Chapter 177 Meritorious Service
Eight days ago.
When Ming Huashang sent that strange message, Ren Yao didn't think much about it. Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang had been staying in Shangyang Palace for the past six months and didn't have much experience with the situation in Chang'an. However, in Ren Yao's opinion, Chang'an was not peaceful every day during this period.
After the abdication of the emperor, the emperor became suspicious of Princess Taiping and Prince Xiang. Empress Wei was aggressive in her power grab and allowed Prince Liang and his son to place their own people in the court. Princess Anle wanted to be a princess every day and was at odds with the prince. Fortunately, Princess Taiping and Prince Xiang gave in repeatedly, so the incident was not exposed.
But Princess Taiping and Prince Xiang were the heroes of the Shenlong coup, so who would be willing to be stepped on by a few kids? Now, Chang'an seemed to have won the hearts of the people and the vassal states were congratulating them, but undercurrents had already surged.
After the Shenlong coup, Ren Yao hoped to follow Li Huazhang to make great contributions to comfort the spirits of her father and brother in heaven, and at the same time prove to the other branches of the Ren family that she, a woman, could still bring honor to the family. Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. Li Huazhang did make great contributions, but his contributions were too great, and the emperor suspected that he was more powerful than his master. Even Ren Yao, the follower, suffered. Not to mention promotion, few people even asked about him.
Ren Yao continued to do her duties of patrolling and patrolling, spring to autumn, day after day. Ren Yao finally understood what her grandmother said, that being an official was not something that could be solved by practicing martial arts alone. No matter how good she was at shooting, it would be useless in the officialdom.
The real officialdom was far from her imagination of glory and conquest. Even if she had made outstanding achievements and was awarded a title of nobility, she was still just a small screw in Chang'an.
Fortunately, there was Jiang Ling who joked with her. Jiang Ling entered the officialdom according to his father's arrangement, and he didn't care whether he was promoted or not, and whether he was valued or not. Now he didn't care that he was treated coldly, and he still smiled and called friends, eating and drinking. With such a brainless and funny person around, Ren Yao gradually got used to the boring and hard life of the Yulin Army, and even felt that it was not bad to live like this.
Today, the Marquis of Jiang'an's mansion held a banquet. During the period of Empress Wu Zetian's death, it was not appropriate to hold a large banquet, but it happened to be the Marquis of Jiang'an's birthday, so the Jiang'an mansion still held a small banquet and only invited close relatives to come. Jiang Ling had asked for leave early, and he repeatedly reminded Ren Yao to go to the Jiang'an mansion tonight for the banquet. Ren Yao did not agree, but after the patrol was over, she immediately packed up her things and planned to go home to change clothes before going to the Marquis of Jiang'an's mansion.
After all, it was Jiang Ling's father's birthday, and it was very rude for her to wear the clothes of the Yulin Army.
Ren Yao was in a hurry to leave and took a shortcut out of the North Yamen. When she passed a wall, she accidentally heard someone talking behind the wall.
The other party's voice was hazy and unclear due to the sound of the wind. Ren Yao vaguely heard the voice of General Zuo Yulin, their top commander, and he stopped.
The voice behind the wall came to her ears intermittently: "The father and son of the Liang prince abused their power and caused chaos in the palace, just like the two Zhang brothers. The prince wanted to kill Empress Wei, Princess Anle, Shangguan Wan'er and others to rectify the government. In the Shenlong year, the prince of Yong also relied on unexpected means to force Empress Wu Zetian to abdicate. The prince of Yong could do it, and the prince is more legitimate than the prince of Yong, so how can he not do it? You and I will respond to the prince at the hour of Xu and lead the troops to rush into the Xuanwu Gate. After the success, there will be a great reward."
Another voice seemed to be hesitant: "But, this is treason, if you are not careful you will be beheaded..."
"There is no rebellion. We are following the order of the Crown Prince to enter the palace to protect the Saint. How can a man who wants to accomplish great things be timid? The Crown Prince is in need of people right now. If we succeed, it won't be a problem for us to be made a marquis or a prime minister in the future!"
The sound behind her became faint and inaudible. Ren Yao was startled. She quickly looked around and saw that no one saw her, so she stepped back lightly.
