Chapter 1 "Your Majesty!"

A minor eunuch walked in from outside the golden hall, knelt in the center, and reported:

"When Grand Eunuch Wei was taking people, he encountered a mutiny by some of the Imperial Guards at the Imperial Clan Court and is now engaged in fierce fighting."

"This..."

"What exactly is going on..."

"Why would this happen..."

The ministers shuddered at this news.

Years ago, the Imperial Guards referred to the Imperial Guards camp outside the capital, but with the outbreak of several foreign wars, the main body of the former Imperial Guards had long been split up. Nowadays, when the Imperial Guards are mentioned, it refers solely to the garrison troops within the capital.

A disturbance among the capital's garrison troops?

A mutiny?

In the next moment,

The officials, who had been somewhat languid due to waiting, instantly turned their gazes to the two princes still kneeling in front.

Which of you is trying to force the palace!

Unfortunately,

They couldn't ask it aloud.

Marquis Zheng didn't feel uneasy; he was an experienced man who had gained a rough understanding of the Imperial Guards' structure after entering the capital. How should he put it? The Imperial Guards seemed like a whole, but in reality, they were divided into many small factions within the capital.

It seemed impossible for someone to suddenly integrate the Imperial Guards and cause trouble. If it was just a small-scale mutiny...

Whether it was a prince or these court bigwigs, they could cultivate a captain in the Imperial Guards. Through that captain, they could nurture about a hundred of their own men, essentially using the military as a vehicle to raise their own personal assassins; that wouldn't be difficult.

But would Grand Eunuch Wei be unable to handle such a small-scale mutiny?

It shouldn't be possible.

In short,

Marquis Zheng didn't believe anyone would dare to launch a coup at this moment. That would be underestimating the Great Yan's system, underestimating the garrison outside the city, and at the same time, underestimating the Emperor on the dragon throne.

However, Emperor Yan's reaction surprised Zheng Fan somewhat.

"Heh, good, good. Today is unexpectedly wonderful."

Then,

Emperor Yan turned to look at the Marquis of Pingxi, Zheng Fan, who was standing alone occupying the space for four people.

"Marquis of Pingxi, receive the decree."

What's it got to do with me?

Zheng Fan stepped forward and knelt down.

"Your subject is here!"

"The Chu Kingdom once had four Pillars of State. Our Great Yan also has four pillars supporting the heavens. Now that there is a rebellion in the capital, I order you to quickly mobilize troops from outside the city to enter the capital and quell the situation."

Marquis Zheng took a deep breath,

And immediately said:

"Your subject receives the decree!"

"Marquis of Pingxi, come forward to receive the Son of Heaven's Sword, as if I were there in person."

Zheng Fan rose and slowly walked forward.

In the past, walking up the steps was nothing, but this time, when ascending the steps of the golden hall, he clearly felt a difference.

Even he, who had seen great occasions, couldn't help but feel his steps were somewhat heavy.

After all, this golden hall symbolized the core area of Great Yan's highest power center, and perhaps, it could be said to be the core of the entire East.

The Son of Heaven's Sword was originally hanging on the golden dragon pillar on the side of the dragon throne.

Emperor Yan didn't get up to take it, but pointed to that side.

Zheng Fan walked over and took down the Son of Heaven's Sword himself.

The Son of Heaven's Sword wasn't heavy. Marquis Zheng had also played with several magical weapons. As soon as he took it, touched it, and weighed it, he understood that it was just an ordinary sword, except that the scabbard was inlaid with gold and studded with gems.

But, how should he put it? There were two types of divine weapons in the world. One was made by integrating various rare materials and supplemented with纹路 *wenlu* (patterns) and阵法 *zhenfa* (formations). The other shone because of its owner.

The Son of Heaven's Sword was obviously the latter.

Zheng Fan held the sword,

And knelt down again to Emperor Yan.

"Go, the capital must not be thrown into chaos."

"Your subject obeys."

Holding the sword, he rose.

