Overlap
The door slammed shut, and the Imperial Guards surrounded the palace.
The rain gradually stopped, and even the faint sound of rain could no longer be heard in the hall.
Xiao Liao took out a blank imperial edict and said, "If you are willing to sign your names on this edict, you may leave before sunrise."
Kwon Sang-yi scoffed, "Dream on!"
Xiao Yi knelt upright, ignoring everything.
The ministers looked at each other and gradually split into two factions. The ministers, led by Sun Shijie and Xu Bingzhong, signed their names on the imperial edict one after another.
The die-hard faction, led by Quan Xiangyi, naturally glared at him and refused to yield even unto death.
Commander Zhang Jing finally wrote down his name, resolutely opened the gate, and ordered the palace gates to be opened.
At this moment, a troop charged in and surrounded the soldiers outside the palace.
Li Jinghe, with a long sword at his waist, strode over and shouted, "The traitor Ma Xingyang has been captured. You all lay down your weapons and surrender immediately."
After saying this, he waved his hand, and the Li family soldiers behind him stepped forward and captured the rebels.
Xiao Liao then realized that Li Jinghe was no longer in the hall.
Zhang Jing was caught in a dilemma, so he drew his sword and slowly retreated back into the hall.
Quan Xiangyi took the ancient bottle from the object and hit Zhang Jing on the back of the head, causing Zhang Jing to collapse with a thud.
Quan Xiangyi pointed at Xiao Liao and shouted, "Seize the traitor!"
Xiao Liao's attendant immediately drew his sword and stood in front of Xiao Liao to protect him, while Wu Da, who was hiding in the shadows, moved closer to Xiao Yi and launched a sneak attack with his sword.
Gu Xueshu noticed something was wrong, picked up the sword Zhang Jing had dropped, stepped forward to deflect Wu Da's attack, and protected Xiao Yi.
The two sides confronted each other again.
Xiao Liao doubted how Li Jinghe, with less than two thousand men, could possibly fight against his thirty thousand-strong army.
He questioned, "Where did you get your troops to fight against Ma Xingyang?"
Yang Yu appeared, striding forward, and said, "I have come to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager from the Tiger Head Army. I will address you as Your Highness Prince Qin. You have been privately raising personal guards in Yangcheng and using the Hua family's mines to forge weapons. Do you plead guilty?"
He stopped in front of Wu Da, blocking his path to commit the crime.
Wu Da took two steps back and turned to protect Xiao Liao.
Xiao Liao said, "You dare to frame me with mere words? Who gave you the audacity?"
"It was given to me by the King."
Xiao Heng'an arrived suddenly, followed by Gu Jinning.
Xiao Liao suddenly understood and said unwillingly, "In the end, I couldn't guard against you. You all colluded, you're no better than me."
Yang Yu took out the evidence of Yangcheng's crimes and presented it to Xiao Yi, saying that all the private soldiers in Yangcheng had been confiscated and were awaiting sentencing.
Gu Jinning winked at Gu Xueshu, hopped over to Xiao Yi, knelt down and kowtowed to Xiao Juebai on the dragon bed, then said to Xiao Yi, "Cousin, Hua Lingteng colluded with Prince Qin, Xiao Liao, to secretly hoard thousands of boxes of weapons, all of which have been seized, and Hua Lingteng has been arrested by the state government."
She handed over the weapons register, then strolled up to Xiao Liao and provoked him, "King Qin, you sent people to monitor the imperial tombs and forbade us from coming out, are you afraid we'll harm you? Sorry, I have legs, I can go wherever I want, you can't stop me."
Xiao Liao was very cautious; he first sent Ji Lin to intercept the carriage halfway.
Ji Lin, that woman who only cared about her own interests, actually stopped them.
Unfortunately, Xiao Heng'an didn't appreciate her kindness and walked right past her without even glancing at her, thus preserving her last bit of dignity.
Then Xiao Liao sent men to guard the imperial tomb and issued a death order.
Gu Jinning continued, "Do you think these are not enough evidence of your treason? I have one more thing."
Gu Jinning tossed out a stack of secret letters. “These are the letters you exchanged with your father-in-law, Governor Ma, and evidence of your father-in-law’s family’s exploitation of the local people. It’s all written here about why Ma Xingyang came to the capital.”
This was intelligence that Dan Niang had obtained through her dealings with Governor Ma. Dan Niang was discovered while retrieving the secret letter and had to evade pursuers all the way. Fortunately, Bai Sheng arrived in time, and she returned to the capital safely. She had just received the letter when she entered the palace, and it was still wet with rainwater.
