?
Men generally hated snitches, and Vézé was no exception. After receiving the first person who came to inform him of the situation in Tianjing City, Vézé's evaluation of these fellows who secretly colluded with him was lowered.
When the second person came to inform him, Vézé was rather surprised. What was surprising was not that Vézé already knew about this information, but that it wasn't just one person who came to seek help from Vézé. When people came to meet Vézé one after another, Vézé's patience was worn down bit by bit. As the Prince Of Qi of the Taiping Rebellion, Vézé's work was also very busy. How could he have the time to listen to a group of half-truths and half-lies?
Without a choice, Vézé could only appoint his father-in-law, who had been a consultant in the King Of The East's residence, to help him receive those people. When Chen Delong personally came to visit Vézé, Vézé had no choice but to receive him personally.
Of course, Chen Delong didn't know that there were people who came to seek Vézé's support before him. Therefore, he told this secret to Vézé in a very serious manner. After that, Chen Delong looked at Vézé's calm expression and thought that Vézé had some evil intentions towards Chen Delong, which was why he was so disrespectful.
Vézé didn't intend to treat Chen Delong lightly. After cross-comparing the information provided by so many people, Vézé had already determined the general situation. The reason why he remained silent was that Vézé was considering whether he should try to stir up the situation in Tianjing City. Vézé didn't know what the remnants of the King Of The East's faction did after Yang Xiuqing was killed in history. However, from history until the collapse of the Taiping Rebellion, Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan still firmly held power. Vézé was sure that Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan wasn't someone who would willingly hand over power.
Yang Xiuqing had made Hong Xiuquan a figurehead. First, Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui had formed an alliance. Naturally, the Yang and Xiao Chaogui Alliance had formed a monopoly of power. Pope Feng Yunshan's death caused Hong Xiuquan's theocracy to lose strong grassroots support. North King Wei Changhui and Wing King Shi Dakai weren't supporters of the theocracy. This caused Hong Xiuquan, who monopolized the theocracy, to be unprecedentedly isolated. In the end, it formed a situation where Yang Xiuqing monopolized power.
Wei Changhui's killing of Yang Xiuqing directly caused the Taiping Rebellion to become a political vacuum. Anyone who wanted to seize power had no choice but to turn to Hong Xiuquan, who held the theocracy, for a source of legitimacy. Historically, Hong Xiuquan didn't hand over this power until his death. Based on this understanding, Vézé didn't believe that the King Of The East's residence could turn into a military advisor's residence.
Moreover, this suggestion was too wonderful for the King Of The East's residence. It was so wonderful that it looked like bait placed in a mousetrap. In the beginning, Vézé felt that it didn't matter if everyone in the King Of The East's residence died. What did this have to do with Vézé? However, after leaving Tianjing City, the conflict with the King Of The East's residence had temporarily ended. Now, Vézé suddenly realized that he couldn't watch the King Of The East's residence jump into the trap with a clear conscience.
As more and more people came to ask for help from Vézé, this feeling of compassion was repeatedly activated. Vézé also felt that if he didn't say a word, it would be too unreasonable. Facing Chen Degui, who could be considered an old acquaintance, Vézé really couldn't suppress this impulse. He couldn't help but sigh and say in a gentle tone, "Brother Chen, the Heavenly King said that you can establish a military advisor's residence. Do you really believe it?"
"Huh?" Chen Delong was extremely surprised. He had never considered whether the Heavenly King was trustworthy. For so long, as the King Of The East's puppet, Hong Xiuquan, Heavenly King, Yang Xiuqing, had been stripped of his power. He had no say in the actual control of Heavenly State. When the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, played with the Heavenly Father, he didn't do it sneakily. Every time the Heavenly Father descended, the princes and ministers in the city not only had to go themselves, but also brought their entire families to receive the decree. North King, Wei Changhui, once didn't bring his youngest son to receive the decree, and was even beaten. Therefore, to Chen Delong, it was already normal for the Heavenly King to listen to the King Of The East's residence. Even when the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, wasn't around, Chen Delong didn't think that Hong Xiuquan had any reason not to listen to the King Of The East's residence.
