"Yes!" Fan Zhuan accepted the order and left the study. There were many unfamiliar faces, all of whom were cultivators sent to protect the Emperor.
The entire Gao Residence was very quiet. Other than some servants who had to be ordered around, everyone was forbidden to leave their rooms. Some were even gathered together to watch over them.
Everyone in the Gao Residence had a vague feeling that something big was about to happen …
The officials dared not delay the Grand Minister of Public Works' summons in the middle of the night and rushed over.
They didn't know why they were summoned, but when they arrived, they realized that the Gao Residence had turned into a court meeting.
Many people muttered to themselves, 'Is this okay? Isn't Lord Gao afraid that His Majesty will be unhappy if he finds out?
No matter what, even if the sky falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up. Since they're here, there's no harm in listening to what's going on. '
When everyone had arrived, the crowded officials waited for a while before Gao Jiancheng appeared. Everyone stood up and cupped their hands in greeting.
Gao Jiancheng sat on the host's seat and gestured for everyone to sit down. He said in a dignified manner, "I'm sure many of you here have heard that the leaders of the three major sects entered the palace and that His Majesty was denied an audience with them."
The crowd looked at each other but no one said anything. Shang Yongzhong, who was sitting beside Gao Jiancheng, rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, 'What is this old fox up to?'
Gao Jiancheng continued, "I'm sure everyone has heard that after Prince Yong destroyed the Waning Moon Pavilion, he publicly accused His Majesty of being the culprit behind King Ning's murder."
No one dared to make a sound when it came to this kind of matter. They remained silent, and some of them even lowered their heads and pretended not to hear anything.
Gao Jiancheng looked around and said something truly shocking. "The three major sects have made a decision to abolish His Majesty and replace him with Prince Yong!"
"Ah!" There was an uproar and some people even stood up in shock.
Shang Yongzhong was one of them. He asked in shock, "Grand Minister of Public Works, how did this happen?"
Gao Jiancheng raised his hand and gestured for those who stood up to sit down. He continued, "The change will happen tonight. The palace is now under the control of the three major sects."
Fan Zhuan came with a servant. The servant was holding a tray with an item covered with a red cloth.
After the tray was revealed, Fan Zhuan removed the red cloth, revealing a severed head. The face of the severed head was revealed for everyone to see.
Someone cried out in surprise, "The Garda Mansion Token!"
Gao Jiancheng waved his hand, and Fan Zhuan retreated with the tray. "That's right. Just before you arrived, the Lord of the Garde Prefecture took the risk to leave the palace and come to my place. However, as soon as he stepped out, he was killed. The intentions of the three major sects are very clear. If Your Majesty refuses to comply, then Your Majesty and the princes' lives will be in danger. Your Majesty's attitude is naturally firm. However, as your subjects, we cannot sit by and watch Your Majesty's life be at risk. We must do our best to protect Your Majesty. What do you all think? "
Everyone's eyes flashed as they pondered over the situation. Then, someone asked, "How do we protect them?"
Gao Jiancheng said simply, "If we order Yan Emperor to obey, the three factions will naturally not make things difficult for Your Majesty."
Everyone looked at each other.
Gao Jiancheng understood that if he didn't express his stance, no one would dare to do so. He said, "The three major sects have already promised this old man that if we can ensure the smooth transfer of power to Yan Emperor, Your Majesty's safety will be guaranteed!"
What do you mean by the three major sects have already promised you? The crowd wasn't stupid. They had already reached an agreement with the three major sects!
Shang Yongzhong said in a low voice, "Lord Gao, we have a grudge with Prince Yong. Once Prince Yong ascends to the throne, there will be no way for us to survive!"
He was the one who was the most afraid. Back when they were quelling the rebellion at Wugong Ridge, he had personally captured Shang Chaozong and escorted him to the capital, causing Shang Chaozong to suffer greatly and almost causing Shang Chaozong to lose his life.
Gao Jiancheng said, "Prince is worrying too much. In terms of offense, I have done more than Prince. Prince Yong has already promised me to let bygones be bygones. Prince, even I am not afraid. What do you have to be afraid of? "
Good heavens! Everyone exclaimed in their hearts. It seemed that this person had already colluded with Shang Chaozong.
Gao Jiancheng assured everyone that Shang Chaozong wouldn't settle the score with them and promised that everything would be the same as before. It was nothing more than a change of master in the imperial court.
He was now the leader of the royalist faction and had been secretly working for Nanzhou for many years. Many of the important officials in the imperial court were personally guided by him. His years of eliminating dissidents weren't in vain. With him as the guarantor, his people naturally wouldn't have any objections.
Gao Jiancheng made his intentions clear and also made his stance clear. After receiving everyone's response, he immediately made arrangements.
What everyone needed to do now was to prevent the palace from using some unknown channel to send a message to their own people in order to stabilize the situation.
In other words, without their permission, the people in the various regions were not to obey the imperial court's edict. This was to ensure that nothing would happen in the various regions and ensure the smooth transfer of imperial authority.
After the crowd dispersed, Shang Yongzhong sat in his seat in a daze. He knew that these people in front of him held great and small authority in the Yan Kingdom. With these people rebelling, coupled with the suppression from the cultivators of the three major sects, Shang Jianxiong couldn't stir up any waves.
He sat there in a daze. He didn't even know when Gao Jiancheng had walked up to him.
"Prince, why are you in a daze?" Gao Jiancheng asked.
Shang Yongzhong snapped out of his daze and raised his head to look at him. He sighed. "Lord Gao, His Majesty values and trusts you so much, yet you've wiped out His Majesty's imperial court. How can His Majesty endure this?"
