Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

After breaking through the Meridian Gate, Jia Cong still used the familiar formula and familiar tactics. He first sent three new troops, each with a thousand people, to take Xihua Gate, Donghua Gate, and Shenwu Gate.

In addition, the troops were divided into two routes. One route went through the Inner Jinshui Bridge and went straight to the middle route; the other route went out of the Xihe Gate and went straight to the Longzong Gate, and finally met at the Yangxin Palace.

Emperor Xifeng had never expected that Jia Cong's new army would arrive so quickly, let alone be so powerful. As a result, the palace was unprepared and was easily broken into by Jia Cong as if he were in an empty space.

"Kong Xing, Jie Hui, the two of you lead the troops to escort His Highness to protect the Queen first!" Jia Cong shouted.

On the one hand, he was worried about the safety of the queen, and on the other hand, he didn't want Sun Chi to see the conflict between him and Emperor Xifeng.

"Order!"

Sun Chi hurriedly said: "Yes, I only thought about revenge and serving the king, and almost forgot about my mother. I'm going now! Follow me!" After that, he turned his horse and left.

Jia Cong led his men straight in and arrived at the Military Affairs Office in an instant. He saw that the lights were still on inside and more than a dozen officials and clerks were busy running around. He walked in and said with a smile, "Everyone, what are you busy with?"

When everyone saw a group of fierce-looking soldiers holding firearms coming in from behind Jia Cong, they were startled and hurriedly bowed and laughed dryly, saying, "Greetings, Young Protector."

"Which minister is on duty today?"

"Replying to the Grand Protector, all the ministers are here, and are meeting the Emperor in the Yangxin Palace."

"Oh?" Jia Cong raised his eyebrows and asked, "What happened?"

"We don't know. We only heard that it was an urgent summons from His Majesty. In addition to the ministers, there were also princes from the royal family, princes, and important civil and military officials in the court."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Okay, it's all done! I don't need to call for help anymore. Someone, rush into the Yangxin Palace and protect the king!"

"Yes!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

Upon seeing this, the clerks in the Grand Council all collapsed to the ground. You don’t look like someone who is guarding the king, you clearly want to assassinate the king!
"Your Majesty! It's bad. Jia Cong has rebelled and is leading his troops into the palace!" A eunuch crawled in.

The ministers were all shocked, some were happy and some were worried.

Dai Quan shouted angrily, "Asshole! What are you yelling about? Are the Infantry Commander's Office and the Imperial City Guards vegetarians?"

"Reporting to the chief steward, the Nine Gates Admiral Yan Jie defected to the enemy, and the imperial guards were all dispersed."

"How many people does Jia Cong have?!"

"There are thousands of them!"

"What? Where did he get his troops? Could it be that he has some heavenly soldiers and generals?"

"It's the new army, all equipped with firearms. They are extremely sharp. The imperial guards rushed forward and died in rows. They were simply unable to resist."

Everyone was still in shock when they saw that Emperor Xifeng had recovered some of his strength after being rescued by the imperial physician. Hearing this, he suddenly sat up and shouted, "Say it again! Traitor!"

Before he could finish his words, a mouthful of dirty blood spurted out and he fell on his back.

"emperor!"

Everyone was shocked. The imperial physician rushed over and gave him medicine and acupuncture. He barely saved his life and advised, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry. Your health is the most important thing."

Emperor Xifeng was so angry that he felt dizzy and weak all over. He just wanted to kill all these imperial doctors. The thieves have already broken into the palace, and you still want me to not get angry?

Under this rage, Emperor Xifeng's condition worsened rapidly. He thought he would not be able to get up soon, so he said with all his strength: "My ministers, I know that I cannot bring back my soul, but I have only one word for you to obey."

"emperor!"

"Father!"

They all knelt on the ground and sobbed, squeezing out a few tears, looking like loyal subjects and filial sons.

"Everyone, please listen to my order..."

"The minister is waiting to accept the order."

Emperor Xifeng took a breath and said slowly: "Emperors who have always ruled the world have always regarded respecting heaven and following ancestors as their top priority.

However, since I ascended the throne, the treasury has been empty, taxes have been depleted, there are constraints from both above and below, it is difficult to act, there are redundant soldiers and staff, the situation is too big to be controlled, the powerful gentry are resisting the government, the nine borders are in turmoil, and there are internal and external troubles. This is truly a major change that has not been seen in a hundred years, and we must get rid of the old problems and bring in the old.

Therefore, I strictly enforce the new law, hoping to bring peace to the country and happiness to the people. I work diligently, carefully and prudently, day and night, without any slackness.

For more than ten years, I have worked hard and governed the country with diligence and frugality, just like every day. You all know it well.

Emperor Wu of Liang was also a hero in starting a business, but when he reached old age, he was oppressed by Hou Jing, which led to the disaster of Taicheng.

Emperor Wen of Sui was also the founding ruler, but he could not foresee the evil deeds of his son Emperor Yang, which ultimately led to his death. This was all because he did not identify the evils early enough.

Today, the eldest son Qiu, the second son Can, and the tenth son Chi of the emperor coveted the sacred artifact and colluded with each other to break into the palace and plot evil. Fortunately, the loyal and brave guards defeated them.

