The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Pei Jingzhi was well aware of the risks involved in such a plan. Moreover, this plan required the support of Lin Zixiao—a traitor who had raised an army in the south and wreaked havoc on the world!

This was actually quite difficult for him to accept.

One should live an upright and honorable life.

I have no shame before Heaven, no shame before Earth, and no shame before my own heart.

If it weren't for the urgent situation, why would he have to lower himself and resort to such despicable means?

But for now, there is no other way.

Moreover, they had to place their hopes on Lin Zixiao.

"This is the first time I have ever hoped that a rebel army would quickly march on the capital."

Pei Jingzhi smiled bitterly, his tone utterly desolate.

How could Chen Liang not understand Pei Jingzhi's thoughts? He comforted him, "Don't worry, sir. Although it's a risky strategy, it will definitely work. Lin Zixiao should be here soon."

"Ren Tianye will be very busy then."

Pei Jingzhi nodded: "Lin Zixiao has an army of 200,000. His strength is in no way inferior to Ren Tianye's, and may even be stronger. After all, most of the army under Ren Tianye's command are imperial guards, which may not be able to be used by him."

"At that time, the two sides exchanged fire."

"Perhaps Lin Zixiao can defeat Ren Tianye? At the very least, he can hold Ren Tianye back."

Chen Liang should have agreed with these words, but upon further reflection, especially after considering his investigation of Ren Tianye these past few days and discovering that Ren Tianye had risen to power extremely quickly in the northern frontier, he hesitated.

It can be said that Ren Tianye was just a powerful warlord who occupied Yunji City in the northern frontier before, but in a very short time, he transformed himself into a force of over 100,000 soldiers.

This experience actually made Chen Liang very uneasy.

It's important to understand that Ren Tianye and Lin Zixiao are not the same.

Lin Zixiao is the son of Lin Yi. His Majesty's massacre of 70,000 Red Beacon Army soldiers has enraged countless righteous people across the land. Coupled with Lin Yi's prestige, Lin Zixiao can easily rally a large following with a single call to arms.

Only then can one quickly acquire a large number of troops.

As he fought his way north, many of his former subordinates joined his cause, which allowed Lin Zixiao to grow rapidly and become incredibly powerful.

Although Ren Tianye is the heir of the Duke of Ren's Mansion, he did not actually use the name of the Duke of Ren's Mansion from the beginning. Even if Ren Tianye used the name of the Duke of Ren's Mansion later, the Duke of Ren's Mansion was just a duke's mansion with an auspicious name. After several generations, the favors had mostly dissipated. In terms of influence, how could it compare with Lin Zixiao?

However, under such circumstances, Ren Tianye turned around and became the King of the Northern Frontier, holding the entire Northern Frontier firmly in his hands, and even pointing his troops directly at the grasslands, which made people tremble with fear.

This is Ren Tianye...

How long can Lin Zixiao keep pestering her?

He couldn't help but say, "My lord, I have some concerns."

"I'm afraid Lin Zixiao won't be able to cause too much trouble for Ren Tianye."

Pei Jingzhi, however, remained unperturbed, coldly scoffing, "Even if Lin Zixiao is inferior to Ren Tianye, he still commands 200,000 troops!"

"That's two hundred thousand elite troops!"

"Not 200,000 pigs!"

"Even if there are 200,000 pigs, it will take Ren Tianye some time to catch them all."

This analysis is not wrong.

Chen Liang thought about it calmly and realized that this was indeed the case. In fact, let alone 200,000 pigs, even 200,000 steamed buns would not be something that could be done in a short time.

He nodded and said, "Then for now, all we need to do is wait for Lin Zixiao to arrive in the capital."

"However, sir, shouldn't we make some preparations?"

Pei Jingzhi replied, "Of course!"

"We must not only prepare, but we must be fully prepared."

"Only in this way can we seize the opportunity when it arises, rescue His Majesty, and restore the glory of the Great Yu."

"And the first thing we need to prepare is..."

"Soldier!"

"We don't need that many, but they must be precise, able to quickly break through the Imperial Palace's defenses and rescue His Majesty without harming him."

Chen Liang nodded and said, "If we're talking about troop strength, the Imperial Guard is definitely the best choice, so we'll have to ask General Lu Qing for help..."

When the name "Lu Qing" was mentioned, Chen Liang's voice involuntarily lowered.

Then, he exchanged a glance with Pei Jingzhi.

Both of them instantly looked helpless.

But Pei Jingzhi still said, "No matter what, Lu Qing is the General of the Cavalry appointed by His Majesty. Now that His Majesty is in trouble, and I have His Majesty's blood-written edict in my hand, Lu Qing should not, and dare not, refuse."

