From the winter month to the New Year period, the court and the military camps were in a high-energy state filled with smoke.

Kun's counterattack once forced the old emperor to lose his two important arms, the brave general Gao Huaiyi and the cabinet minister Feng Xiang. The old emperor was so angry that he fell ill, but the old emperor had a strong ability to withstand pressure. He quickly got up from his sickbed to take charge of the overall situation, deploy, increase pressure, and counterattack.

After all, the old emperor is still the emperor. He is not the kind of emperor without authority and with an unstable foundation. As long as he is in power, no matter how old and deep the Kun family is, they can't withstand the emperor's repeated attacks. Finally, the situation completely turns to the old emperor's favor.

The Kun family was defeated step by step, but the old emperor did not relax his vigilance. The imperial study summoned his trusted ministers one after another. In addition, the generals in charge of the Southern Army, the Northern Army, the Left and Right Guards, and the Beijing Camp were also summoned one after another.

The Kun family was attacked from both sides, and for a while, the Kun family seemed to be on the verge of collapse and had difficulty in taking any action.

The most difficult moment for the Kun family is now.

Even Queen Kun had to lower her proud head.

At 3 p.m., the snow was getting heavier and it was a little dark in the hall. Sun Shiping ordered the palace servants to light the lamps and he covered the lamp with a lampshade to make the candlelight softer. A coughing sound was heard on the jade steps. Sun Shiping hurriedly took the jade cup presented by the young eunuch, knelt down, and carefully served the old emperor the medicine.

The old emperor looked even older. The lines at the corners of his eyes and under his jaw were as deep as if carved with a knife. His back was a little more hunched, but his eyes were still deep and dignified. At this moment, he had everything planned out for himself.

After Sun Shiping helped the old emperor take his medicine, he paused and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Empress is here and is seeking an audience outside."

Queen Kun, this proud woman like a phoenix, finally could not maintain her pride at the moment when the Kun family was losing step by step and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. She took off her gorgeous golden and red phoenix robe, put on a plain light blue dress, did not wear a phoenix crown, only tied up her long hair with a golden hairpin, endured the humiliation, and knelt in front of Shangyang Palace to ask for an audience.

It was snowing heavily, and the howling north wind blew up snow foam, which hurt like a knife when it hit people. When Queen Kun's knees touched the ground, her legs felt a piercing pain like needles. Of course, what hurt even more was her self-esteem. Her nails, which were painted with red paint under her wide sleeves, dug deep into her palms and drew blood.

But no one paid any attention to her.

In the past, the imperial guards and palace maids and eunuchs who came and went would bow their heads and greet each other when they met, but now they all ignored Empress Kun. This magnificent and majestic Shangyang Palace was so high and mighty.

After Sun Shiping reported this, the old emperor just laughed sarcastically, "I never thought that the daughter of the Kun family would be able to bend down one day."

He ignored it. The drug took effect and he dozed off for half an hour. After waking up, he washed up and reviewed the memorials. It was not until before dinner that he put on a large sable cloak and said, "Let her in."

The old emperor walked slowly to the corridor. Empress Kun gritted her teeth, stood up, knelt slowly on her frozen and stiff knees, and walked up the stairs step by step. Her Adam's apple rolled, but she finally knelt down. It was the first time she knelt in front of her husband with such a humble attitude. She said in a hoarse voice: "The Kun family assisted two generations of emperors. Even if there is no merit, there is still hard work. Your Majesty! Please be magnanimous--"

She screamed, her words unable to conceal the sorrow, tears overflowing from her eyes.

"Merit, hard work?"

The old emperor's eyes suddenly narrowed. Yes, this is Kun! Even today, they still haven't forgotten their contributions and hard work, and this is also the foundation for the growth of their ambitions!

"I believe that it is the duty of a minister to be loyal to his master."

The old emperor looked down at him and spoke coldly.

Empress Kun was silent for a long while before she said with difficulty: "...Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right. It was I who was confused."

She gnashed her teeth and swallowed blood, her knuckles turning white as she grabbed the hem of the emperor's dragon robe. But now, no matter what the old emperor said, she had to accept it all. She kowtowed heavily and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my mistake."

