Chapter 333 Peaceful Takeover
Seeing her gloomy face, Feng Er comforted her, "Don't be afraid, friend Wang. Fortune and wealth are sought in danger. As long as we pass this most dangerous hurdle, there will be nothing but glory and wealth in the future. Don't worry, my friend should be arriving soon—"
After that, she loudly encouraged Empress Yuan Chun, who was hiding not far away, "Your Majesty, hold on a little longer. Eunuch Yang has gone to call for help. My friend should be arriving soon—"
Yuan Chun took Zhou Jin to hide behind a screen. The screen had been hit by several arrows and had long since collapsed, falling diagonally on her. She had blood on her hands and hugged Zhou Jin tightly.
At first, Zhou Jin was so scared that she burst into tears and felt dizzy.
But now that he was holding his own mother, the child was no longer afraid. He just looked up at her with tears in his eyes and asked, "Mom, are we going to die too? Just like father?"
Yuan Chun smiled and wiped the tears from Zhou Jin's face with her bloody hands, and coaxed him softly: "No, we will live well."
"Can I see my sister again?"
Empress Yuan Chun looked confident and hugged her son tightly: "Of course."
She even killed people, so what else can't she do?
Get through it.
The day will always come.
Soon, the rain of arrows stopped—
The hall gradually became quiet, with only a dozen shot bodies left, and the floor in the middle was covered with blood.
Feng'er wondered if reinforcements had arrived. Just as she was about to stick her head out, she was grabbed by a pair of thin, snow-white hands. She raised her eyes and met Wang Qiushuang's panic-stricken face. She smiled and patted her hands.
Wang Qiu Shuang slowly withdrew her trembling hand, and her heart cooled down a little. She thought that the woman in front of her was really brave. She didn't show any panic in the rain of arrows.
She even asked the surviving soldiers to use the bodies of their companions as shields in front of them.
So rational, yet so ruthless.
Most of the hundreds of soldiers brought earlier had been killed or wounded, with only dozens left. They wiped the blood from their faces and kept gasping for breath. Even though their legs felt like they were filled with lead, they still forced themselves to stand.
Soon, someone shouted happily: "Miss Feng'er, there seems to be reinforcements outside!"
Feng'er simply stood out from behind the long table and walked straight to the door of the main hall. The midday sun was a little strong, so she raised her hand slightly to block it.
Feng'er squinted her eyes and saw a large number of soldiers in the distance, fighting with the archers on the city wall.
She exclaimed happily: "Reinforcements are coming!!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she casually picked up the sword from the corpse on the ground and settled the queen and the prince. "Your Highness, you will hide here for the time being."
Empress Yuan Chun looked up, her face pale. "What about you—"
"Reinforcements have arrived. I don't know who they are, but I have to get out."
Wang Qiushuang held her hand and said, "Friend, you and I are just women, weak and powerless. Let the men do the fighting—"
Feng Er's eyebrows curved, and she smiled heroically, "If a woman wants to achieve great things like a man, then she must charge into battle like a man. Friend Wang, the women of our Jinzhou Prefecture are all capable of bringing peace to the world with their pens and conquering the world with their martial arts. You just stay here and take care of it. I will lead the others to fight—"
"Xu Sheyou!!"
Ignoring Wang Qiushuang's pleas to stay, Feng'er raised her sword, looked around, and laughed heartily: "Dawn is approaching, brothers, do you still have the strength for one last fight?"
The dozens of soldiers struggled to hold on. They had exhausted all their energy in the previous battle and thought they would die here. Unexpectedly, reinforcements arrived, and their morale naturally soared. "Fight!"
"war!"
"war!"
"Okay, then follow me and fight your way out!!"
Wang Qiu Shuang watched Feng Er disappear before her eyes. There seemed to be light behind her. She stared at the back of the figure holding the sword as she walked away, and she couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.
There was a fight going on in front of the main hall.
Xu Huiming arrived with reinforcements.
