Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 861: There is no turning back when the bow is fired
"Only because Xiao Qingyuan is one year younger, she was unable to participate in last year's talent show."

Uh……

So, last night was New Year's Day.

How old was she before yesterday?

She is clearly still a young girl in her prime.

Yang Yuan could understand Lao Qian's actions.

Even the wealthiest and most powerful families are like boats sailing against the current; if they don't move forward, they will fall behind.

The Wu family of Pengzhou is a prime example; they were originally one of the most prestigious and powerful families in the Sichuan-Guizhou region.

However, our ancestors made a series of political mistakes, one wrong step leading to another, and in the end, their influence could only shrink to Pengzhou and the surrounding areas.

If it weren't for Wu Yuan, the current head of the family, taking a desperate gamble and choosing him, the Wu family would have continued to decline step by step.

The destruction of a large family is only possible if it suffers a catastrophic disaster, such as the extermination of nine generations of relatives, or a massive purge like that of Huang Chao.

Otherwise, their deaths would unfold step by step in this way.

In fact, that might be an even greater tragedy.

Each generation of descendants was powerless to reverse the decline, and could only watch helplessly as their family gradually faded into obscurity.

Qian Shilang's previous investment was essentially a complete waste.

The young woman named Qingyuan successfully became the emperor's concubine, but a palace coup occurred within just one hundred days, and the emperor was about to become a deposed emperor.

Because his former status as an emperor was too sensitive, once he became a deposed emperor, he would be no different from a prisoner, and there would be no good days for him.
At this point, Vice Minister Qian likely had a gambler's mentality:
He lost everything on one investment and desperately needs a new investment target to recoup his losses.

But why would the young emperor choose me when he is about to abdicate?

Whether it's Prince Jin, Prince Qing, or Prince Gong, they are all potential candidates for the emperor. He could have waited until the emperor's choice was clear before making a decision.

Why did he choose me?

Thinking of this, Yang Yuan's expression gradually became serious.

Perhaps it's because Minister Qian has already invested in the Zhao family and lost everything, so the Zhao family has wronged him?

In this situation, he has no need to continue investing in Lao Zhao's family.

As long as the Zhao family is still around, they will feel indebted to him, and that's enough.

But regardless, since Vice Minister Qian, the most powerful local figure in Jiangnan, has chosen him, it means...

In the eyes of the Qian family, is he, the Prince of Yan who now holds power but has no official position, more valuable as an investment than the emperor?

Do the officials... think the same way?

Thinking about it this way, Yang Yuan couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

……

Inside the Cixi Palace, Zhao Qu lay quietly on his couch.

He had been awake for a while, but he was severely lacking in energy. He only exchanged a few words with his overjoyed family before falling into a deep sleep again.

He was left to rest and recuperate in the palace, and Princess Qu was also brought into the palace.

Empress Dowager Wu, Empress Dowager Xie, Princess Consort Qu of Jin, and Princess Zhao Ning'er sat quietly outside the beaded curtain.

A faint smell of medicine wafted from the sickbed.

Empress Dowager Xie said in a low voice, "His Majesty is currently being looked after by Yang Shouzhao."

It's said to be looking after someone, but it's clearly more like supervising them. However, this basic royal decorum is still necessary.

Empress Dowager Wu took a deep breath and said, "We're all family, there's no need to hide anything."

Zhao Qi has done many foolish things; now he claims to be purging the court of corrupt officials, but in reality, he's just forcing Yang Yuan into rebellion.

Empress Dowager Xie complained with some dissatisfaction, "The proper order of ruler and subject, father and son. No matter what faults the ruler or father may have, he is still the ruler or father. Prince Yan is being far too... far too..."

Zhao Ning'er was displeased to hear her complain about Yang Yuan and defended Yang Yuan, saying, "Mother, it is clearly my brother who acted unfairly."

The daughter inquired with Madam Zhe and learned that the reason why Wang Shilong, the commander of Haizhou in the Jin Kingdom, had his identity exposed was because it was done by the emperor's men.

"Mother, my brother clearly wants the Prince of Yan to die in the Jin Kingdom. What do you want him to do? He doesn't have the surname Yue."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wu was also enraged and coldly said, "What does it matter if he wants the Prince of Yan to die in the Jin Kingdom? He even personally poisoned my uncle!"

The hall fell silent again for a moment.

After a long while, Madam Wu sighed softly: "In my Zhao family, the only one who can hold Yang Yuan back now is Qu-ge'er."

