Chapter 489: The Return of the Empress (6k)
The shouts and cries of killing in the Meridian Gate Square disappeared, leaving only the cold, salty wind rushing in from the open palace door.
Zhao Duan stood on the shiny stone floor with a smile. Beside him, the majestic and graceful empress looked at Li Yanfu with cold eyes.
At this moment, the entire hall fell into deathly silence, and all sounds seemed to be removed and blocked.
Then, about ten heartbeats later, the crowd suddenly erupted in exclamations like raging waves, accompanied by looks of astonishment and shock on every face.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!?"
"Zhao Duan!?"
Li Yanfu felt as if he had been struck hard. Under the metal helmet that covered his gray head, his face, which was covered with wrinkles and showed the demeanor of a hero, turned pale and bloodless in an instant.
The first thought was that it was impossible, but Xu Zhenguan's eyes seemed so familiar.
No one can disguise their appearance or fake that look.
It was a cold gaze that belonged only to the first female emperor of the Yu State.
He will never admit his mistake.
"Your Majesty..." Grand Tutor Dong at the back of the crowd had a dazed look on his face. He couldn't understand why the empress and Zhao Duan, who had been missing for a long time and who should have been trapped in the Huai River according to intelligence, would appear in this occasion.
He blinked hard, then blinked again, then reached out and wiped his hand in the air, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Zhao Duan... Your Majesty..."
On the side, Yuan Li was also stunned, staring at the emperor and his ministers who walked into the hall, his heart almost skipping a beat.
At this moment, he turned his head to look at Dong Xuan. After seeing the confusion and disbelief on the latter's face, he realized that today's scene was not a pre-arranged drama.
so……
Did His Majesty escape danger? When did he return to the capital? How did he break free from the siege?
"Your Majesty..." A rare expression of excitement appeared on Ma Yan's thin face. He was the first among the ministers to react.
Because before the palace door opened, he felt the fluctuation of the martial spirit in his body. This was the natural reaction of the inheritors of the same lineage when they felt the empress's consciousness sweeping through the palace.
But even so, the astonishment and surprise in his heart were no less than anyone else.
"You...you are...Your Majesty?!" Li Yanfu subconsciously took a few steps back, the confident smile on his face completely gone. "No...Impossible...You can't be here..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Prime Minister Li, that's strange. Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune, so why couldn't he escape unscathed? You, on the other hand, are truly impatient, rushing out while Your Majesty is still alive. Oh, clearing out the imperial court? Haha, I'm curious, what kind of imperial court are you clearing out, you 'loyal ministers'?"
Li Yanfu opened his mouth, his eyes avoiding Xu Zhenguan, and suddenly looked outside the palace gate and onto the square.
"Prime Minister Li, there's no need to look," Xu Zhenguan said calmly.
"The rebels outside the palace have all been killed, and the traitor Li Yinglong has been killed by Zhao Qing himself."
At this time, everyone in the hall noticed that on the Taia sword in the empress's hand, hot red blood was dripping from the tip of the sword along the blood groove to the ground.
Outside the palace, the huge square was filled with dead rebels lying on the ground. At this moment, the imperial guards who came to support were kneeling on the ground, as if worshiping.
All this was just like a replay of the Xuanmen coup d'état three years ago. However, the troops under Li Yanfu's command were far inferior to those of Xu Jianwen.
The chaos caused was not even 20% or 30% of the scale of the Xuanmen coup in the past.
"Yinglong is dead..."
Li Yanfu staggered, as if he had been hit hard by a club. Li Qing, who was standing beside him, subconsciously supported him, panicking and saying, "Clan leader... what should we do..."
Li Yanfu's face turned pale. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't utter a word.
He had only one thought in his mind:
It’s over!
It's all over!
If the empress is really seriously injured and her cultivation level drops sharply, he can still give it a try with the help of these masters in his hands.
But what happened now, although difficult to explain, was tantamount to announcing the disastrous failure of this frivolous palace coup!
Suddenly, without any warning, Li Yanfu snatched the sword from Li Qing's hand, pointed the tip of the sword at her heart, and stabbed it down with both hands!
Oh no... this old bastard wants to commit suicide... Zhao Duan's face changed slightly. Even he didn't expect that the defeated Li Yanfu would be so decisive!
Shouldn't the villain at this point offer a few words of advice? Or perhaps a desperate fight? Or perhaps even a plea for mercy? What's the point of committing suicide without a single word?
"Ding!" However, when the sword was about to stab down, it was hit by an invisible force.