"Your Majesty, please be magnanimous to Kunshi——"

But the old emperor leaned over, stared into her eyes, and said word by word: "Impossible!"

Generous Kun?

Absolutely impossible!

Stop dreaming.

The old emperor brushed away Queen Kun's hand and suddenly turned away. Queen Kun fell on the cold steps and cried out sadly: "Your Majesty——"

…

Not long after, Queen Kun was politely asked to leave by Sun Shiping.

It's already dark.

The phoenix chariot moving through the palace lanes was less flamboyant and dazzling than before, and was silent. However, no concubine in the six palaces dared to provoke or slap Queen Kun at this time. The panic-stricken former dynasty and the harem made everyone keep their heads down, and the entire imperial city was a plain white.

The north wind was like a bone-scraping knife. The curtain of the chariot was not pressed tightly, and wind kept coming in through the gaps. However, it could not extinguish the resentment and anger in Queen Kun's heart. She clenched her fists tightly and her face turned ashen.

For the sake of the plan and the Kun family, she gritted her teeth and went through the whole trick and endured it all, but behind the scenes, this proud woman couldn't help but get angry.

She endured it and returned to Changqiu Palace. As soon as she got off the chariot, she learned that Prince Qian had come to visit the little prince, and that Prince Qian had expressed his wish to meet the Queen.

Your Highness is the youngest son of Prince Qian who is raised in Changqiu Palace.

But Prince Qian insisted on staying until the palace gate was about to be closed and did not leave. Empress Kun could not help feeling annoyed as to why.

When Queen Kun entered the hall, Prince Qian was waiting with his youngest son. This handsome man, as handsome as ink, was sitting on a chair and talking tenderly to the child who was leaning against him. When he heard the noise, he hurriedly pulled the child up.

"The Queen."

Prince Qian bowed and saluted. As time was running out, he waited for Queen Kun to take her seat before stating his intention. "Your Majesty, I hope to take Wen'er home to live with you for a while."

But in fact, this is a very euphemistic statement. King Qian has mentioned more than once in the past few years that he hopes to bring his son home.

He actually doesn't want to get involved in this.

Moreover, he is a father. Especially at this time when the old emperor and Kun family are in direct conflict, he can't help but worry about his son. This feeling of not wanting to get involved is even more urgent. He waited until now just to talk about this matter.

Both father and son were a little nervous, and two pairs of identical eyes stared at Queen Kun.

Queen Kun felt a surge of nameless anger rushing into her mind, but she barely managed to hold it back, and said to little Ji Wen with a smile, "Wen'er, it's getting late, let Aunt Liang take you back to the side hall first, and your mother will come back to see you later."

Ji Wen looked at his father a little uneasy. He didn't want to go, but Aunt Liang came over with a smile and held his hand. He had to let go of his father's hand, "Yes, mother."

After Ji Wen left, Queen Kun was furious. She swept all the decorations in her hands to the ground and shouted, "Why are you talking to Wen'er about this?!"

At this critical moment, how could Ji Wen go home? !

The Kun family will only succeed, not fail, so put your heart back in your stomach! !

The matter involved a crucial point. Even though all the people present were her confidants, Queen Kun did not say a word. She was so angry that she threw everything at hand. "Okay, stop talking. The palace gate will be locked soon. Go back." She finally stared at him with a warning, "Don't make trouble."

King Qian was silent for a moment, and finally had no choice but to leave.

…

There was a lot of commotion outside and big and small things happening in the palace, but Yang Yanzong had a rare half an hour of free time.

He returned home in the afternoon. The busy days made him too lazy to deal with non-urgent official business. He went straight to his room and took a hot bath to relax his muscles. Then he casually put on a pajamas and leaned against the head of the bed with his eyes half closed.

Su Ci rolled over and poked his thigh. Yang Yanzong ignored her, so she poked him again.

She was a person who would take advantage of the situation. Yang Yanzong lost his temper and his defense was broken. Although he was still angry in his heart, he was probably in a state of being angry and in love at the same time. Usually, his attitude was neither hot nor cold, but Su Ci pretended not to know and shamelessly approached her.

