My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 201 Go to Luo with knife in hand
Bingzhou, within the city of Jinyang.

Erzhu Rong has been staying in Jinyang these days, observing the situation. He is not in a hurry to lead his men to meet up with the Gao brothers, or rather, he is waiting for the Gao brothers to send back a message.

This is not.

Gao Huan then returned.

Upon seeing Gao Huan, Erzhu Rong asked in surprise, "Why did you return so quickly, Eldest Brother?"

Gao Huan did not hide anything, "When Erlang and I led our troops to the outskirts of Shangdang County, we encountered Xi Yi, a guard, who brought us news that His Majesty had issued an edict ordering us to stop."

“If the two of us continue to lead the troops south to Luoyang, we will inevitably be regarded as ‘traitors.’ Therefore, we dare not make decisions on our own. Erlang will lead the troops to stay in place and guard the area, while I will come back to deliver the message.”

There seemed to be no problem. The two brothers, Gao Huan and Gao Yu, were very dutiful and did not force him to make a decision.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Erzhu Rong's eyes.

Gao Huan keenly noticed the fleeting change in Erzhu Rong's eyes. Clearly... Erzhu Rong hoped that the two brothers could be stubborn and disregard the Emperor's edict to forcibly lead their troops south to Luoyang.

However, he also knew very well that the Gao brothers were cautious and would not do something so foolish.

Erzhu Zhao couldn't sit still any longer. "What does Your Majesty mean by this? Are you treating us like monkeys? Like dogs on a leash? He was the one who told us to lead troops south to purge the court of corrupt officials, and now he's telling us to stop. Isn't this just playing with us?"

"Shut up!"

Erzhu Rong glared at him, annoyed.

He's always so loud and boisterous. How will he be able to restrain others in the imperial court in Luoyang in the future?

If all the sons of the Erzhu clan could be like the Gao brothers, he would have so much less to worry about.

"Your Majesty's decree can only be interpreted as... the time is not yet ripe for us."

Erzhu Rong didn't want to be labeled a 'traitor'.

The Erzhu clan had been working for generations since his grandfather's generation, hoping that people in Luoyang would consider them "one of their own" and accept them.

"Then let's stay here and wait for news. You must be tired from your journey, Dalang. Go and rest first."

After having Gao Huan taken away.

Erzhu Rong was not in a hurry to discuss any countermeasures. At the moment, he had no idea what was happening in Luoyang and could only wait for news.

Just two days later.

Xi Yi's personal guards then sent another message.

Upon seeing the handwritten letter, Erzhu Rong was utterly shocked. He was unusually flustered and grabbed the guard's shoulder, repeatedly asking, "You came from Luoyang, is this news true?"

"It's true."

Erzhu Rong was stunned for a long time, seemingly trying to process this shocking news.

Is Yuan Xu dead?

After catching a cold, he vomited blood continuously and died suddenly.

How can it be?

Did Empress Dowager Hu really think that all the officials and people in the court were fools?
Just half a day after Erzhu Rong finally managed to sort things out, Gao Yu sent Liu Yi back with the latest news.

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, my general asked me to convey a message: After Empress Dowager Hu enthroned the new emperor in the Taiji Hall, she announced just one day later that the infant son born to Consort Pan was a girl, not a boy. She then immediately enthroned Yuan Zhao, the three-year-old great-grandson of Emperor Xiaowen, as the new emperor. The people of Luoyang are in turmoil, and all the officials in the court are astonished."

"What??"

Erzhu Rong was completely dumbfounded this time!

Two emperors were enthroned within two days?

What kind of amazing move is this?
The imperial throne is a sacred object; how can the succession of the throne be treated so lightly?

What exactly did Empress Dowager Hu consider politics to be?

Erzhu Rong received so much shocking news in such a short period of time that even someone as experienced as him couldn't quite make sense of it.

"Guards! Summon everyone here. Tell them I have urgent business to discuss with them. Put down everything and come see me without delay!" "Yes, sir!"

within a short period of time.

Yuan Tianmu, Gao Huan, the Heba brothers, Husichun, and the Erzhu clan members all rushed to the Ba Mansion to meet Erzhu Rong!

With a solemn expression, Erzhu Rong looked around and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty has passed away."

Everyone was stunned. Even Gao Huan, who was usually unsmiling, looked incredulous when he heard the news.

"Xi Yi delivered the letter, which is presumed to be the work of the Empress Dowager."

"How dare the Empress Dowager, a mere woman, commit such a heinous act? His Majesty is her own flesh and blood!"

Erzhu Zhao's eyes widened.

Tiger venom doesn't even eat seeds.

Empress Dowager Hu's act of killing her own son was so outrageous and unbelievable that even Erzhu Zhao, a Jie person known for his 'cruelty', found it absurd and hard to believe.

Erzhu Rong didn't care about that. "What should we do now?"

"We were just looking for a reason to head south to Luoyang, isn't this the perfect opportunity?"

"That's right! Grand Commander, you can raise the banner of righteousness, use the pretext of avenging the late emperor and eliminating treacherous officials, and directly send troops south to Luoyang!"

"Grand Commander, this is an opportunity not to be missed! To fail to seize such a golden opportunity would be disastrous. The perfect chance to march south to Luoyang is right before our eyes!"

The Heba brothers and others were all impatiently urging Erzhu Rong to head south.

Erzhu Rong did not rush to make a decision.

He certainly knew he had to head south, but preparation is key to success.

Rushing south without prior planning could very well result in doing all the work for someone else.

He glanced at Gao Huan. "He Liuhun, what's your proposal?"

Gao Huan remained silent until Erzhu Rong asked him, at which point he answered truthfully.

"The Grand Commander is heading south under the pretext of eliminating treacherous officials and avenging His Majesty. Doesn't he have a secret edict from His Majesty? Now that His Majesty has passed away, there is no way to verify the truth. The matter of justice lies in the hands of the Grand Commander."

"In addition, the Grand Commander needs to send people to Luoyang. If the Grand Commander wants to enter Luoyang without bloodshed, he also needs to win over the Imperial Guards. The Empress Dowager has done such an outrageous and perverse thing, which shows that she has completely lost the hearts of the people."

“Even the high-ranking officials in the Luoyang court, the Yuan clan would not tolerate her.”

"This Great Wei is the territory of the Yuan family. The Empress Dowager has carried out the acts of deposing and installing emperors in two consecutive days, and even went so far as to make the shocking move of installing a baby girl as emperor!"

"The Grand Commander should be considering in advance how to manage the court after entering Luoyang, and who to choose from among the imperial relatives to be the new emperor."

Erzhu Rong nodded secretly upon hearing this.

Erzhu Zhao, however, looked secretly pleased.

Look!
This is Erzhu Zhao's in-law.

If he had more than one daughter to share, he would have loved to make his brother Gao Huan his son-in-law as well.

If Gao Huan and Gao Yu could both become his sons-in-law, why would he need to use his brain?

Just ask the two brothers for advice on everything.

All you need to do is completely empty your mind.

"Time waits for no one, Wanren. Go and gather three thousand elite cavalry. All of you will ride south with me at full speed toward Luoyang!"

"Here!"

P.S.: Sorry, only two chapters today. I'm watching videos and doing research. Please forgive me.

(End of this chapter)