In fact, Marquis Zheng had considered it. With Wei Zhonghe not here, he was so close to Emperor Yan. If he drew his sword, it would immediately be a commoner's wrath that turns the world to mourning.

Of course, it was just a thought. He didn't have any hatred with Emperor Yan that would lead to the destruction of his maternal family, so why bother competing with the princes for this anger?

He walked out of the golden hall in a magnanimous manner.

Outside the steps,

His *pixiu* was already prepared for him.

When Marquis Zheng mounted and turned the *pixiu*, he suddenly recalled the scene he had seen when he stood on the steps and looked back. Now, he was standing under the steps, looking up at the golden hall.

"Drive!"

Accompanied by a team of guards, Marquis Zheng rode the *pixiu* straight out of the palace gate, and then, without stopping, headed towards the East Gate.

The *pixiu* ran excitedly, because it could sense that its master was in an extremely unusual state of excitement.

Yes,

In Marquis Zheng's mind, he suddenly recalled Dong Zhuo, the loyal minister of the great Han Dynasty in his memory, thinking of Dong Zhuo's arrogance and domineering behavior when he entered Luoyang.

It should be known that at this time, only a few people in the city knew that the two Kings of the North and South were not in the capital.

If he could lead the Jingnan Army cavalry from outside the city into the city, he might be able to directly break into the imperial city, force Emperor Yan to abdicate, and let Little Sixth ascend to the throne.

This complex knot was untied in an instant.

Of course, Marquis Zheng hadn't decided whether to do this, but that didn't stop him from thinking about it first.

At the same time, he was clear that with Emperor Yan's brilliance, if he dared to let him mobilize troops into the capital, he would definitely have countermeasures against him.

Finally arriving at the East Gate of the capital, he was surprised to find that the East Gate was closed today.

"Who goes there!"

Below, a group of soldiers stepped forward.

Are you blind?

Can't you see what I'm riding?

Moreover, Zheng Fan also saw that the gazes of these soldiers looking at him were filled with fear and reverence. Obviously, they all knew who he was.

At this time, Zheng Fan raised the Son of Heaven's Sword in his hand.

A defending general in front immediately knelt down and shouted:

"Seeing the Son of Heaven's Sword is like seeing the Son of Heaven. Long live His Majesty!"

A group of soldiers followed suit and shouted together.

"Long live His Majesty!"

Marquis Zheng narrowed his eyes.

Oh,

What good eyesight you have. You can see it's the Son of Heaven's Sword from so far away. Do you hold it every night when you sleep so you can recognize it at a glance?

In addition,

Why does it feel like you're following the script so clearly?

"Open the city gate."

Marquis Zheng shouted.

"Open the city gate!"

"Open the city gate!"

The city gate was slowly opened.

Outside the opened city gate, teams of knights were already lined up there.

"Heh."

It wasn't the Jingnan cavalry that Old Tian had brought from Litian City, but the Zhenbei Army, stationed outside the capital under the command of Li Liangshen.

Zheng Fan rode the *pixiu* out of the city.

Now,

He was sure of one thing,

That was that today's grand court meeting wasn't a battle between the two princes vying for the throne. Emperor Yan actually had his own arrangements.

The sons play their games,

The old man plays his,

So,

He was just a flag-bearer acting as the master of ceremonies.

"Long live His Majesty!"

"Long live His Majesty!"

Three guerrilla generals dismounted and knelt before Zheng Fan, who was clutching the Son of Heaven's Sword.

"There is chaos in the capital. His Majesty has bestowed the Son of Heaven's Sword upon this Marquis to mobilize troops to enter the city and quell the rebellion!"

"We are willing to listen to the Marquis of Pingxi's command!"

"We are willing to listen to the Marquis of Pingxi's command!"

Zheng Fan nodded, turned the *pixiu* around, and returned to the city, followed by cavalry pouring in behind him.

Then, behind Zheng Fan, they split into three groups, with one general leading each group. They didn't even wait for Marquis Zheng to tell them where to go or what to do; they each led their troops away.