Although I am now approaching the end of my old age, the benefits of my new laws have spread throughout the world, so I can die peacefully and happily.

After my death, if you can serve the new emperor as you served me, I will be very comforted in the afterlife.

The fifth prince, Wen, is a man of noble character and closely resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the throne. He shall succeed me as the emperor and shall observe the mourning period in accordance with the rules and regulations, and shall be released on the 27th day. This notice shall be made known to all, both at home and abroad.

"Your Majesty..." All the ministers and princes kowtowed and cried.

Dai Quan exchanged glances with Prince Beijing, Sun Wen and others, and was overjoyed. Now that the emperor had personally issued the edict, who could overturn it?

Suddenly, a discordant voice interrupted and said, "Your Majesty, this is wrong!"

Everyone was shocked, the devil had arrived.

But Jia Cong and his men strode in, and seeing the dying Emperor Xifeng on the sickbed, he sneered and said, "The Tenth Prince escaped and explained the whole story to Cong.

It is clear that someone in the palace was causing chaos, tricking the three princes into entering the palace, and then sending troops to surround and kill them. Chief Steward Dai, what do you say? Did you go and pass on the secret order to Niu Yu, the commander of the Dragon Guard?
Was it your idea or the emperor's idea to get rid of the three princes who were most qualified to ascend the throne?"

Dai Quan was frightened when he saw the murderous look on his face, and his eyes involuntarily turned to Emperor Xifeng.

Emperor Xifeng was provoked by him and inexplicably gained strength. He shouted angrily: "Traitor! Everyone has the right to kill him!"

Jia Cong sneered, "Your Majesty, calm down. I came here only to purge the emperor's entourage and punish the treacherous officials. I have no intention of treason. Come, take Dai Quan down to accompany Niu Yu and interrogate him thoroughly."

"Yes." Two soldiers as ferocious as wolves and tigers came up and dragged Dai Quan away like a dead dog.

"Your Majesty, help me!" Dai Quan shouted, but his voice suddenly stopped. It seemed that someone blocked his mouth.

Jia Cong glanced at all the ministers and sneered, "Come here, arrest Huo Peng and Dong Yi!"

"you dare!"

"Jia Cong, are you going to rebel?" The two were shocked and shouted.

"Mr. Pang said that rebellion is something that bandits and mountain robbers say. We are scholars, and this is called clearing the emperor's side." Jia Cong's smile faded, and he said, "The two ministers instigated my father-in-law, Lord Ruhai, to poison the current Shao Bao. I wonder what crime they should be punished for? Do you really think there is an impenetrable wall in the world?"

He had already secretly learned from Gu Tao that it was the plan of Mr. Huo and Mr. Huo.

"What nonsense! You are just making up a false accusation!" The two men would never admit it and kept making excuses.

"Go and seek justice before the King of Hell." Jia Cong snorted coldly and waved his hand, and the two were immediately pulled away.

The other ministers did not dare to look at him, fearing that they would be dragged away. They all hung their heads. Prince Beijing and others were even more terrified and wished they could find a crack to crawl into.
Only Zhongxin, Feng Yuan and others were smiling happily, saying, "Thanks to Shao Bao's timely arrival, the emperor and we were almost deceived by the traitor."

Jia Cong bowed and said, "No, no, where is the Queen?"

Everyone said they didn't know.

A young eunuch bravely said, "In reply to the Grand Guardian, Chief Steward Dai ordered the Dragon Guard to search the palace, but no trace of the Empress has been found."

Jia Cong hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty is very resourceful. She must have discovered that someone was causing trouble, so she hid in the palace and waited for the right opportunity. I think there should be no trouble."

"I'm not as smart as you say." Sun Chi helped Queen Chen come in from outside.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Her Majesty the Queen."

"My sons and ministers see their mother and queen."

Everyone bowed and greeted him.

Jia Cong saw that Empress Chen's eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying. It was obvious that she knew about Sun Can's death, so he bowed and said, "Mother, please accept my condolences. Unfortunately, my second brother died at the hands of a traitor. Cong will definitely avenge him."

Empress Chen nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"This is my responsibility as a son and subject."

Empress Chen walked to the bed and asked, "How is the emperor?"

Seeing how concerned she was about his health, Emperor Xifeng wished he could chew her up and swallow her. He wanted to curse her, but he was exhausted. He could only make hoarse sounds in his mouth and could not utter a single word.

Jia Cong said with a half-smile, "Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs for many years, and has been deceived by Dai Quan and others in recent days. They regard Cong as a traitor and have been focusing on me. I think you are tired and feel a little unwell."

Emperor Xifeng stared at Jia Cong, as if he wanted to kill him on the spot with his eyes.

Jia Cong looked at him with a slight sneer and said, "The emperor is in poor health, so there should not be too many people in the room. The empress can stay with him. I will be waiting for your orders outside the hall." After saying that, he waved his hand.

Everyone looked at Duan Zhun and saw him shaking his head and sighing, then he walked out first, and everyone followed him out.