With witnesses and physical evidence readily available, Xiao Liao was speechless. He looked at the cold Xiao Juebai on the dragon bed, then at Xiao Yi kneeling silently, and said indifferently about life and death, "It's nothing more than the victor being king and the loser being a bandit; no one is more glorious than the other."
But he was unwilling, truly unwilling.
He said resentfully, "Xiao Yi, you've been superior since birth, receiving a golden crown without fighting or grabbing. And now, you still pretend to be benevolent and filial, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger. Hypocritical!"
Xiao Yi remained expressionless and said only, "The Dali Temple will judge right and wrong. Take him away."
He then called out, "Lord Wang, the Ministry of Justice will handle this case together, and all physical evidence and witness testimonies must be verified and filed."
Wang Shouxin hurriedly stepped forward to take the evidence and, together with the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, agreed to the arrest. They immediately asked Yang Yu to escort Xiao Liao away. After all, none of the people present dared to arrest Xiao Liao.
Seeing this, Consort Xian secretly pulled out the hairpin and clutched it in her hand. Xiao Liu remained kneeling by the bed, unable to process the series of events, feeling helpless and at a loss.
Wu Da blocked Yang Yu with his sword, but was subdued by Gu Xueshu and taken aside.
Yang Yu stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, please."
Xiao Liao stopped struggling and stepped out of the hall.
Just as everyone's gaze followed Xiao Liao's movement, Consort Xian suddenly raised her hairpin and stabbed at Xiao Yi.
"Big brother, be careful."
"elder brother!"
Xiao Jun and Xiao Jing called out at the same time.
Xiao Jun, who was closer, rushed over and pushed Xiao Yi away, the hairpin piercing into his shoulder.
Xiao Jing stood up and kicked Consort Xian to the ground, then hurriedly ordered her to be taken away, while he checked on Xiao Yi to see if he was injured.
After confirming that Xiao Yi was unharmed, they hurriedly summoned the imperial physician to treat Xiao Jun.
Consort Xian was dragged away, shouting, "I'm not convinced! Why does the Gu family get all the good things? When the Emperor died, Gu Weiju and Gu Shuhe didn't even show their faces. How heartless! Why are you people helping her son? Why are you only helping her son?"
“My son is the eldest son, the one whom the Emperor loves most, and the one who should be the new Emperor of Xiao.”
Xiao Lan was terrified and covered his ears, unable to bear hearing Consort Xian's words about beheading.
"Xiao Yi is nothing but an evil spirit he summoned; he's from the Gu family..."
Consort Xian was still shouting when her voice suddenly stopped, as Gu Jinning delivered a karate chop to her neck.
She picked at her ear and said, "It's so noisy."
With the traitor dealt with, the next challenge was dealing with the disloyal ministers. The imperial edict was transformed into a roster, each entry in black and white serving as the best evidence.
Xiao Yi knelt until dawn before rising. Afterwards, the country observed three days of national mourning, during which the entire nation took a break. He acted as regent, purging Xiao Liao's remaining associates. He employed both kindness and severity, rewarding and punishing them. Those who committed heinous crimes were stripped of their official positions, demoted to commoners, or imprisoned. Those who were hesitant but made meritorious reports and showed proper repentance were given lighter punishments.
Xiao Liao's family was demoted to commoners and exiled to the malarial south.
This was to appease the spirit of the late emperor and prevent further bloodshed. At the same time, a general amnesty was declared, and wrongful convictions were redressed. Grand Tutor Zuo Wenzhong was thus exonerated and reinstated.
Xiao Yi personally welcomed Zuo Wenzhong out of seclusion and apologized with thorns on his back.
Seven days after Xiao Juebai's death, under repeated urging from the officials, Xiao Yi ascended the throne and changed the country's name to Ping Le.
Hua Lingteng was dismissed from his official post and imprisoned for ten years. Hua Youxiang and Hua Yourui invited Hua Lingchen to return to the Hua family and serve as the head of the Hua family.
Xiao Yi was appointed as Hua Lingchen, a third-rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and put in charge of the Hua family's mines and sword-making workshops.
That ethereal immortal, untouched by worldly dust, ultimately had to step into the mortal realm for the sake of his family.
With everything settled, Kyoto regained its former vitality, like the sky after an autumn rain, clear and blue, captivating the heart and soul.
Gu Jinning couldn't be happy. The matter was over, but her own troubles weren't.
Initially, she and Xiao Heng'an agreed to cooperate, and after the cooperation, she should retire gracefully.
Gu Jinning was worried about hurting Xiao Heng'an's feelings, so she kept thinking about it and hesitating, which only added to her worries.
