Late at night, the palace door, which had been locked, was suddenly opened.
All the people in the Kunning Hall of the harem were suddenly awakened and came to wait in the hall.
As the candlesticks were lit, the entire hall was suddenly brightly lit. Under the candlelight, two figures were vaguely visible behind the screen bead curtain, sitting behind it.
Yao Guangxiao, who was wearing a black monk's robe, walked quickly into the palace together with Tao Ai, Nan Jiyun, Wen Tiren and other senior officials in the capital. They all knelt down on the ground and shouted:
"I'll wait, please pay homage to the two empresses!"
Yao Guangxiao respectfully raised the imperial edict with both hands, bowed his head and confessed:
"According to His Majesty's decree, I rush back to the capital. Due to the urgent situation, we cannot delay, so we can only enter the palace late at night to see the two empresses. If I have disturbed you, please forgive me!"
Behind the screen, Bian Liuyun quickly asked the palace attendant to take the imperial edict from Yao Guangxiao's hand, and said:
"I have already checked the seal of the Imperial Order and Nanrong Zhaoyi, and it is indeed true... His Majesty suddenly sent people back, and there was such a movement. What happened?"
When Yao Guangxiao heard this, he quickly replied:
"Reporting to the two empresses, Your Majesty learned that there were thieves who wanted to attack the palace, and he was furious. He immediately ordered his ministers to return to the capital with the imperial edict to thoroughly investigate the traitors in the capital."
The imperial edict was delivered to the two of them. Nan Rongshu hurriedly stood up and took it. She opened the edict and glanced at it. She nodded to Bian Liuyun solemnly and said:
"It was written by His Majesty himself and stamped with a jade seal."
Bian Liuyun heard the words and accepted the imperial edict. After seeing the content of the edict clearly, she hesitated slightly.
Nan Rongshu on the side looked at Bian Liuyun's hesitant and worried expression, frowned slightly, leaned into her ear, and asked in a low voice:
"It is indeed His Majesty's personal decree. There is no problem!"
Bian Liuyun frowned, looked at the contents of the imperial edict in his hand, and replied in a low voice:
"I know, it's just..."
The imperial edict in her hand at this time was that Xiao Cheng asked Yao Guangxiao to return to the capital that day and preside over a thorough investigation of the traitors in the capital. All the yamen inside and outside the capital should cooperate and make sure there is no mistake.
The reason why Bian Liuyun hesitated was not because he doubted the authenticity of this imperial edict.
But this imperial edict is really not suitable. Yao Guangxiao can completely control every place in the capital with this imperial edict.
Zhongqing City is the capital of Yun Kingdom. It is so important that you cannot be too careful!
For example, the Forbidden Army that guards the capital sounds like one, but in fact, there are twenty-four battalions within the Forbidden Army, which are assigned to each individual. The areas where each battalion is responsible for patrolling and garrisoning must be rotated every month.
Even Tao Ai, the Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Governor's Office, and Nan Jiyun, the Central Protector's Army, suddenly ordered the mobilization of each battalion of the Forbidden Army, and the generals of each battalion had to ask for military talismans and imperial edicts.
It is too dangerous for the power inside and outside the capital to be in the hands of one person. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable, and the safety of the country must not be gambled on the loyalty of one person.
Nan Rongshu couldn't understand this at this time, but all the officials in the palace, and even Yao Guangxiao, who came with the decree, felt that this imperial edict was somewhat inappropriate. However, when he received the edict, Xiao Cheng was furious.
At that time, no one dared to say anything.
For a moment, all the ministers in Kunning Palace fell silent.
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and quiet, and even the slight sound of candles exploding nearby sounded like thunder to everyone, making their hearts beat with fear.
Nan Rongshu also noticed the strange atmosphere, and quickly shut her mouth and stopped talking. She just looked at Bian Liuyun silently, waiting for her to make a decision.
After a moment of silence, Bian Liuyun took a deep breath and handed the imperial edict to Nan Rongshu. Then he slowly stood up, folded his hands in front of his abdomen, and said loudly:
"I am aware of His Majesty's imperial edict."
