My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 68 The Burning of the Ministry of Personnel! (Please continue reading!)
A heavy rain fell near dawn, but it only lasted for about 15 minutes before stopping.

It was another sunny day. Under the sunlight, all the rainwater left on the ground evaporated. The whole of Luoyang was like a steamer, becoming extremely hot and humid, which made people more and more irritable!
Last night's visits to relatives and friends, the clandestine networking, and the posting of notices by Kou Wen and others certainly stirred up quite a few soldiers in the central army!
Ultimately, the reason was that the imperial court had not yet made a decision, and the soldiers in the central army were all fearful and insecure. Anxiety was spreading, and this was compounded by the instigation of people like Kou Wen.

The entire central army is now like a pressure cooker!

Kou Wen glanced around the crowd and saw that the entire training ground was packed with people, at least a thousand, and possibly more than two thousand.

This is still coming.

The number of people secretly supporting them is at least ten times that figure.

After all, not everyone dares to stand up and cause trouble.

He was secretly delighted. Even if the court investigated the matter afterward, it would surely be 'the law does not punish the masses'. The court understood the attitude of the central army soldiers. As for the selection of officials and the killing of princes, in order to appease the central army, he did not believe that anyone would dare to defy the world and bring up the old matters again!
After today, he might be able to gain some prestige among the soldiers in the central army, and he'll definitely be promoted next time!

As the crowd grew restless, Kou Wen knew his opportunity had arrived.

He immediately shouted.

"Brothers, those who have come to the training ground today are all brave and spirited men of our Central Army!!"

When someone spoke, it drew everyone's attention.

Immediately, someone asked, "When do we move out? Should we wear armor? Should we bring weapons?"

"Isn't this a bad idea? We're not trying to rebel... we just want an explanation."

"How can the Empress Dowager and His Majesty see our stance without donning armor and wielding weapons?!"

"Hmph, donning armor and marching through the streets of Luoyang? Do you really intend to rebel? I'm not going to do something like that that will cost me my head."

"Spineless cowards, if you're afraid, why did you even come to the training ground?"

"If I have to carry weapons and wear armor, then I'm going home! I quit!"

The group started arguing incessantly!
Zhang Yi is right.

The central army certainly dared not rebel, after all, there were imperial guards protecting the palace in Luoyang, and the imperial guards were not as unskilled as they were.

This assembled central army looked more like a mob.

There is no organization or discipline; even the most trivial matters can spark arguments.

Seeing that infighting was about to break out before they even took to the streets, Kou Wen immediately shouted to control the situation!
"Enough! Shut up, all of you! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!"

He was also secretly annoyed. Since things had come to this point, there was no reason to back down. But he also knew that he absolutely could not afford to fight amongst himself now. It was not easy to gather these two thousand people today. Once they dispersed, there would be no more opportunities like this.

For others, the selection of officials might just be a blockage in their path to advancement, but for him, there was also the crime of murdering a prince, which could not be hidden. Once he was imprisoned, what confession couldn't be obtained?
Needless to say, his brothers, even those under Miki, would insist on being the one who did it if he himself were imprisoned, wishing he could die sooner.

Kou Wen glared, and he really did have a bit of an imposing presence. After stopping the man, he said, "You can't wear armor or carry weapons, just use wooden sticks! After all, all we ask is for the court to severely punish the General Who Conquers the West, to cleanse the court of corrupt officials, not to rebel."

Kou Wen is not stupid.

Although causing trouble in the streets is a bad thing, the imperial court will not punish people severely afterward, as it is likely that the law will not punish the masses.

If someone were to go out into the streets wearing armor and carrying weapons, the court would see it as a legitimate rebellion. How could the situation be the same?
"Yes! We are purging the court of corrupt officials, not rebelling!"

"General Kou is right."

"That's right, we're only targeting the General of the Western Expedition and his son, there's no need to make such a big fuss."

Everyone echoed their agreement; they certainly didn't dare to escalate the situation too much, nor did they dare to let it get out of control.

"Alright! We'll prepare to leave the camp right away!"

"Where?"