She stole a glance at him and poked him again. The weather was too cold recently, and Su Ci was not allowed to go out, let alone go out of the house. Everyone agreed on this point. As long as she gave in, she would be bored in the house, read books, and make a lot of sketches. She was extremely bored. It was a rare time when Yang Yanzong was not at work, so she would be busy doing this and that.

"Husband, be careful, Yang Yanzong?"

Yang Yanzong was annoyed by her poking and prodding. He shook the corner of the quilt and she rolled over to the other side of the bed. She rolled back again, and this cycle repeated. The next time, before he could touch her, she cried out, holding her abdomen, and said pitifully, "It hurts."

Yang Yanzong glared at her, but immediately sat up and rudely stripped her of her nightgown, ripped off her hoodie, and looked at the wound with a frown. Seeing that the edge of the scab was slightly red, he said angrily, "It's your fault!"

He tosses and turns all day long and never calms down for a moment, like a monkey.

He bent down, opened the drawer, took out the gold medicine, sprinkled the powder on it, then tore off the bandage and tied it around her seven or eight times, finally tying it tightly.

Su Ci: “…”

This is what it means to bring disaster upon oneself.

In fact, the redness was caused by her own scratching.

As we all know, when a wound is about to heal and the scab is about to fall off, it will always itch from time to time. Her hands were naughty and idle, so she always wanted to pick at it. Of course, she didn't dare to pick at the middle, so she just touched the edges and picked them off little by little.

Yang Yanzong understood what she meant as soon as he saw her, and tied her up tightly, letting you pick her!

Su Ci put on her pajamas reluctantly, buried her head in the quilt, and didn't want to move.

Quilts are a good thing in winter, but after enduring for so long, she thought that once her injury healed, she would not want to sleep in for a short time.

Sleep hurt.

…

However, this leisurely life did not last long. After the New Year, when the last stubborn little dot of the scab on Su Ci's abdomen fell off, new and tender pink flesh was seen.

The situation outside finally quietly reached a climax.

The Kun family had been hit again and again and seemed to be in a desperate situation. When the old emperor's nerves finally relaxed a little, the Kun family finally found the most appropriate time to take action!

The spring came quickly after the New Year. Before the tenth day, the ice and snow melted. A cold shower came down, and the chill that penetrated into the bone marrow made the old emperor decide to move to the hot spring palace in Xiling County.

This is the opportunity that Kun has been waiting for!

Fortunately, their plan went smoothly.

The old emperor had to go. Under Kun's deliberate and continuous counterattacks, the old emperor fell ill again last winter. It took a lot of effort for him to get up again before he recovered. His health had obviously deteriorated again. If Empress Kun and Uncle Kun were right, the old emperor would have to move to the hot spring palace after the new year. The old emperor's body might not be able to bear the cold and damp spring.

really! !

The Kun family has been hiding their edge, reducing their wings, and making plans for a long time, just waiting for this day.

Great, it’s finally here!

"The Southern Army, the Imperial Guards, and Huang Dewei..." On the long table was a map of the Xiling Palace. This map showed countless traces of having been touched. Uncle Kun had studied it for a long time and recently discussed it with everyone for a long time. The plan to force the palace was finally finalized.

"Shen Xing, you are in charge of the west. Just as you said, we will advance from Yuhe River and attack from both sides with Zhongchen. We will deal with Huang Dewei first!"

"Ziche, Li Yuan, you two and Yunlong will be in charge of the southeast. Together, we will capture Hong Qianting and the three guards of the Southern Army."

"And Sui Yu, you take Kun Tai and head straight to Sui Yang Road, cut off the reinforcements, block the news, and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"And Mei Ting and Zhang Ying, the two of you should attack from the north, your target is the Shang Tang Palace!"

As for Uncle Kun himself and Empress Kun, they will lead three hundred assassins and head straight from Chang'an Palace to the emperor's bedroom.

"Let's meet up here!!"

Uncle Kun, please give me a hand!

Finally, he raised the wine jar, slaughtered three animals in the dark room, drank blood as a sacrifice, and achieved success immediately!

"Everyone, let's drink this cup!"

"Dry!!"

Everyone present stood up. Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao also took the wine dripping with animal blood and drank it all in one gulp! !

…

Everything is being prepared in full swing.

