Outside the palace gate.

The two sides are still in confrontation.

After an unknown amount of time, Rong Xian suddenly shouted happily from the top of the city wall:
"Haha, today it's your turn to end up like this!"

The next moment, a hanging basket was seen slowly descending from the city gate, in which sat a figure who was shaking his head, laughing and cursing, and who seemed to be wearing palace clothes and dressed as a noble lady.

The hanging basket landed.

The man jumped left and right towards Yang Wenyuan.

Only then could everyone see clearly that the crazy person was actually Princess Pingning!
Moreover, a large area of ​​his lower body was wet!

"This……"

Seeing such a proud person fall to such a state, those who knew Princess Pingning at the scene all sighed.

Some couldn't bear it, while others showed an expression of gloating.

"Yang Wenyuan, take a look!"

Rong Xian's mocking voice came from the top of the city again:

"This is the princess who used to be so high and mighty and looked down on others!"

"What a glorious scene! What a spot of attention!"

Yang Wenyuan didn't know whether Princess Pingning was pretending to be crazy or was really suffering from hysteria, but he didn't want to see Princess Pingning acting like this, so he just pulled off the cloak from behind and walked towards Princess Pingning.

"Eh~!"

"Eh? Aren't you the kid from the Yang family?"

Looking at Yang Wenyuan, who was walking in front of her with blood on his military uniform, Princess Pingning seemed not to feel the murderous aura in the air and smiled foolishly:
"What? You came to the palace tonight? Aren't you afraid that the government will punish you?"

"I tell you, there are not many in this palace..."

"Princess, I'm sorry!"

After saying that, Yang Wenyuan suppressed Princess Pingning's dancing and tied his cloak in front of her to cover her ugly side, and then instructed the person behind him:

"Is the carriage from the Duke of Qi's mansion still there?"

"To answer the general's question, they are still here! The maids and grooms have not fled, they are all waiting there!"

"Okay, then you send the princess over!"

The gates and carriages outside the imperial city have all been controlled by Yang Wenyuan, and no one is allowed to enter or leave.

Although it is not possible to let Princess Pingning go home directly, it is still possible to let her hide there.

The moon moves westward.

When the sky gradually began to brighten, Gu Tingye finally arrived, bringing with him a full set of engineering equipment.

"How about it? I came in time, right?"

The outer palace gate was wide open, and Gu Tingye rode his horse straight in and came to Yang Wenyuan:

"After receiving the news from Brother Yang, I immediately went to the military camp outside the city, led the troops, and brought back equipment for the siege."

Soon, siege ladders were quickly built.

Rong Xian looked at the ladders gradually being placed on the city wall and the dense crowd of imperial guards at the palace gate. He knew that the palace gate could no longer be defended, and he quickly retreated into the hall.

"Damn Yang Wenyuan, damn Gu Tingye! The army was mobilized so quickly, are they really risking their entire family's lives?!"

With shock and anger, Rong Xian quickly entered the hall.

Then, after a night without sleep, everyone came to King Yan and reported the situation outside.

"what?"

The moment he heard the news, Prince Yan couldn't help but exclaim.

He was also surprised at the speed at which the army was mobilized.

At the same time, the look in his eyes as he looked at the official gradually became fiercer.

"We can't delay any longer! If the army enters the palace, I will have no choice but to hold the emperor hostage to make them afraid to act rashly."

"But if I want to keep my throne, I cannot even touch the reputation of holding the emperor hostage, compared to the slight bad reputation I have now!"

The emperor was forced to sign the imperial edict and put his fingerprints on it, and then he was respected as the emperor emeritus and was not allowed to meet outsiders.

This is the only way now!
When Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye led a group of imperial guards into the hall, they saw the officials in the court, as well as Prince Yan and the emperor who was hiding behind him.

"How dare you! Who told you to lead troops into the palace?"

Looking at the people entering the hall, Prince Yan did not show any panic on his face. Instead, he said with a serious face:

"The government is very good at judging people and has discovered that Prince Yong and his family are plotting a rebellion. They have been sentenced to immediate execution."

"I understand that you are unaware of the true situation and are eager to save the emperor, so I will not pursue the matter!"

"Put down your weapons quickly, leave the imperial city, and appease the people! After today's work is over, I will reward you according to your merits!"

Seeing that Yang Wenyuan was still walking, the King of Yan immediately showed his timidity. He quickly led the emperor behind him to the front, showed the imperial edict in his hand, and motioned Yang Wenyuan and others to read it: "The emperor is about to announce the imperial edict, Marquis Pingyang, are you going to disobey it?"

