The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 286 Revenge
At dawn, thick smoke billowed over the Forbidden City and horses and people neighed on the streets of Chang'an.

Under the two black dragon and tiger banners, two thousand soldiers from the First and Second Guards Armies were arranged into neat square formations and passed quickly in front of Chang'an Avenue.

The soldiers were all wearing bright helmets and iron armor, drawing their bows, holding long arrows, carrying muskets, wearing round shields, and hanging long swords and short axes on their waists, and running quickly with their mouths full of gags.

Every five infantry teams were equipped with an artillery flag team, and the four-pound field guns followed behind the square formation, rumbling through the streets, attracting the people of the capital to stop and watch.

The people of the capital, who were used to seeing the world, looked on coldly at the army before them.

All the shops on both sides of Chaotianmen Street were open, and pedestrians were coming and going. Most people hid on the side of the road. The whole street was silent, and the only sounds were the orderly footsteps of soldiers and the neighing of horses.

At the beginning of noon, it was getting closer and closer to the "auspicious time" mentioned by Kang Yingqian.

The commander of the Kaiyuan army, Liu Zhaosun, Marquis of Pingliao, wore a Ming helmet, a first-grade crane robe, rode a black horse, and entered Deshengmen surrounded by more than a hundred guards.

Eunuch Wang Dehua led hundreds of remaining eunuchs in the Forbidden City to go out to welcome them. Under the guidance of this old eunuch, Ping Liaohou led Kang Yingqian, Qiao Yiqi, Sun Chuanting, Ma Shiying and others into the imperial city from the West Chang'an Gate.

Seeing the flames rising from the direction of Huangji Palace in the distance, Ping Liaohou frowned and looked back at Kang Yingqian. Kang Yingqian looked pleased and stepped forward and whispered:

"Just now, I asked Marquis Ping Liao to enter the city later so that we could complete the charade. Now everything is ready. Follow Marquis Ping Liao's instructions and hide him away. The person burned to death was a eunuch. When we go to the Huangji Palace later, Marquis Ping Liao will be very sad..."

Liu Zhaosun stood on his horse, facing the flames in the sky, and listened patiently to Kang Yingqian's chatter.

At the last moment, he still couldn't bear to kill Zhu Youxiao.

Ever since Jin Yu Ji was in danger, he began to believe in cause and effect.

Perhaps everything is destined by heaven.

Just like the Chenqiao mutiny led by Zhao Kuangyin of the Northern Song Dynasty, bullying the orphans and widows of the Chai family, in the end, Zhao Kuangyin's own son also suffered a miserable fate.

All Ping Liaohou needed to do was to destroy Zhu Youxiao's political life.

There are many ways to destroy a person's political life. Physical destruction is only one of them, and it is often not necessarily effective.

If everyone in the world knew that Chongzhen was dead, then rebelling in the name of Chongzhen would be a loss-making endeavor.

During the Jingnan Campaign, Prince of Yan Zhu Di burned his own nephew to death, then pretended to do something and sent people to search everywhere, just to make people think that Emperor Jianwen was still alive, so as to silence the gossips and avoid being infamous as a regicide.

Liu Zhaosun is going to do the opposite today.

He wanted to keep Zhu Youxiao alive and die at the same time.

When everyone thought Zhu Youxiao was dead, then his life was the same as his death;
When everyone thought that Zhu Yunwen was alive, then he would be immortal even after his death.

However, if Zhu Youxiao did not die, others would die.

"Has Xu Xianchun been caught?"

"Don't worry, Marquis Ping Liao. He's been caught long ago. All the Nine Gates are our people. Where else can he escape? He's now being held in front of the Huangji Palace with the other officials. He's been beaten half to death by the guards."

Liu Zhaosun reined in his horse and stood, saying to Kang Yingqian:

"The Emperor died for his country, and the factory manager should follow him. Xu Xianchun must die, and he must die gloriously."

