Chapter 159 Turning the Enemy to a Surrender
After escorting Prince Anshun and his entourage to the banquet, the Imperial Guard Commander Ren Yang left the Liuli Pavilion and stood guard outside with his men.
Hearing the sounds of drinking and revelry inside, and seeing his men looking listless, Ren Yang sternly said, "All of you, perk up! The Emperor specifically instructed that the Prince of Anshun and the others be escorted back to Dongling Pavilion without any slackening! If anything goes wrong, all of you here will lose your heads!"
"Yes!" The men straightened up and barely managed to perk up.
The guards all knew that Prince Anshun was in poor health due to his drinking, and he was accompanied by four women with their feet chained. Without help, it would have been impossible for him to escape from the heavily guarded palace.
No troops have entered the capital recently, and the Prince of Anshun's mansion only has a foolish young master left who has not been imprisoned, so there is no possibility that he will have any helpers.
The emperor was overly cautious, and the commanders obeyed his every command. It was pitiful that they had to stand outside in the sweltering heat, watching others enjoy fine wine and delicacies, doing these meaningless things.
Deputy Commander Liu whispered, "Commander Ren, all officials of the fifth rank and above except you are having a banquet in the Liuli Pavilion today. The brothers are watching over things here, so why don't you go in and join the fun?"
Ren Yang said in a deep voice, "How can I abandon my post when the Emperor has specifically assigned me this task? The simpler the task, the less careless I must be."
Ren Yang was a man of unwavering integrity and intolerant of injustice. Having found himself in a difficult position, Deputy Commander Liu could only lower his head and agree, remaining silent.
Midway through the banquet, a young guard rushed over and said anxiously to Ren Yang, "Commander Ren, someone from the manor just came and said that Madam is missing. The old lady wants you to take a few people to look for her."
"What?" Ren Yang's face turned pale with fright.
He had been married for four years, and his wife had finally become pregnant. Now that she was about to give birth, how could she have disappeared?
The young guard said, "Madam took two maids to the market during the day, but they didn't return until dark. The old lady sent people to look for them, but they couldn't find them, so she sent someone to the palace to inform you."
That means he's been missing for half a day.
His wife was always very particular about rules; she would never eat outside the mansion without his company, let alone spend the night outside.
The fact that the wife of the Imperial Commander was kidnapped is an utter disgrace.
Moreover, his wife was now six months pregnant, and Ren Yang became more and more worried the more he thought about it.
He glanced inside the Liuli Pavilion, where the banquet was in full swing. Even the Emperor was in high spirits, passing cups and toasting with his officials.
He steeled himself and went inside, intending to ask the emperor for leave.
Deputy Commander Liu pulled him back, "Commander Ren, if you go to see the Emperor now, won't you just cause him trouble? Just go back without worry. With so many brothers guarding here, how can Prince Anshun escape?"
Ren Yang was still a little hesitant, but having been by the emperor's side for a long time, he knew that the emperor hated officials letting their private affairs interfere with their official duties, and it was very likely that the emperor would not allow him to leave.
Although he was loyal, he could not ignore his wife.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to Deputy Commander Liu and said, "Then I'll leave this place to you. Make sure you escort Prince Anshun back to Dongling Pavilion. After I've taken care of things, I'll treat you brothers to a drink."
Deputy Commander Liu and his guards all nodded in agreement.
Without further delay, Ren Yang went to the Imperial Stables, rode a fast horse, and left the palace without stopping.
They had only gone through one alley after arriving outside the palace when they were stopped.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of horses' hooves approached from behind; he was surrounded at both ends of the alley.
Ren Yang looked at the person riding a horse slowly approaching him and asked in confusion, "Lord Cao, why didn't you attend the banquet today?"
Cao Ran was a third-rank military officer who had served Prince Anshun for many years. He was later transferred back to the capital after injuring his right leg in the war.
It is said that Cao Ran and Prince Anshun have always been at odds on the battlefield. The two have different opinions and have a long-standing grudge. Even Cao Ran's leg injury was aggravated because Prince Anshun deliberately delayed the treatment of the army doctor.
To compensate Cao Ran, the emperor not only promoted him but also put him in charge of training the Tiger Flying Army.
Today, the Tiger Soaring Army has more than 60,000 men, making it the most elite army in the capital.
A few days ago, when the Prince of Anshun's mansion was sealed off, Cao Ran held a grand banquet at the mansion and declared that the traitor had finally met his end, which was cause for celebration!
The emperor felt even more at ease with this person.
Cao Ran stopped his horse three meters in front of Ren Yang and said with a faint smile, "My old ailment flared up today, and my leg was in unbearable pain, so I have already asked His Majesty for leave. But Commander Ren, you left the palace without permission during your duty hours. Did you report this to His Majesty?"
Ren Yang, being the commander of the imperial guards, immediately realized something was wrong after Cao Ran's reply. He raised his voice and said, "Lord Cao, you're not here to arrest me for such a small mistake, are you? Did you kidnap my wife? What exactly are you planning to do today?"
Cao Ran laughed and said, "What kidnapping? Commander Ren, that's a rather harsh way of putting it. I was just asking your wife to go to a safe place to avoid the danger. By now, we should have already left the capital. By the way, when you came out of the palace, I went to your residence and picked up your mother and the rest of your relatives."
Ren Yang angrily said, "Cao Ran, are you crazy! Prince Anshun's fate is sealed, why would you gamble your future for a drunkard! Even if you try to blackmail me, there are other guards and imperial soldiers in the palace. Can you blackmail them all?"
Cao Ran raised his chin. “Commander Ren, that’s a good question. I can’t threaten everyone, but the only ones responsible for the safety of the palace are Commander Ren’s Imperial Guard and Lord Lin’s Imperial Guard. The two armies are responsible for different areas. If Commander Ren can transfer some of your men to the area under Lord Lin’s jurisdiction, then that section of the route will be unguarded, and I will have a way to rescue Prince Anshun.”
His gaze was calm as he spoke sternly: "The current emperor is incompetent and suspicious. Since his ascension to the throne, he has enacted numerous policies that harm the people. Now, even his own brother, who has served him for many years, is being driven to extinction and subjected to all sorts of humiliation because of a mere suspicion. Commander Ren, serving such a foolish and tyrannical monarch, don't you feel the pain of losing your kin and the inability to sleep at night?"
"Prince Anshun drank heavily to protect himself. He is brave and resourceful, far surpassing the current emperor. Not to mention the young and talented Prince Wen, who is gentle and wise. Whichever of these two becomes emperor will be a blessing for the officials and the people. Now is the best time for Commander Ren to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. To protect Commander Ren's family from the emperor's revenge, Prince Wen specifically asked me to escort your family out of the city first. Whether you join us in upholding justice or continue down this dark path is entirely up to Commander Ren."
Ren Yang's mind raced through a thousand thoughts in an instant.
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