Chapter 1 The Setting Sun

Dusk was settling, a dusk of spring and a dusk of day.

Beneath the twilight, the wind howled, sweeping through streets and alleys, mingling with shouts, screams, the friction of armor and weapons, footsteps, and the opening and closing of doors and windows, engulfing the northern half of Yanjing.

Yanjing was no stranger to such chaos. Similar disturbances had occurred roughly fourteen and twelve years prior.

Fourteen years before, Emperor Taizu of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, personally led his troops to breach Juyong Pass, then directly led the Second Prince, Wulibu, and his valiant general, Lou Shi, to attack Yanjing. Upon hearing this news, Consort Xiao and Yelu Dashi hastily fled from Gubeikou. In this situation, Liu Yanzong, Zuo Qigong, Yu Zhongwen, and other powerful Yanjing clans escorted Consort Xiao and Yelu Dashi out of the city while secretly taking control of the city defenses. When Emperor Taizu, Wanyan Aguda, arrived beneath the city walls at dawn, the leaders of the Yanjing Han Chinese opened the city gates and surrendered peacefully.

Fourteen years had passed in a flash.

Looking back now, among the key figures in that Yanjing upheaval, Emperor Taizu Aguda of Jin had died of illness, the Second Prince Wulibu had died of illness, the famous general Lou Shi had died in battle, Consort Xiao had been killed by Emperor Tianzuo of Liao, Yelu Dashi had gone west to establish a kingdom, and Yu Zhongwen and Zuo Qigong had been killed by the treacherous general Zhang Jue. Liu Yanzong, embroiled in the internal strife between the Nikan and Aguda factions, died in depression.

Truly, things had changed beyond recognition.

As for the turmoil twelve years ago, the great Yan and Yun clans were absent, at least from center stage. This was because, long before that, both Liu Yanzong and Zuo Qigong had strongly advised Aguda not to hand Yanjing over to the Song. After it was returned, the two men and the great Confucian scholar Yu Zhongwen simply abandoned their homes and followed the Jin, preferring to temporarily leave Yanjing, where their ancestors had lived for hundreds of years, rather than become subjects of the South.

In fact, the main instigator of that turmoil was Guo Yaoshi. As the commander of the Ever-Victorious Army, Guo Yaoshi realized the weakness and absurdity of the Great Song and sensed the southward invasion intent of the Jin's main war faction, so he resolved to surrender to the Jin. He kidnapped the then-transport envoy of Yanshan Prefecture, Lü Yihao, and dragged him into the army, taking him to the Jin. It was not until the Jingkang Incident that he was released, causing Lü Yihao to regard it as the greatest disgrace of his life.

It was also during that time that, when Guo Yaoshi led the majority of the Ever-Victorious Army in rebellion, Liu Yan, the commander of the Yanzhou Battalion, one of the eight battalions of the Ever-Victorious Army, did not waver in the slightest and insisted on leading his unit to remain with the Great Song, thus earning the name "Red Heart."

Now, Lü Yihao and Liu Yan had made a comeback, while Guo Yaoshi had been reduced to nothing by Nikan. However, instead of directly committing suicide, he lived in seclusion in Jinzhou, and his son, Guo Anguo, was still the garrison commander of Pingzhou, still at his side, which could be considered another continuation of old acquaintances.

"What's happening outside?"

Inside the palace city southwest of Yanjing, in a side hall, the eighteen-year-old Jin Emperor, Wanyan Heluo, was earnestly discussing something with his mentor, Han Fang. In contrast, although the Chancellor of the樞樞樞 Pivot, Qin Hui, was allowed to sit on a chair very close by, he was unable to participate. It wasn't until Heluo suddenly heard a commotion outside that he couldn't help but ask.

There was nothing to be done. Han Fang was his teacher since childhood. What was Qin Hui? Besides, as soon as Qin Hui came in, he said that the Grand Prince wanted Han Shangshu to go with him? Where was the Emperor's face?

"I'll go take a look." Qin Hui didn't hesitate at all. He actually got up directly and hurriedly went out with several guards, like a doorman.

Heluo and Han Fang each glanced at Qin Hui's back, then continued their low-voiced conversation... There was also nothing to be done about this. Although the two were as close as father and son, they were not discussing personal matters at this time. Han Fang needed to consider the survival of the three major clans, and what he had to say had been discussed by the three families in the afternoon. Heluo, as the Emperor, also needed to consider the 'foundation of the nation.'

