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A few days later, she put on the gorgeous clothes of a noble lady, went to the palace to meet the empress dowager, and reported Zhou Chen for abusing private punishment and poisoning the officials' families.

After hearing what Old Lady Wang said, the Queen Mother frowned and felt even more disapproving. She didn't want to pay any attention to the matter at all, but it was not easy for her to say it out loud, so she chose a compromise.

"Duke Jingguo is an important official in the imperial court. I have retired to the harem and will not be involved in the affairs of the imperial court. You can go to the emperor to file a complaint about this matter, and the emperor will definitely seek justice for you."

This copy is about to end. I have been watching new dramas today, so the updates are a bit less frequent. I will resume updating twice a day when a new copy is opened.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1173: Official Plot, the Eve of the Palace Coup

Old Lady Wang knew that if she sued Zhou Chen, she would definitely fall out with the Jingguo Mansion and even the Sheng Mansion, and she might not even get the approval of her son and daughter-in-law. However, she still resolutely took the empress dowager's oral order and went to the Funing Palace to meet the emperor and sue Zhou Chen.

However, she also had her own calculations. She would come forward herself and not let her son do so. She planned to gamble with Zhou Chen with her own life. In this way, even if she failed, she would not drag down the Wang family.

She just wanted to avenge her daughter, not that she really wanted to drag the Wang family to be buried with Zhou Chen.

She felt that after all, she was the first wife of Old Master Wang and a lady of honor granted by the court. Even though she was far inferior to Duke Jingguo, she might still have a chance if the matter became a big deal.

When the official saw Old Lady Wang and heard her complaint, he was also a little stunned.

It's not that I was surprised by Mrs. Wang's complaint and Zhou Chen's murder, but I was surprised that Zhou Chen was so murderous and heart-wrenching. He even poisoned the Kang family to death in front of the Wang family. It was really a bit surprising. No room or affection was spared.

However, the government did not care about the fact that Old Lady Wang sued Zhou Chen and wanted to severely punish him.

The Queen Mother of Kang was indeed a government official's family member, and Zhou Chen's private killing of the official's family member was indeed against the law.

But although Old Lady Wang avoided the important issues and emphasized that Zhou Chen killed her daughter, a family member of an official, and disregarded the law, she avoided the question of why Queen Kang poisoned Zhou Chen first.

It would have been fine if the emperor didn't know that Zhou Chen was seriously injured by the poison, but he had already known about Zhou Chen's condition from the imperial physician, and every time the imperial physician went to the Duke Jingguo's Mansion, he would come to report Zhou Chen's condition to him.

So he was very clear about Zhou Chen's current situation. He didn't know why Zhou Chen was like this before, but now that Old Lady Wang said it, he couldn't help but guess the reason.

If Mrs. Kang poisoned Zhou Chen first and Zhou Chen then killed Mrs. Kang, although there would be suspicion of private torture, how could he help Old Lady Wang to deal with Zhou Chen in this situation?

One is the Duke of Jingguo, who holds a very high status, and the other is the fallen Wang family. Under normal circumstances, it would be obvious who to choose.

So the emperor patiently talked to Old Lady Wang for a while, but he never mentioned the intention of interrogating Zhou Chen. Finally, he asked the eunuch to send Old Lady Wang out of the palace on the grounds that he was tired.

After being sent out of the palace, Old Lady Wang felt extremely desperate. She could certainly see what the Queen Mother and the Emperor meant, but if even these two were unwilling to help her get justice, then no one in the world would be able to help her.

For a moment, she felt extremely sad, as if she had been abandoned by heaven and earth.

Zhou Chen soon learned that Old Lady Wang had gone to the palace to file a complaint. However, he was not surprised when he learned that she had been driven out by the Emperor and the Queen Mother.

For the death of a mere Consort Kang, even if there was no reason for it, the emperor and the empress dowager would not really punish him. At most, they would reprimand him. But in his current situation, the emperor and the empress dowager would not even reprimand him.

"This old lady is really biased."

He knew that Old Lady Wang simply wanted to avenge the Kang Wang family, and she didn't even care about the Wang family. As for her other daughter, Wang Ruofu, she didn't even take her into consideration.

