The guards' duty room in the Qianqing Palace.
Zhang Yong took the letter He Ying handed him and remained silent as he looked at the three words on it.
The neat handwriting above reads "Wu's deposed empress".
He Ying glanced at it curiously, her mind filled with doubts.
At this critical juncture, what riddle is the Empress playing?
"Zhang Daban, I would like to trouble you to find a way to contact the Emperor and the Empress. The Empress Dowager's people have tried to break into the inner palace several times, and I can't hold on much longer."
Zhang Yong sharply scrutinized He Ying for a moment.
"Did you know that Marquis Guo Xun of Wuding is the grandson of Grand Secretary Jiao?"
Crane Shadow was stunned.
I instinctively felt a chill down my back.
Grand Secretary Jiao wholeheartedly supports the Empress Dowager.
Guo Xun appeared to be the emperor's confidant, but in reality, he had sided with the Wang family.
Therefore, with Guo Xun's indulgence, some people repeatedly tried to break into the inner palace.
If it weren't for Zhang Yong's iron-fisted suppression, the inner palace would probably have been stormed in long ago.
The secret that the emperor and empress were no longer in the palace could no longer be kept.
He Ying's heart clenched.
To be honest, she felt a little smug when she learned that Guo Xun had feelings for her.
Although He Ying was not bad, she had never dared to dream of becoming a marquis's wife.
Being pursued by a marquis greatly satisfied her vanity.
Even Yan Rong...
A warning bell rang in He Ying's mind, and she instantly snapped back to reality.
If she were to follow in Yan Rong's footsteps and try to curry favor with Guo Xun, inadvertently betraying the Empress... He Ying dared not think further.
She suppressed her inner turmoil and asked, "Zhang Daban, what does Her Majesty mean by mentioning the deposed Empress Wu?"
Zhang Yong was a man of few words: "The key point."
He Ying was stunned for a moment: ? ? ?
Zhang Yong succinctly got up and walked out, saying, "One move, and the whole game is done."
He Ying stood there stunned for a long time, carefully pondering the key to this.
She knew that Empress Wu was Emperor Xianzong's first wife.
A month after her wedding, she was deposed as empress for punishing Emperor Xianzong's favorite concubine with a cane. Her maternal family and relatives by marriage were also implicated, with some having their property confiscated and others being exiled.
How could a woman who has completely lost power and remained unknown for decades possibly be the key figure?
She couldn't understand what riddles the Empress and Zhang Da were playing, and she was so anxious she wanted to jump up and down.
The situation is already so tense, and they're still completely clueless!
The Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager Zhang, Guo Xun who guarded the Forbidden City, Grand Secretary Jiao in the Cabinet, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, and the Marquis of Huaining, a relative by marriage of Empress Dowager Zhang's family, were among the capital's military forces.
They have colluded and formed a closed loop.
As soon as news of the emperor's death spreads, they can immediately support the young prince to ascend the throne.
He Ying, a maid with insufficient intelligence, was completely helpless.
Okay, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.
She should just focus on doing her job well and wait and see.
Soon, news spread through the palace that Empress Wu's suffering was about to end.
Empress Dowager Wang of Renshou Palace was so angry that her chest ached. "That old bastard actually dares to show his face again! Guards, go and teach him a lesson!"
The palace servants in Renshou Palace immediately responded and left.
The next day, news came from the West Garden that Empress Wu had died.
...
Empress Dowager Zhang did not react much when she heard the news of Empress Wu's death.
This woman has such a weak presence that she doesn't feel anything is amiss.
Although the Marquis of Huaining's mansion had previously asked Empress Dowager Zhang to look after Empress Wu, she only sent one of her subordinates to do so.
Now that this woman is dead, she thinks it's a good thing and has someone report it to the Marquis of Huaining's residence.
When Marquis Huaining Sun Yingjue received this news, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly went to find his mother, Lady Sun.
When Sun Yingjue was just old enough to remember things, his family underwent a tremendous change.
His home was ransacked, he was imprisoned, and he almost got beheaded.
Because the emperor wanted to depose the empress, the niece of the Sun family, who had just been made empress Wu a month ago.
Their Huaining Marquis's mansion was the biggest backer of the Wu family.
They spent two years in prison, nearly dying from illness, before being released under a general amnesty.
Many years later, the title that had been stripped away was restored.
It has been no easy feat for him to regain the emperor's favor and gain control of the military. He has come this far step by step.
When Madam Sun heard the news of Empress Wu's death, she looked as if she had aged ten years.
She turned her dim, yellow eyes and stared intently at her son, each word piercing his heart.
"My son, have you forgotten the suffering you endured in prison back then?"
Sun Yingjue held his mother's hand, bowed his head, and wept uncontrollably.
How could I forget?
At the age of seven, he had a persistent high fever and was on the verge of death.
His strong-willed mother offered herself to the jailer in exchange for a chance to receive medical treatment.
The jailer was nearby when he hurled filthy insults at his mother.
He clenched his fists tightly and closed his eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.
But that sound and movement were etched into his very bones.
It is a pain and hatred that will forever remain in my heart, one that I can never forget, not even in death.
"Back then, your grandfather held a higher official position than you and was more favored by the emperor, and your niece was the empress."
"As a result, the Wang family played dirty tricks, and Wu was deposed as empress. Our Sun family was falsely accused of treason and almost had our entire family executed!"
"Now you're actually going to collude with your enemies and repay your benefactors with enmity?"
Sun Yingjue, a burly man in his forties, was filled with shame after being scolded by his elderly mother.
He was aware of the grudges of the older generation, but felt that since it was so long ago, the hatred could be put aside.
The Wang family had little influence in the military, so they tried to win him over through the Zhang family.
Once a new emperor is enthroned, the credit for supporting him will be unavoidable.
He originally intended to just go with the flow.
But now, the death of Empress Wu has reopened old wounds, forcing him to re-examine the Wang family.
The Wang family did not respect the Sun family.
In the eyes of the Wang family, Empress Wu's life was as insignificant as an ant.
The Wang family rose to power by stepping over the corpses of the Sun family.
A family with three marquises and earls is an unparalleled honor.
Now, still not satisfied with his ambitions, he is trying to support a new emperor.
If he continues to support the Wang family, it would be like rubbing the faces of the Sun family's ancestors and mother into the ground.
Moreover, his rise to prominence was due to Empress Su's strong support and the Emperor's high regard.
How could he repay kindness with enmity and become a weapon in the hands of his enemy?
Sun Yingjue wiped his face, his eyes resolute: "Mother, I know what to do."
...
When Lu Xingjian and his party arrived at the outskirts of Beijing, Duke Zhang Mao of Yingguo, Marquis Sun Yingjue of Huaining, and Zhang Yong, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, knelt down to greet them.
"Welcome back to the palace, Your Majesty!"
The Duke of England is now in charge of the training of the Twelfth Battalion, and Admiral Zhang Yong is in charge of the Twelfth Battalion, so it is not surprising that they are here.
The appearance of Marquis Huaining here was quite unexpected for Lu Xingjian.
The Fifth Army Camp is the territory of the Duke of Baoguo's mansion. Although the Duke of Baoguo has resigned from his post, his old subordinates and soldiers whom he personally led are still there, so he is not worried about any problems arising in the Fifth Army Camp.
The three thousand battalions were all his trusted and trusted generals.
As for Marquis Huaining, a secret report said that he had several contacts with the Wang family, and it seems that he intends to pledge allegiance to them.
Unexpectedly, Marquis Huaining eventually abandoned the darkness and embraced the light.
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