With the success of the peace talks in the north, the people in Bianjing City, led by the Bai family, had no choice but to surrender to Jinzhou Prefecture.
Xu Huiming and Bai Ci'en's father Bai Houping secretly organized and contacted various military generals in the city who wanted to surrender to Jinzhou Prefecture. Since they had no soldiers, they used their personal guards, servants, and able-bodied men to gather a total of two to three thousand people.
In addition, they secretly instigated some middle-level generals among the soldiers defending the city to rebel. They joined forces inside and outside, attacked from the Meridian Gate, and fought their way in, which took them a full two hours.
And in the melee, there was only one girl, Feng'er.
Fortunately, she never gave up her martial arts. The girl once said that if a woman wants to have a career, she must have a strong physique. Therefore, no matter where she is, she always learns from Xu Zhenying and never gives up practicing.
At this moment, she was covered in blood, raising her hands and swinging her sword countless times, like a puppet, paralyzed and mechanical.
She didn't even know how many people she had killed.
All she knew was that her arm hurt.
But she couldn't give up.
The sky was about to brighten. This was the final battle, and she must live to see the day when His Highness ascended the throne.
She still has a lot of things to do.
She also wanted to accompany the girl to that free, fair and beautiful world.
Soon, she heard Xu Huiming's loud and powerful voice in the crowd, "Zhou Mian is dead, and the soldiers from Jinzhou Prefecture have entered the city. Hundreds of thousands of troops are about to reach the palace. You have nowhere to escape! Stop resisting! Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who surrender will not be killed!!"
Feng Er immediately followed suit and shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed!!"
Soon, the people led by Xu Huiming also received the signal and shouted in unison: "Those who surrender will not be killed!"
The sounds gathered into a sea, echoing within the high walls of the palace, giving people a deafening feeling. Countless soldiers on the city walls began to throw away their weapons and surrender quickly.
The emperor has run away, what are they fighting for?
If the fight continues, the only outcome is death.
Feng'er was running out of strength. Her chest was heaving violently, and her face was covered with other people's blood. Some of the blood even splashed onto her eyelids, slowly falling into her eyes, blocking her vision.
She heard someone calling her name across the crowd.
It sounds vaguely familiar.
She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xu Huiming's figure charging out from the midst of thousands of soldiers.
The man was wearing silver armor and riding a white horse. Amidst the hustle and bustle, under the brilliant afternoon sunshine, he rode across the mountains and seas.
Feng'er curled her lips slightly, wondering where Young Master Xu got this armor. He looked like a decent man when he put it on. He didn't have the bookish air of the past, but he really had the aura of a great general.
Xu Huiming reined in his horse about ten meters away, then turned over and almost ran over, hugging Feng'er in his arms in public!
It is said that men don't shed tears easily, but Xu Huiming's tears rolled down, wetting Feng'er's shoulders.
It turns out that human tears are so hot.
"Are you crazy? If you were still alive, why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you hide in the palace? Do you know how worried I was? I thought you were dead!!"
Feng'er wanted to tease him as usual, but Xu Huiming's voice was filled with a sad cry.
He held her so tightly that he almost rubbed her into his body.
At this moment, Feng'er felt Xu Huiming's concern for her and her heart softened.
Over the years, apart from His Highness and Zhenniang, perhaps Xu Huiming is the only one who cares about me the most.
Over the years, she and Xu Huiming were either in Gwangju or in Bianjing City, doing shameful things. It was like walking on a tightrope, and each other was their only support and reliance.
Feng'er's eyes also turned red, but she felt a strange emotion in her heart. She patted Xu Huiming's shoulder and said, "Master Xu, please pay attention to the situation. How about we repel the enemy first?"
Seeing her face covered in blood, Xu Huiming became extremely nervous, "Are you injured?"
Feng Er shook her head and wiped the blood off her face fiercely, "It's okay, it's all other people's blood."
Xu Huiming immediately let go of her with some embarrassment, his face flushed.
