My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 158 The Great General Returns

Ta-da-da.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves rang out, splashing mud and water everywhere they went.

Erzhu Rong urged his horse onward with all his might, not daring to stop for a moment. His face was full of fear, and he would look back every now and then!
He only stopped when the horse was exhausted and could run no more.

Ignoring the mud and water on the ground, he lay down and listened intently. As a member of a grassland tribe, he had been dealing with horses since childhood and had the ability to judge the number of people by the sound of horses' hooves. Erzhu Rong also possessed this skill.

Judging from the sound of hooves, he realized there were only a few riders behind him, who must have been his own men, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

really.

Not a moment.

Erzhudulu appeared before him, along with several other personal guards and confidants.

"Tianbao, why did you suddenly run away? Weren't you supposed to be here tonight..."

Erzhudulu and the others still did not understand what had happened.

Erzhu Rong sighed, “I agreed with the Prince of Jiangyang to enter through the Xiyang Gate, but the soldiers on duty at the Xiyang Gate at night were all unfamiliar faces. It seems that… the Prince of Jiangyang’s secret plot has been exposed.”

Everyone looked astonished.

"Leaked...leaked?"

Erzhudulu exclaimed in disbelief, "If it was a conspiracy, how could it have been leaked?"

"What secrets are there in this world that are never leaked? Only the dead are immune to leaks; as long as a person is alive, there is always a risk of leaks."

"Who is that?"

Erzhu Rong frowned and pondered for a moment before slowly revealing his guess, "Perhaps it is Xu Wubo."

"Sima?"

Everyone was extremely surprised.

Erzhu Rong said, "He claims to be the most trusted person of the Prince of Jiangyang, but Yuan Hongye and Yuan Faseng have both been promoted to governors and sent to other posts. The Prince of Jiangyang recently wants to help me become the governor of Sizhou, and has overlooked him..."

If it was before.

They would definitely stay in Luoyang, inside the palace, close to the center of power.

But with the current turmoil and rebellions everywhere, becoming a high-ranking official and recruiting soldiers is the best way to maximize one's interests!

After all, the imperial court cannot rely solely on the central army to quell a rebellion.

That's all the soldiers in the central army.

There was already a large number of troops to be stationed in the south to guard against the Southern Dynasty taking advantage of the situation. After all, news of a rebellion within the territory of the Great Wei must have already reached the Southern Liang, and the Southern Liang might take advantage of the situation to make things worse.

and so……

Even as the situation in the northern frontier and Longxi became increasingly dire, the imperial court did not recall the central army soldiers stationed in the border region with the Southern Dynasty.

If the situation deteriorates further, then the court will have no choice but to relinquish the power taken from the governors of each prefecture, as it had done in previous dynasties, and allow the governors to recruit troops and quell the rebellion on their own.

"If that's the case..."

"It's just my guess. There might be other things. Tomorrow... go back to Luoyang and find out more."

After spending a snowy night in the wilderness, Erzhu Rong ordered his trusted guards to return to Luoyang to gather information.

The trusted confidant quickly brought back the latest news from Luoyang.

"His Majesty has issued an edict: Yuan Yi, the Prince of Jiangyang, is plotting rebellion and is hereby stripped of all his official positions and titles..."

Erzhu Rong has completely given up hope!
Is this still available?

As Yuan Yi's staunch confidant, he was certainly on the court's list of targets for retaliation.

Erzhudulu was already in a panic.

"Tianbao, what should we do? With the fall of the Prince of Jiangyang, how can we possibly survive?"

"Why are you panicking?"

Erzhu Rong frowned and scolded him, then frowned in thought.

But then he thought, "The imperial court probably won't do anything to us."

"Why?"

"Sizhou has just quelled the rebellion of Qifu Moyu and Wanyu Qizhen. The one who quelled the rebellion was my Erzhu clan. If the court forces us too much, I will raise the banner of righteousness. At that time, I will cooperate with the righteous army in the north to attack from the north and south. Taking Heng and Shuo prefectures will be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Bingzhou and Fenzhou will also be difficult to stop my Erzhu clan's iron cavalry."

"If the court were reasonable, it should be appeasing me now, not forcing me."

Erzhu Rong also breathed a sigh of relief.

Having spent most of his time in Luoyang, the center of power, he was well aware that while the rebels in Longxi and the Six Garrisons were causing a great stir, they were far from being able to cripple the Great Wei.

Now is not a good time to rebel; he still wants to be a 'loyal subject' of the Great Wei and wait for the situation to change further.

After calming down, Erzhu Rong continued to press for answers.