"Let's go, follow me to the Imperial Palace."

~~~~~~
"Marquis Ping Liao! Is this the time to weep and be a loyal subject? We must immediately support the new ruler, stabilize the people's hearts, and put an end to the scoundrels' rebellious intentions!"

"Let me go, don't stop me, I want to go in and save the emperor! Your Majesty! I am late in coming to save the emperor, and I deserve to die! Your Majesty!"

In the Huangji Hall of the Qianqing Palace, a raging fire burned to the sky.

The officials who had been "invited" from their respective homes all hunched their necks and watched the scene before them in fear. Behind them stood the Kaiyuan soldiers, all holding sharp blades, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

Xu Xianchun, the director of the Dongjishi Factory, was covered in blood and tied up. Two guards held his shoulders and he knelt in front of the blazing fire like a pool of rotten meat.

Kang Yinggan, his beard and hair white, panting, repeatedly pulled Ping Liaohou out from under the burning hall's porch, but Liu Zhaosun struggled back in. Finally, Qiao Yiqi, Ma Shiying, and the others rushed forward, and together, like an eagle catching a chick, they dragged Ping Liaohou to safety.

Black smoke billowed from the eaves of the Huangji Palace, the beams and corners crackled in the fire, and the air was filled with the stench of burning human flesh.

The scorching air waves made people feel hot all over. Being in it, it seemed as if they would die for their country along with Emperor Chongzhen in the next moment.

Liu Zhaosun was heartbroken, and the gradually collapsing palace in front of him was reflected in his red eyes.

The Ming Dynasty is finally coming to an end.

Several eunuchs in charge came with buckets of water to put out the fire.

Liu Zhaosun looked back at Kang Yingqian and was surprised to find that Old Kang had been covered with a piece of linen at some point.

Looking at his expression, he was sadder than if his father had died.

"emperor!"

Suddenly, Kang Yingqian let out a wail, his nasal sound dragged on for too long, and he couldn't catch his breath, almost suffocating.

"Who are these traitors who set the fire and murdered the Emperor? Heaven's net is vast and boundless. I, along with the Ministry of Justice and the Pacification Bureau, will investigate thoroughly and bring the murderer to justice!"

Liu Zhaosun had not slept all night and was exhausted after crying bitterly. He was awakened by Kang Yinggan's crying in a trance. He took a piece of linen and covered himself with it.

"General Kang is right. We must investigate! Find the culprit! Avenge the Emperor!"

Ma Shiying jumped out and pointed at Xu Xianchun who was kneeling on the ground and said:
"Marquis Ping Liao, let's start investigating this dog eunuch first!" The guards brought up several palace maids.

Kang Yingqian brought the palace maids before the officials and said to them loudly:
"I heard that you all saw the arsonist. Now you can see clearly who it was that set the fire in the Qianqing Palace? Point it out to me!"

All the officials present in the capital were pale and trembling all over. They all knew that Liu Zhaosun would not let them go when he came to the capital this time.

A month ago, it was these officials in the capital who instigated the court to torture the Kaiyuan envoy to death and encouraged the court to go to war with Ping Liaohou.

A military official who was kneeling in front of Kang Yingqian was so scared that he wet his pants.

Liu Zhaosun glanced at everyone with a cold expression, and finally looked at Xu Xianchun who was kneeling on the ground.

He staggered and walked step by step to the enemy:

"Why are you so cruel? You even spared no one but a baby less than a month old!"

Xu Xianchun shuddered and raised his face slightly. His left eye was beaten by the guards, leaving only a bloody socket. His right eye was full of fear, and his body trembled rhythmically as his eyeballs moved.

Liu Zhaosun was so furious that the goose-feather knife on his body began to clang, as if it was about to break free from the sheath and jump out to kill people.

The once majestic Nine Thousand Years Old now prostrated himself on the ground, begging in a low voice:
"Lord Liu, please spare me. We are telling the truth about General Anyuan and her child. We really know nothing about it. It was all that bastard Zeng Qixiao who took action. Last June, we only sent him to Liaodong to gather information. He didn't expect that."

"I didn't expect him to cause so much trouble later, killing the people of Kaiyuan, taking away Song Yingsheng, and even wanting to kill the wife of Ping Liaohou. My family, my family now wishes we could chop this bastard into pieces. General Liu, I am innocent!"

Marquis Ping Liao remained silent.

"Marquis Ping Liao."

Xu Xianchun continued tentatively.

"We have some connections in Nanzhili. If Marquis Ping Liao is interested, we can arrange for some top-quality Yangzhou skinny horses, no less handsome than General Anyuan..."

"Our home..."

Liu Zhaosun suddenly began to breathe rapidly and gasp for breath, which soon turned into low groans.

Seeing this, Kang Yingqian hurried forward and patted him on the back. Qiao Yiqi took the coconut ladle and handed him some water.

Liu Zhaosun knelt on the ground, looking at the fire in front of him, his eyes empty, as if he had lost his soul.

His child was just born and left the world in a hurry without even having the chance to see his father.

He was not by his woman's side when she needed protection the most.

For the past few months, I have kept myself busy every day, falling asleep as soon as I lay down, and then continuing to work after waking up. I dare not be idle.

Today, the capital is under his control, and his enemy is kneeling in front of him, looking at him cautiously.

When I heard the words "Yangzhou Skinny Horse", a regret and anger that I had never felt before suddenly surged in my heart.

The sadness that had been accumulating for half a year gradually overflowed the dam and finally broke out completely at this moment.

The scene of his first meeting with Jin Yuji at Hunjiang River appeared before his eyes again.

Jiang Hongli treated her as a plaything, and Jiang Hongli died.

In their eyes, the woman they deeply love is just a plaything that can be replaced at will.

In that case, I'll make you my playthings!
"Ping Liao Hou, spare my life! When Ping Liao Hou succeeds to the throne, we will serve you like slaves and serve you diligently."

Before Xu Xianchun could finish speaking, Liu Zhaosun let out a beast-like howl from his throat. He used all his strength to lift the factory manager, and regardless of Xu Xianchun's struggle, he threw his enemy straight into the fire.

Xu Xianchun howled in pain, and was immediately engulfed by the flames, turning into a running fireball.

In the raging fire, Xu Xianchun's flesh burst with crackling sounds, and the stench of burning human flesh wafted around.

Liu Zhaosun watched the fireball stop struggling and gradually merge into the surrounding sea of fire.

At this time, the two palace maids finally raised their hands tremblingly and slowly pointed at Xu Xianchun who had been burned to charcoal.

"Yes, it was the factory manager who set the fire."

"Who else? Don't be afraid, tell me one by one!"

Thousands of soldiers and civilians witnessed this horrific scene with their mouths wide open.

Kang Yingqian turned around and whispered a few words to Sen Ti who was still in a daze beside him.

Dongguanzi brought a dozen or so instructors and shouted:
"Marquis Ping Liao's devotion to his emperor and father is as clear as day and moon. He was heartbroken upon hearing that the emperor had been murdered. We must also avenge the emperor! Kill the treacherous ministers!"

Two thousand soldiers shouted in unison like puppets, shaking the palace.

"Kill the traitor and avenge our hatred!"

"Kill the traitor! Avenge our hatred!"

Kang Yingqian looked back at the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground and trembling, and said with a smile:
"As you all have seen, Xu Xianchun has been executed. So, are there other culprits? I believe there are. Marquis Ping Liao has devoted all his energy and efforts to this campaign, and just now he almost died for his country! Are you traitors or loyalists? Who is Xu Xianchun's accomplice? We must test you to find out. Please pay donations according to your rank to support the Jingnan Army! Those who donate the most will be treated as loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty, just like Marquis Ping Liao!"

(End of this chapter)