Li Yanfu's wrist suddenly became paralyzed as if it had been electrocuted. The sword flew out and fell to the ground. It turned several times and stopped at Zhao Duan's feet.
"Chief!" Li Qing screamed and arrived late.
"Prime Minister!?" The Li Party officials who participated in the rebellion and more than a hundred guests in the hall also exclaimed in surprise.
Xu Zhenguan's cold voice echoed in the hall: "Li Yanfu, you want to die so easily? Do you agree?"
Li Yanfu collapsed to the ground, as if all his strength had been drained away. At this moment, two lines of turbid tears burst out of his eyes. He trembled and broke free from Li Qing's support. He knelt on his knees, hands and forehead, and prostrated himself on the ground, saying in a trembling voice:
"Your Majesty... I... I... am... guilty!"
It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
As Li Yanfu confessed his guilt, the officials in the hall who were also members of Li's party and had taken sides fell to their knees like dumplings, "thump", "thump", and they all prostrated themselves on the ground.
"I...are guilty!"
Seeing this, the more than one hundred red-robed guests realized that there was no point in resisting. The weapons in their hands fell to the ground with a clang, and they knelt in silence.
Li Qing stared blankly at the clan leader lying on the ground. This clan member who had traveled thousands of miles from the Huaishui Li family to Beijing seemed to have finally accepted this fact. He sat silently on the ground, as if he had lost his soul.
“Crack!”
Suddenly, with the crisp sound of breaking tiles, Kong Wu, who had been rescued from the death row by Li Yanfu, stepped on the floor of the hall and broke it.
Without any hesitation, he left a trail of afterimage and ran out of the hall!
He wants to escape!
He still didn't believe that the empress had truly recovered her fighting power, so he was still hoping for luck, thinking that if he fought desperately, he still had a chance to escape from the palace!
"Where did this idiot come from..." Zhao Duan's eyelids twitched, and he curled his lips. The Golden Crow Flying Knife in his sleeve slipped into his palm, and he was about to draw the knife.
But Zhen Bao beside him said calmly: "You don't have to do it."
The Taia sword in the empress's hand whizzed out, and a huge streak of light tore through the air, pulling out a turbulent white airflow.
The veteran martial artist Kong Wu rushed out of the hall, jumped up and was about to climb up the palace to escape. But when he was in mid-air, he suddenly groaned, lowered his head in disbelief, and saw the sharp tip of a sword piercing his chest.
Then, the Tai'a sword forcibly opened a hole in his chest as big as a bowl, crushing his internal organs.
“Plop!”
Kong Wu's body fell to the ground. On the body, a pair of dead eyes were still looking steadily towards the freedom outside the palace wall.
No one in the hall knew what had happened to Kong Wu, but at this moment, no one cared.
When all the members of Li's party knelt down one after another, the officials of the imperial court finally came to their senses.
"Your Majesty...This old minister respectfully welcomes Your Majesty back to the palace!"
The octogenarian Grand Tutor Dong was overjoyed, tears welled up in his eyes, and he was about to kneel down.
Yuan Li, Ma Yan, ministers of various departments, Lu Zhi and other ministers also woke up as if from a dream, showing their joy at surviving the disaster and welcoming him loudly.
The four female attendants also smiled, but with a look of deep surprise.
"Grand Master, there's no need to be so polite," Xu Zhenguan raised her hand to support Dong Xuan and other ministers, who were unable to kneel down. Facing this group of ministers, she finally smiled:
"During my absence from the capital, I was deeply grateful to the Grand Tutor and the other ministers for their hard work in maintaining the situation. I was even nearly harmed by treacherous officials. This is my fault. Fortunately, it's not too late."
"Your Majesty..." Grand Tutor Dong burst into tears. As the emperor's tutor, he was so happy that he couldn't even cry.
Yuan Li and others were in a better situation. They were full of questions at the moment and wanted to figure out what had happened and what the empress and Zhao Duan had experienced. But this was not the occasion to ask these questions.
"My lords, you must have a lot to say, but the most urgent task right now is to deal with the rebellion of the Li Party." Zhao Duan reminded with a smile.
Everyone quickly agreed, not daring to be disrespectful to their colleague Zhao Duan.
"What Mr. Zhao said is absolutely right," Xu Zhenguan suppressed his emotions, put on a stern face, and said to the outside of the hall:
"Come here, arrest these rebels in batches, especially Li Yanfu. I will not allow him to die until I speak."
Outside the hall, the imperial guards who had already arrived rushed into the hall and responded hurriedly.
