The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 167 Two swords combined
"King Han..."

Everyone in the hall bowed their heads deeply, and almost everyone could hear the weight in the emperor's voice when he uttered those two words, like the sound of metal grinding against metal, sending chills down their spines.

The hall instantly turned icy cold, and an endless chill enveloped everyone.

It was as if the heating system in the hall had suddenly been removed, and the cold wind from outside blew into the hall.

The three men, Li Xianmu, Yang Shiqi, and Yang Rong, with their heads down, did not exchange any glances. However, when Li Xianmu launched his attack, Yang Rong delivered the finishing blow. Only he could have said those words.

Because Li Xianmu has been suspected of being a member of the Crown Prince's faction on multiple occasions, his direct attack on the Prince of Han would raise suspicions about his motives.

However, since Yang Rong entered the cabinet, he has been resourceful and trusted by the emperor for many years. The key is that he is impartial and does not participate in the succession struggle between Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu. His background is extremely clean. It is only when such an honest person speaks that his words are so powerful.

With just one sentence, he almost brought the King of Han to the bottom, but that wasn't enough!

Yang Shiqi was restless. For so many years, he had stayed by the emperor's side and never spoke up for the crown prince, because he had been waiting for a chance to strike decisively, because he knew that a true swordsman only had one chance to draw his sword.

As a deeply hidden member of the Crown Prince faction, although Li Xianmu had always tried to avoid suspicion, he knew that Li Xianmu was definitely a member of the Crown Prince faction. Therefore, he had been observing Li Xianmu. As a former political rival, he knew better than anyone how smart Li Xianmu was.

Now that Li Xianmu has launched an attack on the King of Han, it shows that Li Xianmu believes the opportunity has arrived.

When Li Xianmu mentioned the death of Wei Zheng halfway through his speech, Yang Shiqi knew what Li Xianmu was about to do!
The Prince of Han often compared himself to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. Both were second sons, both had illustrious military achievements, and both wanted to seize the throne. However, the Prince of Han forgot to ask his father, Zhu Di, if he was willing to take on the role of Li Yuan!
Zhu Di was unwilling to doubt his most beloved son so easily. He turned his gaze to the ministers he trusted and asked, "I am very disappointed that the Prince of Han's subordinates have said such things."

I've heard that the Prince of Han has also committed many illegal acts, and now it seems there's more to it than meets the eye. Are you all aware of those things?

Li Xianmu calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I was unaware that the remarks of a few officials would affect the Prince of Han. In any case, I believe I should avoid any appearance of impropriety and refrain from commenting on the Prince of Han."

Zhu Di was taken aback, then turned around and nodded in agreement with Li Xianmu's statement.

Yang Shiqi was shocked. Li Xianmu's silence only made him more excited, because it was the right thing for Li Xianmu to do now. Today's attack on the Prince of Han was initiated by his "unintentional" remark. If he were to participate in the subsequent siege, it would be too much.

Now, on the surface, there is one less person attacking the King of Han, but in reality, it makes the words of those behind him carry more weight. He turned his head slightly and saw that Li Xianmu also turned his head. The two looked at each other for a moment, but he saw the encouragement and determination in Li Xianmu's eyes.

Just today!

Today, we will cast the King of Han into an endless hell!
This completely puts an end to the Prince of Han's ambition to seize the throne!
Zhu Di withdrew his gaze from Li Xianmu and turned his attention to Yang Shiqi, who was ranked second.

"Yang Shiqi, have you heard of him?"

Yang Shiqi suppressed his excitement and calmly replied, "If Your Majesty asks about specific matters, I am not clear about them, but there are some inappropriate matters that are known to the court and the public."

The Prince of Han has twice refused to take up his fiefdom, insisting on remaining in the capital. This is contrary to the laws of the court. While in the capital, he, as a prince, has been associating with powerful nobles, much like the Crown Prince did when he met with court officials in Nanjing. This is highly inappropriate. I hope Your Majesty will carefully consider the Prince of Han's intentions.”

Upon hearing this, the others trembled simultaneously, their faces tense, thinking to themselves, "This is terrifying! It's like a fatal blow to the King of Han!"
Yang Shiqi's words seemed unremarkable on the surface, but first Li Xianmu laid the groundwork by mentioning the death of Wei Zheng and the malice the Prince of Han harbored towards him, and then Yang Rong "unintentionally" slipped up and said that "the Prince of Han compared himself to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin."

The emperor already had a general idea in mind. Now, Yang Shiqi pointed out the two points: "the Prince of Han refused to take up his fiefdom" and "he befriended the nobles." Almost instantly, the emperor thought of the "Xuanwu Gate Incident," which made him feel a sense of urgency and even threat. His fear of the Prince of Han, Zhu Gaoxu, rose to its peak in an instant.

Yang Shiqi's final analogy, using the Crown Prince's unauthorized meeting with court officials in Nanjing, weakened his own claim to being a member of the Crown Prince's faction, making him appear more impartial and strengthening his persuasiveness.

As for the effect, it is naturally extremely strong!

The emperor could hardly conceal his shock and anger.

Realistically speaking, if the Prince of Han truly intended to fight to the death, he would have a one in ten chance, because he genuinely held the reins of power. If he could kill the emperor by surprise, he would then have a real opportunity to control the capital.

