Chapter 486: Raising troops! Qingjun side! (5k)
The sky was completely dark, and lanterns were lit up, reflecting the pavilions and tiled houses of Zhao Mansion.
Zhao Pan, who was sitting on the steps hugging his knees, turned his head. The girl's beautiful eyebrows were as white as jade under the light, and the melancholy between her eyebrows made her even more pitiful.
"Can't sleep again?" Eugene Hua placed the lotus lantern in her hand on the ground and squatted next to her daughter. Due to this movement, her plump buttocks stretched into a round arc.
"Well, I miss you, big brother." Zhao Pan nodded and said softly.
The bright eyes like autumn water reflect the southern starry sky.
"I don't know if Brother is okay at this time? Is he safe? Where is he?" Zhao Pan was in a low mood, and the Pekingese lying at her feet also whimpered in unison.
Eugene was silent.
With the current status of mother and daughter in the circle of ladies in the capital, a lot of news can be learned quickly.
Naturally, this includes secrets such as the fact that the empress Fengchan failed and is on the run, and Zhao Duan escorts her along.
As a female family member, it goes without saying that I am worried and anxious.
During these days, although the Zhao family seemed to be peaceful, in fact people were in panic. From time to time, the servants in the family talked privately, discussing that if His Majesty disappeared, the Zhao family, which relied on the empress, would soon be destroyed.
"No," Eugene Flower suddenly said forcefully:
"Your eldest brother will be fine. How many dangers has he experienced in the past year? Aren't they all safe? There will be no surprise this time. Maybe he is not far from the capital and will come back after a while."< br>
Zhao Pan stared blankly at his mother's side face and suddenly said:
"Mom, you are different from before."
The weak-minded Eugene smiled and blinked:
"Mom is growing too. Women are like vines, and men are like trees. The bigger the tree grows, the stronger the vine becomes. Even if the tree disappears one day, the old vine will not be the same as before."
From taking care of a small Zhao family to now taking charge of the huge Zhao mansion, greeting and seeing off the ladies of the capital all day long, how could Eugene Hua not make any progress?
Zhao Pan hugged his mother and buried his head in her magnificent chest:
"Mom, you are not old."
Eugene smiled slightly and patted her daughter's arm gently, coaxing her to sleep just like when she was a child, looking up at the pale stars:
"Go to sleep. Our family has not fallen so easily. Even if the rebels really break the city one day, we and I will run to the south in advance to find your eldest brother. We have overcome so many difficulties, and we are not short of this A little.”
"Yes." Zhao Pan said gently and closed his eyes.
The Pekingese dog at her feet also nestled against the girl and closed its eyes.
……
The night is getting darker.
In the inn, the lights were like beans. Zhao Duan looked at the information sent by the secret guard in Ouchi, and his expression became more solemn:
"Your Majesty, the situation is really not right. Judging from the clues, the Li Party has become uneasy since you left Beijing."
The information sent by Ouchi's secret guard was very detailed and could not be obtained in a short time.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and realized that the empress might have specially arranged a group of secret guards to hide in the city and keep an eye on the group of potentially unstable elements headed by Li Party officials before going south to Fengchan.
Xu Zhenguan stood by the window, looking at the few stars peeking through the gaps in the clouds over the capital:
"Shouldn't this have been guessed earlier?"
Her expression was very calm, without too many unexpected emotions:
"Thinking about it, if I were in Li Yanfu's position, I would not let go of such a God-given opportunity."
Zhao Duan felt moved and said:
"According to the information sent by the secret guards, I am afraid that these people may cause trouble in the next few days."
Xu Zhenguan understood what he wanted to express and said calmly:
"Everything remains as usual. I will enter the palace early tomorrow morning and take advantage of the court meeting to make my return publicly."
Even if she had to wait a few more days to make these thieves jump out, she would not wait any longer.
"Besides, with the information we have now, we have been able to eliminate a lot of moths." Xu Zhenguan's voice was as cold as ice.
Zhao Duan nodded, but felt his right eyelid twitching slightly, feeling a little uneasy.
……
Zhaoyamen, Governor's Hall.
Ma Yanduan sat in the hall and worked by holding a candle.
He frowned and read the documents on the table repeatedly without raising his head:
"Why didn't you report this news earlier?"
With her hair combed in a ponytail and her eyes dotted with moles, the heroic Haitang sat in the hall and yawned gently:
"Duke Gong, the various halls have been very busy lately, with several shifts taking place. There has been a lot of instability in the city recently. You should know that it is not easy to deliver this news."
