Chapter 485 The Eve of the Coup

Chapter 485 The Eve of the Coup

Chapter 485 The Eve of the Coup (5k)

In the hotel room.

Zhao Duan was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, his boots resting on Qin Qu's head, looking sarcastic.

"Who? How dare you attack the police? Let me go..." Qin Qu, who was being stepped on, was furious and tried to struggle, but was shocked to find that the boots on his head were surprisingly heavy. He turned to ask for help:

"Why don't you knock this thief down?"

Outside the door, a group of clerks came to their senses and were about to rush in. Zhao Duan pressed his boots slightly and said indifferently:
"Let them guard downstairs."

Qin Qu screamed like a pig being slaughtered, and was so scared that he immediately changed his words: "Get out! Go wait for me downstairs! Quick!"

This...the group of clerks looked at each other and had to retreat.

"Close the door." Zhao Duan ordered leisurely. After the door was closed, Qin Qiu, who was lying on the ground with his buttocks raised and his hands on the ground, said with a trembling voice:
"Your Excellency should know that this is the capital."

Zhao Duan said calmly: "Answer my question first, are you the Jinyi of the Imperial Court?"

Qin Qiu was stepped on the ground and couldn't see the situation in the room clearly, but he was keenly aware that this man was not easy to mess with, so he quickly pulled the tiger skin:
"Although I am not, but... I have a close personal relationship with Zhao Shaobao of the Imperial Court."

"Zhao Shaobao?" Zhao Duan sneered:
"So he is the lackey of that treacherous official. No wonder he acts so arrogantly and bullies the market. He deserves to be killed."

In the inner room, the empress, who was watching the show quietly, glanced at him.

Oops... I got the wrong tiger skin... Qin Qu felt a chill in his heart, secretly groaned, and changed his words:

"However, the man surnamed Zhao left Beijing a long time ago. I no longer have any contact with him. I am not familiar with him."

Zhao Duan rolled his eyes, too lazy to waste words with this little guy. He raised his foot:
"Is it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I have a personal grudge against that King Zhao. He almost killed me. Please spare my life..." Qin Qu got up little by little and looked up at the face of the murderer.

Immediately, he felt as if his throat was being strangled, his eyes widened in horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

Zhao Duan casually took off his disguise mask, revealing his true face, with a half-smile on his face:

"Qin Qu, oh Qin Qu, do you still remember my grudge?"

"Zhao...Brother Zhao?!" Qin Qu's eyes widened and his throat was as sharp as a drake. He rubbed his eyes fiercely and confirmed that it was Zhao Duan in front of him. He was happy at first, but then cold sweat poured down like a waterfall:
"No... No, I'm not... that..."

He was almost crying. His legs, which had just barely stood up, fell limply to the ground again, and his crotch was wet.

Zhao Duan pinched his nose and kicked him angrily:
"Well, I've been away from the capital for only a few months, and you've already started to act like a tyrant and bully others."

Qin Qiu was kicked neither lightly nor heavily, but he burst into laughter instead, hugged Zhao Duan's thigh and started crying:

"Brother Zhao, you are back. I always say that good fortune comes naturally to those who are lucky. There are so many people in the city who are hoping that you will not come back, but Qu'er is the only one who remains loyal..."

He knew that if Zhao Duan wanted to kill him, he could have just kicked him to death, so he immediately turned into a bootlicker.

"Okay, let go of your hands, shut up and stop howling. If you reveal my identity, believe it or not, I will throw you into the imperial prison." Zhao Duan looked disgusted.

Qin Qiu then let go, his face covered with snot and tears, crying and laughing, excited:

"Everyone in the capital said that you, brother, were protecting His Majesty from the rebels. How come you are in the city?"

As he was speaking, his bean-sized eyes noticed that in the middle of the room, there was a veiled, noble woman standing quietly. She seemed to realize something and opened her mouth wide:

"Could this be, Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"I ask, you answer." Zhao Duan interrupted him and asked coldly:

"Tell me everything you know about the current situation in the city."

"Yes!"

Qin Qiu didn't dare to breathe, his heart beating like a drum, and he immediately told everyone what he knew.

When Qin Qiu fought against Zhou Cheng of Dali Temple, he was thrown into prison. After Zhou Cheng fell, he returned home to recuperate.

Later, as Zhao Duan's status rose, this dandy guy also took advantage of the power of others and became very successful.

Also, because he mingled in the "Beijing circle" composed of powerful and wealthy young men in the capital, he was well-informed, so Zhao Duan didn't have to go out to look for people. The emperor and his minister quickly got a general understanding of the situation in the city.

