Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2405: Drastic Change (VI) Two "Imperial Edicts"

The night was as dark as ink, weighing heavily on every inch of the Forbidden City. In the Yikun Palace, candles burned brightly, but they could not dispel the tension and anxiety that permeated the air.

Concubine Zheng was wearing a gorgeous palace dress and was pacing back and forth in the hall anxiously. Zheng Guotai, who was standing next to her, also had a frown on his face, and his face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

"Brother, Li Wenjin is blocked. What should we do?" Concubine Zheng stopped and looked at Zheng Guotai, her eyes full of worry and anxiety.

Zheng Guotai clenched his fists and snorted coldly: "The Tengxiang Four Guards are a bunch of good-for-nothings! We have spent a lot of money on reconstruction in recent years, and we have recently equipped them with ammunition. We just let them take down a mansion with thousands of people. Who knew that they would be so useless at the critical moment. However, my sister, don't worry, the situation is still under control. As long as the emperor is in your and my hands, we are invincible this time... Let's think of a way."

He paused, then pondered, "Li Rumei refused to enter the city because he had not received his weapons. He was afraid of being caught in a passive situation after entering the city... I don't think this is credible. My sister, what do you think is the reason for his hesitation?"

Concubine Zheng hesitated for a moment, frowned and said, "Don't you think our promises are not enough?"

"Yes, it is possible." Zheng Guotai suddenly realized and said, "The Li family gave a dukedom to Li Chengliang. In the future, the dukedom will also belong to Li Rusong. What does it have to do with Li Rumei?

Although we promised him the position of commander of the Imperial Guard, he can only hold this position for a few years in his lifetime. Li Rumei has just turned thirty, and even if he serves as the commander of the Imperial Guard for the full term, he will not even be forty. He still has a long time to live, so how can he be satisfied? "

Concubine Zheng also reacted and said immediately: "I see! How about giving him a title? Brother, how about giving him an earldom?"

"It's already this time, don't be stingy with this famous imperial weapon. If you're going to give it to him, give him a bigger one, and make him a marquis!" Zheng Guotai said, slamming the table.

Concubine Zheng could no longer care about anything else and immediately nodded in agreement: "Brother, what you said makes sense. But it's not enough to deal with the emergency. Besides Li Rumei, should we do something else?"

"This..." Zheng Guotai was a little overwhelmed. Even though he was just a nominal governor, he probably knew less about military affairs than those dukes, marquises and other nobles.

The reason why he could easily control the palace was, firstly, that he was acting "by imperial order", and except for the few people Chen Ju personally transferred to the palace, he encountered almost no resistance; secondly, Chen Ju was not in charge of the army directly, and the number of people he mobilized was too small. It was okay for them to guard the Kunning, Cining and other palaces at ordinary times, but when they encountered real troops, they only had a delaying effect, and they could barely cover him to take away the queen and the prince, and they didn't even take care of the empress dowager.

The two were silent for a moment. Concubine Zheng suddenly raised her head, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes: "Brother, the only plan now is to forge another imperial decree to force Gao Youshi to leave the mansion and confess his crime. As long as he leaves the Jingguo Mansion, he will be like a fish on the chopping board, and we can do whatever we want with him."

Zheng Guotai's eyes lit up, and after thinking for a while, he said, "This plan is feasible! Gao Youshi has always regarded himself as a famous minister of the restoration of the country, how could he disobey the imperial edict? Whenever the imperial edict arrives, he can only act in accordance with it, otherwise he will ruin the reputation of a wise minister that he has worked hard for half his life! However, Gao Youshi is very capable, so we must act with caution in this matter... Who should be entrusted with the task of drafting the edict?"

Concubine Zheng raised her lips with a sneer, "There is a eunuch named Xiao Shunzi in the Imperial Household Department. He was selected from my Yikun Palace to study in his early years, and that's how he got his current status. He is usually loyal to me, and now he is quite good at writing, so let him draft the edict."

Zheng Guotai thought about it, felt it was feasible, and nodded in agreement.

So Concubine Zheng called her personal maid and whispered, "Go to the Imperial Household Department immediately and call Xiao Shunzi over, and tell her that I have something important to discuss with you."

