Rebellion (22.0001 Million)

The Imperial Study.

Emperor Yongxing unfolded the document and carefully reviewed the "agreement" between the two parties. The agreement was complex and involved numerous details, but the first condition remained unchanged:

Starting from the first year of Yongxing, Great Feng paid tribute to Yunzhou annually with 500,000 taels of silver and 600,000 bolts of silk.

Extensions and modifications to the detailed rules:

In the first year, only 150,000 taels of silver and 300,000 bolts of silk were required as tribute, and the debt had to be repaid the following year.

The second condition remains unchanged: after the peace talks conclude, the Great Feng court must immediately issue official reports to local government offices, acknowledging the Yunzhou lineage as the legitimate successor to the Central Plains, and post notices to announce this to the world.

The third condition is that the wrangling lasts the longest.

Yunzhou demanded that the imperial court cede Yongzhou, Yuzhou, and Zhangzhou.

Further north of Yongzhou lies the territory of the capital, therefore Yongzhou is not to be ceded; this is a matter of principle.

During the negotiations, Ji Yuan once again used the extraordinary experts of Yunzhou to exert pressure, but this time it was no use; the Ministry of Rites and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies refused to budge.

Yuzhou and Zhangzhou, the former is rich in iron ore resources and the latter is one of the three Great Feng. If these two prefectures were ceded to the rebel army in Yunzhou, one can imagine what the consequences would be.

However, if Yongzhou was saved, Yuzhou and Zhangzhou had to be given up. Geographically speaking, these two prefectures were relatively far from the capital, not as critical as Yongzhou.

The fourth condition is the forging manual of the supervisor.

Emperor Yongxing sent someone to the Bureau of Astronomy yesterday to retrieve it, and to his surprise, Song Qing of the Bureau of Astronomy readily provided it.

It felt so good, as if these weren't the relics of a deceased master.

"Your Majesty, although the peace talks have been successfully concluded, the rebels in Yunzhou harbor treacherous ambitions and should not be trusted lightly."

The elderly Prince Li was also in the imperial study at this moment, and he was the only one present to be given a seat.

"Don't worry, Uncle!"

Emperor Yongxing finally showed some of his usual smile, and said in a relaxed tone:

"I have already discussed this matter with you all. After the Yunzhou delegation leaves, I will personally find Xu Yinluo and ask him to go to the Southern Frontier to fetch reinforcements. Both the Gu Clan and the Demon Race have many extraordinary experts. Let Xu Yinluo invite them over."

"In another month it will be the Spring Festival. After the Spring Festival, the earth will return to spring, the cold disaster will be resolved, and the situation will definitely improve."

Upon hearing this, King Li nodded slightly.

"I heard that Your Majesty and Xu Yinlu had a falling out a few days ago?"

Emperor Yongxing waved his hand:

"It's a trivial matter. I usually treat him with respect, but when it comes to matters of state, I have my own decisions. I will not allow him to act rashly."

As for calling for reinforcements, Emperor Yongxing didn't consider how Xu Qi'an should ask for help or how difficult it would be; it seemed that it was all something Xu Qi'an should do.

Just like how he developed the Gu Clan and the Demon Race into allies.

King Li hummed in agreement, his expression softening slightly, and slowly said:

"So Your Majesty had already planned this out. Then I am relieved."

Emperor Yongxing's intentions were made perfectly clear: first, negotiate peace to stabilize the rebel army, then have Xu Yinluo swallow his pride and ask allies in the Southern Frontier for assistance. At the same time, they would wait for spring to arrive and for the cold disaster to subside.

King Li also failed to consider the difficulty of the mission.

Outside the city gate, six riders galloped in, cloaked and riding swift horses, roaring through the gate.

Upon entering the city gate, the horses slowed down considerably, and the lead rider reined in his horse, turning back to look at the city wall.

His face was stiff and expressionless, as if carved from stone.

Yang Yan!