"...So, now Xue Shence has gone south and gone to Linfeng Dao to take charge of the situation, preparing to stop the rebels? And Qingzhou Heng Wang has deployed his troops dozens of miles east of the capital, on the border of Qingzhou? Were they stopped by the Beijing camp?"

Zhao Duan frowned, "What about the court? Who makes the decisions?"

Qin Qu said: "Grand Tutor Dong has been calling court meetings almost every day these days. However, the morale of the government offices below is low, rumors are spreading among the people, panic is spreading, and prices are soaring.

The government office was seriously short of staff, so the imperial court delegated some power to some temporary clerks to help with the work. I was given the task of checking the identities of people entering the city."

Zhao Duan sneered: "Taking an errand? You are trying to take advantage of the chaos to make some money."

The dandy boy prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to refute.

Zhao Duan was too lazy to pay attention to him. He turned around and exchanged glances with the empress, and both of them relaxed.

Although there was turmoil in the capital, the court functions continued as usual and the worst situation did not occur.

Xu Zhenguan walked lightly to the front of the prostrate dandy and asked sternly, "Has there been any unusual movement in the Prime Minister's family?"

No...it's a bit beyond the scope to ask him this...Zhao Duan complained.

Qin Qiu hesitated for a moment, not daring to raise his head, and said:

"Your Majesty, I dare not speak nonsense about the Prime Minister."

He had already confirmed the identity of the woman in front of him, and his adrenaline was soaring, so he didn't dare to overstep the line:

"However... I have been investigating everywhere in the city these days and have indeed made some discoveries. Yesterday, an unidentified person entered the city, and the relevant records of entering the city were erased. However, the subordinates witnessed that he was secretly taken away by a steward of the young minister's mansion...

Also, a few days ago, farmers from the suburbs of Beijing came into the city... It was quite unusual at this time. When I checked, I found that these people didn't look like farmers, but like retired soldiers... I didn't dare to find out more details."

Zhao Duan and Xu Zhenguan were both stunned, and their eyes fixed at the same time!
This guy, did he really find something? Zhao Duan frowned:

"You didn't report what you said to the imperial court?"

Since Qin Qu has accepted the task, he should report the summary to Ma Yan.

Why do you say “dare not explore deeply”?
Qin Qu choked and said cautiously: "I haven't had time to report it yet."

Haha, was it too late, or was he pretending to be blind and pretending not to see it? Zhao Duan sneered.

He knew this guy too well, and after a little thought, he knew the whole story:

During his inspection, Qin Qu did notice something was wrong, but because he was afraid of the Prime Minister's Mansion and did not want to get involved in the bloody storm among the upper class, he deliberately concealed it.

After all, the last Dali Temple case taught him a profound lesson.

This is a strategy for a small person to protect himself. Especially since the whereabouts of the empress and Zhao Duan are unknown, and Qin Qu is extorting money at this time, why doesn't he want to make a quick buck and think of a way to escape?

If you have no confidence in the court, why report it? To just cause trouble?
Qin Qu was like this, and the rest of the clerks in the city who were responsible for inspection and shared the tasks probably had the same intention. Under such circumstances, the so-called inspection became just an empty shell.

Ma Yan, who is in charge of the imperial yamen, has limited manpower and is likely unaware of these unusual movements that have occurred in secret.

In the final analysis, if the court machine is demoralized, no matter how wise and capable the ministers sitting in high positions are, they will become blind, deaf, and dumb.

As for Qin Qu's decision at this moment, one reason was that he wanted to atone for his sins, and the other was that since the Empress and Zhao Shaobao had returned, there was no reason for him to run away again.

"Li Yanfu..." The empress's heart sank.

"Your Majesty, are you worried that the Li party might be plotting in secret?" Zhao Duan understood.

The empress nodded, then shook her head: "It needs further confirmation."

Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he glanced at the lackey on the ground:
"You go first. You know what to do, right?"

Qin Qu's blessing came to his mind:

"I will deal with it and will never reveal any information related to Your Majesty and the Grand Guardian. Just think that I was driven out by the two powerful men. If I leak even a word, my whole family will be executed!"

"Go away." Zhao Duan said:
"Remember this when you get back. When the chaos in the city is over, return all the money you extorted from anyone intact. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

"Yes! Don't be negligent!"

Qin Qu was overjoyed. He stuck his butt out, lowered his head and walked out of the door. After closing the door, he let out a long breath. He was almost soaked all over.

There was a hint of joy in his eyes, and he was somewhat proud:
Now in this city, I, Qin Qu, am probably the only one who knows that Your Majesty has returned, right?

He walked downstairs triumphantly, and faced a group of "outsourced employees" from the imperial court. He pretended to be dejected and said, "Let's go, let's go."

"Uh, Mr. Qin...the people upstairs are..." someone asked.