"Master Han."

Seeing Qin Hui leave, Heluo simply changed his form of address. "It's impossible to let Imperial Uncle stay in Yanjing to fight a battle. That's sending him to his death for nothing. Fourth Uncle and Sixth Uncle can't either... According to me, Mentor and Zuo, Liu, and the rest, even the entire families of the three clans, might as well follow us out of the pass to take temporary refuge? Didn't Prince Yun (Liu Yanzong) choose to follow Emperor Taizu to temporarily leave Yanjing back then?"

"It's not the same." Han Fang's eyes were also full of fatigue. "Back then, Prince Yun and the others knew that they could return sooner or later, and they were only leaving this city to go to Pingzhou or Dading Prefecture, all nearby places... In today's situation, not to mention never returning, even a journey like that to Huining Prefecture, no one would be willing... Besides, if there really is such a day..."

"Your Majesty!"

Before Han Fang could finish speaking, Qin Hui, who had just taken a few guards out, hurriedly returned, and his words were shocking from afar. "Quick, hide... A large number of rebellious soldiers have entered the palace!"

"Where did these rebellious soldiers come from?!" Heluo was already eighteen years old after all. Upon hearing this, he was not only not flustered, but rather somewhat angry. "Has Yanjing reached this point?"

"That's right!" Han Fang also spoke quickly, but he was clearly panicked. "Zuo and Liu will never send troops to the palace city! Chancellor Qin, don't speak recklessly!"

"Would I lie about such a thing?" Qin Hui helplessly spread his hands in the side hall. "If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, just ask the guards... The rebel army has indeed entered the palace city! And they are pouring in from the east and north in multiple groups! The sizes vary, the largest is estimated to be over a thousand people, and they are on their way into the palace."

Several trusted imperial guards didn't mean to refute or interrupt, and the noise outside was getting closer and closer. Heluo finally panicked a little.

And Han Fang's face also turned pale.

"Your Majesty, listen to me."

Qin Hui, panting heavily, stepped forward and said to Heluo. "Just now, Han Shangshu rebuked me, naturally thinking that the rebel army that came was the new army led by the Yanjing clans, and they do indeed have this motive, but forgive me for speaking frankly, the ones outside are really not necessarily the Zuo and Liu families..."

Not to mention Heluo, Han Fang was slightly stunned.

"And the dangerous thing is that we don't know which side led the troops in, it might even be multiple parties coming in together..." Qin Hui said earnestly. "Today, I won't say anything about 'having a sharp blade, murderous intent arises,' or 'a rare commodity to be hoarded,' and other arguments that would condemn you, I'll just say one sentence: 'A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall'... If it's the latter, if multiple parties start fighting in the palace, what can Your Majesty's precious body do? You must know that swords and spears have no eyes!"

Heluo's face flushed red, one moment wanting to rebuke the other party and go out to stop the rebel soldiers himself, the next moment feeling that what the other party said was extremely reasonable... Back in the Shangshu 台台台 Council, Nikan, the Grand Marshal who had been contending with Emperor Taizu since Emperor Taizu's time, died under the hammer of chaos, which also left a deep impression on this young emperor.

"Your Majesty."

Just as Heluo was hesitating, Han Fang suddenly grabbed the sleeve of this newly adult emperor. "Chancellor Qin is right... Your Majesty should temporarily hide in the depths of the southwest of the palace city, and allow us to probe the situation here. If the situation stabilizes and the ones who come can be controlled, it won't be too late for Your Majesty to come forward again."

Hearing his teacher's words, Heluo felt slightly calmer, and nodded, then grabbed the other party's hand and said, "In that case, I'll go find the Empress first. Mentor, you must also take care of yourself here."

After saying this, seeing Qin Hui, Heluo stepped forward again and shook Qin Hui's hand, "Chancellor Qin, you've worked hard too!"

Qin Hui and Han Fang each nodded, then moved to the sides together, and also gestured to the armored soldiers standing in the hall. About 80% of the armored soldiers inside and outside the hall followed, hurriedly protecting Heluo and leaving through the side door, heading towards the depths of the palace.

For a time, only four or five people were left, not knowing if they could hold on.

Watching Heluo disappear into the twilight, under the candlelight in the hall, Han Fang finally breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, and turned to face Qin Hui, "Chancellor Qin, should we take the initiative to meet them, or wait here?"

