Seeing Yang Feng suddenly beheaded, the Imperial Guards were instantly terrified and dared not move forward again.
Seeing Bai Ying kill Yang Feng, Ye Yun excitedly raised his fist and shouted, "Well done!"
The generals behind Xuanyuan Zhan, upon seeing Yang Feng's death, quickly went from initial shock to relief.
That's great! The imperial guard who delivered the imperial decree is dead. That means the prince won't have to be beheaded.
Although none of them had spent much time with the Holy King, none of them believed he would rebel, so none of them wanted to see him die in vain!
"Holy crap!" Zhang Debiao, who was still kneeling, saw Bai Ying kill the Imperial Guard in the blink of an eye. He immediately shouted and rushed over with his double-edged axe, automatically standing behind Bai Ying. He raised his double-edged axe and shouted, "Let's see who dares to touch the Prince!"
Zhang Debiao's explosive roar left the Imperial Guards looking at each other in disbelief.
These bandits were indeed subdued by the Holy King. They were so protective of him that they even killed their deputy commander for his sake.
The Holy King has indeed amassed a private army. He did not report these bandits to the court. This is evidence of the Holy King's treason!
The people who were kneeling over there stopped kneeling when they saw this change and all gathered around.
"He's dead!"
"That's right, how could the prince plot a rebellion? It's utter nonsense!"
"The prince is so good! He even wanted to kill the prince. If we don't kill him now, we might as well keep him alive for the New Year!"
"Good riddance! How dare he frame the prince like that! Cutting off his head would be too lenient for him!"
When the Imperial Guards saw that the people of the North had gathered and were all denouncing Yang Feng, one of the Imperial Guards couldn't help but say to Xuan Yuanzhan, "Your Highness, the Deputy Commander was sent by the Emperor to deliver an imperial decree. You just killed him like this. Isn't that the same as disobeying an imperial decree?"
Before Xuan Yuanzhan could speak, Bai Ying interrupted, "I killed the man, it has nothing to do with the prince, and I defied the imperial decree, it has nothing to do with the prince!"
Xuanyuan Zhan scoffed disdainfully, "Haven't I already committed treason? What's one more charge of disobeying the imperial decree?"
Since they're going to behead him anyway, does it matter whether he disobeys the imperial decree or not?
Xuan Yuanzhan's words left the Imperial Guard speechless.
Xuanyuan Zhan stared at the Imperial Guards and said coldly, "Moreover, is this an imperial edict? How long has it been since the Emperor attended court? Can he issue an imperial edict? You have been in the capital all this time. You should know the Emperor's current health condition better than I do. Xuanyuan Yu and Xuanyuan Zhi forged the imperial edict. What crime have I committed by disobeying the edict!"
Xuan Yuanzhan's resounding words instantly silenced the Imperial Guards.
As members of the Imperial Guard, they had always been in the palace, so they knew the Emperor's condition better than anyone else. Ever since the Holy King came to the North, the Emperor had fallen ill and had not left Chengqian Palace.
Although they did not know whether the imperial edict was issued by the emperor himself, given the emperor's previous favor towards the prince, it was unlikely that the emperor would issue such an edict to behead the prince and display his head to the public.
Nowadays, the affairs of the court are handled jointly by the Second Prince and the Third Prince. The Third Prince still makes the decisions on many matters. It was the Third Prince who ordered the arrest of the Holy Princess and the Holy Dowager Princess. Therefore, the imperial edict to kill the Holy King was most likely issued by the Third Prince.
However, the Third Prince issued the imperial edict in the name of the Emperor, so the Holy King's actions can be considered as disobeying the imperial edict.
However, on the other hand, since the Third Prince is going to kill the Holy King, if the Holy King does not disobey the imperial decree, he will be beheaded in the North. The Holy King cannot simply sit and wait for his death.
Seeing that the Imperial Guards were speechless, Xuan Yuanzhan raised his voice again: "I have not built a private army. I submitted a memorial regarding the amnesty long ago. Moreover, the Northern City Army has not even been officially deployed yet. They are only used to help dig canals and distribute grain. Even when the Northern Rong invaded Beifeng, they volunteered to go to the battlefield, but I haven't let them fight yet. All the people and soldiers in the North can testify for me. Without the imperial edict, the amnesty is not considered successful. So how can I be accused of amnesty on my own?"
Xuanyuan Zhan's words immediately won the support of the soldiers and the people.
"That's right, the Northern City Army hasn't been officially deployed yet, so the Prince isn't exactly offering amnesty without permission! And there's no question of treason!"
"They just distribute food in the city and help dig canals. Given the current state of the North, it's only right that they, as citizens of the North, help with these tasks."
"The prince hasn't even officially deployed the Northern City Army yet, and the amnesty hasn't been successful, and the order to execute the prince has already been issued. This is too outrageous!"
Zhang Debiao retorted, "We haven't been officially recruited. The prince said we have to wait for the official imperial decree before we can wear proper military uniforms. Besides, we don't receive any military pay. We're just helping with food distribution and digging canals. We were only moved by the prince and are repenting for our mistakes. How can these things be linked to the prince's treason? The people in power are really good at making things up!"
Zhang Debiao was not very educated and spoke very crudely, so he wasn't afraid of offending his superiors.
Anyway, they're still bandits, and it looks like they can't be recruited. They might even die. Since they're going to die anyway, he's not afraid of offending anyone. What's there to be afraid of?
The Imperial Guards looked at Bai Ying, Zhang Debiao, and the other bandits, who were still wearing their bandit uniforms. They also recalled that these people had indeed been distributing food, and that on the way here, when they passed the Beiliang River, the bandits had indeed been digging a riverbed.
There were no bandit troops fighting on the city wall. The bandit army was indeed not officially deployed, so the Holy King's actions did not constitute unauthorized amnesty.
However, on the other hand, given the dire situation in the north, the prince hasn't mobilized these bandit troops, which shows that he is meticulous in his work and truly has no intention of rebelling.
Seeing that they had almost finished giving their testimonies, Xuan Yuanzhan continued to stare at the Imperial Guards: "Furthermore, even if I have indeed done something wrong, they shouldn't have executed me directly in the North. Shouldn't someone of my status be allowed to see the Emperor and have him personally try me? Now that the Emperor is seriously ill and unable to govern, Xuan Yuanyu and Xuan Yuanzhi are simply using the opportunity of managing the court to eliminate dissidents. In any case, I do not recognize this imperial edict, nor have I disobeyed it!"
Xuan Yuanzhan's words plunged the Imperial Guards into deep thought once again.
Indeed, even if the prince had done something wrong, how could someone of his status be so easily executed in the north? He should have been brought before the emperor for a personal trial.
In terms of status, the Second Prince and the Third Prince are not even as high-ranking as the Prince. How could they execute the Prince on their own? Their actions are simply unreasonable!
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