Chapter 91 Chapter 91 The Capital Has Been Peaceful
For the remaining Shen Ce Army that had not yet entered the capital, hundreds of cavalrymen were ambushed on every necessary route.
Some of the soldiers were even wearing armor from the Shen Ce Army, standing in formation to block the road ahead.
"Your Majesty has issued an order. All officers and men of the Shen Ce Army, listen up! You are to halt your advance, reorganize your forces, and return to your original garrisons immediately. You must strictly guard your garrisons and protect the capital. No one in the army may march without Your Majesty's order. Violators will be dealt with under military law and punished severely!"
Although the team in front of him was also dressed as the Shen Ce Army, an urgent report came from the capital the night before asking the Shen Ce Army, whose base was close to the capital, to come to the capital for assistance. How could the order be changed so quickly?
"Which battalion of the Shen Ce Army are you from? Why are you the ones delivering the military orders? Where are the people from the imperial court? Also, why are you delivering His Majesty's orders? There haven't been any oral orders from His Majesty in recent years. Where is the order from the Secretariat? Where is Lord Su's order?"
The general stretched out his hand with great momentum, but suddenly, as the sound of breaking wind reached his ears, a sharp arrow brushed past his palm and finally fell into the ground.
"The deployment of the Shen Ce Army actually requires a prime minister's order. Are you soldiers of the Great Jin, or Su Wang's private army?!"
On the high slope beside the official road, a figure riding a horse and holding a bow slowly appeared. The surrounding torches lit up, from dark to bright, and the black armor reflected dots of light.
Slowly lowering his longbow, his cold eyes brimming with authority, his face solemn, Prince Zhou Yu of Feng stood atop a high slope with several thousand soldiers. He gazed at the officers, stunned by the arrow, and said calmly, "We are commanded by Emperor Xining to capture the traitor. Will you uphold your loyalty and serve the emperor, or will you continue to obey Su Wang's orders, stubbornly resist, and become the traitors who conspire with him in rebellion?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yu's eyes suddenly darkened, and he spoke in a deep, commanding voice, "Your Majesty, I command you! The traitor Su Wang is guilty of crimes beyond measure. I hereby list his five major crimes: In the seventh year of Xining, the traitor Su Wang used the Shangsi Water Sacrifice to plot against Your Majesty and usurp power! Afterwards, he persecuted loyal officials, framing and slaughtering anyone whose political views disagreed with his! He then disrupted the royal family's lineage, first killing the princes and then replacing the crown prince. He then used a son of another surname to confuse the royal bloodline, using him as a puppet and destabilizing the nation! Since he established the new emperor, he has been monopolizing power, forming cliques for personal gain, and disregarding court regulations! From court officials to merchants, all his followers have followed his orders and colluded with him, plundering the people's wealth and wealth, causing the reputation of various regions to decline!"
"Fortunately, Heaven has spared the rebellion, and Your Majesty has survived. Now, with the decree of His Majesty the Xining Emperor, I lead my troops into the capital to eliminate the rebels! Anyone who stubbornly refuses to surrender will be guilty of the same crime as the rebels! The rest of the Shen Ce Army stationed in various areas of the capital have all returned to their garrisons. If you still don't know how to advance or retreat, don't blame my cavalry for being ruthless!"
——
In Chang'an City, at the Su Mansion, in Su Wang's study, Su Shang took big strides and walked from the door to Su Wang's desk in a few steps.
He ignored all other etiquette and asked directly, "What's going on with the rumors in the city? How did such rumors suddenly appear?"
Su Wang slowly raised his eyes to look at him: "Even though it's just a rumor, you believe it, right?"
Su Shang chuckled. "After all, with my father's methods, anything is possible. Moreover, the people in Taiji Palace must be related to what is happening outside the city. She feels that it is impossible for her to label her nephew, who is related to that person by blood, as a bastard just for an outsider."
Su Wang looked at him quietly for a few moments, then suddenly smiled.
"That year, the Crown Prince of Zhao died on his way to the capital."