The maid took the order and left in a hurry. Not long after, Xiao Shunzi was brought to the Yikun Palace. As soon as he entered the door, he knelt down with a plop and said tremblingly: "I pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine and Uncle Zheng. I wonder what the Imperial Concubine has to say?"

Concubine Zheng stepped forward and looked down at Xiao Shunzi, with a hint of intimidation in her eyes: "Xiao Shunzi, I have an extremely important matter for you to do today. You come and draft an imperial decree, saying that Gao Youshi has evil intentions and is plotting treason, and that he must leave the palace immediately to answer for his crime. This matter is of great importance. If you do it well, I will reward you handsomely; if there is any mistake, humph, you know the consequences!"

Xiao Shunzi was so frightened that her face turned pale and her body trembled, but she did not dare to disobey, so she had to bite the bullet and replied: "Your servant...Your servant will obey the imperial order."

At that moment, Xiao Shunzi spread out the paper on the table beside him and carefully ground and dipped it in ink. His hands were shaking slightly and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but under the cold gaze of Concubine Zheng and Zheng Guotai, he suppressed his fear and drafted the edict stroke by stroke.

When the imperial edict was ready, Concubine Zheng took it and examined it carefully. She saw that the handwriting was neat, the wording was severe, and the tone was just like the emperor's. She couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. She handed the imperial edict to Zheng Guotai, who unfolded it and saw that the imperial edict read:

The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees:

It is found that Gao Youshi, the Duke of Jingguo, is arrogant because of his merits, secretly hoards armor and weapons, and hides the imperial seal, which has long been a sign of disloyalty. Now, according to reports, Gao has secretly formed a alliance with the imperial guards and secretly led the border troops to plot to usurp the throne. The evidence is conclusive. Although I am heartbroken, I dare not condone it. I have specially ordered Li Wenjin, the seal holder of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, to lead the Tengxiang Four Guards and other troops to capture and punish him.

It is known that he disobeyed the order and killed the king's army without authorization, which is equivalent to conspiracy to rebel! Gao Shishi is stripped of all his titles and positions, and his entire clan is arrested. As a matter of fact, we are the emperor and his subjects. If he is willing to tie himself up and leave the palace, his body can be kept intact; if he still resists stubbornly, when the palace is broken, not a single blade of grass will be left!

All civil and military officials, both inside and outside the country, should join hands to punish the traitor. Anyone who captures and presents Gao Shishi's head will be granted a title of nobility; anyone who presents his hands, feet, or relatives will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins.

(Blank space for treasure)

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in the 31st year of the Wanli reign

After reading it, Zheng Guotai subconsciously took a breath, but immediately nodded heavily: "Well, well done. Next, how do we deliver this edict to Li Wenjin?"

Concubine Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Let Zheng Zhuo go. He is smart and will not make any mistakes."

Therefore, Zheng Zhuo, who was originally guarding outside the Cining Palace, was summoned to the Yikun Palace. Concubine Zheng handed him the imperial edict and solemnly instructed him: "Zheng Zhuo, you must take this imperial edict to find Li Wenjin immediately, and be sure to hand it to him in person and tell him to act according to the plan. This matter concerns our life and death, success or failure, and we must not take it lightly!"

Zheng Zhuo took the imperial edict respectfully and replied, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will see to it." After that, she hurriedly led a group of people and left quickly.

On the other side, Li Wenjin was pacing restlessly in the tent. After the setback in the attack on the Jingguo Mansion, he realized that leading troops to fight is not a matter of talking. Compared with Gao Youshi, the "world's best literary commander", his self-righteous ability is really not enough - he didn't know that the defense of the Jingguo Mansion was not commanded by Gao Youshi himself.

Oh, of course, Gao Youshi is good at strategy. If he personally commands the defense of a mansion like this, he may not be better than Fei Yingdong - Fei Yingdong is one of Nurhaci's five great ministers in the original history.

Li Wenjin was extremely irritable. He knew he was in a difficult situation, but he couldn't figure out how to break through the hedgehog-like Jingguo Mansion. At this time, the personal guard came to report: "Guardian, Eunuch Zheng of Yikun Palace wants to see you."

Li Wenjin's heart moved, and he hurriedly said, "Please come in!"

Zheng Zhuo walked into the tent and saw Li Wenjin coming to greet him. Without saying much, he quickly took out the imperial edict from his arms and handed it to him, lowering his voice and saying, "Li Hujun, this is the queen's wish, you just do it."