Qin Qiu kicked him and said unhappily:
"You've run into a noble person with a good background. Don't ask too much. You can't afford to offend him. Be careful not to know too much. You may die without knowing how."

The clerks no longer dared to ask any more questions.

When serving in the capital, these low-level servants fear the most that they might accidentally offend some powerful person, so not asking too many questions is the basic rule.

……

inside the room.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean..." Zhao Duan closed the door and turned his head to ask. Xu Zhenguan thought for a moment, then turned his white palm over, and a delicate leaf-like musical instrument appeared in his hand.

She walked straight to the window, placed the white porcelain "leaf" on her red lips, and blew it gently.

No sound was heard, but Zhao Duan could clearly feel a ripple in his heart.

Xu Zhenguan put down the leaf instrument and looked toward the street with his lacquered eyes:
"This is a way to summon the secret guards in the city. I need more manpower to confirm the movements of the Li Party."

Therefore, you already have a channel to get the news... Zhao Duan complained in his heart and said seriously:

"Your Majesty did not return with great fanfare, but entered the city in a low-key manner first, just to find out who the restless people in the city are, and who those people who might be colluding with the rebels are?"

Two words popped into his mind: fishing!
I wondered, could it be that Zhenbao was planning to take advantage of the situation to catch the unstable factors and the hidden rebels in the court?
"This is indeed a good opportunity, but if these people don't jump out in a short time, we can't keep waiting. As long as His Majesty doesn't show up, the local will to resist will not be strong enough." Zhao Duan analyzed calmly.

He believes that the current conditions are not suitable for fishing.

Because the losses caused by continuing to lie dormant may be greater than digging out a few termites.

"No," the empress shook her head and looked at him with clear eyes:

"I will only hide in the city for one day at most. Tomorrow morning, no matter what the result is, I will go to the palace to hold court and stabilize the situation.

However, I do need this day to find out as much as possible which people in the court may be colluding with the rebels. At this point, I can still afford to wait for one day."

one day……

Yes, if the empress shows up immediately, and waits until she stabilizes the situation, and then sends people to investigate, many traces will disappear.

Therefore, waiting one more day will not affect the overall situation and can help to identify as many hidden dangers as possible in the court.

After all, in many cases, the damage caused by a traitor in the court is far greater than the loss of a city.

However, she didn't dare to wait any longer, so she chose to return officially early tomorrow morning.

"By the way, about the Shenlong Temple..." Zhao Duan suddenly spoke.

Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said calmly:
"Xuan Yin has already left the capital."

Zhao Duan was stunned. After Zhenbao entered the city, had he already quietly investigated it with his spiritual sense?
He stopped talking, waiting for the imperial guards to appear, looking at the crowded streets outside, thinking that there shouldn't be any trouble on the last day.

……

……

Throughout the day, everything in the capital was as usual, and almost no one knew about the empress's return.

After dusk, the number of people on the streets gradually decreased, and as the wisps of smoke gradually disappeared into the darkness, night fell.

"Little Minister" Li Yinglong, along with two of his trusted aides, waited quietly in the darkness, his feminine face showing a mixture of excitement and anxiety, and he kept pacing around.

This was a quiet street, and his car was parked in front of a closed pharmacy.

Suddenly, the lights in the pharmacy came on. The young elder was startled and walked over wearing a cloak.

In the thick darkness of the night, the door of the pharmacy opened and two figures walked out one after the other.

A man holding a lantern followed behind, his eyes alert and fierce, undoubtedly a master.

The man walking in front had steady steps, but his entire body was hidden in a pitch-black hood.

"Father, everyone is here and is waiting for you." Li Yinglong urged in a low voice.

The dim lanterns swayed, and in the dim light, the majestic face of Li Yanfu was vaguely visible:
The hair and beard at the temples are connected into one, as rough and hard as a hedgehog's fur. The lavender eyebrows are like two twisted scars welded to the eye sockets. His cold gaze sweeps over, making people terrified.

At this moment, Li Yanfu was no longer as old and frail as he appeared to be in front of others. He was clearly in good health!

"Stop talking nonsense." Li Yanfu scolded expressionlessly, stepped into the carriage, and the young minister followed closely behind him.

Soon, the wheels rolled, speeding on the cold and quiet streets that were almost covered with a veil.

Inside the carriage, a smile appeared on Li Yinglong's feminine face:

"If anyone saw your father's attitude during the day, they would definitely not guess that you had already made arrangements."

Li Yanfu snorted, his face was just an outline in the darkness, and it was hard to see clearly, but his vague voice was deep and powerful:

"At this moment, countless people in the capital are watching my father. It would be extremely difficult to hide my tracks without revealing anything.

So the best thing is to be open and show them everything.”

