Chapter 304 Cleansing the Emperor's Side and Punishing the Evil Officials
Over the next few days, Cheng Qiao gradually noticed during his patrols that the atmosphere in Jiangdu Palace seemed to have changed.
First, the Imperial Guards no longer acted arrogantly and caused them trouble as they used to, which made their daily work much smoother. However, the second thing that surprised him was that the Imperial Guards soldiers often gathered together, talking furtively. Judging from their expressions, they seemed to be talking about something important, and each of them had an angry look on their face. But as soon as he got close, they immediately dispersed.
Cheng Qiao felt a little uneasy.
He told the Left Palace Army Commander about his unease, but the reply he received was: "We've finally managed to get along peacefully, so let's not cause any more trouble. What the Imperial Guards do is their business; don't interfere."
Hearing these words, Cheng Qiao felt even more uneasy, as if a dark cloud was hanging over the entire Jiangdu Palace.
That evening, after leading his men on another patrol, he closed the palace gates on time.
As he closed the Bright Gate, he couldn't help but peek inside. He saw Fu Jiang, the Imperial Guard Commander, and Ge Yuanchong, the Tiger General, acting suspiciously, seemingly heading towards a row of houses. He wondered what they were up to.
Cheng Qiao sighed, turned and left.
The deputy general and Ge Yuanchong, however, avoided the crowd and each brought some wine and food to a quiet place to drink. Drinking while on duty in the army was a serious crime, but these days, everyone's mind was no longer on important matters. In addition, the emperor had not held court for nearly a month, and everyone had become so lax that they no longer followed the rules.
The two sat down and began to toast each other.
After drinking for a while, it got dark.
Fu Jiang refilled Ge Yuanchong's wine cup and then said with a smile, "It's been a while since we've had such an easy time. I heard that you've been leading troops to quell the rebellion in the city these days. Have you had any success?"
"Hey, what did you find?"
Ge Yuanchong sneered, "They're just a bunch of poor folks who can't afford to eat but dare to rebel with the sticks they have at home. Killing them wouldn't be a success."
"Why didn't it become a success?"
"Now, His Majesty has not only not attended court for more than a month, but he also does not listen to news from outside. Anyone who dares to mention a rebellion to him will be killed before the rebels are killed, accused of spreading rumors and misleading the public."
"this--"
"If this continues, he might not believe it until the traitors are right in front of him."
Fu Jiang said, "Brother, be careful what you say, be careful what you say."
Ge Yuanchong was originally a straightforward and hot-tempered person. Now, after drinking a little, he couldn't suppress his anger any longer. He waved his hand and said, "Shen, what are you talking about? Our lives have become like this. Do you know that the army hasn't had any fresh vegetables for half a month? Everyone's teeth are bleeding, and some people can't even defecate. You talk about the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan? What beautiful scenery? It's just scenery that kills people."
A cold glint flashed in Fu Jiang's eyes, and he sighed, saying, "Yes, it's better if we stay in Luoyang. At least the house is our own, and our home is our own."
"..."
"Now that we've arrived in Jiangdu, if something unexpected happens, we'll die here as a lonely ghost."
Upon hearing this, Ge Yuanchong's anger flared even more. He slammed his wine cup on the table, splashing wine everywhere. He said viciously, "Rather than us dying, it's better to—"
Fu Jiang stared at him with wide eyes: "Brother, what are you trying to say?"
At this point, Ge Yuanchong's voice lowered. He leaned close to Fu Jiang and whispered, "To be honest, everyone has long been dissatisfied with this southern tour, but we dared not speak out. But this time, His Majesty actually executed the Imperial Guards for a woman's words. Who knows what he will do to us in the future? What we're thinking is, perhaps we should—"
The moment the word "oppose" was uttered, the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.
Both of them were startled and quickly turned around to see two familiar figures standing at the door. The one in front was Wang Shaoji, the Right Guard General, while the one behind him, whose face was mostly hidden in the night and who looked ghostly, was his brother, Wang Shaoqiu, the Junior Supervisor.
Ge Yuanchong was startled and before he could react, he saw Wang Shaoji pointing at him and saying, "Well, you two have quite the nerve, plotting a rebellion here! I'll go report to the Emperor right away!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
Ge Yuanchong was so frightened that the wine he had drunk turned into a cold sweat. He jumped up and rushed forward to grab him. However, Wang Shaoqiu, who was standing behind Wang Shaoji, also seized the opportunity to stop his brother and said, "Brother, don't be impulsive. Let him finish speaking."
Wang Shaoji angrily retorted, "What else is there to say?"
Ge Yuanchong rushed up to him and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, I admit I was just saying—but am I the only one with this thought? Go ask the people in the Jiangdu Palace, ask your subordinates, who doesn't want to rebel?"
Wang Shaoji was shocked and looked at Wang Shaoqiu, then at Fu Jiang, as if seeking confirmation from them.
Both of them remained silent and nodded slightly.
Upon hearing this, Wang Shaoji stamped his foot angrily: "How dare you!"
Ge Yuanchong said, “General Wang, I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time. His Majesty doesn’t trust you as much as before. Once we’re in the south, the gentry there will naturally take our place. Rather than being stripped of your military power then, you should take advantage of the troops you have now and do something big. If you succeed, you’ll be remembered for generations; if you fail, at least you’ll have taken a chance and lived up to your ancestors’ reputation!”
"this--"
Wang Shaoji feigned hesitation, while Wang Shaoqiu coughed lightly, seemingly indicating something. Wang Shaoji looked at him before saying, "What you said makes sense."
Ge Yuanchong was overjoyed and said, "General Wang is indeed a man of great courage!"
After saying that, he reached out and pulled the two brothers, Wang Shaoji and Wang Shaoqiu, into the room. He then took out two more wine cups, and the four of them drank together.
This time, although they had been drinking, the four of them became more and more sober as they drank.
Fu Jiang said, "Although we have an agreement, it is not so easy to pass on the message. Moreover, if we really have to raise an army—what if someone is afraid and leaks the information?"
Several people subconsciously turned to look at Wang Shaoqiu.
Although three of them were military commanders, their combined intelligence was no match for Wang Shaoqiu's, and at this moment they could only place their hopes on him.
Wang Shaoqiu slowly placed his wine cup on the table and said, "Who said that what we passed down was a message of rebellion?"
The group of people were taken aback: "That's—"
Wang Shaoqiu said, "The message we need to convey is: cleanse the court of corrupt officials and punish the wicked."
Ge Yuanchong subconsciously asked, "Who is Xie Ning?"
A cold glint flashed in Wang Shaoqiu's eyes: "Whoever makes the Imperial Guards suffer a loss is a wicked villain."
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