The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 283 Guangzhengdian Incident

Today we were discussing matters in Guangzheng Hall. We entered Xihua Gate and walked along the palace corridor, and then entered Guangzheng Gate to see Guangzheng Hall.

The ministers had to take off their sabers and swords at Guangzheng Gate before they could enter the palace under the leadership of the eunuchs to meet the king.

Shi Hongzhao and the others arrived at Guangzhengmen, but saw no other courtiers. Just as they were wondering, a general with a helmet and armor strode over and saluted the three of them.

Shi Hongzhao looked at him and realized that he seemed to have seen this person somewhere.

"Who are you? Why are you here? Where is Chang Siqi, the guard of Guangzheng Gate?" Yang Yan asked with a stern face.

The general smiled slightly, clasped his fists in a calm manner and said, "Meng Ye, the enshrined officer, pay homage to the three gentlemen!"

Wang Zhang, who was shrinking behind, whispered: "This Meng Ye was born in the Longwu Army and was a subordinate of Wu Qianyu. Wu Qianyu transferred Zhengzhou Jiedushi to Zhengzhou and recommended him to the officials. I heard that the officials wanted to let him go." He was promoted to the general of the imperial army, but there is no vacant position for the time being, so he stays in the palace as an enshrined officer."

Yang Bin and Shi Hongzhao looked at each other. No wonder they looked familiar. They turned out to be the followers who followed Wu Qianyu, the commander of the Longwu Army not long ago.

Meng Ye said with a smile: "The three ministers don't know that today there is a major state announcement at the court official's house, and a decree was specially sent to strengthen the defense of the inner palace.

Today we are discussing politics in the Guangzheng Palace. All ministers have to enter the palace through the Guangzheng Gate. The officials specially sent their junior generals to regulate order, so as not to delay the time to go to court."

Shi Hongzhao waved his hand impatiently and interrupted: "Where did you take Chang Siqi?"

Meng Ye said respectfully: "General Chang went to inspect the remaining four gates of Guangzheng Hall in accordance with the official order."

"Hmph~ It's just a regular court meeting, supervising and inspecting, so unnecessary!"

Shi Hongzhao's face was full of displeasure, "Do the officials think that the palace guards appointed by the prime minister are incompetent, or do they want to replace all the officials and generals promoted by the prime minister?"

Meng Ye's expression did not change, he cupped his fists and bowed slightly, saying, "Don't worry too much, Mr. Shi. The officials are also thinking about all the officials. After all, the weather is very cold and the heavy snow is blocking the roads, which is very inconvenient."

Shi Hongzhao clasped his hands behind his back, glanced at him sideways, and said unceremoniously: "You were just a small commander in the Longwu Army. How can you be promoted to a general? Don't think that just because you were recommended by Wu Qianyu, you will definitely become a general." General! The truth is that I am in charge of the Guards Department, and all promotions of generals are based on legal evidence. Even if the officials make excuses, the truth will be to examine your past achievements."

Meng Ye bowed a little more, and his expression seemed to become more respectful: "I implore Xianggong Shi to give me a chance to listen to the teachings under Xianggong Shi."

"Well~ Judging from your performance, the truth will definitely uphold justice and strictly examine you." Shi Hongzhao felt that this person's attitude was quite respectful, so his tone softened a lot.

"Let's go~"

Shi Hongzhao was about to step over Meng Ye and enter the Guangzheng Gate, when Yang Bin suddenly grabbed him: "Wait a minute!"

Shi Hongzhao turned around with a puzzled look on his face, and a strange color flashed across Meng Ye's lowered eyes.

Yang Bin stared at Meng Ye for a while and said to Shi Hongzhao: "Let's wait here first and send someone to ask Chang Siqi to come over. Or we can go to the palace gate elsewhere to greet him."

"Why bother?" Shi Hongzhao opened his eyes in confusion.

Yang Bin looked around at the dark doorway, then looked up at the towering tower, and whispered: "I always feel that the atmosphere in the palace today is a little unusual."

"How can there be?" Shi Hongzhao looked unbelieving.

