Chapter 278: Suppressing the Capital
Emperor Jiajing has regained consciousness.
The first thing he did was to go to the prince's body.
"Your Majesty." Huang Jin whispered behind him. "Chang Weibo has just ordered the imperial city to be sealed off, saying that no one is allowed to enter or leave until Your Majesty's order arrives."
"The prince was quite well-behaved when he was young. I was afraid of the decree that the two dragons should not meet each other, so I could only see him occasionally. Every time, I wanted to hold him and play with him... Huang Jin, do you still remember how happy you were in Anlu?"
"I remember that I followed Your Majesty to play in the market and wander around. I was carefree."
Emperor Jiajing reached out and gently touched the prince's forehead. "I was thinking at that time that when this child grows up, I will take him to the market to see another way of life..."
Huang Jin hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, Chang Wei Bo killed a man in the Imperial City."
"The Queen Mother loves this grandson the most. She can't get enough of him every day. Sometimes she even stays overnight at the Crown Prince's place..."
Emperor Jiajing closed his eyes and said, "But he still went, right?"
"Yes."
Everyone bowed their heads.
"I... understand."
Emperor Jiajing raised his hand, slowly placed it on the prince's cheek, then turned around.
It was as if he was saying goodbye to something.
"Draft an order, and let Xu Changwei do as he sees fit."
"Yes."
When the imperial edict was delivered to Jiang Qingzhi, he was talking to the general guarding the Zhengyang Gate.
"…Someone was spying outside earlier, and I ordered them to be driven away, but they just sneered and retreated."
"Chang Wei Bo." The eunuch ran over and handed him the decree.
This is what Jiang Qingzhi was waiting for.
"My Lord, the cavalry has arrived."
Sun Bu Tong said happily.
The arrival of hundreds of cavalrymen gave Jiang Qingzhi confidence.
"Send a message to the guards. In this emergency, the guards should close their camp gates tightly and not move rashly!"
"Yes. Lord, should we communicate this matter with the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery?" Hu Zongxian asked.
"I'm busy."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the crowd watching from a distance and said, "Old Hu, do you know how many of those people wish that the capital would be in chaos right now? They wish that the guards would riot and massacre the capital."
Xu Wei said: "Their people can hide in there and incite the rebel army to charge into the palace. When all the people who deserve to die in the palace are dead, they will appear as saviors, and then get a son of the royal family to ascend the throne...
They will definitely learn their lesson this time. I bet they will find a fool to succeed them, or a child who knows nothing about the world to be the emperor."
I let you say it all, what else do I have to say?
Jiang Qingzhi felt that it made sense that Xu Wei was not liked by his superiors.
……
In a mansion in the capital, several elderly people were drinking tea and chatting with smiles on their faces.
"...You have done a good job, but it is too early to be complacent now. We are still a long way from success! The most important thing right now is to keep an eye on the palace." An old man said with a smile.
Someone came to report, "Your Majesty is still in a coma."
An old man laughed and said, "The emperor is cunning, but it seems that this time he is not setting a trap. Is it time to take action?"
"Jiang Qingzhi has come to Beijing, and this matter..." The other old man hesitated.
"He is just that kind of person, can he really turn the tables?"
"Yes! It's a rare opportunity."
The old man gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it." He stood up and looked at everyone, "Tell them to spread the word that His Majesty has passed away, and that Prince Yu and Prince Jing are fighting for the throne in the palace, causing a river of blood in the palace. Secondly, it's time to move the Jinwu Right Guard. Let them move."
"The Right Guards of the Imperial Guards are in charge of the western section of the Imperial City and patrol the gates of the capital. This is a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters." Another old man laughed sinisterly and said, "Let them stir up trouble and charge into the palace."
"What about the two princes..." someone asked.
"The biggest mistake Queen Mother Zhang and Lord Yang made was choosing a teenage boy to succeed the throne. Most teenage men have their own opinions. How could they be willing to be suppressed?"