After the massacre in Chuzhou, Yang Yan remained there, and the imperial court appointed him as the General Commander and Military Governor of Chuzhou.

Even after Wei Yuan's death, he remained in Chuzhou and never returned to the capital.

"Summon all the brothers who are lurking in the capital and await orders." Yang Yan turned his head and looked at his subordinates on the left.

"Yes!"

The subordinate clasped his hands in a fist salute, then grabbed the reins and gently pulled, separating the horse from the group, and galloped off on another road.

My adoptive father couldn't help the fourth prince ascend the throne before he died. Now, it's our faction's turn to take control of the world. Yang Yan shifted his gaze, looking towards the palace along the wide main road.

The Nightwatchers's office.

The four gong players gathered together, with the doors and windows tightly closed.

Jin Gong Zhao Jin stared at the opposite Yin Gong Song Tingfeng, narrowed his eyes, and said:

"Did Xu Yinlu really say that?"

Xu Yinluo has become a title rather than an official position.

In Great Feng, as long as you say the three words "Xu Yinluo," everyone knows who it refers to.

Song Tingfeng laughed:

"Now that the Central Plains are in turmoil and the imperial court is in crisis, whether the Golden Roosters can seize the opportunity in this torrent depends on their choices today."

"Ningyan is a disciple of Duke Wei, and the four of you are acquainted with him; you're not strangers. Do you think he'll betray you? Besides, to speak frankly, in this Great Feng, who is the most promising to serve?"

"It's not the one sitting in the imperial palace, groveling before the rebels of Yunzhou, but my brother."

Zhao Jin and the other three Golden Gongs exchanged glances, pondered for a moment, and said:

Why didn't Xu Yinluo come himself?

Song Tingfeng did not answer, but instead took out a slip of paper:

You'll understand after you read it.

Zhao Jin took the note, unfolded it, glanced at it, breathed a sigh of relief, and commented:

"It's his handwriting."

Then, his gaze sharpened, and he stared at the paper for a long time.

Zhao Jin took a deep breath, suppressing the surging excitement within him, and calmly handed the note to the other three Golden Gongs. After they had read it, he said:

"Reply to Xu Yinluo that as long as he's not lying to me, I, Zhao Jin, am willing to give him my life, but we need to meet him."

Post station.

Ji Yuan held the sound transmission conch shell and said:

"Boring!"

"The young emperor of the Great Feng is boring, the officials in the court are boring, and the students of the Imperial Academy are even more boring."

"I heard that when the body of the Prince of Zhenbei was brought back to the capital, Emperor Yuanjing closed the palace and refused to see any officials. There was a junior official named Xu Xinnian who blocked the Meridian Gate and cursed from morning till night until Emperor Yuanjing gave in and opened the gate."

"It's a pity I didn't see this young man in the imperial court, nor during the negotiations. Perhaps he is of low rank and his words carry little weight, and he is not qualified to debate with me on the same case."

Regarding Xu Xinnian's matter, he overheard people whispering among themselves during the negotiations over the past few days:

That kid from Yunzhou is sharp-tongued. If Lord Xu from the Hanlin Academy were here, he would surely make him cry on the spot and obediently go back to Yunzhou.

Ge Wenxuan's laughter came from the conch shell:

"Then you probably won't have the chance to meet him. Xu Xinnian is Xu Qi'an's cousin and Yuan Shuang and Yuan Huai's cousin."

"He wasn't in the capital, but fighting in Qingzhou with the Great Feng. Well, after Qingzhou fell, he was slashed by Zhuo Haoran, and his fate is unknown."

Ji Yuan clicked his tongue and shook his head:

"A mere scholar, taking a blow from General Zhuo, is likely in grave danger. Let's not talk about him anymore. General Ge, that Xu fellow still hasn't shown up."

Ge Wenxuan pondered for a moment, then said:

"It seems we guessed pretty much right. The Xu fellow has run out of tricks and has tacitly agreed to peace talks, hoping to buy time to weather the winter before seeking help from Southern Frontier."