"Where is Nan Jiyun, the Central Protector Army!"
When Nan Jiyun heard this, he immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists and shouted:
"I'm here!"
"General Nan quickly rushed to the Forbidden Army Yamen, and coordinated with Marquis Changzhou to preside over the mobilization of the Forbidden Army without any mistakes!"
Nan Jiyun immediately clasped his fists and shouted:
"I respectfully obey your Majesty's orders!"
Bian Liuyun nodded and continued:
"Old Lieutenant!"
Tao Ai also came out of the queue and saluted:
"The old minister is here."
"Of the twenty-four battalions of the Forbidden Army in the capital, six battalions accompanied His Majesty on a tour of the capital. The remaining eighteen battalions are required to not only guard the palace and take over the city's defense, but also to enforce martial law in the city and suppress the rebels. I'm afraid there are not enough troops.
Please ask the old lieutenant to leave the city quickly and mobilize the soldiers and horses from the camp on the outskirts of Beijing to enter the capital!"
Tao Ai heard this and said without hesitation:
"Old minister, I obey."
"It seems that the Marquis of Changzhou is incapable of doing anything, so all the offices in the capital will ask Wen Shangshu to assist him!" Bian Liuyun continued.
Wen Tiren also stepped forward to salute and said:
"Please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, I will do my best!"
"To encircle and suppress the rebels, they may jump over the wall in a hurry and send experts to attack the palace. The imperial army will inevitably be caught off guard. Wang Zhi, Lu Bing!"
Wang Zhi and Lu Bing quickly stepped forward, cupped their fists and shouted:
"My servant is here!"
"Deploy another group of masters from the East Jishi Factory and Shangyu Preparatory Office to guard the palace!"
"yes!"
Bian Liuyun glanced at everyone, with a firm expression and a dignified tone:
"His Majesty's decree, the affairs in the capital are to be presided over by Marquis Changzhou, and you should fully cooperate with them. The matter is urgent, and you must make arrangements as soon as possible. There must be no delay!"
"yes!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately bowed and saluted, turned around and left quickly.
Watching everyone leave, Nan Rongshu on the side suddenly tightened the imperial edict in her hand with some uneasiness.
This imperial edict should have been returned to Yao Guangxiao at this time, allowing him to use it to dispatch troops in the capital.
But at this time, no matter Bian Liuyun, Yao Guangxiao, or all the ministers in the palace, they seemed to have forgotten this imperial edict and did not mention it before leaving.
Nan Rongshu was not a fool. After thinking about it carefully at this time, she somewhat understood the arrangements Bian Liuyun had just made.
Although Changzhou Hou Yao Guangxiao was still in charge of all matters in the capital, he did not have monopoly power.
Instead, they were led by Nan Jiyun and the old Taiwei Tao Ai, respectively, to the Imperial Guards in the middle of the capital and the soldiers and horses of the large camps in the suburbs of the capital. Wen Tiren also assisted various yamen in the capital. Even the defense of the palace was assigned to Dongchang.
, at the sticky pole, the Forbidden Army arranged to come in together to check and balance each other.
Everyone also withheld this imperial edict at the same time, so that Yao Guangxiao could not use it to completely take over the power in the capital.
Nan Rongshu belatedly looked at Bian Liuyun beside her, only to find that she, who always had only a gentle smile on her face, showed a trace of tiredness and panic that could not be concealed when the ministers left.
.
These methods used by Bian Liuyun are actually somewhat chilling from Yao Guangxiao's perspective.
But now that Xiao Cheng is away, Bian Liuyun is a woman who not only has to find ways to maintain stability in the capital, but also protect Xiao Chengwei's two princes with all her strength. With the always ambitious Nan Rongshu next to her, she is the only one.
Such a method is useful...
Nan Rongshu opened her mouth, but paused.
At this moment, she had just realized that since the situation in Beijing changed, Bian Liuyun's helplessness and fear had been hidden under her gentle smile.
