My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 343 Is the fate of the Great Wei not yet exhausted?

After several changes in his expression, Yuan Tianmu still offered a tactful reminder.

He is a member of the Yuan clan, but everything he has now, his status, was given to him by Erzhu Rong.

Whether from the perspective of personal interests or personal feelings, his relationship with Erzhu Rong became closer and their connection became deeper.

"Tianbao, it's still best to be careful. If His Majesty wants to conspire against you in the palace, he doesn't need to go to great lengths. Even though the Imperial Guards and the Central Army are under your control, you still need to be cautious."

"For you, the situation is excellent, and there was no need to go this far."

Yuan Tianmu was a little confused as to why Erzhu Rong suddenly became so eager.

Erzhu Rong's actions before and after were very contradictory.

After the Heyin Incident, Erzhu Rong quickly seized control of the court, then marched north to quell Ge Rong's rebellion, and his power became immense, with all affairs of the world under his control.

The allure of imperial power is indeed immense.

If you could hold back back then, why can't you hold back now?

For Erzhu Rong...

After accepting the Nine Bestowments, he should obediently return to Jinyang, wait for Yuan Ziyou to die a violent death, and then step forward with his high prestige to stabilize the situation, thus ensuring a smooth transition.

"It has to be His Majesty who has wronged me, His Majesty who has broken his promise to me, that leaves me with no choice but to retaliate."

Erzhu Rong sighed, "How could I not know that this is extremely risky? But I can't give Moheduo any leverage. The spies in Shandong keep sending back messages saying that Moheduo has trained a brave and extremely powerful army!"

"Furthermore, Moheduo has close ties with Han Chinese aristocratic families. If His Majesty dies an unnatural death, Moheduo will raise the banner of rebellion, and the entire Hebei and Shandong regions will be thrown into chaos again. He Liuhun is also in Hengzhou..."

"Even someone as formidable as you would fear Mohedu's bravery?"

"In matters of the battlefield, war is fraught with danger and peril; who can be absolutely certain of success?"

Yuan Tianmu has finally figured things out.

Ultimately, it was Gao Yu's presence that introduced an additional variable.

Three years ago, during the Heyin Incident, Erzhu Rong was indeed in control of everything. He wanted to take over the legitimacy of the Great Wei Dynasty completely from Yuan Ziyou in the most dignified way by abdication.

But in those short three years, Gao Yu suddenly rose to prominence, disrupting Erzhu Rong's plans.

Erzhu Rong had lost patience to continue playing the so-called dignified game with Yuan Ziyou. He wanted to constantly pressure and force Yuan Ziyou to make a move.

Inside the palace.

Yuan Ziyou ordered Gao Qian, Li Yu, and others to be summoned to his presence.

"It's almost time."

Yuan Ziyou spoke with a grim expression, "The Prince of Shangdang has arrived in Luoyang, and the ceremony to bestow the Nine Bestowments will be held next. If he is truly bestowed..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

But the meaning is obvious.

If the Nine Bestowments were truly granted to Erzhu Rong, it would be tantamount to the emperor actively paving the way for Erzhu Rong's subsequent usurpation of the throne.

The Nine Bestowments cannot be given to Erzhu Rong.

He had just bestowed the Nine Bestowments upon Erzhu Rong, and then executed him. Wasn't that a slap in the face to the emperor himself?

"Your Majesty, everything needs to be planned carefully."

“Pengju, you stay here and polish an edict for me to pardon the Erzhu clan. Say that I will only execute the ringleaders and let the rest go unpunished.”

Wen Zisheng nodded and immediately knelt down before the desk. As the head of the three talents in the North, writing an imperial edict was a piece of cake for him.

Yuan Ziyou looked up at Gao Qian and the others.

"Your Majesty...we must send someone to send another message, instructing General Tian Ce and the Governor of Hengzhou to quickly prepare to raise troops to come to Luoyang to defend the emperor, and also to have He Douling Bu Fan's uprising draw the attention of the Erzhu clan."

"Besides that... we also need to carefully plan how to get the wandering knights outside the palace into the palace."

"The palace is full of the prime minister's spies. If the news leaks out, all our efforts will be in vain."

Yuan Ziyou took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "When the time comes, once Erzhu Rong, that traitor, is executed, Qian Yong, you should immediately take my edict to the Court of Justice and release Ao Cao."

Li Yu suggested, "Why not release Ao Cao ahead of time? If Ao Cao is here..."

"No."

Gao Qian shook his head. "Ao Cao is too obvious. The Prime Minister arranged for Ao Cao to be imprisoned as soon as he arrived in Luoyang. He is obviously very wary of Ao Cao. There are also spies planted by the Prime Minister in the Court of Justice. Releasing Ao Cao in advance would be like stirring up trouble."

"These past few days..."

........................

Inside the residence of General Tianzhu.

This time, Erzhu Rong expanded the scope, gathering more people in his residence to discuss the matter.

Zhu Rui, Xi Yi, and others also arrived at the Tianzhu General's Mansion. The two exchanged a glance, their faces expressionless.

"I have summoned you all here today to discuss this matter."

"My mind is made up. If the matter of bestowing the Nine Bestowments goes smoothly, I will find an excuse to take His Majesty out hunting, forcibly take him away, and move the capital to Jinyang!"

For Erzhu Rong, the fact that Yuan Ziyou was still alive was of greater significance.

