Several generals received the order and immediately led their troops out of the city to capture the people at Jiatong Pass and Lingque Pass.
Inside the Western Palace, everyone was overjoyed. They hadn't expected Feng Zixiao to successfully seize the throne; now the Great Zhou Dynasty was finally at peace.
However, if Jia Tong Pass, Ling Que Pass, and Jiang Ba Tian's son were to rebel, the Great Zhou Dynasty would still be in chaos, and everyone couldn't help but worry again.
Fortunately, Jiang Batian has been eliminated. Although the Jiang family has soldiers and generals, those soldiers and generals are unlikely to rebel. Who would want to be a traitor?
Within the Western Palace, the happiest person was none other than Feng Qian. Upon hearing that her elder brother had reclaimed the throne, she felt that all the injuries she had suffered were worthwhile. She smiled broadly and was full of energy. At noon, a sedan chair arrived from the palace to take Feng Qian into the palace.
Hai Ling saw her to the door, and Feng Qian reluctantly held her hand.
The two women had been together for a while, and the thought of parting was truly heartbreaking. They held hands tightly, talking reluctantly.
"Qian'er, you should take good care of your injuries in the palace. I will soon be leaving the Great Zhou Dynasty for Bei Lu."
"Could you come and see me before you leave?"
"Okay, I'll definitely visit you before I leave."
The sight of these two women reluctantly parting made the two men's faces darken, filled with jealousy. People say women don't have friendships, right? Why are these two women so close? So close that it makes them envious. Then, the two men exchanged a glance and simultaneously stepped forward to separate the two women.
Feng Qianyou, unwilling to give up, reminded Hailing, "Don't forget."
“I remember,” Hai Ling nodded, then winked at Feng Qian: “You should also seriously consider your own affairs. Someone is not bad.”
This last sentence finally satisfied Helian Qianxun somewhat. Looking at Qian'er again, her face was full of shyness as she returned to the carriage. Helian Qianxun's face was radiant, her spirits soaring, as she escorted the palace carriage all the way into the palace.
Originally, everything was going well, but who knew that in the evening, the entire capital would be shrouded in a cold wind and rain.
Jiang Batian's sons, Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao, led a large number of soldiers to surround the entire capital, vowing to shed blood in the capital and avenge Jiang Batian.
Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao had already received a letter from Jiang Feixue saying that their father was in trouble and that they should lead their troops back to the capital. In fact, she wanted to use Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao to make Feng Zixiao's throne unstable. She was determined to get rid of Feng Zixiao and avenge her child.
Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao had no idea what their sister was thinking. They assumed it was their father's idea and led a portion of the troops back to the capital.
Upon returning to the capital, he received a message from his younger sister, Jiang Feixue, saying that their father had been killed by Feng Zixiao and others. Now, their Jiang family was considered traitors. They were going to die whether they made a fuss or not, so they might as well massacre the city. Killing one would be enough, and killing two would be a bonus. So, around 3:30 PM, the two sons of the Jiang family, under the leadership of the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, surrounded the capital.
Some of Jiang Batian's men who followed him back to the capital were his confidants, while the rest were simply following the trend. They had originally thought that by returning to the capital to lend their support, they could gain opportunities for promotion and wealth. However, as soon as they returned to the capital, some of them received news that Jiang Batian was about to be killed, and that the current emperor was not the former fifth prince, Prince Shou, but the late emperor Feng Zixiao, who was supposed to be dead. Feng Zixiao had not only regained the throne but also enjoyed the support of civil and military officials. Upon hearing this, these men were terrified. They did not want to bear the infamy of being traitors, but now that they were under the control of Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao, and with their Jiang family's confidants scattered throughout the ranks, they dared not openly declare that they would not rebel. So they simply followed behind, waving flags and shouting slogans.
In the capital, many court officials were summoned to the palace by the emperor to discuss how to deal with Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao.
In the Imperial Study, Feng Zixiao coldly glanced at the Minister of War. This man had previously been Jiang Batian's right-hand man, and Feng Zixiao hadn't made a move against him yet, but it was hard to say what would happen once everything settled down.
In the Emperor's eyes, the Minister of War was a man trembling with fear, wiping the sweat from his brow as he spoke.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."
"Speak."
Feng Zixiao spoke slowly and deliberately, while the Minister of War reported in a panic: "I have a way to get rid of Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao."
"explain."
The current Feng Zixiao is different from the emperor of the past. He is gloomy and cold, and his whole body has the domineering aura of an emperor as well as a kind of ruthlessness. The fact that he is alive and able to kill Jiang Batian is the best proof. Therefore, none of the ministers in the court who were close to Jiang Batian in the past do not want to make amends for their crimes. They do not seek promotion or titles, but only hope to save the lives of their families.
