owlsbooks Chapter 35 The army is about to arrive at the palace
Chapter 35 The army is about to arrive at the palace
The words "I have rebelled" sounded to the leaders in the council hall like the roar of a demon breaking free from the depths of hell, making their eardrums ring and their minds tremble.
But the piercing ringing in their ears did not instill fear in them; instead, it acted like a potent stimulant, instantly igniting the fury in their hearts!
It was the humiliation of being oppressed by imperial power, the fervor of wanting to break free of shackles, and the boundless covetousness for that supreme power!
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Dozens of fierce warriors gripped their longswords tightly, the blades pointing diagonally to the sky, their eyes filled with fervor.
Prince Su, Gu Suyue, sat upright in the main seat, his figure imposing and unmoving, his gaze sharp as he coldly looked down at the pack of wolves and tigers below who were about to fight for him.
Looking at those faces filled with loyalty and fervor, an unprecedented surge of heroic spirit welled up within me.
He knew that from this moment on, he was no longer the noble and powerful Prince Su, no longer the minister who struggled against the emperor in the court. From this day forward, his name might be nailed to the pillar of shame, he might become the most notorious traitor in the history books of Liang, and he might become a rebellious minister condemned by the people of the world...
But he will never regret what he did today!
After all, history is written by the victors. Therefore, as long as he can step over the corpses of his enemies to ascend the throne of the supreme ruler, his actions today will be considered "restoring order"!
"Zhou Qing!"
Having made up his mind, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, immediately shouted in a stern voice, his tone full of vigor and exuding an unquestionable majesty.
"Your subordinate is here!" Zhou Qing's face was full of excitement, a kind of bloodthirsty excitement. He strode forward, the armor clanging as it rubbed together. Then, he clasped his hands and bowed, his posture extremely respectful.
"I order you to leave the council hall immediately and gather 2,500 elite cavalry from the Western Frontier. In one incense stick's time, assemble at the back gate of the Prince's Mansion!" Gu Suyue stood up, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his eyes flashing with a cold, hawk-like light.
"Yes!" Zhou Qing accepted the order without saying a word and strode out.
"Zhao Shanshan!" Gu Suyue called out a name again.
"Your subordinate is here!" A man whose face could not hide his excitement immediately stepped forward.
"Take five hundred elite troops and take control of the garrison commander at the West Gate," Gu Suyue's voice was as cold as ice. "If there is resistance, kill them without mercy! Make sure to take the West Gate before nightfall!"
"This subordinate obeys!" Zhao Shanshan's lips curled into a cruel smile as he accepted the order and left.
"Li Hu!"
"Your subordinate is here!" a burly man, as big as a bear, replied in a deep, booming voice.
"Go quickly and contact your spies in the city. Spread the word that Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao has been deceived by treacherous officials and intends to purge powerful ministers, aiming to wipe us all out!" Gu Suyue said with a sinister sneer. "I want to create panic in the capital and let those hesitant noble families know that only by standing on my side will they have a chance to survive!"
"Yes!" Li Hu accepted the order and hurriedly left with a group of men.
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One military order after another was issued by Gu Suyue in an orderly manner, precise, ruthless, and to the point.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the council hall had completely shifted from the previous indignation and fervor to a somber and tense atmosphere.
The air seemed to solidify, making it hard to breathe.
But... everyone present knew that a bloody storm... was about to sweep through the entire capital!
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The people of the capital city often possess a keenness that people in other cities do not have.
Before Prince Su, Gu Suyue, has even begun his operation, some of the common people have already vaguely sensed that something is amiss today…
"Have you heard? His Majesty intends to send Prince Su to marry the Northern Xiongnu?"
"What? A prince marrying into a foreign land? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"I think this is His Majesty's strategy to drive Prince Su out of the capital... His Majesty must have sensed the threat posed by Prince Su, right?"
"Nonsense! Anyone would feel threatened by Prince Su, a powerful tiger capable of easily defeating their own army. However... His Majesty's strategy of having Prince Su make peace with the Northern Xiongnu was a bit too foolish!"