After the initial shock, Ren Yao's mind quickly calmed down. She realized madly yet soberly that this was not rebellion but merit.
Given Princess Anle's domineering nature, it was a miracle that the prince could endure it. She just didn't expect that the prince would choose to take action at this time.
It seemed that the prince was planning to follow Li Huazhang's example, instigating high-ranking generals of the Yulin Army to rebel, launching a mutiny, and attacking Xuanwu Gate. However, Li Huazhang's methods were much more secretive and sophisticated, and the prince only came to pull the Yulin Army generals on the day of the rebellion, which seemed a bit hasty.
However, I heard that Princess Anle was lobbying the emperor more and more frequently to depose the crown prince and make her a crown princess. A few days ago, the Queen even said that since Empress Wu Zetian was a woman, the person who served her spirit should also be a woman, and Princess Anle should be allowed to preside over the ceremony for Empress Wu Zetian. The emperor did not express his opinion, but if Princess Anle was allowed to preside over the ceremony in front of the military governors and envoys from the vassal states, how would it be different from deposing the crown prince and making the crown princess a crown princess?
It is understandable that the prince was anxious and wanted to strike first.
Ren Yao left the Northern Court, not caring about the banquet at the Marquis of Jiang'an's mansion, and ran to Prince Yong's mansion without thinking. However, she repeatedly stated at the door that she had important matters to discuss with Prince Yong, but the gatekeeper of Prince Yong's mansion refused to let her in.
Ren Yao had no choice but to leave a message for Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang and left unwillingly. She stood on the street, watching the crowds passing by, feeling extremely lost.
Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang refused to see her. Who else could she discuss such an important matter with?
Go back home and tell her grandmother? Her grandmother would surely tell her to be prudent and not to mind her own business. Ren Yao was unwilling to accept that she knew about the palace coup but did nothing. Go find Xie Jichuan? That vixen never told the truth, she couldn't trust him. Or go and tell Prince Xiang and Princess Taiping?
Ren Yao looked down upon the act of informing on others. Moreover, without Li Huazhang, she would not be able to meet Princess Taiping and Prince Xiang in person. It would not be appropriate to go to the palace and tell the emperor and empress, because he was the crown prince after all. How could she dare to frame the crown prince for rebellion without evidence?
Ren Yao was in a dilemma, and at this moment a person suddenly appeared in her mind. Ren Yao realized who she was thinking about and was shocked.
What is she doing? She is resentful that men are born with the right to inherit, while women can only marry, so she has been practicing martial arts since she was young, determined to prove that she is no worse than men. She has finally become a marquis, how can she degenerate and go to men for help when encountering problems?
She is the Marquis of Pingnan and the only pillar of the Ren family. She will never be content to be a canary like the girls in the imperial palace. She will never get married and have children in her life, and she will never listen to men.
Ren Yao gritted his teeth, drove Jiang Ling's face out of his mind, turned his back to Jiang'an Marquis Mansion, and walked towards the palace without looking back.
Ren Yao returned to the Northern Yamen again and exchanged shifts with his colleagues to guard the palace gates. This was a common thing in the military. If someone had a temporary arrangement, they would exchange duty days with their colleagues. When the other person heard that Ren Yao was willing to take the night shift, he was of course very happy and agreed very quickly.
Ren Yao silently took her weapon and went to guard the palace gate. Before leaving, she looked at the general of the Zuo Yulin Army who was counting the number of people in the camp, as if he was looking at the ready-made merit.
Jiang Ling is the son of Marquis Jiang'an. His father had paved the way for him since he was born, but she is different. She has sacrificed too much to get to this point. She has no way out. She must win the trust of those in power and keep the Marquis of Pingnan's mansion.
Perhaps the prince saw Li Huazhang enter the palace from Xuanwu Gate and successfully forced Empress Wu Zetian to abdicate, so he thought he could do it too. That is why Ren Yao was sure that the prince would not succeed. The prince did not even know the existence of Xuanxiao Guards, but he dared to force the emperor to abdicate. Li Huazhang had always firmly supported the emperor's succession. Even if the emperor was suspicious of him, he never thought of rebellion, so Li Xian would definitely be able to sit on the throne for a long time.