Xu Zhenguan said again:
"Commanders of the Imperial Guards and Huben Guards, listen up! Immediately disarm and control the two battalions involved in the rebellion. Clear out all remaining rebels inside and outside the Imperial Palace. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"
"I obey your order!" The two guard commanders broke out in cold sweats, fearing that they would be held accountable for dereliction of duty by the empress, and were eager to show off.
Xu Zhenguan said again:
"Ma Yan, listen to my orders. Leave the palace immediately and lead the imperial guards to arrest those who are plotting rebellion outside the palace. Especially eliminate the thieves who have kidnapped and controlled the families of the nobles in the palace. No need to interrogate them; kill them immediately after arrest."
She had already heard the previous conversation in the hall through her spiritual sense. Otherwise, she would not have been able to kill the rebels so easily before entering the hall.
Ma Yan's heart surged, as if he had returned to the day of the Xuanmen coup. He clasped his fists and said:
"My lord, I obey the order!"
He immediately turned around and ran outside. When he passed by Zhao Duan, he glanced at him with a little surprise, vaguely realizing that Zhao Duan's realm seemed different from before.
Zhao Duan responded with a bright smile.
Not too many people were involved in this rebellion. The leader of the Li Party and the commander of the rebels were both dead, and the rest were just small fry. In his opinion, it could be put down in half a day at most.
…
…
Soon, armored guards rushed out from the four gates of the imperial palace like a torrent and began to quickly strangle the remnants of Li's party.
Zhao Mansion.
Eugene Hua nervously stuck to the gate of the mansion with her daughter. At this moment, the main door of the Zhao family was closed, and the mother and daughter could only look out through the crack in the door.
Behind them, the servants of the mansion were wandering in the distance, and the atmosphere was solemn and depressing.
The Zhao Mansion is located in an area where officials in the city gather. Those who live nearby are either rich or noble.
Not long ago, a servant came to report that a group of unidentified killers appeared nearby, ran through the streets and alleys, and rushed into the residences of several important officials in the court. There were also sounds of fighting and screams.
It is suspected that criminals broke into the house.
Eugene Hua was horrified and quickly ordered the door to be closed. The servants and guards were all holding sticks and long swords, holding their breath and being on guard.
Fortunately, the killers had a clear purpose and were not targeting the Zhao family.
But this inner city area was patrolled by officials in the past, so how could there be any daring criminals?
No matter how naive Eugene Hua was, she realized that something was wrong and was afraid that something big was going to happen in the court.
Just when the family was feeling anxious and every second seemed like an eternity, suddenly a large number of cavalrymen came roaring in from the street outside. This time, everyone was wearing the familiar imperial court uniforms.
They rushed into one mansion after another with ferocious looks, quickly took control of the situation, and captured and killed the people arranged by Li Yanfu.
"Open the door, open the door quickly!" Eugene Hua's eyes lit up and she hurriedly ordered.
Zhao Pan deftly removed the bolt and waited for the gate to open. Eugene stepped out of the door and waved to the group of guards, "Zhang Jisi! What happened?"
The stepmother recognized Zhang Han, the detective from Mudantang, who led the team, and knew that he was Dalang's colleague.
Zhang Han heard the shouting, left his men to do their work, dismounted and walked over. He tried hard to force an ugly smile on his expressionless face:
"Meet the mistress of the Zhao family, and the younger sister of the Zhao family."
Zhao Pan hugged the Pekingese and said weakly, "You don't look good when you smile. You look fierce. It's better not to smile."
Zhang Han: “…”
This girl... Eugene glared at her daughter unhappily, then put on a smile: "Zhang Jisi, don't take it to heart. This child can't talk."
Zhang Han coughed lightly, indicating that he didn't mind:
"No problem. There was indeed a major incident in the city. Prime Minister Li Yanfu led his troops in a coup, and the palace was in chaos with blood flowing like a river."
"ah?!"
The mother and daughter were stunned and their faces turned pale at the same time.
Zhang Han panted heavily and continued:
"However, fortunately, His Majesty and Young Master Zhao arrived in time to quell the chaos. We are now following orders to eliminate the remaining rebels. You should stay at home and do not come out for the time being. Once the rebels are completely wiped out, you will be safe."
"You said Dalang is back?" Eugene Hua ignored other content and captured the key words.
Zhao Pan's eyes, like autumn water, also lit up, and she stared at him intently.
Zhang Han nodded, maintaining his cool, male god demeanor:
"Yes. Your Majesty and Zhao Shaobao both look well and are uninjured. They are currently in charge of the palace. I guess they will return home once they are done."
