Learn about turning against one’s own side before the battle formation.
Huge raindrops mercilessly smashed onto the ground.
The wind was fierce, and the rain heavy; the sky was so dark that not a trace of light could be seen.
“Boom!”
A deafening explosion made it seem as if even the ground was trembling.
The muzzle, spewing flames and smoke, aimed at the open space in front of the Imperial Wanhe Hall, caused the ground to be littered with flying debris, leaving it full of holes and craters.
After ten rounds of cannon fire, someone immediately pulled up a waterproof tarp to cover the cannon entirely, then slowly pulled the wooden cart mounting the cannon backward.
Lightning streaked across the sky, revealing the dense figures behind the artillery camp.
The edges of blades shone brightly, and spears stood tall.
The Minister of War, having climbed to the upper level of the Wenyuan Pavilion, trembled as he brought his eyes close to a telescope. Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Prime Minister Zhang, who snatched the telescope from his hands.
When the lightning illuminated the scene once again, Prime Minister Zhang also saw the troops outside.
“…Where did these people come from?”
Prime Minister Zhang angrily whispered.
Although the others could not see the situation outside, the noise made it clear what was happening—it was a coup! A real rebellion!
Half an hour ago, everyone was still thinking about how to expand their influence in government affairs after the third prince ascended the throne, how to weaken the military power of the regions to strengthen the central government’s deterrence, and ultimately conquer the lost territories. Not everyone has the courage to usurp the throne, but to become a powerful minister, a Prime Minister who is unrivaled during his lifetime and whose name would be recorded in history, is the wish of most.
Now, these imaginings had been blasted to dust by the cannons.
Prime Minister Zhang felt a chill in his limbs as he instinctively thought about the troops he could mobilize.
He had people in the Imperial Guard, a few hundred households in the Jinyiwei of the Northern Defense Command who could be persuaded, and if effort was made, the Capital Garrison was not beyond reach. However—
Help from afar does not quench the immediate thirst.
Seeing the rebels about to breach the palace gates, they were trapped in the Wenyuan Pavilion, like turtles in a jar.
At this moment, Prime Minister Jiang was supported up the stairs, trembling.
Prime Minister Jiang looked around, especially at Prime Minister Zhang’s reaction. Soon, his heart sank as well, realizing from everyone’s expressions and reactions that the incident outside was not orchestrated by anyone present.
“Shouldn’t the artillery camp be outside the Renwei Gate?”
“…When the second prince initiated the rebellion, His Majesty mobilized a part of the artillery camp along with the Imperial Guard to suppress the rebellion. But afterwards, His Majesty was severely injured and unable to rise, so they remained in the imperial city.”
Jiang, the Minister of Civil Affairs, took over a portion of the military affairs in the inner city during the day, because he was considered neutral in the court, belonging neither to Prime Minister Jiang’s faction nor to Prime Minister Zhang’s. The two factions, suspicious of each other, entrusted him with this task.
In fact, within the Imperial Guard, there were people from both Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Jiang. They had merely lost the legitimate right to command the Imperial Guard. If they really wanted to make a move, others couldn’t stop them.
After a round of eye contact, everyone, like Prime Minister Jiang, concluded that the issue did not originate from the court officials.
There was no need for them to act otherwise.
“Can’t you hear the sound of so many cannons? It’s definitely not just those who stayed in the imperial city; it must be the entire artillery camp!” the Minister of War said, trembling, setting aside political and factional differences in his panic, “Only His Majesty can mobilize the artillery camp, could it be—”
Could all of this be a conspiracy, a facade created by Emperor Lu Zhang to test his sons and ministers?
The officials’ faces first turned pale, then they calmed down.
The emperor’s pitiful appearance, lying unconscious in bed, was not an act. Even if that were a body double, what would the emperor gain by demeaning himself like this? There are thousands of ways to feign illness; why choose to appear as if beaten?
The emperor always pondered the art of sovereign rule, and the ministers always speculated about the emperor’s intentions, all for the sake of power.
Those who could ascend to the positions of Prime Minister or sit as heads of the six ministries had a deep understanding of the emperor’s habits and preferences, because only by leveraging these could they pave their way forward and pull down their political opponents.
Emperor Lu Zhang was an emperor who cared deeply about his dignity.
He would never stoop to pretending to have been beaten severely…
The speaking Minister of War quickly realized this point. Before he could relax, he asked anxiously, “If it’s not the Emperor’s command, then who exactly are these people outside supporting?”
Definitely not the third prince.
If the second prince had such capability, what was the point of the rebellion a few days ago? Just a probe?
“Today, the sixth prince just returned to the capital and has gone missing,” said Minister Jiang in a low voice.
“…Impossible.”
Prime Minister Zhang’s look was disdainful. The situation of this young prince was well known to everyone. He was perverse in nature, and although smart, his sharpness was too exposed. Almost no court officials would support this prince because his situation was too reminiscent of several infamous tyrants in history.
They were exceptionally intelligent in their youth and even had remarkable achievements in leading troops into battle as they grew older. However, once they ascended to the throne, they became despotic and ruthless monarchs.
