Chapter 21 second quarter

The prince and his party were blocked a little ahead, Funing Palace. "Shixiang! Shixiang!" Li Xiangan hurried into the hall with a small yellow door. Shi Yuefang asked people to find a white suit and changed into a white one. Seeing Li Xiangan, he hurriedly asked: "Li Du knows, have all the Chinese envoys been sent out?" "It has already been dispatched." Li Xiang'an replied, pointing to the small yellow door behind him, and said: "Mr. Shi, the gate boy of Jianyou Yintai sent this little yellow door here, saying that he has something important to report to the saint and Prime Minister Shi."

Shi Yue was surprised: "Tong Guan?" Li Xiang'an hurriedly explained: "After Tong Guanhedong was sent back to Beijing, he worked at the Youyintai Gate." On the other hand, he said to the little Huangmen: "This is Mr. Shi, what's the matter?" The little Huangmen hastily knelt down and kowtowed, and said: "Grandpa Tong ordered the slaves to report to the gentleman, and the little Huangmen and the palace maids saw thick smoke coming out of Shangshu Province..." "What?!" Shi Yue was startled. The little Huangmen continued to report: "Eunuch Tong thought it was on fire, and was about to send people to put out the fire, but before he reached the Youjiasu Gate, he saw many people coming from nowhere, coming towards the Youyintai Gate. Unruly intentions. Eunuch Tong hurriedly came to report... The guards at the Youyintai Gate disappeared when the servants arrived. Eunuch Tong has summoned fifty or sixty internal servants and closed the Youyintai Gate tightly. Don't let the traitor pass through the right silver gate easily. But please make preparations early..."

"Go back and tell Tong Guan that he has done a great job!" Shi Yue looked at the pale Li Xiangan, and praised Tong Guan pretending to be calm.The emotional grief did not slow down his thinking, and he immediately remembered Pan Zhaolin's earlier judgment in his mind. "It seems that someone has really lost their minds!" Shi Yue glanced outside the hall. Inside and outside the Funing Hall, there were a total of 100 guards from the Commanding Squad and the Xixia Squad in front of the hall. Although he didn't know how many rebels there were, but Being able to make the class guards guarding the Youyintai Gate flee in the wind is obviously not to be taken lightly.What's worse is that at this time, they don't even know who is the enemy and who is the friend.

The meaning in Tong Guan's words was that he came to ask for reinforcements, but he didn't dare to send reinforcements easily.Who can be sure that the rebels are only south of Hengjie?He was thinking in his heart, but he said to Xiaohuangmen: "Go back quickly and tell Tong Guan to keep him at the right Yintai gate. I will immediately send troops to help. The rebels are just a bluff, as long as they guard until dawn, they will disperse." !" "yes!" Seeing that Xiaohuangmen agreed to retreat, Shi Yue told Li Xiang'an again: "Li Duzhi, please go and invite General Huyan and General Renduo, and I will report to the saint!"

Shi Yue watched Li Xiangan leave the palace, and then quietly loosened his clenched fists, his palms were already soaked. mutiny? ! This was something that Shi Yue could never have imagined beforehand.Someone really dared to launch a mutiny in the palace of the Song Dynasty? Even now, he is not even sure who the mastermind is!The biggest suspect is of course King Yong Zhao Hao, but other possibilities cannot be ruled out.If it was King Yong, where did the rebels come from?By buying Banzhi's guards, he can attack the two mansions, break into the palace gates of Youchangqing and Youjiasu, and make Banzhi's guards at the Youyintai Gate flee?This kind of military strength is absolutely impossible for King Yong to buy.

Is it just a bluff?Since ancient times, the biggest advantage of using the dark night to launch a rebellion is that it can bluff and create the illusion that all palaces are rebellious, making people panic and lose the courage to resist. But if that's the case, it's just right to set fires everywhere.Why only set fire to one place in Shangshu Province?And the fire doesn't seem to be that big, standing outside Funing Hall, you can't see any flames at all! There is only one possibility, the rebels simply don't want to cause "unnecessary" panic. Shi Yue's heart sank little by little.

In the entire Song Dynasty, there was only one person with such strength. Is it really Empress Dowager Gao? ! If it was really her, then there would be no trustworthy person in the whole palace. Shi Yue felt terribly lonely for the first time.This frightened him even more than when he was in Gyeongju.He has no reliable subordinates or counselors he can trust. At this time, he must make a decision entirely by himself and distinguish friend from foe. "No matter who launched the mutiny, it is absolutely impossible for all palaces to rebel!" Shi Yue said to himself in his heart to strengthen his confidence. "As long as you can distinguish between friend and foe and deal with it properly, you will be able to save the day."

