Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

"So, does Lord Yang intend to wait until we arrive at the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow, then have us all petition him to lead the army alone?"

Inside Wu Yi's central command tent, only Wu Yi, Fei Yi, and Chen Zhi knelt facing each other. After listening to Fei Yi's account, Wu Yi coldly retorted with a question.

Fei Yi pursed his lips: "I only said that Chief Secretary Yang wanted you to go to the Prime Minister's residence, I didn't say anything else."

"If that's not what you meant, Wenwei, why are you and Imperial Censor Chen here looking for me?" Wu Yi and Fei Yi were clearly very familiar with each other. Wu Yi pointed at Fei Yi's face, then slapped his hand hard on his knee, and grinned, "Oh dear, if it weren't for Lord Yang Wei going so far, I really wouldn't want to get involved in these things. Wenwei, didn't you think things were so much better when the Prime Minister was in power? There wouldn't be any of this chaos then!"

Although the two spoke lightly, it wasn't anything to be happy about; it was merely a facade of propriety and magnanimity. Neither Wu Yi nor Fei Yi wanted the current chaos.

"How could it not be? How could the Prime Minister want to see this?" Fei Yi then sighed deeply, a mixture of helplessness and anger in his voice. "In any case, we cannot allow him to hold this kind of meeting tomorrow!"

"What are you going to do? Do you want me to send troops for you tomorrow?" Wu Yi raised an eyebrow, lowered his head slightly, and moved his gaze upward. His originally kind face instantly turned sharp, and his eyes carried a hint of murderous intent.

When Chen Zhi saw Wu Yi's change of expression, he also took a deep breath.

Yang Yi, Fei Yi, and Wu Yi are all formidable figures. Yang Yi is power-hungry and ruthless, Fei Yi is adept at forming alliances and maneuvering among the people, and Wu Yi, seeing the unfavorable situation, has amassed troops for self-preservation and is now preparing to march eastward!

Fei Yi rose from his seat, stroked his beard, and paced around Wu Yi's tent several times before finally speaking: "Can the Marquis and the General of the Rear reach an agreement?"

Wu Yi, displaying a forthright demeanor, immediately waved his hand vigorously in response, his tone extremely resolute: "Don't worry about my brother! Twenty years ago, when Emperor Zhaolie entered Shu, my brother stood by me through thick and thin. He is me, and I am him."

"Hmm, then we shouldn't summon General Hou tomorrow." Fei Yi put his hands behind his back, his gaze cold and stern, a hint of disdain in his downward sweeping look. He said slowly, "Tomorrow, Your Excellency will come in person. General Hou will remain in the army camp, and you should also send a suitable person from your own camp to guard him, acting in accordance with General Hou's wishes. Your Excellency only needs to go to the Prime Minister's residence with the other generals and clearly state your opposition, and the matter will be settled. I will handle everything else; Your Excellency need not worry about it."

Wu Yi placed his hands on his knees, shook his head, and sighed softly, "According to Wenwei's arrangement, I've gotten some peace and quiet! Oh, right, and Imperial Censor Chen, are you two planning to kill Duke Yang Wei?"

Chen Zhi stroked the smooth bamboo joints on the staff with his fingers, sat up straight, and replied solemnly, "Yang Weigong became the target of public criticism because he killed Wei Wenchang without authorization. If we kill him, what difference will it make? We should capture him and send troops to Chengdu. Jiang Gong is already serving as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yizhou in Chengdu. Your Majesty and Jiang Gong will deal with him together."

"This is acceptable. I don't want you to kill him either. We've been colleagues for years. What kind of situation is this, where you kill me and I kill you?" Wu Yi stretched out his arms, his wide robe sleeves opening to accentuate his wealthy physique. He then stood up, standing only half a zhang away from Fei Yi: "There are 12,000 men in the three battalions north of Mianyang City, 6,000 Tiger Infantry in the west of the city, 1,500 Tiger Cavalry in the city, and 8,000 of Wei Yan's former troops in the east of the city. That's nearly 30,000 men. That's no small number. You must have forgotten that my brother and I only have less than 20,000 men here."

Fei Yi replied, "The soldiers belong to the Prime Minister's residence, not to Lord Yang Wei's private army. If the Prime Minister's residence does not support Lord Yang Wei, then he is powerless to do anything."