As long as this edict is confirmed, Prince Yan does not believe that Yang Wenyuan still has the courage to commit regicide!
Killing a rebel king and killing an emperor are completely different concepts!
Yang Wenyuan paused.

Afterwards, he kept walking, but his steps became much shorter.

Prince Yan thought that Yang Wenyuan had already made up his mind, so he was shocked and quickly hid his hands in his sleeves, pointed the short blade at the official, and shouted in a low voice:

"Read it to me! Otherwise we will all die today!"

"I……"

As Yang Wenyuan stepped on the ground step by step, the official's trembling voice began to slowly resound in the palace:
"I have been old and exhausted for a long time. I am unable to take care of the country and the people, and it is difficult for me to bear the responsibility of the ancestral temple. Therefore, I have issued a handwritten order today, ordering Prince Yan to inherit the throne!"

"Marquis Pingyang, did you hear it clearly?" Prince Yan raised the imperial edict in his hand.

Yang Wenyuan paused and smiled coldly:
"Your Majesty's imperial edicts must be drafted by the Secretariat, reviewed by the Ministry of Personnel, and then passed to the Cabinet for co-signature. What you have in your hands is only the imperial edict. Whether it is from the emperor's own will or not is not the point. However, there is a precept left by our ancestors that 'if it is not issued by the Fengge Luantai, it is not an imperial edict'. It also says that 'anything not issued by the three ministries is called an obliquely sealed imperial edict and is not effective'."

"Prince Yan, I wonder where the imperial edict in your hand came from?"

"you……!"

Prince Yan's eyes narrowed immediately, and he stared at Yang Wenyuan fiercely, waving the imperial edict in his hand vigorously, reading word by word:
"This is an official decree. How dare you... Ugh~!"

With his whole heart and soul focused on paying attention to Yang Wenyuan, Prince Yan had no idea when Gu Tingye had chosen an excellent and hidden position and shot a well-aimed arrow at him, straight into his neck.

"Hoho~!"

Victory was just around the corner, but King Yan could only weakly cover his bleeding neck and fell to the ground miserably.

Once Prince Yan fell, the remaining rebels couldn't even make a splash.

……

This coup caused a huge stir in the capital.

The only two candidates for crown prince died that night.

After restoring peace at court, the emperor's health deteriorated further and further, and he could hardly even hold court meetings.

Naturally, the emperor still has to look for the next crown prince, the heir apparent of the Great Zhou.

After much deliberation, the government naturally chose Zhao Zongquan from Yuzhou.

"what?"

"Zhao Zongquan and his son led their troops out of their fiefdom without an imperial order, concealing their identities all the way to the capital?"

"On the way, they encountered several waves of assassins sent by King Yan. The father and son were running for their lives, and they even injured their legs?"

The emperor has no flaws.

Since Zhao Zongquan and his son had no merit in saving the emperor, they were naturally not considered by the government.

After the loss of Zhao Zongquan and his son, for a time, even if the government looked through all the royal family members, it was difficult to find a better candidate.

Empress Cao played a significant role in this.

"Your Majesty, since you are adopted into the royal family, why should you be so rigid? Your Majesty was a young talent, and I still remember it in my heart."

"Besides, young people value love, and when the future comes, we won't have to worry about trivial matters."

With Empress Cao's advice, the emperor began to look for younger members of the royal family as candidates.

……

Pingyang Houfu.

Yang Wenyuan had just returned home from court.

It just so happened that Hualan invited the Sheng family to have a small gathering today.

Sheng Hong is on a day off today, so he happens to be here too.

When Yang Wenyuan came in, he saw him and Wang Ruofu chatting and laughing with Hualan, Minglan and Rulan.

When Yang Wenyuan came in, the laughter in the room stopped immediately.

Hualan was still holding her son in her arms and teasing him.

next moment.

Then he saw his father Sheng Hong stand up first, straighten his sleeves respectfully, nod slightly, and turn his head to look at the door.

Mother Wang Ruofu, and sisters Minglan and Rulan, also stood up in the same manner.

Everyone in the room bowed their heads slightly, greeting Yang Wenyuan as he walked in from the door.

Yang Wenyuan, who had just entered the door, had not had time to change into his official uniform.

Purple robe and golden belt.

The man straightens his clothes and the woman stands up. (End of this chapter)