Jia Cong bowed and said, "Mother, I will take my leave now. I will leave the Emperor to you." After that, he withdrew with the others.

Empress Chen nodded silently, understanding Jia Cong's meaning, and said calmly: "Chi'er, you all go out, I want to talk to the emperor."

Sun Chi hurriedly retreated and stood in the yard with everyone else, leaving only the emperor and the empress in the room.

Empress Chen sneered, "Your Majesty is very resourceful. He has been doing ruthless things over the past few days, getting rid of the retired emperor, Jia Cong, me, the eldest, the second, and the tenth. Is he trying to pave the way for the new emperor in the future?

It's really hard for you. For the sake of your kingdom, you even disregarded the relationship between father and son. As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. How can you face your ancestors when you can kill your own son? "

Emperor Xifeng opened his eyes wide, staring at Empress Chen's jade-white face. The hatred in his eyes could not be washed away even if he poured out all the hatred in the world.

Empress Chen sneered, "I know you are worried that in the future, relatives and nobles will interfere in government affairs and the power of the emperor will fall into someone else's hands. Don't you think that Can'er is my son? Would I harm him?

Even though Chen family got some advantages and Jia Cong got some benefits, the world still belongs to Sun family after all, right? With me here, who can still turn the world upside down?
You are so petty, afraid that others will take advantage of you. If the successor is incompetent, even if you pave the way for him, can he still hold on to the throne?"

"What's wrong with Can'er? He's gentle, kind, and tolerant. Why do you have to kill him? Humph, you're after Old Five, right? Is the son of Concubine Teng worthy of competing with my son?

You sent someone to kill me, so I ordered someone to kill you. You killed one of my sons, so I killed one of your sons. Isn't this fair?" Empress Chen sneered.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xifeng showed a hint of pleading in his eyes, intending to ask Empress Chen to spare the heir he had chosen.

Queen Chen had a hint of sneer on her face, and suddenly she said sternly: "Old Five's life is his life, so does that mean my Can'er should die?!"

As she spoke, her tone softened and she smiled, "But I still want to thank you. After all, we have been married for many years and you understand my feelings. You sent the emperor to heaven early for me, saving me a lot of trouble. If I had another in-law, many things would have been inconvenient.

Well, it's getting late, I will personally escort Your Majesty to enjoy the family life with the Retired Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Can'er." As she spoke, she took out a finger-sized porcelain bottle from her sleeve.

Emperor Xifeng showed a look of fear on his face. Even though he knew he was going to die, he still couldn't help feeling afraid when the time came.

Queen Chen was very decisive. Without hesitation, she pinched his chin with one hand and poured the poison in the bottle into his mouth with the other hand.

After a moment, Emperor Xifeng's body trembled, his neck twisted, and he died.

"Your Majesty!" Queen Chen instantly gathered her emotions and shouted loudly.

Jia Cong was very cautious and did not want to be branded as a regicide. Firstly, it would be a violation of his integrity and righteousness, and secondly, he was his father-in-law after all, and it would be difficult for him to meet Ruyi, Sun Chi and others in the future.

He shouted, "Imperial Physician!" A group of imperial doctors rushed in.

Not long after, the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital came out and said, "My Lords, the Emperor has passed away."

The ministers were secretly frightened, but they did not dare to go in without the Queen's summons.

Suddenly, the Queen's voice came from inside the palace, "Come in, everyone."

Everyone rushed in and saw that Emperor Xifeng's face was covered with a piece of white silk, so they kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."

Empress Chen's eyes were red and she was crying inconsolably. It was unclear whether she was crying for the emperor or for Sun Can.

"I am in great grief, and my heart is in turmoil. I have no idea what to do. The Grand Emperor also died of a sudden illness in the palace tonight. Let's discuss the affairs of the late Emperor together. Thank you for your hard work."

After saying this, the palace maids and the princes helped her up and sat her down on the kang.

Jia Cong spoke first, saying, "Mother, please take a rest. Your son and the others will take care of it.

The funeral and posthumous title of the Grand Emperor and the deceased Emperor have their own rules and etiquette. The Ministry of Rites has written a proposal according to the rules and I ask your mother to make the decision."

Guan Pu, the Grand Secretary of the Military Affairs Council and Minister of Rites, said: "What the Grand Secretary said is absolutely right. I will do my best to take care of the affairs of the two emperors."

Jia Cong said, "The most important thing now is to support the new emperor. As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a king for a day! When Cong came just now, I vaguely heard the late emperor reading the will, but I didn't understand what he said."

Everyone looked at each other and didn't dare to speak. They all guessed that Jia Cong would not honestly support the Fifth Prince. If they revealed this, they would probably be killed without a burial place.

Jiang Feng pondered and said, "Just now, the late emperor issued an edict saying that at the beginning of his reign, the national politics were full of malpractices and new laws had to be implemented. He counted the gains and losses in recent years and pointed out the current problems. Later, he ordered us to work diligently and prudently, assist the new emperor well, and not be lazy. My colleagues, am I wrong?"

Everyone hurriedly said: "Jiang Zhongtang is right, His Majesty did say these words." (End of this chapter)