(Thanks to Shengtaoyu and Abei for the alliance reward...)
Just out of Chongyang Gate is the Shangshu Province, and the Privy Council is opposite the Shangshu Province.
As soon as Qin Wenwen brought Qingyang and the eldest prince Yang Bin out of the government office at the back, Li Xiu rushed in with a heavy army of armored soldiers; Xu Jing led a team of professional soldiers to explore the horse, and they followed closely behind them.
The detective horses of the Staff Division were all armed with iron hoops and long sticks. Even if they did not kill immediately, if they encountered obstacles, they would still attack them with sticks, and their momentum was even more fierce than that of Li Xiu's troops.
Seeing this scene, Shen Yang and Shen Yi couldn't help showing a trace of panic on their face.
In addition to the guards and troops, there are also some scattered people in the imperial city.
The Staff Division, which specializes in mountain and terrain survey and enemy reconnaissance, has a horse exploration team of less than 300 people.
Although Tanma of the Zifang Division mainly operates outside the capital, when he returns to the capital and enters the imperial city, he is not subject to the restrictions of the bodyguards.
At this time, the Weaving Bureau had the right to interview the scenery of prefectures and counties for the holy hearing. It also had an exclusive official ship dock outside Jinghai Gate. It also had guards and horses that were independent of the bodyguards. The Queen Mother issued an edict and could even directly enter the Cishou Palace.
These troops may seem small in scale, but they can play an unpredictable role at critical moments.
It is unimaginable if Lu Qingxia had already transferred the guards of the Weaving Bureau into the Chongwen Palace, isolated the Queen Mother, Chen De, Li Changfeng and others from the outside world, and then occupied the Chongwen Palace in the name of the Queen Mother, Chen De, Li Changfeng and others. , giving orders to the guards and pro-army troops, how can they reverse the bad situation?
His Majesty was assassinated and his body was still lying in the depths of the Chongwen Palace. The Queen Mother was naturally the supreme ruler of the Chu Empire, and Chen De and Li Changfeng were the nominal commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the bodyguards.
They couldn't even put aside the fact that Wang Guifei was colluding with the assassins, so why should they fight for control of the bodyguards and soldiers?
Although there were more than 400 armored soldiers on duty inside and outside the Shangshu Provincial Courtyard, these armored soldiers were affiliated to the Left Wuyi Army and the Left and Right Wuyi Army, and were not subordinate to each other. Shen Yang originally wanted them to monitor and contain each other, but at this time, there was no one. A leading military attache stepped forward to stop Li Xiu, Xu Jing and others who were acting under the Queen Mother's orders.
Some of the guards were dissatisfied, but they had no choice but to retreat after being beaten by Xu Jing and his staff, Tan Ma, with sticks.
Seeing this scene, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Zhang Chao, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and dozens of other officials retreated to the side. As a result, most of the guards also retreated to both sides under the leadership of their respective superiors.
Even Han Daochang and Han Duan silently stepped aside to watch the situation.
In the huge square of the front hall of the political hall, only Han Daoming was left to accompany Shen Yang, Yang En, Xue Ruogu, Qin Wen and Qingyang, the eldest prince, and Yun Puzi were standing in the middle. There were only more than 80 soldiers. He also stood in front of them to prevent Li Xiu from approaching.
Yang Zhitang did not retreat directly to the eaves, but he also did not stand with Shen Yang and the others. Instead, he was in a middle position, with an uncertain expression on his face and a wandering mind.
To be honest, at this time, among the guards on duty in Shangshu Province, there were still more than one-fifth of the armored soldiers. Under the leadership of several low-level military attachés, they were guarding in front of Shen Yang and the others with nervous expressions. They still called Yang Zhitang. Quite unexpectedly, this made him even more hesitant: looking at this situation, Shen Yang and Yang En are still more or less popular.
Yang Zhitang no longer cared about the truth behind Yang Yuanpu's death. He was more worried about the many princes and ministers present. If they could not reach a consensus as quickly as possible on the assassination case and the support, or Shen Yang , Yang En, Han Daoming and others were killed in the imperial city today. Is there any reason to think that Han Qian will not send troops to cross the river?