"Let's wait here, it's brighter here." Qin Hui sighed in response. "At worst, we'll meet them when the rebel soldiers arrive and make a gesture... Han Shangshu, if it's really something your Yan and Yun children did, please be sure to protect me."

Han Fang's face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again, but he could only nod haphazardly.

After all, now, he really didn't know which family the rebel soldiers outside belonged to. He was just guessing according to common sense that the Liu and Zuo families were the most motivated. Maybe it was Liu Kuai because his younger brother Liu E died in an unclear manner, and he had secretly harbored the evil intention of hijacking the emperor, despite agreeing with him on the surface to only take the armory.

Even those seemingly stable remaining Yanjing clans probably had sufficient motivation... A rare commodity to be hoarded.

It could only be said that Yanjing was too chaotic now, and it had been pushed too hard by that Zhao Song official, so that all forces had their own demands, and they also restrained and fought against each other.

Thus, Qin Hui and Han Fang sat side by side in the side hall. Not long after, as a gust of late spring wind swept into the hall, stirring the candlelight and causing the flickering flames to sway, the two finally stood up together—because this gust of wind directly swept the sounds of soldiers and armor outside the hall into the hall.

At this moment, the two instinctively looked at each other, and could sense a trace of natural panic and tension in each other's eyes.

"Quick, quick, quick! Go into the hall and see, protect the emperor, protect the emperor!"

A voice that seemed somewhat familiar followed closely.

"It seems to be Marshal Ta Lan!"

Qin Hui breathed a long sigh of relief and took the initiative to stop Han Fang. "I have an old friendship with Marshal Ta Lan, I'll go out first! Han Shangshu can wait a moment."

"Chancellor Qin, thank you for your trouble." Han Fang also felt slightly relieved when he heard it was Ta Lan's voice, but he was clearly not as composed as Qin Hui, so he immediately agreed. In fact, he seemed to feel a little guilty. "Actually, today's events were all caused by us, Chancellor Qin didn't need to get involved..."

"It's too late to say that now." Qin Hui shook his head as he walked out, seemingly speaking from the heart.

As if responding to Qin Hui's words, the sound of footsteps and obvious shouts had already reached outside the hall, and Qin Hui didn't hesitate, taking the initiative to quicken his pace forward and walked out of the side hall.

Outside the hall, the flames were blazing. There were only seventy or eighty people at the front, and the leader was the fully armed Ta Lan. The few guards in front of the side hall were clearly a little at a loss. Seeing Qin Hui come out, they seemed to have found their backbone.

"Chancellor Qin!"

Seeing the person who came out, Ta Lan actually seemed to have found his backbone as well, and immediately went up to meet him.

"Marshal!"

Qin Hui also shouted loudly, then immediately stepped forward, and two pairs of big hands held each other tightly, and only then did he completely relax... You know what, at this time, they were really in the same boat. "Why did you come to the palace? Where did you come from? Are there others coming?"

Ta Lan understood and directly dragged the other party to a shady spot outside the hall, and said in a low voice: "I only have two hundred people, and Yin Shuke also only has two hundred people. It was according to the message from your mansion that we took advantage of the chaos to quickly enter from the north gate and east gate of the palace city, and only after finding the old subordinates and opening the gate did we make a big show... As a result, this Yin Shuke is still being slippery at this time. After I came in, he was only making noise outside. It wasn't until the troops of the Heshi Lie部 clan moved that he called his old subordinates to open the door and follow him in... Now my people have come in first, Yin Shuke and your wife's younger brother will be here soon, and the Heshi Lie部 clan has the most troops, a full thousand people, and Hong Chengzhi should be with them, still behind... and they are about to enter the palace."

"Then we have to hurry." Qin Hui held the other party's hand, trying to lower his voice. "The Emperor has gone to hide in the depths of the palace, he should be at the Empress's place, it's easy to find... The person in the hall is Han Fang, this is a good opportunity... Quickly kill this person, and only tell the Emperor that it was the Grand Prince who did it... As for the Emperor's side, it's probably still necessary for Heshi Lie Taiyu to find him, so that the Grand Prince will truly be afraid of endangering something he cares about."

"Understood!"

Ta Lan nodded deeply, but hesitated a little. "Are you sure you want to start a killing spree? Once we do, there's no turning back!"

"Marshal."

Qin Hui said bitterly. "Even if we can turn back, is there a second way? Now, we need to make sure that everyone has no way back, so that we can have a chance of survival... Go quickly!"