Shi Yue stabilized his mind, pretended to be nonchalant, and walked towards Zhao Xu's bedroom.Queen Xiang has been crying beside Zhao Xu's body. "Saint, please mourn!" Shi Yue went to the outside of the bedroom, knelt down and kowtowed, persuading through the curtain. After a while, Queen Xiang temporarily stopped crying, and asked with a sob: "Mr. Shi, is the Sixth Brother coming or the Queen Mother coming?" "Saint..." Shi Yue couldn't imagine how Queen Xiang inside would react when he heard the news, but at this sensitive moment, everyone had to face the cruel reality directly. "Saint, there are rebels in the palace!" Shi Yue could only make his words sound as calm as possible.

"What did Xianggong say?" Empress Xiang didn't understand Shi Yue's meaning for a while. "There are rebels in the palace!" Shi Yue had to repeat. Suddenly there was no sound from the other side of the curtain.Shi Yue could imagine how shocked the Queen was, and Shi Yue was about to comfort the Queen, when suddenly he screamed at the Queen: "Sixth Brother! Is Sixth Brother okay?! Where is Song Yongchen? Why haven't you come yet?" "The prince will be fine!" Shi Yue wanted to sound confident in his voice, but because he was really not sure about it, he actually trembled a little.Then count the time with your fingers, then—the prince has indeed arrived!Could it be... If something happens to the crown prince, what face will Shi Yue in Suwei Palace have when he sees all the officials in the court?How would he explain to the dead Zhao Xu? !

"Saint, don't worry, the prince will be fine!" Shi Yue gritted his teeth and said again, "It's just that in the dark night, you must not mess around. I immediately sent someone to meet the prince. At this time, you only need to stick to the gate of the palace. At dawn, the rebels will be defeated without a fight!" But Queen Xiang behind the curtain did not answer for a long time. Shi Yue didn't know what happened inside. He wondered in his heart whether the queen could not bear the double blow of sadness and shock and had already fainted, but he was restrained by etiquette. Unable to go in and have a look, so I had to ask again tentatively: "Saint?"

This time, what came out from behind the curtain was a desperate cry, followed by a choked and trembling cry.Standing outside the curtain, Shi Yue could understand the grief and helplessness of Queen Xiang at this moment, but at the same time, he also had a feeling of powerlessness - when he was facing such a grief-stricken woman, he could neither share nor comfort her. Her pain even instinctively wanted to escape her, but reason told him that he could not escape. Just when Shi Yue was at a loss, a sobbing voice finally came from behind the curtain: "The country... the country is in misfortune, we... orphans, widows and mothers, all have to be entrusted to my husband!" The queen's voice was almost full of pleading, the words "orphan and widow" made Shi Yue feel sad suddenly: "Saint, don't worry, I will put down the rebellion and protect the prince's safety even if I fight to the death!" After finishing speaking, he kowtowed again towards the sleeping hall, then resigned from the queen and came out.There is not much time left for him. When they arrived at the outer hall, Hu Yanzhong and Ren Duo Baozhong had already arrived.The two held the helmets in their hands, their faces were solemn, and they obviously knew what happened.Shi Yue looked at the two of them, thinking secretly. The commanding squad in front of the palace is known as the elite, it is formed by the horse army, it is divided into two squads, the left and the right, each squad has 330 people, if they are not excellent in martial arts, and they have the emperor's cronies, they must not be selected.Not only did they guard the emperor's daily life, they were also responsible for the guards of the Daqing Hall, Wende Hall and other official offices.Shi Yue knew that this "Habayashi Army" was like the emperor's own army, and Hu Yanzhong, the commander of the Zuo Ban, was a son of a martyr. Three generations of his ancestors died in the king's affairs. , is far less popular than Di Yong, able to convince the public, but loyal to the emperor.Therefore, Hu Yanzhong and his more than one hundred subordinates are also the forces he can rely on at this time - he has no choice, if even the commander in front of the palace betrays, then it is really the end of the world.But it is a pity that the number of people on duty is too small, only more than a hundred people. But Ren Duo Baozhong and his Xixia team are not so trustworthy.Shi Yue had dealt too much with Ren Duo Baozhong's family. Ren Duo Baozhong didn't win Bing Chang's trust back then, but for the benefit of the tribe, he still had both ends.Ren Duo Bao Zhong is far superior to Hu Yan Zhong in both literary and martial arts, and he is the best among Xixia people, but this person has always been fearful of power but not virtuous, if he can show his strong strength, there is no room for this person He is a capable helper; but he will never stand on