The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

"It's alright, I can still manage!"

"I never thought that even I, an old man, could be so mistaken."

"He spent his whole life hunting eagles, only to have his eyes pecked out by one."

Yang Yan pushed away the steward's help, his face pale, and gave a bitter smile. He said, "Help me write a letter of resignation and submit it to His Majesty's desk."

"Master, is it really going to come to this?"

The steward of the Yang family's house changed his expression drastically and said with a look of horror.

If Yang Yanruo resigns, the Yang family of Hongnong will have no one left in the cabinet.

This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the entire Hongnong Yang clan.

"Do you think that if I don't resign voluntarily, I will still be the Grand Secretary?"

Yang Yan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty doesn't even need to take action. Others will impeach me in court for misjudging people and making a huge joke by appointing an assassin as the commander of a prefecture."

If Zhang Yue and I don't have a deep relationship, I can distance myself from it.

But what is the relationship between Zhang Yue and me?

I am his mentor.

It was I who promoted him to the position of Commandant of Hongnong Commandery.

I must take responsibility for this matter.

"Old slave, I understand."

The steward of the Yang family sighed and said.

"Actually, this is a good thing."

"So much has happened recently, and I've figured it all out now."

"Don't think that just because I've served as Grand Secretary for many years, I've brought a lot of benefits to the Yang family of Hongnong."

"But at the same time, it has also made me a target of public criticism!"

"Believe it or not, the whole world, whether it's the other six branches of the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, or the prominent families in various regions, are all watching me and our Hongnong Yang Clan."

"And now, His Majesty's power is growing stronger!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard also began to grow in strength."

"The conflict between His Majesty and us is bound to increase."

"Now that I am resigning and retiring, it may not be a bad thing for us."

"Lying dormant doesn't necessarily mean becoming weaker; it could also mean becoming stronger, accumulating enough power to decide the outcome in one fell swoop!"

Yang Yan's pale face began to regain its color, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Moreover, although I have resigned from the position of Grand Secretary."

However, having served as Grand Secretary for many years, I have people all over the country and in the government.

Even if I am not in the cabinet, I can still influence the cabinet and His Majesty.

And that's enough!

Next, we will shift from the open to the covert, working behind the scenes without directly confronting His Majesty.

"Master is wise."

The steward of the Yang family said with great admiration.

"This worry of mine has finally been put to rest."

Yang Yan walked out of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, as if his steps had become lighter.

The steward of the Yang family bowed and then disappeared from the spot.

Lu Mansion.

"Imperial decree has arrived! Lu Chengfeng, receive the decree!"

A captain of the Imperial Guards, leading a group of Imperial Guards soldiers, rode up on warhorses and appeared outside the Lu residence, shouting loudly.

"Imperial decree?"

In the study of the Lu family mansion, Lu Chengfeng, who was reading a book, suddenly narrowed his eyes, moved, and disappeared from the study.

He was filled with speculation that Empress Murong Si was finally going to remove him from his position as Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After all, Chu Xiu's power in the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been growing stronger over time. Even if he were to return to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, he probably wouldn't be able to command even a mere captain.

He gradually began to give up hope.

In a blink of an eye.

Lu Chengfeng appeared outside the Lu residence, bowed and said, "Your humble servant Lu Chengfeng receives the imperial decree!"

"The emperor is destined to be transported by heaven, and the edict says..."

"Lu Chengfeng, formerly the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is hereby appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Five Cities Military Command, effective immediately. This is the imperial decree!"

After the Imperial Guard captain finished reading the last sentence, he looked at Lu Chengfeng, who was in a daze, and handed the imperial edict to him, saying indifferently, "Lord Lu, why don't you accept the edict and express your gratitude?"

He never dismounted his warhorse from beginning to end.

"Your humble servant Lu Chengfeng thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

Lu Chengfeng remained silent for a long while, then strode forward, took the imperial edict from the Imperial Guard captain, and bowed towards the direction of the palace.

The Imperial Guard captain turned his horse around and led his troops away.

"Too deceiving!"

"It's simply too much!"

Lu Chengfeng gripped the imperial edict tightly in his hands and said through gritted teeth.

He never expected that Murong Si would appoint him, a dignified commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as a deputy commander of the Five Cities Military Command.

Although the Five Cities Military Command held an extremely high status within the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After all, this is an army stationed in the capital, a place of great importance.

Moreover, the army numbered a full two hundred thousand!

The commander of the Five Cities Garrison was a high-ranking official of the third rank, and the deputy commander was also a high-ranking official of the third rank.

However, for a high-ranking official of the third rank to be demoted to a deputy commander of the Five Cities Military Command was a demotion.

More importantly, everyone knows that Wei Wuxian, the commander of the Five Cities Garrison, comes from the Imperial Guard and was a general in the Imperial Guard. He is extremely loyal to Empress Murong Si.

Even after going to the Five Cities Military Command, he was still just a puppet who couldn't command an army.

of course.

That's not what angered him the most.

It was just a lowly Imperial Guard captain who came to deliver the imperial decree, yet he didn't even dismount his warhorse!

This is clearly a sign of disrespect towards Lu Chengfeng!

A trickle of bright red blood spilled from the corner of Lu Chengfeng's mouth, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

the next day.

Jinluan Palace.

Empress Murong Si sat on the dragon throne, with Jiang Wan'er and Pei Guanyin standing on either side.

All the civil and military officials gathered in one hall.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court is dismissed..."

With a dignified and solemn expression, Jiang Wan'er looked at the civil and military officials and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

An imperial censor named Ma Yong stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said...

"allow."

Murong Si said calmly.

All the officials, both civil and military, turned their gazes toward Ma Yong. Everyone knew that something big was about to happen.

Today's imperial court is missing a very important figure.

Grand Secretary Yang Yan!

Why did Yang Yan, who was ill, not attend the court assembly?

The civil and military officials were already fully aware of the situation.

After all, what happened yesterday has already spread throughout the entire capital.

Everyone knows that Zhang Yue, the Prefect of Hongnong County, whom Yang Yan promoted and cultivated, is actually the leader of the Seven Killings organization.

Yang Yan, the Grand Secretary, has become a laughing stock in the entire capital.

"Your Majesty, I hereby impeach Grand Secretary Yang Yan for his poor judgment of character, serious dereliction of duty, and forming cliques for personal gain. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"

Ma Yong spoke with integrity, righteous indignation, and conviction.

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky!

This caused a stir in the imperial court!

It should be noted that Yang Yan served as the Grand Secretary for many years.

In the entire court, if I may not say one-fifth, at least one-tenth of the people are definitely Yang Yan, or rather, people from the Hongnong Yang clan.

His words immediately caused the faces of Yang Yan's faction officials to change drastically.

All of a sudden.

One by one, the officials of Yang Yanyi’s faction wanted to step forward and refute him.

P.S.: Wishing all my brothers and sisters who are reading this a Happy New Year and all the best!