Ta Lan took a deep breath and was about to turn around.

But at this time, Qin Hui suddenly grabbed him again, and then said in a low voice in the shadows: "Also... After killing this person, can you find a way to send his head to Liu Kuai's place? If Liu Kuai doesn't work, send it to the Han mansion, the Zuo mansion, or even a local big family with troops!"

Ta Lan turned his head back in a daze, but it was only for a moment. He nodded again, then left Qin Hui in the shadows and went to the side hall.

In a short while, in the midst of the wind, Ta Lan put on his former marshal's airs, called the few palace guards to the side, scolded them severely, and asked about the Emperor's whereabouts. At the same time, dozens of armored soldiers took advantage of the situation and poured into the hall under the leadership of a crippled family general.

"How dare you bring weapons into the hall without permission?"

Han Fang was both shocked and angry, and at the same time had a glimmer of understanding that had come too late. "Where is Chancellor Qin? I want to see him!"

Hearing this, a crippled Jurchen officer who had walked to within seven or eight steps directly stopped, and then, to the other party's surprise, bent his bow and drew an arrow. He shot an arrow, nailing the current imperial teacher back to the grand master's chair.

A Jurchen heavy arrow shot at a vital point at such close range was destined to be unrescueable, but it was also impossible to die immediately. He only felt unbearable pain in his chest, but because he was hit in the lungs, and should have injured the trachea, his wailing was difficult and low.

Fortunately, this crippled family general had already received clear orders, so after shooting an arrow, he didn't hesitate, and directly pulled out his knife and moved forward. After two armored soldiers held him down, he swung hard and cut off the other party's head.

The muffled wailing that filled the entire side hall instantly stopped, replaced by blood flowing like a stream.

It was a pity that Han Fang, a famous minister of his generation, did not wait in another time and space for his student to take power and be among the ministers, but died directly under a Jurchen heavy arrow, at the age of fifty-four.

Moreover, just as Ta Lan thought, this person's death was not a pity, no matter how he died, it was not a pity, but it made the Yanjing situation, which was originally in a state of comprehensive mutual suspicion, completely out of control.

In the twilight and wind, Yin Shuke then arrived, followed by the troops of the Heshi Lie部 clan, one of the six traditional Jurchen clans... After Heshi Lie Taiyu heard that Han Fang was directly executed and had his head taken away by the 'Grand Prince', and that the Emperor was missing, he didn't even need Hongya to remind him, and went crazy, ordering a full effort to find the Emperor, and didn't even bother to look at the headless corpse.

Now, who wasn't riding a tiger and finding it difficult to get off?

However, thousands of troops poured into the imperial city, the lights were dim, and it was inevitable that they would take the opportunity to bully palace maids and plunder treasures and wealth.

On the other hand, Ta Lan and Yin Shuke, as former commanders-in-chief-level figures, knew that their current strength was insufficient, and that the Emperor was destined to be effectively controlled only by the Heshi Lie clan, so they simply took advantage of the fact that the remnants of the two 合扎猛安 合扎猛安 合扎猛安 companies had been transferred away by the Grand Prince, and the palace guards were leaderless and scattered, and gathered them to strengthen themselves.

The two tacitly agreed, one from east to west, one from north to south, along the palace walls, gathering crowds non-stop.

Now, the entire palace city was in chaos, and the movements couldn't be concealed. With the palace city in chaos, plus the military conflict that had already begun in the north, and various troops carefully guarding the streets and alleys in the center... It could be said that the entire city of Yanjing had become lively.

"What does Heshi Lie Taiyu want to do?!"

In the Grand Prince's mansion, the Grand Prince Wanyan Wuben, who was reprimanding Zuo Yuan, was almost shocked and angry when he heard the report. "What does the Heshi Lie clan want to do?!"

"Father!"

Just as the King of Liao was furious, two people flashed out together, and one of them was Wanyan Digunai. "Don't hesitate! The people are panicking, we must use severe measures now. It is because the Heshi Lie clan sees that we are acting indecisively that they would do such a rebellious thing!"

Speaking to this point, Digunai paused slightly before continuing: "Father, you should quickly send troops to take back the Emperor! At the same time, allow me to bring Sixth Uncle here for you!"