The Minister of War cautiously began, “I was previously forced by Jiang Batian’s tyranny and became very close to the Jiang family. Therefore, the two Jiang brothers trust me greatly. Moreover, I know who the Jiang family’s confidants are. Tonight, I can secretly lead troops out of the city, pretend to leak information to the Jiang brothers, and then eliminate the Jiang brothers and some of their confidants. Then, I can hang these treacherous ministers outside the city gates, which should deter the rebellious army outside the city. Then, Your Majesty can send someone out to pardon these people and order them to be reorganized. In this way, we can both eliminate the Jiang brothers and take over the troops.”
After the Minister of War finished speaking, Feng Zixiao, who was sitting at the head of the table, looked much better. However, apart from him, the ministers in the court were very disdainful of this Minister of War. This man really knew how to stab people in the back. Before, he was so close to Jiang Batian. I didn't expect that after he died, he would scheme against the Jiang family's brothers like this.
"Good, good. If this matter is accomplished, I will reward you handsomely."
Feng Zixiao gave the order in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, the Minister of War finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that tonight's mission could only succeed, not fail. If he failed, it wouldn't just be his life that would be lost, but also the lives of his entire family of hundreds. Therefore, he had to succeed in one fell swoop to protect his family. With this in mind, he slowly spoke.
"I do not seek any reward, but only to atone for my mistake."
"What a fine idea, not seeking reward, but only seeking to atone for the mistake. I grant it."
Feng Zixiao didn't make things difficult for him. If the Minister of War could really get rid of Jiang Batian tonight, then he could spare his family's lives.
The Minister of War received the order and immediately went to the Ministry of War to mobilize troops and then secretly left the city to meet with the Jiang brothers.
As for Feng Zixiao, he did not completely trust the Minister of War, so he secretly dispatched palace guards to keep an eye on the Minister of War's family. If they made any unusual moves, they would be killed without mercy.
If any of these people dare to betray him again, none of them will live. His eyes were filled with sinister ruthlessness.
Inside the main hall of the West Mansion.
There were quite a few people sitting there, all of them with grim expressions. At the head of the table sat Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling, and below them sat Ji Shaocheng, Nalan Mingzhu, Shen Ruoxuan, and Shi Mei and others.
Hai Ling glanced around at everyone in the hall, then looked at Ye Lingfeng: "Do you think we should help Feng Zixiao?"
Ye Lingfeng shook his head. Now that Feng Zixiao has regained the throne and is the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, even though the enemy is at the gates, as the emperor, he must be able to remain calm in the face of danger. Moreover, he will encounter many things in the future, and if he does not handle them well, there will still be trouble later. Therefore, they do not need to interfere in this matter and cause trouble.
"Let Feng Zixiao handle it. If he needs it, he will definitely come to us. The fact that he hasn't means he's capable of handling it, so why should we interfere?"
After Ye Lingfeng finished speaking, Hai Ling stopped talking. To be honest, she had no good feelings towards Feng Cixiao at all. If it weren't for Feng Qian, she wouldn't bother with him.
What Ye said makes a lot of sense. This is a matter of state for the Great Zhou Dynasty. The fact that Feng Zixiao didn't come to them shows that he knows what's going on. So why should they, as people of the Northern Lu Kingdom, bother with such matters?
The people in the main hall also agreed with Ye Lingfeng's approach. They believed that such matters should not be handled with excessive involvement to avoid controversy.
Inside the West Mansion, everyone reached a consensus and stopped paying attention to the soldiers blocking the city walls. They rested and ate in peace, preparing to leave the Great Zhou Dynasty at any time and head to Northern Lu.
The next day, several naked corpses were hanging on the tall city walls of the capital, among them Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao.
It turned out that the Minister of War had left the city last night, and as he had predicted, the Jiang brothers, having heard that the Emperor suspected him and wanted to take action against him, decided to leave the city to seek refuge with them. The two Jiang brothers were very happy, and in their joy, they all sat down to drink together. The Minister of War was not only skilled in martial arts but also had a deep understanding of poisons, so he poisoned the wine. The eldest daughter of the Jiang family had tried to stop him, but the two Jiang brothers, usually suppressed by Jiang Batian, didn't have much of a say in the matter. They were in a good mood and paid no attention to the girl, drinking to their hearts' content. Once they were all poisoned, he ordered the soldiers who had brought them out of the city to strangle Jiang Wenzhen and Jiang Wenhao to death. He originally wanted to deal with the Jiang family's daughter, but she escaped, so in the end, he had no choice but to kill some of the Jiang family's confidants and hang them all on the city wall.