"You killed him?"
"Why would I kill a child who posed no threat at all?" The smile in Su Wang's eyes faded, replaced by a cold one. "He died on his own."
He lowered his eyes, fiddling with the ornaments on the table, and said casually, "It's not a big deal if someone dies, but you have to find a way to deal with the aftermath of death."
"So you found a child to replace him?"
"If I don't find someone to replace him, do I have to let Prince Feng come to Beijing to be the emperor? You should understand that judging from the situation at the time, after that child, the one who should inherit the throne is Prince Feng." Su Wang turned his eyes and met Su Shang's.
He said calmly, "Prince Feng could never become emperor, so the best solution at the time was to find someone to take over the throne of Prince Zhao. After all, no one in the capital had ever seen what Prince Zhao actually looked like, and Prince Zhao and his wife had already passed away. How many people in the world would know that the current emperor was not Prince Zhao's child?"
"Furthermore, the child who replaced him was chosen as a companion to the Crown Prince of Zhao. His words, actions, and the environment he grew up in are all consistent with the original Crown Prince. How much negligence could there be?"
Su Shang said, "From what father said, King Zhao's death was also related to you?"
Su Wang said without disguising, "I can't possibly let His Majesty have a royal father above him, right? Then what's the point of me doing all this?"
Su Shang's expression remained motionless for a few moments, as if he was shocked by those words. However, before Su Wang could speak to comfort him, he suddenly laughed, a little crazily and a little wanton.
"Father is truly thoughtful. I thought killing the emperor was bold enough, but it turns out he thinks about more than that. He considers every aspect, from top to bottom, and does everything... with the utmost ruthlessness."
Then he casually asked, "I wonder what method father used on King Zhao? Hmm... I remember that King Zhao seemed to be seriously ill at the time. Could it be that father poisoned him?"
Su Wang also said calmly: "Although it was reported as an acute illness, in order to prevent the doctor from finding out, the poison was administered little by little."
Su Shang nodded and suddenly said, "Father, do you know why the young prince died? But... before he died, he had the same symptoms as his father?"
Su Wang's eyes widened for a moment, as if he suddenly understood something.
Su Shang laughed and said, "Father, father, look at you. You are so ruthless but not meticulous. The young prince stayed with his father all day long. You poisoned his father, how could he not be affected? Father, look, this is such a pity. It leaves hidden dangers."
Su Wang had gradually grown dissatisfied with Su Shang's teasing. He couldn't help but lower his eyes, but seeing that Su Shang was now mad, he had to slow down his voice, fearing that Su Shang couldn't accept the information. "It's over now. There's no point in dwelling on it. Your father has indeed taught you the words of sages since you were young, so it's normal that you can't accept these things for a while. This is why I didn't tell you in the beginning."
"No! There's nothing I can't accept." Su Shang's smile faded, and his eyes grew increasingly fierce. "I was just wondering why you didn't do things a little more drastically! You've killed the emperor, the princes, and even used a bastard from outside to be the emperor. You're so bold and have no taboos. Why don't you become the emperor yourself?"
"The title of a wise prime minister throughout history is more dazzling than that of a benevolent ruler in prosperous times?!" Su Wang just opened his mouth and was interrupted by Su Shang.
Su Shang asked in reply, "So what if you usurped the throne? Throughout the dynasties, how many founding emperors conquered the world step by step on their own? Weren't most of them usurped by powerful ministers? So what if you really usurped the throne? Aside from those royal family members and the old corrupt officials, how many people in this world would hold you accountable? As for the future, after you truly become a sage monarch, all the praises will erase your so-called dishonor, and you can rely on the succession of dynasties to eliminate future troubles forever, unlike now, where you are tied up and it is a mess."
Su Wang lowered his eyes: "Everyone has their own ambitions, Emperor, you can do it yourself when you have the chance in the future."
