In just less than a month, the world changed. The old emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne. The once inconspicuous Prince Liang became the new master of Tianji, and Concubine Xian became the most honorable empress dowager in Tianji because of her son.
But the new emperor's position on the throne was apparently not very stable. Just a few days after he ascended the throne, rumors began to spread.
The people all said that the new emperor had stolen the throne, and that the late emperor's preferred successor was the Night King who was on a military expedition. It was because the Night King failed to return to the capital in time that King Liang had the opportunity to seize the throne.
There were many different opinions among the people, and for a time the issue of the new emperor's succession to the throne became a topic of conversation among the people.
Chu Han, who entered the Taiji Palace, did not care about it. What always bothered him was Chu Xuan, who held a large number of troops.
On the dragon throne in the Taiji Hall, Chu Han, dressed in a dragon robe, sat on it, looking down from high above, like a god overlooking all living beings. This was the throne he had always dreamed of, and it was the long-cherished wish he had tried every possible means to achieve.
But this was far from enough. On the desk, a memorial was particularly eye-catching, reminding him all the time that the throne did not belong to him.
Except for the eunuch Defu who was serving by the side, everyone else in the hall was driven out by Chu Han, and the huge palace was silent.
Suddenly, there was a sound of paper shredding, and then the memorial that had just been placed on the desk was torn into pieces and thrown on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Defu quickly bent down to pick it up and threw it outside. Having served the emperor all his life, Defu had a sharp eye. He knew very well that this movable thing would not be to the new emperor's liking, so naturally he took it out and threw it outside without waiting for a moment.
Chu Han was still not satisfied after tearing up the memorial, so he casually swept all the cups, inkstones and other things on the desk to the ground, panting heavily and gnashing his teeth as he said, "Chu Xuan, you are looking for death. If you return to the capital, I will definitely not let you leave this capital alive!"
Yes, what just appeared in front of Chu Han was the memorial that Chu Xuan sent back in an urgent manner after traveling four hundred miles. It was telling Chu Han that Chu Xuan was back.
The next day, the news that Liang Wang Chu Han was plotting to usurp the throne and poison the previous emperor spread like wildfire. Chu Xuan then formally raised an army at Tianque Pass, and under the pretext of returning to the capital to serve the king and uphold justice, he formally declared war on Chu Han.
Chu Xuan controls nearly half of Tianji's military forces, and has Cheng Ruoxue's Cheng family army as a support. His strength is far beyond what Chu Han can compare to.
All the military forces in the capital were under Chu Xuan's control, with only 50,000 imperial guards. What made Chu Xuan most difficult was the various prefectures that needed to be conquered from Tianque Pass all the way to the capital.
The military forces of these states were a solid barrier for Tianji to defend against foreign enemies, but now they are turning their guns against their own people.
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the Laba Festival, which is originally a time for families to reunite and prepare for the Chinese New Year. It is an extremely important festival for the Tianji people.
Every year on Laba Festival, the emperor would climb up the city wall, scatter copper coins and celebrate with the people, but this year was particularly special.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, instead of celebrating with the people, news came that Night King Chu Xuan had officially launched an army at Tianque Pass.
The common people looked at the snowflakes falling from the sky, sighed, and shook their heads: "The world is going to be in chaos! This year is destined to be a year of chaos."
Since the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chu Xuan has led his troops to attack the neighboring Qingzhou. Qingzhou prefect Xie Tianzhang was so worried about this that his beard turned white.
He didn't know whether he owed the Night King anything in his previous life, as he had to confront him again and again.
Chu Xuan's troops were at the gates of the city, and the army stopped. Lu Yanluo, accompanied by Cheng Ruoxue, rode forward on horseback. When they reached the foot of the city wall, she said to Xie Tianzhang, "Master Xie, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you, Master Xie?"
Xie Tianzhang hid behind the city wall and pretended that he didn't hear anything. He couldn't afford to offend either of these two ladies!
Lu Yanluo didn't even think about Xie Tianzhang answering her and just continued talking.
"My prince was appointed by the heaven and appointed by the late emperor to be the new emperor of Tianji. However, the rebellious prince Chu Han took advantage of my prince's absence from the capital and conspired to kill the late emperor. He also forged the late emperor's will and killed loyal officials and innocent people after he succeeded to the throne. Everyone has the right to kill him. This time we are passing through Qingzhou and hope that Lord Xie can let us pass because of our previous friendship."
Chu Xuan then continued: "This king does not want to mobilize troops to Qingzhou, open the city gates."
[Xie Tianzhang has wasted all his time in the Cheng family army. He is as timid as a mouse! ]
"Xie Tianzhang, don't forget that you still have a big account to settle with us! Wang Jiyang of Tongzhou is dead. This is your last chance to reform. You must think carefully!"
As the saying goes, hit the snake at its most vulnerable part. Lu Yanluo's words really made Xie Tianzhang grit his teeth.
He is not stupid. The so-called new emperor in the capital is no match for the Night King. It is only a matter of time before the Night King returns to the capital and wears the dragon robe.
Because of the food and grass issue before, Xie Tianzhang believed that he had completely offended the Night King. His hesitation at this moment was nothing more than worrying about whether the Night King would settle old scores with him after he ascended the throne.
Unexpectedly, before the Night King ascended the throne, people came to settle old scores.
After a long time, there was still no movement at the city gate. Chu Xuan's patience was exhausted bit by bit. Although he was unwilling to mobilize troops against the provincial government, this was the first battle of the uprising, and he could only win, not lose!
Chu Xuan slowly raised his hand, and the soldiers behind him all drew their swords, ready to attack the city at any time.
At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared on the city wall and bowed in the direction of Chu Xuan: "Your Highness, King Ye, I am Xie Tianzhang, the prefect of Qingzhou, and I am here to see Your Highness, the Princess."
As soon as Xie Tianzhang showed up, Lu Yanluo knew that things had taken a turn for the better.
"Thank you, sir. I hope you are well."
Xie Tianzhang smiled bitterly, turned around and walked down the city wall, and opened the gate of Qingzhou in full view of everyone.
"Your Highness." Xie Tianzhang lifted his robe and knelt down, asking for forgiveness: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was selfish in transporting food and grass to Tianque Pass before, and I put you in danger. Please punish me, Your Highness."
[You still have some brains, knowing this and coming to apologize for yourself. ]
Lu Yanluo curled her lips at the side, looking quite disdainful.
Chu Xuan glanced at Lu Yanluo with a smile in his eyes, then looked at Xie Tianzhang and said calmly: "I have heard from the princess about what happened before. You were also deceived. The death penalty can be spared, but the living crime cannot be escaped. I originally wanted to exile you to Mobei and never come back in this life, but considering that you were decisive and courageous this time and avoided a war for Qingzhou, I will give you a lighter punishment. You don't need to be the prefect of Qingzhou anymore. Take your people and go to Tianque Pass to guard the city for me!"
Xie Tianzhang looked at Chu Xuan in disbelief. It took him a while to react and he kowtowed happily to express his gratitude.
He was originally a military general, and had been tired of being a civil servant for many years. To him, this punishment was not a punishment, but a great thing.