Chapter 516: War drums sound, Dragon Court guards arrive, the capital is surrounded
When Emperor An heard what Cao Dejiang said, he felt as if his face was being thrown to the ground and stepped on. He laughed in anger.
"Well done, what an upright and unparalleled Cao Boru!"
His face was stern: "Come here, take Cao Dejiang down with you!!"
Although he was said to have captured him, everyone could see that Emperor An intended to kill Cao Dejiang.
Qian Baokun quickly walked over to Cao Dejiang and said, "Lord Cao was just speaking frankly. Your Majesty, why are you so angry?"
Marquis Wenxin also said coldly: "The censors have the duty to give direct advice. Beating and killing is the act of a tyrant!"
Although the Qingliu faction had long been shocked by the palace coup, they knew that Cao Dejiang must not die. Moreover, the power of the Censorate to make direct criticisms was originally granted by Emperor Taizu, and it was also their duty to advise the emperor. If Emperor An really killed Cao Dejiang, the Censorate would become an abandoned place in the future.
"Mr. Cao is the Imperial Censor. It is his duty to advise His Majesty."
"Although Xiao Yan committed an act of rebellion, he has already agreed to withdraw. And since Your Majesty has already promised not to pursue the matter further, you should not go back on your word."
"A ruler's word is his due, and he never jokes."
"Lord Cao has never had any dealings with Xiao Yan, and there is no way he could have colluded with him. Your Majesty, please do not be confused and hurt the heart of a loyal minister."
Gradually, people in the crowd started to speak up, and more and more people stood behind Cao Dejiang.
Emperor An watched those people talking at once to plead for Cao Dejiang and even criticize him. He became even more furious. As the nerves in his brain began to beat, his eyes were bloodshot and he only wanted to kill all those who had made things difficult for him.
He grabbed something on the table and threw it at the person who spoke last.
"I've already said that anyone who pleads for Xiao Yan will be killed!"
"Since you all want to die so badly, I will grant your wish, Liu Tongen!!"
More and more imperial guards were fighting in front of the palace. After Emperor An gave the order, some people came towards the palace.
Emperor An said coldly, "Kill them all. If anyone else dares to plead for Xiao Yan, they will be punished as well!"
The expressions of the civil officials who had spoken just now changed. No one had expected that Emperor An would actually want to carry out a bloodbath.
The expressions of those who had not spoken also changed. Looking at Emperor An, who had disheveled hair, red eyes and a ferocious face, they thought he was crazy. Xiao Yan, a "rebel", had not hurt anyone and only asked for justice, but Emperor An actually wanted to massacre the Purple Palace!
General Yin looked at him coldly and kicked the imperial guard who wanted to kill the civil official. Several other generals also stepped forward and surrounded Cao Dejiang and others.
The atmosphere in front of the hall became tense, with the emperor and his ministers confronting each other.
"Do you want to rebel too?!" Emperor An held on to the throne tightly.
"I don't want to rebel, but I will never watch a tyrant destroy the Wei Dynasty!"
"Yin Bao!!"
Emperor An looked at the generals headed by General Yin, his eyes becoming even redder with anger. As the monarch and his subjects confronted each other, the sounds of fighting between Xiao Yan and the Imperial Guards became more brutal.
Prince Zang, who had been hiding behind a beam and trembling, was suddenly kicked and pushed hard on the shoulder. He staggered out from behind the crowd. He turned around in panic and didn't see who was attacking him. When he wanted to hide again, everyone's eyes were on him.
Emperor An was murderously angry: "Xie Pingjia, you want to rebel too?!"
Prince Zeng's face turned pale, and he felt a sharp edge on his back. The look from Emperor An above him seemed as if he wanted to skin him alive.
His legs were shaking, but he had nowhere to go. He could only face the gazes of those behind him and said with a stiff back:
"Father is the sovereign, and I, your son, would never dare to disobey you. However, you are wrong in what happened today."
"A ruler should govern with virtue, and a gentleman should not easily go back on his word. Since your father has issued an imperial decree, it should be carried out. The incident of twenty years ago should be investigated, and the He family may not be plotting treason. Whether for the innocent people who died in the South or for the integrity of the court, your father should not go back on his word, and he should not kill the censors and court officials in anger."