"This matter was brought up by Zhang Yi and the Prince of Guangping, so they are the ones to blame. Naturally, we should confront them!"

"The Prince of Guangping is, after all, a prince of the imperial clan..."

"No! Going to see that old scoundrel Zhang Yi would make it seem like we're settling a personal score. We want the court to know our stance, not for personal vendettas!"

"Then...then let's go...to the Ministry of Personnel! Since we want the court to know our stance, we should naturally go to the Ministry of Personnel! Besides, the son of the General Who Conquers the West was the first to submit a secret report, and he is in the Ministry of Personnel! Let's find him first and demand an explanation!"

"it is good!"

"Let's go!"

Thousands of people, armed with wooden sticks, marched out of the training ground and camp gates in a grand procession. As soon as they entered the streets, they caused chaos throughout Luoyang.

Everyone quickly gave way, afraid of provoking these brutes!
………………

Zheng Dache summoned his personal maid early in the morning to dress up carefully, and sent people to prepare fine wine and meat. He also prepared several carriages loaded with gold, jewels and silk.

Seeing his servants bustling about, Yuan Ti couldn't help but ask why.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"Your Majesty, since you are interested in recruiting the young master of the Gao family, I will naturally do my part to help you."

Yuan Ti, puzzled, asked in return, "How can I help?"

"Your Majesty is unable to seek help from the Prince of Qinghe for the time being, and has been busy with state affairs these days. In the end, you have neglected the young master of the Gao family. Today, I will go to him as a woman from the Zheng family of Xingyang to express my gratitude for saving my life."

"Firstly, it demonstrates the virtue of the Zheng family, and secondly, it proves that Your Majesty still cherishes the memory of the young master of the Gao family. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Zheng Dache's argument was reasonable and well-founded. She was a princess, but her maternal family was the Xingyang Zheng clan, one of the four most prominent clans in China.

Yuan Ti, as her husband, expressed her gratitude for saving her life, and she herself also wanted to express her gratitude.

There was another unspeakable reason: after seeing Gao Yu yesterday, Zheng Dache missed Gao Yu terribly and wanted to go see him. That's why he said those words under the pretext of expressing his gratitude.

Yuan Ti wholeheartedly agreed, "The Princess is indeed very thoughtful. Should I come along?"

"No, Your Majesty!"

Zheng Dache shook her head repeatedly, "Today I am going as a woman of the Zheng family of Xingyang. If Your Majesty comes with me, it would be putting Your Majesty first, which is not appropriate."

Yuan Ti agreed with his reasoning.

"If that's the case, then so be it, as the Princess Consort says."

Zheng quickly tidied everything up, got into the carriage, and headed towards the other courtyard with his maid and servants.

The caravan had traveled halfway when they heard a group of civilians running frantically towards them in the distance, as if being chased by a ferocious wild beast. Further away, there was a commotion. Inside the carriage, Zheng Dache frowned, lifted the curtain, and asked, "Why is it so noisy?"

Soon, servants came running over, stumbling and crawling.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The...the central army is about to rebel!!"

Zheng Dache was shocked. "Is this really true??"

"Is it true! I also heard it from the commoners. The soldiers of the central army have gathered together and headed towards the capital. Your Highness, let's hurry back to the manor!"

rebel?

How can it be!

The palace was protected by numerous elite guards.

After calming down, Zheng Dache realized that the claim of rebellion was unbelievable; at most, it was just the central army gathering a mob to cause trouble.

Return to the palace?
She couldn't help but recall Gao Yu's bravery outside Luoyang that day.

I was momentarily dazzled and mesmerized.

Moreover, she knew that the disturbance in the central army might be related to her husband. Who knew that those audacious scoundrels might be blinded by greed and dare to surround the palace!

After all, they really had robbed and killed him.

She immediately gave the order.

"Quickly! Head to the villa immediately! How can the guards of the Prince's mansion protect me? If we go to the villa, with the bravery of the young master of the Gao family, even if the central army comes looking for trouble, we will have no worries."

The servant was stunned. Where was the safety of the villa compared to the Prince's mansion? How could his mistress be so foolish?

But as a servant, he could only follow Zheng Dache's orders.