Soon, an old general came forward, escorted by a dozen personal guards. Xu Huiming immediately introduced him, "This is General Bai, General Bai Ci'en's father."
Bai Houping immediately looked at Feng'er.
He already had a plan in mind.
I have heard for a long time that women in Jinzhou Prefecture can also become officials. Seeing that this woman acts in an orderly manner, she must be from Jinzhou Prefecture, and maybe even a close confidant of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
"This is Xu Feng."
Another person with the surname Xu? Could he be another royal relative of Xu Zhenying?
Feng Er clasped her fists neatly and said, "General Bai, I am the Minister of Commerce of Jinzhou Prefecture, responsible for all matters in Bianjing City."
Xu Huiming smiled with pride and looked at the somewhat surprised General Bai Lao and said, "Yes, she is the one in charge of Bianjing City. She is my superior, so I have to follow her orders."
General Bai's gaze lingered on the two men's faces several times, completely ignoring the surging emotions between the man and woman. He maintained a businesslike expression, but when he looked at Feng'er again, his face was more respectful. "Minister Xu, my apologies."
The Minister of Commerce has the same rank as the six ministers. It seems that this woman holds a high position in Jinzhou Prefecture.
Feng'er was frank and open, her eyes bright. She didn't seem to be bothered by these minor details, and she quickly exchanged information: "Zhou Mian is dead, and the Queen Mother has fled with her men. They left through the west gate and should be leaving Bianjing City overnight. The Queen and the Crown Prince are still in the palace, so send someone to protect them first."
General Bai was very surprised: "The emperor is dead?"
According to General Bai's observation just now, there were clearly only dozens of people in the hall.
Even if Zhou Mian was at the end of his rope, he would still have hundreds of guards around him. How could they kill Zhou Mian?
It was Xu Huiming who asked first: "How did Zhou Mian die?"
"I persuaded the Queen to stab him in the back when she handed over the imperial seal."
"The Queen killed the Emperor?!" General Bai was so shocked that he was speechless. "But the Queen is just a weak woman..."
My impression is that Empress Yuan Chun always spoke in a soft voice, never beat or scolded the palace maids, and treated the concubines in the harem like sisters. She was a very kind and gentle person.
But why would she suddenly go to war against the emperor?
Moreover, Zhou Mian has been practicing martial arts for many years, so it is impossible for him to be completely defenseless against assassination.
Even if the Queen wanted to assassinate him, how could she succeed?
"We don't have time to review the process, let's talk about the plan first." Feng'er interrupted General Bai without hesitation. It was not until this moment that General Bai realized how strong this seemingly fragile woman was.
Minister Xu had obviously been in a high position for a long time. He was quick to make decisions and decisive in his words and deeds. "General Bai, how many troops did you bring with you?"
General Bai came back to his senses and said, "About three thousand."
“How many are left now?”
"We have mainly used persuasion throughout the process, so there hasn't been much damage."
"Okay." Feng'er spoke so quickly and hastily that it was hard for people to follow. However, her thoughts were still remarkably clear. "Master Xu, first send a team to take the Queen and the Crown Prince back to the palace for resettlement. There might still be remnants of Zhou Mian's forces in the palace, and we must prevent them from snatching the Crown Prince away. General Bai, please send a group of people to the west gate immediately to bring back the Zhou family. Then send a large team divided into ten small teams to relocate the eunuchs and palace maids who have not yet left the palace to one place, separating the men and women. Oh, and—"
At this moment, the fighting had just stopped. Wang Qiushuang and Eunuch Yang had already walked out, supporting each other. Eunuch Yang saw Feng'er waving at him and said, "Ask Yang Sheyou to go with you. He's familiar with the palace and can appease the people there more quickly. Yang Sheyou, go with them and appease the people in the palace. Tell them not to run around and to ensure that they have everything they need, including food, drink, and toilet. His Highness will probably be here for a day or two, so you can explain the policies of Jinzhou Prefecture to them in advance."