However, Chen Delong didn't feel the need to explain the internal situation of the King Of The East's residence to Vézé. After a moment of surprise, he said, "I believe in the Heavenly King!"
Seeing Chen Delong's stubborn attitude, Vézé only felt that it was funny. He continued to ask, "Brother Chen, you have also led troops before. Let me ask you something. How did North King, Wei Changhui, know that I returned to Tianjing City? The King Of The East ordered him to go to Jiangxi. How did he know that I returned to Tianjing City? You returned to Tianjing City with me. When we returned, we didn't raise any flags, nor did we make it known to everyone. At that time, you even said that I returned so quietly that I wasn't worthy of my status as the Prince Of Qi. I entered Tianjing City just like that, and not many people in Tianjing City knew that I returned. How did Wei Changhui know? Didn't you think about it? "
Chen Delong naturally knew that Vézé's Prince Of Qi residence had been attacked. Not only had he seen the charred walls, but he had also seen many corpses in the Prince Of Qi residence. With Vézé's reminder, he furrowed his brows and pondered deeply.
Seeing that Chen Delong had finally started to think, Vézé continued, "Wei Changhui and a few thousand people entered the city silently. He must have a spy. What did Wei Changhui rely on to collude with Qin Rigang? Qin Rigang had always listened to the King Of The East's orders. Why did he suddenly listen to Wei Changhui's orders willingly? There must be someone behind this, and it must be a high and mighty figure that Qin Rigang would submit to. Who do you think this person is? "
Vézé was just short of saying that the heavenly king was the mastermind of this incident. The reason why he didn't say it was because Vézé felt that the other party was definitely not a fool. After listening to these words and making some inferences, coupled with Vézé's previous doubts, he would definitely be able to conclude that there was something wrong with the heavenly king.
Chen Delong seemed to be seriously thinking about everything that Vézé said. In the end, his expression became more and more gloomy, and even a little frightened. After thinking for a long time, Chen Delong asked tentatively, "Long live the Prince Of Qi, do you think this is the heavenly king's mastermind?"
Vézé thought to himself, Is there a need to f * cking ask again? However, it would be too impolite to say so, so Vézé could only answer Chen Delong's question with a rhetorical question. "Then who else do you think it is?"
After hearing Vézé's words, Chen Delong was so frightened that he stood up. He said in a panic, "Long live the Prince Of Qi, please let me return to Tianjing City as soon as possible. Pass the news to the King Of The East's residence! "
"It's getting late. Brother Chen, why don't you stay here for the night? You can leave at daybreak! "Vézé advised.
Chen Delong seemed to be scared out of his wits, and his voice was trembling. "Long live the Prince Of Qi, I can't do that! This is such a serious matter. If I don't go back and report it immediately, what if the people from the King Of The East's residence are killed? "
"Alright! You should go back now! "Vézé felt that his conscience had finally calmed down. The guilt that had accumulated over the past few days finally disappeared completely, and the relief in his heart caused Vézé to reveal a smile that he hadn't seen in a long time.
Chen Delong led his men out of Vézé's camp in a panic. He got on his horse at the entrance of the camp and immediately rushed back to Tianjing City without looking back. Chen Delong didn't care about the sky getting dark as he hurried on his way. Fortunately, the horse wasn't injured along the way, and Chen Delong finally returned to Tianjing City in one piece at dawn.
After entering the eastern camp, Chen Delong went straight to Huang Weijiang's residence. As Huang Weijiang's nephew, and Huang Weijiang had said that he wanted Chen Delong to see him when he returned, the guards didn't dare to stop Chen Delong. It was only when he reached Huang Weijiang's bedroom that Huang Weijiang's personal guard stopped Chen Delong.
"I want to see Kuang Tianhou! I want to see Kuang Tianhou! "Chen Delong said while panting.