The winner was already determined, and there was no doubt about who she would help. Ren Yao silently apologized to Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang. It was not that she was treacherous, she had informed them in advance, but they just refused to see her. Li Huazhang had the title of Prince Yong, so he would not have trouble making ends meet, but she could not, because she had the Pingnan Marquisate behind her, and she could not retreat. She had to make achievements, and Li Huazhang and the emperor were relatives, so he should not care if she tried to please the emperor and Queen Wei.
She had no choice.
Ren Yao pretended to be on patrol as usual, looking for an opportunity to strap weapons on his body, and waited quietly for the arrival of the hour of Xu. The winter sky darkened quickly, the night sky was bottomless, and under the sparse starlight, some families were quarreling, some were worrying about tomorrow's food, and some were enjoying themselves with singing, dancing and drinking.
Ren Yao deliberately didn't think about what Jiang Anhou Mansion and Jiang Ling were doing now. The prince's target was the palace, and he would not kill other places. As long as she solved the prince's mutiny, she could get the credit, Jiang Ling could spend his father's birthday peacefully, his grandmother could sleep peacefully, and Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang could live peacefully in their world of two. No one's interests were harmed, and everything was the best.
Time passed bit by bit, and Ren Yao couldn't help but glance at the time again, his eyes filled with confusion.
We agreed to start the uprising at 11:00 p.m., and now it’s already 2:45 p.m., why haven’t anybody arrived yet?
Could it be that they realized that the plan had been exposed and cancelled it? Ren Yao pursed his lips, feeling confused and unwilling.
Is it true that the more you seek in life, the less you get? She wanted to make great achievements and tried her best to prove that she could support the Ren family, but every time she was just one step away from success, she was broken. Ren Yao was mourning when he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from not far away.
Ren Yao's mind froze, and he looked up to see a group of dark shadows carrying a person rushing towards Xuanwu Gate, with torches dotted among them. Ren Yao even saw the blood on the tip of the knife. Ren Yao was shocked, whose blood was it?
Wasn't the prince going to abdicate? Why did he take so long to arrive and even turn around and kill someone?
The Yulin soldiers guarding the palace gates realized something was wrong, and the leader immediately ordered them to form a battle array, with all soldiers gathered in front of the Xuanwu Gate. Ren Yao mixed in with the soldiers guarding the gates, listening to the prince's majestic order to lay down their weapons, and secretly estimated the prince's military strength.
Unlike the mutiny that Li Huazhang had carefully planned, the number of people the prince brought was large, but too chaotic, with everyone crowded together without any order. A good army is better than a large number, and having a large number of people at this time may not necessarily be a good thing.
The people brought by the prince were Yulin troops, and the ones guarding the palace gates were also Yulin troops. Both sides looked at the familiar faces in the other camp and were a little suspicious. When the generals guarding the palace gates heard that the prince was acting on the emperor's orders, their attitude gradually wavered. Ren Yao suddenly shouted: "We are the emperor's personal soldiers and only obey the emperor's orders. His Royal Highness the prince said that he was following the emperor's orders, but it's dark now, who knows if it's really an imperial order. If the prince really has an urgent matter, it's better for him to return to the East Palace temporarily and meet the emperor tomorrow. It is a rule that the palace gates cannot be opened before the morning drum. I'm sorry that I can't let the prince in."
Ren Yao was resolute and spoke loudly, which encouraged the guards of the city. The prince was a little panicked when he saw that things were not going as he expected, and he didn't know what to do. While they were arguing, the Taiji Palace was already alarmed. The emperor and Empress Wei climbed up the Xuanwu Gate with the help of the eunuchs. The emperor saw the battle outside the city and didn't understand anything. He shouted angrily: "Rebellious son, what are you going to do?"
Ren Yao saw that the audience had arrived and knew that it was time to perform meritorious deeds. She rushed to the prince's camp and shouted, "The prince is plotting rebellion. Capture the traitor and protect His Majesty and the Empress!"
