Chapter 870: Even lying in a coffin has become a luxury
The streets of the capital had long been under martial law, with patrols everywhere. The residences of the noble families and court officials were all surrounded, and the families of the officials were kept under guard, anxiously waiting for news from the palace.
The people who had heard the sounds of fighting outside were now trembling with fear and hiding in their homes, locking their doors and not daring to step out. All night long, they could hear the sounds of galloping horses and the clashing of armor in the streets.
Everyone knows that something big happened in Beijing tonight.
In the imperial palace, a white banner was hung high in the Xinde Hall, and the incense and candles in front of the coffin had been extinguished, but the smell of funeral candles in the inner room had not yet dissipated.
Amidst the smoke and dust, King Hui, Min An and others were tied up and thrown into the hall, with dozens of court officials who had voluntarily defected to King Hui when they saw the situation was not good kneeling beside them.
Everyone was lying on the ground with pale faces, shivering, or feeling cold all over as if they had lost their parents.
They just thought that the person lying in the coffin in the next moment would be themselves. No... if they plotted treason and rebelled, forced the emperor to abdicate and seize power, they would probably not even have a complete body left after the failure. Lying in a coffin would become a luxury.
The lives of the entire family were implicated, and even nine generations of the clan might not be saved. Many people looked at King Hui with the desire to eat his flesh and blood. If he had not repeatedly "tempted" them, they would not have gone astray to such an extent.
The gazes around him were so sharp that they made King Hui feel painful, and he was also filled with dejection.
He still hasn't figured out why things turned out like this.
It was obvious that everything was going according to their previous plan. He had prepared everything and everything was under control. He had captured Song Tangning, besieged Yongzhao Palace, and even prepared the backup plan in the capital. He only needed to issue an imperial edict announcing the empress to give up power.
Victory was clearly right in front of me, but why did I end up being trapped in a jar?
Whenever I think of what happened after I came to Xinde Hall, and the empty coffin, I realize how things took a sudden turn for the worse.
King Hui couldn't help but look at Liang Guangyi, Shi Qingrong and others standing there with a ferocious look.
"Why? Why would you turn against me and help the Queen fight me?"
Min An and the others who had their hands and feet tied were also extremely puzzled. They didn't understand that Cao Dejiang, Qian Baokun and others were fine, as they had been enemies with the aristocratic families for a long time, and there was nothing wrong with them helping the queen to plot against them.
But what are Liang Guangyi and Feng Qiuli trying to achieve?!
Min An asked in a hoarse voice filled with resentment: "I also want to ask you, why?"
"Liang Guangyi, you are also from an aristocratic family. The interests of aristocratic families have long been inseparable. It was you who kept saying that aristocratic families advance and retreat together, and it was you who told us over and over again that aristocratic families prosper and suffer together."
"We've been on the same boat for a long time. You and the Liang family were involved in everything that happened before. Why are you helping the Queen to harm us?!"
"And you!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Shi Qingrong with anger in his eyes:
"After you were imprisoned, the Queen treated your Shi family the same way. If we hadn't tried our best to protect you, you and your Shi family would have been wiped out by the Queen long ago."
"We went to great lengths to rescue you, and we used all sorts of methods to preserve the Shi family's foundation. Yet, you are so ungrateful that you are helping the Queen deal with us."
"Shi Qingrong, your Shi family also participated in today's rebellion. Do you think that if you betrayed her and defected to the Queen, she would forgive you? After we are liquidated, you, the Shi family, and Liang Guangyi will not be able to escape."
"The Queen will not let you go. Once she regains control of the court, it will be your turn to die. With her ruthlessness, you will be buried with us in the future!"
Shi Qingrong's face turned pale after hearing this, but he just stood stiffly behind Liang Guangyi without saying a word.
Of course he knew he couldn't escape, but what could he do even if he couldn't escape?
He is still confused and dazed, and has no idea what is going on. Even before he and the Queen came to Xinde Palace to deliver the imperial edict, he still thought that the aristocratic families would benefit tonight.
Shi Qingrong never intended to stab King Hui and his men in the back. He even always felt that he was one with King Hui and his men. The Shi family made great efforts in forcing the emperor to abdicate tonight. He threw in all the few remaining death warriors of the Shi family and the private soldiers he had raised over the years.
He was filled with joy as he watched the empress lose her power, watched Prince Hui take over the Yongzhao Palace, and watched the empress being forced to write an edict of abdication. He had already thought that the noble families would be able to regain their power after tonight, and even the distribution of official positions had been planned. But who could have imagined that when they stepped into the Xinde Palace, they had already stepped into a dragnet.
The court officials who were guarding the body faced them directly. The queen seemed to be in a weak position and was "held hostage" by them in front of everyone.
Liang Guangyi, who was supposed to announce the decree, opened the imperial edict and did not mention the matter of giving up power. Instead, he said word for word in front of everyone that King Hui had joined forces with the aristocratic families to instigate General Cen Guang of the Southern Pass to murder Yin Bao and others in an attempt to harm Your Majesty, and that they had colluded with Southern Qi and used the border war and the mutiny in the south as ironclad evidence to threaten to abdicate and seize the throne.
Prince Du Ji, who seemed to have surrendered before, suddenly turned against the Queen and accused Prince Hui and others of leading people to besiege Yongzhao Palace and threaten the Queen.
As soon as the words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar.
They were thrown into confusion on the spot, and Prince Hui wanted to capture the queen when he saw that something was wrong. When the situation became critical, Shi Qingrong was suddenly pushed from behind, and he knocked Prince Hui over and stood in front of the queen. He became the one who repented in time and retaliated against the aristocratic family, and what happened afterwards still makes him feel cold.
Yu Yanfeng, who had been missing, appeared in front of the palace. The dense imperial guards surrounded the entire Xinde Palace. King Hui and his men wanted to resist, but they didn't know that they had already been targeted by crossbows.
The person who attacked was pierced by a crossbow arrow and turned into a hedgehog before he could hurt anyone.
The queen was protected by Prince Ji, Liang Guangyi and others, and stood in front of the crowd unharmed, while they and Prince Hui were trapped in a jar and were captured without even having the strength to resist.
Prince Hui and his companions were captured on the spot. Several people from the noble families who accompanied them wanted to resist, saying that if the queen touched them, the capital would be a river of blood.
Who would have thought that as soon as he finished speaking, several heads were thrown directly in front of them. Feng Qiuli, who was supposed to be guarding the outside to provide support for the aristocratic family, appeared in front of the hall with a sword in his hand and covered in blood. He had a murderous aura and no trace of his former gentleness and kindness. The heads that were familiar to them completely cut off all their hopes.
It was only then that Shi Qingrong realized that Liang Guangyi and others had already supported the Queen.
Rather than fighting to the death against Do Min-an and the others, perhaps because he had "saved" the Queen, or perhaps because he knew the current situation, he transformed himself into the person who escorted the Queen back to Yongzhao Palace with Liang Guangyi.
His mission is to work with Liang Guangyi to gain the trust of Duan Zhiru and others so that the Queen can catch those Beiling assassins hiding in the capital, as well as the rat who is trying to stir up trouble in the capital by relying on the aristocratic families and relatives.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com