The Renyin Incident

Hongchang 18th Year.

The year being Renyin.

May 23rd.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and all was silent.

A carriage draped in black cloth stopped at the rear gate of Prince Qin's residence.

The guards on duty, upon seeing the elderly man alighting, dared not obstruct him in the slightest and hurried to report to the manor.

Prince Qin, Zhao Yuan, upon hearing of Zhang Zhengyang's late-night visit, suspected that it might concern a matter of great importance. He quickly invited him to the study and ordered the guards to dismiss all servants, forbidding anyone from approaching!

Zhang Zhengyang, alone, entered the study, and his first words caused Zhao Yuan's face to turn pale.

"His Majesty has passed away, two hours ago!"

"Ah! Father..."

Zhao Yuan exclaimed, leaping to his feet, then slumped down, saying, "Father concealed even the news of his death, suggesting some arrangement."

"Indeed."

Zhang Zhengyang nodded, saying, "The late Emperor issued an edict, appointing this old man and three others as regents, to assist the Sixth Prince in governing the nation."

"Then why are you...?"

Hope flickered in Zhao Yuan's eyes. The bells of Shangyang Palace had not yet tolled, and news of the Hongchang Emperor's death had not yet spread, so perhaps things could still change.

Zhang Zhengyang said, "The ruler is young and the ministers are suspect. The Sixth Prince is naturally mischievous and does not appear to be a suitable sovereign!"

Zhao Yuan nodded slightly, waiting for further explanation. The claim of being an unsuitable sovereign was merely a pretext; there must be other reasons for Chancellor Zhang to risk defying the late Emperor's edict.

"The other three regents are one inner court eunuch dog, one ignorant woman, and one coarse noble!"

Zhang Zhengyang said, "How can matters of state be entrusted to such people? The late Emperor toiled day and night to achieve this revival, and this old man cannot bear to see it destroyed by the hands of a child!"

"Chancellor Zhang speaks with reason!"

Zhao Yuan could guess the identities of the other three and was deeply impressed by his father's arrangements in the edict.

The inner court eunuch dog, Eunuch Wang, outwardly controlled the Brocade Guard and inwardly managed the Secret Reporting Bureau. The Sixth Prince's birth mother, Imperial Concubine Sun, had brothers and fathers in her clan who controlled the Capital Garrison. Duke Cheng was over eighty years old and held the greatest prestige and seniority among the nobles.

Chancellor Zhang had been in charge of the government for nearly twenty years, and his partisans were spread throughout the Shenjing court and local prefectures, almost resembling the Dragon Rebellion of that year.

Only these three regents, with power and influence and not belonging to the court officials, could restrain Zhang and give the Sixth Prince enough time to grow and take power.

Zhao Yuan, while admiring this, also felt jealousy.

The current Empress had only one son, and after the Crown Prince was deposed for treason, Zhao Yuan was the eldest son.

So, why should the throne fall to the Sixth Prince?

Zhao Yuan could understand his father's good intentions in issuing an edict to limit Zhang's power, but that did not mean he would comply!

Zhang Zhengyang said, "Those three are currently in the palace. The edict has not yet been issued to the Six Ministries. If Your Highness has the will, this old man is willing to assist you with all his strength!"

"Has Chancellor Zhang forgotten the urgent report from the Northern Frontier?"

Zhao Yuan changed the subject, reminding him, "To contend for power at this time would likely delay the war. Once the Northern Frontier is defeated..."

"What if the Northern Frontier is defeated? It would merely be ceding territory and paying reparations, which can be reclaimed in the future. But there is only one throne, and once missed, there is no second chance!"

Zhang Zhengyang, an old fox of several decades, knew that Zhao Yuan had already been tempted and added fuel to the fire: "The defeat of the Northern Frontier may not be a bad thing. After Your Highness ascends the throne, you can use the war to divert the court's conflicts and easily secure your position."

"My father ascended the throne as Prince Qin, and now I am Prince Qin, so it is fitting that I should be the successor!"

Zhao Yuan finally stopped hiding his thoughts and promised, "After this Prince ascends the throne, Chancellor Zhang will still be the chief minister, in charge of all internal and external affairs of the court."

Zhang Zhengyang bowed deeply, saying, "This subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

"Chancellor Zhang need not be so polite."