the side of the loser! It was a mistake for the emperor to trust this Xixia man so much. But luckily, Shi Yue is at Suwei tonight!Party members, like many tribes along the border, have their cuteness, and they are in awe of the strong who can conquer them.Back then, Wang Shao pioneered Hehuang and killed people like hemp, but the local Xifan respected him very much, and his prestige spread. Even today, his son Wang Hou still enjoys a great reputation in the local area.Shi Yue commanded the army and broke through Xixia, making Lord Xia flee in a hurry, but the party members had no resentment towards Shi Yue, only awe. As long as Ren Duo Baozhong and his Xixia squad are kept in sight, then Shi Yue can gamble on his prestige among the Xixia people!Although this matter is extremely dangerous, Shi Yue has limited troops at this time, and every soldier is precious, so he can only take a risk. Besides the two hundred people in front of him, the only ones Shi Yue could really trust were the more than 3,600 "Habayashi Orphans" in the front guard squad.However, the barracks of the guards in front of the palace is in the north of the palace. Its original intention is to serve as a standing army that the emperor can mobilize at any time, and follow the emperor to protect the safety of the emperor when he is on his own expedition or traveling.Although he often participates in the rotation of the forbidden center during the day, he is never in the palace at night. Originally, from a security point of view, there is no need for this. The guards with straight bows and arrows, if there is any change in the palace, the guards in front of the palace will rush to help in time. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen?The Imperial City Division, the Inner Hall Squad, Yulong Youzhi, Yulong Guduozhi, Yulongnuzhi, Yulong Bow and Arrow Zhi, among these many armies, none of them can be trusted!The imperial palace, which was originally impregnable and heavily guarded, suddenly turned into a big trap full of enemies overnight. Yulong Zuozhi, who was in charge of guarding the crown prince, was probably already in danger at this moment, and the rest of the guards, after the death of the emperor, were greatly influenced by the queen mother, making it difficult to distinguish between friends and foes.What Shi Yue can still hope for at this time is only the second-tier Tianwu Army—Tianwu First Army has two battalions and ten commanders, who are mixed together in shifts, and there are five commanders every night.Maybe it was because he had commanded the Forbidden Army in combat, or maybe it was because the influence of the two governments on the Forbidden Army was far greater than that of the squad guards. Relatively speaking, Shi Yue trusted the Forbidden Army more psychologically... All these questions flashed through Shi Yue's mind, and he immediately made a bold decision in his heart. "The two generals must already know what's going on!" Shi Yue tried his best to keep his tone calm and unhurried, but also to bring a little coercion. At this moment, he must not let anyone doubt his prestige. "Marquis Shouyi, I want to ask you the truth, how many people do you need to guard this Palace of Funing?" Ren Duo Baozhong was stunned, he didn't expect Shi Yue to ask this question.He raised his head to see Shi Yue's eyes, but his fear of Shi Yue suddenly broke through.This fear had already taken root in his heart when he was in Xixia, he never thought that after so many years, even though time has changed, it is still unbreakable. He finally didn't dare to look up at Shi Yue, but lowered his head and replied: "Commander Shi, if there are three hundred elite soldiers, no matter how many rebels there are, the general will be able to stand firm until dawn." No one noticed his slip of the tongue, but the word "Shi Shuai" came naturally from Ren Duo Baozhong's heart.Ren Duo Baozhong suddenly felt that being able to become Shi Yue's subordinate would make him inexplicably at ease. "The truth is that there are no three hundred elite soldiers for you!" Shi Yue kept staring at Ren Duo Bao Zhong, and as soon as he showed any signs of inappropriateness, he would immediately order Hu Yan Zhong to kill him. "In this Palace of Funing, there are more than 200 people, including maids and servants, plus your Xixia squad, that's just this little force. The truth makes you stand firm until dawn!" "This..." Ren Duobao raised his head eagerly and looked at Shi Yue, his eyes full of astonishment.Are you kidding me, can servants and court ladies also fight?He murmured: "It's too snowy tonight, it's not easy to draw the bow, and it's even more likely to miss it. The leader of the Xixia class is all about the bow and arrow..." Hu Yanzhong listened inexplicably at the side, and was about to explain a few words for Ren Duo Bao Zhong, but Shi Yue stopped him with his eyes, "Could it be that the Xixia squad won't fight without bows and arrows?! Or you Ren Duo Bao Zhong Can't lead troops?" Shi Yue said the last sentence, already angry. Since Ren Duo Baozhong could