The Emperor and Empress Wei stood on the tower and saw a figure who was extremely brave, charging into the rebels fearlessly, brandishing a silver spear with great vigor. The prince was originally a bastard, and although he was lucky enough to be crowned the prince, he had no experience in governing, and the mutiny was all based on hatred and assumptions. He didn't know how to manage people, nor how to do things, and he became timid when he was attacked.
The prince failed to calm the people's hearts in time, and the soldiers who were incited to rebellion soon panicked and soon they were defeated. Ren Yao had always used Li Huazhang as a pretext for the prince, but after a fight, she found that the prince was far inferior to Li Huazhang. She was very calm and took advantage of the victory to pursue the remnants. She shouted and chased after the remnants.
·
Jiang Ling had planned to formally introduce Ren Yao to his father and stepmother today, so he changed his clothes and carefully dressed up. But he waited in the mansion for a long time, but Ren Yao did not show up.
Jiang Ling was extremely disappointed. But he immediately convinced himself that maybe she was too tired after her duty, so she went back to rest. After all, it was freezing cold today, and the Yulin Army had to patrol the whole city, which must be very tiring. Anyway, his father was here, so at most he could introduce her another day, and he couldn't tire her out.
Jiang Ling suppressed his disappointment and returned to the banquet to listen to his stepmother and brother wishing his father a happy birthday. Jiang Anhou laughed out loud, and he glanced at Jiang Ling and asked, "Jiang Ling, where is the surprise you said you prepared for your father?"
Jiang Ling was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Dad, I'm not ready yet, let's talk about it another day."
Marquis Jiang'an's expression became obviously gloomy. Marquis Jiang'an's concubine smiled and said, "Marquis, it's enough that the prince has this intention. Why force it? Erlang, quickly bring up the birthday message you wrote for father."
A young boy held up his own handwriting and wished Jiang Anhou good fortune and prosperity in a childish voice. Jiang Anhou looked at his well-behaved and intelligent young son and soon smiled. He held his son on his knees and said, "Erlang's handwriting is so good. He is really diligent and studious, unlike your useless brother."
Jiang Ling's smile faltered, he lowered his eyes and drank, pretending he hadn't heard his father's subconscious words. At this time, the butler ran in quickly from outside and spoke to Jiang Anhou's ear.
Jiang Ling had learned lip reading in Xuanxiao Guard, and almost at the same time, the prince led the Zuo Jinwu Guard and the Zuoyou Yulin Army to mutiny, intending to force the palace. However, on their way to Xuanwu Gate, the prince remembered that Princess Anle called him a slave, and wanted to go to the Liang Wang Mansion to kill Anle to vent his anger. Unexpectedly, Princess Anle stayed in the palace today and happened to escape. The Liang Wang father and son, that is, Princess Anle's father-in-law and husband, did not run away and were hacked to death.
Jiang Ling sighed in his heart, and it was hard to judge. The emperor's family was really like a family, but the emperor had been unlucky for half his life and still hadn't learned to be smart. The children he gave birth to were even dumber than the last, but they felt good about themselves. One was ambitious to become a princess, and the other was planning to rebel. But they even turned around and killed their enemies to vent their anger.
When Jiang Ling heard that the prince changed his route halfway, he knew that the prince's action would fail. It was obvious that Jiang Anhou did not take the prince seriously. He ordered people to cancel the banquet and constantly sent people out to inquire about the news. He was not panicked at all about the coup outside.
What are you panicking about? The remaining sons of the emperor are simply unable to compete with His Majesty Taiping. The more they fight each other, the better it is for His Majesty Taiping. Just wait and see. Marquis Jiang An is hoping that the crown prince will kill Princess Anle, and then Queen Wei will get angry and kill the crown prince, and it would be best if she could implicate a few more princes.
A second-rate figure like Empress Wei actually wanted to emulate Empress Wu Zetian without even considering whether she had the luck to do so.
The relaxation of the birthday party was gone, but the situation in the Marquis of Jiang'an Mansion was not tense. Jiang Ling was bored and waited for the final result of the killing outside. However, he never expected to hear her name in the story that he regarded as a joke.
"Ren Yao?" Jiang Ling stood up suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief. "It wasn't her turn to defend the city last night. How could she have run into the prince plotting a rebellion?"