We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Eunuch, how is His Majesty feeling?"

In the long corridor, Duan Shao mustered up the courage to ask Huang Jin who was leading the way.

Huang Jin looked at him expressionlessly and said, "General Duan should understand that His Majesty's heart is not something we can guess at will."

"Yes, yes, yes." Duan Shao did not have the toughness he had when facing Li Che, and smiled apologetically.

After arriving in Beijing, he realized how serious the situation was for him and the four great families.

It seemed as if all the scholars in the capital had run out, and all the powerful families were paying attention to this matter.

The collapse of a thousand-year-old family will cause huge turmoil if not handled carefully.

He was just a small general in front of the emperor, with neither family support nor actual military power. He would only be crushed to pieces in such power turmoil.

When he arrived at the Yangxin Palace, Duan Shao saw from afar several Jinyiwei wearing Feiyu uniforms standing with swords.

Cao Yong even stood at the door, looking at him coldly.

Duan Shao became even more frightened and did not dare to talk to Cao Yong. He walked into the hall in a daze.

The hall was silent and the eunuchs and maids had already quietly left.

Emperor Qing was still sitting behind the desk, his expression unclear.

Duan Shao suppressed his fear and knelt on one knee: "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

The emperor sat behind the desk, and no sound was heard.

Seeing that Emperor Qing didn't say anything, Duan Shao didn't dare to speak again and could only kneel quietly on the ground.

The candlelight in the Yangxin Palace cast fine beads of sweat on Duan Shao's forehead, and the floor tiles reflected his slightly trembling kneecaps.

The more silent the emperor was, the more panicked Duan Shao became.

The intense uneasiness and fear of the future were like the mouth of an abyss, swallowing up his remaining courage bit by bit.

After an unknown amount of time, Duan Shao finally couldn't bear it anymore and knelt on the ground:

"I will die! Your Majesty, please punish me!"

The wristband hit the jade steps hard, and Duan Shao could hear the trembling sound coming out of his throat.

The copper clock in the corner of the hall ticked, and the dragon-shaped incense ball hanging between the beams emitted green smoke, which turned the muddy smell on the soles of his boots into a pungent sour taste.

Emperor Qing's red brush suddenly stopped.

Duan Shao stared at the corner of his robe embroidered with a golden dragon, and cold sweat slid down the iron plate of his neck guard into the chain mail.

At this moment, he finally understood why Xue Wei didn't go back to Beijing with him.

The commander-in-chief of the Imperial City Guards actually followed the Black Armor Army to Feng State. Before, I laughed at him for ruining his own future.

Now it seems that Xue Wei is the smart one. At least he avoided the vortex of power and saved his life.

"What is your crime?"

The gentle voice startled Duan Shao.

He looked up and saw that Emperor Qing was actually smiling. The light in the corner of the hall made the dragon's eyes flicker.

The ambergris suddenly became so strong that it made his eyes dizzy.

"Your Majesty, I deserve death! I failed to persuade His Majesty the King... leading to the downfall of the Northern Family and a catastrophe."

"The four great families instigated the Yan army to rebel, a grave crime committed by the Yi people." Emperor Qing put down his red brush. "Che'er only executed the ringleaders, and did nothing against the law."

Hearing Emperor Qing's words, Duan Shao dug his nails deep into his palms, and became more and more terrified.

The more the emperor said this, the more frightened he became. He could only grit his teeth and say, "I was unable to bring back the Black Armor Army. They were originally the Crown Prince's personal troops, but they followed His Majesty Feng Wang to the border."

"Get up." Emperor Qing suddenly shook his head and chuckled. "It's better for the Black Armor Army to follow Prince Feng than to be on the payroll of the Ministry of War."

Emperor Qing slowly stood up and faced Duan Shao, who stood up tremblingly, with a smile on his face. "Have all the people from the aristocratic families been sent to the Ministry of Justice?"

"Yes."

"Well, this is well done, and he deserves a reward." Emperor Qing nodded slightly, "Appoint Duan Shao to lead the Imperial Guards as General Longwu, and grant him the Purple Gold Fish Bag."