This is something that can be easily deduced: the Great Feng is short of extraordinary combat power, and its forces are mostly of the third rank, making it impossible for them to compete with first- or second-rank experts.

Once you reach the Transcendent Realm, starting from the Subordinate Third Rank, advancing further becomes extremely difficult.

Those with poor aptitude, like Kou Yangzhou of the Martial Arts Alliance, only managed to advance to the second rank after five hundred years.

Those with exceptional talent, such as the Imperial Preceptor and Luo Yuheng, reached the second rank at a young age, but were stuck at the second rank for a full twenty years.

Since he cannot catch up in combat strength through his own advancement in the short term, seeking help is Xu Qi'an's only option.

Ji Yuan scoffed:

"The Gu Clan of the Southern Frontier is limited by the power of the Gu God, making it difficult for them to produce First-Rank Gu. Among the Seven Divisions, only Granny Tian Gu is Second-Rank, but she is not good at fighting. The extraordinary experts of the Southern Demon Clan are even rarer."

"That horrible mutilated corpse cannot leave the Southern Frontier. The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox might intervene in the struggle for the Central Plains, but if she comes to the Central Plains, then the Western Regions will be free of constraints, and a portion of their forces can be diverted to attack the Central Plains."

"Actually, the only variable lies in the Witch God Cult. After Nalan Tianlu escaped, the Witch God Cult gained a great witch and a rain master."

"If they form an alliance with the Great Feng, it would be a bit of a headache."

"The Ninth Prince is clever," Ge Wenxuan said with a smile.

"I think so too, but the teacher said we shouldn't pay attention to the Witchcraft Cult for the time being, but I don't know why."

He paused, then continued:

"Since Xu Qi'an is willing to play the coward, let him be. A third-rank martial artist can't cause any trouble. Shall we leave the capital tomorrow?"

Ji Yuan hummed in agreement.

"We will exchange documents at the morning court tomorrow, after which we can leave the capital and return to Yunzhou."

This is a necessary procedure: after the negotiations conclude, both sides exchange documents and then "bid farewell" in a public setting such as a court assembly.

After the telepathic transmission ended, Ji Yuan returned the telepathic conch shell to Xu Yuanshuang and asked Xu Yuanhuai with a smile:

"Yuan Huai, the most beautiful courtesans in the capital's Imperial Academy of Music, each one a top-tier beauty. Since you're leaving the capital today, and we still have time, Ninth Brother will take you to enjoy yourself?"

Xu Yuanhuai ignored him.

Ji Yuan didn't care at all. He played with his folding fan as he went out. He had just said it casually; he wouldn't dare to actually go to the Imperial Academy of Music. What if he was assassinated?

The next day, there will be a court meeting.

At dawn, when it was pitch black, civil and military officials passed through the east and west side gates in an orderly manner, crossed the Golden Water Bridge, and waited on the steps, stairs, and square before entering the Golden Palace.

This morning's court session was held specifically for the Yunzhou delegation, with Ji Yuan and his entourage as the main figures.

More than twenty people dressed in Yunzhou official robes, forming a "negotiation team," entered the Golden Palace with their heads held high, exuding the power and arrogance of victors.

Emperor Yongxing, seated high on his throne, exchanged a few perfunctory words before ordering the documents to be exchanged.

"Thank you for the hospitality of Your Majesty and the esteemed officials. I have had a very pleasant trip."

Ji Yuan bowed to Emperor Yongxing with a beaming smile, and then bowed to all the officials.

Inside the Golden Palace, the officials looked grim, pretending not to see his mocking expression and arrogant demeanor.

"By the way, public resentment in the capital has been boiling lately, with people openly insulting the court and His Majesty. I suggest that they be executed as a warning to others," Ji Yuan said with a smile.