Of course, what follows will inevitably be chaos, and the regional lords will be laughing all the way to the bank.

The crown prince, on the other hand, has no chance whatsoever. He can only wait for the rightful throne to fall into his hands, and then rely on the power of the system itself to drive everyone.

Li Xianmu was very satisfied. It was worth the effort he had put together. Both Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi performed perfectly. With the three of them working together, the Prince of Han was bound to lose power today.

"Rebel!"

Zhu Di finally couldn't resist. He suddenly realized that he had left a ferocious beast with him that could devour people at any time.

With this sound, everyone in the hall immediately knelt down, heads bowed low, not daring to look up at the emperor.

Silence reigned in the Huagai Hall; you could hear a pin drop. The only sound was the emperor's heavy breathing. After a long while, a cold, indifferent voice rang out, "You may all leave now."

After paying their respects, everyone left the Hall of Literary Glory. As soon as they stepped out of the hall, a biting wind blew in, and because of the overcast sky, not a ray of sunlight could be seen, making it even colder. It was as if the inside and outside of the hall were two different worlds, but whether it was Li Xianmu or the others, their hearts were filled with excitement, and they were not bothered by the cold at all, only by endless heat.

Because they were still in front of the palace and worried about being overheard, the group only exchanged glances without speaking, and then hurriedly walked out of the palace. Their light footsteps revealed the joy in their hearts at that moment.

After walking to the center of the spacious square, Yang Rong lowered his voice and exclaimed, "How brilliant and insightful!"

Li Xianmu also whispered, "It is thanks to Zirong's wisdom and Shiqi's composure in the face of battle that we have achieved what we have today."

Today's events are as if Li Xianmu forged two divine swords, discerned the weaknesses of the King of Han, and created a targeted sword technique.

Then Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi, both exceptionally talented swordsmen, mastered this sword technique and obtained a divine sword. Ultimately, their combined swordsmanship brought down the villainous King Han.
Both Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong were excited. Today was the most significant moment in their struggle for the throne. With their achievements today, they would be guaranteed at least a ministerial position or half a prime ministership when the crown prince ascended the throne.

The group headed out of the palace in excitement, as the dark clouds in the sky rapidly dispersed.

"The sun is coming out."

As Li Xianmu stepped out of the palace gate, he felt a beam of light shining into his eyes. When everyone looked up, they saw that a gap had been torn open in the thick clouds, and a golden pillar of light shone down, landing precisely in the Forbidden City. Then the pillar of light suddenly expanded, and the gap torn in the dark clouds grew larger and larger, covering the entire capital city in just a few breaths.

The warm sunlight fell on them, dispelling some of the chill and making them feel even better.

"It is probably a blessing from heaven, that Heaven knows this matter is beneficial to the world, hence this celebration."

Everyone agreed in unison, and undisguised smiles appeared on almost everyone's faces, bright and cheerful like the blazing sun in the sky.

……

Zhu Di acted swiftly, ordering the Prince of Han to immediately leave the capital and go to his fiefdom, just as Li Xianmu had once said to the Crown Prince: "As a subject, it is impossible to change the will of an emperor whose will is as firm as steel."

But His Majesty doesn't actually know who he likes. Does he like the Prince of Han?

I don't think so.

His Majesty doesn't even know who he fears. Is it His Highness the Crown Prince?

I don't think so.

All we need to do is let His Majesty figure out who he truly fears. No one can guide the emperor, but we can help him see his own heart clearly.

Now Zhu Di truly understood his own heart and knew who he truly feared.

Naturally, it is the person who has the ability to rebel and the will to rebel.

When he first suspected the Crown Prince, he always gave the Crown Prince a chance to defend himself. From a psychological and subconscious perspective, this actually meant that the Emperor did not believe the Crown Prince would have any rebellious intentions and hoped that the Crown Prince could explain himself clearly.

But now, once he has a suspicion of the Prince of Han, he doesn't give him any chance to argue. He immediately sends someone to make him take up his fief in Shandong, which is closer to Beizhili. This is the real suspicion and fear!

Even the process of being enfeoffed was kept under close watch.

The Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao were delighted by the rumors circulating in the capital about Li Xianmu and were preparing to find an opportunity to remove this top general of the Crown Prince's faction. They were plotting their next move in the Prince of Han's residence when, unexpectedly, an imperial edict arrived.

This completely stunned Jin Douzi. He didn't even accept the imperial edict, and instead roared at the eunuch who was delivering it: "You dog, how dare you forge an imperial edict! I don't believe this is the emperor's decree! I'm going to the palace right now!"

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict naturally dared not offend the Prince of Han, so he could only smile and say, "Your Highness, who in the world would dare to forge an imperial edict? His Majesty also said that you are not allowed to enter the palace. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is outside, and the Grand Eunuch Hong Bao is also personally overseeing this matter, demanding that you be escorted to your fiefdom immediately without delay."

Jinyiwei?
Hong Bao, one of the five great eunuchs?
The Prince of Han, who had been so arrogant just moments before heading towards the palace, was stunned for a moment. This was the emperor's true confidant.

Is this really the emperor's decree?
And he didn't even give himself a chance to argue. What happened? Why did the emperor suddenly change so much?

The King of Han was completely dumbfounded.

King Zhao trembled as well, for he could see that he and his brother had been utterly defeated in this struggle for the throne.

After that...

(End of this chapter)