They immediately drove the carriage towards the villa.

………………

"Report!! Your Majesty! The soldiers of the central army have reached the East Gate and are heading towards the Ministry of Personnel!!"

Upon hearing the news, Yuan Yi remained calm and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright, don't worry about them. We only need to protect His Majesty and the Empress Dowager's safety. Strict order! No unauthorized actions are permitted! Violators will be punished according to military law!"

"promise!"

Yuan Yi remained calm and collected, waiting for things to escalate further!

And the other side.

The ranks of Chinese soldiers demonstrating are growing ever larger!

When they came out of the drill ground, there were only about a thousand people. They walked around the streets and no one stopped them. Those who were timid saw that there were many people and they also mingled in, increasing the number of people by several hundred.

The central army arrived directly outside the Ministry of Personnel without any hindrance. The Ministry of Personnel was also closed, and those inside handling official business were all uneasy and terrified!

"Damn it! These military men actually dare to do such a thing!!"

"Where did they get the guts?"

quickly!

Then shouts and curses rang out from outside!
"Zhang Ziheng, you despicable penny-pincher, get out here!"

"What wrong have we done to deserve such targeting from you all!"

"You son of a bitch, you have the guts to submit a memorial to the throne, but not the guts to come out and face us?!"

"........."

Upon inspection, the Ministry of Personnel remained tightly closed.

Many enraged soldiers threw their wooden sticks at the scene with all their might!

The soldiers who had infiltrated the area had no wooden sticks, so they picked up a lot of bricks and stones from the roadside and threw them at the gate of the Ministry of Works, making a loud banging sound!

The officials inside were terrified!
"Ziheng did not come to the Ministry of Personnel today. Who will go and inform these military men?"

No one responded.

Crazy?
Hiding inside, they were afraid these thugs would rush in.

At this point, would he voluntarily open the door and go out to reason with a group of arrogant thugs?

Try to reason with this bunch of brutes who don't read the classics, who only know how to fight and not talk, and who are all sharp-headed.
The soldiers in the central army shouted and cursed for a long time, but received no response.

"Damn it! Charge in!"

Suddenly, someone shouted, and everyone had a guiding light. At this moment, their blood boiled, and they no longer feared the imperial authority represented by the Ministry of Personnel's residence. With their force, the gate of the Ministry of Personnel was pushed down.

The noble officials in the Ministry of Personnel were so frightened that they fled in all directions.

The central army searched the Ministry of Personnel thoroughly, but as expected, they couldn't find Zhang Yi's son. Some people were still not satisfied, and someone set fire to the Ministry of Personnel's government office!
A raging fire and thick black smoke rose into the air, visible throughout the entire city of Luoyang.

"Go to Zhang Yi's house!"

"Let's go to the Prince of Guangping's residence too!"

When Kou Wen saw that this rabble had the audacity to set fire to the Ministry of Personnel, his legs went weak with fear, and he began to consider retreating. After all, the matter had already been stirred up, and the court knew their attitude. If things continued, it would be difficult to handle.

But seeing that everyone was already caught up in the moment, he dared not say anything about backing down.

He suddenly remembered what his subordinates had told him a few days ago, and a plan immediately came to mind. He quickly said, "After all, Prince Guangping is a prince, so it's not appropriate for us to settle accounts with him directly. But we can ask his princess for an explanation, since it was Princess Guangping who wrongly accused us of abducting and killing them!"

“I know that the Princess Consort is currently at one of the Prince of Guangping’s villas. Let’s split into two groups, one to find Zhang Yi and the other to find the Princess Consort!”

In fact, he had no idea where the princess was; he was just making things up.

This is a perfect opportunity to find that barbarian from Huai Shuo and settle both old and new scores! Zhang Yi is a high-ranking official in the court, and the Prince of Guangping is a member of the imperial clan. If trouble arises, the court might take action, but it's just a villa, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright! We'll do as General Kou says!"

P.S.: Hey guys, the "Famous Figure of Luojing" is coming soon! Let's get some interaction in the chapter comments and give it some monthly tickets! Please keep reading!
(End of this chapter)