Chapter 257 This is the Emperor
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao's lips curled into a knowing, mocking smile.
"I'm sure Prime Minister Zheng must have warned you repeatedly not to harm me in the slightest, right?"
Once Zheng Xinglang appeared, how could Li Yuanzhao not guess who was behind him?
Zheng Wenkai...
She had long known that Zheng Wenkai was resentful and would never stand by and watch a woman ascend the throne, so she had long ago placed him under house arrest in the mansion under the pretense of being a "partisan of the Cui family."
However, Zheng Wenkai was a veteran official who served three emperors and was known as the "pillar of stability" in the court, enjoying considerable prestige. Behind him was the Zheng family, one of the five great aristocratic families.
She has not yet ascended the throne. If she were to kill him directly, it would only incite dissatisfaction among the old officials and cause turmoil in the court.
Therefore, his life was spared for the time being, to be dealt with on charges of "treason" after he ascended the throne.
It was unexpected that Zheng Wenkai was so bold, even while imprisoned, he was still able to instigate the Longwu Army to rebel and set up this scheme in conjunction with the Duke of Liang.
But he was even faster than her!
But what can they do to her?
With the imperial guards at her command, the guarantee of hundreds of officials, and the support of the people, she was the new emperor who had just received the mandate of heaven and rightfully ascended the throne.
They had the audacity to kidnap her, but they didn't dare kill her easily.
The 100,000 troops under Shen Guojiu in the northern frontier, along with the 50,000 Imperial Guards and 10,000 Golden Guards in the capital, are not something their few thousand troops can handle.
If anything happens to her, they will immediately surround and annihilate these people.
The people and officials of the land will forever brand them as "regicides and traitors," subjecting them to endless condemnation and relentless attacks.
Local governments will surely rise up against them, causing them to die, be disgraced, and be infamous for eternity.
This is the emperor!
The emperor receives his mandate from Heaven, and cannot be easily shaken by a single soldier.
Why did the emperor need such elaborate ceremonies as offering sacrifices to Heaven, reporting to the temple, and receiving the imperial seal when he ascended the throne?
Those layers of rituals built not only on authority, but also on "the Mandate of Heaven, social order, and the hearts of the people"!
Those who kill their ruler lose the Mandate of Heaven, disrupt the social order, and destroy the hearts of the people.
It's not that whoever kills the person on the throne can secure that position.
Throughout history, so many powerful princes and influential ministers who held considerable military power did not dare to easily take action against the emperor, and this is the reason why.
All they could do was hold her hostage and then incite the court officials to persuade Shen Guojiu and Shen Churong to surrender.
Only after introducing a "new ruler" to justify their rebellion and gain a legitimate reason for it will they dare to actually take action against her.
Just as she was wary of killing Zheng Wenkai, Zheng Wenkai was also wary of killing her.
Because a single misstep could plunge the world into chaos, no one dares to gamble.
Therefore, she was certain that Zheng Wenkai must have instructed Zheng Xinglang long ago to spare her life no matter what the situation was.
As expected, Zheng Xinglang's expression turned ugly instantly upon hearing this.
He never expected that Li Yuanzhao would guess his uncle's instructions to him word for word.
This woman's mind was so terrifying that it made his heart tremble.
For a moment, he was intimidated by Li Yuanzhao's imperial power and dared not actually make a move.
Just as he was hesitating, sure enough, the sound of uniform footsteps came from outside Longwu Gate and the passageway connecting Longwu Gate to the palace, growing louder as they approached.
Before long, a soldier whispered, "General! Shen Churong has led the Imperial Guards to surround the entire Longwu Gate tower!"
Zheng Xinglang peered down from the city wall and saw a dark mass of Imperial Guards standing in formation, their chilling aura palpable even from a distance.
Their numbers and scale were far beyond what they could possibly contend with.
Upon seeing Zheng Xinglang, Shen Churong shouted, "Listen up, you traitors on the city wall! Release His Majesty immediately and surrender, and I will spare your lives! If you dare to resist, today will be your death day!"
Immediately, a unified cry of "Kill! Kill! Kill!" rang out from the Imperial Guard ranks, shaking the city tower slightly.
Upon hearing this, the officials erupted in a long-suppressed commotion.
Everyone's faces lit up with the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster. One person's voice trembled with excitement: "It's General Shen! General Shen has arrived with the Imperial Guards! We're saved!"
Zheng Xinglang was surprised that the Imperial Guards arrived so quickly, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried about the next steps.
These Longwu soldiers who followed the rebellion completely lost their momentum, and many of them were having second thoughts.
Seeing this, Zheng Xinglang angrily rebuked, "What's the panic! The emperor is in our hands, how dare they make a move?"
However, he sounded somewhat unsure of himself when he said that.
Only the Duke of Liang remained completely calm. He held Li Yuanzhao hostage and shouted loudly towards the outside of the city.
"Shen Churong! Take your men and leave the palace! Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless and letting the new emperor's blood splatter on the spot!"
After saying that, he slightly tightened his wrist, and the soft sword moved closer to Li Yuanzhao's neck.
Shen Churong stared anxiously at the soft sword at Li Yuanzhao's neck on the city wall.
He wanted to rush to save the person immediately, but he was also afraid of provoking Duke Liang and actually hurting Li Yuanzhao.
Just as he was caught in a dilemma, he saw Li Yuanzhao slowly raise his eyes and give him a look.
He instantly understood that Li Yuanzhao had his own plans, so he suppressed his surging anger and waved his hand, "Everyone, listen to my command! The entire army retreats!"
After all the imperial guards had withdrawn from outside the city gate, Zheng Xinglang on the city tower breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Duke Liang with more respect.
He dared not delay and hurriedly ordered, "Close the city gates! Take all these people away!"
In the end, all the civil and military officials were imprisoned in the Taiji Hall, and Li Yuanzhao was also imprisoned in the Xihe Palace. Five hundred soldiers guarded the gates, making escape impossible.
As for Ru Mo and Su Qingci, Zheng Xinglang hesitated for a moment, but in the end he didn't dare to touch them. He just imprisoned them in the dungeon and would make a decision after his uncle arrived.
Now, the entire palace of the Great Qi Dynasty is surrounded by the Imperial Guards, and those inside cannot get out at all.
The palace was heavily guarded by the Longwu Army, which also coerced the new emperor and his officials, preventing outsiders from easily breaching the walls.
The two sides remained at loggerheads and locked in a stalemate.
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