In the ancient feudal society where family clan was put first, Mrs. Wang's behavior was undoubtedly unreasonable, but it also showed how much she favored her eldest daughter.

Old Mrs. Wang had nowhere to complain, and no matter how unwilling she was, she could only go back dejectedly.

More than half a month later, King Huan's large army that had gone out to inspect the salt affairs finally returned to the capital.

This inspection of the salt tax encountered a lot of trouble. There were more than a dozen assassination attempts. Countless of King Huan's guards were killed or wounded, and even the accompanying officials were attacked. Sheng Changbai was lucky and was not injured.

King Huan returned successfully and recovered a lot of salt taxes. He even killed many people and confiscated countless properties. As a result, he also brought back a lot of silver and money, which made the emperor very happy and rewarded him lavishly.

Sheng Changbai also received a reward and his rank was upgraded again.

However, Sheng Changbai was not happy. After returning home, he first paid a visit to his parents, grandmother and others, and then went to the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion in person to apologize to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen still pretended to be weak. He had never left the Duke's Mansion these days and had been asking for leave from the Palace Front Office. The government not only did not blame him, but instead sent people to deliver a lot of precious medicinal supplements.

He knew very well what the emperor meant. The emperor wished he could rest at home every day. When he was away, the emperor would have the opportunity to gradually erode the Palace Front Department and control the imperial guards inside and outside the capital.

In front of Zhou Chen, Sheng Changbai said solemnly: "Brother-in-law, please rest assured. I will definitely handle this matter well and will never let you get hurt in vain."

Sheng Changbai did what he said, and soon drove his mother Wang Ruofu out of the capital and sent her to the Sheng family's hometown of Youyang. He also made Wang Ruofu kneel and pray for two hours in the ancestral temple every day, and eat plain tea and light meals every day...

Although Wang Ruofu was not subjected to physical punishment, this punishment was indeed a great torment for her.

Youyang's hometown is managed by the eldest branch of the Sheng family. The eldest lady of the eldest branch doesn't get along with her, so she is bound to be looked down upon when she goes there.

Kneeling for two hours every day and eating only plain tea and light meals was a very severe punishment for Wang Ruofu, who had always lived a life of luxury.

Sheng Changbai acted quickly and sent Wang Ruofu away within a few days.

Because Zhou Chen had not appeared for more than a month, many people were very surprised. After asking around, they all knew that Zhou Chen was seriously ill, and the news quickly spread throughout the capital.

As a result, many people came to visit him, but Zhou Chen only received a few close relatives. He refused to see the rest, saying that they were recuperating.

Another month passed, and on this day the official family sent an internal official to give Zhou Chen an order.

The imperial edict contained a lot of content, but it could be summarized into a few points. First, it praised him for his hard work and great achievements, and called him a pillar of the court. Then, he was conferred the title of Prince Taibao on him. He still held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Front Department, but due to health reasons, he was not suitable to take charge of affairs, so the Palace Front Department was temporarily managed and controlled by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

Zhou Chen looked at the imperial edict in his hand and smiled contemptuously. It sounded nice, but the ultimate purpose was only one, which was to take away his military power. Now his position as the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Department was just a nominal position.

As for the Prince's Guardian, it is a title without any official position, and is just an honorary position. But what's even more speechless is that there is no prince now, so the Prince's Guardian is nothing.

This is a very typical example of a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality. A military officer without military power is like a tiger without teeth.

Of course, Zhou Chen didn’t care about these things. He knew that the reason why the emperor decided to ignore him so quickly was because of one problem: the battle between the emperor and the empress dowager had reached the most critical moment, so the emperor wanted to firmly grasp the military power inside and outside the palace.

After handing the imperial edict to Hua Lan, Zhou Chen said, "The capital is going to be in chaos after all. From now on, we will continue to close the door and refuse visitors."

Hua Lan was very surprised after hearing Zhou Chen's words: "Sir, you said that the capital is going to be in chaos, what does that mean?"

Zhou Chen whispered, "Of course it's for the sake of power, but just understand it in your heart and don't tell anyone."

Seeing that Zhou Chen's words were vague, Hua Lan became even more curious, but since Zhou Chen didn't explain it clearly, she didn't dare to ask too much and could only suppress her curiosity.

