Chapter 348

Clang~ Clang~ Clang~

The bell on the Meridian Gate tower rang, the palace gates opened, and the officials entered in order through the Left and Right Auxiliary Gates, crossed the Golden Water Bridge, and arrived at the square in front of the Fengtian Hall.

Yan Song walked at the very front, looking straight ahead.

The officials following him, however, started to talk in low voices, and as time passed, it became increasingly noisy.

The route was wrong.

According to the previous plan, today should have been Yan Song leading the hundred officials to force the palace, forcing the Emperor himself to show up. The location should have been outside the Meridian Gate.

The Emperor had rarely attended court in these years of laziness, and many officials who had been promoted later had never entered the Meridian Gate. But today, the Meridian Gate opened automatically, welcoming them in.

This didn't look like forcing the palace... it looked more like attending court.

The officials walked forward, and the Fengtian Hall came into view.

Outside the hall, an old eunuch stood with a long whip, his expression solemn and eyes lowered. Seeing the officials pouring into the square, he slowly relaxed his shoulders, raised the long whip high—and then suddenly swung it out!

Slap!

The long whip hit the ground, the sound shaking the hall.

Slap! Slap!

Officials who had experienced the Emperor's early diligence in court were shocked and stopped talking one after another.

This was the "three sounds of the quiet whip," and anyone who spoke after this was deceiving the Emperor!

And... they widened their eyes, looking forward.

After the "three sounds of the quiet whip," it should be—the Emperor ascending the throne!

Sure enough, in their shocked gaze, a touch of golden yellow slowly drove over.

The carriage was square, made of wood painted with vermilion lacquer, four pillars wrapped in gold, the top covered with a three-layered round golden roof, hanging twelve strings of jade beads, golden bronze decorated wheel hubs, vermilion wheel spokes, the shaft two zhang long, the four sides of the carriage painted with the twelve patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, and flowers, the door curtains embroidered with golden dragons, and jade bells hanging at the four corners.

The Dragon Chariot, and it was the highest specification "Great Chariot" among the Dragon Chariots.

And on the Dragon Chariot, the person sitting upright with lowered eyes, who else could it be but the current Son of Heaven!

The Minister of Rites following Yan Song thought to himself that it was bad. Although today was aimed at Zhu Zai, the reason was to ask the Emperor to rule personally. But before they could force the palace, the Emperor himself came out, and the previous calculations were basically scrapped!

What should be done!

He looked at Yan Song, trying to communicate, but before he could speak, he saw Yan Song lift the front hem of his robe and kneel down gracefully, bowing his head to the ground.

The next moment, the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards suddenly pounded the ground with their scabbards and sang in unison: "Line up—"

He suddenly reacted and knelt down in a hurry, shouting.

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The incident happened suddenly, the officials were not mentally prepared, the singing sound was chaotic at first, then gradually became uniform, and finally converged into one, spreading around the square.

Yan Song, kneeling on the ground, sighed in his heart.

This is imperial power.

This is the use of majesty and fortune!

No means were needed, just showing up, just three whips, and the raging fire he had painstakingly ignited in the officials' hearts was immediately extinguished by thirty percent.

No matter how dissatisfied they were with the Emperor handing over power to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the officials could only bow their heads, five bows and three kowtows. Because this is imperial power, this is the Son of Heaven!

Others might have thoughts of retreating because of this, but only in Yan Song's eyes did greed become increasingly apparent... It was precisely this unparalleled power in the world that was enough for him to bet his life on!

Below one person, above ten thousand, how could it compare to the world bowing down and using majesty and fortune! If the Emperor himself didn't have an accident, he would never have the chance to touch this greatest power in the world... but it was Zhu Zai who gave him this chance!

Killing a Zhu Zai is much simpler than seizing power from the Emperor himself!

After kowtowing the last time, Yan Song slowly stood up, bowed respectfully, his eyes filled with gloom.

"The Emperor has been forced out, today's goal has been achieved."

"It's your turn to make a move."

He scanned his gaze to the Emperor's side.

There were two people there.

Zhu Zai, who was wearing a blue python robe like him, and Li Miao, who was wearing a flying fish suit and holding a golden melon hammer. "As that eunuch Liu Jin said, the Emperor is now just a puppet, and the ones who really decide everything are these two."

"Come on, come on, let me see what means you are prepared to use to suppress this surging human heart!"

Yan Song's gaze shifted to Li Miao, and a look of disdain appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Just at this moment, Li Miao's gaze also projected over.

The two looked at each other across the air.

Li Miao's mouth also slowly curled up, revealing white teeth, his lips moved, and he made a few mouth shapes.

"What, are, you, smiling, at?"

Yan Song's smile vanished.

The next moment, the Emperor on the dragon throne spoke calmly.

"Today, I and all the beloved ministers can be considered to be of one mind. I originally wanted to summon the hundred officials to discuss matters, but I didn't expect that all the beloved ministers would happen to come, and I am very pleased."

"Before discussing matters, I have three things to announce."

"First, the plague in Tai'an Prefecture last year."

Yan Song frowned.

After colluding with the Eastern Depot, Liu Jin naturally told him everything Li Miao had done. He naturally knew that the Tai'an Prefecture matter was a conflict between the Ming Cult and Li Miao.

But this matter had already been settled, and even the Ming Cult had been destroyed. What did the Emperor want to do by bringing this up at this time?

The Emperor waved his hand.

"Beloved Minister Zhu."

Zhu Zai turned around, bowed, and then walked forward a few steps, expanding his voice with internal energy.

"After investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the plague in Tai'an Prefecture was caused by Liu Zhe, the Commander of the Southern Town Faction of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, colluding with the Ming Cult, spreading poison into the city, intending to use this to plot rebellion."

He waved his hand.

A team of Embroidered Uniform Guards turned out from behind the hall, pushed out a middle-aged man in tattered clothes and covered in wounds, and pressed him down under the steps in front of the hall.

The man raised his head, looked at Yan Song inches away, his eyes brightened, as if he had seen a savior, opened his mouth to speak, but only made a confused whimpering sound.

His tongue had been cut off.

Yan Song looked at the man expressionlessly, or rather, at Liu Zhe, the Commander of the Southern Town Faction of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Since he knew he was opposing Zhu Zai, he naturally had to plant some nails in the opponent's camp. Liu Zhe, who lived in the capital for a long time and didn't go out on field missions, was more like a civil official than a military general, and was the target he had chosen.

And he had also successfully turned Liu Zhe. Liu Jinyi being able to lurk beside Zhu Yijing for so long before being discovered was precisely because Liu Zhe had put in the effort.

But he didn't expect that this nail would be useless before it could really play a role.

Yan Song and Li Miao's gazes met in mid-air.

Li Miao smiled and waved his hand suddenly.

Pfft! —

The head fell to the ground, rolled to Yan Song's feet, its hollow gaze looking at his face, the eyes gradually losing their luster.

Yan Song moved his feet slightly and kicked Liu Zhe's head away.

Then he heard the Emperor say in a deep voice.

"Li Miao, Commander of the Northern Town Faction of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, made significant contributions in the Tai'an plague matter and is promoted to Assistant Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."