Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang and Yang En exchanged glances. Sometimes the truth of matters wasn’t the most important thing. This truth could be slowly understood afterward, but they necessarily needed to give the Imperial Guard soldiers and the Great Chu subjects and people a clear explanation for the palace coup, lest hearts become panicked and be exploited by those with ulterior motives and ambitious schemers.

“Lu Qingxia colluded with the Mongols to assassinate His Majesty and hold hostage the Empress Dowager and Second Imperial Prince”—this was undoubtedly an explanation that could satisfy all parties.

Huang Lu practically wanted to throw flirtatious glances at Han Daoming, but after Han Daoming spoke these words expressing the Han family and Tangyi’s position, he simply folded his hands afterward, looking at the newly embroidered python pattern on his official robe.

With Han Daoming adopting an attitude of not directly interfering in the succession but only seeking to deploy troops to the Huai River region as quickly as possible, the others’ thoughts also settled somewhat…

After Yang Zhitang, Zhang Chao, Zheng Yu (Zheng Chang) and Han Daoming successively expressed their positions, Huang Lu remained unwilling to give up, anxiously looking toward Du Chongtao and Zhou Bingwu. No matter how stupid Huang Lu was, he didn’t expect Shen Yang, who had strongly promoted scholars from humble backgrounds all these years, to speak for the Huang family.

Du Chongtao and Zhou Bingwu both squinted their eyes slightly, not responding to Huang Lu’s gaze.

Though enthroning Third Imperial Prince Yang Ye would naturally be advantageous and harmless for them, the problem was that Yang Zhitang, Zhang Chao, Zheng Yu and Han Daoming had all successively expressed their positions. What could they accomplish by jumping out now to be the protruding rafter?

Moreover, wasn’t the more critical matter before them to quickly reach consensus and quell the upheaval, not giving Tangyi or Huaidong an excuse or opportunity to deploy troops?

And speaking of First Imperial Prince Yang Bin, at this moment he didn’t seem an inappropriate choice either.

Noble Consort Wang was indeed a Princess of Shu, but Shu currently submitted to the Great Chu as a vassal—it seemed this point could no longer be considered an obstacle. Even considering things from a longer-term perspective, if the Great Chu truly had designs to annex Shu in the future, with First Imperial Prince Yang Bin on the throne, he would better win the hearts of Shu’s people and weaken the will to resist among Shu’s military and civilians.

As for Marquis Qianyang Han Qian’s good relations with Shu, this also wasn’t an obstacle. After all, Noble Consort Wang and the First Imperial Prince weren’t equivalent to the state of Shu and Lord of Shu Wang Yong.

After First Imperial Prince Yang Bin ascended the throne, Noble Consort Wang would become Empress Dowager. Before the First Imperial Prince came of age to rule personally, she would even serve as regent. But even if Noble Consort Wang’s heart still longed for her homeland, at most she would only prevent Chu forces from attacking Shu.

When the time came, if everyone didn’t destroy the Shu-Chu alliance and even supported Wang Yong in securing his position as Lord of Shu, then in Noble Consort Wang’s eyes, Han Qian and Tangyi would have nothing special about them, right?

And once the First Imperial Prince grew to adulthood and ruled personally, this point would even less be any obstacle.

As for the so-called “establish the legitimate heir rather than the eldest”—that didn’t exist.

Compared to Empress Huang and the Third Imperial Prince, what everyone valued more was perhaps that Noble Consort Wang and the First Imperial Prince had no power or influence in the Great Chu, and would necessarily have to rely on the ministers to govern.

After Shen Yang conferred in low voices with Yang En and Yang Zhitang for a while, he sat up straight and looked toward the participating high ministers as well as other officials of various ranks who had been detained within the Imperial City today and the Imperial Guard generals, saying, “If everyone has no objections, apart from having one squad of troops watch the movements at Jingjiang Gate, I will go with Prince Shou, Marquis Yang, Director Zhang and Deputy Director Jiang to request Empress Huang, Noble Consort Wang and the First Imperial Prince to come out and preside over important matters?”