“Why would the artillery camp pledge their loyalty to a mere child? Aren’t they afraid that the capital’s main forces will enter the city tomorrow and capture them all? Cannons might be powerful, but ammunition is limited. The artillery camp, from top to bottom, has only about three hundred people. What can they do?” Prime Minister Zhang spoke with contempt, but the reality was not as he described.
At the very least, these three hundred people could storm into the imperial city and decapitate all the high officials in the Wenyuan Pavilion.
As civil officials, what they loathed most was the current situation. Although they could analyze the situation thoroughly and comfort themselves with various reasons why staying alive would be more helpful against the rebels, they knew these words were futile.
Once chaos erupted, those rebels would only care about slaughtering, not considering the situation to spare their lives.
This created a complex emotion of disdain and fear in everyone’s hearts.
“Damn it!”
Prime Minister Zhang completely lost the composure of a prime minister who commands from behind the scenes. If not for the watchful eyes of political rivals, he might have kicked over the armrest.
He panted for a while, then hurriedly ordered someone to call the Imperial Guard stationed near the Wenyuan Pavilion.
The guards were pale, evidently intimidated by the barrage of cannon fire. When the two Prime Ministers questioned them about where to hide, their expressions worsened.
“Reporting to Prime Minister Jiang and Prime Minister Zhang, we have already checked, and both gates leading to the outer city and the inner palace have been locked.”
“What?”
The situation in the palace was usually like this, with palace gates and high walls dividing the areas. Having both gates locked meant they were completely trapped here.
Prime Minister Jiang remained silent, but Prime Minister Zhang quickly caught on and glared fiercely at the Imperial Guards.
—Just now, these men had tried to flee before them, only to be stopped by the locked palace gates.
“Other than the Imperial Guards, the only ones who could lock the gates without notice are the palace eunuchs…”
“What, you mean those eunuchs from the Ministry of Ceremonies?”
The struggle between the outer court and the inner court was mainly between the Wenyuan Pavilion and the Ministry of Ceremonies. However, after the Chu dynasty, the power of the Ministry of Ceremonies declined and did not recover even during the Qi dynasty, so the ministers usually did not take it seriously.
But now…
With the ambitious Sixth Prince, the suppressed Ministry of Ceremonies decided to support him, then by forging imperial edicts or other means took control of the artillery camp to prepare for the coup, which made complete sense!
Mistaking this for the truth, the officials were extremely indignant.
They would rather die than let the eunuch faction prevail.
Prime Minister Jiang was also very disappointed, as in his heart, the Sixth Prince was slightly better than the Third Prince.
“We cannot just sit here and wait to die!”
No civil official was willing to surrender to the eunuch faction, not even temporarily.
In history, those who did such things were thoroughly vilified.
In a corner stood a Book Attendant, staring dumbfounded at the furiously angry court officials. He was not only astonished but also slightly irritated. How could the Sixth Prince possibly do all this? Clearly, it was the Crown Prince they were disregarding!
Amidst the chaos, the “rebels” had already entered the imperial city, surrounding the area where the Wenyuan Pavilion was located tightly.
When Prime Minister Jiang led people out, he was shocked to find that among these men were members of the Jinyiwei.
“A nest of snakes and rats!”
Prime Minister Jiang stomped his foot in anger, the calamity caused by the Chen Dynasty’s guards still fresh in his memory.
“No, wait, why are there members of the Imperial Guard among them?”
Jiang, the younger government official with sharp eyesight, noticed that the attire of some people within the “rebel forces” was different; some were clearly members of the Imperial Guard who had bowed to their commands just during the day.
The group exchanged glances, completely unable to comprehend the situation.
Soon, voices outside began to shout, preparing to unlock the palace gates locked from within, persuading the Imperial Guards inside not to resist, or else they would be treated as rebels—
The words were spoken with righteous indignation, effectively flipping the script and placing the label of rebellion onto them.
The ministers were too stunned by their words to become angry.
What did it mean that treacherous officials were causing trouble, holding the king hostage? What did it mean that the crown prince had been entrusted with a mission in a time of crisis, to turn chaos into order?
“It’s the crown prince!”
“His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Voices gradually began to rise, and Prime Minister Zhang suddenly heard someone shouting from behind him.
Following that, the doors were opened. Prime Minister Zhang stared ahead, expecting to see a sedan chair or something else, given that the crown prince had been ill for many days and couldn’t possibly come on horseback.
What awaited them under the glow of the firelight was just a command tablet held high, eagerly anticipated by several scholars from the Wenyuan Pavilion, numerous eunuchs, and quite a few members of the Imperial Guard.
Could that be the command tablet the crown prince had secretly used to cultivate his power?
The Prime Minister and ministers quickly turned around, to their surprise, they found that not a few recognized the tablet, some of whom were their own proud protégés, the promising talents of the future, though due to their young age, they could only run errands and read petitions in the Wenyuan Pavilion.
The Imperial Guards stationed at the Wenyuan Pavilion suddenly split into two groups, and those people unhesitatingly laid down their weapons.
It seemed as if it didn’t matter whether they were external officials or internal eunuchs, whether they were civil or military officials, these people who had previously been drifting along suddenly found their backbone.