Dalang is back...he's fine...Eu Jinhua was overjoyed.
Big brother is safe... I knew it... Zhao Pan's cheeks were dimpled with smile.
…
Imperial College.
Dong Da did not go to the palace with his grandfather today. Instead, he followed his grandfather's order and quietly recorded in the Imperial College who were openly discussing and spreading the news of the rebels' attack on the city.
The Chief Academician has already repeatedly stressed that at this critical moment, scholars are strictly prohibited from spreading panic and disturbing the people.
However, a group of scholars still do their own thing, as if the emperor is no longer around and they have become bolder.
"If only Brother Zhao were still in the capital, how could you dare to do this?"
Dong Da was walking in the Imperial College, listening to a group of students gathered and talking in the distance, his face looking grim.
King Zhao's lethality to scholars is comprehensive, including both military deterrence and mental trauma - this trend has been particularly evident since Mr. Zhengyang bowed down to Zhao Duan in the capital.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the gate of the Imperial College. Dong Da looked back in surprise and saw a large group of men in brocade clothes rushing towards him like wolves and tigers. They ignored him and rushed directly into the pavilion in front.
"What are you doing?"
"This is a place for scholars. We all have achievements and honors. How dare you...ah!"
The students who openly spread panic shouted a few words, but were met with a rain of punches. Soon they cried for their parents and were taken away in chains.
"Miss Haitang? What do you mean?" Dong Da was confused, his eyes lit up, and he walked towards Haitang who was leading the team.
Haitang had dark circles under her eyes due to staying up late to work overtime recently, but now her face was rosy and she looked energetic, as if she had some good news.
"Master Dong, it's nothing. I'm just arresting people according to imperial orders," Haitang said with a smile. "There are some children of Li's party officials and their followers in the Imperial College. His Majesty has said they must be eradicated."
"I see..." Dong Da suddenly realized, then froze, "Wait, you said... Your Majesty?"
"Yes," Haitang said with a smile:
“Li Yanfu led his troops into the palace and initiated a coup, but Your Majesty and Zhao Duan arrived and quelled the rebellion.
Surprise, right? I was surprised too. I don't know when Zhao Duan entered the city, and there was no movement at all. But it fits his usual style, always appearing and disappearing mysteriously, doing things that ordinary people can't do.
Dong Da listened in a daze, his mind blank. "Brother Zhao... is back in Beijing?"
…
…
Similar scenes were played out all over the city that morning.
Due to the surrender of Li's party officials, many arrests became easier, and because "the matter was done in secrecy", there were not many core members actually involved in this small-scale coup.
After Xu Zhenguan regained control of the capital, it became a thousand times easier to capture them than to deal with the Kuangfu Society.
now.
In a warm-colored hall filled with chairs in the imperial palace, the emperor and his ministers sat together.
Xu Zhenguan sat on the dragon throne in the main seat, Zhao Duan accompanied him, and the other ministers who did not participate in the rebellion sat below.
"That's probably the situation."
Zhao Duan spoke lightly, picked up a cup from the tray in the hands of the palace maid next to him, and drank some water to moisten his throat.
Just now, he briefly recounted his experience of fleeing back to the capital with the empress after the failure of the Fengshan ceremony.
Of course, he omitted some of the embarrassing passages between the emperor and his ministers in the style of the Spring and Autumn Period.
As for the three days and three nights of continuous artillery fire between the two men, it was naturally not mentioned. Zhao Duan only said that His Majesty had a backup plan and finally succeeded in breaking through.
Although he also wanted to show off... he was worried that if he said something, he would be beaten to death by the embarrassed and angry Zhen Bao.
"Is this the experience..." After hearing this, the ministers were all amazed.
Yuan Li spoke first:
"Your Majesty has turned from bad to good and has entered the realm of heaven. Now that you have returned to the capital, you have made another step forward. This is cause for celebration."
No, you can also blow hard in this situation... Zhao Duan curled the corner of his mouth, thinking that this old cunt's licking skills were probably not inferior to his when he was young.
Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said:
"Although I am already a celestial being, I am blessed with dragon energy in the capital and am nearly invincible. But now war is raging everywhere, and the princes of various places are rebelling. Outside the capital, I no longer have the dragon energy to bless me. I am still just a celestial being, and I am no match for the Xuan Yin."
Is that so... The ministers looked at each other in confusion. They didn't understand anything about cultivation.
