RNP Chapter 1496 King of Chu: Ziyu, save me! Ziyu, save me!
Chapter 1496 King of Chu: Ziyu, save me! Ziyu, save me!
Chapter 1496 King of Chu: Ziyu, save me! Ziyu, save me!
In the study room of Ningguo Mansion in Shenjing City——
Compared to the sounds of fierce fighting in the palace, Ningrong Street was quiet and silent, and no sound of shouting or killing could be heard at all.
Jia Heng was sitting behind a lacquered wooden table with Chen Xiao. He picked up a teacup, took a sip, then looked at Chen Xiao and asked, "What's the news from the capital?"
Chen Xiao nodded and said, "At this moment, the King of Wei should still be forcing the emperor to abdicate. Qiu Liang is leading the Jinyi Tiqi troops to attack the palace."
Jia Heng frowned and said sarcastically, "Speculative behavior."
This was Qiu Liang's act of taking sides. If the King of Wei succeeds, he will definitely be held accountable later.
At this moment, a maid came to the study and called out, "Your Highness, there is a man outside who claims to be the King of Chu. Go see your Highness."
Jia Heng put down the teacup in his hand, turned his eyes to look at Chen Xiao, and said: "King Chu, how did he escape at this time?"
Jia Heng was suspicious. While he was talking, he walked out of the study and came to the outside of the ceremonial gate. He saw the King of Chu, Chen Qin, in tattered clothes and in a miserable state. His handsome fair face was covered with bloodstains.
Upon seeing Jia Heng, King Chen Qin of Chu was as if he had seen a relative. He stood up, his heart agitated, and he almost cried as he said, "Zi Yu, save me! Zi Yu, save me!"
Jia Heng looked surprised. He came forward to support the limping King of Chu and asked, "Your Highness, why is it so?"
Where did the King of Chu escape from? His body was covered with thorns and bloodstains, and he looked so miserable?
King Chen Qin of Chu looked extremely anxious and said, "Zi Yu, King Wei has rebelled. King Wei and King Liang led their troops into the palace and made my father so angry that he vomited blood. They also wanted to kill me. My father said he would summon you to the palace to defend the king."
Jia Heng frowned and pretended to be surprised and asked, "The King of Wei rebelled?"
King Chen Qin of Chu said anxiously, "Zi Yu, King Wei has really gone mad and is actually trying to force the king to abdicate and seize the throne. It is urgent for Zi Yu to go to the palace and defend the king."
Upon hearing this, Jia Heng looked at King Chen Qin of Chu and said, "How can we mobilize troops without an imperial decree? Your Highness is not unaware of the rumors about me in the capital."
There is no need to talk about rumors like Jia Tianxia.
Upon hearing this, the King of Chu grabbed Jia Heng's arm and said in a firm tone: "Zi Yu, I am the crown prince, so I will give you the order first. Besides, when I escaped from Hanyuan Palace, my father sent someone to summon you to the palace to serve the king. Zi Yu, the country is in turmoil, and Mars is in turmoil. Only Zi Yu can help."
Jia Heng turned his head to look at Chen Xiao beside him. As they looked at each other, his heart moved slightly. The opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived.
In other words, he has now become a key figure in dominating the political situation, turning the tide and winning the hearts of the people.
Jia Heng thought for a moment, his eyes deep beneath his sword-like brows, and said, "Since it is the order of His Majesty and the Crown Prince, how can I not obey?"
When the King of Chu heard this, he was overjoyed.
Now he only has Jia Ziyu to rely on. He ran all the way here almost avoiding the patrol soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department.
Fortunately, with Jia Ziyu, everything is saved.
King Chen Qin of Chu nodded and said urgently: "Zi Yu, there is no time to lose, let's mobilize the troops first."
Jia Heng said: "The soldiers of the Beijing camp are guarding the city, so we can dispatch a group of soldiers. As for the five city soldiers who are blocking the city, they dare not resist under the threat of the soldiers. Your Highness has just been seriously injured. You should rest in the mansion first, and I will go to dispatch the soldiers."
He was originally in charge of the Five Cities Military Department. It can be said that all the people in the yamen were his subordinates. Some soldiers did not dare to confront him head-on.
This is the silent influence of prestige on people's hearts.
Jia Heng simply appeased the King of Chu, without saying much, and left Ningguo Mansion with a few followers.
……
……
Palace Garden, Kunning Palace
It was the cold winter of the twelfth lunar month of the nineteenth year of Chongping. The warm sunlight shone through the window glass onto the floor, as clear as water.
From the three-legged incense burner with a bronze sculpture of an animal head on the floor, the aroma of burning sandalwood and borneol wafts up.