Huang Lu’s mouth moved twice, but in the end he didn’t dare stand out alone like a mantis trying to stop a chariot to oppose the ministers.

…

…

Discussing the establishment of a new emperor, Huang E as Empress naturally had to participate. When Yang Zhitang, Yang En and Zhang Ping came to request her presence, she had originally been full of anticipation. But after walking out of the government offices and seeing Qing Yang, accompanied by Shen Yang and Jiang Huo, holding First Imperial Prince Yang Bin’s hand and walking over from the other side of the covered passage, her body felt as if struck by thunder.

Yang Zhitang and Yang En hadn’t requested she bring Ye’er to see the ministers. Shen Yang respectfully requested from the other side of the passage that Qing Yang and First Imperial Prince Yang Bin proceed first. How could Huang E not guess what situation she was about to face?

Huang E stood stunned for a while. Seeing that Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Yang En and Zhang Ping and Jiang Huo behind them were all looking at her with calm yet somber expressions, at this moment she also knew the overall situation was decided.

“I entrust Huang E and Ye’er’s welfare to elder sister and all you ministers,” Huang E said without crying or making a fuss. Standing in the covered passage, watching Qing Yang approach holding First Imperial Prince Yang Bin’s hand, she bowed respectfully.

“Empress Huang, how dare Qing Yang accept such courtesy?” Having been frightened all day, Qing Yang’s soul still hadn’t settled. Even though she anticipated the overall situation was decided, no matter how stupid she was, she absolutely wouldn’t bare her claws at this moment. She hurriedly stepped forward to support Huang E.

Regardless of what the two women were truly thinking, Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang and Yang En saw that at this moment they could still maintain the imperial family’s dignity without making the scene ugly. Knowing the matter of the new emperor could be settled at the fastest speed, their anxious hearts finally settled somewhat. They requested the two women and one child to proceed to the Hall of State Affairs to receive the ministers.

At this time, over two thousand rebel troops had already coerced the Empress Dowager and a group of palace attendants out of Jingjiang Gate, killing their way toward Jinghai Gate.

The wooden structures on both sides of the passage from Jingjiang Gate to Jinghai Gate on the east and west sides of the Imperial City had all been set ablaze by the rebel troops. The rebels naturally did this to block pursuing troops attacking from inside the Imperial City, but the great fire simultaneously blocked the rebel troops outside the Imperial City, preventing them from making a counterattack.

At this moment, the situation within the Imperial City finally completely fell back under the Hall of State Affairs’ control.

And counting from when Chen Ruyi sowed discord at Changxin Palace, from the brewing of the palace coup to its complete eruption until now, only a dozen or so hours had passed, yet there were still too many unsolved mysteries.

For instance, why exactly did Lu Qingxia choose to launch the palace coup at such a time with extreme haste?

What role exactly did Empress Dowager Wang Chan’er play? Was she held hostage and coerced, or had she truly severed maternal bonds with His Majesty and struck a killing blow?

Why exactly did Empress Dowager Wang Chan’er and Lu Qingxia use someone else to replace the Second Imperial Prince left at Cishou Palace to be raised? Where was the real Second Imperial Prince now, alive or dead, and what was the identity of this young child who replaced the Second Imperial Prince?

Exactly who tipped off Zhang Ping and Jiang Huo, enabling them to rescue Li Yao in time and become the key to reversing the situation? What was the identity and motivation of this informant?

As well as how many generals and officials in the court and Imperial Guard, and how many palace eunuchs and maids in the imperial palace were actually Lu Qingxia’s hidden agents who directly participated in the palace coup?

To clarify these questions would take more than a day or two.

And some unsolved mysteries might possibly never be known to the world, but the matter of Emperor Yanyou’s assassination and death and the enthronement of a new emperor couldn’t be delayed.

