My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 193 The Headstrong Little Emperor

March 2nd.

Inside the Xianyang Hall.

Empress Dowager Hu, who had not visited this place for a long time, made a rare appearance here today.

It seemed that Yuan Xu and Empress Dowager Hu had a significant argument, both with angry expressions on their faces, glaring at each other.

"Your Majesty, your indulgence of Erzhu Rong will only embolden his wolfish ambitions. Do you really want to wait until disaster strikes before you repent?"

Empress Dowager Hu said in an icy tone, "Erzhu Rong now controls six prefectures; we absolutely cannot allow him to lead his troops eastward!"

"Mother, you have some clever methods. You even know the contents of the secret memorial."

"There are many things in this palace that I do not know, but the Empress Dowager knows everything."

Yuan Xu retorted coldly, "Who really calls the shots in this Great Wei? Who is the Emperor of Great Wei? Who is the Son of Heaven? I have been a puppet for over a decade. Does Mother Empress intend to continue controlling me?"

From the moment Du Luozhou's envoy entered Xiurongchuan.

Erzhu Rong knew that the decisive battle between Du Luozhou and Ge Rong was about to begin, and he, who had been observing, once again made a probing move.

He first took the initiative to send a letter to the court in a high-profile manner.

The contents are...

"Currently, bandits are rampant in Hebei. Ding, Ji, Ying, and Yin have already fallen. The imperial army has suffered repeated defeats. If this continues, the rebels will inevitably grow stronger and cause unrest among the people in other areas that have not yet rebelled. I request to personally lead four thousand elite cavalry to Xiangzhou to help fight the bandits!"

Empress Dowager Hu rejected Erzhu Rong's memorial directly at the court meeting.

As a former confidant of Yuan Yi, the Prince of Jiangyang, Erzhu Rong was bound to be disliked by Empress Dowager Hu.

Not to mention that Erzhu Rong is currently the most powerful among the officials outside the capital and has also sent his daughter into the palace to form a political alliance with the young emperor.

These four thousand elite cavalry are supposed to be on their way to reinforce Xiangzhou, but what if they happen to stop by Luoyang on the way?

In order to quell the rebellion, the imperial court has mobilized all its resources, and there are almost no guards left around Luoyang.

At the court meeting, Empress Dowager Hu did not even consult with Yuan Xu before directly rejecting Erzhu Rong's proposal. Instead, she sent the Prince of Beihai with 20,000 infantry and cavalry to reinforce Xiangzhou and form the last line of defense.

Xi Yi relayed the message back.

Erzhu Rong knew very well that Empress Dowager Hu would not agree, so he submitted another secret memorial to the young emperor, hoping to persuade him to agree.

Empress Dowager Hu somehow learned of the secret report and immediately came to confront Yuan Xu, which led to the current situation.

"Your Majesty, please stop beating around the bush. Right now, you and I, mother and son, are discussing the matter of Erzhu Rong. Does Your Majesty not know that cooperating with such a barbaric and uncouth person as Erzhu Rong is no different from asking a tiger for its skin?"

It would have been better if Empress Dowager Hu hadn't mentioned it.

She mentioned this.

Yuan Xu laughed in anger, "Does the Empress Dowager expect me to cooperate with Xu He and Zheng Yan? Does she expect me to kneel down before these two traitors right now and respectfully call them 'fake fathers'?"

"you……"

Empress Dowager Hu was both angry and annoyed, her chest heaving violently, but for a moment she didn't know how to refute her.

She could only suppress her anger and say, “Your Majesty, this matter concerns the fate of the Great Wei Dynasty. The Hebei rebels are nothing but a minor ailment, and the refugee army is unsustainable. It is people like Erzhu Rong, with their wolfish ambitions, who are the ones we should guard against. Your Majesty should put aside your personal grudges for the sake of the dynasty of our ancestors.”

"Our ancestors? Haven't the dignity of our Great Wei ancestors already been completely lost? The fact that those two traitors, Zheng Yan and Xu He, are still alive is the greatest disgrace to our ancestors!"

In the past, Empress Dowager Hu favored Prince Yuan Yi of Qinghe, so nothing was said.

They are still members of the Yuan clan, after all.

But what about Zheng Yan and Xu He?
Outside Xianyang Palace.

Xu He and Zheng Yan were already waiting outside. Hearing Yuan Xu's roaring words, the two were terrified.

The young emperor Yuan Xu no longer concealed his killing intent and had already brandished his gleaming blade at the two of them!
The two looked at each other, as if they had made up their minds!
A short while later, Empress Dowager Hu stormed out of Xianyang Palace, and Zheng Yan and Xu He quickly followed her.

Yuan Ziyou was also called over.

He arrived at Xianyang Palace and, seeing Yuan Ziyou's still furious face, probably guessed what had happened.

"Ziyou, Erzhu Rong wants to lead troops eastward to reinforce Xiangzhou in its fight against the rebels. What do you think?"

Yuan Ziyou hesitated for a moment before giving an answer.

Since the last time, he knew that Yuan Xu had changed.

No longer as obedient as before, Yuan Xu is now desperate to take back everything, to the point of being reckless.

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and will make your own decisions."

"I want to grant his request to lead his elite troops eastward to win a great victory and enhance my prestige. Once the news of his victory over the rebels arrives, I will order you to replace the Prince of Chengyang as the Commander-in-Chief and take charge of the Central Army and the Imperial Guards for me!"

"Your Majesty's move is brilliant; in this way, you can completely reclaim imperial power!"

Yuan Ziyou first praised him, then subtly reminded him, "But right now, no one in the court or in the various prefectures can rival Erzhu Rong. Your Majesty should consider how to restrain him in the future; that would be the best course of action."

Yuan Xu, however, did not take it to heart. "I have already made his daughter empress, and his words in the letter were sincere. He told me everything he knew, which shows that he is extremely loyal."

Yuan Ziyou sighed inwardly and said nothing more.

In his view, the best course of action for the imperial court was to hold Xiangzhou and continue to assess the situation of the rebels.

After Du Luozhou and Ge Rong determined the winner.

Regardless of who wins, the imperial court can personally step in to win them over and offer them amnesty; even granting them the title of king is not out of the question.

By using the victor in Hebei to counterbalance Erzhu Rong, the situation can still be controlled, and local control can be gradually regained.

But right now.

The match between Du Luozhou and Ge Rong ended in a draw.

When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. If Erzhu Rong were to suddenly appear at this moment and annihilate the Hebei rebels with overwhelming force, it would be a great disaster.

That would mean that Erzhu Rong simultaneously controlled both Shanxi and Hebei.

By then, how could the imperial court still control Erzhu Rong?

Will Erzhu Rong still obey?

Yuan Xu immediately summoned Xi Yi to the palace, and then personally wrote an edict for him, allowing Erzhu Rong to lead troops eastward to quell the rebellion!
Xi Yi dared not linger and immediately sent a messenger to Erzhu Rong with the message.

at night.

After finishing his official duties, the young emperor went straight to Consort Pan.

Just met.

Pan Chonghua, looking terrified, rushed into his arms and said with tears in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, for some reason, all my personal guards and maids have been replaced today."

"what!"

Yuan Xu was shocked, but after calming down, he became extremely angry.

"Damn it, it must have been Zheng Yan and Xu He who did it. No... they wouldn't have dared to do it without the Empress's tacit approval."

"Could it be..."

"Mother, you forced me to do this!"

(End of this chapter)