Chapter 487 Welcome His Majesty back to the palace (6k)
Follow me into the palace... Zhao Duan took a deep breath and joked:
"Your Majesty will be shocked when he returns to the palace like this. After today, what kind of disturbance will be caused in the Nine Paths and Eighteen Palaces."
It has not been long since the Empress was promoted. Except for a few people such as Xuan Yin, Prince Jing, and Prince Mu who may have known or guessed it, the vast majority of people in this world have not yet heard about it.
"I hope this turmoil will be settled as soon as possible." Xu Zhenguan said softly.
Even she knew in her heart that it would never be simple or easy to completely resolve the Eight Kings Rebellion.
The monarch and his minister walked out of the inn together. When they went downstairs, they met the waiter coming upstairs.
The latter looked in astonishment at the man and woman, who were wearing dragon robes and official robes, with astonishing appearance and temperament. The kettle in their hands dropped with a bang and rolled down the stairs.
Not only him, but the shopkeeper and the guests on the first floor were also cast under a restraining spell, and they watched the emperor and his ministers leave in shock.
Then, it was the turn of the pedestrians on the street to cast surprised glances.
Zhenbao did this on purpose...she wanted to expose herself to the public. Even if the people didn't know her true appearance, they would always recognize the dragon robe that no one in the city dared to wear arrogantly.
In this way, he calmed down the people and announced his return in a high-profile way.
However, just when the monarch and his ministers took a few steps out.
Suddenly, among the crowd in front, an Ouchi Shadow Guard ran over like crazy and knelt on one knee in the street without any scruples:
"Your Majesty, something bad has happened. Li Yanfu has led a large group of warriors to attack the palace..."
What? Zhao Duan was stunned, then turned and looked at Zhenbao, both seeing each other's shock.
"Hurry and come into the palace with me!"
Xu Zhenguan's expression changed slightly. He didn't care about showing off, he raised his hand and grabbed Zhao Duan and was about to leave.
Zhao Duan suddenly said:
"Including the time to deliver the information, by this time, Li Yanfu is afraid that he has already entered the palace, and he is afraid that it will be too late."
Xu Zhenguan looked calm:
"It's too late, he won't succeed so easily."
……
……
The Royal Palace, the hall where court meetings are held.
Early in the morning, the officials came in one after another, and almost everyone was there.
Ma Yan arrived late. When he stepped into the main hall, he glanced around and did not find Li Yanfu. He only saw Grand Master Dong and Yuan Li, each sitting on a chair, closing their eyes and concentrating.
In the main hall, only two people sat down, while the rest of the courtiers stood to show respect.
"Grand Master," Ma Yan stepped forward, walked to Dong Xuan, and whispered:
"I have something to ask the Grand Master for advice."
After several days of busy work, Taishi Dong, who was sleepy and tired, raised his head and snored softly. At this moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and said doubtfully:
"What's the matter?"
Ma Yan took out a folder from his sleeve and handed it to him:
"It is related to the recent anomalies in the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Before Li Yanfu arrived, Ma Yan knew that he was not good at intrigues in the court and wanted to discuss things with the emperor's master who was temporarily in charge of the "cabinet" in advance.
"Oh?" Master Dong gathered his energy, took the folded book, spread out his hands to read carefully, then his face trembled and his eyes focused:
"Is this happening?"
Ma Yan nodded: "Although it has not been accurately verified, the Prime Minister's Office is making small moves at this time, so we have to be on guard."
Grandmaster Dong's heart sank, and he subconsciously turned his gaze to the doctor opposite, who was concentrating with his eyes closed.
I remembered that when the court dismissed yesterday, Yuan Li mentioned that he should be careful about Li Dang. Did he really get it right? However, does Li Yanfu really dare to run wild in the capital?
Dong Xuan was not sure, but compared to Yuan Li, who also needed to be wary, the words of Ma Yan, an eunuch, undoubtedly convinced him more——
It is almost impossible for Ma Yan to seek refuge with the Eight Kings, just as the Dong family, which strongly supported the empress' ascension to the throne, no longer has a way out.
"Mr. Yuan, come and take a look." The old master thought for a moment, called Yuan Li to come aside to talk with him, and handed the fold to the latter.