Xu Yuanshuang, standing beside him, recalled that Ninth Brother had been frequently inquiring about news from the common people these past few days, listening to the people of the capital and the students of the Imperial Academy angrily cursing the Yunzhou delegation and the Qianlong City faction. At that time, he was waving a folding fan, seemingly not caring at all.

So it turns out he had kept it in mind.

Emperor Yongxing now only wanted to get rid of the Yunzhou delegation as soon as possible, saying:

"No need for you to worry, Envoy Ji; I will handle it myself. Furthermore, the silver and silk have been prepared and may be taken away by you, Envoy Ji."

As for the cession of territory, there was a lot of work to be done afterward, such as notifying the local government, withdrawing the gentry, nobles, and local troops, etc.

It cannot be completed immediately.

"In that case, thank you, Your Majesty."

As soon as Ji Yuan finished speaking, a loud "boom" was heard, and the sound of cannons came from afar. Immediately afterward, a dense drumbeat came from the direction of the palace gate.

The people inside the hall were shocked, including the Yunzhou delegation represented by Ji Yuan.

Unfortunately, something went wrong at this crucial juncture.

A flicker of panic crossed Emperor Yongxing's eyes, but he forced himself to remain calm and looked at Zhao Xuanzhen:

"Go and see what's going on."

Zhao Xuanzhen accepted the order and left. He stepped out of the Golden Palace and looked down at the square outside the palace. The officials below were in chaos, their faces filled with panic. Some of the palace guards rushed towards the palace gates, while others ran towards the Golden Palace to protect His Majesty and the officials.

Inside the Golden Palace, Ji Yuan frowned, gripped the silver-bone fan tightly, and remained silent in deep thought.

Xu Yuanshuang frowned, while Xu Yuanhuai frequently looked outside.

The civil and military officials, as well as members of the royal family, looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what had happened.

Until Zhao Xuanzhen ran back frantically, clutching the hem of his robe, running like a stray dog, screaming:

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

"Your Majesty, the rebels have broken in! They've broken in!"

The expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically, and they subconsciously looked at Ji Yuan. Ever since the uprising in Yunzhou, the word "rebel" had been associated with Yunzhou. After hearing the word "rebel" for more than two months, their instinctive reaction was that the Yunzhou rebels had stormed into the capital.

Ji Yuan and the others were also taken aback.

Then Zhao Xuanzhen took a breath and continued speaking:

"They shouted slogans calling for the purge of the court of corrupt officials."

The commotion rose again in the hall. Emperor Yongxing looked sharply toward the location of the imperial family and relatives, then froze, for he saw Prince Yan.

Logically speaking, Prince Yan shouldn't be here at this moment. Could it be someone else?

The princes and dukes all looked at Prince Yan with strange eyes. Among the nobles, several who possessed cultivation subtly moved closer to Prince Yan.

If there is anyone in the court who could rebel, or dared to rebel, it would probably only be the prince born to this Empress Dowager.

Everyone understands the principle of "capture the king first to catch the thief."

Prince Yan was stunned.

"What do you mean by 'they've broken in'? Have they breached the palace gates?"

Among the nobles, a duke strode forward, glaring fiercely at Zhao Xuanzhen:

"Explain yourself clearly."

Just as Zhao Xuanzhen, pale-faced, was about to speak, shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and screams suddenly came from outside the hall.

That goes without saying.

The rebels had an inside agent, and a fairly large one at that. The people in the hall immediately made this judgment.

The palace gates were guarded by the Imperial Guards, and the Imperial City was defended by the Twelve Guards. No army could capture the Imperial City and the Palace City in such a short time, unless it was a rebel army, the Twelve Guards, and the Imperial Guards.

Who could possibly turn the Imperial Guards and the Twelve Guards of the Capital against each other?

As thoughts raced through everyone's minds, the shouts of battle grew closer and closer, until a palace guard screamed and fell into the Golden Palace.

Outside the palace gates, figures flashed by. Leading the charge were two golden gong bearers dressed as Nightwatchers, and Yang Yan, clad in light armor and carrying a long spear. Behind them were silver and bronze gong bearers, Imperial Guards, and Imperial Saber Guard.