After another moment of silence, Nan Rongshu stood up suddenly, with bright eyes, grabbed Bian Liuyun's hand, and said loudly:
"Let's go, take Ze'er and En'er, let's go to Yongxin Palace!"
Bian Liuyun was slightly startled and said softly:
"Taifei Zhang's Yongxin Palace? It's so late, why do you want to disturb Taifei suddenly?"
Hearing this, Nan Rongshu lowered her voice and said in a voice that only two people could hear:
"In the Yongxin Palace, there is a secret passage left by the late emperor, which can lead to the outside of the palace. I once led my tribe to attack the palace from there..."
Then Xiao Cheng, who had been waiting for a long time with his troops, killed them all in one fell swoop...
"Anyway, if something happens, we can leave somewhere else!"
Having said this, Nan Rongshu grabbed Bian Liuyun's hand with both hands, looked directly at her, and said very seriously:
"Your arrangements are good enough. Anyway, I couldn't arrange them right away. Even if something happens next, it won't be your fault. Anyway, with His Majesty here, Dayun can't be in chaos. We just need to protect Ze'er with all our strength. Well
Just take it!"
Hearing this, Bian Liuyun felt a little reassured. She also held Nan Rongshu's hand, smiled happily, and said warmly:
"Okay, let's go now."
——————————
Outside Zhongqing City, Jixia Academy.
The majestic academic palace in front of him was rebuilt from the former site of the Buddhist Ganye Temple and became the highest academic institution in the Yun Kingdom. Xiao Cheng took this opportunity to introduce the influence of hundreds of schools of thought, hoping to use the power of hundreds of schools of thought for his own use.
As the country of Yun became prosperous and had the potential to annex the world, many scholars from hundreds of schools of thought who were ambitious and wanted to show their talents and left their names in history flocked to the country.
To this day, hundreds of schools of thought in the world hold lectures at Jixia Academy. There are many debates among various schools of thought, arguing with each other about the ideas of each school, recreating a bit of the original scene of a hundred schools of thought contending.
.
However, under the Jixia Academy today, the only sounds that could be heard were the neighing of war horses, the clash of armors, and the clanging of gold and silver swords, which overshadowed the previous aura of dignity.
Tens of thousands of forbidden troops gathered at the foot of the mountain. Their tents were lined up horizontally, their flags covered the sky, and they soared into the sky with a solemn murderous aura. Their power was extremely frightening.
With such a sudden use of troops, Jixia Academy suddenly became panicked and the atmosphere became particularly tense.
In the academy, the heads of various families gathered in the lobby.
"What's going on?"
The person who spoke was a man with dark skin and dressed in farmer's clothing. This man's name was Jiao Shan, and he was the head of the farm at Jixia Academy.
The head of the military family, Ge Shang, looked calm and authentic at this time:
"It's okay, there is a sudden epidemic in the capital. Unimmune diseases are raging, and the imperial army is dispatched to take over the city defense. The imperial army at the foot of the mountain is to protect our Jixia Academy."
"Master Ge, don't think that you are the only one who knows how to use troops! The posture of the camp at the foot of the mountain clearly shows that it is a formation to deal with the incoming attack on the mountain. Is this a protective formation?" Gongsun Song, a famous scholar
I couldn't help but speak.
Legalist Ji Fang also said with a cold face:
"My disciples have seen with their own eyes that the army under the mountain has prepared battlefield killing weapons such as bed crossbows. Are these methods necessary to prevent the spread of the disease?"
Hearing this, Ge Shang shrugged slightly and said:
"In the Jixia Academy, among the hundreds of disciples, there are many young and energetic ones. The Imperial Guards at the foot of the mountain were afraid that some scholars would refuse to accept the ban on the Academy, so just in case, they made this arrangement. As for the bed
Crossbow...well, your disciple must have made a mistake!"
"You fart! It's obvious that he is here for you and me, the disciples of the Baijia School! Emperor Yun has stopped pretending, has shown his cards, and plans to attack our Baijia!" Gongsun Song immediately retorted.