At the Prince of Jin's residence, Xiao Heng'an finished reviewing the case file of Xiao Liao and ordered Song Hui to send it to the Dali Temple for sealing, but his expression showed doubt.
Yang Yu asked, "Is there a problem?"
Xiao Heng pondered, "The late emperor's death was unusual; it was not Xiao Liao's doing."
The late emperor was in good health, so his sudden illness was already strange, and his sudden death was even more suspicious.
They naturally assumed it was Xiao Liao's doing, but if it were Xiao Liao, he could have easily forged the imperial edict and ascended the throne. Why go to such lengths to start a rebellion?
Xiao Liao was so eager to rebel that it seemed he was being constantly pushed and forced to act. As a result, the private soldiers of Yangcheng were unable to be mobilized in time, and the weapons from the mines were not transported out.
Their relentless pursuit of him was partly due to the late emperor's sudden illness.
Who would target the late emperor? It must be one of the beneficiaries of this struggle.
Apart from the new emperor and Xiao Liao, very few people enjoyed the fruits of this victory.
Empress Dowager Gu Shuhe practiced Buddhism in the Buddhist hall, keeping her hair intact, and had not appeared since the late emperor's death. After the new emperor ascended the throne, she resided in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray for the people and no longer returned to the palace. Xiao Jing requested to serve Gu Shuhe in the Buddhist hall.
Consort Xian was so foolish as to attempt an assassination on the spot; Xiao Liu was already terrified...
Only Xiao Jun is left.
"It is the King of Wei."
Gu Jinning's voice suddenly came through.
Yang Yu subconsciously looked towards the door, but saw no one. He then looked around and followed the sound into the inner room, where he saw Gu Jinning climbing out of the cabinet.
"Princess?"
Yang Yu looked behind her and discovered a dark hole in the cabinet. He stared at Gu Jinning in disbelief.
Good morning, Deputy General Yang.
Ignoring his shock, Gu Jinning waved at him and came out while straightening her clothes, saying, "The person who poisoned my uncle was Prince Wei, Xiao Jun."
Yang Yu was still reeling from the shock of finding a hole in the wardrobe when he came out and asked, "When did this hole appear?"
Gu Jinning said smugly, "I just dug it through. How about that? Unexpected, right?"
This is not unexpected, it's absurd.
Gu Jinning noticed his concerns and patted him on the shoulder to reassure him, "Don't worry, this place only leads to the Princess's residence; outsiders can't get in."
Yang Yu muttered to himself, "I'm only worried about the Princess Tong's residence."
Xiao Heng'an poured tea and asked, "How can you be sure it's the Prince of Wei?"
Gu Jinning chose a seat, sat down, and said, "Prince Wei is a theater fanatic; he loves Dan Niang's operas the most. When Dan Niang investigated Xiao Liao's father-in-law's family and encountered danger, it was Prince Wei who secretly helped them. It's clear that although Prince Wei usually follows Xiao Liao, his heart is not with him."
Gu Jinning took a sip of tea and continued, "I've been thinking about this for the past few days. It's true that my uncle fell seriously ill, but someone wants him dead and is using this as an opportunity to instigate internal strife."
"The only people who could get close to my uncle were Consort Xian and Consort De. Consort Xian was proud and arrogant, hoping her son would become a dragon, but her feelings for my uncle were genuine. It was impossible for her to poison him. Xiao Liao's eagerness to raise an army confirms this."
"Consort De is different. She doesn't compete or fight for anything, and seems to have no demands on Xiao Jun. In fact, she uses gentle words to exert pressure and instills a lot of the idea that the winner takes all. As a result, Xiao Jun has been sensitive since childhood."
"Consort De originally intended for Xiao Jun to attach himself to Xiao Liao in order to gain his protection. However, Xiao Jun, assessing the situation, did not think highly of Xiao Liao, so he secretly instructed Consort De to drug his uncle, thus stirring up trouble and making the struggle between Xiao Liao and his cousin even more intense."
"Xiao Liao couldn't hold on any longer, so he had to make his move ahead of time."
Xiao Heng'an continued, "Xiao Jun wants to see who is better in this deadlock, Xiao Liao or the new emperor. Whoever wins, he will side with them."
Gu Jinning nodded, "That's right. It turns out that my cousin won. So he shielded my cousin from injury in the palace and showed goodwill to him, thus successfully extricating himself from the Consort De's family and avoiding being affected by Xiao Liao's faction."
Gu Jinning finished speaking in one breath, gulped down her water, and clicked her tongue repeatedly, "Xiao Jun is the real cunning old fox!"
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