"Ordinary people would feel ashamed to marry into a woman's family, let alone a fierce tiger like Prince Su? I think this matter... won't end so easily!"
"I think it's best if we don't wander around outside these days. Who knows what might happen and affect us?"
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However, before long this discussion had even ended, new rumors began to spread among the people of the capital.
"Have you heard? The emperor is going to purge his powerful ministers!"
At a breakfast stall, customers were talking in hushed tones.
"Shh—are you all out of your minds?" The stall owner, pale with fright, looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before letting out a sigh of relief. "I've heard the news too. In fact, I heard that Prince Su has been placed under house arrest in the palace by the emperor for refusing to relinquish his military power!"
After a slight pause, the stall owner continued:
"However, I feel these rumors are completely unfounded!"
"Has the Emperor placed Prince Su under house arrest in the palace?"
"How is this possible?"
"It's not that I look down on Your Majesty, I just genuinely believe that Your Majesty doesn't have the ability..."
"Unless it's a Grand General or a Grand Tutor helping His Majesty, then perhaps!"
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"You think so too?" The two customers looked on with a knowing smile, then reached out and grabbed the stall owner, while gesturing for the other person to pour the stall owner a cup of tea.
The stall owner looked up at the sun and realized it was almost time to close up shop, so he sat down.
After the stall owner sat down, the customer who had pulled him aside continued, "I actually think... this news is being deliberately spread by someone to confuse the public!"
"That's for sure, and I suspect that it was Prince Su who released these messages!" the stall owner said with certainty.
"Oh? What do you mean?" The customer immediately showed interest. "Actually, at first I thought that these messages were released by the Grand General or the Grand Tutor, with the aim of sowing discord between His Majesty and Prince Su, causing them to fight, so that they could sit back and watch the tigers fight, and then reap the benefits!"
"Actually, I considered that at first too, but later I felt that Prince Su's motives were more likely!"
The stall owner analyzed it with great seriousness,
"Think about it. There have been rumors that Prince Su has agreed to go to the Northern Xiongnu for a marriage alliance... If Prince Su is truly willing to accept this outcome, then even if the Grand General and the Grand Tutor try to instigate him, it won't make much difference. After all, Prince Su is going to leave the capital, and even leave Daliang altogether. Doing all this is pointless!"
"If Prince Su is only feigning agreement and is actually plotting something wicked... then there's no need for the Grand General and Grand Tutor to do anything; Prince Su will do what he wants. In that case, the Grand General and Grand Tutor have even less reason to do these things!"
"Aside from the possibility of the Grand General and the Grand Tutor doing it, the only two left who would do it are His Majesty and Prince Su!"
"But Your Majesty's main objective right now is to drive Prince Su out of the capital. Even if Your Majesty really wants to do something, you should at least wait until Prince Su is out of the capital before taking action. Otherwise, if Prince Su joins forces with others... wouldn't Your Majesty be putting yourself in a difficult position?"
"As for Prince Su doing this... think about it, if Prince Su really intends to do something in the capital... even something as simple as taking action against His Majesty, then everything seems to make sense!"
"After all, if Prince Su really wanted to do something, he would need the support of some court officials. Therefore, he could only win over some people to his side by spreading such news..."
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"Hey, hey, hey... what you said makes a lot of sense!" The customer exclaimed, his face suddenly filled with realization.
Then, as if remembering something, the customer quickly spoke again: "If your analysis is correct, then that means... the capital is going to be in chaos? No, I have to go home quickly and can't wander around outside anymore, lest I get into unnecessary trouble!"
The customer, after hurriedly paying, called to his companion and ran straight home.
The companion who had been listening attentively felt that the stall owner's analysis made sense, so he immediately got up and ran home.
So, after stroking their chins and pondering for a while, these stall owners immediately decided... to pack up and go home as soon as possible. Anyway, they had almost sold out of breakfast for the day, and as for the rest... they could take them home for their little ones to try!