This scene fell into the eyes of everyone, but it was not surprising.
Yuan Li read the excerpt, his eyes condensed, and he exhaled deeply:
"The things I worried about are still here."
He turned to look at Ma Yan with sharp eyes:
"This information is from a few days ago."
Ma Yan nodded:
"So, I think that if Li Dang makes any move, it won't take too long. As the saying goes, things are done in secret. Such a large-scale 'dispatch of troops and generals' is too unusual. I suggest that you wait until he enters the palace and question him face to face. , no matter what the answer is, it will be under my supervision to avoid causing trouble.”
"Do you also think that Li Dang may be restless? What does he dare to do? What can he do? The six forbidden troops in the city are enough to suppress everything." The veins on Dong Taishi's forehead throbbed and his breathing was slightly rapid.
Yuan Lique suddenly said:
"Three years ago, the Xuanmen coup almost happened because the then commander-in-chief Qi Yuchun betrayed him."
Ding!
Mentioning this matter, the other two people's hearts tightened, and they couldn't help being dragged back to their original memories.
That day was a cold winter, with snow falling on the sky and the earth. Although it was different from today, the gloomy sky was exactly the same.
Just after the Xuanmen coup, the empress ascended the throne and simply abolished the position of "general commander". The six forbidden armies led the same level, each responsible for their own area, and checked and balanced each other.
But now that Yuan Li mentioned this, the implications could no longer be considered.
Master Dong's face trembled, and he gritted his teeth and said:
"In that case, wait for him to come and interrogate him on the spot. Your Majesty doesn't know when he will return at this point, so there must be no trouble!"
Acting rashly as prime minister is inherently risky.
But Dong Xuan weighed the pros and cons and remained so decisive.
Yuan Li did not retort, but his eyes flashed. Ma Yan looked calm and turned to look at the entrance of the hall.
With his worldly cultivation, as long as Li Yanfu arrives, he is not afraid of causing waves.
However, as fine sand flowed through the hourglass in the corner of the hall, Li Yanfu never appeared.
In the hall, the voices of the ministers' discussions suddenly dropped, and everyone noticed something was wrong.
"It's been a while, why hasn't the Prime Minister arrived yet? If he was ill, Li Yinglong should have come, but neither father nor son showed up." The Minister of War couldn't help but ask.
"Send someone to pick him up, maybe he's been delayed." Shangshu said calmly.
Ma Yan's long and thin face became more and more gloomy. Suddenly his auricles moved slightly and he suddenly raised his head:
"Wrong!"
The thick palace door is extremely soundproof, which can prevent the conversations in the palace from being heard by the palace people outside.
But at this moment, outside the thick palace door, the sound of horse hooves and shouts of killing could be heard. It was vague at first, but gradually became clearer.
"Go out and have a look!" The old master also noticed something was wrong and ordered the eunuch in the palace.
The latter was about to push the door open with small steps. Suddenly, the palace door shook with a sudden "bang", accompanied by an exclamation!
Ma Yan subconsciously touched the knife at his waist, but found nothing!
Because he was going to court, he didn't bring any weapons.
But at this time, the heavy palace door creaked and was violently pushed open from the outside!
A cold wind is blowing!
The bloody wind suddenly swept into the hall, and strong, pale white light poured in from outside the door. Many civil servants subconsciously covered their faces with their sleeves and narrowed their eyes.
The intensive shouting of killing was like a roaring wave, pouring into everyone's ears!
On the Meridian Gate Square, thousands of forbidden troops appeared at an unknown time, surrounded the palace, sealed it off, and fought against the patrolling forbidden troops who came after hearing the news from outside!
Those were the two guards Yu Lin and Hu Ben who were alarmed!
The Fujun guards were too far away to notice anything strange!
In the imperial city, different Forbidden Army teams were actually confronting each other? Fighting? !
what happened?
A group of ministers in the palace were stunned and could not recover for a short time, until Ma Yan roared with anger, waking everyone up: "Li Yanfu!? Are you going to rebel?!"
In full view.
Outside the gate of the palace, on the long steps, Li Yanfu, wearing an iron helmet, soft armor, and a bright red robe, stood outside the threshold.