"This is an edict from the Queen Mother, summoning the royal concubine and the eldest prince for questioning..."
Li Xiu pressed the sword on his waist and stopped in front of the court. The dark armored soldiers behind him suddenly spread out three conical battle formations, like three giant spears, and directed their swords at the people in the courtyard. The atmosphere was so oppressive that they screamed Everyone felt suffocated, as if they could smell the smell of blood in the air.
Li Xiu did not give any orders to rush through the dozens of scattered guards blocking Shen Yang's way, and sent someone to send a letter to Shen Yang, asking him to hand over Princess Qingyang and the eldest prince to him to take away.
Xu Jing saw Yun Puzi beside Qingyang and said, "General Zhong just found evidence that the assassin was hiding in Chongfu Palace, and we would like to ask Taoist Master Yun to accompany us."
"Slander. You threw a few broken weapons and pieces of clothes into Chongfu Temple, and you want to frame the old Taoist for colluding with the assassins?" Although Xu Jing and the others poured sewage over them, making it difficult for them to defend themselves, Yun Puzi was adamant. He scolded in a cold voice with a calm face, "There are so many spies from the Zifang Division hiding in the capital, but the old Taoist suspects Master Xu is colluding with the assassins."
"Whether it's a frame-up or not, the Queen Mother will be able to tell." Li Xiu held the sword at his waist and said with a gloomy face.
Following Li Xiu's signal, his men separated their soldiers to the left and right, staring at the Shangshu Province guards in front of them and on the left and right.
"Even if Concubine Wang is really suspected of colluding with the assassins, she will be tried by all the ministers participating in the political affairs. Li Xiu, are you really going to rebel under the orders of the rebels?" Shen Yang stared at Li Xiu and asked sternly.
"Master Shen, you are secretly harboring suspects. How can Li Xiu trust you? How can the many sons and gentlemen behind me trust you? And His Majesty was assassinated and died, and the new emperor has not yet been established. It is natural for Da Chu to respect the Queen Mother. Who dares to say that the Queen Mother issued an edict? Are you messing with your life? Master Shen, you are so brave!" Li Xiu said without giving an inch, staring at Shen Yang like an unsheathed sharp blade.
All the officials in the courtyard were secretly sweating.
Even though there are still dozens of guards standing in front of Shen Yang and the others, the formation is scattered. Except for a few low-level military officials who insist on gritting their teeth, their soldiers are obviously confused and confused. Maybe Li Xiu only needs an order, and these people are all If Li Xiu couldn't withstand the impact of the tiger behind him, he would be killed and his blood would flow like a river.
At this time, someone from the government office behind came over to report that hundreds of soldiers, led by Zhong Yanhu, were outflanking the Shangshu Province from the alley behind.
This news made most people turn pale, wondering if they would be implicated and die without a burial if the stalemate continued.
Although after hearing the noise here, some people came running from other places one after another, but after seeing the chaotic situation here, they did not dare to get involved casually.
"Li Xiu, I think about how majestic your father was on the battlefield. Both the enemy and our soldiers and civilians respected and feared him. However, from the bottom of his heart, Yang En respected the prince's sincerity in treating the world the most." Yang En stood up and stared at Li Xiu and asked. , "I don't believe that the two sons of the county prince are fools. Let me ask you, do you really think that the concubine Wang Guifei colluded with the assassin to assassinate His Highness?"
Li Xiu's face was gloomy, and Xu Jing smiled and said: "Yang Houye, whether the Queen Mother has colluded with the assassins, the Queen Mother will definitely investigate to the end and give a clear explanation to the people of Chu. Is it possible that Yang Houye thought that the Queen Mother would hope Did His Majesty die in an unknown manner? Mr. Yang and Prime Minister Shen insist on protecting Wang Guifei, is it possible that you want to wait for reinforcements to cross the river?"
Seeing Xu Jing falsely accusing them of secretly colluding with Tang Yi, Shen Yang and Yang En were so angry that they felt tight in their chests.
