Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 391 The Turmoil of Seizing the Imperial Edict
The next day, just after dawn, the carriage of the Prince of Wei's residence quietly stopped at the palace gate.

Li Yan, dressed in an expensive brocade robe that was wrinkled and crumpled, his face flushed from a hangover, yawned as he was led into the Cixi Palace by the eunuch. His steps were unsteady, making a clattering sound as he dragged his feet on the gold bricks.

"Grandmother, what admonition do you have for me that you have summoned me to this time?"

He gave a perfunctory greeting, his eyes were sleepy, and he didn't even straighten his back.

Seeing his hopeless state, the Empress Dowager became furious and grabbed a soft pillow from the side and threw it at him.

"Look at the state of you! The Crown Prince is personally leading the expedition to the Western Frontier, plotting his military exploits... and you, on the other hand, are indulging in nightly revelry, living a life of debauchery..."

A soft pillow hitting your body doesn't hurt or itch.

Li Yan rubbed his arm, which had been hit, with a grin, and pouted, reeking of alcohol.

"He's willing to go and die, what can I do? Besides, Father is unconscious, and the Crown Prince has the power to oversee the country. What can I, a powerless and idle member of the imperial family, do besides drinking and having fun? Am I supposed to go to the Western Frontier to take a knife for him?"

The Empress Dowager was so choked by his outrageous words that her chest tightened and stars flashed before her eyes.

After drinking half a cup of tea, his emotions gradually calmed down.

"I summoned you here to give you an opportunity to achieve great things. Listen, your father... has already written the edict to depose Li Zhao..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's spirits lifted, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Grandmother, how much did you drink last night?"

Empress Dowager Chengqing's lips trembled with anger. She tapped his head and began to scold him, "You scoundrel, stop talking nonsense! Come with me to the Zichen Palace, and everything will become clear..."

Li Yan was taken aback: "What are you going to the Zichen Palace for? Father is still lying there."

"You have to go lying down!" Empress Dowager Chengqing lowered her voice, briefly explaining the ins and outs of the edict to depose the crown prince, then narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at him: "You have to get the edict to depose the crown prince before your second brother..."

Li Yan sobered up considerably, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, feeling both excited and nervous.

"This... if there is no imperial edict, wouldn't we be walking into a trap? That's treason!"

"I know what I'm doing." Empress Dowager Chengqing glared at him angrily, then took out a phoenix seal from the brocade box and handed it to Li Yan.

"Take this and go to Zheng Duo, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. He was originally a retainer of my maternal family, and I have secretly favored him over the years, giving him many benefits. Go to him and say that treacherous people are causing trouble, and that I am worried about His Majesty's safety, ordering him to immediately gather his troops and go to the Zichen Palace to protect the Emperor. As long as we control the Zichen Palace and find the imperial edict... deposing Li Zhao, who among the officials would dare to disobey?"

Li Yan's breathing became heavy, and a hint of greed flashed across his face.

"Then... once I receive the imperial edict, I'll be the crown prince?"

"As long as you live up to expectations," the Empress Dowager said, looking at him with a heavy voice, "Go. Don't disappoint me."

Li Yan excitedly agreed, turned around and strode away, his boots making a rapid sound.

The sandalwood incense in the Buddhist hall was so strong it was almost pungent.

Empress Dowager Chengqing sat there for a while, gripping the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand tightly until her fingertips turned white.

"Summon Imperial Physician Liu." The Empress Dowager, supporting herself on Lady Cui's arm, slowly rose to her feet, her voice slightly tense.

"I told you that I dreamt that His Majesty's condition worsened and I was restless all night, so I specially requested the Imperial Physician to accompany me to the Zichen Palace to visit him."
-
The night was thick, like an inkstone that could not be dissolved, shrouding the outline of the palace.

The palace lanterns swayed in the wind, reflecting the phoenix patterns on the Empress Dowager's carriage.

The group headed straight for the Zichen Palace. The dim, yellowish light flickered in the wind, illuminating the palace like will-o'-the-wisps...

The imperial guards, clad in bright armor, stood solemnly, their long halberds gleaming coldly in the lamplight.

As soon as the imperial carriage approached, Chen Tu, the commander of the imperial guards on duty, led two personal guards forward and blocked the entrance to the palace.

"This humble general, Chen Tu, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager—" Chen Tu clasped his hands in a salute, his voice booming, his body as steady as a rock, "His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed that His Majesty's rest must not be disturbed without an imperial edict from the Eastern Palace. Please return to the palace, Empress Dowager!"

"Insolence!" Cui Shanggong stepped forward sharply, pointing at him and angrily rebuking, "His Majesty is the Empress Dowager's own flesh and blood. A mother visiting her sick son is a matter of natural law and human ethics... How dare you use your subject to imprison your sovereign and your son to coerce your mother? Get out of the way!"

"This humble general is acting under orders! It is my duty, and I dare not disobey. Please forgive me, Your Majesty..." Chen Tu bowed his head and clasped his hands, his voice resolute.

Upon seeing this, Physician Liu, who had followed closely behind the imperial carriage, hurriedly stepped forward, bowed to Chen Tu, and spoke with the urgency of a physician, his forehead covered in fine sweat.

"Commander Chen. The Empress Dowager misses her son dearly and dreams of him every night. Perhaps this reunion between mother and son will improve her condition... If you insist on obstructing this and delay treatment, I'm afraid we can't bear the consequences."