As long as Qu-ge'er is alive, Yang Yuan will remain a loyal subject of our Great Song Dynasty; but if Qu-ge'er is gone..."

Zhao Ning'er stammered, "General Yang, he... he can't be, can he?"

Wu gave Zhao Ning'er a strange look.

Zhao Ning'er blushed and quickly explained, "Yang Cunzhong is known as General Yang when he's in court."

To distinguish him, people called him... General Yang.

Her attempt to explain only made things worse.

If you want to differentiate yourself, why not just call him the King of Yan?

There can only be one King of Yan.

Madam Wu shook her head inwardly; the Zhao family's children were all naive and innocent.

Even Zhao Qi, who became vicious after ascending the throne, was not very cunning, which is why he gave himself away on the spot.

They're so utterly incompetent at being bad!

The children of the Zhao family have too little experience.

Thinking this way, Wu's heart was shrouded in even more gloom.

"People's hearts can change. Besides, even if Yang Yuan has no ambition, what would those who risked their lives to force him to abdicate think? They wouldn't agree to it either."

Because of Zhao Qu, Princess Consort Qu of Jin knew Yang Yuan better.

She thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "The Empress Dowager is right. Yang Yuan is a man of great loyalty and righteousness, and he is clear about right and wrong."

Moreover, he was able to take things in stride. Since those people had risked their lives to follow him, Yang Yuan would never betray them.

Empress Dowager Xie became anxious upon hearing this: "I only hope that Qu-ge'er will be blessed with good fortune."

Madam Qu sighed, stood up, and said, "I'll go see him."

Empress Dowager Xie immediately stood up and said, "I'll stay with you."

She was the eldest sister-in-law, and as the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, and with her brother's wife by her side, she naturally had nothing to worry about.

The two lifted the beaded curtain and went to the bedside.

Wu picked up her teacup with a slight frown, and when she saw Zhao Ning'er looking thoughtful with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, she suddenly paused.

Gradually, a thoughtful expression appeared on Wu's face.

Zhao Ning'er felt a little uneasy under her gaze, and looked down at herself, but there seemed to be nothing wrong with her.

Zhao Ning'er tentatively asked, "Grandmother?"

"Oh!"

After regaining her senses, Madam Wu calmly took a sip of tea and said, "You also didn't sleep all night. Unlike me, I'm getting old and need less sleep. Go and rest for a while."

Zhao Ning'er gracefully rose, gave a curtsy to her grandmother, and then, accompanied by two palace maids, slowly departed. ...

Yan Shen and the others were imprisoned on the spot in Zongyang Palace.

Since Zongyang Palace was not the imperial palace, Yang Yuan had even less to fear.

Today, the guards protecting this palace are all from Xin Qiji's Shandong militia.

The leader was named Li Juncheng, who was from the same hometown as Xin Qiji and they had been friends since childhood.

He had been following Xin Qiji since the uprising began and was one of Xin Qiji's most trusted brothers.

With him in charge here, without Yang Yuan and Xin Qiji's written orders, no one can see those officials of the Eastern Palace, even if people from the palace come.

Zhao Chen, Lou Wangchen, and the others were no longer tied up, as there was no need for it.

Now, apart from them, the entire Zongyang Palace is filled with Shandong rebels; there isn't a single person they can turn or buy off.

Zhao Chen slumped into his chair, and because of his injured mouth, he sighed indistinctly, "Your Majesty is young and inexperienced, full of enthusiasm but lacking in experience. You are impulsive and helpless in the face of problems, and you have no composure or steadiness whatsoever. You are really not fit to be of great use."

Lou Wangchen gave him a cold look and said, "Lord Yan, what's the point of saying all this now?"

Left Censor Li Duhuan asked worriedly, "General Lou, Attendant Yan, Prince Yan... how will they deal with us?"

Zhao Chen said calmly, "In any case, a few people will die, and they will be executed publicly."

Zhao Chen sneered, "If not, how can we prove that his purge of the court of corrupt officials was correct?"

Would he really recruit us, the ministers he's been advocating for "purging the court of corrupt officials," to serve him?

Isn't that a blatant slap in his own face, proving that his so-called 'purging of the emperor's inner circle' was just a pretext?

Upon hearing this, Li Duhuan and other officials from the Eastern Palace faction immediately changed their expressions.

Lou Wangchen glared at them and said coldly, "Don't worry, you won't be the ones to die."

"We, the officials and those like Yan Sheren, are the kind of people Yang Yuan absolutely will not allow to continue living."

Zhao Chen pursed his lips, then suddenly looked at Li Duhuan and the others, and said in a deep voice: "Remember, those who survive must keep a low profile."