Her face was full of exhaustion, and Zhang Han and other detectives in the hall also "don't give in too much".
During these days, the entire imperial office was extremely busy, with too many things to do. Late-night reports were delayed until early morning every day. If they weren't all warriors, ordinary people would have been unable to bear it.
Ma Yan raised his head and knocked on the table solemnly: "When it comes to Party Li, there is no small matter. Forget it this time. If there is another time, you will receive the punishment yourself."
Haitang sighed, not daring to refute.
Haitang only got the information about the suspected warriors sneaking into the city in batches outside the city, who were suspected to be related to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Not daring to delay, he immediately submitted it to Ma Yan.
If it were in the past, the imperial office should not have discovered this kind of action so late, but recently, due to special circumstances, it was ignored.
"This matter will continue to be investigated and evidence collected. At this sensitive period, His Majesty is not in the capital, so it is not suitable to start a big fight. I will personally ask Li Yanfu questions during the court meeting tomorrow." Ma Yan thought for a moment and made a decision.
Zhang Han, the king of facial paralysis and facial curls, said: "Will it scare the snake?"
Ma Yan glanced at him, his cold and slender face serious:
"Now is not the time to investigate crimes and make meritorious deeds. Maintaining stability in the city is the top priority. I am doing this to shake the mountain and shake the tiger."
The spirits of the detectives at the lobby entrances in the hall were shaken:
"My subordinates understand!"
"Well, let's go back and rest." Ma Yan waved.
Everyone dispersed one after another, but Haitang stayed at the end: "Gong Du, is there any latest news about His Majesty and Zhao Duan?"
Ma Yan glanced at her, as if she understood what he was thinking, shook his head and said:
"The last message Eunuch Hai sent was seven days ago. The next time should be not far away. Good luck has its own destiny, your Majesty and Zhao Duan will be fine."
"Yes." Haitang nodded and left worriedly.
The wind and rain are swaying, and as the "butcher's knife" in the hands of the empress, Zhaoya Jinyi is not in a state of unrest.
Everything will be fine? Ma Yan said it simply, but he couldn't tell how confident he was in his words.
……
……
Early next morning.
The rising sun was blocked by dark clouds overhead, and the sky in the capital was pale.
For some reason, the entire city felt more depressed than before.
In the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the "Third Lady" who was a concubine walked out of the room and lectured the maids in the back house. A maid said:
"Madam, the eldest son has brought many people to the front yard. They are full of murderous intent and don't know what to do."
The third lady glared at her:
"You are the maid of the back house, so you only have to take care of the affairs of the back house. Don't talk too much in the front yard."
Given the size of the Prime Minister's Mansion, each courtyard is a separate world, with independent servants and clearly defined responsibilities.
The maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and said yes repeatedly.
The third lady sighed, waved her hands to disperse the crowd, personally picked up the tray containing a pot of ginseng soup, and walked towards the study.
Last night, Li Yanfu secretly left the house through a secret passage and came back late at night. He did not fall asleep and stayed in the study until dawn.
The third lady knocked on the door: "Master, it's time to drink soup."
"Come in."
She pushed open the door, and with a creaking sound, the pale skylight shone into the messy study.
In the house, Li Yanfu had not slept all night, but he was in high spirits. He was wearing a robe as red as blood and a white jade pendant hanging from his waist.
At this moment, he stood quietly in front of a small altar table at the end of the study.
There is only an incense burner on the desk, an ancestral tablet of the Li family, and behind it, an ancient painting hanging on the pink and white wall.
There are mountains and water in the painting. An old elk with majestic antlers is walking in the mountains. He turns his head and looks back. There are shadows in the jungle, as if there are a herd of deer accompanying him.
Li Yanfu lit the yellow incense in his hand, held three pillars of yellow incense with green smoke in his hands, and planted them into the incense burner.
"Master..." The third lady, Xiao Yue, called softly.
Li Yanfu turned around. He was not as old as before today. Although he was old, his face was red and there was a fierce look in his eyes, as if he had become ten years younger overnight.
Xiaoyue's heart moved and she frowned: "Master, have you taken medicine again?"
Li Yanfu is not a cultivator, he is just a mortal. At this age, even if he does not pretend to be ill, he is still no better than before.
However, if you take the elixir, it can temporarily make people feel energetic and energetic.
Li Yanfu glanced at her lightly and didn't answer. He walked to the table and sat down, picked up the spoon and drank the soup in one mouthful.