The personal guard hurriedly grabbed the slightly hysterical Chen Delong and advised, "Chen Jian Dian, lower your voice. Kuang Tianhou just went to sleep not long ago. If you have something to do, you can come back in the morning. It's almost daybreak now! "
"I really have something urgent to report! If you delay the important matters, Kuang Tianhou will not let you off! " Chen Delong first shouted at the guard. Seeing that the guard wouldn't let him pass, Chen Delong shouted at the top of his lungs, "Uncle, Uncle, it's me, Chen Delong. I have something urgent to report! I have something urgent to report! "
Just as the helpless personal guard was about to go in and report, Huang Weijiang's voice came from inside the room. "Let him in!"
Chen Delong pushed the guard aside and rushed into Huang Weijiang's bedroom like a gust of wind. He saw Huang Weijiang sitting up on the bed with his clothes on. He hurriedly closed the door and dragged a stool in front of Huang Weijiang. Chen Delong sat down in exhaustion. With a numb expression, Chen Delong said in fear, "Uncle! Prince Of Qi Vézé is a traitor! He was the one who colluded with the North King to kill the King Of The East! "
"Ah?" Huang Weijiang stared at Chen Delong in shock. He hadn't expected his nephew to bring back such a piece of news. Huang Weijiang hurriedly asked, "What's going on? What did Vézé say? "
Chen Delong first repeated Vézé's words, then said anxiously, "Uncle, Vézé must have colluded with Wei Changhui. Wei Changhui asked him to send a message to Qin Rigang. When I returned with him, we met Qin Rigang on the way back. Vézé even sent someone to contact Qin Rigang. It was then that he sent a message to Qin Rigang. Otherwise, why would Vézé sneak into Tianjing City? And why wasn't Vézé there when Wei Changhui killed his way into the Prince Of Qi's residence? This must be a play they are putting on! "
Huang Weijiang's expression had already calmed down. He listened to Chen Delong's explanation without asking or interrupting.
Chen Delong said with lingering fear, "Why did Vézé suddenly take away ten thousand of our men? Wasn't it to help Wei Changhui? If we dealt with Vézé first, Wei Changhui could live for a few more days. He asked us to suspect the Heavenly King because he didn't want us to kill Wei Changhui. After thinking this through, I could only pretend to go along with him. Even so, Vézé wanted me to stay in his camp until dawn. If I didn't insist on leaving, I'm afraid I would have been killed by Vézé! "
"Haha! Haha! Hahahaha … "Huang Weijiang couldn't help but laugh. Chen Delong was baffled by the laughter. He couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, it wasn't easy for me to escape with my life. Why are you laughing at me?"
Chen Delong sounded aggrieved, but he wasn't faking it. He suddenly figured out that Vézé was the mastermind behind the scenes. The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. He wished he could grow a pair of wings and immediately fly back to tell his people this big news. He didn't expect that he would only get a few "haha!" from Huang Weijiang.
Huang Weijiang was really amused by Chen Delong. He had been so depressed these days that he couldn't hold back his laughter. In the end, he accidentally choked and coughed. Chen Delong quickly went up and patted Huang Weijiang's back. It took a lot of effort to help Huang Weijiang recover his breathing.
"Delong, did you think that I didn't think that Vézé was pretending to be alive?" Huang Weijiang asked.
"Ah?" Chen Delong didn't think that Huang Weijiang had already thought of this. In the meetings he attended, none of the big shots mentioned this, so Chen Delong naturally thought that they didn't think of this.
Huang Weijiang said with a smile, "If Vézé really colluded with Wei Changhui, the first thing he would do after taking 10,000 men from us would be to attack the King Of The East's troops with Wei Changhui. But he didn't do that. If he said that he was waiting for the other troops, why would he leave the city? As long as we hold the north gate, even though we have more than 30,000 men, we still have to send 10,000 men to surround Wei Changhui. At most, we can send 20,000 men to attack Vézé. Even if Vézé can't win, he can still defend until his troops arrive. Now that he has left the city, and he doesn't have any cannons, is he going to rely on spears to break through Tianjing City's walls? "
Hearing Huang Weijiang refute him, Chen Delong panicked. "Vézé said that there must be a big shot behind the North King and the King of Yan. Now that the King Of The East is gone, Vézé immediately rose to power. If it wasn't him, who else could it be? Vézé and Wei Changhui both have the surname Wei, not Yang! "
Huang Weijiang frowned. Vézé's surname was indeed not Yang, but did that mean that Huang Weijiang and Chen Delong had the surname Yang?