"Heh."

Even he, the marquis who was mobilizing the troops, didn't know where to go besides the Imperial Clan Court. It seemed you all knew better than this Marquis.

Zheng Fan looked at the Son of Heaven's Sword in his hand.

A sword is just a sword, and the Son of Heaven is still the Son of Heaven.

When he came out earlier, he was still thinking about Dong Zhuo, but in the end, he was stupidly used as a gun without even realizing it.

These three groups of troops,

Whatever they did in the capital today,

The blame and the impact would all fall on Zheng Fan's head.

Later, the history books would record that it was he, Marquis of Pingxi, who, upon imperial decree, led troops into the capital, causing...

Um,

He, the "culprit," didn't even know what it would cause.

Sitting on the *pixiu*'s back, Marquis Zheng closed his eyes.

He had been pushed into things by Old Tian several times before, but in fact, he knew in his heart that Old Tian was paving the way for him. Sometimes, his refusal was more like a younger brother acting coy with his older brother, pretending to be sentimental.

But the real emperor, the real ruler, seemed to be used to treating the world, all living beings, and everyone in his court as pawns in his hand.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't been developing step by step in the capital before, so he hadn't felt this way deeply.

Now,

He felt it.

There was nothing to be angry about, and nothing to get upset about. He really wasn't that angry in his heart.

No matter why Emperor Yan was so energetic today, Zheng Fan firmly believed that the Emperor wouldn't last long.

Alright,

You continue to play,

Your family continues to play,

And when you're done playing,

I'll play mine.

………

When Marquis Zheng had just "mobilized" the troops into the city,

In the golden hall of the court,

The case concerning the imperial bloodline and the princes' lack of virtue had entered its true climax.

Wei Zhonghe led people and brought Rou Gu and the girl in.

Grand Eunuch Wei removed the head covering from Rou Gu and then slowly walked back to His Majesty's side.

The eyes of the ministers immediately focused on Rou Gu.

Including,

The two princes kneeling in front.

Ji Chengjue turned his head to look at the woman.

He had always known the woman's identity. In his grandfather's will, many inheritances were left for him, this grandson.

Rou Gu was also among them.

But for a long time, he and Rou Gu had only been in a state of tacit understanding with each other.

She knew he was the young master of the Min family,

And he also knew that she was an agent of the Min family.

The contact so far had actually been only three times.

Once,

She sent someone to tell him that the Empress was about to die in these few days, and at the same time, to prepare some medicine.

Once,

She sent a message that she was pregnant, with the Crown Prince's blood, and planned to leave the palace to guard the Empress's tomb.

The last time,

She sent a letter saying that she had given birth to a baby girl.

This was very espionage-like, concise but providing a warning, and also transforming herself into a trap, always ready to sacrifice for her master.

As for the Crown Prince, he turned his head to look at her, and what appeared in his mind was that night when she took off her clothes and hugged him in bed.

When he subconsciously wanted to possess her,

He was gently pushed away by her,

Who told him:

Your Highness, I am from the Min family.

……

Ji Lao Liu subconsciously looked at the position where Zheng Fan had stood earlier.

Unlike others who might hear the reaction of the two Kings of the North and South leaving the capital, they might think that the situation in the capital would no longer be stable.

But Ji Lao Liu believed that now, who could restrain his imperial father?

His imperial father let Zheng Fan mobilize troops,

Heh,

Was it his imperial father who wanted to mobilize troops in?

The Fourth's troops were in the imperial city, and another foreign army was mobilized in. What exactly did his imperial father want to do?

Emperor Yan on the dragon throne looked at Rou Gu kneeling below.

How could he not recognize his Empress's personal maidservant.

Then,

Emperor Yan's gaze fell on the girl,

And asked:

"Whose child is this?"

The Emperor's voice carried an irresistible majesty.

Rou Gu had served by the Empress's side for many, many years and was very familiar with the Emperor, but precisely because of this familiarity, she understood the Emperor's terror even more.