Fortunately, some things were certain.

All suspicious points and traces of evidence could confirm it was Lu Qingxia’s faction that had plotted the palace coup from beginning to end but ultimately suffered disastrous defeat. And regardless of whether the Empress Dowager was coerced or had severed maternal bonds with Emperor Yanyou, she had in fact directly participated in the palace coup.

In this way, enthroning the First Imperial Prince as emperor to stabilize the court’s overall situation at the fastest speed, not giving the provincial military governors an opportunity to interfere, then afterward calmly arranging the state funeral as well as pursuing and capturing the traitors and investigating the palace coup—this could become the consensus among the participating high ministers, Imperial Guard generals, and other officials great and small who had been caught up in the palace coup today and nearly lost their lives.

After Qing Yang held Binzi in her arms and sat together with Huang E at the central main desk, looking at the dozens of generals and ministers filling both sides, it felt as if she were in a dream…

…

…

Turning to look back at Jinghai Gate’s tower, whose structure was primarily wooden, engulfed in roaring flames, standing over two hundred paces away and hearing the crackling explosions, one could feel the rolling heat waves surging forward from the great fire. Lu Qingxia, usually calm and composed, at this moment wore armor, gripping a horizontal blade with murderous intent, but her face was ashen white, her body trembling slightly and unable to stop, as if her lifelong dreams were being burned by the great fire into a void that could never be filled, ready to swallow her whole.

Yao Xishui’s heart felt even more pierced by knives, feeling all her strength drained away in this moment.

Even though they had only three days to stage the uprising, she knew the time was too rushed, but she had never imagined the situation’s reversal would be so thorough, leaving them completely without a chance to fight back.

That vile servant, that vile servant!

Even if over ten years of painstaking effort had all been fed to the dogs, she never would have thought she’d be bitten so painfully, so grievously at this moment.

“How could this happen?” Su Hongyu, accompanied by two guards and holding her infant son born just a few months ago in her arms, rushed over in panic. Looking dumbfounded at Jinghai Gate tower burning furiously, she couldn’t understand how in one night, the sky had collapsed.

Before dusk the Imperial City had been sealed tight. She had realized something was wrong, but no one explained to her what had happened. Only near midnight did someone come notify her to take the Xinjin Marquis Mansion’s men, women, elderly and children to flee to Jinghai Gate. She still didn’t know what had happened.

With slight hesitation meant complete family extermination—what choice did she have?

“Where are Zhi’er and Tian’er?” Yao Xishui forcibly suppressed the panic in her heart and asked Su Hongyu.

“Thirteen is guarding Zhi’er and Tian’er,” Su Hongyu said.

Hearing that her two nephews Li Zhi and Li Tian were safe and had both successfully withdrawn to Jinghai Gate with Su Hongyu to rendezvous with them, Yao Xishui breathed a slight sigh of relief. Otherwise she wouldn’t have the face to go to Yingzhou even in death.

“Go. Request the Empress Dowager to proceed. We’re going to Huaidong,” Lu Qingxia said through gritted teeth.

“Ah…” Even Yao Xishui was startled, asking in confusion.

“There’s no way out going west. We can only see whether Prince Xin likes and has the courage to accept the great gift we’re delivering to him,” Lu Qingxia’s expression turned extremely gloomy at this moment. She was like a wounded wildcat that at this moment still wanted to scratch a couple marks on the face of the hunter hiding in the shadows.

At this time, turmoil suddenly erupted ahead, with a flurry of flashing blades and swords visible.

“What happened?” Yao Xishui strode over, demanding sharply like a startled bird.

“Li Changfeng seized a blade when people weren’t prepared and killed three of our men. We’ve already shot him dead,” Zhou Yuan said, coming over still shaken.

Yao Xishui walked closer and saw Li Changfeng’s corpse lying in a pool of blood. Without saying anything, she only signaled to drag it aside and throw it away…