At this point, General Bai realized that this inconspicuous eunuch Yang might have already defected to Jinzhou Prefecture.
However, General Bai had been working in the court for decades, so he naturally understood the deep meaning of Feng'er's arrangements.
Sending Xu Huiming's men to detain the Queen and the Crown Prince clearly showed that they still did not trust these newcomers.
However, from these few words, it can be seen that although the woman in front of him is young, she handles government affairs flawlessly and exudes a sense of experience.
Especially the way she addressed Eunuch Yang was very interesting when you think about it carefully.
Club member?
Could it be that they have some kind of club in the palace?
Eunuch Yang's face lit up with joy, knowing that Feng'er was giving him a chance, and he quickly responded.
Feng'er was still making arrangements in an orderly manner. "General Bai, send another team, also divided into ten teams. Each team will be responsible for an area. Search the entire palace within an hour to ensure that no one escapes. Wang Qiushuang, organize some experienced people to clean the palace inside and out at night, especially the places where blood has been seen. They must be rinsed thoroughly. Don't touch the decorations, keep everything simple. His Highness prefers cleanliness and dislikes dirt. Also, clean up the Chaohui Hall and make it into a large conference room. Move the long table over and bring in more chairs. His Highness will definitely have a meeting first when he arrives. You should take care of the meeting affairs first. If you have any questions, come and ask me."
Wang Qiu Shuang was looking forward to Feng Er assigning her some work, and seeing that the things she mentioned were not difficult, she was happy and quickly agreed and started to ask someone to do it.
Feng Er then said to the other two, "Master Xu, you must lead your men to replace all key security posts in the palace with our men. Remember, we cannot have a repeat of the assassination incident in Qiongzhou last time."
This matter was of great importance, and Xu Huiming also knew the interests involved, so he nodded without saying anything.
After saying that, she looked at General Bai with a smile again.
General Bai knew this woman was powerful, so he didn't put on airs. He bowed to her with a flexible attitude and said, "Minister Xu, please give me your orders."
"General Bai, the remaining matter is the most important, and only you can do it."
"Minister Xu, please speak."
"Send a group of people to the capital to maintain public order and reassure the people of Bianjing, ensuring a smooth transfer of power. Secondly, go to the various nobles' residences to test the waters and gauge the attitudes of the civil and military officials. Don't cause any trouble when Your Highness enters the city, and don't play any tricks about sacrificing your life for the country. Simply tell them that Zhou Mian is dead, the rest of the Zhou family has fled, and that the loss of this country is not Your Highness's fault. In short, ensure that Your Highness's entry into the city is smooth."
By the time Feng'er finished explaining, the war was almost over.
Countless corpses were lying on the floor of the inner wall, and blood was flowing like a river. The remaining soldiers had been controlled and were waiting for Feng'er to give orders.
Feng'er looked at the sky in the distance. It was a clear and sunny day, but her heart could not calm down for a long time.
This day has finally come.
Soon, General Bai led his men to carry out their work step by step.
Even on the day of the coup, the city of Bianjing was peaceful.
The common people hid in their homes, only seeing the occasional people running on the streets and the soldiers marching back and forth, all with solemn expressions on their faces. Soon, several households closer to the palace could clearly hear the sounds of fighting and killing coming from the palace.
The sound lasted for a whole morning and then gradually stopped, followed by dead silence.
The people in Bianjing City have their own set of survival wisdom.
As common people living at the foot of the imperial city, everyone will experience a palace coup in their lifetime, but compared with previous ones, this one seemed too peaceful.
At least there were no soldiers slaughtering people indiscriminately, no scoundrels taking advantage of the chaos to loot homes, and no bandits suddenly swooping in to kill people. Even those who were not well-informed, upon waking up, noticed something was different in Bianjing.
The biggest difference is that the soldiers are moving again.
But this time, I don’t know whose private soldiers they are.
They held something shaped like an iron trumpet in their hands, and around noon, they went from house to house shouting.
"Keep your doors shut... Don't go out... Anyone who takes advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble will be killed..."