"Oh, Mr. Shi, it's better to listen to Mr. Yang. Let's go to another palace gate, or ask Chang Siqi to lead the troops to escort us. As soon as we entered the Xihua Gate, my eyelids kept twitching, as if we were not leaving. Huangcheng Road, but Huangquan Road~"

Wang Zhang looked sad and bowed.

Shi Hongzhao pointed at him and said, dumbfounded: "You old bastard is talking nonsense! You hide at home and listen to music all day long, and your courage is getting weaker and weaker!"

Yang Xi said seriously: "Master Shi, please don't be careless. It's better to be careful! Don't forget that Duke Guo told us to be careful before he left!"

Shi Hongzhao was helpless: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

He turned to Meng Ye and said, "Send someone to call Chang Siqi back immediately."

Meng Ye wondered: "General Chang should be at the north gate of Guangzheng Hall at the moment. He is more than a mile away from here. Wouldn't it waste time to come and go?"

Yang Bin pulled Shi Hongzhao and turned away: "No need to bother General Meng, we will go find it ourselves."

Seeing that the three of them were about to leave Guangzhengmen, Meng Ye felt anxious and stepped forward to stop them. At the same time, several guards wearing armor and swords rushed out from the doorway.

"Bold! What do you want to do?" Yang Fang's expression changed and he shouted sternly.

Shi Hongzhao was also startled, vaguely aware that something was wrong, and shouted angrily: "You are so presumptuous! Why don't you back down?"

Meng Ye's face turned slightly gloomy, and he turned his head to signal, and then the guards sheathed their swords and retreated.

"I'm sorry for the three gentlemen. They are all newcomers who have just been transferred from the Xiaodi Army. They don't understand the rules and bumped into the three gentlemen." Meng Ye apologized with clasped fists.

Shi Hongzhao glared at him fiercely, pulled Yang Bin and Wang Zhang to leave.

"Shi Gong stay! Yang Gong stay!" A familiar voice came from the inside of the Guangzheng Gate, and Yan Jinqing, the envoy of the Hakka Province, ran out of the door holding the hem of his court clothes.

"Envoy Yan!" The three of them were surprised and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Yan Jinqing is in charge of the Ke Provincial Bureau. He has low authority but is also one of the noble officials of the Qing Dynasty.

Yan Jinqing was also one of the late emperor's Conglong heroes, and the three of them had known each other for a long time.

Although Wang Zhang had the title of Tongping Zhang, he still had to call himself a junior in front of Yan Jinqing, who was lower than him in official rank.

In the eyes of outsiders, Yan Jinqing belongs to the neutral party. He is respectful to officials and polite to imperial party bosses such as Li Ye and Nie Wenjin. He also lives in harmony with senior ministers such as Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin, and does not dare to offend anyone.

The three of them had a pretty good relationship. After greeting each other, Yan Jinqing hurriedly said: "Why did the three of you stop in front of Guangzheng Gate? The courtiers have already entered the Guangzheng Hall, and they are waiting for the three of them to go and preside over the overall situation!"

Shi Hongzhao grinned widely and said: "No wonder I said that I couldn't even see a ghost along the way. It turns out that everyone has arrived early."

Yang Fang frowned and said: "The official meeting is scheduled for the beginning of Si hour. It should be less than half an hour now. Why have all the officials arrived so early?"

Yan Jinqing laughed twice and said: "Even the three ministers arrived early, how dare other colleagues delay it? Naturally, they arrived one step early to greet the three ministers."

"Hey~ We are ministers in the same palace, why are you so polite! We can't bear it!" Shi Hongzhao said with a smile.

Wang Zhang couldn't say anything, so he could only smile.

"You three, it's better not to delay any more. Follow me into the palace quickly! Don't delay the court meeting!"

Yan Jinqing pulled Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin to the left and right and walked towards Guangzheng Gate. He turned back and motioned to Wang Zhang to follow.

"Envoy Yan Bureau might as well enter the palace first, and we'll come after we meet Chang Siqi!" Yang Bin wanted to say something else.

"Oh~ I'll see you later in the morning!" Yan Jinqing couldn't help but said, walking in a hurry, holding on to the two men's arms tightly, as if she was worried that they would run away.

Shi Hongzhao said helplessly: "Since Yan Bureau has come to invite you in person, let's go into the palace first. But Yan Bureau, can you relax a little? You are too strong."

