Chapter 816 Debunking Counterfeits (First Update)
Han didn't think that Xiao Liulang had any way to turn the tide under the current circumstances, but Xiao Liulang was too calm, so calm that she wondered if there was something wrong with her plan.
She subconsciously turned around and saw that Wang Xu had arrived at some point. Behind Wang Xu was a large group of guards from the Commandant's Office. Not only that, but there were also the sounds of orderly footsteps and the cold scraping of armor coming from the outer court.
The next second, countless archers in armor rushed in under the scorching sun, each holding a large bow. They were all kneeling, standing, and ready for battle. Even the high ground in the corner was occupied by the archers.
The Wang family also divided up the military power of the Xuanyuan family back then, and the most eye-catching of them was this archer battalion.
The archery battalion has undergone fifteen years of changes, with many people coming and going, but the legacy of the Xuanyuan family has remained, and it still possesses the most well-trained archers in the Great Yan.
The moment the archers unleashed their killing intent, the atmosphere on the scene underwent an unbelievable reversal, and the Imperial Guards' momentum visibly diminished.
Of course, this doesn't mean that the Imperial Guards are necessarily no match for the Archer Battalion. The Imperial Guards still have a numerical advantage, but the Archer Battalion's morale is so strong that people are unwilling to confront them head-on.
Moreover, Wang Xu not only brought the archer battalion, but also the imperial guards from the four major commandant offices. Considering all this, the Imperial Guards' advantage is not so obvious.
Han never expected that the visitor would be Wang Xu.
Yes, how could she have forgotten His Majesty's most loyal minister?
Don't say that the Han family forgot; in fact, the king himself forgot as well.
With so many things happening, the king's mind was a mess. If the crown prince hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have remembered that he still had the card of Wang Xu in his hand.
Xiao Heng did not appear today, but he was tasked with contacting Wang Xu.
Previously, Wang Xu had not met with the king.
"Lord Wang, how have you been?" Madam Han greeted him casually.
Wang Xu politely cupped his hands in greeting, not as a subject bowing to the imperial concubine, but merely as a junior meeting an elder. After all, Lady Han had been demoted to a commoner, and Wang Xu had no need to show such respect to a commoner.
However, leaving the Cold Palace without permission is a capital offense, if His Majesty were to hold one accountable.
"Everyone inside, come out!" Wang Xu said, looking at the side hall with an air of authority despite his lack of anger.
According to the plan that Gu Chengfeng knew, he was supposed to kill the fake king in the side hall, let the real king take his place, then disfigure the corpse and take it out of the palace as an old eunuch of the Crown Prince's residence.
But now that things have escalated, this tactic is obviously no longer feasible.
Otherwise, if things go wrong, they could be convicted of murdering the "real king" and replacing him with a fake one.
Gu Chengfeng had no choice but to release the fake king who he had been pressing and rubbing against the ground, and then opened the palace door.
The fake king, masking his lingering fear with anger, stormed out and stood under the eaves. He looked coldly at Wang Xu and said sternly, "Wang Xu, you have brought troops into the palace without permission. Are you planning a rebellion?"
The king also said to Wang Xu, "Wang Xu, what are you standing there for? Quickly take them down!"
Wang Xu looked at the fake king, then at the real king, and thought to himself, "What the hell!"
These two look so alike!
Except for one who was dressed as a eunuch and another who was dressed as a dragon robe.
He was extremely confident on the way here. Someone impersonating the king? What's there to be afraid of? He has sharp eyes and will definitely be able to tell the difference!
But now—
That's a slap in the face, a slap so hard it's swollen!
When Han saw Wang Xu looking completely bewildered, she felt relieved. She had thought that Wang Xu had come to arrest the fake king because he believed Shangguan Qing's slander, but it turned out that he couldn't tell the difference at all.
Indeed, Wang Xu is only loyal to the monarch and will not be easily swayed by Shangguan Qing.
He has his own judgment.
Now it all comes down to who can take down Wang Xu.
The king took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and said solemnly, "Wang Xu, I once ordered you to go to the imperial mausoleum to teach the eldest grandson of the emperor martial arts. Three months later, you returned to the palace and reported to me that the eldest grandson of the emperor was physically weak and unable to practice martial arts, but that the eldest grandson of the emperor was very smart, so why not hire a few tutors for him? I agreed, but he drove away eight tutors in one go!"
Wang Xuhu was shocked. Yes! It was true! And because the king was too proud to admit it, he didn't want people to know how much he cared about Shangguan Qing, so he didn't publicize it.
Gu Jiao touched her chin. Hmm, he drove away eight teachers? Shangguan Qing suddenly has this kind of dark history.
