Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

After such a performance, Zhao Zongquan's idea of ​​​​going to Beijing was confirmed.

At dawn, Gu Tingye settled down at home, and went on the road with Zhao Zongquan and his son disguised as businessmen, claiming to go to Beijing to file a complaint, but in fact they wanted to take advantage of the chaos.

At the same time, at the court meeting in Bianjing City, Zhao Zhen finally made it clear to the civil and military officials that he wanted to establish King Yong as the prince, and ordered the transfer of personnel from various ministries to the Hanlin Academy to prepare for the canonization of the prince.

Wei Chen, a lecturer of Hanlin Academy, editor Chen Shao, editor Sheng Changbai, Wang Yaochen, Liao Shiyu and others were among them.

Chapter 300

God bless ten years, February [-]st.The sky was extremely gloomy, and the sun had disappeared from the gray sky early in the morning. Not long after, it began to rain heavily again. The cool breeze picked up the raindrops, which crackled on the roof like broad beans, like the drumbeat of an march.

At night, the wind stopped and the rain stopped, and the entire Bianjing city was dark and silent.Prince Yan's Mansion, main hall.The lights in the palace were brightly lit, and King Yan was wearing the imperial robes and crown, with a solemn look on his face.

The personal guard stood beside him and said respectfully: "Your Highness, everything is ready, just wait for His Highness to give the order." King Yan nodded, turned to look at the white-faced scribe in the palace, and asked: "Xiao Meng outside the city, Xiao How about the Xiong Er Army?" The white-faced scribe bowed to King Yan, and then smiled confidently and said: "Li Yan, the commander of the Xiao Meng Army, has made preparations. In the past few days, Li Yan has secretly won over more than ten generals, and he has the elite soldiers of the Xiao Meng Army in his hands. More than two thousand. In the Xiaoxiong Army, the two disobedient generals of the Third Battalion and the Fourth Battalion have been eliminated by our design. They were dismissed by the Ministry of War for fighting with their subordinates. Now the soldiers and horses of these two battalions are composed of Xiaoxiong Army. The commander of the capital, Chang Yuan, has more than [-] troops and horses." King Yan asked again, "Where is the Rong family?" The white-faced scribe said, "Rong Xian has promised that he will fight for the Rong family at three o'clock tonight. We opened the palace door and let the Xiaomeng and Xiaoxiong troops and the palace guards into the palace. There were only a few thousand guards in the palace. As long as Rong Xian, the deputy commander in front of the palace, shouted loudly, the guards would be caught off guard and they would be killed. There is civil strife. We only need to fight quickly, attack the palace with lightning speed, control the officials and the queen, and the situation will be settled!" King Yan frowned silently, and compiled every detail of all the plans. I went through everything carefully in my mind, and after making sure there were no mistakes, I nodded slowly.

King Yan turned to look at the thin middle-aged scribe with a sickly face: "What did the Wucheng Army and Horse Division say?" The middle-aged scribe said: "Wu Mou, the deputy commander of the Wucheng Army and Horse Division, heard that the Rong family Now that he is on our side, his confidence in us has greatly increased. He will find a way to seize military power from the capital commander Dou Laoxi, control the Bianjing city gate, and resist the reinforcements from the western suburbs camp. Wu Mou will also send people around the city. Arson fire and disrupt the situation, so that all the wealthy families in the city dare not act rashly."

"If you can give me another two months, maybe I can be more confident..." King Yan's face was as dark as water, and he shook his head, shaking off the inappropriate emotion.

In two months, King Yong will officially become the crown prince. The minds of those under him may also become wavering, and their strength will be weakened. It is better to take advantage of the fact that the dust has not yet settled and strike unexpectedly with a thunderous strike. .

King Yan took a deep breath and looked around with majestic eyes at the few people in the palace. Together with Rong Xian who was still in the palace and Wu Mou from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division, these people were his team for the uprising.

If things come true, they will definitely be ranked among the three Dukes in the future, and they will be honored as princes.If he fails, he will go to hell with him... When he stood up, King Yan's eyes were full of murderous intent, and there was also a bit of morbid madness. He drew out the sword from his waist, raised his arms and shouted: "Make great contributions, make great achievements, Today is the day! Everyone, are you willing to follow me and lift the three-foot green spear to ask for the weight of the title?" In the main hall of the palace, everyone's emotions were ignited, and they bowed in unison: "I am willing to do it for you.