walk, he has learned to draw a bow and shoot arrows on horseback. He is also a well-known general in Xixia. At this time, he was so humiliated by Shi Yue. I'm afraid that the traitors are mobs! They can't stand the charge!" "The truth is waiting to see your ability to lead troops!" Shi Yue turned to Hu Yanzhong with a stern face: "General Huyan, the truth tells you to lead the squadron and go to the East Palace to meet the prince. After ensuring the safety of the prince, the general does not need to rush When you return to Funing Hall, you can lead your troops to Donghua Gate to see if you can leave the palace. If you can leave the palace, the general will immediately lead his troops to the camp of the guard squad in front of the palace to call in troops to suppress the rebellion; Tianwu Army. This is the seal of the truth, and the general can use it as a proof to summon reinforcements!" "Xianggong..." Hu Yanzhong looked at Shi Yue in disbelief. He didn't trust Ren Duo Baozhong and his Xixia people at all in his heart, but Shi Yue's behavior was equivalent to handing over the saint and his own life to these ambitious wolves. hands. Seeing his hesitation, Shi Yue immediately lowered his face and shouted sharply: "General, hurry up and lead the troops to the East Palace, don't delay! If something happens to the crown prince, you and I will be ashamed to see the late emperor again, and even more sinners in the world!" "The last general obeys the order!" Hu Yanzhong didn't hesitate any longer, he gave a military salute to Shiyue, then strode to the gate of the hall, and shouted loudly: "Huyan Guo, Gao Jian!" Then I saw two armored guards striding towards the gate of the palace, leaning over and saying, "Your subordinate is here!" "You follow me!" Hu Yanzhong led the two of them, then turned back to Shi Yue, clasped his fists and said, "Master, this is the dog and nephew, the general will ask you to allow them to follow you around!" Shi Yue glanced at the two of them and nodded. Seeing that Shi Yue agreed, Hu Yanzhong turned around and said to Hu Yanguo and Gao Jian sternly: "Three generations of my family's ancestors died in the king's affairs, and the name of the family is clear, don't let me destroy it!" "Yes!" The two of them bowed their bodies and clasped their fists in response. Hu Yanzhong didn't say any more, put on his helmet, turned around and left without looking back.Shi Yue watched Hu Yanzhong's back disappear into the wind and snow, then turned his head, and said to Ren Duo Baozhong: "The lives of the saint and the truth are all in the hands of the general!" "Please rest assured, Shi Xiang!" Ren Duo Baozhong snorted, and was about to leave, but Shi Yue said to Hu Yanguo and Gao Jian: "The truth does not need to be protected, you two will go to listen to General Ren Duo's order!" Hu Yanguo and Gao Jian glanced at each other, and they wanted to refuse, but Shi Yue winked at them, the two of them were stunned, Shi Yue put on a straight face, and said: "This is a military order!" That Hu Yanguo seemed to be very clever, he pulled Gao Jian quietly, leaned over and said: "Yes!" Ren Duo Baozhong naturally knew Shi Yue's intentions, but the supervision of the military is normal, whether it is the case in Xixia or Song Dynasty, he didn't care about it, he bowed silently, put on his helmet, turned around and left the hall to arrange defense.Hu Yanuo and Gao Jian followed quickly, but they were within three steps of him. Li Xiangan, who had been silent by the side all this time, saw Shi Yue winking at him at this moment, and understood it, took a few steps, followed Ren Duo Baozhong, and comforted him in a shrill voice: "Mr. Shouyi, don't worry, the Palace of Funing The maids in the palace are not weak, and the servants here are more or less able to point bows and horses..." Shi Yue stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, looking at the increasingly raging wind and snow outside, his heart became more and more bewildered.The bet has been dropped, and at this time, one can only resign to fate.As Li Xiang'an said, if the servants of the Great Song Dynasty could not make meritorious service, they would not be able to be promoted if they worked hard enough to reach a certain position, and military merit was the most common way to get promoted.Therefore, many servants can point bows and horses, and a few of them are quite skilled, and even the maids are not as weak as the later generations.Shi Yue had already figured this out, so he asked Ren Duo Baozhong to lead the servants and maids to guard the Funing Hall.However, Shi Yue also knew in his heart that no matter what the servants and maids could not compare to the elite guards.It's just that he has to take this risk, he can't sit still and passively wait for reinforcements, and he can't take the risk of something happening to the crown prince.In this situation, it is not safe to send one or two envoys out.That being the case, he had no choice but to gamble with his own life! Right silver door.The gate of the palace is closed. Tong Guan commanded 50 