The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Li Deyu's residence is quite lively tonight.

First, Zheng Tan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, came to visit. Then, the Emperor himself arrived. After that, the Emperor returned, bringing with him a large group of people of unknown identity.

It was late at night, but the mansion was brightly lit. Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the once quiet streets.

Subsequently, a troop of several hundred Shence Army soldiers rushed from the direction of the imperial city and finally stopped in front of the mansion.

The two men at the front, dressed in luxurious brocade robes and wrapped in bright red cloaks, pulled on the reins and dismounted after the horses stopped.

They shook off the snowflakes and took off their hoods, revealing their faces. They were none other than Liu Hongyi and Xue Jiling, the two lieutenants of the Shence Army.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, Li Ang sat in the main seat, holding a hand warmer in his hands. He leaned back gently in his chair, his eyes slightly closed, as if he were dozing, but the atmosphere around him was inexplicably heavy.

Li Deyu and Zheng Qin sat at the lower end of the table, whispering to each other from time to time, but they kept their voices very low.

At this moment, a young eunuch ran in from outside and stopped at the door.

Seeing this, Yang Qinyi quickly stepped forward, and the two whispered a few words to each other. Yang Qinyi then returned to the emperor's presence and bowed.

"Everyone, the two lieutenants have arrived and are waiting for you outside the gate."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang opened his eyes, but instead of speaking, he cast a look of confusion and slight dissatisfaction at Yang Qinyi.

"Now that you're here, why don't you come in?"

Seeing this, Yang Qinyi took two steps forward and said again, "I would like to inform you that perhaps the messenger did not explain clearly because it was late at night. The two lieutenants were worried about your safety, so they brought five hundred Shence soldiers with them."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

Upon hearing this, Li Deyu and Zheng Qin, who were talking, stopped talking and a cold glint appeared in their eyes.

In contrast, Li Ang's reaction was much calmer, and he asked, "Left Army or Right Army?"

Yang Qinyi replied, "Yes, everyone. It is the Right Army of the Shence Army under the command of Lieutenant Xue."

He paused slightly, then added, "Your Excellency, tonight Lieutenant Xue is staying at the Palace Attendants' Office, while Lieutenant Liu is at his own residence."

"The messenger I sent first went to the palace, then rushed to Lieutenant Liu's residence, and finally returned with Lieutenant Liu. According to the report, the two groups met just two streets away."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang nodded slightly: "In that case, let Liu Hongyi come in first. As for Xue Jiling, since he has brought his troops here, he should guard the gate and be responsible for the guard duty."

"Yes..." Yang Qinyi bowed and accepted the order, took two steps back, and soon arrived at the gate of the mansion.

At this moment, Liu Hongyi and Xue Jiling, the two Shence Lieutenants, were waiting under the eaves outside the mansion gate.

Letting his men brush the snowflakes off him, Xue Jiling asked, "Lieutenant Liu, tell me, what major event has occurred that the Emperor has come to a minister's residence late at night and summoned us all here in such a hurry?"

His tone was cautious, and also somewhat tentative.

Liu Hongyi put his hands in his sleeves, and upon hearing this, turned to look at Xue Jiling, asking in confusion.

"Tonight, Lieutenant Xue is on duty at the palace. Shouldn't you have known about His Majesty's late-night departure from the palace before me?"

Xue Jiling frowned.

The Shence Army was responsible for the defense of the entire imperial city. As the Shence Lieutenant on duty in the Inner Palace, he was naturally the first to receive the news of the emperor's departure from the palace.

However, at the time, they only said they wanted to see Li Deyu, but they didn't say it would cause such a big commotion.

"I'm not the only one by His Majesty's side. This time when he left the palace, His Majesty only brought Yang Qinyi with him, and the guards around him were from the Imperial Guard. How would I know what happened?"

"So I knew then?" Liu Hongyi replied with a smile, but there was a hint of displeasure in his tone.

Having been inexplicably rebuffed, Xue Jiling had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw his gaze.

At this moment, Yang Qinyi also arrived outside the door. After bowing to the two men, he said, "Lieutenants, by imperial decree, Lieutenant Liu is ordered to come in to see the Emperor, while Lieutenant Xue will remain outside the residence for the time being to be responsible for guarding the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Jiling frowned: "Why was Lieutenant Liu the one who went in, while I was left outside?"

Having spent a long time in the palace, he was naturally aware of the infighting among the eunuchs.

Admittedly, Xue Jiling did have some doubts under these circumstances, but what he thought in his heart was one thing, and being left out in the cold was another.

The sage had summoned the two of them specifically, so something must have happened. But when they arrived at the door, he only allowed one of them to go in and even specifically instructed him to "stand guard" outside. This made Xue Jiling feel that someone had said something bad about him to the sage.

However, Yang Qinyi remained calm in the face of his questioning.

He glanced at the neatly arranged Shence Army in the snow, then looked at Xue Jiling with a half-smile and said.

"Doesn't Lieutenant Xue himself know why?"

"Or perhaps, Lieutenant Xue intends to go in with Lieutenant Liu?"

As he spoke, Yang Qinyi turned to the side and gestured for him to enter, his expression a forced smile.

Xue Jiling's tone faltered.

There are some things that everyone understands, even if they don't say it outright.

The reason Xue Jiling brought his troops here was simply because he was still haunted by the previous incident with Qiu Shiliang.

With the Shence Army around, it's safe for either him or Liu Hongyi to go in.

But if the two of them go in together...

Faced with Yang Qinyi's mocking gaze, Xue Jiling quickly turned his head away and said sullenly.

"Since the sage has given his decree, we should obey it."

Seeing this, Yang Qinyi said no more and led Liu Hongyi inside.

As Xue Jiling watched the two figures disappear through the gates of the mansion, a vague unease crept into his heart. He felt that he shouldn't have stayed there.

But after thinking for a moment, he still didn't take that step. He just stood there quietly, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, in the main hall.

"Your subject, Liu Hongyi, Lieutenant of the Left Army of the Shence Army, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Upon entering the main hall, Liu Hongyi glanced around and spotted two familiar figures.

Since there were ministers present, he couldn't be so casual, so he performed a proper and formal salute.

"Rise."

So Liu Hongyi got up and stood aside with his hands at his sides.

Seeing this, Li Ang ordered, "Bring the man up."

Yang Qinyi went out again to relay the order, and soon after, Li Zhensu brought back several Imperial Guards, who had bound the soldiers they had encountered earlier.

However, unlike before, these people had more whip marks on their bodies, clearly indicating that they had already suffered.

Do you recognize these people?

Li Ang turned his head and asked. Liu Hongyi was taken aback at first, then took two steps forward, carefully examined it, and shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I have never seen these people before. However, judging from the insignia on their clothing, they should be from the Right Army of the Shence Army. If we wish to verify their identities, we may summon Lieutenant Xue..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang glanced at him but did not deny it, only saying...

"In that case, why don't you go there yourself?"

"Yes..." Liu Hongyi bowed his head and accepted the order, then quickly withdrew.

This time, he returned very quickly.

Having personally confirmed the situation in the mansion with this Shence Lieutenant, Xue Jiling naturally lowered his guard and followed him in.

"Your subject Xue Jiling, Right General of the Shence Army, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Xue Jiling bowed respectfully.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the ground, their mouths stuffed with rags, began to struggle desperately, as if they had seen a savior…