Beside him were two hooded guards on the left and right, and behind him were hundreds of knife-wielding doormen wearing red clothes and wearing white ribbons tied tightly on their foreheads!
"Li Yanfu?!"
Grand Master Dong stood up from his chair in shock, almost staggering, holding on to the armrest of the chair. Yuan Li opposite him almost lost his composure and was startled.
An idea exploded in my mind:
coup?
Three years later, another coup?
A... once-in-a-lifetime, daring courtiers' coup? !
"Ah..." The ministers suddenly started to make a noise, and almost subconsciously stepped back, watching in disbelief as Li Yanfu stepped forward, crossed the threshold, and stepped on the shiny floor.
Li Yanfu's body is upright. Although he is old, he is as fierce as a wolf king.
Every time he took a step forward, the ministers stepped back a few feet, while the red-clothed disciples behind him slammed the heavy palace door shut again with their backhands. The shouts of death outside almost died down at once.
At this time, taking advantage of the commotion, several senior officials of the Li Party among the ministers went upstream, stood behind Li Yanfu, turned around and smiled:
"Congratulations to the Prime Minister for successfully entering the palace. Now these rebels are in our urn!"
Rebellious? us?
Hearing this word, many ministers who had not yet come to their senses looked at a loss.
Li Yanfu’s eyes were cold and his tone was calm, leaving no room for doubt:
"Rebellion? No, Ma Yan, you are wrong. The truth is that I am the loyal minister of the Yu State, and some of you are the rebellious ministers and traitors who colluded with the traitors and framed Your Majesty. Today, the truth is to save the Yu State and act bravely. The servants enter the palace to serve the Qing emperor, eradicate the treacherous ministers, and restore peace to our country of Yu! ”
The ministers were shocked, and Ma Yan's face turned livid!
Grand Master Dong's eyes were round and his beard was trembling with anger, while Yuan Li on the side seemed to understand something and smiled bitterly.
All this is so similar to three years ago!
When the late emperor passed away and the prince had not succeeded to the throne, the second prince Jian Wen also led his retainers into the palace and joined forces with Qi Yuchun, under the banner of "Qing Jun's Side".
Today, it was Li Yanfu. The scale is also much smaller than it was back then.
However, Li Yanfu's timing was better. In His Majesty's absence, the Imperial Guards in the capital, as well as the Beijing camp outside the city, only acted in accordance with the orders of the cabinet, not a single person.
Therefore, Li Yanfu does not need to go to war to the extent that Xu Jianwen did. He only needs to use thunderous means to control Grand Master Dong and Yuan Li. With the cooperation of Li Party officials, he can take over the cabinet and steal temporary control of the city.
He had already thought of this and tried to remind Dong Xuan and others. However, Yuan Li was also not trusted as the "Qingliu Party Leader".
And Li Dang's rebellion came faster, more suddenly, more fiercely than expected, and there was no time to guard against it!
"What nonsense! Treason!"
Master Dong's face turned red and turned purple. He stared at the Prime Minister who was forcing him to go to the palace:
"Your Majesty is right, you are the biggest hidden danger in the DPRK!"
He regretted it!
If he had known that Li Yanfu was really so bold, he would have imprisoned him as soon as the news of His Majesty's disappearance came out, even if he risked turmoil in the government and the public!
But now, it's too late!
Who would have thought that Li Yanfu, who always gave in and tolerated the empress's suppressions again and again, even when the late emperor was in power, would show such ferocious courage?
Now, it is obvious that some of the Imperial Guards in the palace have defected and formed an alliance with Li Yanfu. Even if only a part of the Imperial Guards rebelled, it will take time for the remaining battalions of the Imperial Guards to mobilize a large number of troops to come over!
And will Li Yanfu give them time?
"Ma Yan! Take action! Capture the thief first and capture the king first!" Master Dong suddenly shouted.
Nowadays, most of the military commanders go out of the city to defend against the enemy. The strongest one in the palace is Ma Yan, and a worldly warrior should be able to suppress the situation.
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However, Ma Yan did not move, clenched his hands into fists, and stared warily at a masked guard next to Li Yanfu.
"Ha," Li Yanfu smiled. At this moment, he no longer concealed his ambition, and truly revealed his true ruthless and ferocious appearance:
"Dong Xuan, are you an old fool? I dare to enter the palace today. How could I have missed a powerful general like Ma Yan?"