The fake king calmly said, “Wang Xu, I once assigned you to investigate the case of the great flood in Yudong. You submitted a list to me, but because it involved a wide range of people, I suppressed the matter. You were quite unhappy about this and even spoke back to me. I told you, ‘I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said, but Wang Xu, remember this: I may tolerate you once or twice, but there will never be a third time! It doesn’t matter if you die, don’t drag the entire Wang family down with you!’”
Wang Xu's body trembled once again.
He has never mentioned this to anyone!
Gu Jiao thought to herself that it was not impossible for the Han family to monitor the movements in the Imperial Study, since they possessed the Dark Soul. However, Wang Xu was unaware of the Dark Soul's existence, so in his view, this private conversation was not known to any third party.
The king gritted his teeth and unleashed a powerful move: "Ten years ago, you accompanied me on a secret journey, and accidentally lost your travel expenses... so you stole a chicken from a village!"
Everyone was dumbfounded. The king, a dignified ruler, actually stole a chicken!
The fake king retorted, "Every year when we hunt, I can't catch any prey. You're the one who hunts them all and hangs them on my horse!"
Everyone was stunned. The king not only stole chickens, but he also cheated!
No wonder you always come in first place...
The king was completely exposed and was so angry that his soul trembled.
He couldn't expose himself any further, so he decisively started exposing Wang Xu: "You stutter!"
The fake king: "You're picking your toes!"
The King: "You have a bad temper when you're drunk!"
The fake king: "You have bad sportsmanship when gambling!"
Wang Xu: "...!!"
How did you end up exposing my shortcomings?
Also, I haven't stuttered for many years!
I only stuttered during the first few times I met the emperor!
"Wait!" In a flash, Wang Xu had a sudden inspiration and gestured for the two to stop. "I remembered something. When I was teaching His Highness the Grandson martial arts at the Imperial Mausoleum, His Highness told me a secret of His Majesty in order to please me by squatting in the horse stance for a while less."
Both the real and fake kings turned to look at Wang Xu.
Wang Xu coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed, and said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty has a hairy mole on your right buttock!"
puff--
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but laugh.
Everyone turned to look at him.
He was a royal archer.
The archer instantly switched to a serious expression, drawing the bowstring taut, as if he wasn't the one who had just been laughing.
The king clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and his lips twitched violently.
Shangguan Qing, I'm going to beat you to death!
A flicker of panic crossed the fake king's eyes. He hadn't said he'd have to go this far in his disguise. What, was he going to get a hairy mole planted on his butt?
Han frowned.
Although she had been married to His Majesty for many years, the lights were turned off when she served him in bed, so she had never really paid attention to that.
That said, what kind of brat is Shangguan Qing? How could he just say such things to outsiders?
What a miscalculation!
Han knew, of course, that with Wang Xu's honest and straightforward nature, it was impossible for him to fabricate such a thing out of thin air.
So it's true, His Majesty really does have... that kind of thing growing on his butt.
Han closed his eyes.
Don't panic, don't panic, there must be a way to resolve this.
Madam Han opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Wang Xu's somewhat embarrassed face. She gave a mocking laugh and said, "Lord Wang, when you were instructing His Highness the Grandson at the Imperial Mausoleum, His Highness was just a child. How could you take a child's nonsense seriously?"
Han wanted to say, "I have been married to Your Majesty for many years. Do you think I wouldn't know whether Your Majesty has a mole or not?"
However, if these words were uttered, Wang Xu would surely have all the other concubines invited. Just because she didn't notice doesn't mean the other concubines didn't notice either. If someone happens to confirm Wang Xu's words, the fake emperor would be completely exposed.
Therefore, all we can do is insist that Shangguan Qing is young and is talking nonsense!
Han said with a half-smile, "Lord Wang, could it be that you're in cahoots with them? Are you deliberately using this to prove that His Majesty is a fake ruler?"
Wang Xu solemnly declared, "I am not allied with anyone! I am only loyal to His Majesty!"
Han sneered, "But His Majesty clearly doesn't have what you're talking about! And I might as well tell you! This Crown Prince is a fake! They impersonated the Crown Prince first, and then found someone who looks similar to him to impersonate the King! You mustn't fall for their trick!"
Gu Chengfeng exploded, "Hey! I impersonated the Crown Prince so I could enter the palace and bring you down! You old hag, you're trying to switch places and then you're the one making the accusations!"
Han said, "Lord Wang, he has confessed! The words of His Highness the Grandson's child are not to be trusted. You should quickly arrest these rebels and bring them to justice!"
Wang Xu's expression became complicated.
Gu Chengfeng heard the footsteps of death. It was over; Wang Xu was going to fall for that old hag's tricks too.
"If the words of the eldest grandson of the emperor are not to be trusted, then what about my words?"
Accompanied by a clear, deep voice, a handsome man in a silver robe strode over.
Han's expression immediately changed.
How could it be him?
The visitor was none other than the king's younger brother and the little princess's father—King Yeonsan!
(End of this chapter)
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