Prince Zan had no way out and didn't know whether he would live or die after today, but things had come to this point and he could only go down this path.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to revoke your order and release Xiao Yanli from the palace. Follow the advice of Lord Cao and General Yin and thoroughly investigate the old case."
Emperor An looked at his second son below with a grim expression, veins popping out on his forehead as he sneered.
"Good, very good, you are indeed my good son!"
He stepped on him to win the hearts of the court officials, and he was fine!
"Capture the Prince of Zan together, regardless of life or death!"
Emperor An made no secret of his murderous intent. The faces of those generals turned cold and stern. The whole palace was in chaos when everyone was fighting. Some court officials began to get injured, and women and children screamed in fear.
Liang Guangyi and others felt a chill in their hearts. When they looked at Emperor An, they felt that he was really crazy. If he killed those civil and military officials, more than half of the court would be empty. Yu Yanfeng held the sword in his hand with veins bulging. He looked at the increasingly tragic scene in the palace with hesitation and struggle.
Eunuch Feng stood beside Emperor An, who had a sinister look on his face, with a finger-long sword hidden in his sleeve. He slowly leaned against Emperor An, pretending to protect him, but the corners of his mouth were getting tighter and tighter.
Seeing Xiao Yan covered in blood in front of the hall, he was about to pull his hand away.
There was a loud bang that almost echoed throughout the entire palace.
What followed was the continuous sound of drums. Unlike the dull drums used to send messages in the palace at the beginning, this drum sound was earth-shaking, piercing through the night sky and hitting the hearts of everyone in the hall.
Yu Yanfeng suddenly looked up: "War drum?!"
Where did the war drums come from in the capital?!
Liu Tong'en, who had been besieging Xiao Yan, was also momentarily distracted. Xiao Yan slashed his shoulder with a sword, and he stumbled back. He didn't approach again. Instead, like the other generals in the hall, he raised his head and looked towards the night sky outside: Why is there the sound of war drums?!
"Stop!" Marquis Wenxin shouted, "Your Majesty, this is a war drum. Stop it now!"
General Yin also said coldly: "This is the sound of drums only heard on the battlefield, used to command the army to advance and fight."
Emperor An's expression changed, and he said sternly, "Liu Tongen..."
"Your Majesty, this is not my humble servant's."
Liu Tong'en also had an ugly expression on his face. He had previously been suspicious of Xiao Yan, and because of Lu Chongyuan's words before his death, he also became suspicious of Di Tao who suddenly appeared in the capital. He found a way to make a move among the people in the four camps outside the capital, and also arranged for some people to stay in the dark to prevent accidents, but he never brought that private army into the capital.
After the coup, Feng Lai helped him send signals to the people outside to take action, using secret drums and signal fires as signals. Someone outside was restraining Di Tao and others in front of the palace gate, so he and His Majesty dared to take action against Xiao Yan. However, the sound of the war drums was distant, continuous but not too close, and it took several drums to sound at the same time before it reached the Purple Palace.
This sound didn't seem to be coming from the palace gate, but rather from outside the city...
Emperor An suddenly looked at Xiao Yan: "It's you!"
Xiao Yan's clothes were stained with blood, and his crimson official robe was torn countless times, but Tang Ning in his arms was not hurt at all.
Hearing Emperor An's question, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered, and as the long sword in his hand dripped blood, his face was filled with sarcasm and ridicule:
"I have already said this. I hope Your Majesty will remember what you said."
"I don't want the He family's reputation to be tarnished. I only trusted you once for the sake of General Yin and the others. It's a pity that you don't cherish it. In that case, I have no choice but to do as Your Majesty wishes. I just don't know if Your Majesty can control the personal guards passed down by Taizu after the Shang family and the Dragon Court Guards enter the palace."
Emperor An froze all over. The previous moment of madness was like a pour of cold water on his head, and he almost fell down.
Dragon Court Guard? !
Dragon Jade Order...
The death of the late emperor!
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