Xu Su, the leader of the Yin Yang family who had not been to Jixia Academy for a long time, was actually in the academy at this time. Listening to Gongsun Song's words, he chuckled and said calmly:
"Famous people are good at eloquence. I once witnessed a famous person like you, who was the head of the family, use his words as a sword when he was young, and finally forced an evil man to be so angry that he committed suicide in shame. His eloquence at that time was definitely not like Mr. Gongsun.
Like a shrew yelling and scolding..."
As soon as these words came out, Gongsun Song was speechless.
This is the benefit of being older. No matter how powerful your tongue is, just saying "You are not as good as your father, what he was like back then" can make people speechless.
Jin Shengyuan, the head of the Za family, with a kind smile on his face, came out to smooth things over:
"Didn't I say that I will be sealed for three days? Anyway, rice, meat, water and wine are delivered every day. There is no shortage of food and drink in the academy. You can just wait patiently for three days!"
The Confucian teacher Mingzhe, who had been silent until now, also spoke at this time:
"In that case, just wait for three days!"
Having said this, Shi Mingzhe stood up and left under the astonished gazes of everyone.
Ji Fang and Gongsun Song, at this time, directly nodded their heads in agreement with Shi Mingzhe. Their hearts were even more flustered and anxious, and they couldn't care about anything else and hurriedly chased Shi Mingzhe away.
When no one was around, Gongsun Song couldn't help but said:
"Shi Mingzhe, are you planning to break the pot? The Yun Army at the foot of the mountain is clearly here for you. If you don't find a way quickly, do you want to sit back and wait for death?"
"Master Si Ye, now that we have reached this point, we must find a way out as soon as possible!" Ji Fang also followed.
Although the two of them had decided before that they would put all the responsibility on Shi Mingzhe. However, after all, the suspicion on them could not be completely wiped away, so they could not help but feel panicked at this time.
As for Shi Mingzhe's face, he had already become gloomy and ugly when he walked out of the lobby.
At this time, hearing the words of the two people, I couldn't help but feel irritated, and said in an unpleasant tone:
"What can you think of? This is in Zhongqing City, in the Yun Kingdom. There are tens of thousands of troops up and down. The Yun Kingdom worships countless masters. What can you think of?"
Confucianism is very powerful and has many masters. But the manpower in Jixia Academy alone cannot attack the military formation of tens of thousands of troops.
Confucianism also has a great influence, but it must be given time to create public opinion, incite scholars all over the world, stir up uproar and denounce, and force Xiao Cheng to bow his head. At this moment, no matter how great the influence is, it is useless
.
Thinking of this, Shi Mingzhe couldn't help but gritted his teeth and cursed:
"The majestic Yunhuang is so out of control that he flips the table over at the slightest hint of wind. This is really despising him!"
Xiao Chengzhan has always been shown to the world as a man of foresight and sophisticated means. Shi Mingzhe originally thought that with the influence of Confucianism, he should not take action as long as there was no solid evidence.
But he never expected that Xiao Cheng would really act out of common sense this time!
"Seriously, is there no other way..." Ji Fang said with an ugly expression on his face.
After Shi Mingzhe was silent for a moment, he spoke again:
"Emperor Yun should do it. He just got carried away with his anger. When he calms down and weighs the momentum of our three families, he should hold it up high and put it down gently... In short, if the Yun army captures us in the future, let's get out of the way.
Middle disciples must not act rashly or resist, lest they fall into the trap of others!"
"Why are you so sure? What if Emperor Yun fails to calm down..." Gongsun Song frowned.
When Shi Mingzhe heard this, he said in a deep voice:
"So, we have to make some arrangements! After Yun Jun takes action, secretly arrange for someone to go to the cake shop at the foot of Jixia Xuegong Mountain to inform him."
"Cake shop? What kind of cake shop?"
"The contact point arranged by the Embroidery Envoy of the Xia Kingdom, I, the Confucian, found out accidentally... let them take the opportunity to mobilize people and encourage the sergeants in the capital to protest. If the Yun Kingdom can cause chaos for a while, they will be happy to see it happen.
We will definitely take action with all our strength!”