A fierce look flashed in the old man's eyes, "Those two princes look unlucky."
"Alright."
Someone asked, "Where's that guy?"
The old man said coldly: "After Zuo Shunmen, how many people wanted to eat his flesh. But several arson attacks failed to burn him to death, and the palace coup failed to strangle him. This man seems to be blessed by God... But whose God is this?"
"Of course it's ours!"
Several old men sneered.
The old man nodded, "He deserves to die!"
……
Jinwu Right Guard.
Commander He An squatted in the toilet and cursed, "Damn it, I only ate half a piece of bread, why did I have such severe diarrhea?"
"Commander."
The voice of Commander Chen Jian came from outside.
"Old Chen, what's the matter?" He An asked with a groan.
The tall Chen Jian walked into the toilet, covered his nose and said, "A brother caught a suspicious man outside the imperial city. This man was carrying a sharp knife..."
"Is this an assassination attempt? Torture and interrogation..."
He An said.
"Yes!" Chen Jian came over and took out a short knife, "It's this sharp blade."
"It looks pretty sharp, eh!"
Chen Jian put away his knife and kicked He An, who was covering his neck in shock.
Pfft!
The toilet was filled with feces and water.
Chen Jian walked out of the toilet and said to the two soldiers waiting, "The board here has collapsed, so it's sealed."
"Yes." Then the toilet was sealed with wooden strips.
Chen Jian came to the lobby and said, "Call all the generals."
After the death of the crown prince yesterday, Yan Song ordered the guards not to move rashly and the generals must stay on duty in the camp. So they gathered quickly.
Chen Jian said: "The commander is ill."
Everyone knew that He An had diarrhea, and they couldn't help laughing when they heard it.
"We caught a murderer who was about to assassinate us. After torturing him, we learned that someone was waiting for him in the palace. I sent someone to report to the palace, but there was no news after that person left..."
Chen Jian said solemnly, "I think something has happened in the palace."
The generals were startled, and one said, "Your Majesty is in the West Garden, who dares to cause trouble?"
"Yes! Your Majesty is here, so those people have to lie down no matter what they think."
The long-established prestige of Emperor Jiajing made these people confident about the situation.
Chen Jian said in a deep voice: "Someone outside said..." He pointed to the palace, "His Majesty has passed away."
Everyone was shocked. "What? His Majesty passed away?"
"Gods above, this Ming Dynasty is going to be in chaos."
"Then what should we do?"
"The palace must be in chaos right now." A general saw Chen Jian's look and said, "Maybe there are traitors causing chaos. The two princes have no soldiers, how can they suppress the situation?"
"What I am most worried about is that they have captured the two princes, or..." Chen Jian raised his hand and waved it, and everyone felt awe-inspiring.
The general said, "Your Majesty and the scholars are irreconcilable, and everyone knows this. If those people take advantage of the situation, the first thing they will do is to control the palace."
Chen Jian stood up and said, "I have thought about it again and again, and I feel that we cannot sit idly by and watch the current crisis."
The general asked, "What should we do?"
Chen Jian glanced at the generals and said, "I am going to enter the palace... to suppress it."
The generals looked at each other, and one said, "If we are blamed later, I'm afraid we won't be able to escape the responsibility."
Chen Jian said coldly: "I, Chen Jian, have been blessed by the emperor for generations. At this critical moment, how can I put my personal honor above the overall situation? If anyone is held responsible afterwards, it will be mine!"
"Arrogant!"
"We are willing to follow the clerk into the palace to suppress it!"
As long as someone steps forward, who among us doesn’t want to be the hero who turns the tide?
You go and die, and I will take the credit.
This is human nature.
"Brothers, assemble quickly!"
The Jinwu Right Guard quickly assembled.
Chen Jian shouted in front of the formation: "There is a riot in the palace. Prime Minister Yan sent a message to let me take you to the palace to suppress it. After the matter is accomplished, everyone will be rewarded handsomely!"
