The real trump cards were Hao Yunsheng, King of West Court, and Prince Jin, Hao Qi.
Hao Yunsheng and Hao Qi had rebelled. The Emperor's own younger brother and his own son had rebelled!
Though both men were said to have rebelled, the true main force behind the rebellion was still Prince Jin, Hao Qi.
The Emperor had always kept his younger brother Hao Yunsheng under control and suppressed him to some extent. Although Hao Yunsheng had strongly supported him in taking the throne, once he held imperial power, the Emperor had shown no courtesy. One mountain could not accommodate two tigers; it was only natural. He gradually stripped Hao Yunsheng of real power such as military command, giving him only an idle post managing members of the imperial clan and the like. Hao Yunsheng held no real power in his hands.
Hao Yunsheng harbored resentment toward his imperial brother. Back then, he had led armies through bloody battles and supported his brother's rise to the throne, yet not only had he failed to gain the benefits he had imagined, he had ended up worse off than before. What enraged him even more was that one of his legs had been crippled by Hu Yan Wuhen's household servant, yet his imperial brother had turned a blind eye.
Given the chance, Hao Yunsheng would probably have long since wished to rebel and vent the hatred in his heart. But he simply lacked the strength to rebel and only dared make a few small moves in secret.
As for Hao Qi, his son, it was not merely that Emperor Hao Yuntu had once held expectations for him. In truth, all sons of suitable age were given certain opportunities to train themselves, or rather, were permitted to build some factions of their own