"The Emperor is dead. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has peacefully taken over Bianjing City. Please do not panic. Wait for His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's instructions before taking any action—"
"From now on, there will be a military patrol every hour. Do not walk outside, or you will be treated as a troublemaker and executed!"
"There's a service representative at the entrance of every alley. If you need water, food, or other daily necessities, if your family is at risk of dying of thirst, starvation, or freezing, or if there's a sudden illness, please inform the service representative and they'll help you handle it."
Such sounds came from outside one after another.
The people couldn't help but feel terrified when they heard it.
The emperor died again?
How many emperors have died in Bianjing City in recent years?
It's really sad.
If you think about it this way, being an emperor is no better than being an ordinary citizen.
I just don’t know what the new emperor looks like.
But it is said that it is a woman.
A woman becoming an emperor is something that has never happened in history, which makes people look forward to it.
In the deep peach blossom alley, the occasional footsteps outside always make people feel uneasy.
This made it difficult for the children to concentrate on their studies, and they kept looking out the window, appearing a little restless.
The young father, dressed in court robes, tapped the table lightly with a ruler to remind him, "Focus on your work. What's happening outside has nothing to do with us."
The boy, no more than seven or eight years old, was somewhat distracted from his studies. He looked up and asked his father, "Daddy, don't you have to go to court?"
"There's chaos and turmoil outside, why would we attend court?"
"Then why do you wear your work uniform at home?"
“Why do children ask so many questions?”
"Then why do we have to study this monthly report?" The child pointed at the monthly report on the table. "Dad, what are these markings on it? Are they characters or pictures?"
"This is called pinyin. It's used to help with pronunciation." At this point, the man recalled the coup d'état in the palace that morning, and his eyes darkened. "Perhaps soon, you'll have to learn this too."
"What about Dad? Does Dad have to learn too?"
"Everyone in the entire Bianjing city must learn it." The man touched his son's head and looked at the newspaper in a daze, as if in a trance.
I don’t know what kind of disturbances are happening in the palace these days.
The whole city of Bianjing was rumored in the afternoon that the emperor had died, but no one dared to ask how he died.
In these troubled times, not only do ordinary people have to keep their doors shut, but those of us who hold official positions have to be even more careful in what we say and do.
But we must never allow anyone to catch us and use it as an example to scare others.
It is better to stay still than to move, and wait and see what Han Xiang and his people decide.
"Read your book first." The man said this when he heard a flurry of hurried footsteps outside. At such a sensitive time, even the slightest footsteps in the room made his heart tighten. He turned around and saw his wife looking at him with a worried look on her face. "Sir, someone from the palace has sent a message saying that the palace has summoned all the civil and military officials to the Baohua Hall for a meeting."
The man sighed, as if ready to die. "What's coming has finally come."
The lady lowered her voice and said, "Didn't they say that person hasn't arrived in Bianjing yet? Who is delivering this imperial decree?"
"It's said that it's a minister from Jinzhou Prefecture, probably a close confidant of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao."
The lady held his hand, her eyes sad and worried: "Is there any danger on this trip?"
The man smiled. "Her Highness Prince Zhao is renowned for her benevolence and righteousness. She has never killed innocent people, whether civilians or officials. Perhaps Her Highness is coming to Bianjing City, and that minister wants to meet everyone in advance."
"If there is no danger, then why does my husband look so worried?"
The man sighed deeply, "As a minister of the Great Zhou, I am deeply saddened by the death of my lord. With each new emperor comes a new minister, and I don't know what the future holds. In my heart—"
His wife immediately tried to persuade him, saying, "Since the ruler of Jinzhou Prefecture has a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, perhaps he is a wise ruler."
"Maybe he is a wise ruler."
He sighed like this.
But she is a woman after all. No matter how benevolent and righteous this empress of all ages is, she is definitely a ruthless character to be the number one person in the history.
It is unknown what kind of turmoil will occur in the city of Bianjing after this.
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