Almost all the civil and military officials present, including the Grand Prince Wanyan Wuben, were slightly stunned, but after a moment, they were speechless—the Sixth Prince, Eluguan, like the deceased Second Prince, was from the Heshi Lie clan on his mother's side, and the Sixth Prince was still the governing prince appointed by the one in the south, and was naturally opposed to the Grand Prince, who was sentenced to death.

As for Digunai's intention, it was also clear, which was to investigate whether Eluguan was also involved. If he was directly involved, it goes without saying, but if he wasn't, he should also be controlled first, to prevent him from being used by the Heshi Lie clan.

"Minister Ulin Da, what do you have to say." After a long while, the Grand Prince himself broke the silence, but he named Ulin Da Zanmu, the Minister of Rites who had come out with Digunai.

"Your Highness!" Ulin Da Zanmu, still looking tired, said sincerely. "After the conditions from the Song official were sent back, all parties in Yanjing City were suspicious of each other, and it was difficult to resolve. The current situation is even more out of control... But this official still wants to remind Your Highness that Heshi Lie Taiyu and the Sixth Prince are also in an awkward position... We should suppress those who should be suppressed, and clean up those who should be cleaned up, but we should always understand in our hearts that everyone has their own difficulties... We cannot watch this and see it is a trap to sow discord and still fulfill the wishes of outsiders."

"I understand!" The Grand Prince Wuben nodded with effort, but he exchanged a glance with the other party, looking hard to hide his fatigue. "I understand..."

"Father!"

Digunai was angry for a moment. "At this time, are you still going to talk about this? In any case, first control the situation and suppress the unrest!"

"That's your uncle!" Wanyan Wuben tried to respond, but looked at another person who had always been in front of him. "Left Deputy Chief... I'll give you one last chance... You will now follow my son to the armory to see General Elubu, and persuade Liu Shilang to surrender for him. If he is willing to surrender, I will not pursue the matters of your three families! Digunai, you will follow the Left Deputy Chief to see General Elubu and tell him that if Liu Kuai is willing to surrender, he will surrender, and if he is not willing to surrender, he will have to fight quickly and retreat immediately! Follow me to the palace."

Digunai and Zuo Yuan almost wanted to speak at the same time, but the Grand Prince didn't give them a chance to speak at all, and looked at Ulin Da Zanmu again: "Ulin Da, since you said that, you will go to the palace, first ask about the Emperor's safety, and then ask Heshi Lie Taiyu what he means? I will prepare the troops and go over there immediately... Oh, by the way, ask where Chancellor Qin has gone."

Ulin Da Zanmu immediately bowed his head, and Digunai also bowed his head helplessly.

On the other hand, Zuo Yuan was angry for a moment: "Grand Prince! We have only occupied the armory, and we have specially come to you to beg for mercy. The Heshi Lie clan has simply occupied the palace city and hijacked the Emperor... As a result, you Jurchens are so generous to each other, but you want to 'fight quickly' against us... If you act like this today, even if you survive this Yanjing disaster, aren't you afraid that after you leave the pass, the Bohai people and Xi people in this courtyard will swear a blood oath and destroy you on the road?!"

The Grand Prince wanted to say that he had done his best for both sides, but the words came to his lips and he felt it was meaningless, because he did indeed put the Wanyan clan first, the Jurchens second, and did not regard the Han Chinese in Yan as important.

Therefore, he just raised his hand to urge the other party to leave.

However, Zuo Yuan stood there, crying and laughing, but was unwilling to move at all.

Seeing this, Digunai frowned and tried to pull him. After two or three attempts, he still couldn't do it, and was completely furious for a moment, so he suddenly drew his knife and chopped it hard towards the other party's neck... Only, his age was still young, and his strength was insufficient. Although it was a surprise attack, he only cut the other party from his shoulder to the side of his neck, making him half-dead, and then rolling and wailing on the ground.

In a chaotic mess, everyone was caught off guard, and they all looked at the Grand Prince under the torches again.

The Grand Prince only felt weak all over, and could only wave to Pucha Huzhan on the side.

Pucha Huzhan sighed, stepped forward to grab Wanyan Digunai, who was preparing to personally go up and finish him off, and several armored soldiers stepped forward to hold Zuo Yuan down, easily ending his life with a knife.

The person was dead, and that was that.

In fact, many people had guessed that tonight would not end well, and maybe many people had already died in the north and in the palace city at this time, but things developed so quickly, and people died in front of them so quickly, and he was still a 'big shot' who could theoretically be decent anywhere, which made everyone present feel a little uncomfortable.

