Chapter 501: A fight outside Xuanzheng Gate, whoever loses is a traitor.
Outside the Palace
The cabinet minister looked at Qiao Rushi who had just entered and said, "Your Highness, Xu Shujian is the favorite student of Minister Qiao. He may know his identity or even be involved in it. It is difficult for Your Highness to convince the public to let him in and out."
The room was full of important military officials, and He Zhiyu was sitting in the middle position at the top. Upon hearing this, he looked towards the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
"Xu Shujian is indeed a student of Minister Qiao, and I do not deny this. But he is now openly here, and all the officials and family members of the Qiao family are detained in the palace as hostages. I cannot sentence Minister Qiao to death just because of the teacher-student relationship."
Qiao Rushi nodded slightly, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness."
The Cabinet and the Six Ministries have always been hostile to each other. Although the entire family of the Prime Minister has been executed, the people in the Cabinet are still extremely dissatisfied with the Six Ministries and Qiao Rushi.
The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet said, "It is hard to guarantee that he did this intentionally because he knew that his identity was suspicious. If they had colluded secretly, the women of the Qiao family would be safe even if they were trapped in the palace, so he would naturally not be afraid."
He Zhiyu said calmly, "According to the Grand Secretary's words, should I execute Minister Qiao without any evidence? Minister Qiao has already asked the East Palace guards to follow him day and night, just to silence the gossips."
The Grand Secretary glanced at Qiao Rushi with an indignant look on his face but did not say anything else.
"Right now, my father is still in the hands of the traitors, and you guys are fighting among yourselves after all the discussions. Did I ask you to be here just to put on a show for me?"
He Zhiyu twirled the white jade ring with his fingertips. The gentle sound was like silk soaked in a clear spring, slowly passing through the gloomy and stagnant air in the hall.
His tone was as calm as always, but his inky eyes were filled with frost and snow, and he looked at people with such coldness and indifference that it made people feel a little suffocated.
The Grand Secretary immediately said, "I know I was wrong."
He Zhiyu glanced at everyone with an aggressive look, "Now it is uncertain whether my father is alive or dead, and the war has been deadlocked for more than a month. I am very worried about my father's safety."
The Dali Temple Minister said: "Your Highness, the Emperor is already seriously ill and has not recovered yet. We have no way of investigating what is happening in the palace. If we continue to delay, it will only put the Emperor in greater danger. It is better to attack as soon as possible."
The Minister of Rites said, "I think what the Dali Temple Minister said is correct. I dare to say something that is treasonous. The traitors have held the emperor hostage, and the emperor's life and death are now uncertain. Such a long time has passed, and although Your Highness dare not attack easily for the sake of the emperor's safety, waiting like this will only make the emperor's situation worse."
General Jinwu said, "Your Highness, there are only about 10,000 people in the palace, excluding the imperial guards. It is only a matter of time before the Cavalry Battalion's attack is successful."
Qiao Rushi was silent for a long time before speaking, "We will certainly win if we attack, but if the rebels are forced into a corner and hold the emperor hostage, which threatens the emperor's health, what should we do? I think it would be better to send someone to negotiate first."
The Grand Secretary asked, "Who should they send? You? Do you want to go in and tip off the enemy?"
Qiao Rushi remained calm and said, "I know I am incompetent. The Grand Secretary is an important official in the cabinet and is trusted by the emperor. Naturally, it is the cabinet that goes to negotiate, which will make the traitor feel that he is not despised and have a chance to negotiate."
"You!" The Grand Secretary glared at him. "Your Highness, I think Qiao Rushi's idea is too naive. Since the traitor dared to do such a thing, he naturally knew that there was no chance to retreat. Attacking now is for the emperor and for Dayu! Do you really want to wait for the emperor to be forced to write a confession so that Dayu will be destroyed?!"
Qiao Rushi said nothing more. The cabinet always liked to contradict him, so he would just play along with the cabinet.
He didn't know whether the emperor was dead or alive, but no matter what, the emperor would not survive for long if the prince attacked.
The idiot wanted to use the prince to pin him to death, but he didn't know that he had already revealed the news of Xu Shujian's rebellion to the prince. Otherwise, why would the prince transfer the Cavalry Battalion in advance and deliberately waste time not attacking to protect the emperor?
Besides, with Yan Yan around, the prince would not touch the Qiao family at all even if he killed the entire cabinet.
There are no absolute friends, only eternal interests.
Why should he do anything now? With Yan Yan around, the Qiao family will have no problem prospering for a hundred years.
In this case, why bother betting on one person's treasure?
He Zhiyu frowned as if he was thinking. After a long while, he finally spoke, "The army is ready for battle. We will attack the gate in half an incense stick of time!"
The palace gate was not easy to break through, but countless soldiers from the cavalry battalion fought one after another. When the palace gate was broken open, the flying copper nails fell like meteors, and the sound of the soldiers fighting made the eardrums buzz.
The personal guards of the former prince put up a desperate resistance. In the sea of blood, Xu Shujian and He Zhiyu, who was standing at the palace gate, made eye contact.
He Zhiyu slowly drew out the long sword from his waist, and the silver light of the sword was dazzling in the sunlight.
He shouted loudly: "Kill the traitors until they are dead!"
The soldiers' voices shook the earth and greatly boosted their morale.
The people around Xu Shujian kept urging him to retreat to the Yangxin Palace, so he withdrew his gaze and headed towards it.
The old emperor seemed to have heard the noise outside but no one could answer his words. He wanted to get out of bed and see for himself, but all the tendons in his legs were severed and he simply couldn't do it.
Xu Shujian stood outside the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, basking in the bone-warming sunshine, but his heart felt cold.
Even though the outcome was still uncertain, he knew clearly that he had lost.
Starting a rebellion is always a road full of thorns and uncertainties, but at this moment he was not so unwilling.
"Your Highness, I know there is a secret passage in this palace that can lead to escape. The current situation is not good, Your Highness should leave first and make plans for a comeback in the future!"
Xu Shujian said calmly, "I have no way out, let alone a chance to make a comeback."
After Xu Shujian said this, his mind suddenly recalled the scene of him painting a picture for Qiao Wanyan in the sea of flowers.
It obviously wasn't a very long time ago, but I feel nostalgic when I think about it now.
Xu Shujian suddenly laughed, "What a pity."
"What else did your highness say?"
Xu Shujian slowly pulled out the long sword in his hand and said, "Today's battle is my last battle. Everyone listen to my orders!"
Countless guards in the Yangxin Palace knelt down one after another.
Xu Shujian's voice was unprecedentedly loud. "If we don't fight the enemy today, how can we face our dead relatives and the forbearance we have endured for so many years? Destroy the palace, kill the dead enemy, let the blue bricks and stones be stained with the enemy's blood, fight for Dagan, fight for me, and fight to the death!"
The soldiers' roar was loud and long, pulling at everyone's heart like a chain.
Outside the Xuanzheng Gate, the two generals faced off.
The soldiers were all blood-thirsty and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
Everyone in the Cavalry Battalion saw their emperor being tied to a cross and humiliated in public.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