"You must be tired, why don't you go and rest?" Huang Weijiang said.
Chen Delong didn't want to rest. He kept pestering Chen Delong to make him believe that Vézé was the mastermind. Seeing Chen Delong like this, Huang Weijiang couldn't help but scold him, "I told you to go and sleep, so go. Do you think I would harm you? Get lost! "
Seeing Huang Weijiang's unyielding attitude, Chen Delong could only give in.
At this time, the sky was gradually brightening. Seeing Chen Delong leave, Huang Weijiang wasn't really angry. Rushing back from Qixia Mountain to Tianjing City was not an easy task, and Chen Delong seemed to be risking his life. Chen Delong, who had worked so hard, had indeed brought back Wei Ze's true attitude. From the words he relayed, he could clearly hear Wei Ze's meaning, which was, "The Heavenly King is the mastermind behind this!"
It wasn't that Huang Weijiang hadn't thought of this before, but he didn't take it seriously, or rather, he didn't believe it.
The Heavenly King being made a mere figurehead was equivalent to being placed under house arrest among the 88 wives and hundreds of female officials in the Heavenly King's Residence. The people in charge of guarding the Heavenly King's Residence were all the King Of The East's men. Anyone who wanted to enter the Heavenly King's Residence could not avoid the King Of The East's surveillance. If the Heavenly King had secretly colluded with Wei Changhui, it was impossible for the King Of The East to not notice.
Hearing Vézé claim that the Heavenly King was the mastermind, Huang Weijiang, who was in charge of the capital's defense, naturally didn't believe it. However, he couldn't help but think along Vézé's lines. If the Heavenly King was really the mastermind, then he naturally wouldn't let the King Of The East's residence kill Wei Changhui. Now that the King Of The East's residence had Wei Changhui surrounded, although there was a difference in the combat power of the two armies, it wouldn't be too difficult to eliminate Wei Changhui once the Heavenly King's edict was issued. If it really didn't work, he could even wait until the military advisor's residence was established and then invite Vézé to enter the city to eliminate Wei Changhui.
However, if the Heavenly King didn't want Wei Changhui to die, given the current situation, then the King Of The East's residence would have to die. Thinking of this, Huang Weijiang couldn't help but shiver. But after a moment, he couldn't help but laugh.
The King Of The East's residence's Minister of the East was the administrative system of the Heavenly State. All the civil officials came from the King Of The East's residence. Each of the six ministries had twelve ministers, which made a total of seventy-two people. Each of the seventy-two ministers had more than ten or even dozens of aides. With this calculation, there were more than a thousand people. In an army of thirty to forty thousand people, there were more than a thousand officers above the rank of Sima. If he wanted to eliminate the King Of The East's residence, he would have to kill these thousands of people.
Although Huang Weijiang felt horrified and fearful for a moment, he quickly understood. Although the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan was a mere figurehead, the Heavenly State was still the Heavenly King's Heavenly State. If the King Of The East's residence was really destroyed, then the entire center of the Heavenly State would be gone. Huang Weijiang really couldn't see why the Heavenly King would do this. Most importantly, he didn't want to continue thinking along this line of thought!
However, what Vézé said wasn't without reason. There must be an important person behind this. Who could it be? Since the Prince Of Qi and Vézé didn't seem suspicious at the moment, then this person was most likely the Wing King Shi Dakai.
Huang Weijiang felt a headache coming on. If the mastermind was the Wing King Shi Dakai, then when the North King killed the King Of The East, Shi Dakai would definitely be rushing back from the Hubei frontlines. In a few days, he would probably be able to lead the army back to Tianjing City. If North King Wei Changhui and the Wing King Shi Dakai couldn't be dealt with quickly, the King Of The East's residence would be in danger.
Huang Weijiang had already gotten up. He had changed into his court attire for meeting the Heavenly King. After eating breakfast, he went to the main tent. Right now, the main tent was filled with the officials of the King Of The East's residence dressed in court attire. Everyone's expressions were filled with nervousness and anticipation.