The group was very diverse, but they all had a red ribbon wrapped around their arms.

They carried bloodstained knives and surrounded the officials, members of the imperial family, and nobles in the hall.

Yang Yan?

A prince recognized him, and was both surprised and furious:

"You traitorous scoundrel, how dare you commit treason! Aren't you afraid of having your entire family executed?"

Emperor Yongxing suppressed all his emotions, maintaining his composure as a monarch. He rose from his seat, glanced at Prince Yan, then looked at Yang Yan and the other officials, forcing himself to remain calm, and said:

"Who is your master?"

At the same time, the two nobles, one on the left and one on the right, restrained Prince Yan.

Upon seeing Yang Yan and several other officials appear, anyone with discerning eyes could tell who was behind it all.

These followers of Wei Yuan were originally supporters of the Fourth Prince.

If Wei Yuan hadn't died young, after Xu Qi'an killed Zhen De, the one who ascended the throne would definitely not have been the Crown Prince, but the original Fourth Prince.

Ji Yuan knew how to keep a low profile at crucial moments, holding a folding fan and observing coldly from the sidelines.

"Ninth Prince, the Great Feng Dynasty is in turmoil."

An official in a scarlet robe said, half pleased and half worried.

This aligns with their goal: if peace talks can destabilize the court, then whether they succeed or fail is irrelevant; in fact, it might even be more effective than reaching a peace agreement.

Once the central government falls into chaos, the Great Feng Dynasty will collapse and disintegrate at a surprisingly rapid pace.

Of course, the safety of the mission members was somewhat uncertain, so it was a mixed bag of joy and worry.

"Let's wait and see," another official in crimson robes whispered.

"Regardless of who wins or loses, if they don't want their country to be destroyed and their families to perish, they must treat us with utmost courtesy."

Given the current situation in Great Feng, breaking ties with Yunzhou would be a dead end. The rebels are not blind to this fact.

"This, this has nothing to do with me."

Prince Yan was only at the Qi Refining Realm, and was completely subdued by two nobles with profound cultivation, unable to resist.

At this moment, the sounds of fighting outside the hall ceased, as if a victor had been decided.

Of course, the sounds of artillery and drums could still be heard in the distance, and fighting continued elsewhere.

"There's no need to make things difficult for the Fourth Prince; this matter has nothing to do with him."

A clear and melodious voice rang out, and the people inside the hall either turned around or glanced sideways, seeing a graceful figure in a plain white dress step over the high threshold outside the Golden Palace, her skirt trailing on the ground, and walk in.

Princess Eldest?

Those unaware of the truth were completely bewildered.

Emperor Yongxing was stunned, never expecting that the person standing before him would be her.

Huaiqing?

Emperor Yongxing pointed at her and roared:

"What do you want to do? Answer me, what do you want to do?!"

He slammed his hand on the large table, his imposing manner suddenly increasing.

Huaiqing walked step by step to the foot of the throne, looked at Emperor Yongxing, and spoke in a calm tone, but his voice was not low:

"I beg Your Majesty to abdicate!"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.

Ji Yuan stared in disbelief at Huai Qing's retreating figure, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

"You? Huaiqing."

Emperor Yongxing seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He placed his hands on the table, looked down at his rebellious sister, and suddenly roared:

Do you know what you're doing?!

Emperor Yongxing launched a powerful attack.

If it were any other brother, he would be both cautious and vigilant, but now the one demanding his abdication and rebelling is a woman.

Joke!

He didn't look at Huaiqing again, but instead looked at Yang Yan and the Jinluo men, as well as the rebel soldiers surrounding the officials in the hall, and angrily rebuked them:

"Are you all insane? To rebel with a woman? How many heads do you have to chop off?"

"She thinks she can succeed? Ask all the officials in this hall, who would support her? Ask the people of the world, who would support a woman like her?"