"However, we still need to prepare for a backup plan. In case Lu Qing is not up to the task, we need to have backup forces."

Chen Liang replied without hesitation, "Then it must be the Eldest Princess. As long as the Eldest Princess is willing to raise her voice, there are plenty of people in the Imperial Guards who are willing to pledge their loyalty. Moreover, the royal family members will definitely support her wholeheartedly."

"that is……"

Chen Liang paused, then exchanged another glance with Pei Jingzhi.

The two of them looked helpless again.

"The eldest princess is naturally the best second choice. Moreover, His Majesty even wrote a special edict for the eldest princess, which shows how much His Majesty relies on her."

"We have to give this a try."

"But..." Pei Jingzhi unconsciously added another "but," saying, "This matter isn't so stable, we still need to find other alternative options."

"After much deliberation, I believe the only person I can truly rely on is you, Chen Liang."

Chen Liang's spirits lifted, and he said, "I am willing to die for my country. Regardless of whether General Lu Qing and the Princess can lend us a hand, I will certainly do as you entrust me with."

"Not only do I have my own elite troops, but I also have many friends in the Imperial Guard. They may not be loyal to Lu Qing, let alone Ren Tianye. As long as I use my silver tongue to persuade them, I will surely be able to form an elite force of several thousand men."

Pei Jingzhi was overjoyed. After discussing it for so long, he finally heard some good news and said, "The task of slaying traitors for the country rests on your shoulders, Chen Liang..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Liang frowned slightly.

He said, "However... right now, it's just that..."

"Alright, alright, I certainly won't make any mistakes."

Pei Jingzhi's heart skipped a beat.

Saving His Majesty is such a momentous matter, how can there be the slightest doubt?

He quickly asked, "Chen Liang, if you encounter any difficulties or setbacks, tell us as soon as possible. Don't wait until things are about to happen, or it will be too late if something goes wrong."

"It's not a big deal..." Chen Liang said, "It's just that my subordinate, a captain of the Imperial Guard, has run into some trouble recently!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards had three squad leaders, each leading a squad of several hundred men. They were usually responsible for daily training, patrols, and dispatching. In case of trouble, they would be the vanguard, responsible for patrolling the capital, making arrests, and summoning prisoners.

They are an indispensable and important subordinate of the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and are the cornerstone of the organization.

Given the current situation where there is no one available, the leadership of any team affects one-third of the manpower directly under Chen Liang's command, so we must not take it lightly.

Pei Jingzhi was well aware of this and asked somewhat nervously, "What exactly happened?"

"Chen Liang, you need to explain yourself clearly."

Chen Liang understood Pei Jingzhi's anxiety and stopped hiding it, saying, "My squad leader has been in a relationship with a woman, but they haven't gotten married yet."

"He keeps saying that he wants to emulate His Majesty's loyalty and devotion to love. I have reprimanded him a few times, but he imitates His Majesty in every way, so I dare not say anything more."

"It wasn't anything serious to begin with."

"He's just having an affair with a woman. After all, he's a military officer with a rank equivalent to 800 shi (a unit of grain). Marrying a woman is nothing. Even if he doesn't marry that woman, keeping a mistress without any status or title is nothing either."

"Can……"

"These days, I don't know what's wrong with him. He keeps saying he wants to resign and go wander the world with that woman, which is giving me a real headache."

"Huh?" Pei Jingzhi was taken aback. "No, he's a military officer with a rank equivalent to 800 shi (a unit of grain measure), with a bright future and unlimited potential... He's going to give up his official position to wander the world with a woman?"

"Is he possessed?"

Chen Liang said, "I had the same suspicion originally."

"But later, after I learned more about it, I realized that it wasn't like that. It was because he was deeply moved when he saw His Majesty's willingness to build the Imperial Palace for Tuoba Xiangtai."

"What did he say? Even His Majesty is willing to give so much for the one he loves, but he gives too little to the woman he loves, so he wants to wander the world with her."

Pei Jingzhi: "..."

At this moment, Pei Jingzhi only wanted to take this blood edict to the squad leader under Chen Liang's command, to let that squad leader see what a tragic end His Majesty would have for Empress Dowager Tuoba Xiang!

However, this is just wishful thinking.

After all, His Majesty's affairs cannot be discussed on a large scale. Not to mention the loss of face for the imperial family, once the matter is exposed, countless rebellious officials and traitors will surely seize the opportunity to rise up and wreak havoc on the world!

Even Kyoto itself would descend into chaos.