or 60 servants to fight against the palace gate with all their might. On the other side of the palace gate, an unknown number of rebels were forming human flesh against wood, slamming against the palace gate fiercely.With every impact, the huge palace gate kept shaking, making a loud "bang bang".In the wind and snow, many rebels could be seen setting up adult ladders, preparing to climb over the wall.Tong Guan held a broken chair leg he found somewhere, and nervously observed the situation on the wall.Behind him, there were ten guards who were standing on the side of a tree or standing on a side street, all bowing their bows and arrows, staring at the wall intently. A guard was cold and nervous, trembling all over, Tong Guan heard him whisper to his comrades: "Brother Zhang, with so many traitors, can we win?!" Trembling, he replied: "We are class guards after all, we can't be inferior to these people, right?" Of course Tong Guan knew that the "these people" he was referring to were the servants.This Shibanzhi was a patrol passing by and joined them temporarily.Many guards of the squad had never been in a battle. Seeing how outnumbered the enemy was, it was human nature to be afraid.In fact, Tong Guan was also very scared in his heart, but he boasted loudly: "Although there are many rebels, they are just mobs. There is nothing to be afraid of. Reinforcements will arrive soon, and everyone will wait to make meritorious deeds. Farewell, my old boy. No, but I have also been to Hedong and discussed the art of war with Zhe Taiwei! Everyone, don’t look at the simpleness of this gate, there are hundreds of palace gates without a thousand catties, right? They can break open? Rebels It's also human and fleshy! Just prevent them from climbing the wall, the wall is not so easy to climb in such a strong wind and snow, and the big brothers of the class saw that they had exposed their heads on the wall, and five people shot one, random arrows Shoot, there are always a few arrows that can kill the son of a bitch..." "Tong Gaoban is right!" The head of the guard team said loudly, "Everyone will do this later. Lao Zhang, you five are headed by you. Wherever you shoot, everyone shoots. follow me." The guards responded sparingly.Tong Guan said loudly again: "If any son of a bitch slips through the net and falls, my old boy still has a wooden leg to serve him." The guard who spoke in a low voice before glanced at the thin and long broken chair leg in Tong Guan's hand, couldn't help but chuckled and laughed out loud. But Tong Guan didn't take it seriously at all, bragging to himself: "These mobs are useless!" In fact, Tong Guan is just a small high-ranking servant at this time, because he won the favor of Concubine Wang Xian and Li Xiang'an, the introvert, he had the opportunity to serve as an servant in Ruisi Palace, but the emperor remembered his name and sent him to Hedong for business.After I came back, I was assigned to take care of the Youyintai Gate. I was only in charge of four or five small yellow gates. In the province, there are Longtu, Tianzhang, Baowen and other pavilions on the west side of the street. Most of the prime ministers and attendants who meet the emperor or go to the Chongzheng Hall to discuss matters will pass through this street, especially the Youyintai Gate. Therefore, Li Xiangan sent Tong Guan here.Knowing which ministers pass through the Youyintai Gate every day is really a compulsory course for a great eunuch like Li Xiangan.It is a very meticulous skill to guess the emperor's mind, analyze the political climate of the court, and understand the favor and disgrace of foreign courts.A great eunuch like Li Xiang'an didn't just follow the emperor's ass to flatter him all day long, so he could be a good job. Originally, Tong Guan only needed to work here for a year or two, and he would naturally be promoted.Unexpectedly, not long after taking office, there would be such a large-scale mutiny.If it was an ordinary servant, he would have already abandoned the door and fled at this moment.But Tong Guan not only did not escape, but even coaxed and deceived, half threatening and half lured, stopped dozens of little Huangmen and servant Huangmen who were fleeing to the Youyintai Gate, and was about to guard the palace gate to the death. There is no gate tower or other condescending buildings at the Youyintai Gate, so relying on fifty or sixty unarmed servants naturally has no chance of winning.Tong Guan has no intention of being loyal to the country, but he feels that this incident is a major test in his life. If he didn't do anything and ran away in such a haste, he would certainly not be punished, but in the eyes of Shi Yue and Li Xiang'an, he might always be just an ordinary servant.Moreover, Tong Guan himself would look down on himself - he always felt that he was different from other servants, and that he would surely flourish in the future. If you stay and deal with the traitors, although you are taking great risks, even if you fail, you will be a minister of merit in the future;No matter whether it is