At this moment, Yelü Lang's eyes were full of tears, and as soon as he opened them, the tears flowed out in torrents.
"Brother, is it really you? Am I dreaming?"
"It really is me, brother is back, no one will dare to bully you anymore."
At this moment, Yelü Lang suddenly sat up in bed and carefully looked at Yelü Han. Who else could it be but his imperial brother? After so many years, the two brothers finally met and embraced each other, weeping bitterly.
Three days later, on the day of Grand Commandant Lei's seventieth birthday, most of the court officials were invited.
The birthday banquet was held in the evening. Although the country was facing a great crisis and the court was filled with anxiety, it was still necessary to attend Grand Commandant Lei's 70th birthday celebration.
As dusk fell, the Lei residence was brightly decorated and bustling with activity, and guests began to arrive one after another.
More than a hundred people came to offer their birthday wishes, all of whom were court officials. However, Grand Commandant Lei was not a friend of any of these officials, and none of them were invited, which was rather strange.
In the past, when important officials held birthday banquets, they would arrange multiple restaurants, mainly to separate officials of different ranks.
In any era, people are divided into different classes, and it is perfectly normal to separate officials of different ranks for meals.
However, the arrangements for the guests tonight are a bit puzzling. The guests attending the birthday banquet have been arranged in two different restaurants.
Each restaurant has officials of different ranks; the only difference is that they sit at tables according to their rank.
No one knew what he meant, nor did they dare to ask. Since they had come to offer birthday greetings, they simply went along with the host's wishes.
Only Grand Commandant Lei himself knows the truth about all of this. He has been in officialdom for over fifty years since he was young, and since becoming Grand Commandant, he has gradually built up his own power.
Currently, he wields immense power, and many ministers in the court are his protégés, essentially his confidants. Grand Commandant Lei arranged for these people to stay in a restaurant.
The others were arranged by Grand Marshal Lei to be in another restaurant. Among these people were his political enemies, loyal ministers of Yelü Wu, and most of them were people with whom he had only a casual relationship.
The birthday banquet finally began. Grand Marshal Lei visited two restaurants to express his gratitude to the guests who had come to attend his birthday banquet.
He is not feeling well and will not be able to dine with the guests tonight; he needs to go back to his room to rest.
After finishing these tasks, Commander Lei did not return to his room to rest, but went directly to the restaurant where his confidants and students were staying.
Commander Lei ordered the gate to be closed and guards to be stationed outside, preventing anyone else from entering.
Everyone was stunned. They had noticed something unusual when they entered the banquet hall.
The fact that Commander Lei arranged for them to be together tonight means something important must be about to happen.
At this moment, Commander Lei arrived at the front of the restaurant, looked at everyone, and said:
"Gentlemen, during this period, there have been rumors in many places that the Second Prince Yelü Khan has returned to power, and even that a deity has descended to announce to the world that the Second Prince is about to ascend the throne."
It is said that the gods also issued decrees to the people, I don't know if you've heard of that.
"Reporting to Grand Commandant Lei, we have indeed heard these rumors, but we do not know if they are true or false."
"These rumors are certainly true. I have also obtained the divine notice board. Now I will show you this divine item."
"Ah, such a thing really exists."
Everyone was stunned, and they also wanted to see what this divine object looked like.
Grand Commandant Lei had someone place the silver coin inscribed with "New Emperor Ascends the Throne, the Country is Prosperous and the People are at Peace" on a tray, and walked in front of everyone so that they could see it one by one.
Those present were all high-ranking officials of the imperial court, whose knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary people, yet this gleaming silver coin had overturned their understanding.
This object is by no means man-made; it must be a divine creation. It is Heaven's way of telling the world that a new ruler is about to ascend the throne. But who is this new ruler? Could it be Yelü Khan?
At this moment, Grand Commandant Lei spoke again: "I have recently acquired a divine item that I would like to show you all."
"Grand Commandant, you have some divine artifacts. Let us see them!"
At this moment, Grand Commandant Lei looked to the side and said, "General Ge, bring out this miraculous item so that all the ministers may have a look at it."
"Yes, Grand Commandant."
Ge Kaishan then stepped forward, came to the crowd, and bowed deeply to them.
Then, Ge Kaishan took out something, unfolded it, and said, "The late emperor's edict, all ministers, receive the decree."
Upon hearing this, Grand Commandant Lei immediately knelt down, and the other officials followed suit.
They never expected that Grand Commandant Lei would produce a late emperor's edict. What was the content of this edict? Everyone was speculating.
"The late emperor's will passed the throne to the second prince, Yelü Khan. This is the imperial decree."
"Your subjects receive the imperial decree and thank the late Emperor for his great favor." Grand Commandant Lei kowtowed in gratitude.
The crowd expressed their gratitude and then stood up. Ge Kaishan then presented the late emperor's edict to the assembled officials, holding it in both hands. It was indeed the late emperor's edict, without a doubt.
Now the question arises: since the late emperor left a will appointing the second prince, Yelü Han, to succeed to the throne and take control of the court, where is the second prince now?
Seeing what everyone was thinking, Grand Commandant Lei said, "During this time, you have all heard the rumors circulating among the people and asked me how to deal with them. Now I will tell you that this is both the will of the people and the will of Heaven. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who oppose it will perish."
What we need to do now is to follow the will of Heaven, help the Second Prince Yelü Khan take control of the government, and save the people from suffering.
Once the second prince ascends the throne, all the problems of the vassal states will be resolved, and the 300,000-strong army of the Great Northern Dynasty will immediately withdraw.
Upon hearing this, everyone found it unbelievable and quickly asked:
"Grand Commandant Lei, since the late emperor has issued an edict to the world, abdicating the throne to the second prince, and there is also divine assistance, where is the second prince now?"
"The Second Prince has always been by our side, but you just haven't noticed. I saw him three days ago."
Our task as subjects is now to help the Second Prince ascend the throne smoothly, clearing away all obstacles.
Only then did everyone realize the purpose of Grand Marshal Lei's gathering them together; they all owed their current status to Grand Marshal Lei.
Even if Commander Lei were to send them to face any danger, they would do it without hesitation.
"Grand Commandant Lei, please give us any instructions you may have, and we will do our best to fulfill them even at the cost of our lives."
Commander Lei nodded, and then began to assign tasks. Everyone listened attentively, indicating that they would definitely follow Commander Lei's orders and would not leak a word.
"To ensure that this matter is foolproof and without any mistakes, there is one more person who is very important and whose support is essential."
"Who is this person?" the crowd asked.
"Shang Yong, the commander of the six gates of Yanjing City, is in charge of the capital's guards and is responsible for the security of the capital, the palace, and the defense of various departments."
This man is upright and loyal to the emperor; we must make him recognize the current situation and lend him a hand.
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