Your Highness will die! "...An hour later, the night was already dark.

The Imperial City of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Xuande Gate.The palace lanterns hung high on the tall towers illuminated the empty square inside and outside the gate as bright as day.

In the square inside the gate, a team of dozens of guards were on guard duty at night.At this time, the sound of neat footsteps suddenly came from the darkness in the distance.

The guards were stunned for a moment, and then their expressions became tense. They unconsciously clenched the spears in their hands. The leaders drew their swords and shouted: "Who is this?" In the deep night, a cold snort came from , a middle-aged man about 40 years old, wearing a helmet and armor, walked out slowly, followed closely by hundreds of fully armed soldiers.

When Du Tou saw the person clearly, he was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly saluted and said, "My subordinates pay homage to the Commander-in-Chief!" The person who came was none other than Rong Xian, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Department in front of the palace.

Rongxian looked at Dutou and said expressionlessly: "I just received your Majesty's order. There are thieves in the palace tonight, and I have been ordered to take over Xuandemen." Are there thieves in the palace?

Du Tou couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat when he heard the words. After hesitating for a moment, he still lowered his head and asked, "May I ask, the Commander-in-Chief, if you have a talisman for ordering troops, or is there an explicit order from His Majesty?" Rong Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Du Tou, coldly. He said: "Are you questioning me?"

"I don't dare," Dutou said seriously, "It's just the responsibility of the general, I hope your commander-in-chief won't be offended."

"Of course there are transfer orders. Who dares to transfer troops without permission? How many heads do you think this general has?" A sharp look flashed in Rong Xian's eyes, but the smile on his lips became deeper and deeper. He reached into his arms and said with a smile to Dutou: "The transfer order is here. Come here and take a closer look." Dutou never thought that someone would dare to rebel. When Rong Xian said that there was a transfer order, Dutou couldn't believe it. , he had put aside most of the doubts in his heart, and immediately leaned over.

Rongxian did not disappoint Dutou. He took out something from his arms, but it was not the order as Dutou thought, but a half-foot-long dagger.

In the flash of lightning, the dagger silently passed through Dutou's neck, and blood spurted out.Their heads and eyes widened, and they looked at Rong Xian in disbelief. They covered their necks with their hands and opened their mouths wide, but they couldn't make a sound.

The guards behind Dutou were in chaos when they saw this. They were all at a loss and didn't know what to do.

The soldiers behind Rong Xian took this opportunity and rushed forward with shouts.On one hand, they were caught off guard, but on the other hand, they were well prepared. Besides, there was a huge gap in the number of people. In just half a cup of tea, dozens of guards were slaughtered.

Then Rongxian ordered his own soldiers to clean up the remaining guards on the city tower, and kill all those who did not want to adhere to him on the spot.

Not long after, all the soldiers on the Xuandemen Gate Tower were replaced by Rong Xian's trusted generals, and the horse road at the head of the city was filled with corpses.

Looking at the corpses and blood on the ground at the top of the city, Rong Xian looked indifferent and waved to his subordinates: "Wave the torch to tell the people outside that Xuande Gate has been taken, and the door will be opened for them in three seconds." At the same time, Wu Mou, deputy commander of the Five Cities Military and Horse Division, suddenly launched an attack as planned.

Wu Mou first pretended to invite his colleagues to drink and have fun, secretly drugged the wine, and stunned a group of senior generals including the commander Dou Laoxi, and then led his confidants to take over the Five Cities Military and Horse Division.

At the first moment of the twelfth lunar month, Wu Mou opened the Jingyang Gate to the west of Bianjing City.Under the cover of darkness, Li Yan and Chang Yuan led more than [-] elite soldiers of the Xiaomeng and Xiaoxiong armies to quietly enter Bianjing City and rush straight towards the imperial city.

Chapter 301 The old man is confused

The palace under the night was dark and gloomy.

The palaces and pavilions in the outer court looked like monsters huddled in the darkness, but the Imperial Academy was still brightly lit, as bright as day.

