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Chapter 622: Means (I)

The scale of this rebellion was far smaller than the palace coup a month ago. The "rebellion" was only about a hundred people, who had been lying in ambush in the dense forest outside the imperial mausoleum. They sneaked into the mausoleum at night, killed several guards, and rushed in.

There were 1,000 imperial guards stationed in the imperial mausoleum, and 2,000 imperial guards were there to protect the emperor's coffin. After the initial shock and panic, they quickly reacted, blocked the thieves' route, and surrounded the group of traitors. After killing a small number of them, the remaining dozens of traitors knelt down and begged for mercy.

From the beginning to the end, this group of rebels had no chance to get close to the emperor's mausoleum.

To the ministers, it seemed like a false alarm.

Rebellion is a serious crime that will result in the execution of nine generations of the clan. The Gaoliang Palace and the Dongping Palace will definitely be exterminated. Could the traitors who appeared at this time be the remnants of the Gaoliang Palace or the Dongping Palace?

General Zuo and other generals shouted angrily: "There is no need to interrogate these traitors, just kill them all."

"Please give the order, my lord. I will kill them right now!"

"Generals, please be patient. We must interrogate these survivors and find out where they came from." Jiang Shaohua glanced around, and the commotion of the generals was quickly calmed down.

The civil officials were also filled with righteous indignation and cursed the traitors.

Prince Wu'an also cursed the traitors: "These must be Jiang Yi's men. Their master was killed, but they were unwilling to accept it, so they ran to the imperial mausoleum to assassinate Prince Ping! They deserve to be killed!"

However, Prince Huaiyang did not join in the curse, and his expression was extremely solemn.

This "rebellion" that was almost a farce was suppressed too smoothly, even a bit like a joke. But it really happened before his eyes. He suddenly had an ominous premonition...

The sharp cry of a child suddenly rang out.

The Prince of Huaiyang was startled and turned his head quickly, only to see the young Prince of Ping suddenly collapse and cry and fall to the ground, rolling around on the ground. His white clothes were soon covered with dust.

The eunuch Wei who was waiting on him was sweating with anxiety and kept whispering to him, but the king rolled over and over on the ground as if he had a nightmare, crying until he was hoarse.

Eunuch Wei had no choice but to look to Jiang Shaohua for help.

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly, leaned down and grabbed King Ping. King Ping had already fallen into a semi-crazy state, screaming and crying with his teeth and claws bared. He didn't care who was in front of him, and reached out to grab Jiang Shaohua's cheek.

Jiang Shaohua frowned and twisted Jiang Hao's arm: "Commander Song, press his fainting point."

Song Yuan made a quick move and tapped Jiang Hao's body several times. Jiang Hao's screams and cries suddenly stopped, and his arms fell limply.

Jiang Shaohua handed the comatose Prince Ping to Eunuch Wei. Eunuch Wei was so grateful that he almost cried: "Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Princess! His Highness Prince Ping was frightened on the day of his coup and cannot stand the sound of swords and guns. Even if someone pulled a knife out of its sheath, His Highness would cry and make a fuss. I really have no choice."

An eight-year-old child with a mental disability witnessed the bloody scene of the ministers being killed. He was also used as a human shield and almost died at the hands of the thieves. It was inevitable that a deep shadow was left in his heart. It was not obvious on ordinary days, but it was revealed at this critical moment.

The ministers had no sympathy for King Ping, but only sighed for the bleak future of the Daliang Dynasty.

Although Emperor Taihe was gentle in his methods, he had received more than ten years of orthodox imperial education and could barely be considered a qualified young emperor.

The King Ping in front of him, except for his bloodline, can be said to be useless. However, the most important thing for the succession to the throne is bloodline.

Prince Wu'an coughed heavily and raised his voice intentionally or unintentionally: "Prince Ping is still a naughty boy who knows nothing. Not to mention now, even if he grows up in ten or eight years, he may not be useful. The Prince of Gaoliang is the best precedent."

The King of Gaoliang was very smart when he was young, but his brain was damaged by a serious illness when he grew up. He was slow to react and spoke incoherently, but when he was silent, he was still quite intimidating.

King Ping is not even as good as King Gaoliang! How can a fool who is mentally retarded and can't even distinguish right from wrong be the emperor?
The Prince of Wu'an's words with ulterior motives revealed a fact that no one wanted to face, and also revealed his ambition to replace the previous emperor.

The Prince of Huaiyang was in a heavy mood and did not want to say much. However, seeing the Prince of Wu'an stealing the show, he could not let himself be outdone.

So, Prince Huaiyang also stepped forward and made a statement in front of all the ministers: "The succession of the throne is not only a matter of the royal family, but also concerns the stability of the country and the people. The ministers should recommend and discuss a truly suitable person to take over Daliang."

Prince Wu'an was on the same side as Prince Huaiyang at this time, and he echoed loudly: "Prince Huaiyang is right. After everyone goes back, we can hold a court meeting."

The so-called court meeting refers to the voting by the ministers above the third rank. In this way, it is natural to exclude the Queen Mother Zheng.

The ambitions of Prince Wu'an and Prince Huaiyang were thus clearly revealed.

In recent days, the two of them have been making small moves in private, each convincing some officials to support themselves. At this time, some people came out to support this proposal. There were middle-level officials of the fourth and fifth ranks, and important officials above the third rank. As for the low-ranking officials below the fifth rank, they were not qualified to speak or express their opinions.

Minister Zhang unexpectedly agreed, "What the two princes say makes sense."

Jiang Shaohua watched this scene coldly, but did not say anything sarcastic, and let the ministers talk one after another. It was not until Zhang Shangshu expressed his opinion that Jiang Shaohua said calmly: "After returning to the palace, I will ask the Empress Dowager first, and then it will not be too late to discuss it."

When Shangshu Zhang was not facing the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng, he still had some courage. He immediately straightened his back and said proudly: "Important matters in the court should be decided by the court officials. Although the Grand Empress Dowager is of noble status, she is a woman after all, and should not interfere in political affairs."

Jiang Shaohua sneered: "This princess is also a woman, is Minister Zhang planning to drive this princess out of the court?"

Zhang Shangshu: "..."

Facing Jiang Shaohua's cold and murderous eyes, Zhang Shangshu felt a chill in his heart. The heroic figure of Jiang Shaohua killing people with a gun flashed in his mind, and his attitude immediately softened: "I dare not, Princess, please calm down."

Jiang Shaohua said coldly: "Then shut up."

Minister Zhang felt so embarrassed under the gazes of the crowd that he had to shut up.

Jiang Shaohua looked at the Prince of Wu'an and the Prince of Huaiyang again: "What Uncle Huaiyang and the Prince of Wu'an said does make some sense."

Jiang Shaohua's attitude was really unexpected.

Prince Wu'an was overjoyed. If the timing had not been wrong, he would have promised on the spot, "I will agree to any conditions as long as you support me."

General Ma strode over and reported, "My Lady, the traitor has confessed."