She didn't dare to look at the Emperor on the dragon throne, but looked at the Crown Prince and Sixth Prince kneeling in front.

She was actually a little confused.

A pawn was still a pawn, on the chessboard but unable to see through the overall situation.

However, the suddenly appearing assassin made her clear about one thing, and that was that things were not proceeding as she and the Crown Prince had expected.

She bit her lip.

Perhaps,

Only when she was here did she realize how much of a regret and mistake it was that she hadn't died in the side room earlier.

Because she had no idea what to say or in which direction to speak at this time.

"This child was brought by this servant."

Rou Gu replied.

The ministers present looked at each other.

Emperor Yan leaned back.

At this time,

Several eunuchs carried a bag of things over and opened it in front of the ministers.

Wei Zhonghe reported: "Your Majesty, this is what this servant brought, the evidence collected by the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court. This servant has examined it, and inside is the Crown Prince's personal jade pendant and many things from the East Palace."

Zhao Jiulang stepped forward, looked at Rou Gu, and asked:

"Then, how do you explain this?"

Rou Gu said: "This servant has met the Prime Minister."

Zhao Jiulang's expression was calm.

Rou Gu continued: "This servant must have met the wives of many of the adults here as well. This servant once served by the side of the late Empress, so it's normal to have some items from the East Palace."

"Oh?"

"This servant was originally guarding the late Empress's tomb. Later, feeling lonely, this servant adopted a child from the common people and raised her by my side as a comfort."

"Oh?"

Zhao Jiulang looked at the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court kneeling there,

And said:

"Grand Minister, you once said that this woman told you that this child was the Crown Prince's blood. Now..."

Perhaps,

In the great hall, a large portion of the people's minds were now dizzy.

And a small portion were apprehensive.

The most open-minded, most enlightened, and most relaxed was Ji Chengjue.

When he bet right on whose side Rou Gu was standing and for whom she was digging a pit, he had already won.

Of course, there was one premise, and that was that the person had to be alive and had to be able to speak.

Speak, speak,

Let's see what you can say.

Originally, in the Crown Prince and Rou Gu's plan, Rou Gu and the child were arrows that the Crown Prince had actively sent into his hands, waiting for him to shoot this arrow back at the Crown Prince.

This was the initial scene setting in the great hall.

Crown Prince brother, you acted very well, very realistically. The look of loss was just right.

Of course, perhaps it was because he had experienced many years of being lost, so he was naturally skilled.

According to their plan,

Next,

There would be a great reversal.

Rou Gu would be brought to the great hall.

At that time, things would become extremely big.

He would be complacent and have Rou Gu fulfill her mission as a dead soldier of the Min family, delivering a fatal blow to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince would completely collapse.

But in the Crown Prince's eyes, Rou Gu would reveal her identity as a dead soldier of the Min family and then point the source of the conspiracy at him, saying that he was using the remnants of the Min family to slander the Crown Prince.

Using a younger brother to deceive an older brother, using a subject to deceive a ruler, and still in the great hall, with the ministers as witnesses, to stage a great reversal.

The one who would be finished would be him.

This should have been the established process and expected outcome of both parties.

But,

His kneeling interrupted all rhythm.

Of course, kneeling or not was just a prelude; it could also be understood as hypocritical brotherly affection and respect, still with sinister intentions.

But why was the Crown Prince panicking? Because he knew that he didn't have to kneel, and he understood that his younger brother wouldn't play any false pretenses at this time.

Therefore, the Crown Prince knew that things were bad. This was the reason for the Crown Prince's panic.

Because this situation had already started.

"This...this...that..."

In fact, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court had long sensed that something was wrong, also stemming from the Sixth Prince's kneeling.

Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court Ji Changwang was holding two scripts from two families.

But neither script mentioned that the Sixth Prince would suddenly kneel down and shout: It's his!

Most importantly, at that time, he couldn't change his words, because the Emperor was asking him for evidence, and he couldn't temporarily prepare evidence that the child was really the Sixth Prince's, nor could he find evidence that the child was from another prince.

