He didn't say anything to An Zhongyi for fear of scaring him.
An Zhongyi agreed with the excuse of going out to play and sent a group of confidants to accompany him.
After collecting enough money at home, An Zhongyi was immediately carried into the palace.
The emperor wanted to kill An Zhongyi, but he needed an excuse, otherwise people would say he was heartless and disloyal. Even if he was such a person, he was unwilling to admit it.
On the one hand, he asked Prime Minister Song and others to continue to organize the evidence of An Zhongyi's crimes, while on the other hand, he kept An Zhongyi steady, acting as if he relied on him very much.
Within a few days, all the evidence was gathered, and when he wanted to kill An Zhongyi, he discovered that the bandits had launched a surprise attack and were already at the gates of the city with a team of cavalry!
The people in Kyoto were in a panic, and people were everywhere packing their bags and preparing to flee.
Not only the common people, but even the high-ranking officials of the court were ready to flee immediately if the situation turned out wrong.
The emperor was so frightened that he was restless in the palace and summoned all his ministers to discuss the matter.
"What do you all have in mind? If you have any, please speak up! The enemy is already at the gates of the city! It won't be long before the city falls and no one can escape!"
In order to quell the bandits, all the troops were mobilized to all directions. Even if an imperial decree was issued to defend the city, it would take at least ten days. However, it did not look like the city could be defended for ten days. All the ministers were silent and said nothing.
The emperor was even more furious when he saw this. "Speak, speak, speak to me! Aren't you all usually very talkative? Didn't you promise to help me with the military expenses to quell the rebellion if I could get rid of An Zhongyi? Now I can get rid of him right away, so come up with a solution for me!"
An Zhongyi, who was standing in the court, was stunned when he saw such cold and ruthless words coming out of the emperor's mouth.
Prime Minister Song sighed, "Your Majesty, at this moment, we can only have someone escort you south. These bandits are from the Taiping Sect. They have a magical weapon called gunpowder, which is said to be able to break through any wall, no matter how thick it is. It's only a matter of time before the city falls."
"No! I absolutely cannot go south! If I flee south, how can I face my ancestors?!"
The emperor couldn't understand why, in just over a year, the empire had become so divided. A group of bandits, clearly rebels, were even better equipped than the imperial army. Hadn't they been stationed in the northern border towns? How had they suddenly arrived at the very foot of the imperial city?
Seeing that the emperor was unwilling to leave, someone suggested, "Your Majesty, why don't we send someone to talk to them, see what they want, try to satisfy them, and send them away."
The emperor was about to agree when someone suddenly broke into the hall.
"Report!"
"Tell me what's the matter!" the emperor said angrily.
"Your Majesty, the bandits outside have sent a message saying that if you are willing to hand over An Zhongyi and his entire family to them, they will agree to withdraw their troops."
The emperor and all the officials in the court were overjoyed when they heard this.
The emperor stepped down from the throne and asked, "Are you serious?"
The messenger said tremblingly, "I dare not hide anything, the thief is still shouting outside."
"Good, good, good!" The emperor was overjoyed and walked back to the throne with the gait of a dragon and a tiger. "Quick! Send someone to arrest An Zhongyi's family! Send these thieves away as soon as possible!"
Prime Minister Song clapped his hands and laughed, "It must be An Zhongyi's perverse actions that have caused the people to resent and forced the whole country to rebel. Now the villains must be here to kill him!" He smiled triumphantly at An Zhongyi and said, "An Zhongyi, Eunuch An, your retribution has come."
No one had any doubts about this. An Zhongyi was notorious, so it was normal for people to rebel specifically to take An Zhongyi's head.
An Zhongyi's face was as pale as death, and the people standing behind him looked as if their mother had died. Now that An Zhongyi had fallen, they were like rootless duckweed, and could only be manipulated by Song Shoufu and his gang.
An Zhongyi was very grateful at this time. Fortunately, his son had left the city. Even if he died, he would be the only one to die. As long as his son was alive, it would be fine.
"Someone come!"
At the emperor's command, An Zhongyi and everyone in the mansion were escorted to the city wall by people sent by the emperor.
Prime Minister Song stood on the high wall and spoke to the people below, "We have already tied up An Zhongyi and his family, the ones you want, and will send them down to you immediately. I hope you can keep your word and withdraw your troops!"
"Alright!" Han Hao said loudly from his horse. "Don't worry, my lord is sincere! As long as you send all the people down, I will withdraw immediately!"
Prime Minister Song nodded and smiled at the courtiers who were looking at him eagerly. He then said to An Zhongyi, who looked dejected, "Eunuch An, it's time for you to serve the court with all your loyalty."
In addition to all the old and young people in An Zhongyi's mansion who were tied up, even An Zhongyi's confidants Zhang Baotian, Liu Qianhua and others were not left behind.
"It's a pity that your son was lucky enough to escape this disaster. But without you, there will be plenty of people who will want to kill him in the future!" Prime Minister Song said sinisterly.
"Traitor! You are not allowed to touch my son! Otherwise, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost!" An Zhongyi roared.
Prime Minister Song chuckled and ordered a rope to be lowered. An Zhongyi and his gang were all carried down in baskets along the city wall.
Several people were taken into the camp by the bandit troops below. Prime Minister Song couldn't wait to ask, "We have already released An Zhongyi's family, including his close associates. When will you withdraw your troops?"
Han Hao said slowly, "Why are you in such a hurry? Don't we have to wait for us to verify their identities? What if you just find someone to fool us?"
Prime Minister Song and his group thought it made sense, so they waited patiently on the city wall.
The ropes on his body were untied after he entered the military camp. The soldiers behind him were polite to him and did not seem to hate him at all.
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