Even though he forcibly abducted Yuan Ziyou, Gao Yu and the others couldn't do anything about it. He could do what Cao Cao did, using the emperor to command the feudal lords.

Once the emperor and his officials are brought to Jinyang, then... the content of any edicts issued to the outside world will be entirely up to him.

"Prime Minister, I have heard that... His Majesty has been plotting something."

Erzhu Shilong spoke up again to remind him.

“I am also aware of this matter.”

After saying that, Erzhu Rong turned to look at Xi Yi, "Wu Cheng, the selection of the imperial guards in the palace must be carefully considered. They must be people who are wholeheartedly loyal to the Erzhu clan. Do you understand what I mean?"

Xi Yi immediately cupped his hands and said, "Please rest assured, Prime Minister, from this day forward, no Imperial Guard soldier who has had private contact with His Majesty will appear in the palace."

"Hahaha, good!"

Erzhu Rong couldn't help but laugh triumphantly. With the Imperial Guards under his control, Yuan Ziyou was like a caged bird, unable to cause any trouble whatsoever.

"Furthermore, in the name of the imperial court, an imperial edict was sent to General Tian Ce, stating that the governor of Guang Prefecture had reported that some people in his territory intended to gather a crowd to start a rebellion, and ordering him to lead a large army to Guang Prefecture to quell the rebellion."

Erzhu Rong still intends to send Gao Yu to the far east, so that no matter what happens then, Gao Yu will not be able to react immediately.

As for Hengzhou?

Gao Huan was not Gao Yu. He had no troops, only a few hundred followers. Moreover, Mayi was in Erzhu Rong's hands. Even if Gao Huan wanted to cause trouble, he could not take Mayi in a short time.

As long as Mayi is not lost, the troops of Hengzhou will not be able to threaten Bing and Sizhou.

“Select one hundred personal guards from the large army stationed outside the city to come to the mansion to protect him.”

"Let Tianguang use the excuse of celebrating my victory to gather Heba Yue and the people of Wuchuan together."

"…………"

Erzhu Rong was also making final arrangements.

He gave me a thorough explanation of every aspect that needed attention.

After leaving General Tianzhu's mansion, Xi Yi returned to his own residence. He paced back and forth alone in his room, eventually changed into a different outfit, and entered the palace that very night.

These days, Yuan Ziyou has been staying in the Mingguang Hall every day.

When he learned that Xi Yi had come to see him, he was slightly surprised, but he still had someone bring him up.

"General, please pay homage to Your Majesty!"

"Wu Cheng, please rise."

Even though he suspected Xi Yi was a spy, Yuan Ziyou still maintained a good facade and personally got up to help him up.

"But something?"

After hesitating for a long time, Xi Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty... this humble general does indeed have something to report."

He lowered his voice, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is already preparing to take action. After bestowing the Nine Bestowments, he will lure Your Majesty out of the city under the pretext of hunting, then forcibly take Your Majesty north to Jinyang, and then issue an edict to move the capital."

"Is this... really true??"

Yuan Ziyou was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"How dare I deceive Your Majesty?"

Xi Yi said firmly, "If Your Majesty does not believe me, there is nothing I can do."

Yuan Ziyou's expression shifted between light and dark.

He stared intently at Xi Yi, as if trying to discern some clue.

Are they even one of our own?
After much deliberation, Yuan Ziyou gritted his teeth and decided to take the gamble.

Xi Yi is a general of the Imperial Guards, and has been in control of the Imperial Guards for many years. If he can get Xi Yi's sincere help, his success rate in killing Erzhu Rong will be greatly increased.

If Xi Yi really is an undercover agent or a spy, then he'll accept it.

no way.

With so many eyes watching, bringing the wandering knights from outside the palace in would require Xi Yi's help.

He helped Xi Yi up.

"I am willing to trust the general!"

"His Majesty!"

Yuan Ziyou gripped his shoulders tightly. "I have a favor to ask of you right now."

"Your Majesty, please speak frankly."

"In the next few days, I will have the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace and others bring some wandering knights into the palace. I will need the general's help."

Xi Yi nodded, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, leave this matter to me. I will certainly handle it properly!"

After giving the order...

Over the next few days, Yuan Ziyou was in immense inner turmoil, living in constant fear.

If Xi Yi had truly betrayed him, Erzhu Rong would surely already know the details.

His fate was predictable...

however.

Four days have passed.

He brought a total of a hundred wandering knights into the palace, but Erzhu Rong still didn't look for him, which meant that the news hadn't leaked.

Yuan Ziyou was finally completely relieved.

Xi Yi is trustworthy!

"Prime Minister, Prime Minister... You regarded Wu Cheng as a confidant, but you never thought you would be betrayed by your confidant, did you?"

"Could it be that our ancestors have protected us and our Great Wei's destiny is not yet over?"

"If that is truly the case! After eliminating the treacherous officials, I will certainly pray to my ancestors!"

Yuan Ziyou felt as if he had divine assistance!
Things are going way too smoothly!

this time……

He did not wait any longer; he sent someone to meet with Erzhu Rong and invited Erzhu Rong and Yuan Tianmu to the palace to discuss the Nine Bestowments.

Upon receiving the news, Erzhu Rong did not refuse, but instead summoned Yuan Tianmu.

"Tianbao?"

"Don't panic, just come with me to the palace!"

Erzhu Rong, accompanied by Yuan Tianmu and dozens of personal guards, set off for the palace.

(End of this chapter)