Xu Shizhen knew that his health was deteriorating day by day. After he decided to make King Yong the crown prince, he rushed to the ceremony. It had to be fast and complete. For this purpose, he even transferred people from various ministries. Many people went to the Hanlin Academy.

The appointment of a prince is a national event, and the Hanlin Academy does not dare to neglect it. Even though it is late at night, the Hanlin Academy is still busy in various halls.

In the Common Hall, Wei Chen sat at the table with a solemn expression, holding a pen soaked in thick ink in his hand, but he was still unable to write.

The ink gradually gathered on the tip of the pen under the action of gravity. After an unknown period of time, the ink on the tip of the pen finally dripped down and hit the yellowish paper, and it smudged instantly.

After coming back to his senses, Wei Chen stared blankly at the paper stained by ink, and couldn't help but sigh. Then he put the pen on the inkstone and leaned back on the chair.

Wei Chen looked at the candlelight in the lampshade, frowning, not feeling sleepy at all.

Zhao Zhen has decided to make King Yong the crown prince, and the corresponding procedures and ceremonies are being prepared. A formal crown prince canonization ceremony will be held soon.

Calculating the time, King Yan should take action, but Wei Chen didn't know which day King Yan would choose to take action.

Is it the day after tomorrow or tomorrow?

Or..., just tonight?

Wei Chen was just thinking about something when he suddenly saw his cousin Li Zhong, who was running errands for him, walking in.

Li Zhong walked in a hurry, looking panicked: "Xue..., Master Bachelor, something doesn't seem right outside!"

Wei Chen was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He stood up from his chair and stared at Li Zhong: "What's going on? Tell me in detail!"

Li Zhong looked a little flustered and stuttered: "There should have been a team of guards outside the Hanlin Academy to watch the night, but I just went out for a walk and didn't see anyone. Everything was quiet. Very scary!”

Wei Chen's expression changed immediately when he heard this.

Something happened, something must have happened!Unexpectedly, King Yan and the others would actually start an incident tonight!

Judging from the situation described by Li Zhong, this should be before the incident, Rong Xian was secretly clearing out the disobedient guards in the imperial city and clearing the way for the rebels to enter the imperial city.

In other words, a large number of rebels have not yet entered the imperial city, and of course, it is estimated that they will not be for long.

If he wants to do something, he must hurry up. Otherwise, if he is blocked by the rebels in the Hanlin Academy, it will really make heaven and earth unable to respond.

Wei Chen thought for a moment, then made up his mind, and immediately ordered Li Zhong to inform Liu Tingxi and others of the unusual situation outside.

As for himself, he put on his outer robe, walked out of the Hanlin Academy, and walked quickly towards the emperor's palace in Funing Hall.

Along the way, Wei Chen traveled unimpeded and did not encounter any patrolling guards at all.

It seems that these guards were either transferred away by Rong Xian for reasons, or they were killed.

It wasn't until Wei Chen arrived outside Funing Hall that he was stopped by a group of people from the inner hall holding spears.

The inner palace has always been Zhao Zhen's most trusted personal guard, and is responsible for guarding the emperor's palace.

The last barrier for Emperor Wei has always been manned by Zhao Zhen's most trusted confidant, the old chamberlain who was working in the Imperial City Department.

Although the Inner Palace Commander is also considered a guard, his status among the guards is extremely special. Even Rong Xian, who is the deputy commander of the Palace Front Division, cannot assign him.

However, neither Rong Xian nor King Yan paid much attention to the Inner Dianzhi. Although the Inner Dianzhi were all elites selected from thousands of troops, there were only so many people in total, and it was impossible for everyone to be equal to ten.

As long as thousands of King Yan's troops enter the palace, they can easily solve this last trouble with their absolute superiority in strength.

Of course, at this moment, the inner palace was completely unaware of the danger they were about to face, and was still guarding the Funing Palace as usual, with all their heart and soul.

When Wei Chen appeared outside Funing Palace, several sergeants immediately came forward to question Wei Chen's identity and purpose of coming.

Hearing Wei Chen say that he had something to ask to see the emperor, several sergeants were a little surprised. They heard the seriousness in Wei Chen's tone and did not dare to neglect for a moment. Someone immediately entered the palace to report.

Funing Hall, the emperor's bedroom.

