Chapter 841 Munanguan Rebellion
Tang Ning was not trying to fool Madam Cui. In order to make her believe her sincerity, she directly called Yue Jian to get pen and ink. In front of Madam Cui, she wrote a letter stating that the officials of Yuanzhou would be temporarily transferred by the Bai family. One letter was directly handed to the people in the Yuanzhou government office as an order from the palace, and the other letter was given to the Bai family as a token of trust.
After finishing these two things, Tang Ning did not stop. Instead, he took the bright yellow satin and continued writing with his pen.
After she finished writing for a while, she took the imperial seal from Yuejian's hand and stamped it on the three things she had just written.
After finishing everything, she handed all the things to Madam Cui and said to her:
"Since you just said you have special means to contact your brother, then I'll give these directly to you. You can give the two imperial edicts to your brother and let him take charge of Yuanzhou's government affairs temporarily. You can have the people in the government cooperate with him. If necessary, you can also mobilize the Yuanzhou garrison and government officials to help your brother reach Munan Pass as soon as possible to rescue His Majesty."
"As for the Red Book and Iron Scroll, it should have been verified by the Ministry of Rites, then written by Your Majesty and then carved. However, time is tight and there is no time for that. Furthermore, we don't want to alert too many people about the events in Yuanzhou, so I will use this instead."
Madam Cui looked at the thing in her hand, her eyes fell on the handwriting on the silk, and she heard Tang Ning say:
"Madam Cui should understand the significance of this item. It's enough to reassure your brother and the Bai family. Once His Majesty escapes Southern Qi and returns safely to the capital, the Bai family can exchange this item for the Red Book and Iron Scroll they desire. At that time, the decrees granting you titles of king and marquis will also be given to you."
"This is my sincerity to you."
Madam Cui held the object in her hand, a look of joy on her face. She looked up at the Queen as she put away the Imperial Seal and handed it to Yue Jian beside her. Yue Jian carefully placed it in a safe place. She glanced at it and quickly looked away. She knelt down with the object in her hand and said respectfully:
"Don't worry, Empress. I will deliver the items to Yuanzhou immediately. My brother has already sent people to Yongcheng, near Munan Pass. As long as the items reach Yuanzhou and I send word, those people, food, and money will be delivered to Munan Pass within a day."
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but look deeply at Madam Cui: "You and your brother are very far-sighted."
Mrs. Cui naturally understood what she meant.
Tang Ning did not make things difficult for her. After giving her the things, he asked Madam Cui to leave the palace first and send the things to Yuanzhou as soon as possible. When she had the news, she would come back to the palace to tell her.
Madam Cui walked out of the hall slowly, and before she reached the door, she vaguely heard the voice of the maid named Yuejian from the inner room.
"Your Majesty, the Cui and Bai families are clearly taking advantage of the situation. They must have anticipated this day and are hoping to profit from the pressure from the aristocratic families. Otherwise, why would the Bai family have sent food, fodder, and money to Yongcheng so early?"
"And they've already started this commotion right after the official ship heading south sank. How did they predict that the imperial court would be short of money and food? Could it be..."
Yue Jian didn't finish her words, but the unfinished meaning was very clear. She obviously suspected that the sinking of the official ship was related to the Cui and Bai families.
Mrs. Cui narrowed her eyes slightly and heard the Queen's voice coming from inside.
"No, when I ordered the money and food to be sent south, the official ship was not handled by anyone. Not even the Cui and Bai families, not even Liang Guangyi and his men had the power to interfere. As for the Bai family's money and food, Great Wei and Southern Qi suddenly went to war, and Yuanzhou is not too far from Munan Pass. It's not surprising that a prominent family like the Bai family would have gathered money and food early to prepare for emergencies."
"The sinking of the official ship must have been an accident. It's normal for the Bai family to get wind of such a big commotion. Madam Cui is a shrewd person, and her brother is naturally not too bad. They anticipated that the noble families would take advantage of the sinking to force me to surrender, so it's normal for them to want to profit from it."
The Queen's voice was a little unclear, but she no longer had the decisiveness and calmness she had just had.
"No matter what the Cui and Bai families want, I am actually glad that they have already sent the money and food to Yongcheng..."
Although Yuanzhou is not too far from Mu'nan Pass, it still takes six or seven days even at a fast pace. If you take into account the collection of food and grass and the escort on the road, it is probably impossible to reach Mu'nan Pass in more than ten days. In addition, a letter has to be sent from the capital to Yuanzhou, and the Bai family will not set off until they get the things. It will take more than twenty days to go back and forth, and who knows how many accidents will happen in Southern Qi.
But now the Bai family's things are in Yongcheng, and the things in the capital are sent to Yuanzhou at an express speed of 800 miles. After the Bai family gets them, they can send a message to order someone to send the things to Munan Pass, which can save at least half of the time. Isn't it a blessing for the trapped Xiao Yan?
Mrs. Cui held the thing in her hand, a strange look flashing across her eyes.
"Madam?" Pan Xi saw her standing still in front of the door and looked up in confusion: "Madam, is there anything else?"
Madam Cui smiled and said, "Nothing."
She walked out of the gate of Yongzhao Palace holding the things in her hands, and then left the palace. Shortly after returning to the Cui family, she delivered the things given to her by the queen. The secret guards sent by Tang Ning also saw with their own eyes that the people of the Cui family sent the things to Yuanzhou at full speed, and followed them for two hundred miles before returning to the capital.
No one knew about the private "deal" between the Queen and the Cui family. The aristocratic families continued to be aggressive, the court became more and more tense, and the situation in the palace became worse and worse. Tang Ning often summoned Madam Cui to the palace to inquire about the affairs of the Bai family. Unexpectedly, after just over ten days, bad news came from the south.
Xiao Yan, who was trapped in Southern Qi, tried to break out but was attacked and went missing after being seriously injured.
Upon hearing the news, Deputy General Cen Guang of Munan Pass executed the seriously ill General Yin and imprisoned Xiao Jinan and his son.
When the news was secretly passed back to the capital, not only Liang Guangyi was in disbelief, but even the people from other aristocratic families were shocked.
"Is Cen Guang crazy? What does he want to do?!"
They just wanted to restore the power of the aristocratic family and return to the court. Even if they forced the queen, it was just to make her give in while Xiao Yan was away from the capital, but they never thought of actually rebelling!
All military power in the capital is in the hands of the Queen, and their clan members and relatives are still here. Even if they want to rebel, they have to leave a way out for their clan members. They should find a way to send their relatives out of the capital before fighting to the death, instead of acting rashly while they are still in the city.
Feng Qiuli's face was extremely grim. "Don't blame General Cen. His letter said that after His Majesty was seriously injured and missing, Xiao Jinan and his son wanted to lead troops to Southern Qi to rescue His Majesty. He disagreed, and Yin Bao took advantage of the opportunity to seize his military power. When he was forced to fight back, he accidentally injured the already seriously injured Yin Bao, causing his death. Things got out of control from then on."
"Yin Bao was stationed at Mu'nan Pass for over ten years and had a huge influence in the area. He died at the hands of General Cen, and unrest broke out there. He had no choice but to take the initiative and capture Xiao Jinan and his son."
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