Now that Yang Yuan had done this, there was no turning back; he was destined to become a powerful minister.

In this way, his reputation will be ruined, and he will surely become a public enemy. You should all be patient for now; an opportunity... will eventually come!

Just then, the door opened, and a group of soldiers came in carrying food boxes. They put them on the ground as soon as they entered, pressed their knives, and shouted, "Dinner's ready! Eat up!"

Even before the food box was opened, the aroma of wine and meat wafted out.

Who would treat a group of prisoners to good food and drink?

unless……

The ministers of the Crown Prince's faction, who were being held there, immediately looked at the food boxes, their eyes filled with fear.

Those weren't food boxes, nor were they fine wines and delicacies; they were clearly swords with sharp blades.

Lou Wangchen steeled his resolve, stood up, and walked over with an air of arrogance.

"Which ministers are we serving on their final journey? Explain clearly so we can have a proper last meal."

The burly Shandong rebel looked him up and down, then let out a cold laugh.

"Not one of you will be missing!"

The hall fell silent for a moment, and then...

It's been so quiet...

……

Yang Yuan is so busy right now that she doesn't even have time to eat.

When I looked up again, it was almost dark.

The current system of court officials and the inner court system are basically in a state of semi-paralysis.

Yang Yuan's Ban family and inner secretariat have not yet been brought in.

Therefore, he personally attended to everything, naturally keeping him extremely busy.

As night fell and the palace was about to close, Yang Yuan prepared to leave the "Hall of State Affairs" and leave the palace as soon as possible.

Given the current situation, if he dared to spend the night in the palace, or even just sleep on the floor in the Hall of State Affairs, who knows what rumors would circulate outside the next morning.

He agreed to Vice Minister Qian's request.

The Qian family wanted to find a strong patron to rely on, and now they needed just as much support.

Given the Qian family's influence in Jiangnan, they were someone that Zhao Gou could not ignore and had to win over even when he was alive.

Moreover, while he could decisively kill those court officials from the Eastern Palace faction, he couldn't rashly make a move against someone surnamed Qian.

The Qian family was once the rulers of the Qiantang Kingdom, and their rule over Jiangnan lasted longer than the history of the Song Dynasty.

Do you know how deeply entrenched the Qian family's relationships have become in Jiangnan over the years, simply through marriage alliances and the exchange of bloodlines?

Marrying a beautiful woman, through this universally recognized and effective alliance, each gets what they want, forming an alliance, and then decisively striking, leaving behind a group of enemies lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to bite...

It's obvious to anyone that you should choose between these two options.

It doesn't matter what the Qian family's Xingruo looks like. Although her older sister was selected as a concubine and eventually stood out and was named Consort De, her younger sister's appearance should not be bad either.

But even if she's very ugly, you still have to marry her.

Yang Yuan couldn't refuse her "political dowry".

Upon receiving a clear answer, Minister Qian's attitude immediately became more positive.

The recent turmoil in Lin'an City can be quickly quelled with the help of the Qian family, restoring the city's former glory.

Of course, Minister Qian spread the news of the marriage alliance between the two families immediately.

Although this matter has not yet been formally documented, it is more real than anything engraved in stone, and there is no going back on it.

So, just as Yang Yuan was about to leave the Hall of State Affairs, a large group of people came looking for him.

Wu Ting, Xin Qiji, Yang Ze, Jia Rui, Deng Xun, etc...

His gang of brothers, who had risked their lives alongside him, all arrived.

This also includes two lieutenant generals of the Rangers, Zhao Jinzhu and An Haotian.

These people have wanted to come for a long time, but they just haven't had the time.

The campaign to "purge the emperor's inner circle" was launched last night, and a fierce battle ensued overnight.

From the morning onwards, they cleared out the remaining enemy, assigned duties to guard key passes, and took over all responsibilities, leaving no time for anything else.

I've only managed to squeeze out a little time now, and I still have a bunch of things to take care of, but they're not urgent anymore.

Therefore, Wu Ting called a group of brothers who had risked their lives together to come and meet their leader.

Last night was the "purge of the emperor's inner circle," and whether it succeeded or failed, no one could have predicted in advance.

Therefore, their mobilization from top to bottom was all about denouncing the court's betrayal and injustice.

They will use their knives and swords to seek justice.

Now that their mission is accomplished, they need to know what they will receive.

More importantly, what will their leader do next?

A snake can't function without a head. What the leader does next will determine the lives, fortunes, and futures of each of them!
(End of this chapter)