Although there is no longer a dispute between the official family and the Queen Mother because of Gu Tingye's affairs in the TV series, the overt and covert fighting between the official family and the Queen Mother has not diminished at all because of the absence of Gu Tingye. On the contrary, the official family has made greater moves to compete for military power. .

Time passed day by day, and suddenly one day an urgent report came from the front line eight hundred miles away, saying that the Western Xia army had invaded and reached the border of the Song Dynasty.

When this news reached the city of Bianliang, it immediately caused an uproar. The court was in chaos, with constant quarrels and people cursing the Western Xia for tearing up the peace agreement and being unfilial.

Since the Song Dynasty and Western Xia signed a peace agreement ten years ago, there has been no dispute for ten years, and the Song Dynasty has also enjoyed ten years of peace.

Now that war has broken out suddenly, the officials who are accustomed to peace are naturally very nervous and anxious. Everyone advocates peace, and no one wants war to break out again.

But now there is urgent news coming from the front line. Even if we are frightened, we must be prepared as soon as possible.

Duke Jingguo’s Mansion!

In the study, Zhou Chen was sitting behind the desk, with someone standing in front of him.

After reading the secret letter in his hand, he lit it up. Only after it burned out did he speak.

"You continue to go back. Although this is the government's strategy, it may not be the case next time. The northwest is our foundation and the place where I will plan in the future. We must ensure the stability there."

"Understood. We will definitely follow the Duke's orders and guard the northwest."

"You should go back. According to my estimation, there will be another war on the border within two years. Li Liangzuo is more ambitious than Mo Zang Epang, but I don't know if he will live that long."

Zhou Chen had been in the northwest border for several years and was very familiar with the situation in Western Xia. Li Liangzuo was a powerful ruler of Western Xia, but he had a relatively short life in the official history. But this was fictional history after all, and after his war with Western Xia, the history of Western Xia was also changed. He didn't know whether Li Liangzuo would still have a short life now.

Although he had left the Northwest long ago, he left behind many loyal subordinates there. After he returned to Beijing, many of his subordinates were promoted. After he became the commander-in-chief of the Palace Front, he also promoted many generals who were loyal to him, both openly and secretly.

Perhaps it is impossible for him to remotely control the border from Bianjing City now, but once he is given the opportunity to reach the border, he will be able to control the border army at the fastest speed.

After his men left, Zhou Chen remained silent, gazing towards the direction of the imperial city with deep eyes.

He took advantage of the chaos on the border and set a trap in an attempt to wipe out all the forces that opposed him.

There is nothing wrong with the official's strategy, but it is still too risky. If you make a mistake in the operation, you may lose your life.

However, this is also the reason why he wants to seize Zhou Chen's military power. Only in this way can he control the military power of the palace as much as possible.

There was unrest on the northwest border and the court meeting was very lively. The emperor asked the court officials to nominate a general who could pacify the border. The officials expressed their opinions and mentioned one name after another.

A surprising thing happened. The person who received the most proposals was Duke Jingguo Zhou Chen, followed by Duke Yingguo. The rest of the generals had far fewer proposals than them.

The reason for this is mainly because the Duke of Yingguo is already old. In comparison, Zhou Chen is younger, and it was Zhou Chen who took over the two states of Western Xia. Therefore, in the minds of all the ministers, Zhou Chen is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

However, the government directly rejected this proposal, citing the reason that Zhou Chen was seriously ill and unable to lead the army. In the end, the government let the Duke of England lead the generals to the battle.

The army set out very quickly. Not long after the decision was made, the Duke of England led a large army away. Most of the generals that the emperor trusted most accompanied the Duke of England.

Two months later, news of the great defeat at the front reached Bianjing City, saying that the elite army led by Duke Ying had encountered an ambush by the Western Xia army and suffered heavy losses.

In an instant, the whole government was shocked, and the official fainted on the spot.

Zhou Chen had been paying attention to what was happening in the court. When he heard the news, he really couldn't help but laugh out loud.

When he first watched the TV show, he found it funny. The Duke of Ying was one of the most famous generals in the Song Dynasty, and he had so many border troops, but in just a few months, he was completely wiped out by the Western Xia.