There was a look of disdain in his eyes:
"Or do you think you won't be able to find even a master of the worldly realm around you?"
As he finished speaking, the masked guard behind him on the right suddenly took off his mask, revealing a man's face that was also branded with tattoos.
"Kong Wu!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed.
Many people were awakened and recalled this name: a death row prisoner who was once sent to the sky jail was also one of the generals in the army.
"Isn't he already dead?" Minister of War's expression changed.
The man named Kong Wu smiled, ignored the others, and only took a step forward, his energy firmly locked on Ma Du Gong:
"Ma Yan, long time no see. You should still remember me. When I was wanted, a group of ministers joined forces to capture me. Oh, you were among them at that time. It's ridiculous that if you don't bully the few, then you are the only ones who can do it. , want to catch me too?”
Ma Yan stared at him, shook his head and said:
"When I took over the imperial edict, I looked through the files. At that time, I felt that the time of your death was strange. It was during the Xuanmen coup that you died mysteriously in prison. Now it seems that Li Yanfu took advantage of the chaos in the capital at that time. , no one had time to pay attention to the imperial edict, so they took you away and raised you.”
Kong Wu did not deny it, and touched the tattoo on his face with a crazy smile:
"I thought I was dead. I didn't want to come back now. Haha, I heard that you have entered the human realm. Yes, you are finally qualified to fight me. You can try to see if you can kill me at this distance. If you kill Prime Minister Li, you will succeed first, or you will die first.”
Ma Yan looked solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy!
As one of the priests who participated in the capture of Kong Wu, he was well aware of this guy's combat prowess.
Even if he practices the secrets of the royal family, without weapons on his body, he can at best be on par with Kong Wu. If he wants to kill someone in front of him, he has little hope.
Li Yanfu smiled and looked down at the old master:
"Dong Xuan, you are too old and your brain is no longer useful. Kong Wu is holding Ma Yan back, and there are hundreds of disciples behind me. They are all good players. With just one order and a few breaths, everything can be done. Kill you all.
However, I have a good nature and only kills the first evildoers. Except for you, Dong Xuan, Yuan Li and a few others, if the others are willing to abandon the dark side and turn to the light, I am not willing to engage in a major war. ”
The ministers were silent!
There was silence in the palace, and an uneasy atmosphere surged. Faced with a life and death crisis, many ministers hesitated.
However, in the face of the threat, Master Dong was unexpectedly calm, unusually calm.
"Li Yanfu, you have indeed deceived almost everyone. I admit that I underestimate you too much, but..."
A smile suddenly appeared on the face of the octogenarian Grand Master Dong: "Do you think you can deceive His Majesty?"
His Majesty? Li Yanfu's heart moved and he sneered:
"Don't be so mysterious. Your Majesty's whereabouts are unknown now. He is thousands of miles away from the capital."
"That's right," Dong Xuan sighed softly, "but who said that His Majesty, when he went south to become Zen, really took away all the masters in the palace?"
As the words fell, suddenly, four female officials came out of the corner of the hall that had been almost ignored.
They are extremely inconspicuous, wearing the uniform robes of low-level female officials, with eyebrows imitating Mochou, and dotted with plum blossom makeup.
Every time there is a court meeting in the main hall, there will be some eunuchs and female officials in the hall to record the court meeting, maintain order, and clean up benches, tables, chairs and other debris.
No one ever cared.
However, at this moment, the four female officers seemed to have lost their disguises as they walked, and their temperaments suddenly changed. With a tacit understanding, they pulled out four soft swords radiating cold light from their lower backs!
At the same time, an aura that was at least above the level of a divine seal came to his face. The four of them moved in unison, and their swords struck at Li Yanfu from four angles, following the direction of the stars!
The sword is sharp!
Ma Yan's eyes moved and he lunged and punched at the same time! Hit Kong Wu!
"Outsiders only know the inner palace, gathering eunuchs to practice the royal secrets and make offerings to the inner circle. But who has ever thought that only men are worshiped in the imperial city? How can there be no women in the palace?"
Master Dong’s voice echoed in the hall.