The four of them hurriedly walked through the doorway into Guangzheng Gate and walked towards the main hall standing not far away.

Meng Ye held his knife and watched the four people go away. He smiled sinisterly and waved his hand to signal the guards to close the palace door.

On the wall outside the doorway, a small room was cut out to store weapons. Suddenly, the two wooden doors were suddenly pushed open from the inside, and a bloody man whose armor was stained with blood stumbled out from inside holding a knife. "Ah! Ghost!" Several guards shouted in fright.

Meng Ye's expression changed, he drew his knife and rushed forward. Before the bloody man could react, he swung the knife to chop off his head.

The head fell to the ground, and the body collapsed.

"They are afraid of even the dead, they are a bunch of trash!" Meng Ye yelled, "Why are you still standing still? Move the corpses away quickly and clean them up. If the dirty blood of the rebels collides with the peaceful atmosphere in the imperial city, Watch your heads!"

The guards did not dare to say anything and hurriedly moved more than a dozen corpses out of the equipment warehouse. Some of them were still warm, apparently they had just died.

When the body whose head was beheaded by Meng Ye was moved away, an iron plate fell from the body, with the official names engraved on the front: Palace Gate General Chang Siqi, Guards Division Secretary

Meng Ye leaned over to pick it up, holding the bloody waistband and sneering.

~~~
The square in front of the palace, about a hundred paces wide on all sides, was deserted, with only Yan Jinqing and Shi Hongzhao walking in it.

Yang Bin looked back and watched the Guangzheng Gate slowly closing, and his heart felt a little heavier for no reason.

Heavy snow fell, blurring the vision. The series of footprints left behind the four people were soon covered by snowflakes.

"Oops! I forgot to pick up a copy of the trade credentials sent by Meng Shu. It is placed in the official office of the Hakka Province Bureau. I have to go and get it. You three, please go first!"

While walking, Yan Jinqing suddenly stopped, slapped his forehead and said in annoyance.

"The Commander-in-Chief Yan is still so forgetful! Haha~~ Go, go, go!" Shi Hongzhao didn't take it seriously and cupped his hands with a smile.

"Yen Gong, go slowly!" Wang Zhang bowed hurriedly.

Before Yang Bin could say anything, Yan Jinqing apologized, picked up his official robe and trotted away to the west.

Walking in a hurry, the square was covered with snow. Yan Jinqing slipped several times and almost fell. His back was very funny.

"Run slowly! Don't break your bones!" Shi Hongzhao laughed loudly.

Yan Jinqing looked back from a distance, unable to see clearly the expression on his face, and his figure disappeared around the corner of the palace wall.

The three of them continued walking towards Guangzheng Hall.

Yang Bin looked around and said solemnly: "Something is wrong. After walking for so long, why can't you even see the patrolling guards?"

Shi Hongzhao pointed at a group of soldiers who suddenly came down from the steps in front of the palace and laughed: "Look, Mr. Yang, that's not it!"

Wang Zhang looked back and saw another group of soldiers walking quickly behind them, appearing out of nowhere.

"Eh? No! Why do they all seem to be from the Longwu Army?" Shi Hongzhao's smile gradually faded and he stopped.

"There are people over there, and there are people over there too." Wang Zhang pointed to the left and right, and there seemed to be many soldiers surrounding him from all directions.

Yang Bin suddenly shouted in horror: "No! Run!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers who rushed from His Highness Guangzheng drew their swords and rushed forward with roars.

"Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin, and Wang Zhang gathered their party members with the intention of plotting rebellion! I am hereby ordered to execute them!"

The sudden cry of killing resounded over the square in front of the palace, shocking the three of them to the point of splitting their livers and gallbladders!
Shi Hongzhao subconsciously touched for the sword at his waist, but in vain. His sword was taken away at Guangzhengmen.

"I've been wronged! Please see the official!" Yang Fan yelled at the top of his lungs.

Unfortunately, his words were drowned in the sound of a tidal wave of killings. Countless swords and guns came to kill them. Yang Bin and Wang Zhang screamed and fell into a pool of blood, chopped into pieces by the swarming soldiers.

Shi Hongzhao rose up to resist, knocking down the two men with his bare hands, grabbing the weapon and holding it with both hands. His hair was disheveled and he was covered in blood. He was surrounded by a dense crowd of soldiers.

"Little Liu, if you kill us today, you will definitely die a bad death tomorrow!~"

Seeing the tragic death of Yang Bin and Wang Zhang, Shi Hongzhao knew that there was no hope of survival. He roared in grief and was stabbed through the chest and abdomen with countless spears, killing him on the spot.

The soldiers slashed the corpse into pieces again with their swords.

Broken limbs, blood, and minced meat were scattered on the snow. Three human heads were placed neatly in a row. After a while, they were buried under the falling snow.

At the corner of the palace wall in the distance, Yan Jinqing witnessed the tragedy with his own eyes. He was so frightened that his legs became weak, and he knelt on the snow with his knees bent, and his whole body was even colder.

"It's not, it's not Yan's intention to frame him, he is really forced to do so! ~Woooo~"

Yan Jinqing stammered and cried, wiping her tears, "Li Ye and others arrested Yan's family. If they don't obey the orders, the whole family will be in danger! Every wrong has its owner, and every debt has its owner. Please don't come looking for us in the future." I will make offerings at four o’clock every year, and Yan will definitely deliver them on time.”

Regardless of the cold mud and snow, Yan Jinqing knelt in the snow and kowtowed repeatedly.