He asked, "So, what are you planning to do about it?"

Chen Liang said, "After all, he is my subordinate, so it's best to try to persuade him properly. If persuasion fails, I will find someone to replace him."

Pei Jingzhi nodded in agreement.

He said, "This matter must be handled decisively; we must not be indecisive or delay the opportunity."

"Please rest assured, sir, I know what I'm doing."

Pei Jingzhi, however, was unsure.

But for now, we can only think of the bright side. He said, "In this way, at least you will have troops under your command. If you reason with those Imperial Guard brothers who are on good terms with you, we can at least have several thousand elite troops."

"With several thousand elite troops, our chances of success are much higher. However, in addition to that, we still need weapons and equipment!"

Chen Liang had also thought of this.

His troops were all light cavalry, equipped with bows and crossbows and ring-pommel swords, which were more than enough to deal with ordinary bandits.

However, they were no match for the 10,000 elite barbarian troops of the Imperial Palace.

and……

The Imperial Guards they recruited were willing to join them in the uprising, but they might not be able to get their usual weapons. They would be unarmed, which would be even less effective against the defenses of the Imperial Palace.

Therefore, weapons and equipment are imperative.

As they talked about these things, the two involuntarily exchanged a glance, and a person instantly came to mind.

Wei Chengye!

The order from the Imperial Arsenal of the Great Yu Dynasty!

This is a fourth-rank official of the Great Yu Dynasty, a powerful position in charge of the two core weapon depots in the capital: the armory and the inner treasury.

It can be said that by gaining his help, one can gain control of the two major armories of the capital.

He alone can privately commandeer countless weapons.

Pei Jingzhi knew this person very well, to the point of being extremely familiar with him. He also knew the size of the armory and the inner treasury, and was able to calculate it immediately.

Wei Chengye could mobilize 10,000 sets of armor, 8,000 ring-pommel swords, 100,000 crossbow bolts, 300 repeating crossbows, and at least 20 siege hammers and siege ladders.

A hint of joy immediately appeared on Pei Jingzhi's face.

He said, "Wei Chengye's father and I were once close friends, and Wei Chengye has also received much kindness from me. Now that there is a major event, I only need a secret letter, and he will definitely be willing to lend me a hand."

"With Wei Chengye, we will have countless weapons, and with two thousand guards, our manpower will also be greatly increased."

"Then we'll be even more confident."

Chen Liang was also pleased and said, "Yes, with Wei Chengye's help, things are much simpler."

"but……"

Suddenly remembering something, Chen Liang's expression changed slightly, showing a mix of doubt and unease.

Pei Jingzhi's heart skipped a beat again.

"What's wrong? Is there something you need now?"

"Could it be that Wei Chengye also has some kind of problem?"

Chen Liang said, "As it stands, there doesn't seem to be any problem, but..."

Chen Liang frowned and said, "However, I have some concerns."

"What are you worried about?"

"Although I do not know Wei Chengye as well as you do, I do know that he is a very sentimental man. His wife has been gone for decades and he has never remarried. He is still alone."

Pei Jingzhi frowned: "Isn't this fine?"

"At least things are fine for now."

"With no ties to their families, they can join us in risking their lives to save His Majesty."

"It's quite good," Chen Liang said hesitantly, "but, but from what I understand, this person has some ideas..."

"There's a problem!"

"What's the problem?"

"Well..." Chen Liang didn't know how to put it. He struggled to find the right words, so he simply said, "Lord Wei Chengye, after your wife passed away, many people, including the elders of the Wei family, were very active in arranging for you to remarry."

"Lord Wei Chengye, at that time it was hard to say whether he was willing or not. I guess he was thinking that he had to marry her anyway, so it didn't matter what."

"Can……"

"Lord Wei Chengye, things changed after I met His Majesty one time."

"His Majesty said to Lord Wei Chengye, 'In one's life, everything else can be compromised, but love is the one thing that cannot be compromised. If one cannot find the one he loves in this life, he would rather grow old alone than conform to the world and let his true heart sink into the mud.'"

"After hearing this, Lord Wei Chengye deeply agreed. He then resolutely rejected all matchmakers, remaining steadfast despite repeated persuasion from his family elders, determined to find the love of his life!"

He once said that it doesn't matter whether the person he finds in the future is beautiful or ugly, a nobleman or a nobody, as long as he loves her.

"And so we waited, until now."

"But he was waiting in the armory the whole time, rarely seeing anyone else, and seldom interacting with women. I'm afraid that if he finds a suitable woman during this uprising and decides to make a big scene, that would be terrible!"

……