Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 819 Town

The King of Qin anxiously awaited news from the palace. Everything had been arranged in the royal residence; as soon as the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and that beast were dead, he would immediately enter the palace.

He had already prepared the edict appointing him as the heir apparent. The Emperor had died at the hands of the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Huai, so it had nothing to do with him. He could wait to ascend the throne with peace of mind.

If all goes well, Wang Bingchen will also die. With one less leading prime minister, his people can easily control the political situation. Once the Duke of Wei and others enter the capital, his position will be even more secure.

What a wonderful arrangement! I just hope tonight goes smoothly.

“Your Highness,” the guard rushed in, “our men went to Wang Bingchen’s house, but were blocked on the street.”

The King of Qin frowned: "Who is it?"

The guard said, "Wang Yan and several officials, they gathered their forces from who-knows-where, including some imperial guards."

The King of Qin gritted his teeth; it was indeed Wang Yan.

The King of Qin looked at the Vice Chancellor: "How could he know we were making our move today? Could it be that the news leaked out?"

The Vice Chancellor frowned in thought. He dared not draw any conclusions lightly. Others might not be able to, but Wang Yan... it was really hard to say.

“If they want to establish the Prince of Huai as their heir, they will have to make some preparations,” said the Vice Minister of State Affairs. “The Wang family has been in power for so many years, and they have many officials following them. If each of them mobilizes some people, they can do something in the capital.”

The Vice Minister of State Affairs said, "Your Highness, there's no need to rush. If things come to a head, we still have the Infantry Division to rely on."

The Infantry Commander was a member of the Jiang family and had been waiting for the King of Qin's orders.

It's best not to expose such a person, but if the situation gets out of control, then it's necessary to let him take control.

The King of Qin picked up his teacup and took a sip: "If no news comes from the palace within half an hour, send someone to the Infantry Commandery."

None of his four children were sent away, in order to appease the Empress Dowager and the Wang family, so the news should not leak out. But if things in the palace don't go well, there's no need for him to stay in the capital.

Preserving his life is the priority. He will still have a chance when the Duke of Wei's troops arrive. After all, he had already figured out how to escape before he made his move.

"Your Highness," the steward reported in less than half an hour, "there's still no news from the palace. Wang Yan and his men have temporarily repelled our forces..."

The King of Qin waited for the steward to continue.

"Our people may find it difficult to do anything in the city."

The King of Qin and the Vice Minister of State frowned and looked over.

……

A troop of imperial guards headed toward the Wang family residence under the moonlight, but encountered Wang Yan on the way.

The prince ordered Wang Bingchen's life to be taken. Even though Wang Yan was prepared, the general leading the troops dared not back down in the slightest and immediately ordered his soldiers to attack.

"The leader is Wang Yan, a court official. Capturing this traitor will surely bring rewards in the future."

A single shout roused the soldiers around him to even greater bravery.

Beside Wang Yan, Liu Huizeng stepped forward with his sword and looked at the officials around him: "Do you all remember what happened outside the Dengwen Procuratorate? If those people really control the Great Liang, how can there be a bright and just world?"

"Rather than die feeling stifled later, it's better to fight them here. Even if we die, neither of us will have any regrets."

These civil officials, who spent their days in the imperial court and government offices and had not touched sharp weapons for a long time, stepped forward without hesitation upon receiving the news. They not only brought their nephews and servants but also risked their lives to rush to the front.

The Imperial Guards retreated so quickly because they saw the neatly arranged official robes surrounding Wang Yan. The leading general had to consider how many people they would kill if they charged in like this.
They could tolerate killing one Wang Bingchen, but could they really handle killing so many officials? Hesitantly, they had no choice but to send someone to the Prince of Qin's residence to inquire. However, they quickly received the answer: so many officials gathered together—wasn't it all for the sake of rebellion? Even if they were all killed, it would be for the sake of quelling the unrest for the court.

With the King of Qin's words, they were able to act with greater freedom.

Wang Yan and his men seem numerous, but only Wang Yan and a few guards in his household are truly skilled; the rest of the officials are merely figureheads.

