Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 164 You are really hopelessly stupid

Cining Palace

Queen Mother Jiang's face was filled with rage. She waved her sleeves suddenly, and the items on the table were instantly swept to the ground with a crackling sound.

She growled angrily, "The Duke of Jin is simply stubborn and refuses to reconcile. Wei Xian is trapped and unable to escape. How can we mobilize the troops without him?" At this point, Queen Mother Jiang became even more furious. She raised her hand and covered her forehead tightly, as if she had a splitting headache.

"General Fu's forces are insufficient to begin with. It's a pipe dream to encircle the entire palace!"

Queen Mother Jiang gnashed her teeth, her eyes flickering with anxiety and uneasiness. "The King of Yue is definitely ready to make a move! How can we break this situation?"

Matron Liu, pretending to be calm, rolled her eyes quickly, "Your Majesty, calm down. His Majesty's decree mentioned that whoever holds the imperial seal can act as regent, but it didn't specify that it could only be the Empress..."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang was stunned for a moment, then raised her lips as if realizing something, revealing a hint of a sneer: "This is indeed a loophole, but with the Emperor's shrewdness, wouldn't he have thought of it? Don't tell me it's another trap!"

Nanny Liu hurriedly explained, "Even though the Emperor dotes on the Empress, he's well aware of the importance of the Imperial Seal and its significance. His ordering of the Empress to act as Regent is surely merely a temporary measure. Upon the Crown Prince's return to the capital, he will undoubtedly pass the Imperial Seal to him. Otherwise, why would the decree mention 'the one holding the Imperial Seal' instead of simply stating that it belongs to the Empress?"

After hearing this, Queen Mother Jiang nodded slightly in agreement, with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Seeing this, Nanny Liu hurriedly continued to strike while the iron was hot, saying, "Empress Dowager, the situation is urgent now. We have no choice but to burn our boats and cross the river. Only then will there be a glimmer of hope!"

When Empress Dowager Jiang heard this, her expression suddenly froze, and she was obviously shocked by what Liu Ma said. But after all, she had experienced many court struggles, so she quickly came to her senses and understood the deep meaning of Liu Ma's words.

She was still a little hesitant and said hesitantly, "This move is too dangerous. If there is even the slightest mistake..."

Nanny Liu knew she couldn't retreat at this moment. She took a deep breath, gathered herself, and said, "Of course, this old servant understands the enormous risks involved, but now is the perfect time for you, the Queen Mother, to take power! If we miss this opportunity, finding other suitable excuses and justifications in the future will be harder than climbing to heaven!"

At this point, Nanny Liu paused, then lowered her voice and said, "As long as you draft an edict in the name of His Majesty, declaring that the King of Yue has ulterior motives, is plotting rebellion and usurping the throne, and has even raised an army to besiege the imperial palace. Order the Prince of Huai to return to the capital as soon as possible to rescue the emperor! When the Prince of Huai leads his army back to the capital, we will know..."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang's eyes gleamed, and the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously. She continued with a smug smile, continuing Nanny Liu's words. "He'll realize it's all a trap. By the time he realizes it, it'll be too late. By then, he'll have led his army back to the capital without the emperor's order. With such an act, the court officials will undoubtedly conclude that Prince Huai is plotting a rebellion. Even if Prince Huai tries his best to defend himself, it will be in vain. With nowhere else to turn, he'll have no choice but to rebel..."

"Yes, Your Majesty. As for the King of Yue, he will certainly not miss this opportunity. If he really brings his men into the palace, he will certainly clash with the King of Huai. And you, Your Majesty, just need to take away the national seal during the chaos and wait for them to be defeated. In the end..." Nanny Liu's face was gloomy, with a sly smile on her face.

Queen Mother Jiang's brows relaxed. "If the Crown Prince is still alive, I will use this imperial seal to support him to ascend the throne. Then, using his young age as an excuse, I will rule the country from behind the scenes..."

"That's right!" responded Matron Liu.

Queen Mother Jiang's expression was stern, and she immediately walked to the table and sat down: "There is no time to lose, I will draft the decree right away!"