successful or not, when the servants are only concerned about running for their lives, a small servant, Gao Ban, is not afraid of death and deals with the rebels. From then on, he can be distinguished from other servants.The experience of that night will become the most important capital in his life.Wind and dust sorting and proofreading. But only if he can survive the mutiny. Although he is just a servant, Tong Guan is more courageous than many normal men.He believed that Shi Yue would not be crushed by the mutiny, so he was willing to gamble with him with his head.And the addition of this team of Yulong bow and arrow guards made Tong Guan believe that his luck is very good, this is a bargaining chip that fell from the sky! "Over there! Over there!" A guard suddenly yelled loudly, Tong Guan hurriedly looked around, and on the east palace wall, two rebels had already exposed half of their bodies.He turned his head and was about to ask the guards to shoot arrows, when he heard the sound of the bowstring behind him, ten feathered arrows had already been shot. "Okay!" Tong Guan shouted, but before the words fell, he was frustrated to find that some feathered arrows did not fly to the wall at all, and then fell down, and the other ones were slightly higher, and failed to hit. Those two rebels. But those two rebels obviously didn't expect that there were archers ambushing here, and they never saw anyone shooting arrows on the other side of the wall. Fell off the wall.It's just that one planted on the other side of the wall, while the other planted on the palace wall. Tong Guan saw it clearly, and in desperation, he rushed over with his broken wooden leg. The rebel fell off the wall, staring at his eyes, unable to tell the difference between east, west, and north, and Tong Guan said "呔" The wood hit the top of the head, and there was a muffled sound, and the wooden leg in Tong Guan's hand broke in two again. The rebel shook and fainted in the snow. Tong Guan threw the broken wood in his hand, kicked the rebel soldier hard, turned his head, raised his voice, and said triumphantly: "Look, this is how to deal with it. Don't panic, take it easy!" Alright let's shoot..." Just as he was bragging, he suddenly heard the sound of swishing above his head. He raised his eyes and saw arrows falling from the sky like rain, "Straight mother thief!" Tong Guan cursed, as if flying He ran towards the palace wall, his whole body stuck to the wall, not daring to move. But those guards who were directly guarding the bow and arrow of Yulong were not as lucky as him. The guards who had no actual combat experience at all and stood honestly on the side street were the first to be shot by arrows, and they were shot to death by random arrows without any reaction.A guard hiding in a tree was also unlucky. He was hit by an arrow somewhere and fell from the tree. He did not know whether he was alive or dead. The bloody scene immediately made Tong Guan's legs tremble with fright, and he couldn't even take a step even if he wanted to move.The fifty or sixty servants who were desperately resisting the palace gate were even more scared out of their wits. They heard a "bang" from the other side of the palace gate, but before the door opened, the servants on this side ran away in fright. But the rain of arrows from the rebels fell one after another, and these servants ran to the side street, and they happened to be live targets. For a while, the side street outside the Youyintai gate was full of corpses. Seeing this, several servants who were running slowly collapsed on the ground and burst into tears. Tong Guansheng was afraid that he would lose the last ounce of courage, so he didn't dare to look in front of his eyes again. He raised his head, but saw densely packed rebel soldiers showing their bodies on the palace wall, and they were about to climb over the wall and pass by! "Stop it! Stop it!" Tong Guanjue didn't expect the reality to be so cruel, regretful and hated in his heart, and was about to close his eyes and wait for death, when he heard a "click" of neat feet stepping on the snow from the ground. There was a sound coming from in front of him, and then someone yelled "Let it go!" Then he heard a burst of sharp crossbow arrows piercing the air, dozens of crossbow arrows flew from the top of his head, and the rebels on the palace wall wailed and fell down one after another. down. Tong Guanjue didn't expect that he would come back from a desperate situation, he couldn't help being surprised and delighted, he wiped his eyes in disbelief, and saw at least one hundred guards of Yulongnuzhi lined up in three teams across the cross street, and their movements were skillful The crossbow arrows were fired smoothly in turn. "Amitabha, Amitabha..." Tong Guan couldn't help clasping his hands together, thanking the Buddha again and again.Now there is salvation, the so-called Taiwei Zhe talked about the art of war with his father-in-law Tong, of course it is bragging, but Tong Guan also knows that there are also high and low guards in the squad, and