Li Wenjin opened the imperial edict and his face changed slightly after reading it... This "edict" has a very harsh tone. It starts with words like "nine clans arrested, not a single blade left alive", leaving no room for maneuver. But on second thought, he came to his senses again. Things have come to this point, there is no way out, so what if the tone is harsh? Maybe a harsh tone is more likely to scare people!

After pondering for a moment, he called his trusted confidant Hu Gang, the general who had attacked the main gate before.

"Hu Gang, select a team of elite soldiers, bring the angel guards, and immediately go to the Jingguo Mansion to announce the decree. Tell Gao Youshi to leave the mansion immediately to answer for his crime, without any delay. If he dares to resist, show no mercy!" Li Wenjin ordered with a cold look.

Although this imperial edict seemed very suspicious even to Hu Gang, he thought the same as Li Wenjin. Now that things had come to this, was there any turning back? Therefore, he did not say much and just accepted the order and left.

Soon, a team with angel guards of honor rushed towards the Duke of Jingguo's mansion in the night. The sound of horse hooves echoed in the silent streets, as if it was the heavy drumbeat of fate, and a thrilling duel was about to begin.

The angel guard of honor stopped outside the gate of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion like a long dragon, and the lanterns and torches illuminated the surroundings as bright as day. Perhaps because of the emperor's flag, the Duke of Jingguo's mansion did not launch any offensive. Although the black muzzles of at least a hundred shooting holes on the mansion wall were always aimed at the guard of honor, they remained silent.

Perhaps Hu Gang was sure that the Jingguo Palace would not dare to use force against the angel guard, so he was quite courageous. He rode on a tall horse with an arrogant look, holding the forged imperial edict in his hand, and shouted loudly: "Jingguo Palace Gao Shiwu, accept the edict!"

The gate of the mansion was closed, and the general on duty at the gate was Fei Yingdong. He frowned and looked out from a firing hole. Looking at the situation in front of him, he knew that the situation was extremely difficult. This so-called "imperial edict" came strangely, but if he opened the door rashly to welcome it, if there was a trick, the consequences would be disastrous; but if he did not open the door, he might be accused of disobeying the emperor's order.

Fei Yingdong knew very well that he could not make a decision on his own, so he had to act decisively and immediately sent someone to notify Gao Mo.

After Gao Mo heard the news, he did not dare to delay for a moment and hurried to meet Gao Fusi. At this time, Gao Fusi and Menggu Zhezhe were chatting in the study. Seeing Gao Mo's expression rushing over, he had already guessed something in his heart.

"Master, there is an angel outside the palace gate announcing the decree, saying that you are to leave the palace immediately to answer for your crime." Gao Mo said anxiously. It seems that even an old slave who was born in the Jinghua family still has awe of the imperial decree.

Gao Youshi's expression remained calm. He snorted coldly, "Humph, this must be Concubine Zheng's forged imperial edict to deceive me. When they saw that they failed to attack the mansion, they resorted to such despicable means."

Menggu Zhezhe frowned, and was a little worried: "The current situation is critical, and we must not let them manipulate us. But... this 'imperial edict' is here, how should we deal with it?"

Gao Youshi calmly waved his hands and said, "Although I know it is a forged imperial edict, the truth has not yet been revealed to the world. I cannot easily 'disobey the imperial edict'. I still need the Queen Mother... and the Crown Prince to endorse me."

Therefore, Gao Youshi immediately ordered Gao Mo to invite the Queen, the Crown Prince and Chen Ju - although the Crown Prince was still young, his title could still be used, so he also had to be present.

Gao Youshi was still "ill", and the queen would not mind his "rebellion", so she hurried over with her son, and Chen Ju naturally accompanied her.

As soon as Gao Youshi saw the queen, he immediately reported in detail the situation outside the palace and the current difficulties he was facing. After hearing this, the queen knew that this matter was of great importance, but this matter also concerned the sacredness of the "imperial edict" itself, and she was in a dilemma for a while.

Chen Ju saw that it was not a big deal, so he immediately said, "At this time, the emperor's life or death is unknown, how could there be such an order? This must be a forged order! The Prime Minister does not need to worry too much, just make a suggestion, how can the Empress object?"