……
"There's movement over there from Chen Jian."
A few old men replaced their tea with wine and drank it until they were slightly tipsy.
"Okay!" The old man's thin face showed a bit of satisfaction, "Just wait for the Jinwu Right Guard to rush into the palace, and then incite the other guards to rebel."
"I'm afraid a lot of people will die in the capital today." Someone sighed.
The old man said calmly: "People often say that living in the capital is difficult. Why is it difficult? There are too many people. It's not a bad thing for some people to die."
……
"Master, the Jinwu Right Guards are gathering!"
The Jinyiwei who was monitoring the Jinwu Youwei reported.
"Go and see."
The hatred between Emperor Jiajing and the literati was irreconcilable. For many years, both sides had been forbearing and waiting for their opponents to reveal flaws.
Jiang Qingzhi knew that all that was missing was a spark. Once the fire was ignited, it would be difficult to extinguish.
When Jiang Qingzhi arrived at Jinwu Youwei with more than a hundred cavalrymen, the camp gate was just opened and the soldiers of Jinwu Youwei were preparing to leave the camp.
"What is this for?"
The dusty Jiang Qingzhi asked coldly.
"Jiang Qingzhi is here." Someone reported.
Chen Jian, who was standing behind him, was startled. A scholar beside him said, "There is no time to lose. While Jiang Qingzhi is alone and helpless, we should accuse him of being an accomplice of the rebellion and kill him!"
Chen Jian rode forward, pointed at Jiang Qingzhi and shouted, "Jiang Qingzhi, you are in cahoots with the rebels..."
"and many more!"
Jiang Qingzhi interrupted his passionate performance, "Rebels? I just came back from the north and entered the West Garden to see the emperor. You say I am a rebel?"
The scribe was startled and shouted, "He is lying!"
The team is a bit messy.
Jiang Qingzhi said coldly: "Everyone go back!"
Someone in the queue shouted, "Jiang Qingzhi is causing trouble. Kill him and the new emperor will surely reward you handsomely!"
Dozens of soldiers were rushing towards Jiang Qingzhi.
"Here is the decree!" Jiang Qingzhi took out the decree, "I will say it again, your majesty is well, and is currently summoning Prime Minister Yan and others. The palace is fine... everyone retreat!"
The soldiers looked at him blankly, then at Chen Jian.
"You have committed treason and brought disaster to your family!" Xu Wei received the order, "Exile is the least of your punishments. Your children and grandchildren will be slaves for generations, and they will never be able to rise above the world."
What the Han people care about most are their children and grandchildren. As expected, when these words were spoken, the soldiers hesitated.
"Don't listen to him!" Chen Jian cursed, "This man is a member of Prince Yu's party. Prince Yu is now causing chaos in the palace. Killing Jiang Qingzhi would be a great achievement."
Choking!
Jiang Qingzhi drew his sword: "Ten breaths, retreat!"
Xu Wei held the imperial edict and shouted, "Are you planning to rebel?"
A sergeant shouted: "I was just bewitched..."
"I will only pursue the main culprit!" said Jiang Qingzhi.
The soldiers retreated slowly one by one.
Chen Jian was exposed in front.
He turned around and said in a hoarse voice: "Kill Jiang Qingzhi, and we will all be the heroes of the new emperor."
The sound of horse hooves came.
Chen Jian turned around and saw a flash of knife light...
……
It's still the same hall.
It’s still those old people.
I finished half of the drink and didn't touch the food much.
"The news should come."
Everyone was a little impatient.
"Coming." Someone heard footsteps.
A scholar came hurriedly.
"how?"
The scholar said: "Chen Jian launched the attack successfully in Jinwu Youwei..."
There was a burst of joyful laughter in the lobby.
"Jiang Qingzhi arrived with more than a hundred cavalrymen and ordered the soldiers of Jinwu Right Guard to retreat and behead Chen Jian."
……
Please vote!
(End of this chapter)