Li Yinglong smiled and said:
"Father is right. When our Li family's servants come to Beijing, they will always be watched. If he doesn't come, it will seem fake.

The more restless and angry I am outside, the more it will appear that you are slow to make a decision. This way, I can dispel the vigilance of many people in the court and catch them by surprise."

Li Yanfu was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. The old man's voice was a little vague in the darkness:

"The matter has been kept secret. After the meeting tonight, I'm afraid it will be difficult to conceal it any longer."

Li Yinglong was also silent for a moment, and said seriously:

"But for such a major event, if you, father, don't show up in person, I won't be able to control the situation and gain people's trust.

But by tomorrow, there will be no need to hide these things anymore. We, father and son, have been acting for so long. I have been pretending to be an irritable little cabinet minister for so long, and you have been pretending to be sick for so long. It is finally over.

The empress was seriously injured and on the run, and the abominable Zhao Duan was not in the capital. In addition, Xue Shence, the biggest obstacle, was also forced to lead the troops in Linfeng, and even the capital camp outside the city was held back by King Heng of Qingzhou...

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you miss it, you’ll never get it again.”

At this moment, how could he still be a bit immature?
The father and son both have the same fierce look in their eyes and brows.

……

"Prime Minister, we're here."

At this time, the carriage stopped in an alley, and the father and son got off and entered a yard in the alley.

When I pushed open the window of the room covered with black cloth, I saw that the whole room was full of people sitting around a table, and the candlesticks on the table were emitting dim candlelight.

The faces in the room were reflected, most of whom were the backbone of the "Li Party" and powerful officials in charge of a government office in the court.

There were also a few unfamiliar faces, including two military generals whose appearance would surely be particularly familiar to Zhao Duan if he were here.

It turned out to be the military officer in charge of the Jinwu Guard and Qianniu Guard among the "Twelve Guards" of the imperial army that protected the imperial city!
"Xiangguo!"

"The Prime Minister is here!"

Everyone in the room stood up, looking excited.

Li Yanfu stepped into the room, lifted his hood with both hands, and smiled slightly:
"Please sit down. All of us who are gathered here tonight are brothers and sisters. There is no need to be polite."

"You are so polite, Prime Minister!"

After everyone sat down and formed a circle, Li Yanfu, who was sitting at the main seat, lowered his eyes and glanced at the map of the entire capital spread out on the table, and said calmly:

“Tonight’s party cannot be delayed too long, so I won’t waste any more words.

Now everything is ready. Tomorrow morning, when all the ministers gather in the palace, we will raise an army in the name of "clearing the emperor's side". At that time, the imperial guards patrolling the main gate will be Jinwu and Qianniu..."

The two commanders whose names were called straightened their backs—they were a little nervous, but there was no fear in their eyes.

The empress is missing and five rebel armies are approaching the capital. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Kingdom of Yu is about to change its master again.

At this time, they believed that it was a wise move for them to join the "Li Party" supported by the Huai River and Jiancheng clan.

As long as he takes control of the capital and then chooses a prince to assist him in ascending the throne, he will be considered the hero of following the dragon!
“…At that time, I will personally lead troops into the palace, control Dong Xuan, Yuan Li and others, and take control of the Xiuwen Hall.

Now that the imperial court is leaderless, all orders in the city are controlled by the Xiuwen Pavilion. As long as I control this new cabinet, I can immediately use the power of the cabinet to control the defense of the capital. When the time comes, everyone will work together to achieve great success!"

Li Yanfu pressed his hand hard on the "Imperial Palace" on the map and spoke in a deep voice.

The people at the gathering were cheered up and began to put their hands on Li Yanfu's hands, forming a high pile.

Finally, Li Yanfu placed his free hand on the top of the "palm mountain" and pressed hard:
"After tomorrow, there will be a record in history. Three years ago, there was the Xuanmen coup, and tomorrow, there will be the 'Qingjun coup'!"

……

……

The same night, at Zhao's house.

The night was cool as water, and the entire Zhao family residence was silent except for the chirping of summer insects and the silent noise of flying insects hovering around the bamboo lanterns on the eaves.

Eugene Hua was wearing a silk inner gown and emerald green embroidered shoes. The back of her feet, which were rosy white in color, were exposed, and she was almost wearing slippers.

Holding an exquisite lotus lantern in his hand, he pushed open the door and walked out of the bedroom, coming to the steps under the eaves of the back house.

She bit her plump lips and carefully covered her daughter with a thin blanket, who was also wearing a single piece of clothing, hugging her knees on the steps under the porch, staring blankly at the lonely and dim stars in the night sky.

"Mom?" The young girl Zhao Pan turned her head and whispered softly.

……

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(End of this chapter)