Queen Song had changed into a wide-sleeved light white palace dress. She had a beautiful face and a full bun. A golden hairpin with pearls was tucked between her lush black hair, which sparkled and set off her graceful and elegant demeanor.
That jade-like face with snow-white skin seemed to be slightly flushed, as bright as a peach, but her beautiful eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and there was a cold light in her eyes.
Today is the ceremony to enthronize that bastard as the crown prince, and that position should obviously belong to her child.
How could that person be so cruel and heartless?
After so many years of being together as husband and wife, have you ever cared about the slightest bit?
Just then, there was a bustling noise outside the hall, and soon there was the sound of "ping pong pong" of swords and guns clashing.
Then, a beautiful female official ran into the palace in a panic, her hair dishevelled at this moment, and said, "Your Highness, the Prince of Wei has rushed into the palace."
Queen Song's graceful and gorgeous face was filled with joy, and she said softly, "I'll go and take a look."
As she was speaking, the beautiful lady, accompanied by a female official, came to the eaves of the towering Hanyuan Palace. She stared at the guards in the distance who were wearing flying fish uniforms and holding steel knives. They looked ferocious and evil, and a bloody smell permeated their bodies.
It was the palace guards of Prince Wei's palace.
At this time, a young officer came forward, his face solemn, and said with a stern hand, "Madam."
Queen Song nodded and asked, "Where is the King of Wei?"
The young officer said, "Your Highness, His Highness is now in Hanyuan Palace."
Queen Song was silent for a moment, her eyes flickered under her willow-shaped brows, and she asked, "What's the situation in Hanyuan Palace?"
"The King of Chu has escaped. Your Majesty, please move to the study in Hanyuan Palace." said the young officer.
When Queen Song heard this, her dark blue eyebrows frowned and she thought to herself, how could she let the King of Chu get away?
What happened to Ran Er? The King of Chu should have been killed.
As the beauty spoke, her face seemed to be covered with a thin layer of frost, her eyes flashed with a cold light, and she whispered, "Escort me there."
She needed to go over and support Ran'er and suppress the ministers at this time, otherwise things would be difficult.
As he spoke, he headed towards the Hanyuan Hall accompanied by a group of young officers.
……
……
Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall
At this moment, there were still a large number of guards from the Wei and Liang mansions outside the hall. They gathered on the jade steps in front of the hall, with their swords drawn and bows strung, standing guard.
Inside the main hall, as Emperor Chongping was carried into the inner study of Hanyuan Hall, the atmosphere gradually became strange.
In other words, the King of Chu's escape made the ministers in the palace waver and become indecisive.
Although the King of Wei has now controlled the situation in the capital, the King of Chu was appointed by the emperor after all. The cabinet can issue an edict to appoint princes at home and abroad. Once the prince escapes from the palace, the cabinet can call on generals to come to the rescue.
It is still uncertain who will win.
Li Zan was silent for a moment, then looked at the King of Wei and said, "Your Highness, it is almost noon, and the imperial edict has been issued. The ministers have not had lunch yet, so why not let the colleagues have their meals first?"
King Chen Ran of Wei raised his eyes and glanced at the ministers present, and said, "Then let's eat first."
This is the current situation, which is at a stalemate.
Li Zan nodded, then looked at the officials present and said, "My colleagues, let's adjourn the court and have lunch first."
All the officials present nodded in agreement.
King Liang said, "My dear brother, the officials have not come to pay their respects to you yet. You are the supervisor of the country and the ruler of the country."
Li Zan: “…”
This is simply unreasonable!
At this moment, a young eunuch with a white face and no beard strode into the hall and bowed to Wei Wang Chen Ran and said, "Your Highness, the Queen has arrived."
At this moment, all the ministers in the hall were shocked and thought to themselves, the Queen is here?
Lin Ruhai turned his head, his eyes flickered, and his mood was inexplicable.
The Queen's coming here seems to indicate that the King of Wei has rebelled and has the Queen's support behind the scenes.
After a while, under the gaze of all the Han civil and military officials in the hall, a beautiful lady in gorgeous palace clothes, graceful and charming, was seen entering the hall gracefully, surrounded by female officials and eunuchs.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years." The ministers in the palace bowed and said to the graceful and beautiful woman.
"Gentlemen, please stand up." Under Queen Song's beautiful eyebrows as green as spring mountains, her crystal clear eyes glanced at all the ministers.
At this moment, the Snow Beauty has a beautiful posture, graceful and gorgeous appearance. There is an indescribable nobility in her every move and gesture as she walks.
The ministers thanked him and stood up.
Queen Song paused for a moment, her charming eyes scanning the court officials, and she said in a clear voice: "My dear ministers, your majesty is ill now, and you were deceived by the words of the King of Chu and made the King of Chu your heir. What do you think of this?"