In fact, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court supported the Crown Prince more and believed that the Crown Prince could laugh to the end. With the Crown Prince's promise, he finally chose to stand on the Crown Prince's ship, even though he was considered one of their own in the Sixth Prince's party.

Rou Gu, when she came to the golden hall after failing to commit suicide, had already changed her testimony.

As a spy, no, even aside from her background as a secret agent, just her experience of living in the palace by the Empress's side for so many years was enough to allow her vision and gaze to quickly detect the strangeness.

Therefore, she chose a third answer, one that was completely different from the previous two. She wanted to jump out, for the sake of the Crown Prince.

But the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court was trapped.

"What are you stammering about? Ji Changwang, as the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, you have repeatedly concealed the truth in such a major matter concerning the stability of the imperial bloodline and the country. What are your intentions!

In front of His Majesty,

In front of all the officials,

Could it be that you have some secrets that you can't say?

Or do you want your colleagues, even dare to ask His Majesty, to beg you to speak?

Ji Changwang, this is deceiving the Emperor, a crime punishable by death!"

"I..."

Perhaps he was being pressed step by step by Zhao Jiulang, or perhaps under the current circumstances, Ji Changwang himself was under great pressure and had reached a certain limit.

He made up his mind,

And glanced at the Crown Prince. As long as the Crown Prince ascended the throne in the future, whatever he did today could be pardoned by the new emperor.

He opened his mouth and said:

"Your Majesty, it was the Sixth Prince who asked me to falsely accuse the Crown Prince in the hall!"

"Heh."

Ji Chengjue, kneeling on the ground, revealed a smile.

Why choose the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court?

It didn't necessarily have to be someone from the Imperial Clan Court who made the accusation. Other ministers could also be stopped on the road by a carriage or sedan chair and shout grievances, calling on the wise official to seek justice for their mother and daughter.

In fact,

There were really many ministers of this kind who were two-faced, playing both sides, and waiting for the highest bidder.

Choosing Ji Changwang was because he was a useless person.

When his grandfather's generation fought for the throne, it was so tragic. Even the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion came forward, and Great Yan almost started a civil war. Its situation was not at all inferior to the Chu Kingdom's princes' rebellion a few years ago.

Just like that, Ji Changwang was still able to survive well.

To be valued by his grandfather, and then to be valued by his imperial father, and now, to be valued by him,

This proved,

How much of a good-for-nothing must Ji Changwang be to be trusted by three generations.

The breakthrough was not actually on Rou Gu, but on Ji Changwang!

At this time,

A report came from outside the golden hall:

"Assistant Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial Lu Bing requests an audience."

"Summon him."

Lu Bing, still in full armor, walked into the hall, looking at His Majesty and the princes kneeling on the ground.

Then,

He knelt down:

"Your subject kowtows to Your Majesty, long live His Majesty!"

Many ministers were surprised to see Lu Bing, a civil official, in full armor, but then they thought of a certain rumor and immediately understood.

It had always been rumored that His Majesty had another department under his command, separate from the Secret Intelligence Division, responsible for monitoring the officials. Combining this with the relationship between Lu Bing and His Majesty, the result of the guess was obvious.

Emperor Yan asked:

"Why did beloved minister Lu miss today's grand court meeting?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, last night the Sixth Prince personally came to my door to accuse Ji Changwang, the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, of sending someone to inform him about the Crown Prince's bloodline obtained from the common people and also the Crown Prince's lack of virtue!

The Sixth Prince feared that some people with ulterior motives would be detrimental to the Crown Prince and the foundation of the country,

And feared that the exposure of imperial scandals would damage the imperial family's reputation,

And feared even more that if it was really imperial blood, it would encounter misfortune,

And begged me to thoroughly investigate this matter!

Now, this subject has investigated the evidence of Ji Changwang's collusion within the palace, and Ji Changwang's entire family has been captured and imprisoned!"

"..." Ji Changwang.