Zhao Zhen did not sleep peacefully at this time, but sat in front of the imperial eucalyptus and read the memorial with his head hanging down.

As Zhao Zhen grows older, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to fall asleep. Even if he falls asleep, he is always awakened.

Tonight, Zhao Zhen was particularly restless. He tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep, so Zhao Zhen simply put on his clothes and got up to review the memorial.

At this time, an old figure walked quietly outside the palace. It was Zhao An, the old chamberlain who had been with Zhao Zhen for more than thirty years.

Zhao An was in charge of the Imperial City Department, and nearly [-] imperial guards in the imperial city were under his command. Even Rongxian was his subordinate, which can be said to be a high and powerful position.

However, Zhao An is several years older than Zhao Zhen. As he grows older, his energy and physical strength are not as good as before. Zhao An basically leaves Rong Xian in charge of the defense of the imperial city, while he only takes care of it. The most important inner hall is straight.

However, just now, Zhao An suddenly discovered that the guards who were supposed to report to him every hour did not come back, and not one of the guards did not come back, but dozens of guards did not come back.

Zhao An again sent someone to call Rong Xian, the deputy commander of the front department, to come over and ask questions. However, no matter how hard he searched, he could not find Rong Xian.

】

Hearing the news, Zhao An's mood suddenly fell into an ice cave. He hesitated outside the palace for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth, plucked up the courage, and walked into the palace.

"Your Majesty, I have something urgent to report."

"What's the matter?"

Zhao Zhen raised his head from the hill-like pile of memorials, his expression was very tired, but his tone of voice was still so calm and unhurried, which made people feel like taking a breath of spring breeze.

Just when Zhao An was about to speak, he suddenly heard a loud bang, and a raging fire broke out in the direction of Xuandemen. The flames shot up into the sky, lighting up the night sky and awakening the entire imperial city from their sleep.

Then, a deafening cry of death was heard coming from a distance, and the sound was getting closer and closer to Funing Hall, making both Zhao Zhen and Zhao An tremble with fear.

Thinking of all the strange things in the palace before, Zhao Zhen suddenly realized that the worst guess had finally happened. After today, his good head might not be safe, and he couldn't help but despair.

"Could this movement outside be..., could it be the other way around? Zhao An, Zhao An?" Zhao Zhen raised his eyes and looked at the fire in the distance, and then looked at Zhao An with disbelief.

Zhao An knelt down in front of Zhao Zhen with a plop, and cried bitterly: "Your Majesty, this old slave is old and dim, and was taken advantage of by traitors. Now the palace is not guarded. This is all the fault of the old slave's negligence. The old slave deserves to die. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Zhen's face changed several times, and he managed to calm down, and asked in a trembling voice: "Do you know who the rebels are, how many guards and thieves there are in the palace, and how far away the rebels are from the palace?"

Facing Zhao Zhen's barrage of questions, Zhao An couldn't answer any of them. He felt more and more ashamed and frightened. He could only kowtow to the ground to apologize, until his head and face were covered with blood.

Zhao Zhen became even more angry when he saw Zhao An's useless look.

By letting him work in the Imperial City Department and be in charge of the imperial palace, he put his life and property in his hands. Now that the rebels have entered Xuandemen, he doesn't know anything about it!

Zhao Zhen pointed at Zhao An, who was kneeling on the ground, and became furious for the first time in his life. He slapped the table and gritted his teeth and said: "Zhao An, Zhao An, you are really old!"

At this moment, there was a sudden rush of footsteps outside the palace, and then someone was heard shouting: "Your Majesty, Wei Chen, the academician of the Hanlin Academy, is outside the palace asking for an audience."

Chapter 301

Funing Hall, the emperor's bedroom.

Zhao Zhen sat slumped behind the imperial eucalyptus, like a dying old man, his body was hunched over and old. The huge palace was surrounded by a deep sadness and pain.

When Wei Chen entered the palace, he saw this scene. He could not clearly see the expression on Zhao Zhen's face, but he could deeply feel the aura of sadness emanating from Zhao Zhen's body.

As the Xuandemen fire broke out and the rebels entered the palace, the rebellion officially came to light. More and more news about the rebellion finally began to reach Funing Palace.

King Yan rebelled;