The moment the imperial edict fell, Duan Shao seemed to hear the dull sound of his heart hitting his ribs.

It was clearly an imperial decree of reward, but there was a hint of ice in Emperor Qing's gentle voice.

The light imperial edict made Duan Shao's ears buzz. The imperial guards guard the capital, and this position has always been the most trusted among the emperor's confidants.

But he clearly saw that when Emperor Qing said this, there was no appreciation of the emperor for his meritorious officials in his eyes.

"Your Majesty! I really..."

"Your youngest son is almost a month old, right?" Emperor Qing suddenly clapped his hands and chuckled softly, the fine lines around his eyes flickering in the candlelight. "I heard he's been nicknamed Cheng'en? You are truly loyal, my dear."

"You have a son in your middle age, but the earldom cannot be inherited by your descendants. This is really inappropriate."

Duan Shao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and looked at the emperor in front of him in disbelief.

No matter how stupid he was, he knew why Emperor Qing gave such a generous reward.

Emperor Qing had already suppressed his smile: "My dear minister, you should know that someone will eventually have to take responsibility for this matter."

Yes, Emperor Qing is not Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty. He is not foolish enough to directly confront a family that has been passed down for thousands of years, and ultimately ends up as a king who loses his country.

Although the aristocratic families were in the wrong in this matter no matter how you looked at it, they were four top-tier families after all.

Emperor Qing had to give up something to appease the anger of the aristocratic families and show that he had no intention of suppressing all of them.

What should he give up? Prince Feng? Or Prince Yan?

The two princes are both Emperor Qing’s biological sons. They are also powerful princes who hold military power, and they are also the two most capable fighters.

Emperor Qing has always put the Li clan first and would never do anything to weaken the royal power.

If he couldn't use them to appease the anger of the noble families, then he would have to use himself, the emperor's confidant and the founding earl, to take the blame...

The Emperor of Qing did not lose out by sacrificing his own life to ensure the stability of the Daqing court.

And after his death, the title of earl can be passed down, and the Duan family will not lose out.

Prince Feng and Prince Yan did such a big thing but were not punished, so they did not lose anything.

Who loses? No one loses. This is a win-win-win strategy!

Duan Shao was silent for a while, then knelt on the ground again and kowtowed heavily.

This time, he was completely disheartened: "General, I accept your order and thank you."

Today I know that serving a king is like serving a tiger. The ancients were right!

Duan Shao left the Yangxin Palace in a daze. Emperor Qing looked at his back with a complicated look in his eyes.

After all, he is a close confidant who has followed him for many years, so giving up on him this time is a helpless move.

But he quickly restrained himself and said in a deep voice, "Huang Jin."

The old eunuch outside the palace hurried in: "Your Majesty."

"I hereby declare that the Northern nobles have instigated the Yan army to rebel. The evidence is irrefutable. All those involved will be punished according to law. All members of the collateral clan will be stripped of their official titles, their surnames changed, and they will be sent to the Lingnan Salt Works for lifelong servitude. All female members of the clan under the age of forty will be confiscated and forced to work as laundry maids in the Jiaofang Bureau."

Having said this, Emperor Qing paused.

The rebellion of the four major families was defined, but he only convicted Duan Shao, which was indeed a bit insufficient.

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said:

"Yan Wang Li Lin is blind and deaf, and he allowed his subordinates to cause a disaster, and he is responsible for not investigating. He is stripped of his princely title and demoted to Prince of Dongping County, Youzhou, with his fief reduced to 800 households. I bestow upon you a mirror with an inscription, hoping that you will reflect on yourself and live up to the meaning of the title of 'Dongping'."

"Prince Feng Li Che has made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. However, the snow in Yan has not yet melted, making it unsuitable for long-term residence. He has been ordered to return to his fiefdom in Feng within ten days and is not allowed to enter the pass without an imperial decree. In recognition of his contributions to suppressing the rebellion, I have granted him three thousand black-armored soldiers to serve under my command."