the dragons and crossbows in this capital are obviously trained Yousu, maybe Dutou was from the Western Army... But the Buddha didn't seem to hear Tong Guan's thanks at this moment. When he was happy, he suddenly heard two loud bangs, bang, bang, and then a bang—he had boasted that the palace gate could not be knocked open. , was knocked open at this time! The rebels poured into the side street like a tide.Tong Guan suddenly collapsed at the foot of the palace wall. He saw the more than one hundred guards who were not protected by shield gunners throw away the crossbow in their hands, drew out their sabers, and rushed towards the traitor with a shout. soldier. But at this moment, Tong Guan could only see snowflakes flying all over the sky.There was only one thought in his mind, to escape from this place, he must escape!He was trying to gather some strength to stand up and escape quietly, when he suddenly felt something moving above his head. He raised his head hurriedly, but saw the body of a rebel falling from directly above him. He instinctively wanted to hide, but his feet But he didn't listen to him at all. He wanted to scream and opened his mouth, but he couldn't make any sound.Immediately afterwards, I felt my head was hit hard by something hard, my eyes went dark, and I didn't know anything. Funing Palace. Shi Yue knelt upright outside the dormitory, guarding the spirit of the dead Zhao Xu.His legs gradually felt numb. Inside the curtain, the sound of sobbing towards the queen never stopped, and outside the hall, the sound of fighting from the side street could already be faintly heard. Such a contrasting scene made Shi Yue suddenly feel ridiculous. For the past ten years, he has been calculating non-stop every day, and rarely has the leisure to think about other issues.But at this night, kneeling in front of Zhao Xuling, with the noble queen crying helplessly to the queen, and the noise of the rebels outside the palace, Shi Yue suddenly felt a feeling he had never felt before. Everyone's life is so ridiculous.It doesn't matter whether you are the emperor or just a common man.Zhao Xu, who has worked hard all his life to govern, never thought that he would face such a large-scale rebellion before his bones were cold?And the mastermind behind the rebellion was probably his mother and younger brother!What if Zhao Xu had foreseen all this when he was alive?Doubly suspicious of his mother and younger brother?Will it be sure that nothing will happen? Shi Yue also felt that he was ridiculous.Pan Zhaolin once had doubts, but he was full of superstition about the Song Dynasty's system of guarding against the clan and servants.Human beings are really strange. He remembers Li Di and Yuan Yan, but forgets more people and more things.Isn't Song Taizong Zhao Jiong's accession to the throne an invisible coup?It's just that his power is too strong, making the coup d'état unnecessary!In the recent Renzong Dynasty, didn't there have been at least two attempted court mutinies?One of the incidents caused the Empress Dowager Cao to personally command the servants to defend against the enemy. The "safe" clan in the Song Dynasty had a rigorous system of restricting servants; the atmosphere of the entire society, the external political environment, and the status of scholar-bureaucrats were not conducive to rebellion between the clan and servants.This is like two invisible big nets, one binds the hands and feet of the clan and servants, and the other binds their hearts, it can be called seamless. However, all of this is ultimately not worth the greed of the people. From various indications, tonight's mutiny is likely to be the closest to a successful mutiny since the founding of the Song Dynasty.But Shi Yue was no longer afraid of it at this time.Kneeling in front of Zhao Xuling, recalling all the joint efforts of the monarch and his ministers over the past ten years, his fears have surpassed the mutiny in front of him. Just after Zhao Xu passed away, someone plotted against him.Who can guarantee that after Shi Yue's death, the career he and Zhao Xu created together will not go to waste because of other people's greed?A strict system and a good social culture are like two big nets. They can indeed stop most of the betrayals, but if people are not always fearful and cautious at the beginning and the end, then one carelessness will be fatal enough. This is a fate that human beings cannot escape.Human beings always want to rely on something and pursue eternal success, but the irony of history is that what they rely on for success will also become what ultimately kills them. Sustained success cannot be achieved through the efforts of just one generation.However, just like all parents in the world are idiots, they always hope to go beyond their own responsibility to arrange a safe and secure path for their children and grandchildren.Even though Shi Yue understood all kinds of great principles in his heart, at this moment, in front of Zhao Xu's spirit, he was like a stupid father, involuntarily falling into fear and worry about