Just as Zuo Yuan was easily killed because the situation escalated, Heshi Lie Taiyu and Wanyan Yin Shuke, Wanyan Ta Lan, Qin Hui, Hongya, and others also found the eighteen-year-old Emperor, plus the fifteen-year-old Empress Peiman... With Qin Hui's timely guidance, Wanyan Ta Lan gathered his troops and immediately found this place, and brought Heshi Lie Taiyu with him.

"Where is Mentor Han?"

After almost everyone saluted together, Heluo, mustering his courage, asked seriously.

The crowd looked at each other. How could Ta Lan have brought the guards present? And although the others had vaguely guessed and asked, they had no evidence, and besides, at this point, the people who had entered the palace had a tacit understanding, so no one answered for a moment.

"Chancellor Qin! Where is Mentor Han?" By the torches, Heluo, standing on the steps of the central palace, directly named him.

"Your Majesty, please mourn." Qin Hui knelt down and bowed his head on the spot. "Han Shangshu is dead!"

Heluo couldn't believe it for a moment: "Weren't you just talking to me and you just now? And why did you only kill Han Shangshu, but not you?"

"Your Majesty."

Ta Lan suddenly spoke. "This subject saw it with my own eyes, and the head was taken away... It should have been sent to King Liao to report back. Chancellor Qin was sent by King Liao to find Han Fang in the first place, or it was precisely because Chancellor Qin couldn't find Han Fang that he brought about this disaster."

Heluo's mind went blank.

"Your Majesty." Qin Hui also tried to respond. "This matter may not have been ordered by King Liao himself... When I came, it was King Liao's eldest son, Digunai, who advocated eliminating all unstable people, not King Liao himself. Otherwise, why would I be in this situation? So, it may not have been ordered by King Liao himself..."

Under the torchlight, Heluo's face changed from moment to moment.

"Your Majesty."

At this time, with Hongya pushing him from behind, Heshi Lie Taiyu, who was already riding a tiger and finding it difficult to get off, stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute. "Actually, this is the reason why we came here now... We are not the ones who started the chaos, but the Grand Prince's side is acting too fiercely, so in order to protect ourselves, we can only come to Your Majesty's side... Of course, it is also because we are indeed worried that someone will cause trouble and involve Your Majesty, so we came with the intention of protecting you."

Heluo looked at the torches all over the courtyard, and listened to the unstoppable movements in the outer palace city. He said with difficulty: "How do you want me to protect you? And how are you going to protect me? Although I am young, I also know that once the chaos starts at night, and people die, no one can grasp the fact that swords and spears have no eyes."

"Your Majesty," under the pressure of Ta Lan and Taiyu, Yin Shuke finally stepped forward and suggested with cupped hands. "The palace city is too big. We have only a thousand or so people, plus the palace guards, it's only two thousand... In that case, once a conflict breaks out, not only can we not defend it, but I'm afraid that as Your Majesty said, swords and spears have no eyes... Therefore, why doesn't Your Majesty move to the Shangshu 台台台 Council? That place has high outer walls and a slightly smaller area, which is easy to defend. Moreover, there are also large halls inside, which are convenient for housing the palace attendants. More importantly, the Shangshu 台台台 Council is in the middle, which is convenient for issuing orders to all parties."

Heluo hesitated for a moment. He was obviously confused by the news of Han Fang's death. This was a good thing, and led everyone to prepare to open their mouths to persuade him again.

"I'm not going!"

However, at this moment, Empress Peiman, who was only fifteen years old and at Heluo's side, suddenly raised her eyebrows and expressed her opposition without hesitation. "What swords and spears have no eyes, just seal up the central palace, would King Liao kill the Emperor and me? Or are you saying that if the Emperor doesn't go, you will force him to go? If you really want to talk about swords and spears having no eyes, the road from the imperial palace to the Shangshu 台台台 Council is the most dangerous... At this time, we should first send someone to the Liao King's mansion to ask about Mentor Han's matter."

Hearing this, Heluo actually nodded instinctively: "What the Empress said is right!"

And everyone present, starting with Qin Hui, one by one, looked at each other and were speechless for a moment.

This speechlessness was not to say that they had no words to refute the Empress, but that they were not prepared to face the Empress who had suddenly emerged. Besides, facing a fifteen-year-old girl... What if they had words?

Moreover, how old was this Emperor? Did he only know how to listen to his wife?