Seeing Wang Yan charging ahead, the Imperial Guard general immediately engaged him in combat. After several dozen exchanges, the general was caught off guard and nearly had his throat slit by Wang Yan. Fortunately, his military commander intervened in time, allowing him to escape.

The still-shaken generals couldn't help but admire Wang Yan; the Imperial Attendant was truly a rare talent, both in literature and military affairs. However, even wise people make mistakes, and they shouldn't have offended Prince Qin at this time.

"Go and call for reinforcements," the Imperial Guard general couldn't help but order. They needed to borrow manpower from Kaifeng Prefecture. Even hidden forces like Kaifeng Prefecture and the Infantry Division had to be put into service at crucial moments.

When Wang Yan heard that there was no more movement outside, Liu Huizeng stepped forward and said, "Are you just going to give up like this?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "They still haven't received any reinforcements."

Liu Hui's face darkened. If more people were added, it would be difficult for them to hold on.

“Let them expose as many people as possible,” Wang Yan said. “This is a rare opportunity.”

Liu Hui nodded: "The Prince of Qin is only one step away from becoming the heir apparent, so naturally those people will do their best to support him. Normally, when he's in court, it's hard to tell who's who, but this time we'll take a closer look."

"If we can really wipe them all out, we can have at least ten years of peace."

Conversely, if those people hide in the shadows, we have to expend a hundred times more effort to guard against them.

After a long silence, footsteps could be heard, and sure enough, more people were coming this way.

"The fact that these people can be mobilized now should be due to..."

Before Liu Huizeng could finish speaking, Wang Yan concluded: "People from Kaifeng Prefecture."

Liu Huizeng looked surprised.

Wang Yan said, "These people should be patrolling and guarding various parts of the city. Their presence here only proves that the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture cannot fully control Kaifeng Prefecture."

As for why Wang Yan trusted the prefect of Kaifeng, it was because he was extremely familiar with the prefect and found nothing amiss. Furthermore, if the prefect had any problems, he would have informed the Prince of Qin in advance, allowing the Prince to act sooner.

In order to identify officials connected with the emperor, my father kept certain information under wraps during his time in the palace and informed officials in various places through different channels.

In other words, officials do not receive equal information, so if a problem arises, it can be pointed to specific individuals.

A volley of arrows flew in, and Sangzhi and the others used their shields to block them. Immediately afterwards, the Imperial Guards rushed into the streets again.

After a fierce battle, the group finally repelled the Imperial Guards once again, but Wang Yan and his men were forced into another long street.

“This street connects to both sides,” the military leader said. “We can surround them from both sides and see where they run off to.”

The general nodded: "Arrange it this way. Also... give the order to capture a few alive, as the prince will need them."

Its purpose, of course, is to force them to confess.

The general said, "After fighting for so long, it seems that Wang Yan has no other choice."

The soldiers split into two groups and were about to surround the front as planned when the leader suddenly saw beams of light slowly approaching.

Those were torches.

Flames blazed, illuminating the sky and earth, as a group of people carried a statue slowly toward them. When the leading general saw the group clearly, his eyes widened in surprise.

The group of people were dressed in plain clothes and wearing Confucian hats. They were carrying a statue of the most revered teacher, Confucius, teaching.

These are students from the Imperial Academy.

The leading student glanced at Wang Yan, then bowed deeply to the statue of the saint, turned to face the imperial guards: "This is the most revered teacher, the ancestor of all scholars in the world, the King of Literature worshipped by emperors of all dynasties. What do you intend to do by raising your weapons in the city today?"

As they spoke, the remaining students of the Imperial Academy carried the statue forward and soon blocked Wang Yan and his group's path.

The Imperial Guard general, looking at these unarmed Imperial Academy students, couldn't help but take a step back.

Wang Yan stepped forward, saying that the students of the Imperial Academy were the emperor's protégés, and to take action against them would be to cut off the dynasty from the world and shake its very foundation.

Even the King of Qin would not dare to be a tyrant who slaughters civilized people.

(End of this chapter)