Although calm on the surface, the situation is actually tense.

Although everyone who does something is eager to achieve success immediately, it must be said that this is a dangerous thing where one step short of success may lead to complete destruction.

No one can sleep well now, no matter what the result is.

He might succeed in forcing the emperor to abdicate, and then help the eldest son of the royal family to ascend the throne and control the government, second only to the emperor.

Maybe you will share the fruits of victory and move further to the pinnacle of power.

But there is also the possibility that the attempt to force the emperor to abdicate will fail, and he will be labeled a traitor and die without a complete corpse.

Nobody knows.

Therefore, all those who participated in the discussion had already made private arrangements for their families.

After Su Ci's scabs had completely fallen off and she had been recuperating for a few days, she was finally allowed to go out of the house. One day, Yang Yanzong came back and dismissed everyone, saying to her, "We will take action soon."

Su Ci's heart tightened.

Yang Yanzong continued in a calm voice, "There is a secret passage in the corner room of my study compound, which leads directly to a private house three miles away."

Not long after moving in, Yang Yanzong ordered people to dig a secret passage, which soon came in handy.

"On the tenth day, you go to Hongrui Hall and Shou'an Hall, and together with your father, you lead your mother and the rest of the family to the house via the Andao route."

Everything was ready. After Su Ci arrived, she changed her clothes and took a carriage out of the city.

"You know the manor in Longling, right?"

This is one of the secret bases prepared by Yang Yanzong.

After leaving the city, Su Ci took his family straight to Longling Manor and waited there.

Waiting for what?

Waiting for news of the palace coup.

"If it works, there's no need to say anything." The room was quiet with a dim light. Yang Yanzong smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "If it doesn't work, you and your family will have new identities and farms and assets, and you can leave Yangdu and go to the southwest."

He lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised them and stared at her familiar porcelain-white face. Finally, he said, "If that time really comes, if you don't want to stay at home, then go ahead and don't bother with anyone else."

The night was as cool as water. He spoke calmly, as if leaving his last words. Everyone seemed to have made new arrangements, except himself.

Su Ci listened in a daze, and after a while she held his hand, "What about you?"

"Is there no backup plan?"

She was anxious: "If, if it really doesn't work, and the situation is not good, can you think of a way to retreat?"

If you can't become a powerful official, you can at least become a wealthy man or a big businessman with your goods distributed all over the world!

In a desperate situation, she finally revealed some innocence.

In this kind of situation, if you fail, you will die. How can you have the option of retreating unscathed if you fail to force the emperor to abdicate?

Yang Yanzong's Adam's apple rolled, and he stared at her for a long while: "So, you are worried about me too?"

Su Ci retorted: "Of course I am worried about you, you are my husband!"

She has no plans to become a widow for the time being, so what weird things are she saying.

She glared at him.

Su Ci's words were so natural, and the anxiety and worry revealed in her eyes at this moment were real.

She wasn't devoted, but she wasn't really cold to him either.

If he died, she would probably be really sad.

It’s a pity that although she is sad, it probably won’t prevent her from remarrying after she has gotten over her sadness.

Of course, she would definitely not consider remarrying if there is no need, because she finds it troublesome.

After being married for a long time, Yang Yanzong gradually came to understand her a little bit.

It's true that her feelings always remain at a moderate level, but for him it is far from enough!

Yang Yanzong lowered his eyes and clenched his fist with the hand on the table!

"Let's talk about it when I come back alive."

After a while, he opened his eyes and said to her.

"But if... I have arranged everything, you can just go, but you are not allowed to show off your medical skills again."

He said calmly: "Mother, if you can take care of her, then do so. If you can't, forget it."

These words made people feel uncomfortable and slightly bitter. Su Ci was a little dazed. Before she could think of what to say, he turned and left.

Amid the howling cold wind and drizzle, his cloak fluttered as he strode into the rain and darkness of the courtyard.

Su Ci chased after him for a while, "I'll wait for you!"

"You better be careful!"

There may be unresolved conflicts between the two, and future developments may not be as expected.

But no matter what, take care of yourself!

I'll wait for you to come back! !

A cold rain was falling. Yang Yanzong paused for a moment. Without looking back, he strode away.