Su Shang said disdainfully, "What chance do we have? Now that someone has caught us holding your lifeblood, not only will your dream of becoming a virtuous prime minister be shattered, but the entire Su family will be plunged into irreparable ruin. And before, you wouldn't let me attack Taiji Palace directly. Now with those rumors, it's even more impossible to send troops to attack. Otherwise, wouldn't it just confirm your 'crimes'?"
"Who says the rumors are true?" Su Wang raised his eyes and said quietly under Su Shang's gaze, "How can they prove it? They have to provide evidence, right? Don't forget, since ancient times, the interference of foreign relatives in politics has also been one of the causes of national chaos. Who knows who will benefit from these rumors in the end?"
"Four years ago, the Crown Prince of Zhao was indeed the only relative eligible to inherit the throne. But things are different now. Prince Feng also had a son two years ago. So, are these rumors just spreading to attack me? Could it be that the person behind this is trying to kill two birds with one stone, eliminating the important minister who was entrusted with the care of the young prince and replacing him with a younger, more obedient lord, thereby prolonging his own regency?"
Seeing Su Shang's eyes sinking gradually, Su Wang smiled slowly: "Or, are you still reluctant to let her go?"
——
Shangguan Xu stood on the city wall, slowly withdrawing his gaze from somewhere in the distant sky.
She pondered for a moment, then softly asked Gu Chou, "Have you made arrangements for everyone left in the city? Are there enough people?"
Even though everything was prepared in advance, in order to avoid Su Shang's suspicion and affecting his future plans, Shangguan Xu rarely interacted with people from the outside world during that month. Therefore, whenever he met Gu Chou, he always had to check in with him.
Gu Chou nodded, knowing why she asked. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. We have already arranged everything. Madam Zheng will also settle down in the location we chose after she finishes spreading the rumors."
Shangguan Xu frowned slightly and said worriedly, "Let's control the rumor first and don't let it spread in the palace."
Gu Chou understood: "I understand."
Shangguan Xu raised his eyes to the sky again, then looked at the soldiers still pressing in outside the palace gates. "They're almost here, judging by the time. Go distribute the rations we've saved to the soldiers. The battle is about to begin."
Gu Chou bowed in response.
However, after Gu Chou left, Shangguan Xu was still standing alone on the Que Tower facing the cold wind. She was thinking about the fierce battle that was about to come, and her brows were furrowed and could not relax.
She felt someone's eyes on her from a distance, so she suppressed her thoughts and turned to look where the eyes were coming from.
Shangguan Li was standing at the stairs of the city wall, holding a food box in his hand. He slowly smiled when he saw her looking at him.
"Brother?"
Shangguan Li walked towards her and said in a warm voice, "You've been guarding here for a whole day and night. You should rest for a while." He raised the food box in his hand and said, "There's not much food in the palace right now, but you can't completely starve. I brought a bowl of porridge. It should warm your stomach."
Due to the shortage of food, after the palace was besieged, everyone in the palace ate the same food. This porridge was also served from the porridge distributed to everyone today.
Shangguan Xu had not eaten anything except water for the whole day and night. When Shangguan Li brought her porridge, she just stirred it with a spoon.
Shangguan Li asked, "But what happens after worrying about it?"
Shangguan Xu continued stirring the porridge. After a few circles under Shangguan Li's watchful eye, she hummed softly, "Perhaps it's because Su Wang has been so deeply rooted for so long, and I've seen many of his tactics. So even though I've already reduced his influence, I'm still worried that something might go wrong at this critical moment."
"It will definitely succeed this time." Shangguan Li said gently. When Shangguan Xu looked at him with surprise, he added, "Even if you don't believe me, you have to believe in him and believe in yourself."
Shangguan Xu finally raised his lips and smiled: "No, brother, I believe you too."
——
Time passed little by little, and Zhou Jingzhi's grip on the reins grew tighter as he watched the blast of arrows explode in the sky one after another.
The attendant said, "The capital is now pacified. My lord, please give your orders."
Zhou Jingzhi's eyes darkened, and he grabbed the reins and turned the horse's head: "Enter the capital!"
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