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The study was eerily quiet.

The bright candle swayed slightly, casting a light in the study. The father and son looked at each other in this bright candlelight.

For a long time, I was speechless.

I don't know how long it took before An Guogong opened his mouth in an obscure voice: "This matter is of great importance. I have to think about it carefully."

Zheng Chen looked as normal and said softly: "We don't have much time. I hope father can seize the opportunity."

Good opportunity?

It was a series of devastation and flames of war, and it was the lives of countless civilians and soldiers. Zheng Chen just said it in a calm and composed voice, almost terrifyingly calm. For some reason, An Guogong suddenly felt a sense of panic and uneasiness.

"You go back first, I want to be alone for a while." Anguo said.

Zheng Chen nodded in agreement, and before getting up and leaving, he left another message: "If you want to do something, you must first take power. This principle was taught to me by my father. Wang Rong is the head of the Wang family and the prime minister of the three dynasties. The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is His people, General Zuo of the Border Pass, are his people, and there are countless civil and military officials who have surrendered to him."

"My father also knows the condition of the Emperor's dragon body. He will die soon. When the time comes, His Royal Highness the young Crown Prince ascends the throne, how can the Queen Mother defeat Prime Minister Wang, who has disciples all over the court?"

"The Zheng family is a relative, and it is only by relying on the Queen Mother that we are in today's situation. We should share the Queen Mother's worries. From the perspective of our Zheng family, if we want to become the first family in Daliang, we must truly control the government. In contrast, , one Pingzhou and one Yingwei camp, which one is more important, please consider it carefully."

After Zheng Chen left, the study became quiet again.

An Guogong stared directly at the candlelight, his face changing, and extremely complex emotions flashed across his eyes.

The candles in the study were lit all night.

Duke An Guo, who had not slept all night, left the study with red eyes and casually asked his attendants: "Have Zixi been here before?"

"Returning to the country, young master, the young master went to the palace at five o'clock."

As the prince's companion, Zheng Chen went to the palace to accompany the prince every day and went to court with the prince. Having the opportunity to watch memorials and listen to government affairs together is also the best training.

In the future, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince comes to power, Zheng Chen will be able to rise to the top and become a close and important minister of the new emperor.

Duke An Guo exhaled a strong breath, gave a few instructions in a low voice, and then left after taking the order.

That night, there were several strange faces in An Guogong's study. These are all dead men secretly raised by the Zheng family.

……

Under the attention of everyone, General Du led 30,000 elite soldiers from the British Guard Battalion and set off to Pingzhou for reinforcements.

Over the next month or so, battle reports flew into the court like snowflakes.

After the defeat of General Wei, the morale in the Yingwei camp was low. After that, they lost battles one after another.

Pingzhou suffered from drought for two consecutive years, the court failed to provide relief, and the people suffered from hunger and resentment. After Tan Sheng occupied Pingzhou, he wiped out all the big households in Pingzhou like cattle and sheep. Ordinary people have no food, but the granaries in the homes of wealthy families are full.

Tan Sheng robbed large households of food and distributed it to the people, quickly winning people's hearts. This "King of Pingzhou" actually won the support of the people, and many middle-aged men even took the initiative to join the Pingzhou Army. In a short period of time, the number of Pingzhou Army increased seven to eight times. That is nearly 30,000 to 40,000 people. The common people also rushed to pass on the whereabouts of the imperial army. As a result, the British Guards Camp in Pingzhou was like a tiger in Pingyang, feeling aggrieved everywhere.

General Wei submitted a series of pleas for apology. When the third memorial arrived at the court, more bad news came.

As soon as General Du arrived in Pingzhou, he was assassinated by a rebel army and died on the spot. Thirty thousand elite soldiers were in chaos due to the death of their general, and were defeated by the surrounding Pingzhou Army, suffering heavy casualties.

At this point, the 50,000-strong elite force of the Yingwei Battalion was defeated again and again in Pingzhou. The casualties were too heavy, the morale of the army was shattered, and there were many soldiers who secretly escaped from the barracks.

When Emperor Taikang heard the bad news, his eyes widened suddenly, his face flushed with anger, and when he opened his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Then passed out again.

There was chaos in the palace. The imperial doctors rushed to treat the emperor, but the furious Emperor Taikang never woke up again. He breathed his last that night.

Li Guiren cried until he fainted. The young and beautiful Fan Guiren also cried until she fell unconscious.

Empress Dowager Zheng cried and cursed in agony: "Wang Rong, it was you who insisted on letting General Wei lead the troops to quell the rebellion, and it was you who asked General Du to lead the troops to reinforce. The Yingwei camp was defeated again and again, with countless casualties and complete losses. Pingzhou. The emperor is so angry with you for your selfishness."

"What shame do you have to kneel here? Get out! Get out!"

Prime Minister Wang could no longer maintain his former arrogance and fierceness. He knelt beside the dragon bed and shed tears, blaming and regretting himself.

Prince Jiang Song stared at Prime Minister Wang with red eyes, his eyes full of hatred.

In fact, Emperor Taikang's dragon body was getting worse day by day, and he had been relying on decoctions to survive. The war in Pingzhou was so dismal that it dealt the final blow to Emperor Taikang.

Emperor Taikang couldn't survive the winter, couldn't wait for the first day of the new year, and closed his eyes forever on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Before he died, he couldn't even leave a single word. Otherwise, at least I can give the prince a warning. No matter what, we must first stabilize the court and not rush to attack Prime Minister Wang.

"Come here," His Highness the Crown Prince said angrily, "put Wang Cheng in prison and wait until the funeral of my father is over before he can be questioned!"

However, Prime Minister Wang had been accumulating power for a long time. When the prince gave this order, the soldiers of the imperial army looked at each other and hesitated.

The prince was furious and pointed at the commander of the Royal Forest Army: "General Bao, I order you to capture Prime Minister Wang immediately!"

General Bao did not dare to hesitate any longer and immediately stepped forward, his hand just touching Prime Minister Wang's sleeve. Then Prime Minister Wang suddenly stood up: "Who dares to touch this Prime Minister!"

Empress Dowager Zheng's grief-stricken face was now ignited by anger, ferocious and distorted: "What a majestic Prime Minister. The Ai family risked their lives today to capture you! The Ai family should take a look, all the courtiers Do you want me to go forward and retreat together with you?"

Zhang Shangshu, the official who was kneeling aside, immediately stood up and said: "The Queen Mother, please calm down. The assassination of General Du in the Battle of Pingzhou is quite strange. When it is found out, Prime Minister Wang will give the Queen an explanation for the world. Right now This is not the time to pursue this matter, the most important thing is to let the emperor die in peace."

Dai Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment also stood up: "What Zhang Shangshu said makes sense. I think it is best to arrange the funeral for the emperor first."

Immediately afterwards, one after another important court officials stood up to support Prime Minister Wang.

The important ministers who entered the palace last night and stayed by the dragon's couch included six ministers, ministers, important generals in the army, and royal family members, totaling more than thirty people. Now there are as many as a dozen people standing clearly behind Prime Minister Wang.

An Guogong, who had been holding back for a long time, finally stood up and angrily accused: "The emperor just closed his eyes, you will rebel!" (End of this chapter)