Zhao Duan coughed lightly and said concisely:
"In short, now is not the time to celebrate. Although Your Majesty has returned, the rebellions in various places will not disappear immediately. Destroying Li Yanfu only eliminated the disloyal people in the court. Next, how to quickly defeat those rebellious princes and recover the lost territory is the top priority.
Of course, the good news is that the rebels will not continue their attacks on the capital, and will most likely split off and establish their own territory. In other words, in the second half of the game, they will be the defending side, and it's time for us to counterattack."
Master Dong nodded. He had recovered from his elation. Although he felt a little tired from the great sorrow and joy, his mind was still clear.
"What Zhao Shaobao said is that the worst has passed. Next, the court should spread the news of His Majesty's advancement to the Celestial Realm and his seat in the capital as quickly as possible to stabilize people's hearts.
At the same time, Your Majesty should issue an imperial edict to label all the current rebels as traitors...
Humph, the banner these rebels are raising now is to march to the capital to defend the emperor, and since they are of royal blood, the local officials along the way surrendered so quickly and without any burden. As long as they are identified as traitors, the local officials and generals will do their utmost to stabilize the situation."
His words sounded a bit bookish, but Zhao Duan agreed.
As long as they are identified as rebels, local officials who want to surrender will have to consider whether they will be infamous for eternity or even have their families implicated for their disloyalty.
Zhao Duan analyzed rationally:
"Given the current situation, the King of Yanshan in the north is being held back by Luo Kedi, who is defending the northern city. In the west, Duke Tang of Xiping Road is leading the border troops to suppress the King of Hejian. After all, the only real threats are the rebel forces of the King of Jing and the King of Mu.
Since Privy Councilor Xue has already gone south to garrison Linfeng, as the news of His Majesty's return spreads, the situation will most likely stabilize temporarily."
The Minister of Revenue suddenly said:
"Young Master Zhao, don't forget the Qingzhou army outside the city."
The Minister of War snorted coldly:
"Prince Heng is ambitious but lacks talent. He thought that by inciting a rebellion against the Qingzhou military headquarters, he could enter the capital. Before His Majesty returned, the Beijing Army could not attack the royal family and blocked them outside the city. Now that His Majesty has returned, there are naturally no more concerns. With the strength of the Beijing Army, we are more than enough to repel the enemy."
Yuan Li suddenly reminded:
"Everyone, don't be careless. Although the Qingzhou troops are not as powerful as the Jiancheng and Yunfu rebels, they can advance to the capital and retreat back to Qingzhou. It's easy to repel them, but I'm afraid we won't kill them. What should we do if Prince Heng leads his troops back to Qingzhou?"
If the Jingying advances deep into Qingzhou, how will they rush to help if Linfeng runs out of troops? You know, the troops of Linfeng Dao are not enough to fight against two rebel armies at the same time!
But if we can't wipe out the Qingzhou troops, once they retreat, they will always be a threat to the capital, and they may even form an alliance with Prince Chen of Binhai Road, which could become a serious threat."
This... The Minister of War was speechless. The Qingzhou soldiers were not strong, but they were indeed a trouble that was difficult to deal with.
Zhao Duan sat beside the empress, silent, but suddenly an idea came to his mind:
Speaking of which, it's been so long, I wonder how the mass production of the new firearms in the Shenjiying is going...
If it is already usable, perhaps using the troops of King Heng of Qingzhou to test the power of new firearms in this era would be a good choice.
"Alright, the matter of the Qingzhou troops is not urgent today, we can discuss it tomorrow." Xu Zhenguan said:
"The most urgent task is to resolve the turmoil within the government and the country caused by the Li Party's rebellion. Those officials who have fallen all hold important positions and need to be filled to ensure that the core of the court can operate normally.
Furthermore, as the Grand Master instructed, the Xiuwenguan will draft an imperial edict to suppress the rebellion and swiftly disseminate it to all regions, labeling the rebels as treasonous. Simultaneously, a nationwide arrest warrant will be issued for all monks affiliated with the Shenlong Temple and martial artists of the Donghai Qingshan lineage. It is time to announce my return to the world.
All the ministers stood up and bowed: "We obey your order!"
Xu Zhenguan nodded and waved his hand, and the ministers turned and walked out.
Zhao Duan also stood up and was about to go home when he was suddenly stopped by the empress:
"Zhao Qing, I almost forgot about something that I need you to take care of."
"What?" Zhao Duan was stunned.
Xu Zhenguan's eyes were calm: "Eliminate the Shenlong Temple. From today on, there will be no Shenlong Temple in the capital!"
(End of this chapter)
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