Are you really taking people for fools? If Xixia was really that powerful, how could there be peace and tranquility on the border for so many years?

But all the civil and military officials in the court actually believed it. They were smart people from all over the world. If they were so ignorant, how could they govern the world?

Therefore, Zhou Chen felt that it was not that the ministers lacked foresight and insight. Even if they did not react at the time, many people probably realized that something was wrong afterwards, but no one stood up to expose it.

For people like Concubine Liu who are on the side of the Empress Dowager, this is the best opportunity for them and they must give it a try.

Zhou Chen had always had people keeping an eye on the situation inside and outside the capital. One day, after hearing the report from his subordinates, he went straight to his room, put on his armor, and took up his weapons.

When Hua Lan saw Zhou Chen wearing armor, she was stunned.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

Zhou Chen reached out and touched her smooth cheek, then said with a smile, "I have been bedridden for so long just for today."

Hua Lan was not stupid either. When she heard Zhou Chen's words, she reacted instantly and looked at Zhou Chen in disbelief.

"So, you have been pretending these days?"

Zhou Chen smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry for lying to you, but if I didn't do this, the emperor would probably take action against me. I had to do this to avoid unnecessary disputes and for the sake of everyone in the Duke's Mansion."

Hua Lan took a deep breath and suppressed the discomfort in her heart.

"What about you now?"

"It's for the sake of my whole family. If I do nothing tonight and the government sweeps away all the forces, completely stabilizing the court and taking control of the military power, I might be the next one to take charge, so I have to take action."

Zhou Chen knew very well that since he had been wavering and refusing to join the government, the government must have been dissatisfied for a long time. The reason why they had always tolerated him was simply because they were wary of him.

But if the government wipes out all the members of the Queen Mother's party, he will definitely not let him go. Killing him is impossible, but he will definitely not have an easy time.

He was not a person who liked to be controlled by others, so he had already planned. Pretending to be poisoned was only the first step. Tonight was the second step. After changing the world, it would be the third step he would take.

One thing after another, if it were just him, there would be no need to calculate so much, but for the Jingguo Mansion and the Zhou family, he had to do this.

Tonight, the weather is bound to change, but such changes can be controlled.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1174: Palace coup, the imprisoned emperor

"Remember, keep the door closed tonight. No matter who comes, don't let them in."

Although Zhou Chen had made sufficient preparations, he still gave Hua Lan serious instructions just in case.

Hua Lan's face suddenly changed. She couldn't help but think of the same palace coup night a few years ago. At that time, it was not the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion, but the Marquis of Zhongjing's Mansion. That night, the Marquis' Mansion was a river of blood and countless people were killed and injured.

Is the tragedy of that night going to happen again?

"Sir, then you..."

Zhou Chen stroked Hua Lan's cheek and said softly, "Don't worry about me. I've been through this before. I said I'd grow old with you, and I won't break my promise."

Hua Lan, who had been somewhat dissatisfied with Zhou Chen for hiding the truth from her for several months, suddenly felt her eyes turn red when she heard what Zhou Chen said. She was no longer dissatisfied but became even more worried.

"Sir, no matter what happens, you must protect yourself."

"There are not many people in the world who can hurt me, your Excellency."

Zhou Chen gave Hua Lan a few more instructions, then quickly left the Duke's Mansion and headed straight out of the city.

It is still daytime and the coup has not yet begun, but people have already been deployed inside and outside the palace. However, Zhou Chen is not entering the palace but leaving the city, so the journey out of the city is relatively smooth.

It’s a nice day today and the sunset glow is exceptionally beautiful, but for the people in the palace, they are not in such a beautiful mood.

Just as it was getting dark and the palace was closed, earth-shaking sounds of fighting broke out again inside the imperial palace.

This Song Dynasty imperial palace has really experienced many changes in the past few years. A few years ago, there was a palace coup that changed the world, and today, there was another rebellion and coup that was enough to change the world.

Inside the Funing Palace, Emperor Zhao Zongquan and Empress Shen sat with serious expressions. Although everything was going according to their planned steps, they still couldn't help feeling nervous at this most critical moment.

This time they can be said to be gambling with their lives. If they fail, there will be no recovery.