the future. No one expected that during the mutiny on the night of January 8th in the 18th year of Xining, the right servant of Shangshu of Suwei Funing Palace shot Shi Yue, thinking about such distant things with unfounded worry.He was so immersed in his inner fear that he didn't even hear the sound of a servant running in panting. "Msg... Xianggong, the empress dowager is here!" The servant stood behind Shi Yue and said, with a look of joy on his face.These servants would not suspect that the Queen Mother was related to this coup, but when he told the news of the Queen Mother's arrival, the expression on his face was still very happy, as if suddenly, he had a backbone.He even unconsciously raised his voice when reporting, which made Shi Yue jump. "What?!" Shi Yue almost suspected that he had heard it wrong, so he couldn't help asking again: "What did you say?!" At this moment, even the other side of the curtain stopped crying. The servant was taken aback, hurriedly lowered his voice, and said again in his usual soft tone: "The Queen Mother is here..." This time Shi Yue heard the truth, he got up suddenly, unexpectedly after kneeling for a long time, when he stood up so suddenly, his feet went limp, his blood surged up, and he felt his eyes darken for a while. "Quick, help me, I'm going to welcome the Queen Mother..." Shi Yue scolded the servant, but before he finished speaking, he saw the Queen Mother Gao, accompanied by Chen Yan, Li Shunju and others, walking into the hall. Shi Yue hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed again, before he finished saluting, he heard someone in the dormitory call out to the Queen "Queen Dowager", and he was already crying bitterly. But Empress Dowager Gao just glanced inside the curtain, then turned her head and asked Shi Yue: "Master, have you found out who caused the disturbance?" "The guilty minister is incompetent, and he owed the late emperor..." "What's wrong with Xianggong?" Empress Dowager Gao's voice was almost sad.She shook her head, and said sadly, "Where is Sixth Brother? Where is Sixth Brother?" "The guilty minister has sent Hu Yanzhong to meet him. The sixth brother is auspicious, and he is guarded by Yang Shifang and Tian Liewu. He will be safe and sound." "I have lost two sons in one night, if even the emperor's grandson..." Empress Dowager Gao looked at Shi Yue, she seemed to have aged a lot overnight, "When I came here just now, I ran into a few little Huangs who were running for their lives. Gate, the culprit who caused the chaos is most likely the Secretary of the Imperial City..." Lost two sons in one night? ! The words of Empress Dowager Gao made Shi Yue's heart tremble. From these words, he could understand what kind of pain was hidden behind the pretending calmness of Empress Dowager Gao who seemed to be tough and firm at this time! But I heard Li Shunju say again: "Those little Huangmen said that there is a servant Gaoban surnamed Tong who is guarding the Youyintai gate, and the lower officials have asked for orders to send a team of Yulong crossbows to help him. But it may not be true. If you can keep it, Mr. Xiang needs to make plans early." But at this moment, Shi Yue seemed to have taken a reassurance in his heart. "Empress Dowager, please rest assured, before dawn, the criminals will be able to quell the rebellion!" Now that Empress Dowager Gao has come to Funing Hall, it proves that she is not the mastermind behind the scenes, which has half relieved Shi Yue; "Son", it means that she has guessed who is the mastermind behind the scenes, and it is also to show Shi Yue and Queen that she will not protect King Yong. With Empress Dowager Gao's statement, his chances of winning have greatly increased.Before Empress Dowager Gao came to this forbidden center, it was no different from a big trap, except for a few squad officers and servants, everyone could be an enemy.But now it's not quite the same. Except for the rebellious Imperial City Secretary, the rest of the class and servants, even if they are not clear about the situation for a while and are on the sidelines, at least they are no longer enemies, and have even become a force that can be relied on . He was recalculating in his mind which squad guards could be mobilized to suppress the rebellion, but he saw Li Xiang'an hurried in and said: "The Marquis of Shouyi asked the slaves to report to the Queen Mother, the saint, and Shi Xianggong. The rebels have arrived at the Chuigong Palace. The power is great, beg the Empress Dowager to issue a decree that the squadron and internal servants of the Baoci Palace will also be under the command of Shouyihou." Shi Yue's heart skipped a beat, why did it come so fast? !As a result, the plan to send envoys to summon Banzhi's guards can only be done.Whether there are reinforcements or not can only be determined by the leaders of the squad guards. "As long as he can put down the chaos, everything depends on him." Empress Dowager Gao agreed without hesitation, and said: "Li Shunju is a veteran leader of the army, and he can also help Shou Yihou!"