Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

The second volume is coming soon.

A few days ago, I was still waiting for the book test, but today is already the third day of the book test verification.

It’s more than 90,000 words.

During the long night, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui accompanied me.

And my fellow readers, you have me with you.

Chapter 61 Setbacks

In the dilapidated temple, the flickering candlelight illuminated Master Zhang's pale face, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He picked up the evidence with trembling hands, and each piece of paper burned his eyes like a branding iron. After a long time, he sighed, tightly grasped the evidence in his hand, and said in a hoarse voice: "I understand, I will do my best to make up for my mistakes."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, and hope ignited in their hearts. They knew that with the help of Master Zhang, the conspiracy to overthrow the opposition officials was just around the corner.

The next morning, the morning sun shone through the clouds, casting golden rays of light. With the evidence they had collected and the deployment map of opposition officials provided by Master Zhang, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui confidently went to the palace to meet the emperor and reveal the truth.

However, when they arrived at the towering gate of the palace, they were stopped by a team of fully armed soldiers.

"Stop! The palace is a restricted area and no outsiders are allowed to approach!" The leading soldier shouted sternly, holding a spear.

"We are here to meet His Majesty and have important matters to report!" Hu Bugui stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

"How dare you! How can you see the emperor just because you want to?" The soldier sneered, "Leave immediately, or don't blame us for being rude!"

Wu Tao knew something was wrong. It seemed that the opposition officials had been prepared. She calmly pulled Hu Bugui's sleeve and whispered, "It seems that we can't go in today. Let's retreat first."

Hu Bugui also knew that forcing his way in would only alert the enemy, so he nodded and prepared to retreat with everyone.

"Want to leave? Not that easy!" When the soldiers saw them about to leave, they immediately surrounded them, swords drawn, and murderous intent in their eyes.

"Since you insist on stopping us, don't blame us for being rude!" Seeing this, Hu Bugui's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he drew the long sword from his waist, ready to break out by force. As soon as Hu Bugui finished speaking, a rapid sound of horse hooves came from far away, and a group of armored soldiers rushed out of the palace and quickly surrounded Hu Bugui and others. This group of soldiers was well-trained and moved quickly. At a glance, it was obvious that they were an elite army that had been on the battlefield for a long time. The leading general was wearing silver armor and a sword on his waist. He glanced at Hu Bugui and others with a sharp look and sneered, "You bold lunatic, dare to break into the palace without permission, are you trying to rebel?"

Hu Bugui frowned slightly, realizing that the situation was not good. He looked around and found that the encirclement was getting smaller and smaller, and more soldiers were constantly emerging in the palace. It was obvious that the other side was well prepared. He clenched the long sword in his hand and asked in a deep voice: "Who are you? Why are you stopping us from seeing the emperor?"

"Humph, you don't even know me, how dare you say you want to see the emperor?" The general sneered, "I am General Li, the commander of the imperial guards. I am here to arrest the rebels on the emperor's orders!"

"The emperor's order?" Hu Bugui was shocked. Could it be that the emperor was really controlled by the opposition officials? He was about to ask, but he saw a man walking out from behind General Li. It was the prime minister who was so aggressive in the court that day!

The prime minister held the imperial edict in his hand and read it aloud: "The Emperor, in compliance with the will of Heaven, proclaims: I have not been feeling well recently and am unable to govern. I hereby order the prime minister to take full charge of government affairs. All matters shall be decided by the prime minister. I decree this!"

"Long live the emperor!" General Li was the first to kneel and kowtow, and the rest of the soldiers also knelt down in unison, shouting "Long live the emperor!"

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, their hearts sank. They knew that the opposition officials had completely controlled the palace and even falsely passed on the imperial decree to put the emperor under house arrest. Now the situation was critical, and they had to come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

"Let's go!" Hu Bugui made a quick decision and decided to evacuate the palace first and then make plans. He took Wu Tao's hand and used his Qinggong to break out of the encirclement. Master Zhang and other followers followed closely behind, fighting desperately and carving out a bloody path.

When General Li saw Hu Bugui and his men break through, he immediately ordered a pursuit: "Chase! Kill them without mercy!"

Hu Bugui and his men fought and retreated, and finally escaped from the palace. They fled all the way until they came to a ruined temple outside the city, where they could take a short break.

"What should we do? What should we do now?" Master Zhang asked anxiously, his tone full of worry and uneasiness.

Wu Tao took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She looked around and saw that the temple was in such a dilapidated state that it was obviously not a place to stay for long. She looked at Hu Bugui and said in a deep voice, "We must contact other officials who are loyal to the emperor as soon as possible and discuss countermeasures together to rescue the emperor and quell this rebellion."

Hu Bugui looked solemn and nodded: "You are right, we must act as soon as possible." He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, now the treacherous ministers are in power, the emperor is imprisoned, and the country is in danger. We have no choice but to rise up and resist to save the emperor from the water and fire!"

