Chapter 264 Emergency Situation
The imperial guards, who had already rebelled, were conducting a large-scale search for people in the homes of various noble families in the capital.
The night, which should have been quiet, suddenly became noisy.
Outside, shouts, cries for help, and even men’s sinister laughter could be heard intermittently.
Of course, not every household was helpless against the actions of the Imperial Guard.
At the gate of the Shangguan residence, the imperial guards watched as the gate opened, and the old master Shangguan, sitting upright at the entrance, looked somewhat helpless.
"Lord Shangguan, the Empress Dowager has ordered that all ministers be summoned to the palace for a meeting," said the junior commander of the Imperial Guards, clasping his hands in greeting.
"Where is the imperial edict or the decree?" Lord Shangguan asked with a smile.
The junior commander of the Imperial Guards hurriedly replied, "It's an imperial edict."
Upon hearing this, Lord Shangguan smiled.
"An imperial edict? It's almost 9 PM, why does the Empress Dowager want to summon this old man to the palace?"
She has no shame and isn't afraid of what others will say, but I'm the one who's afraid!
Junior Commander of the Imperial Guards...
"Lord Shangguan, you are highly respected and praised by the late emperor. We all have great respect for you."
We hope that Lord Shangguan will not make things difficult for us.
"I know you're in a difficult position, forced by that old woman!"
But you should also know that I was born with an iron will. I even scolded the late emperor when I had to, let alone an old empress dowager.
You guys go back first!
Tell the Empress Dowager that I will go to the palace when it is time, and she doesn't need to arrest me.
Also, since I see you all behave well, I'd like to remind you of something.
Don't be fooled by the current situation where one company dominates.
Who can predict how things will change so quickly!
Don't let a moment of impulse ruin your entire family.
Wealth and honor may seem readily available, but they are merely illusions, like flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water, easily vanished with a flick of the wrist.
"I will wait here. No matter which prince ascends the throne, I will go to pay my respects."
After saying that, Lord Shangguan closed his eyes and sat upright at the gate.
The old master's expression left everyone speechless.
The junior commander of the Imperial Guards thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "It is I who have disturbed you, sir."
"Then, when everyone has arrived, shall I come and invite you again, sir?"
Lord Shangguan nodded with his eyes closed.
Seeing the old man's expression, the junior commander of the Imperial Guards said nothing more, turned around, waved his hand, and led the other Imperial Guards away.
It wasn't until quite a while later that the junior commander's subordinates came over and asked.
"General, why don't we just take the old man away? These civil officials..."
"What do you know? The Shangguan family is not only a family of officials who speak out against injustices; the old master Shangguan also served as a historian."
Whether it was the late emperor or the current emperor, which one didn't hold the Shangguan family in high esteem?
If we dare to act violently towards the Shangguan family today, their descendants will write these events into unofficial histories and spread them around tomorrow.
Even if the Empress Dowager ascended the throne with the Eighth Prince, she could not interfere with how the historians wrote it.
Perhaps because of your rudeness, the Empress Dowager might kill you to vent Lord Shangguan's anger.
You better remember this: from now on, avoid officials who speak out or serve as historians.
These people are all cunning!
Judging from Lord Shangguan's attitude just now, if they resort to violence today, the Shangguan family's unyielding integrity will become known far and wide tomorrow.
Those of us who only know how to use our fists should try to avoid provoking these people.
"Especially the historians, if you want your family to be infamous for eternity, you can go ahead and provoke the historians," the junior commander of the Imperial Guards scolded.
The imperial guard was terrified.
They listened to the Empress Dowager's words, which were nothing more than promises of high-ranking official positions and generous salaries made by the Empress Dowager and the Duke of Anguo.
They wanted to secure titles and honors for their wives and children, but more than that, they wanted to bring glory to their ancestors.
Supporting a leader is a great achievement, but if it means sending your ancestors to be cursed...
That won't do.
......
The Imperial Guards encountered resistance at three residences in the capital.
The first place is the Changsheng Marquis's residence.
Before leaving, An Guogong instructed that all the masters and servants in the Changsheng Marquis's mansion must be imprisoned.
The Imperial Guards had a simple plan: the elderly, weak, women, and children of the prefecture were easy targets.
Who knew that even the gatekeepers of the Changsheng Marquis's mansion were veterans of the battlefield?
Half an hour passed, and a small squad of imperial guards had been almost completely wiped out, yet they still hadn't managed to open the gates of the Marquis of Changsheng's residence.
Old Madam Huangfu and Madam Huangfu sat upright at the entrance of the main hall in the front courtyard.
The younger generation in the mansion all surrounded the two ladies.
"Alright! The people at the main gate are dealt with! Now we need to be wary of them resorting to desperate measures."
In each courtyard, stoves were lit, large pots were set up, and hot oil was heated in the pots.
They splashed water on everyone who came in.
As soon as he lies down, I'll gouge out his eyes.
"I'd like to see who has been so audacious as to trespass into our residence for over a hundred years," said Madam Huangfu calmly.
The servants and guards immediately went to prepare...
......
The second place is the Qin Prince's Mansion.
The King of Qin was training his troops in the south, but he also had a considerable number of soldiers in his palace.
After a period of attack, the Imperial Guards finally broke down the gates of the Prince of Qin's residence.
They searched the entire palace but could not find Princess Qin or the Crown Prince. Only Zheng Mengli sat alone in her courtyard.
The Imperial Guards knew that the Prince's concubine was the granddaughter of the Duke of Anguo, so they treated her with great respect.
"Your Highness, do you know where the Princess and the Prince have gone?"
Zheng Mengli shook her head.
"Why would you tell me where they went!"
I'm just a discarded pawn, nobody respects me..."
"General, something's not right!"
Not only are the Princess Consort and the Crown Prince missing, but the palace guards are also not right.
"At least half is missing." Some of the Imperial Guards noticed something was wrong.
The commander in charge also felt something was wrong. He wondered if there might be tunnels or secret rooms in the Prince of Qin's mansion.
"Search for me."
Search thoroughly the areas behind the cabinets in the study, behind the paintings, and around the artificial hills in the yard.
They must have escaped through the secret passage.
The imperial guards in the Prince of Qin's residence immediately began to investigate.
......
The last place to encounter resistance was the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
Almost all the Imperial Guards who came here were shot dead before they could even speak.
Hua Wanli and Lian Qianli looked at the dead bodies blocking the road in front of the Duke of Dingguo's gate from the rooftop and couldn't help but shake their heads.
"Why are you all coming here to die? You haven't even gotten a single penny, and you're already losing your lives."
"Exactly! You don't even know how you died. If you want to be rich and powerful, you need to be alive!"
"Little brother, is this the cannon fodder that Mother was talking about?"
"It should be!"
......
"Young Master Lian, come down here for a moment, I have something to discuss with you." Shangguan Jin suddenly waved to Lian Qianli on the roof.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