Xiao Yue didn't move, she held her skirt tightly with both hands, and suddenly fell to her knees, raising a face full of charm but full of anxiety:
"Master, think twice. If you leave the house today, there will be no turning back."
Li Yanfu paused, ignored it, and continued to drink the soup. The concubine, who has always been known for being gentle and sensible, and is deeply loved by the Prime Minister, said sadly: "Master, you..."
"Crack!"
The white porcelain soup bowl was suddenly thrown to the ground by Li Yanfu and immediately shattered. The porcelain pieces were mixed with the ginseng soup and splashed all over Xiao Yue who was kneeling on the ground.
The latter looked frightened and trembling.
"Get out!" Li Yanfu lowered his head, his beard stained with ginseng soup and a little dirty, but he ignored it.
Xiaoyue sighed, stood up shakily, and walked out. When she was about to step out of the threshold, she only said:
"I have prepared three feet of white silk in my room. If Master... I will follow you."
Having said that, this low-key woman, who was not known to many people in the capital, walked away firmly.
Li Yanfu sat quietly in the chair. After a long time, he slowly stood up, and his wrinkled right hand grasped the gorgeous, gem-encrusted dagger on the table.
He straightened his back inch by inch, as if he had returned to the prosperous days of the past.
Please...you...collect 6...9...books...!
This legendary old man, who was an ordinary member of the Huaishui clan, step by step, stepped up to the position of prime minister below one person and above tens of thousands of people. Step by step, he walked out of the study, out of the back house, and came to the front yard.
I saw hundreds of warriors wearing red clothes, with white ribbons on their heads and swords on their backs standing silently in the huge front courtyard.
They are both killers and hangers-on.
They were a group of killers that the Prime Minister's Mansion had spent the past ten years cultivating outside the city and only obeyed Li Yanfu's orders.
In the past, they would do some dirty work for Li Yanfu.
But now, this group of people pretended to be farmers and sneaked into the city in batches. They gathered here today for a major event that will leave their name in history.
"Father! Everything is ready, announce it!"
Li Yinglong stood in front of the crowd. He was actually wearing a set of soft armor, with an excited expression and fiery eyes.
Li Yanfu stood on the steps, his eyes sweeping across the pale sky, the square courtyard, and the resolute faces of the hundreds of people in red in the courtyard.
The right hand that was hanging down, holding the short knife, was suddenly raised, high above the head.
Li Yanfu's neck veins bulged, his face turned red, and his voice sounded like a wolf:
"Raise troops!!!"
Hundreds of diners drew their swords and raised them high at the same time. There were many swords and spears, stabbing into the sky:
"Raise the troops!"
"Raise the troops!"
"Raise the troops!"
After a while, the middle door of the prime minister's palace opened wide. Li Yanfu put on soft armor, rode a horse, and led hundreds of guests to pour out and kill towards the south gate of the palace.
The Prime Minister's Mansion is not far from the imperial palace. Hundreds of people are rushing along the streets, like a tide of blood. Amid the horrified eyes of the people on both sides of the street, they are rushing towards the imperial palace in the morning light!
The people were frightened and hid behind closed doors, with memories of the Xuanmen coup that happened in the winter three years ago flooding into their hearts.
……
The south gate of Miyagi City.
On the top of the city, Wang Ye wore bright armor and stood on patrol on the top of the city.
As an inconspicuous infantryman in the Habayashi Guards, he had no story worth writing about in his more than twenty years of life.
If the only thing that can be said is that he and Zhao Duan were in the same team at the beginning, they were considered colleagues, and they had a few drinks and played cards together.
At that time, Zhao Duan was just a quiet, good-looking pawn, and Wang Ye's impression of him was limited to this.
Until that winter three years ago, on the day of the Xuanmen coup, as soldiers of the Yulin Guards, Wang Ye and Zhao Duan, under the command of the commander, fought against the rebels of the second prince Jian Wen, and witnessed the empress defeating thousands of soldiers with one sword and one person. military feat.
It was also at that time that Zhao Duan unexpectedly fell in love with the Empress. Two months later, he was promoted to the White Horse Prison and there were rumors of an affair with the Empress.
Wang Ye once tried to have a relationship, but he was kicked out by the white servant in Baima Prison without even getting through the door.
"The bastard Zhao Duan! He doesn't recognize anyone when he's in power! What ability do you have, can't you just rely on his face? Bah!"
At that time, Wang Ye only dared to curse sourly in his heart, but he did not dare to bar his teeth.
