Alliance and Yaowang Valley forces.
9. As the Review Court prison is much less fortified, the Jiangzuo Alliance and the Yaowang Valley forces are able to rescue Wei Zheng.
10. They take Wei Zheng to an alleyway near where Gong Yu lives, where she is entertaining Yan Yujin and Prince Ji. She opens the window and calls attention to what's going on outside, so Prince Ji can see Xia Dong putting Wei Zheng into a carriage.
11. Wei Zheng is taken to Mu Manor under the hospitality of Mu Qing.

### At the Palace

1. Xia Jiang had sent a message to Prince Yu to enter the Palace so as to be on hand with the confrontation with Prince Jing. Prince Yu goes to the Palace with a present for the Emperor.
2. Xia Jiang requests an audience with the Emperor while Prince Yu is present. Xia Jiang reports that Xuanjing Bureau and the Review Court were attacked by bandits, that Wei Zheng has been rescued, and he asserts that Prince Jing was responsible, due to the heavy presence of Capital Patrols on the streets by the Bureau.
3. The Emperor summons Prince Jing.
4. Prince Yu signals to a eunuch, who goes to Qi Hong to tell her to tell Empress Yan that it's time for their plan to be carried out.
5. Prince Jing arrives at the Palace. The Emperor interrogates him about the break-in at Xuanjing Bureau. Prince Jing demands to know from Xia Jiang why Xuanjing Bureau officers interfered with the Capital Patrols apprehending a thief, causing them to lose the thief in the chase.
6. While Xia Jiang and Prince Jing are arguing in front of the Emperor, Empress Yan arrives at Consort Jing's palace and has it searched. She finds a memorial tablet that Consort Jing had secretly made for Consort Chen at the Emperor's order. Empress Yan sends word to the Emperor that Consort Jing has committed treason and asking him to come to Consort Jing's palace to order the punishment. On his way out of the hall, the Emperor kicks Prince Jing, who has been kneeling through the audience, several times.
7. At Consort Jing's palace, the Emperor sees that the crime was putting up the memorial tablet. He does not acknowledge that it was at his order, but gives Consort Jing a very light punishment for it, confining her to her palace and telling her to reflect and reducing the amount of money she is given for her household. At the Emperor's questioning, the Empress says that the crime had been reported to her by Xin. For betraying her mistress, the Emperor orders that Xin be executed. However, Consort Jing intervenes to save her life.
8. Recognizing that the timing is suspicious, the Emperor points out to Gao Zhan that there have been too many coincidences lately, making him suspect that this is a coordinated political faction attack by Prince Yu against Prince Jing.
9. The Emperor returns to Wuying Hall and has the discussion resume, this time telling Prince Jing to stand. The Emperor tells Xia Jiang to investigate the disappearance of Wei Zheng. Xia Jiang wishes to interrogate Mei Changsu as a primary suspect, because Mei Changsu is someone who has the martial artists who could break into Xuanjing Bureau. The Emperor allows it.
10. The Emperor removes the Capital Patrols from Prince Jing's control and gives them to the Ministry of Defense. Prince Jing is confined to his manor and not allowed to enter the palace without a summons.

## Aftermath

* Mei Changsu was imprisoned and interrogated by the Xuanjing Bureau. Xia Jiang forces him to take the poisonous Wujin pill, which causes the user to die seven days after ingesting the pill. (Mei Changsu says he dropped a medicine pill on the ground beforehand, and Xia Jiang forced him to take that.)
* After Prince Ji reported what he had seen to the Emperor, he sent Meng Zhi to close off the Bureau. He reports that he had seen Mei Changsu in the prison at the Bureau and he seemed to have been severely punished by Xia Jiang, convincing the Emperor that Mei Changsu had nothing to do with the rescue.
* Xia Dong took responsibility for the escape and was imprisoned.