*

At dawn, soft light shines through the clouds onto the earth.

At this time, Shang Jiu and Zhuang Yan were riding on fine horses, leading a team of well-equipped men and horses, moving slowly forward on the wide and flat streets.

In the procession, County Lieutenant Hu was tied up and held in a cage. His hair was disheveled, and his face was full of resentment and regret.

The scattered passers-by on the street were surprised to see this and stopped to watch.

Soon, more and more people came rushing over after hearing the noise, blocking the road.

They whispered to each other.

"Isn't this Hu, the county lieutenant of Ping County? How did he end up like this?"

"Who knows? None of these officials are good people! They deserve to be arrested!"

"It seems they're heading towards the Governor's Mansion!"

"The Governor's Office? Could this matter be related to Governor Liu?"

"They dare to offend Commander Liu, these people must be powerful!"

"..."

Listening to the discussions around him, Zhuang Yan sneered and said to Shang Jiu, "It seems like we've come to the right place. Commander Liu has a strong backing!"

Shang Jiu tilted his head slightly, glanced at him calmly, raised the corner of his mouth with an imperceptible arc, and said softly: "Do you think the old nanny beside the Queen Mother is also surnamed Liu?"

Zhuang Yan's eyes sparkled when he heard this. He immediately understood the deep meaning behind Shang Jiu's words and responded excitedly, "She's actually the Queen Mother's trusted confidant!"

*

Muzhou Military Governor's Office.

The guard looked panicked and ran wildly, shouting non-stop.

"grown ups!"

"Sir! It's not good!"

Liu Changfa, who was sitting at his desk concentrating on handling official business, was startled when he heard the sound, and the brush in his hand stopped unconsciously.

He frowned and sternly scolded, "Why are you so panicked? How disgraceful!"

The guard was already out of breath, not even caring about the usual etiquette and rules. He rushed straight to Liu Changfa, panting and saying intermittently, "Outside...outside...there's a group of people coming our way! Among them are...Hu Che and others. They are all in a cage...cage!"

After hearing this, Liu Changfa's pupils suddenly shrank. He stood up in shock and said angrily, "Who is so presumptuous? How dare you detain an official appointed by the imperial court? You don't take me, the governor, seriously!"

After he finished speaking, Liu Changfa angrily flicked his sleeves, strode out of the study, and ran angrily towards the front hall.

Just at this moment, Shang Jiu and Zhuang Yan led the officers and soldiers and rushed in quickly.

Liu Changfa was stunned.

"General Liu, good morning."

Shang Jiu raised his lips and chuckled. This light greeting was like a gust of cold wind blowing past, which made Liu Changfa's heart tremble violently and broke out in a cold sweat.

Liu Changfa hurriedly suppressed the look of fear on his face, pretended to be calm, straightened his back, and stared straight at the group of uninvited guests in front of him.

"How dare you lead troops to openly break into the official residence, are you trying to rebel?" Liu Changfa's eyes were wide open and he shouted loudly in a stern voice.

Zhuang Yan sneered, "You're about to die, so why are you still acting so arrogantly? Liu Changfa, Hu Che and the others have accused you of colluding with bandits, committing murder and robbery, and bullying others. We have witnesses and evidence, so we'll have to trouble you to come with us."

"This is pure nonsense! This is a false accusation!" Liu Chang was furious. "As the governor of a prefecture, I am loyal to the court. How could I do such a treasonous thing? Stop your nonsense! But you dared to break into the official residence and detain an official. This governor will definitely file a lawsuit against you in the capital!"

Shang Jiu obviously didn't have the patience to waste time talking to him. "Unfortunately, our job is to arrest an official appointed by the imperial court. I hope that Commander Liu will be tactful and return to the imperial prison with us. We can discuss this in detail later. What do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Jiu's sharp eyes were fixed on Liu Changfa, revealing a terrifying majesty and an unquestionable warning.

Liu Changfa was stunned. "You, you are the Tingwei's people! What's going on... The Tingwei's people haven't... haven't they already..."

"Isn't he already dead?" Zhuang Yan sneered, "Liu Changfa, you really are hopelessly stupid."