Wu Yi smiled and pointed with his right index finger: "So you two have already made a deal? One of you will form an alliance in the Prime Minister's residence, and the other will hold the imperial insignia, and then you'll carry out your plans?"

Fei Yi was about to answer when Wu Yi raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Wenwei, you must have seen Military Advisor Liu outside." Wu Yi casually pointed outside, his gaze sweeping over Fei Yi and Chen Zhi. "Xiang Juda (Xiang Lang) will be arriving in Hanzhong in a few days. Once he arrives, he'll probably do the same thing. First, stabilize the people in the Prime Minister's residence, then subdue Yang Yi so he can't command the army... Wenwei, although you two are suppressing the rebellion, won't it all be the same once Xiang Juda arrives? A few days earlier or later, what difference does it make if I don't go to Mianyang?"

Chen Zhi finally stood up, holding his staff, sighed softly, and said in a low voice, "General Zuo, you must remember that I am an envoy of the Emperor, carrying the imperial staff on behalf of the Emperor, while you, Lord Xiang, are here on behalf of Lord Jiang. There must be a distinction here. Since Commander Fei and I have made a request today, we will reward you afterwards. I would like to ask General Zuo for your guidance on how you are willing to agree with us?"

"Please, General Zuo, speak." Chen Zhi's expression gradually turned serious, and the solemnity he exuded made the atmosphere in the entire military tent much more tense. "What we say today comes from our mouths and enters our ears; it will not leave this tent. When this matter is completed, the court will bestow its own rewards, and the Northern Expedition will continue. I and Fei Sima will petition His Majesty for a reward for General Zuo. Fei Sima was a retainer of the Crown Prince when His Majesty was in the Eastern Palace, and I have come here on His Majesty's behalf. I need not say anything more."

Wu Yi's expression remained unchanged, but he was inwardly weighing the situation repeatedly.

Chen Zhi's words were clearly meant to get me to name my price in exchange for my support for ousting Yang Yi in the Prime Minister's residence the next day.

Given Fei Yi's position in the Prime Minister's residence and among the people of Jingzhou, and considering Chen Zhi's status as the imperial messenger, their political promises should be reliable. However, realistically speaking, there are two issues that Wu Yi needs to worry about:

Firstly, Wu Yi himself was already a Left General, a Marquis, and the Governor of Jingzhou. Given the behavior of these people in Jingzhou and their contributions in overthrowing Yang Yi, it was far from enough to support him in joining the ranks of regents. Gaining some merit or advancing a little further would not greatly help Wu Yi and the Wu family's current illustrious position in Shu Han.

Secondly, while it is acceptable to agree to Chen Zhi and Fei Yi's requests and curry favor with His Majesty from afar, what if this offends Jiang Wan? Now that Jiang Wan is in power, what if he punishes us in the future?

After decades of ups and downs in officialdom, Wu Yi had figured out the reasons behind Chen Zhi and Fei Yi's actions.

First, to help His Majesty seize control of the military power of the Prime Minister's office; second, to persist in the Northern Expedition.

Fei Yi and Chen Zhi spoke frankly, and Wu Yi did not shirk responsibility. He was known for his fierce and decisive style in leading troops, often achieving victories against stronger opponents; how could he lack decisiveness and resolve? Wu Yi immediately responded, "Liu Jingran mentioned this matter to me yesterday when he came to see me. If I agree to your suggestion today, I fear it will offend Jiang Gongyan! Do you two have anything to say?"

Chen Zhi replied calmly, "I am His Majesty's envoy, here to assist His Majesty in assuming personal rule. If all matters are settled, I will request His Majesty to move to Hanzhong, and ask Lord Jiang to oversee the aftermath as in the past!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yi felt relieved, knowing he no longer needed to worry about Jiang Wan: "If this matter is completed, both Commander Fei and Imperial Censor Chen will have achieved great merit, and I, an old man, will also be able to follow in their footsteps. My eldest son has two sons, and my second son has an only daughter. I have heard that Empress Zhang in the palace has no children, and due to the constraints imposed by the Prime Minister and Attendant-in-Ordinary Dong, no new concubines have entered the palace for many years. May I request Your Majesty to accept one of my daughters into the palace as a Noble Consort?"