Gao Fusi coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, I remember that Master Chen brought not only the Imperial Guard Tiger Talisman, but also Dabao..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Queen Wang immediately understood Gao Youshi's intention: to counter a forged imperial edict with a forged imperial edict!

Under normal circumstances, the queen would not even dare to think about such a thing, but at this moment she could not afford to hesitate. After a brief thought, she decided to support Gao Youshi and allow him to make special arrangements to deal with this conspiracy by forging an imperial edict.

After getting the Queen's permission, Gao Youshi immediately asked Chen Ju to personally write the "draft of the edict". Gao Youshi himself looked serious and slowly recited the contents of the edict:

"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees:

I have been deceived by treacherous people, and when my holy body was in disarray, Imperial Concubine Zheng colluded with Li Wenjin, the seal of the Imperial Stables, Zheng Guotai, the commander-in-chief of the Left Army, and others, and falsely mobilized the imperial guards, sealed off the palace, and attempted to kill the crown prince. Their actions were worse than those of Lu Zhi and Wu Zhao!

Now, it is found that Zheng secretly used black incense in the Yikun Palace to murder the emperor and his father; Li Wenjin sent out the Jing army without authorization to slaughter loyal and good people; Zheng Guotai led his troops to force the palace and pointed his sword at Cining. These three people are the culprits who bring disaster to the country!

I have specially appointed Gao Youshi, the Duke of Jingguo, to be the chief minister of the interior and the exterior, to control the armies, to suppress the rebellion and restore peace. Upon seeing this order, the armies inside and outside the interior should capture and kill Zheng's followers. Those who capture Concubine Zheng alive will be rewarded, and those who kill Li Wenjin and Zheng Guotai will be granted the title of baron. All the officers and soldiers who defected will be pardoned. The Empress and the Crown Prince have both escaped from danger, and the country is about to be restored. All the officials should work hard! This is my decree!

(Using the Emperor's seal, signed by the eunuch Chen Ju, who holds the seal of the Imperial Household Department, and stamped with the private seal of Chen Lingang)

(Using the Queen's seal, with the Queen's handprint, and stamped with the Queen's personal seal)

(Use the prince's treasure and press the prince's hand seal)

(Signed with the silver seal of the Prime Minister, signed by the Grand Tutor, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, the Left Pillar of the State, the Special Advancement of Ronglu, the Grand Secretary of the Zhongji Hall and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Duke of Jingguo Gao Shishi, and stamped with the private seal of the owner of Rixin Tower)

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in the 31st year of the Wanli reign

Chen Ju, the Queen, and Gao Youshi successively signed or pressed their fingerprints. Since the Crown Prince was in the Queen's care, it was naturally his mother who signed the seal, and the Queen also pressed the seal while holding his little hand. In any case, it looked very formal.

Of course, strictly speaking, this edict was also a forged imperial edict, and there was no need for the seals of the empress and the prince to be placed on the "imperial edict". It was deliberately added now, which was obviously a deliberate preparation to explain this "forged imperial edict" in the future.

Since forging the imperial edict is inevitable, there must be at least a reasonable reason.

Besides, your forged edict only has the emperor's private seal, while mine at least has the emperor's jade seal, and has the official signatures of the Imperial Household Department and the Cabinet, and also comes with the seals of the empress and the crown prince. So, its "legitimacy" is definitely higher than yours, right?

After the ink dried, Gao Youshi handed the "imperial edict" to Chen Ju with a heavy face. He sat on the bed and bowed to him, saying, "Master Chen, the situation is urgent now. I have no choice but to ask you to personally announce the edict outside the Duke's Mansion. Needless to say, the danger is..."

"You are underestimating me, Yuanfu." Chen Ju took the "imperial edict" with both hands, his face determined: "I have been in charge of the Imperial Household Department for many years. How can I be at ease in this critical moment? Not to mention the group of scoundrels outside the palace, even if it is a mountain of swords and a sea of ​​fire, how can I, Chen Ju, not dare to go through this?"

After saying this, he bowed to the empress and the prince, then straightened his back and said solemnly: "I have received the grace of heaven for decades, and now I should repay it. Your Majesty and Your Highness, take care." Chen Zhangyin, who had always been cautious and called himself "slave", finally called himself "minister" this time.

Upon hearing this, the whole room fell into silence.
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