At this moment, Liu Hong silently stepped forward, bowed, and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, please abdicate!"

Then came Chief Minister Qian, who stood side by side with Liu Hong, bowed, and loudly proclaimed:

"Your Majesty, please abdicate!"

Then, Zhang Xingying, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Minister Sun, the Ministry of Justice, and the Minister of War stepped forward and said in unison:

"Your Majesty, please abdicate!"

As if triggering a herd effect, a large number of officials immediately bowed and spoke up:

"Your Majesty, please abdicate!"

They made up nearly half of the people inside the hall.

For the first time, the Wang faction and the Wei faction were so united.

Emperor Yongxing's face suddenly froze, then slowly turned pale. He stared blankly at the officials bowing and scraping in the hall. After a long while, his lips trembled as he murmured:

"You're all insane! You're all crazy!"

On the royal family's side, the princes and dukes were at a loss, but Prince Yan was overjoyed and trembling with excitement.

The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review was incredulous. He went to each of the officials who were bowing and reprimanded them:

"Are you all insane? Going crazy with a woman like that? Who gave you the guts? Don't be so impulsive; you'll achieve nothing."

This was just a surprise attack; what's next?

With such a large number of imperial relatives, a single call to action could quell a rebellion.

Because no one will support a woman.

To follow a princess in a rebellion—what else could you be but madman?

Huaiqing placed his hands on his lower abdomen and said calmly:

"Take him away and make him write the abdication edict."

Yang Yan led several silver-clad men forward and strode toward Emperor Yongxing on the throne.

"Don't be so insolent!"

The chief eunuch, Zhao Xuanzhen, spread his arms, blocking Yang Yan and the others. His face was slightly pale, and he spoke sharply:

"His Highness Lin'an is engaged to Xu Yinluo. You have rebelled; Xu Yinluo will not let you get away with this!"

These words, like a morning bell and evening drum, awakened the hesitant imperial relatives, nobles, and officials from the Wang and Wei factions.

A sudden glimmer of light appeared in Emperor Yongxing's dejected eyes, like a ray of dawn appearing in a person in despair.

That's right, he also has Xu Qi'an.

As long as Xu Qi'an supports him, no matter how arrogant Huaiqing and Prince Yan are, they will not achieve anything significant.

Those who hesitated and wavered also became aware of this problem.

Emperor Yongxing composed himself, looked around at Yang Yan and the others, and said loudly:

"I will give you one more chance. If you pull back from the brink, I will forgive and forget. If you capture the traitor Huaiqing, I will reward you."

"Otherwise, you should know what the consequences of treason are."

Zhao Xuanzhen, emboldened, shouted, "Get back now!"

"Traitorous wretch, why don't you repent?"

"Following a mere woman in rebellion, do you have a death wish?"

"Take Huaiqing immediately, or you will all die when the Imperial Guards arrive, when Xu Yinluo arrives."

The officials and nobles who supported Emperor Yongxing shouted at them.

"Well!"

A tremendous sigh echoed within the hall. In the shadow behind Huaiqing, a figure swelled and stretched out—it was Xu Qi'an, who had just suppressed the five battalions of the Imperial Guards.

Just moments ago, Emperor Yongxing was still talking about Xu Qi'an, and now the real Xu Qi'an had arrived. The joy in Emperor Yongxing's eyes had barely flickered when he saw this number one warrior of the Great Feng staring coldly at him, saying:

"Yongxing, step down, and I can guarantee your survival."

"Otherwise, Yuan Jing will be your role model."

Emperor Yongxing's face turned ashen, his body swayed as if he had lost all strength, and he collapsed onto the dragon throne.

The faces of the officials and nobles who supported Emperor Yongxing all stiffened.

The silver bone fan in Ji Yuan's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and his pupils contracted violently as if exposed to a bright light.

It was Xu Qi'an who was planning the rebellion.

P. S.: Four thousand chapters, with an extra chapter for every two thousand.