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Rumors spread rapidly throughout the capital like a plague.
Li Hu's spies spread panic among the crowd, exaggerating the emperor's atrocities and claiming that the next targets to be purged were those powerful ministers who clung to the emperor's power and refused to relinquish it, as well as aristocratic families who had encroached upon imperial authority.
For a time, panic gripped the capital. Many officials and wealthy merchants who had initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude chose to stay indoors, and some even began to secretly contact the Prince Su's residence, expressing their willingness to support the Prince Su's uprising.
Those who wanted to support Prince Su could see that the person spreading the rumors in the capital was likely one of Prince Su's men, but even so, they all pretended not to know and kept flattering Prince Su.
Ultimately, it's because these people believe that the chances of Prince Su successfully rebelling and becoming the new emperor are quite high!
After all, they had witnessed the battle between Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao and Prince Su Gu Suyue... Even if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they had at least heard about the whole story!
In short, in that battle, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, won a great victory with great efficiency!
Given this outcome, they naturally had high hopes that Prince Su would ascend to the throne.
And it was precisely for this reason that many court officials and members of powerful families chose to align themselves with Prince Su!
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Meanwhile, Prince Su's five hundred elite troops had quietly taken control of the western gate of the capital.
Zhao Shanshan led his elite troops and swiftly defeated the garrison commander's resistance, firmly seizing control of the city gates!
The reason for choosing to control Ximen was that Prince Su, Gu Suyue, was concerned about defeat before victory.
Before preparing to rebel, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, had already made the worst-case scenario plan: what if he failed to take over the palace?
Therefore, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, decided to take down the West Gate first!
Because as long as he takes the West Gate, even if he fails to conquer the palace, he can quickly retreat from the West Gate and return to the Western Frontier!
Once he reaches the Western Frontier, once he reaches his own territory, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, he will naturally not be afraid of the imperial army!
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"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
Wan'er, a lady-in-waiting serving Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao, suddenly ran in from the outer room while Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao was reviewing memorials in the imperial study.
Gu Xiaoxiao raised her head with some confusion, and then she saw Wan'er with a look of panic on her face.
"Tell me what's wrong! Don't worry, the sky... won't fall!"
Gu Xiaoxiao calmly reassured Wan'er.
However, Wan'er's expression did not improve at all despite Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao's words of comfort.
Just as Gu Xiaoxiao was secretly thinking that Wan'er still needed more practice, Wan'er suddenly uttered something that completely astonished Gu Xiaoxiao:
"Your Majesty, Prince Su... Prince Su has rebelled!"
"The latest news is that Prince Su has seized control of the west gate leading out of the city, and apart from the necessary garrison personnel, the rest of his army is heading towards the palace!"
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Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoxiao suddenly stood up. At the same time, her hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground, shattering into countless pieces.
"What? Prince Su has rebelled?" Gu Xiaoxiao's face showed disbelief. "This...why? And how...how dare he do this?"
"Your Majesty, Prince Su has probably been plotting rebellion for a long time!" Wan'er said with a mournful face. "His previous submissive behavior in court was all an act! He's actually been secretly investigating the weaknesses in the palace's defenses, all for today!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaoxiao clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She recalled how subservient Prince Su had been in court, and a surge of intense anger and shame welled up inside her.
"Issue my decree!" Gu Xiaoxiao's voice trembled slightly, but was more resolute. "Order the Grand General to immediately lead the army to quell the rebellion! The Prince Su's rebel army must be driven out of the capital before nightfall!"
"Yes!" Wan'er accepted the order and left.
Although Gu Xiaoxiao had already given the order, to be honest, she didn't really have much confidence in suppressing the rebellion.
After all, she had been easily defeated by Prince Su before!
That left a very deep shadow on her!
Moreover, although the Imperial Guards are numerous, they have been out of practice for a long time, and their combat effectiveness should be far inferior to that of Prince Su's elite cavalry from the Western Frontier.