In the hall, no one could respond for a while.
"Lord Li." Queen Song turned her bright and beautiful face that seemed to be covered with a layer of cold frost, stared at Li Zan and asked.
Li Zan nodded and said, "Empress, this edict was issued by the emperor. We, the ministers of the cabinet, will only obey the emperor's orders. I hope your understanding will be appreciated."
At this time, the cabinet still had to follow the edict of Emperor Chongping.
Just like a family business, professional managers hold the power but are still under the control of the founder.
"Lord Gao, you are an old minister of His Majesty when he was in the palace. His Majesty has made the King of Chu the heir. Do you think it is appropriate?" Under Queen Song's beautiful eyebrows, her beautiful eyes were deep and filled with a hint of questioning.
Gao Zhongping faced Queen Song's "interrogating" gaze and was speechless for a moment.
Queen Song nodded and said, "My sister and I have raised four sons for Your Majesty, three of whom have reached adulthood. I dare not say that I have taught all of them well, but I have never heard of any dandy boys. Of my three sons, is there no one with the talent and virtue to shoulder the responsibility of the country?"
This is playing the emotional card with the ministers in the palace.
The faces of the ministers in the hall changed, and they were obviously moved by Queen Song’s words.
Since Queen Song became the mother of the country, she has never interfered in state affairs, and the harem and relatives of the emperor's wife have rarely acted arrogantly and domineeringly. She can be said to be a virtuous queen.
But such a virtuous queen had neither of her two sons made the Crown Prince. If the son of Concubine Duanrong was included, then there would be almost no gain.
Queen Song frowned, nodded her head, and said, "Your Majesty has become ill due to worrying about state affairs. I am really sad about this. I am here to serve you with medicine. Your Majesty has now been bewitched by the King of Chu and made him your heir. With the King of Chu's virtue and talent, can he be trusted with the responsibility of the country?"
The expressions of all the ministers present in the palace changed constantly.
Queen Song nodded and said, "You all, your Majesty is currently on his sickbed and is in a depressed mood, so it is inevitable that he has lost his mind. You are all loyal and good ministers, and you should put the Han Dynasty first and correct and advise your Majesty. How can you allow your Majesty to make the same mistake again and again?"
After all, Queen Song was the queen, and had always been known as a virtuous queen in the outer court. Although she was suspected of interfering in internal affairs at this moment, the ministers in the palace were unable to refute it for a while.
Again, Queen Song has become a miserable character because of her tragic experience.
Queen Song nodded and said, "Ran'er, has the cabinet just drafted the decree?"
The King of Wei hesitated for a moment, his eyes were deep, and he said in a clear voice: "The Cabinet Secretary has drafted the edict on my behalf, but several cabinet elders did not sign their names."
Liang Wang said: "Mother, I have already asked the clerk to write for me, and the ministers have no objection."
Empress Song Xiu Li frowned, turned her clear eyes to look at the chief minister Li Zan, and said, "Why didn't Lord Li sign his name?"
"This is a forged imperial edict. It is difficult for us to sign our names on it." Li Zan said with a stern face and a firm gaze.
Queen Song's jade-like face was as cold as frost. She said, "According to my imperial decree, the King of Chu is deposed and the King of Wei is enthroned. The cabinet shall draft the imperial edict immediately."
Li Zan said, "Your Majesty, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs, and the Queen must obey the orders of the Emperor."
If it was the will of Empress Dowager Feng, it might still be useful, because as the widow of the late emperor, Empress Dowager Feng's authority all came from the late emperor, Emperor Longzhi, and she could even partially interfere with the will of Emperor Chongping.
Empress Song frowned her beautiful eyebrows, her eyes sparkling slightly, and said, "The emperor is now on his sickbed, his mind is confused, and his orders are disorderly. You cabinet has often rejected the emperor's orders in the past. How can you obey such a disorderly order?"
"The imperial edict has been promulgated throughout the country and abroad. All provinces, prefectures, and counties in the world must follow it. How can we change the order every day and cause people all over the world to laugh at us?" Li Zan said in a low voice with a deep gaze in his old eyes under his thin slender eyebrows.
Queen Song nodded and said, "The King of Chu was deposed for his immorality. How can this be considered as changing one's mind every day?"
As he spoke, he looked at Gao Zhongping standing beside him and asked, "Lord Gao, please tell us about this matter."
Gao Zhongping paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial edict has been spread throughout China and abroad. Your Majesty... this move is truly harmful to the Han Dynasty. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider."