Zhao Yuan quickly stepped forward to help him up, feeling extremely wary. Zhang Zhengyang was willing to betray his father for power, so the first thing he would do after ascending the throne was to eliminate his partisans.

"Time is of the essence; we must secure the overall situation before the edict is issued!"

Zhang Zhengyang said, "This old man has gathered the servants from my residence and has also won over Commander Lin, who is stationed at the East Gate of the palace, to fully support Your Highness in quickly entering the palace and taking control of the situation."

"Very good!"

Zhao Yuan ordered the commander of his guards to gather men and summoned the chief clerk of the Prince's residence to take his waist token and order several martial arts schools in Shenjing to quickly gather at the East Gate of the palace.

These martial arts schools were all secretly controlled by Zhao Yuan. When the Crown Prince was in power, they were merely businesses used to make money, but now they had transformed into a force for contending for power.

Or rather, any prince would nurture a potential force in case of need!

Speed is essential in military affairs, and opportunities must not be missed.

From the time Zhang Zhengyang entered the Prince's residence, only half an hour had passed, and Zhao Yuan had already arrived at the East Gate of the palace with over a thousand men.

Clad in armor and wielding weapons, the dark mass of people was quite imposing.

Commander Lin, seeing Chancellor Zhang accompanying them, ordered the city gate to be opened.

"Greetings, Your Highness. The ministers are still in Shangyang Palace!"

"Commander Lin has performed a great service this time. After this Prince ascends the throne, you may be granted a title of nobility."

Zhao Yuan's generosity with rewards spurred the morale of those following him, all convinced that entering the palace meant the situation was settled.

Shangyang Palace.

Brightly lit.

The Sixth Prince lay on the dragon bed, sobbing softly.

The imperial family wasn't devoid of affection, especially for a child barely ten years old who was usually the Hongchang Emperor's favorite.

Eunuch Wang, Duke Cheng, and Zhang Zhengyang stood before the bed, waiting quietly, their faces showing exhaustion.

Imperial Concubine Sun sat to the side, summoning a palace attendant to ask, "What time is it now?"

"Replying to Your Ladyship, it is already the fourth quarter of Yin hour."

The attendant, knowing what Imperial Concubine Sun wanted to ask, proactively answered, "It is less than half an hour until the officials' morning court session."

Imperial Concubine Sun glanced at the composed Zhang Zhengyang, a sense of relief washing over her. Perhaps this man didn't care about the gains and losses of power, and was truly a loyal and patriotic prime minister of his generation!

Not long ago.

The Hongchang Emperor passed away late at night. Before his death, he issued an edict, appointing four people as regents to assist the Sixth Prince.

Imperial Concubine Sun and the others immediately understood that this was the Hongchang Emperor dividing Zhang Zhengyang's power to prevent a situation where a young ruler and a strong minister would destabilize the country.

Therefore, when Zhang Zhengyang prepared to leave Shangyang Palace to announce the edict, he was stopped by the other three regents.

Zhang Zhengyang had controlled the court for nearly twenty years, and who knew how many hidden forces he had in the capital? If he took advantage of the darkness to collude and cause trouble, the other three would be powerless to resist.

After several rounds of negotiation, the four set a rule.

No one could leave Shangyang Palace before dawn, and the news of the Emperor's death would be kept secret temporarily, until the edict was announced during the morning court session.

Imperial Concubine Sun's confidants left the city to notify the Capital Garrison, and Eunuch Wang ordered the palace attendants to summon the Brocade Guard. Once the edict was announced at the morning court, they would have enough strength to confront Zhang Zhengyang.

Only Duke Cheng remained composed, seemingly unconcerned about the affairs of the nation.

Suddenly.

A commotion came from outside the palace gate, followed by a series of screams.

Imperial Concubine Sun quickly sent someone to see what was happening outside.

Duke Cheng glanced at Zhang Zhengyang, seeing that he still had no expression, as if he wasn't surprised by the changes outside.

The palace attendant returned with a look of horror: "Your Ladyship, Prince Qin and Prime Minister Zhang led troops in, killing anyone they see..."

He suddenly paused, looking at Zhang Zhengyang along with the others in the palace.

Zhang Zhengyang remained silent, slowly raising his hand to pull at the skin behind his ear, tearing off a layer of aged skin, revealing his true appearance.