"I am in charge of Admiral Shang's matter. Now, please invite him here. I want to see him."
A person emerged from behind the screen and waved to the crowd.
When everyone looked up, they were all taken aback. This person was none other than the Eighth Prince, Yelü Lang.
The appearance of the Eighth Prince Yelü Lang at Grand Commandant Lei's birthday banquet surprised everyone present.
In people's minds, the Eighth Prince Yelü Lang was crazy and stupid, and was beyond redemption.
At first, people felt great sympathy for him, but as time went by, they got used to it and had long forgotten about him, turning a blind eye to him.
At this moment, Yelü Lang was wearing a long robe, giving people a refined and wise impression. His previous crazy and foolish appearance had completely disappeared.
Just as everyone was speechless with astonishment, the Eighth Prince, Yelü Lang, stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the assembled officials, and said:
"Isn't it a surprise to all of you that I'm here at Grand Commandant Lei's birthday banquet? If I hadn't been pretending to be crazy all these years, my fourth brother would have killed me long ago."
Three days ago, my second brother, Yelü Khan, sent people to take me away. After many years, this is the first time I have seen my brother.
Over the years, my elder brother has been in exile, enduring hardship and biding his time to save the kingdom.
"With my second elder brother's return to power, I earnestly request your utmost assistance. My Yelü family will be eternally grateful."
After Yelü Lang finished speaking, he bowed deeply to everyone.
Seeing this, everyone quickly returned the greeting and said:
"Please rest assured, Eighth Prince, we will risk our lives for the sake of our kingdom."
"I am here tonight for two reasons: first, to offer my birthday greetings to Grand Commandant Lei, and second, to meet with Shang Yong, the Commander of the Six Gates. He is extremely loyal to the foreign kingdoms and can be entrusted with assisting my second brother."
In order not to disturb the other ministers, please ask Grand Commandant Lei to invite Shang Yong, the Commander of the Six Gates, over.
Commander Lei nodded and said:
"Please welcome Admiral Shang."
"Yes, ma'am."
One of Grand Commandant Lei's guards immediately went out to fetch Shang Yong.
Shang Yong also came tonight. He was in a restaurant with other ministers at the east end of Lei's residence.
Everyone knew that Admiral Shang was straightforward and difficult to communicate with, and they wondered what method the Eighth Prince had to get Shang Yong's tens of thousands of guards to work for him.
While everyone was considering this issue, Shang Tong was brought over. He walked up to Grand Commandant Lei and bowed.
"Greetings, Grand Commandant Lei. May I ask what important matter you have brought me here for?"
"Admiral Shang, there's no need for such formalities. I've invited you here because someone wants to see you."
"Who wants to see me, and where is he?" Shang Yong asked.
At this moment, Yelü Lang walked over, stood before Shang Yong, and said:
"It is I, Admiral Shang. Do you still recognize me?"
Shang Yong looked up at Yelü Lang and was taken aback. He said:
"So it's the Eighth Prince. You're cured."
"I am not sick at all. For so many years, in order to avoid my fourth brother's murder, I have had to pretend to be crazy. Can't you see that, Admiral Shang?"
"To outsiders, I, Shang, am just stubborn and unable to think straight. But in fact, I know better than anyone what happened in the court back then."
When the prince suffered a great calamity, in order to save his life, he ruined his image and pretended to be crazy to deceive others. I saw all of this.
During that time, I was ordered to secretly observe the prince, and I soon discovered that the prince was very clever and that everything he did was just for show.
After all, the prince was still a boy at that time, and it would be easy for discerning people to see the flaws.
I know that once the Emperor finds out that the Prince is feigning madness, he will be guilty of deceiving the Emperor and will be severely punished.
So when I reported to the emperor, I said that the prince had indeed gone mad.
The emperor believed it to be true and didn't take the matter to heart. I, the humble official, also breathed a sigh of relief. Although the prince escaped a disaster, I, the humble official, have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor.
For more than ten years, I have been keeping an eye on Your Highness and protecting you in secret.
Three days ago, the prince suddenly disappeared, which immediately caught my attention, so I arranged for people to search for him.
I was relieved to find no trace of the Prince within the city, knowing that he had been rescued and that the foreign kingdom was about to undergo a major upheaval.
The prince has survived a great calamity, and he is sure to have good fortune in the future. To my surprise, the prince was also at Grand Commandant Lei's birthday banquet.
"I know Your Highness must have something important for me to do, so please give your orders."
Upon hearing this, everyone was pleasantly surprised. They hadn't expected Admiral Shang to be so reasonable. They had been worried that he would be difficult to persuade, but their worries were unnecessary. With Admiral Shang's strong support, things would be much easier from here on out.
Over the next few days, Yanjing appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents were surging, which was the prelude to a change in the foreign kingdom.
During this period, Yelü Wu had a very difficult time. The Northern Dynasty's army was pressing in, and he knew in his heart that if 300,000 troops attacked, Yanjing would not be able to be defended at all.
In particular, the recent rumors circulating among the people have made him tremble with fear. News has spread from many places that Yelü Khan is about to make a comeback, and has even appeared in public.
Moreover, there were so many rumors that Yelü Khan's comeback was aided by divine intervention that he had no choice but to believe them.
Yelü Wu seemed to have aged several years. He had not attended court for several days and was preparing to attend the court the next day, so he sent someone to inform the officials.
The next day, Yelü Wu got up early in the morning, dressed himself with the help of two eunuchs, and prepared to go to the main hall.
As dawn broke, the eunuch opened the palace gates. Yelü Wu strode forward, about to step out, when a group of men suddenly appeared and blocked his way.
Yelü Wu was stunned. Who dared to block his way? Wasn't this courting death?
He was about to lose his temper when someone stepped forward from the group and said:
"Your Majesty, rebels have been discovered in the city and are being suppressed."
We are here on the orders of the Admiral to protect the Emperor's safety. Please stay in the palace for the time being and do not leave.
Only after the rebels have been purged will the emperor be notified, and only then will he be allowed to attend court.
Upon hearing this, Yelü Wu trembled in fright. He had not expected that rebels would be discovered in the city. He quickly retreated and ordered the gates to be bolted.
At this time, the emperor was like a blind man, completely unaware of the rebellion in the city, and no one came to report to him. He had no way to inquire and could only wait.
At this moment, all the ministers had arrived at the court. Under normal circumstances, the emperor was very punctual in attending court.
The emperor should have arrived long ago, but what's going on today? Could he have overslept?
That's impossible too, since there are eunuchs in his palace to attend to his daily needs, so this situation is unlikely to occur.
The ministers looked at each other and whispered among themselves. By this time, it was already broad daylight, but there was still no sign of the emperor.
Apart from those around Commander Lei, no one else knew what had happened.
Just then, Shang Yong arrived in the main hall with a team of fully armed guards. The officials couldn't help but gasp. Shang Yong's appearance at this time must mean something big was about to happen.
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