He was coerced into coming here by Empress Dowager Chengqing's words.

Unexpectedly, Chen Tu remained unmoved, his face calm and his brow bone as cold as iron.

"His Highness the Crown Prince issued a strict order before leaving the capital: His Majesty's safety rests on the Zichen Palace, and anyone who enters without permission is tantamount to treason. I beg Imperial Physician Liu, please do not put me in a difficult position and return..."

"Treason? What a fine treason!"

The carriage curtains were suddenly lifted, bringing with them a gust of cold wind. Supported by palace maids, Empress Dowager Chengqing stepped shakily down from the carriage, her gaze sweeping across the hall, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

"I will go in today... I want to see if you lackeys of Li Zhao dare to behead the Empress Dowager here!"

Before she could finish speaking, the elderly empress dowager suddenly unleashed astonishing strength, breaking free from the support of the palace maids and, disregarding everything else, charging headlong straight towards the palace gate...

"Empress Dowager!" Chen Tu exclaimed in shock and anger.

He never expected that the Empress Dowager, of such high status, would resort to such a desperate and shameless method...

Exclamations erupted from all sides.

The guards instinctively moved forward to stop her, but they hesitated because of the Empress Dowager's noble status, fearing that they might harm her.

Almost instantly, chaos erupted in front of the Zichen Palace.

"Protecting the Emperor——"

In that split second, a shout rang out.

Li Huan arrived just in time, standing proudly before the steps, his robes fluttering in the night wind.

"The Empress Dowager was worried about His Majesty's health and came to visit him personally. Who dared to stop her? Commander Chen, do you deserve the infamy of murdering the Empress Dowager and imprisoning the emperor?"

He rebuked him sternly, his imposing manner like a cold blade pressing down.
"This humble general is loyal to the emperor and protects his lord. He is not afraid of being implicated or facing execution. He only wishes to die for his cause." Chen Tu's face turned red, and he did not budge an inch. "If you want to enter the palace, you will have to step over this humble general's dead body."

Tensions.

The air was stagnant, as stiff as iron.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, torches surged in like a long dragon, turning the night sky crimson.

"Protect the Empress Dowager! Slay the traitor!"

Dozens of agile figures suddenly leaped out from the shadows behind the palace pillars—

They moved swiftly and silently, wielding not the standard long swords of the palace, but rather more ferocious curved swords and short crossbows, better suited for close combat.

The first man in the lead, clad in fur and armor, was none other than Xiao Wenyuan, the Grand Secretary who was fighting despite being wounded.

"By order of the Empress Dowager, we are to protect Your Majesty... Crown Prince Li Zhao is isolating the inside from the outside world and plotting treason. His heart is worthy of punishment... You are all loyal and brave men. Follow me into the palace, capture the treacherous officials, and protect Your Majesty."

"You've gone too far! Xiao Wenyuan, how dare you trespass into the Forbidden City—" Chen Tu's pupils constricted, veins bulged on his forehead, and he roared angrily:

"Enemy attack... Form ranks... Defend the palace gates to the death..."

The firelight illuminated everyone's faces.

The sound of armor rubbing together rang out suddenly, and long swords were drawn from their sheaths in unison.

His imperial guards reacted swiftly, immediately tightening their formation and unleashing a forest of halberds in an attempt to block the palace gates. However, the Xiao faction's elite soldiers were fearless and their attack was swift and relentless, like a surging tide…

The two sides instantly engaged in a fierce battle, the clanging of metal piercing the night sky.

Li Huan stood below the steps, gripping the short knife in his sleeve, his brows furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

Xiao Wenyuan's forceful entry into the Zichen Palace, accompanied by elite assassins trained by the Xiao family for many years, clearly indicated his intention to use the pretext of protecting the emperor to push things to the extreme...

He originally intended to outsmart them, but now that's no longer possible...

The Xiao family is trying to force him to break off all pretense of civility and cut off his escape route.
-
On Zhuque Street, the iron eaves of the Yanyu Tower rattle wildly in the night wind.

In the candlelight, the wick snapped open with a crack.

Xue Sui's fingertips trembled, and the wolf-hair brush spread a blot of ink on the Xuan paper.

A faint commotion could be heard outside the window: the sound of horses' hooves, shouts, and the clanging of metal... spreading like a plague through the night, even making the windowpanes tremble slightly.

"Miss!" Jinshu strode in, her skirt brushing the threshold, her expression grave. "Xiao Wenyuan, under the pretext of suppressing a rebellion, has brought his private army into the palace... The imperial guards at Anfu Gate have been lured away, and the situation in the palace is probably not good."

Xue Sui suddenly stood up, accidentally knocking over the teacup on the table.

The tea soup spilled over the names that had just been written, like splashed ink, or like congealed blood...

She glanced at them coldly, grabbed the cloak from the chair, pushed open the door, and left, speaking rapidly.

"Xiao Zhao, take the wolf bone talisman and come with me to Xizi Inn..."

　Xue Sui: Dear readers, August is here! May your days be as bright and cheerful as the summer sun, filled with joy every day. May we all reap new surprises and unlock new wonders this month, living life the way we want, heading towards the sun, blooming warmly—Yay!
　　Li Zhao: Same as above. So be it.

　　Xue Sui: ? ? ? If you want to speak with authority, you'll have to work harder?
　　(End of this chapter)