~~~
In the Guangzheng Hall with the door tightly closed, hundreds of courtiers huddled together in darkness. Hundreds of wolf-like guards guarded the door and fiercely monitored the courtiers. Anyone who dared to act inappropriately would be killed on the spot.

Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, Guo Yunming, and Houzan were all wearing gorgeous red lacquer mountain-pattern armor, helmets, red robes, and sabers at their waists. They looked majestic.

The four of them stood under the Emperor, in the front row of the ministers, which was the position that originally belonged to the four ministers who cared about their fate.

In the middle of the hall, more than a dozen warm corpses were lying, and a dozen heads covered with blood were scattered.

The strong smell of blood filled the main hall, and under the dim light of the fire, it looked like the eerie Temple of Hell.

The corpse belonged to the officials present. Because they opposed the killing of the three kings of Shi Yang, Li Ye and others found out and killed them on the spot.

The heads were several important relatives and friends of Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin, including Shi Hongzhao's brothers, Shi Honglang, the Marquis of Yuhou of the Xiaodi Army, his nephew, the right-leading guard general Wang Min, and his son-in-law, Zhang Yisu, a member of the household department.

Yang Bin's son, Yuanwailang Yang Tingkan, Youwei General Yang Tingwei, and Youshanzan doctor Yang Tingyi.

There are also Guo Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Privy Council, Yu Hou Gao Jin of Control Hedu, Jing Nanjin of Guards Du Chengju, Chai Xun, Gouguan of the Third Division, Zhen Yanqi, the envoy to the capital, Xin Congshen, the internal minister, and others.

Almost all the relatives and friends of Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bin in Kaifeng were wiped out on the same day.

Su Fengji, the prime minister, sat down dejectedly before His Majesty, with dull eyes and muttering: "How can the official family be like this? How can it end like this? This world is going to end."

Li Ye walked forward swaggeringly, leaned over and said with a smile: "Don't panic, Mr. Su. You have killed the three rebellious ministers. From now on, you will be the only Mr. Su! We will fully support Mr. Su and assist the officials in running the government."

Su Fengji looked at him with complicated eyes, shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Although he was at odds with Shi Hongzhao and Yang Bing, he never thought of using such vicious means to get rid of them.

Su Fengji was an experienced man and knew that it was common for people to have different political opinions in the imperial court. However, if it escalated to the point of a sword fight, it would mean that the government was out of control, which would lead to unexpected serious consequences.

Especially in the current situation, killing people will not solve the problem at all, but will trigger conflicts, leaving both sides with no room for change.

Seeing Li Ye and the others talking and laughing unscrupulously, Su Fengji's heart sank to the bottom.

It is almost foreseeable that a violent storm will spread from Kaifeng Imperial City and eventually spread to the whole world, setting off a bloody storm.
(End of this chapter)