Queen Song's fair face showed a trace of anger, and she said in a delicate voice: "Your Majesty, you abandoned the legitimate wife and enthroned a concubine. Isn't this harmful to the country? Now that the war is raging everywhere, causing unrest among the people in the court and the country, isn't this harmful to the country? The cabinet has drafted an order to depose the King of Chu from the throne, and there must be no mistake!"
At the end of her speech, the beauty spoke angrily, with her eyebrows raised.
Li Zan, the chief minister of the cabinet, looked solemn, cupped his hands, and said, "It is difficult for me to obey your order."
At this moment, Gao Zhongping had already indicated that it was difficult to obey Li Zan's orders.
Queen Song frowned, her face as crystal clear as snow was as cold as frost, and beneath her beautiful black eyebrows, there was a hint of anger in her sparkling eyes.
This is bullying her because she is a woman.
On the other side, Jia Heng changed into a plain white python robe, turned over and rode on his horse, and went out of Ningrong Street. Although there were soldiers from the Five Cities Military Department patrolling and martial law on the street at this moment, the young man in the python robe relied on his bravery and galloped on his horse. Although they shouted to stop him, they could not stop him for a while.
Jia Heng rode his horse all the way towards the border wall of the capital and climbed onto the wall in no time.
At this moment, the officers on the city wall were the officers of the Beijing Camp's Martial Arts Training Camp. They were hiding in a pier with several other officers, drinking and warming themselves by the fire.
At this moment, he heard that Jia Heng was here, and he was shocked. He quickly led a group of officers and said, "I am General Peng Lin of the Training Camp, and I am here to see the commander."
Jia Heng nodded, looked at the rough-faced bearded man in front of him, and asked, "Guerrilla Peng, did you hear any movement in the city just now?"
Peng Lin was surprised and said, "I heard shouting and killing just now. I wonder what happened in the city."
Jia Heng looked calm, nodded, and said, "There is a riot in the capital."
Peng Lin said: "The security and defense of the streets in the capital are managed by the Five Cities Military Department. We, the foreign generals, are not allowed to enter the capital without the emperor's order."
Jia Heng said, "The King of Wei used the Five Cities Military Division to blockade the city of Shenjing and led the palace guards to attack the palace, disturbing the emperor. The king allowed guerrilla warfare. I, the king, received the emperor's order to dispatch troops to the palace to quell the rebellion?"
This was also a test to see if he could dispatch troops with just his mouth without an imperial edict or the Emperor's Sword.
Peng Lin heard this without hesitation and said, "General, please wait a moment. I will have someone gather the officers and soldiers right away."
As he spoke, he ordered the officers around him to go and mobilize the soldiers.
Jia Heng nodded and asked, "How many soldiers are there on the city wall?"
Peng Lin shouted, "Five thousand soldiers and horses."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "The guards at the Prince of Wei's palace are numerous and powerful. Inform the guards at the other gates and transfer another 5,000 soldiers to accompany the prince into the palace to defend the king."
Ten thousand soldiers are almost enough.
If he said too many words, the cabinet and the King of Chu would probably have doubts afterwards. It would be terrifying to think that the Beijing troops would all obey his orders based on just one word.
Peng Lin clasped his fists and agreed.
When Peng Lin started to move, Jia Heng turned his clear eyes from under his sword-like brows to look in the direction of the palace, with a hint of gloom in his eyes.
At the critical moment, he was not so much on the side of the King of Chu as on the side of justice, and he completely obeyed the dying wishes of Emperor Chongping.
This has received a relatively high political evaluation in the scholarly public opinion.
But I'm afraid that sweet girl will feel resentful when she sees him.
Then, as the Beijing camp's city defense troops began to move, Jia Heng led a group of soldiers and rushed towards the palace city like lightning.
The inspectors of the Five Cities Military Division who were patrolling the streets, upon receiving an order from Wei King Chen Ran, stopped Jia Heng and the following troops from the Beijing camp.
"General, stop!" The inspector of the Five Cities Military Department shouted loudly, with his bow drawn and sword in hand, ready for battle. Facing the soldiers of the Beijing camp in front of them, he was inexplicably frightened.
Holding a saber in hand, Jia Heng shouted, "I am Jia Heng, the Prince of Wei, and I am here to serve the king by order of the Emperor. The Five Cities Military Command must not stop me!"
At this moment, among the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department who were blocking the road, the leading mid-level officer saw the young man in the python robe and couldn't help but show a trace of doubt in his eyes, and said, "It's the Prince of Wei."
As the person who organized the restructuring of the Five Cities Military Department, Jia Heng was recognized by many officers of the Five Cities Military Department.
How dare you stop it?
As the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Department slowly dispersed, the elite troops of the Beijing Camp swept towards the palace in a mighty force.
(End of this chapter)