Yesterday, Heavenly King Zuo Tianhou, Chen Cheng? After bringing back the Heavenly King's decree, the Heavenly King had agreed to change the King Of The East's residence to the Military Counselor's residence. However, the Heavenly King had also requested that the Military Counselor's residence could be managed by the Military Counselor's residence, but without the Heavenly King's decree, no one could increase or decrease the number of people in the residence. To ensure this, the Heavenly King wanted the people from the Military Counselor's residence to receive the decree. Of course, the number of people would naturally be decided by the King Of The East's residence. The next morning, the people from the Military Counselor's residence went to meet the Heavenly King.
Zuo Tianhou Chen Cheng? After bringing back this news, the entire King Of The East's residence was in a state of joy. After establishing the King Of The East's residence, the members of the Military Counselor's residence immediately soared to the heavens. They were no longer the private officials of the King Of The East. Instead, they had become the true core of Heavenly State. From now on, power would only flow within the Military Counselor's residence and would not be leaked outside.
The debate immediately began. Everyone argued endlessly about the number of people in the Military Counselor's residence. This group of core members, of course, wanted to join the Military Counselor's residence. Moreover, everyone hoped to be able to squeeze their sons and relatives into the Military Counselor's residence.
The argument lasted for most of the night. Finally, Chen Cheng In the end, Chen Cheng suggested that apart from the generals and the Minister of the East Palace, these core members could each bring a trusted aide to join the Military Counselor's residence. Each core member could decide who they would bring to the Military Counselor's residence, but everyone had the same quota. They could only bring one.
Huang Weijiang naturally brought his most trusted son. The others naturally did the same as Huang Weijiang, bringing their most trusted people, be it his son, brother, or other relatives.
Since they were going to meet the Heavenly King, everyone naturally put on their official robes. The room was filled with bright yellow official robes, as well as all kinds of embroidered gold official hats. Everyone was looking forward to it. It seemed that the passing of the King Of The East had only opened up a better future for these subordinates. Not only had they taken over the King Of The East's authority, but they had also risen to a higher level, obtaining authority that even the King Of The East had never obtained. Now, after the ceremony at the Heavenly King's residence and the Heavenly King's edict, everything would be set in stone.
Chen Cheng? He was the last to enter the hall. The moment he entered, everyone immediately surrounded him. Everyone was excited and nervous. They kept asking Zuo Tianhou Chen, who had met the Heavenly King many times. When meeting the Heavenly King, they had to pay attention to etiquette. They were afraid that if they made a mistake, the Heavenly King would revoke their right to enter the Military Counselor's residence.
After patiently explaining things to everyone, Zuo Tianhou Chen Cheng looked out of the tent. He looked outside the tent and said, "Everyone, the sky is bright. Let's go see the Heavenly King now!"
Everyone had been waiting anxiously. Although they wanted to appear more reserved and walk slowly, when an impatient person appeared in the group, everyone quickened their pace. This kind of mass movement didn't naturally intensify from the start.
Some people walked quickly, while others were pushed forward by the people behind them. Some wanted to catch up to the others as quickly as possible, so they naturally quickened their pace. When one person quickened his pace, everyone else quickened their pace. Fortunately, the tent wasn't far from the entrance, so there wasn't a tragic stampede. However, when everyone reached the entrance, they basically ran out.
At this moment, the palanquins of the King Of The East's residence's high officials were waiting at the entrance. Most of them had palanquins carried by eight people, while some with high status had sixteen. The high-ranking officials rushed to their palanquins and immediately got into them.
As for Zuo Tianhou Chen Cheng? After all, he was in charge of contacting the King Of The East's residence and the Heavenly King. If his palanquin didn't move, everyone else couldn't move either. Zuo Tianhou Chen Cheng? After everyone had entered their palanquins, he climbed into his own.
"Let's go!" Chen Cheng shouted from within the palanquin, and the bearers carried the palanquins forward. One by one, the sedan chairs of the important officials of the East Prince's Mansion and their trusted aides were also lifted, following Chen Cheng Hou. Chen Cheng Cheng's palanquin left first.
PS: This chapter won't be updated today.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