In Li Yanfu's pupils, the four soft swords quickly enlarged.
……
……
Outside the palace, there was a scene of solemn killing.
The fighting in the Meridian Gate Square was perfectly blocked by the high palace walls.
The southern gate, controlled by the rebel Forbidden Army, looked very normal from a distance.
People outside the palace would never have imagined that a major event that could change the world was taking place inside the high palace walls at this moment.
On Zhuque Street outside the palace, there was also a scene of solemnity.
An official of the Li Party was ordered to wander the streets with a group of dead soldiers disguised as patrol officers to drive away outsiders who might approach the palace.
To ensure that no news leaks out of the south gate before the coup is over.
"Who? Stop!"
The Li party official was riding on a tall horse with a long whip in his hand. He suddenly noticed two figures approaching quickly at the end of Zhuque Street.
The opponent seemed to be walking, but his speed was extremely fast, as if he had shrunk to an inch. The last breath was still far away, and the next breath was much closer.
Before he had time to think about it, this official, who was not a pillar-like official within the Li party, but could participate in this important event, showed that he had a powerful position in the court, rode his horse to stop him.
The whip in his hand shook, whipped into the air in the direction of the two people in front, and shouted angrily:
"The palace ahead is an important place, and those who come near without permission will die!"
In the past, he would not be so domineering and arrogant, but because there is no room for failure in this important matter, and also because... once he succeeds, his future future will be limitless.
Perhaps he had imagined in advance the great prospect of rising to prominence as a hero after the new emperor ascended the throne, so the whip he wielded could not help but become more fierce.
However, the whip did not hit the air, and was suddenly grabbed by a hand.
A man and a woman, who were still quite far apart, suddenly appeared in front of the horse.
Zhao Duan casually grabbed the riding whip and pulled it calmly. The official on the horse staggered and fell off the horse, causing a group of "official servants" behind him to run over like protectors.
"Bold and unruly people..." Although the official noticed that something was wrong, he still yelled subconsciously and tried to get up. Then he finally saw what the man and woman were wearing and couldn't help but be stunned.
The man was wearing a crimson official robe that could only be worn by the imperial court of the fourth rank and above, and the embroidery pattern on the chest was rare, and it was vaguely a standard only for the third rank.
Which third-grade official is here?
But at this time, shouldn’t everyone be in the palace? Could it be a military attache?
And when he caught a glimpse of the golden dragon robe next to him, his whole body froze completely.
Who in this world can wear a dragon robe? Even if it had four claws, only a prince would be qualified, not to mention that at a quick glance, he saw that the dragon on the sleeves of the dazzling golden robe seemed... to have five claws?
Five-clawed golden dragon...third-grade official robe...one male and one female...
Li Dang officials suddenly raised their heads and saw clearly the faces of the man and woman, although they were indifferent, everyone in the civil and military circles recognized them.
Prince Shaobao, Zhao Duan.
The current empress, Xu Zhenguan.
Zhao Duan casually threw the whip on the ground, and walked towards the city gate with the empress.
This official, a backbone of the Li Party, knelt on the ground with a plop. The world was spinning, his hands and feet were cold, and suddenly he knelt down like crazy and kowtowed desperately. A large puddle of scarlet blood was left on the stone slab.
The empress in dragon robe walked towards the closed south gate.
Zhao Duan saw that the door opened with a creak, as if it was pushed by some invisible force.
On top of the city.
The rebels of Jinwu Guard and Qianniu Guard were as if they were petrified, frozen in place in horror and disbelief. They tried to shout and escape, but were horrified to find that their whole bodies were imprisoned.
Then, the invisible hand squeezed the armor, and blood seeped out of the armor. Silently, the entire rebel army on the city wall died.
The corpses stood upright and limp, like steel tombs.
The city gate hole is a little dim.
After walking out, Xu Zhenguan's frosty face was bathed in the warm sunshine, and he squinted at the distant hall.
Zhao Duan's ears were filled with shouts of killing, but he raised his head and looked at the gray sky.
I found that the clouds had split into a straight and long thin line at some point, as if cutting the sky into two halves, and bright sunlight shone through the crack.
Zhao Duan suddenly became angry and said loudly: "Your Majesty is welcome back to the palace!"
(End of chapter)