Gao Jiancheng said, "Prince, the three major sects are standing on Prince Yong's side. How long can we resist? If His Majesty wants to fight to the death with Prince Yong, are we going to be buried with him? Prince, you didn't say anything earlier. I only want you to say one thing. Choose His Majesty or Prince Yong? "
Shang Yongzhong turned to look at the night sky outside and smiled bitterly. "If I don't agree, I'm afraid I'll become the next eunuch the moment I step out of this door. Do I even have a choice? "
Gao Jiancheng said, "It's good that Prince understands. You're Commander-in-Chief Yan. The garrison of Gyeonggi knows that you're His Majesty's trusted aide. The garrison of Gyeonggi is His Majesty's trusted aide. We need you to control the situation to prevent chaos in the capital. "
Shang Yongzhong shook his head. "My position as Commander-in-Chief is just a decoration. His Majesty holds all the military power in Gyeonggi. If His Majesty makes a move, the army will definitely come to rescue him. How can I control this? It's useless even if I shout myself hoarse."
Gao Jiancheng said, "That's why I need you to step out and use His Majesty's decree to arrest and replace the commander of Gyeonggi on a groundless charge. Prince, you're someone who has been immersed in military affairs for many years. You should know who to replace to stabilize the situation."
Shang Yongzhong was stunned. "Fake His Majesty's decree?"
Gao Jiancheng nodded. "The palace will send His Majesty's imperial seal. We have the final say on how the decree is written. Prince, you have to be quick. If you're too late and the news spreads, things might get ugly! Prince Yong will definitely let bygones be bygones. Prince, Prince Yong is waiting in Nanzhou. This is your last chance. You can't miss it! "
Shang Yongzhong really didn't want to get involved in this matter. It would be better to keep the situation as it was. However, the situation before him was clear. Without the support of the three major sects, His Majesty could only do something desperate. It would be difficult to change the final outcome.
So he stood up and nodded in silence.
Gao Jiancheng immediately summoned a group of cultivators to accompany Shang Yongzhong on his business.
That night, Shang Yongzhong became the busiest of all the participants.
He took control of the Grand Council with the Emperor's "decree" and then rushed to various garrisons in the capital. He traveled through the night to announce the "decree" to arrest batch after batch of generals on groundless charges and replace them with more reliable people. He also ordered the garrisons to leave the capital to quell the rebellion. No matter what, he had to move the troops away from the capital first.
Once he made a decision, he was ruthless. After taking away the generals on groundless charges, he didn't hold them for interrogation. He brought them to a deserted place and beheaded them to prevent any unforeseen events.
In one night, hundreds of heads fell from the heads of the garrisons in the capital.
Before they took action, Purple Golden Cave had already mobilized the troops within their sphere of influence and ordered them to rush to the capital at top speed.
All kinds of unusual movements of people were transmitted to the Grand Council through military intelligence, or there were intelligence officers who secretly reported it.
However, the Grand Council was already under Shang Yongzhong's control. All abnormal movements were suppressed by Shang Yongzhong. It was useless to report it to the Emperor. The Emperor had already been secretly placed under house arrest by the three major sects.
In the Intelligence Department, Chief Minister of the Imperial Household Tian Yu was also secretly controlled, along with the Emperor.
To put it bluntly, this was a large-scale coup involving both the inside and the outside.
After dealing with external affairs, the palace gates opened wide. Shang Yongzhong led a group of troops into the palace to rescue the Emperor. He took control of the Imperial Guards in the palace with the Emperor's decree.
The various government offices in the capital were not blind. They all sensed the comings and goings of these troops. However, they were all suppressed by their chief officials. They were ordered not to act rashly and to handle affairs as usual.
That night, even some common people felt that the atmosphere in the capital was a bit strange.
After confirming that the situation inside and outside the capital was under control, the three major sects breathed a sigh of relief. Some people finally revealed their fangs.
At daybreak, in the sealed imperial study.
Shang Jianxiong, who sat behind the imperial desk, stayed up all night. His eyes were bloodshot, and he smashed a pile of things on the ground.
Chief Minister of the Imperial Household Tian Yu paced back and forth anxiously in the imperial study, waiting for news.
There was a burst of footsteps outside. Shen Baochun, the elder of Purple Golden Cave, led people into the sealed imperial study. He faced Shang Jianxiong and said indifferently, "Your Majesty, give the decree!"
Bang! Shang Jianxiong slammed the table and stood up. He said angrily, "If you have the ability, then kill me!"
They wanted him to hand over power and make Shang Chaozong the Regent? In their dreams!
Shen Baochun sneered and ignored him. If Shang Jianxiong didn't give the decree himself, someone would naturally give it for him. He turned around and walked in front of Tian Yu, staring at her. "Chief Minister Tian, hand over the secret list of the Intelligence Department!" There were some important lists that only Tian Yu knew.
Tian Yu smiled and bowed. "Elder Shen, this matter requires His Majesty's decree."
"Is that so? Do you think it's important whether you give it or not? " Shen Baochun said disdainfully. It was indeed not important. Having fewer spies wouldn't affect the overall situation. However, this guy who was under house arrest could still send people out to leak information. He was not simple. Keeping him by Shang Jianxiong's side was even more dangerous.
Swish! He suddenly pulled out his sword. The cold light of the sword sank into Tian Yu's heart.
Swish! The sword returned to its sheath.
Shang Jianxiong's eyes widened as he watched Tian Yu, whose face was filled with pain, slowly fall down.
PS: Tonight might be even worse.
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