But since last year, Zhao Duan has repeatedly made great achievements, and his status has been rising all the way. Not only did he defeat Monk Tianhai with force, but his literary talent has made more than half of Han people bow to him, and he has also achieved Shaobao all the way, which is a dream.
Wang Ye's impression of Zhao Duan also changed from "bad luck" to "His Majesty has a sharp eye."
I often wonder that I didn't realize that my taciturn and mediocre colleague turned out to be a dusty pearl.
Just...
He also thought of the news that was spreading wildly in the Forbidden Army, that His Majesty was missing, that Zhao Shaobao was missing, and that five rebel forces were attacking the capital... Wang Ye suddenly no longer envied Zhao Duan.
"It's better to die than to live. What's the use of being so famous and powerful?"
"If he had not been selected by His Majesty three years ago, at least he could still be alive and standing guard with me."
Wang Ye shook his head sadly, very satisfied with his condition.
However, when he turned to look at the patrolling soldiers of Qianniu Guard and Jinwu Guard on the city wall, he couldn't help but frown and felt something was wrong.
The brothers of the other two guards who were on duty with him today were replaced at the same time, and they all had faces that he was not familiar with.
Just now he struck up a conversation, but the other person had a cold face and looked at him with vague hostility, which puzzled him.
"Maybe I have a bad temper."
Wang Ye didn't think much, he fumbled with the handle of the knife and looked outside the city.
Not long ago, the ministers who entered the palace had entered one after another, and now the long street outside the palace gate was empty.
Suddenly, Wang Ye was surprised to notice that a large number of people in red clothes suddenly appeared on both sides of the street in the distance, which was extremely eye-catching.
Approaching straight towards the palace.
He frowned, unaware of the situation, and subconsciously grasped the handle of the knife. The group of people came very quickly. The leader of the group was a man on horseback, who looked familiar. But before he could see clearly, he caught a glimpse of the bright swords on the men in red.
Wang Ye's expression suddenly changed!
Bring weapons to attack the palace? This is a serious crime of treason!
Who are these people? What to do?
Thinking of the recent news about rebels, Wang Ye's hair stood up and he shouted:
"Enemy attack!!!"
Immediately, he subconsciously grabbed the copper whistle on his chest and prepared to blow the warning. However, the next moment, the expected scene of the city defenders resisting the thieves with crossbows did not happen.
Instead, screams suddenly sounded around him.
Those were the painful cries of his fellow Yulin Guards before his death.
"What's going on?" As soon as this thought came to his mind, Wang Ye felt a chill in his throat! The body loses strength!
The copper whistle fell from his hand, and he turned around in shock. He found in disbelief that the unfamiliar Qianniu Guards soldier had cold eyes, sneaked up from behind him, and put the dagger into his throat!
A sneak attack from the side, no reaction time!
"Reverse...reverse..."
Wang Ye's body went limp and he fell from the top of the city, slamming to the ground.
The moment before his eyes went completely dark, the little man who had reached the end of his life finally saw clearly the appearance of the old man riding a horse and rushing into the palace.
"The Prime Minister...conspired to rebel..."
The imperial troops supporting the city opened the city gate, and the heavy vermilion gate studded with rivets suddenly opened to both sides!
Showing a long doorway.
Li Yanfu was on a horse, wearing soft armor and a helmet, with his gray hair sticking out messily.
He held his dagger high:
"Qing Jun's side! Qing Jun's side! Anyone who blocks it will be regarded as treason and will be killed without mercy!"
The doormen behind him drew their swords one after another, and poured into the palace along the sides of his horse like a torrent, passed through the Meridian Gate, and went straight to the side hall where the court meeting was held!
Everything went as smoothly as expected.
As long as he uses thunderous means to control the ministers in the palace before the rest of the imperial army reacts, Li Yanfu can act as the cabinet authority and control this million-dollar city where the throne is vacant!
……
……
Inside the inn.
Zhao Duan, who took off his disguise mask, pushed open the door and looked at the empress of the Yu Kingdom who was fully dressed and had also washed away her disguise and restored her true appearance.
Xu Zhenguan no longer wore a low-key plain skirt, but once again put on a golden dragon robe that had long been washed away of blood stains.
The majesty remains as before.
"Your Majesty, it's time to go to court." Zhao Duan said in a daze.
Xu Zhen looked at Zhao Duan, who had also taken off his green shirt and put on the official robe of the third-grade prince and young protector, and smiled:
"Zhao Qing, follow me into the palace."
(End of chapter)