"Is there any other news?"

"Have……"

The guards also informed him of other information.

"The Empress Dowager issued an edict appointing Prince Yuanhui of Chengyang as Grand Chancellor, Grand Marshal, and General of the Vanguard; Xu He as General of the Palace Guard; and Zheng Yan as Chancellor..."

"The Prince of Chengyang?"

Erzhu Rong was somewhat confused, as this prince had virtually no connection with either Yuan Yi or the young emperor.

And it was even an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager?
Erzhu Rong suddenly came to his senses, "Could it be... that the Empress Dowager's scheme? She not only plotted against the Prince of Jiangyang, but even His Majesty was tricked by her?" If the young emperor had successfully brought down Yuan Yi.

The two crucial positions of Commander-in-Chief and Palace General will certainly be given to his trusted confidants.

How could it be given to someone else?

As for the Grand Chancellor, he was a close advisor to the emperor. According to Erzhu Rong's understanding, Gao Qian was the one who was closest to the young emperor. If the young emperor were to appoint someone, he would definitely give this position to Gao Qian...

Connect all the information together.

Erzhu Rong was surprised to discover.

So, Empress Dowager Hu, who has been imprisoned in Jiafu Palace for several years, is the biggest winner of this chaotic battle in Luoyang.

Yuan Yi has been wrong all along.

He thought Empress Dowager Hu wanted to help her own son, Yuan Xu, regain the throne.

In fact, what Empress Dowager Hu wanted was for herself to regain control of the government!

"What a scheming woman... The Empress Dowager is truly terrifying."

………………

Inside the palace.

Upon learning the news, the young emperor angrily rushed to the Shiqian Hall, wanting to discuss the matter with Yuan Ziyou and Gao Qian.

But found...

Today, the Shiqian Hall is completely empty.

Why didn't Ziyou and the other two come today?

"Your Majesty... The Empress Dowager has issued an edict stating that Yuan Ziyou and Gao Qian are wicked people, and the Empress Dowager will choose someone else to accompany Your Majesty in your studies."

Yuan Xu laughed almost maniacally; even someone as stupid as him could understand.

"Hahahaha, Mother, Mother! You truly have some brilliant methods!"

After several years, Empress Dowager Hu returned to Xianyang Palace, where she handled state affairs. Everything in the palace was so familiar to her.

The handsome face of Prince Yuan Yi of Qinghe suddenly flashed through her mind.

But she quickly put it out of her mind, for right now stood a very handsome man in front of her.

This was Zheng Yan, the newly promoted Grand Secretary.

Judging from his surname, you can tell that he comes from the Zheng family of Xingyang, yes, the same Zheng family of Xingyang as Zheng Dache.

His appearance was extremely handsome, no less so than that of Yuan Yi, the Prince of Qinghe.

"Ji Ran...come and sit with me for a while."

He regained power, and the handsome man reappeared.

Empress Dowager Hu was secretly delighted!
He immediately wanted to drag Zheng Yan into a game inside the Xianyang Palace.

"The affairs of the world are in my hands!"

"The Great Wei still needs me to take control!!"

………………

The fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Xiurongchuan was hit by heavy snow for several days in a row.

With the weather freezing cold, Gao Yu was too lazy to move. Apart from occasionally practicing archery, he mostly stayed out of the cold and enjoyed some leisure time.

however.

Today, Erzhu Zhao suddenly came looking for him.

"Erlang, Erlang!"

Erzhu Zhao shouted.

"Wan Ren has come in such a hurry, is there something wrong? Is someone causing trouble?"

Gao Yu's first thought was, could it be that there's another rebellion in Sizhou?
Winters in Sizhou are not as harsh as in the Six Towns, but I heard that this summer there was a drought and the people had a bad harvest.

If they can't survive, the likelihood of rebellion is extremely high.

Erzhu Zhao laughed excitedly, "Look how scared you are! Those two traitors, Qifu Moyu and Wanyu Qizhen, were easily quelled by my Erzhu army. Who dares to rebel within the territory of Sizhou?"

"It's because Tianbao is coming back!"

"Tianbao?"

"Correct!"

"Tianbao's personal guards have returned to deliver the message. Erlang, why don't you come with me to welcome Tianbao?"

"Alright, we'll set off right away."

Gao Yu knew perfectly well.

Within the Erzhu clan, Erzhu Rong held the reins of power.

The Erzhu clan, from top to bottom, held him in the highest esteem.

He also specifically instructed Erzhu Zhao to treat him well.

Both morally and logically, he had to take the initiative to go and greet Erzhu Rong.

(End of this chapter)