The gazes of Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Jiang collided, each seeing the shock on the other’s face.
Prime Minister Jiang also felt a sense of relief.
***
The sound of cannons completely shattered the will of the Imperial Guards ambushed near the Yiguang Gate.
Everyone knew something big had happened!
If the rebels had already taken the imperial city, what was the point of waiting here to capture Liu Dan? Even the deputy commander started to waver, uncertain of the situation; they had to preserve their strength and ascertain the situation.
Colonel Fei appeared calm, but inside, he was panicking.
Such events as a palace coup, from Prime Ministers to foot soldiers, there was none who were not afraid.
Afraid of being on the wrong side, afraid of losing the initiative, afraid of dying confusedly in the midst of chaos.
Well, it’s not too late to do what Prime Minister Zhang had instructed later on. If Prime Minister Zhang fell, it would surely be a loss!
“Commander, in my opinion, it would be best to wait and see…”
“Nonsense!”
The deputy commander, originally hesitant, made up his mind to retreat after Colonel Fei’s advice.
“Pass the order, withdraw the bows and crossbows, and the entire army on alert!”
Colonel Fei wanted to persuade further, but the deputy commander walked away with a flick of his hand.
He completely missed the relieved expression on Colonel Fei’s face—speaking indirectly sometimes worked better than being straightforward.
Especially knowing that this superior officer was narrow-minded and at odds with himself.
And so, the group of Imperial Guards, as if granted amnesty, split into two teams and rushed towards the imperial city.
If the cannons were being used by the court to suppress the rebels, they could possibly claim some credit; if the imperial city had fallen to the rebels, they would immediately join the ranks and defect to the Beijing Guard Camp.
In the darkness, Meng Qi and Mo Li sat on the eaves, watching them flee in panic.
“At the moment they heard the cannon fire, they lost their will to fight,” Meng Qi mused thoughtfully.
How could flesh and blood stand against firearms?
The crown prince had ordered the cannonading of the Zhengyang Gate, and even though the targets were empty grounds, it served as an extremely powerful deterrent.
Whether it was the ministers or the Imperial Guard, upon seeing the ruined state of the imperial city gates, they all would be frightened into reconsidering their actions.
Meng Qi laid down comfortably with his hands under his head, muttering, “Truly a disturbance to one’s peaceful dreams.”
“You weren’t sleeping anyway.”
“Originally, I should have been in the bedroom, idly flipping through storybooks with the physician,” Meng Qi turned his head, suggesting excitedly, “It’s not too late to go now.”
Mo Li: “……”
He finally realized what was inappropriate about discussing erotic novels with spring palace illustrations in the middle of the night.
Was Meng Qi flirting with him?
Mo Li shook his head. Flirting over what storybooks to read, wouldn’t it be more effective to appreciate those cloud-covered mountains and gold and jade landscape paintings?
“The physician doesn’t like it?” Meng Qi’s smile faded slightly.
“No, it’s just that there’s no time to read.”
Mo Li suddenly found Meng Qi’s expression of hidden disappointment amusing, like twirling a sugar-glazed chestnut in front of a plump mouse and then popping it into one’s own mouth.
No, this was somewhat cruel.
Thinking of that scene, picturing the astonished black eyes of the sand mouse, Mo Li reflected that a gentleman should not deprive someone of their beloved. How could he engage in such “flirting”?
Wait, flirting?
Mo Li paused, realizing this was his own way of responding to Meng Qi, perhaps worth a try.
Meng Qi had no idea what kind of teasing he would face in the future; he asked in confusion, “Not enough time? What else could we possibly have to do? Looking at the situation, the crown prince should be able to take control.”
Mo Li said calmly, “It’s about keeping the second and sixth princes from escaping.”
“…And then sell them to the crown prince for money?” Meng Qi followed up naturally.
With the crown prince in power, the two princes wouldn’t have to flee for their lives.
The crown prince was certainly much wealthier than Liu Dan.
Meng Qi couldn’t help but do the math, as he and the physician still needed to make a trip to Feihe Mountain.
By the time the two leisurely returned to the Liu residence, they were surprised to find everyone awake.
Liu Dan, who had planned to sleep regardless of anything, sat in the flower hall with a complicated expression, wrapped in an outer garment, watching them come in.
“All the ambushes outside have been withdrawn. General, if you wish to leave Taijing, this is a good opportunity,” Meng Qi said nonchalantly.
Liu Dan stiffened for a moment, then spoke dryly, “I really don’t know how to express my gratitude for the imperial teacher’s great kindness…”
“Stop!”
Meng Qi immediately interrupted Liu Dan, feeling uncomfortable under the grateful gazes.
“It was all a coincidence!”
Meng Qi was not shameless enough to take all the credit for himself; he casually said, “They were scared off by the crown prince’s forces. Among the Imperial Guards, there’s a Colonel Fei who might know who was after you.”
Author’s note:
Mo Li holding the chestnut, looking at the sand mouse.
Chubby Mouse: A gentleman does not deprive someone of their beloved!
Mo Li: Say it again?
Chubby Mouse: …No no, you eat, you eat. It’s not the chestnut, but the physician who is my beloved.
