At this moment, Zhao Yuan waved his hand, and a flag suddenly rose behind him. The flag depicted a strange beast resembling a tiger, with a colorful body. What was even more eye-catching was its long tail, which was even longer than its body.

Upon seeing the banner, the many embroidered-robed envoys were startled and instinctively put down their weapons.

It turns out that this was the emperor's exclusive Zouyu flag. Whenever there was danger, it was used to convey imperial edicts or to stop troops. Those who saw it would be intimidated and dare not move, otherwise they would be punished for the crime of disrespect.

Seeing the reactions of the many embroidered-robed envoys, Zhao Yuan nodded in satisfaction: "I am acting on the orders of the Emperor and Empress to instruct all departments in the palace to strictly guard their posts. No one may leave without the Emperor's golden token. Does anyone have any objections?"

Xiao Jianren frowned. Although he could sense the dissatisfaction of the many embroidered-robed envoys, he could only helplessly say, "No."

"That's good. If your Embroidered Robe Envoys cause any trouble, then punish Lord Xiao." Zhao Yuan left a group of men to monitor the area near the embroidered building, and then led the rest of his troops in other directions.

Xiao Jianren had no choice but to order the embroidery tower gates closed, strictly forbidding anyone from leaving.

"Lord Xiao, are we just going to wait here like this?" Zhang Zitong couldn't help but ask after returning to the council hall.

“That’s right, when have we Embroidered Robe Envoys ever been treated like this?” the others chimed in.

"Now that the Emperor and Empress have issued an order, and the Grand Commander is not here, what can we do?" Xiao Jianren sighed.

“But I always feel there’s something fishy about this,” Zhang Zitong said with a worried look.

Xiao Jianren nodded: "It's strange that no one has gone to support the Empress Dowager. Let's select a few people to go through the secret passage to gather information from the Emperor and Empress."

Zhang Zitong immediately said, "I'll go!"

Xiao Jianren hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and selected a few more people: "You haven't been in the palace for long, so you're not very familiar with the terrain and situation here."

The Grand Commander entrusted her to me; I can't let anything happen to her.

Hearing his reasonable explanation, Zhang Zitong had no choice but to watch from afar as fires broke out all over the palace, feeling like a cat was scratching at her heart.

Why hasn't the President returned yet? If he were here, surely any problem could be solved.

Wait a minute, it seems the Grand Commander and that Demonic Cult Leader are having an affair. Who knows which side he'll side with in the end...

...

Meanwhile, inside the Liu residence, chaos reigned. Liu Guang and Liu Yao sat at the head of the table, their clothes stained with wine and their faces still bearing faint traces of rouge.

It turns out they were all enjoying each other's company when they learned of the changes in the city and were hurriedly brought back.

Now that all of Liu's trusted confidants are gathered together, many people are discussing among themselves, arguing heatedly, making the entire Liu family council hall resemble a marketplace.

"Stop arguing!" a man who looked like a clerk shouted. "Listen to what the two masters have to say!"

"Yes, please give your instructions, gentlemen." The many confidants finally quieted down.

"Ah, let me tell you what?" Liu Guang and Liu Yao were somewhat at a loss, not knowing what to say for a moment.

The advisor coughed lightly, covered his mouth, and secretly transmitted his voice: "Let them come out one by one and give their suggestions."

Liu Guang suddenly realized something: "Master Zhu is right. Ahem, everyone, please speak one by one, don't all speak at once. How do you all think we should deal with the current situation?"

At this moment, a trusted general stood up: "I think we should immediately lead the army to the Yunlong Gate of the palace to provide support. Now that Gao Ying and Li Mian are in charge of the imperial guards in the palace, we can work together from the inside and outside and surely quell the rebellion in the shortest time."

"General Xie is right!" Liu Guang nodded, agreeing that this was indeed the right thing to do.

At this moment, another person who looked like a civil official stood up and said, "I think it's not appropriate. The fire at Yunlong Gate has been going on for some time now, and there seems to be no more fighting, which means that the matter has been settled. If Li Mian and Gao Ying win, it doesn't matter if we don't go; but if they lose, going there will only be walking into a trap."

"In my opinion, we should hold our ground and wait for reinforcements. Once it's dawn, Third Master will receive the news and lead his troops into the city. Any rebellion will then be easily resolved."

The three Liu brothers, Liu Guang and Liu Yao, held high positions in the capital. After the Qin family's incident, the Liu family seized the opportunity to take over the top two military positions: the Commander of the Central Army and the Protector of the Central Army.

The third brother, Liu Ji, was promoted to Commander of the Central Army. He usually resided outside the capital and controlled the troops of various camps in the capital. In addition, Yuan Zhou, a confidant of the Liu family, took over as Commander of the Central Army and was usually stationed in the city.

“Mr. Ming is absolutely right.” Liu Guang nodded hurriedly, feeling that the other party’s analysis was more reasonable.

At this moment, another person stood up and said, "This plan seems safe, but it is too passive. The situation in the capital is still unclear, and there is still a long time before dawn, enough for too many variables to occur. In my opinion, it is better for the General to issue an order to lead us to open the armory gates, equip our respective men, contact General Yuan and others, and work together to control the four city gates, block the rebels in the city, and welcome Master Liu into the city after dawn tomorrow. Then we can close the gates and beat the dogs, wiping out all the rebels in one fell swoop."

Liu Guang's eyes lit up: "Mr. Xuan is indeed very thoughtful. This way, we can ensure that the city gate is in our hands, and we can cope with any changes that may occur."

The people in the room couldn't help but frown secretly, thinking that the general thought every idea was good, and that he was too indecisive.

Then someone else said, "I think you guys are being too optimistic. So much time has passed and there hasn't been a single message from the palace. Gao Ying and Li Mian are both experienced and prudent people. If possible, they would definitely send a message. Also, General Yuan's troops have not appeared yet. We just sent a signal arrow to Master Liu outside the city, but the camps outside the city have not moved at all. Everything is abnormal."

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