"Your Highness is right! We are willing to follow Your Highness until death, eradicate the treacherous and corrupt officials, and support the country!" Master Zhang and others responded in unison, with a firm tone and no fear at all.

Wu Tao was deeply moved as she looked at the group of loyal and righteous people in front of her. She knew that relying on their own strength to fight against the powerful opposition officials was like hitting a rock with an egg. In order to rescue the emperor and quell the rebellion, they had to mobilize a more powerful force.

"People, we need the power of the people!" Wu Tao said in a deep voice, "Although the prime minister and others control the court, they cannot represent the people's will. As long as we can awaken the people and let them understand the truth, they will definitely stand up to support us and fight against tyranny together!"

Hu Bugui's eyes lit up, and he looked at Wu Tao with appreciation: "Tao'er is right! He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. As long as we can get the support of the people, we will be able to defeat evil!"

Therefore, Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others took separate actions and ran around Chang'an City, exposing the crimes of opposition officials to the public and calling on the people to rise up against tyranny. They walked through the streets and went deep into people's homes, telling the truth of the matter in sincere words and exposing the conspiracy of opposition officials.

The people were a little hesitant at first, and could not believe that these high-ranking officials would do such a treasonous thing. But when they saw the evidence produced by Wu Tao and Hu Bugui and heard their tearful accusations, they gradually became furious.

"These treacherous officials dared to bully the emperor like this. They deserve to die!"

"We can't remain silent any longer. We must stand up and resist to protect the emperor!"

"Yes! We must fight for the Emperor and for justice!"

The people were filled with righteous indignation and were excited. They expressed their willingness to follow Wu Tao and Hu Bugui to fight against the opposition officials. For a time, the whole city of Chang'an was boiling, and there were voices everywhere denouncing the opposition officials.

However, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui knew very well that the power of the opposition officials was deeply rooted, and it would not be easy to overthrow their rule. They would face an extremely difficult struggle, and if they were not careful, they would be doomed. Chang'an City, this ancient capital, was shrouded in a tense atmosphere at this moment. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's team shuttled through the streets and alleys. Wherever they went, they made the evidence of the crimes of the corrupt officials public and informed the people of the news that the emperor was under house arrest. The people were a little bit unbelievable at first, but when they saw the shocking evidence and heard the emotional accusations of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, the originally calm lake in their hearts set off a huge wave.

"What? Those corrupt officials actually dare to keep the emperor under house arrest?" A big man selling pancakes had his eyes wide open, and the dough in his hands was deformed by him.

"Taxes have been getting heavier year by year. It turns out they are the ones behind the scenes!" A ragged old woman beat her chest and stamped her feet, tears streaming down her face.

"We can't remain silent any longer, we must seek justice for the emperor!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and immediately the crowd became excited, and countless people responded.

Wu Tao was deeply moved as she watched the excited people in front of her. She knew that this was not only loyalty to the emperor, but also a desire for fairness and justice.

"Fellow villagers!" Wu Tao said in a clear voice, "Now the treacherous ministers are in power, the emperor is imprisoned, and the country is in danger. But please believe that evil cannot prevail over good. As long as we are united, we will definitely be able to overthrow their rule and restore peace to the world!"

"Overthrow the tyranny and rescue the emperor!" Hu Bugui raised his arms and shouted, his voice echoing in the crowd, causing a thousand waves.

"Overthrow the tyranny, rescue the emperor!" The people also raised their arms and shouted, and the sound surged like a tide, resounding throughout the entire Chang'an City. This voice is the will of the people, the general trend, and the strongest accusation against those conspirators!

In Chang'an, the situation was changing. The anger of the people was like a volcanic eruption, unstoppable. However, the opposition officials were well prepared. They mobilized a large number of troops and surrounded the palace. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui led the people to the gate of the palace, but were blocked by rows of cold swords and guns.

"Rebels! Surrender now!" A general wearing armor and holding a spear, riding on a horse, pointed at Wu Tao and others and shouted loudly.

"We are not rebels, you are!" Wu Tao was filled with righteous indignation, "You treacherous ministers actually dared to imprison the emperor and disrupt the government. You are guilty of a crime that cannot be forgiven!"

"How dare you! How dare you be rude to the general!" The soldier at the side glared angrily, raised the spear in his hand, and was about to stab Wu Tao.

"Stop!" Hu Bugui flew out, stood in front of Wu Tao, and swung the sword in his hand, knocking the soldier's spear to the ground.

"Hu Bugui, are you going to rebel too?!" The general recognized Hu Bugui and his face suddenly turned ugly.

"I, Hu Bugui, have been loyal to the emperor and patriotic all my life. How can I allow you, treacherous villains, to do whatever you want here!" Hu Bugui's eyes widened with anger, and he pointed at the general and shouted, "I advise you to give up the dark and join the light as soon as possible and release the emperor. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless with my sword!"

“Hahaha, you think you can fight against us with just a bunch of rabble like you? That’s wishful thinking!” The general laughed wildly and waved his hand, “Kill them all! Leave no one alive!”