Helplessly, Heshi Lie and others could only bite the bullet and 'send out envoys', and then turn around and try to persuade him again.

But as everyone was worried about, Empress Peiman, with her little girl's temper, refused to budge, and Heluo, under the Empress's insistence, regained a little clarity and prepared to wait for a reply from his Imperial Uncle and foster father... After all, there was still a sufficient foundation of trust between the Emperor and the Grand Prince, King Liao.

After a series of tossing and turning, they still couldn't succeed, so that Qin Hui, Hongya, and Zheng Xiunian, who had arrived with Yin Shuke, plus Ta Lan, who had already been stained with blood, took the opportunity to discuss secretly, and were almost about to instigate Heshi Lie to tear their faces.

But there was no time to implement it. So-called misfortune never comes singly. In the midst of the chaos, an officer of the Heshi Lie clan actually came directly to the central palace courtyard and, in front of the Emperor and Empress, informed Heshi Lie Taiyu, who was painstakingly persuading them, of a message—Minister of Rites, Ulin Da Zanmu, had come to see the Emperor on the orders of King Liao.

Even worse.

It must be known that the Heshi Lie clan had no specific goal. They had been urged to come here by Hongya in the first place, and of course there were no private words or discipline. And with Ulin Da Zanmu's official position and the status of the leader of the Ulin Da clan, as long as he didn't bring troops, who would stop him? Who would dare to stop him?

That's right, you don't even need to think about it to know that Ulin Da Zanmu will soon appear in the central palace courtyard. There's no time to stop him.

"Chancellor Qin, if we talk about Han Fang, what should I say?"

Ta Lan, who had quickly slipped down from the steps, was a little flustered.

"Just insist that the Grand Prince did it, but he probably didn't have time to send the head over yet." Qin Hui could only say this.

And sure enough, just as the two of them finished colluding, Ulin Da Zanmu, who was exhausted to the extreme, appeared in sight.

"Minister Ulin Da."

Seeing another reliable minister arrive, Heluo was overjoyed, but then he remembered Han Fang, and straightened up on the steps again, and called out from afar. "Do you know about Han Shangshu's matter?"

Ulin Da Zanmu came to the imperial presence without saying a word. First, he cupped his hands slightly, then looked up and looked around, his gaze sweeping over Heshi Lie Taiyu, Wanyan Ta Lan, Wanyan Yin Shuke on both sides of the steps, and Qin Hui, Hongya, and others in the shadows, before cupping his hands again:

"Your Majesty! This subject is not clear about Han Shangshu's matter, but now General Elubu at the armory has already engaged in a war with Liu Kuai, Liu Shilang, and the Left Deputy Chief, Zuo Yuan, was also killed by Digunai in public..."

Everyone was dumbfounded, Heluo's body swayed slightly, and Empress Peiman was even more frightened and hid directly behind Heluo.

"In short, Your Majesty, the chaos tonight cannot be stopped, and there must be people fishing in troubled waters." Ulin Da, who was exhausted, tried to say. "But fortunately, none of the parties have the courage to openly attack Your Majesty, so in this subject's opinion, it is useless for Your Majesty and the Empress to stay in the imperial city, which is full of loopholes. Why not move to the Shangshu 台台台 Council, and rely on the fact that it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, to get through tonight?"

"It's really God's help..."

In the twilight, taking advantage of the sudden gust of wind and the still noisy movements outside the central palace courtyard, Qin Hui, whose back was covered in cold sweat, couldn't help but bite out a few words, then quickly swallowed them back, and carefully looked at the Emperor and Empress who were completely at a loss.

"Bullshit God's help, it's clearly that the general situation is like this, and once the chaos starts, it will fall apart." Hongya, who was further back, heard those words, but did not have Qin Hui's forbearance, and immediately sneered. "Think about it carefully, what's the difference between the Ulin Da clan and the Heshi Lie clan, except that their strength is slightly weaker? Just because a younger brother died, are they going to bet the whole family and clan on it? Maybe they are still counting on the official to show mercy and want the corpse back... Tonight's events, we already have a 50% chance of winning!"

ps: Thanks to the new leader Gong Zixiao Ge, this is the 226th萌 of this book.

Then dedicate a book... uh... *Immortal Fox*... uh, you know.

Finally, let me correct myself, I misread the map... The current Yanjing palace city should be in the southwest of the city, and the content of the previous chapter has been corrected.