"It's useless to say more. Please bring the eldest prince and Taoist Master Yun with you, Queen Mother, and we will know the truth." Li Xiu urged again.
Qin Wen also sighed secretly. Li Xiu may not be able to see the doubts at this time, but unless the most cruel and bloody truth can be revealed, which will directly drag Han Mansion and Tang Yi into chaos, and capture Li Changfeng, Li The last trace of delusion in Xiu's heart, otherwise he would not be able to imagine any reason why Li Xiu and Li Changfeng would not choose to side with the Queen Mother and Lu Qingxia.
The struggle is always cruel, and the truth is never the most important.
Qin Wen even suspected that even if he and Yun Puzi revealed the cruel truth, Li Xiu might rebuke them for talking nonsense and then kill the minister to save a river of blood.
Things are sometimes very simple. Li Changfeng and Li Xiu did not choose to side with the Queen Mother and Lu Qingxia at this time. Could it be that after the Queen Mother and Lu Qingxia lost power, they could still imagine that Yang Zhitang, Zheng Yu, Zhang Chao and others were not against the Li family. Liquidation?
That’s what’s called being stuck in the mud, right?
At this moment, Han Daochang and Han Duan, who had retreated to the side, also tried their best to wink at Han Daoming, who was standing uncertainly in the field, asking him to let go. They wanted to step forward and pull Han Daoming aside to watch the situation.
Qingyang grabbed Bin'er's hand, his face turned pale, and he couldn't help but look at Han Daoming pleadingly.
She knew that if she and Bin'er were handed over again, the Han Mansion and Tangyi might still have the confidence and qualifications to exchange benefits with Cishou Palace, but the life and death of their mother and son would be completely under Lu Qingxia's control.
Just when Han Daoming was hesitating whether to retreat, he heard a sharp rebuke from behind him:
"Li Xiu, if you really want to help the tyrants commit evil, are you worthy of Mr. Li's spirit in heaven? Do you want to throw Mr. Li's sincerity towards Chu into the mud and trample on it?"
Han Daoming turned around and saw that in the aisle on the left side of the political hall, more than a dozen eunuchs holding short blades walked out quickly, with a one-armed man at the head. He couldn't help but unexpectedly called out: "Master Zhang..."
"Master Zhang, Young Supervisor Jiang..." Everyone was shocked when they saw Zhang Ping and Jiang Huo appearing at this time. They didn't know how they walked in from the passage behind the Political Affairs Hall after not seeing them for a long time. I don’t know whether they have been hiding in Shangshu Province or just walked into Shangshu Province from the side door.
There may be a lot of low-level generals in the bodyguard army who don't know Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, and Yang En. After all, when the armies conduct regular drills, most of the generals stand in the array, and it is difficult to see the martial arts stage clearly. The only one who looked at the appearance of the generals in the formation was the one-armed image of Zhang Ping, the chamberlain supervisor, which had long been imprinted in the hearts of all the generals.
Zhang Ping suddenly stood up and publicly rebuked Li Xiuzhu for his cruelty. This shock to the hearts of many officers and soldiers in the hospital was even stronger than Yang En's previous doubts. They couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the inner servant, the young eunuch, has control over things unknown to outsiders? The secret?
"Li Xiu, do you really think that the second prince in front of the Queen Mother is still a descendant of your Li family?" Zhang Ping ignored the reactions of others, stared at Li Xiu and asked sternly.
"Master Zhang, what are you talking about?" Li Xiu frowned angrily, pulled out half of the sword on his waist, and stared at Zhang Ping and asked.
"Axiu, I'm not dead. The corpse in Changyang Courtyard is the palace maid who served me. She is one of Lu Qingxia's people. It was Lord Zhang who wanted to kill me. Jiang Shaojian saved me in time - the second lady in Cishou Palace.
Prince, Master Zhang and Young Supervisor Jiang just took me to confirm that it is not Lin'er, I don't know who they replaced it with. Axiu, you and my father have been deceived in the past few years..."
Another thin figure wearing a burqa walked out from among the dozens of servants. He walked down to the court and took off his hood, revealing a pale and thin face...