I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

Ironically, the Duke of Qing was seriously discussing the details of the rebellion with Wen Feng.

Wen Feng also played along, coming up with one "brilliant plan" after another, leading him into a ditch.

When the Duke of Qingguo declared with great bravado that he would "directly attack the Hall of Mental Cultivation," Zhuque almost couldn't help but laugh.

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see himself being crowned emperor.

Chapter 47 I avoid his edge?

Carrying the Duke of Qing's personal secret letter and that stack of deadly files, Zhuque moved like a ghost through the deep mansions of Jinling City.

Those officials implicated in the case file turned ashen-faced upon seeing the words "start the operation at midnight" in the letter.

On one side, there were crowds of people; on the other, there was the merit of following the emperor.

These self-proclaimed smart fools quickly made their choice.

Of course, there were also those who wanted to denounce the Duke of Qing, but Cao Zhichun had already instructed that if anyone said anything about the Duke of Qing rebelling, they should be immediately locked up as a madman having a "hysterical episode".

For Zhu Houcong, there are no good or bad people in this world, only those who know how to behave and those who don't.

Regardless of your purpose in reporting it, and regardless of whether you are a good person or a bad person.

I meticulously planned for the Duke of Qing to rebel, yet you dare to report me. You simply don't know how to behave.

Even if you don't know how to behave properly, you'll still die.

"It's dry and dry, be careful with the candles!"

The watchman's gong rang out precisely on time throughout the streets and alleys.

In Jinling, the fourth watch drum is sounded every day in winter. This time, the drum sounded at midnight, indicating that the hour of Zi had arrived.

The drums sound, signaling the start of a great undertaking.

This was also a signal that the Duke of Qing was plotting a rebellion.

At this moment, beneath the seemingly calm night in Jinling City, undercurrents were surging. Zhu Houcong and the Duke of Qing were both waiting for this "rebellion drama" to begin.

After the third watch drum sounded, the gates of dozens of officials' residences opened silently.

The assassins, guards, and servants, armed with sharp blades, quietly merged into the streets and alleys.

They moved silently and swiftly toward Xuanhua Gate, their blades gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

At the same time, several officials who had been confined to their homes also took action.

Before the Eastern Depot agents on duty could react, they were killed by guards lying in ambush.

These usually timid civil officials now had fierce glints in their eyes, decisively killing their henchmen who were monitoring them, and joining the others.

Before long, the street next to Xuanhua Gate was filled with a somber atmosphere.

The night is dark and the wind is freezing.

The Duke of Qingguo, fully armed and ready for battle, gazed into the distance at the heavily guarded Imperial Guards at Xuanhua Gate.

In the firelight, his expression shifted between light and shadow, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Wen Feng knew that Qing Guo Gong Shi had chickened out again when it came to the important matter.

The older a person gets, the more timid they become.

Following such a person in undertaking important tasks is simply laughable.

Although he harbored resentment in his heart, he knew that it was time for him to speak up and encourage others again.

He immediately stepped forward, his expression solemn, and cupped his hands, saying, "Lord Duke, let's fight. Eight hundred men it is. Eight hundred men should strike first."

"Yes, Your Excellency, this is an opportunity not to be missed!" Wu Kai, the deputy commander of the Northern Camp beside him, quickly echoed.

Wen Feng's words almost made Zhu Houcong laugh to death. "Strike first? Do you think you're Fang Xuanling?"

Even if you were, the cowardly Duke of Qing could never be Li Shimin.

They're still putting on a show here.

However, now that the atmosphere had been built up, he also needed to reassure the Duke of Qing.

So he steered the Vermilion Bird forward, his voice booming like a bell, his tone impassioned.

"My lord, you wield the bow, and I the spear; who in this world can stand against us?"

His demeanor was exactly like that of Yuchi Jingde reincarnated.

"The Grandmaster is right!"

The crowd echoed their sentiments, their eyes gleaming with fervor.

"Charge into the palace, and you will be the true Son of Heaven!"

Duke Qing took a deep breath, and the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by ruthlessness.

He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Fine! Let's do it!"

At this moment, Wang Hong, the Imperial Guard Commander, stepped forward and said, "Lord Duke, wait another half an incense stick, and the Imperial Guards at Xuanhua Gate will be relieved."

"At that time, the journey from Xuanhua Gate to Wuying Hall will be unimpeded. Once the Imperial Guards guarding Wuying Hall are dealt with, we can directly attack Yangxin Hall and then take control of the inner palace!"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qing nodded repeatedly, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes. He grinned maliciously and said, "Good! Let's do as Wang Hong says and charge in!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The crowd roared in unison, and swords were drawn, their blades gleaming coldly.

The night wind howled, and a murderous intent was brewing.

Half an incense stick's time passed in the blink of an eye. In the darkness of night, hundreds of dark figures, like ghosts, scaled walls and roofs, silently approaching Xuanhua Gate.

They were all martial artists, many of whom possessed exceptional lightness skills.

With a light touch of the toes, one can leap several meters high, moving like a swallow, so fast that one can hardly see the figure.

Upon arriving at Xuanhua Gate, dozens of people suddenly launched an attack, their blades flashing like lightning, heading straight for the imperial guards stationed at the gate.

Before the imperial guards could react, they felt a chill on their necks, blood spurted out, and they fell to the ground silently.

The guards on the city wall noticed the commotion and were about to raise an alarm when they saw more warriors scaling the wall, their swords flashing coldly as they slashed at anyone they saw.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Finally, someone shouted at the top of their lungs.

At this moment, the warriors in the Imperial Guard reacted quickly, roaring, "You audacious villains, how dare you force your way into the palace!"

He then led the elite Imperial Guards in a charge.

The two sides clashed on the city wall, their swords flashing, blood splattering, and shouts of battle deafening.

At the same time, another group of warriors took advantage of the chaos to rush towards the city gate. After a short while, the heavy Xuanhua Gate was heard to slowly open with a "boom".

"The door is open! The door is open!" Wang Hong exclaimed excitedly, pointing to Xuanhua Gate.

"Let's charge in!"

"kill!"

A deafening battle cry suddenly erupted as the Duke of Qing's personal guards, elite soldiers, and other elite troops from various mansions surged toward the palace like a tidal wave.

"The Eastern Depot has brought ruin to the country, and the emperor is incompetent! Today, I, this old man, will act on behalf of Heaven to bring about justice!"

After rushing into Xuanhua Gate, the Duke of Qing shouted loudly and then swung his sword to behead a member of the Imperial Guard.

"kill!"

Despite being caught off guard, the eight hundred men advanced with unstoppable momentum, heading straight for the inner palace.

At that moment, the sounds of fighting also rang out inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, intertwining with the sounds of fighting in front of the Hall of Martial Valor.

Zhu Houcong was focused on the Yue clan and Consort Hui, who had been utterly defeated and routed, and paid no attention to the rebel army outside.

Just then, the anxious voice of the eunuch outside came through.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Duke of Qing has led his men into the palace!"

"what?"

Consort Yue, who was fighting with Zhu Houcong, was startled and the fighting stopped abruptly.

After the Hall of Mental Cultivation fell silent, they could finally hear the sounds of fighting coming from outside the Hall of Chu.

Consort Hui, standing to the side, suddenly turned deathly pale, her voice trembling as she said, "Your Majesty, please move your carriage immediately and avoid the brunt of the attack."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong suddenly let out a cold laugh.

He slowly released the stunned Yue Shi from his arms, letting her slump onto the dragon table.

Should I avoid his sharp edge?

He drew the sword from the table, and the moment it was drawn, its cold light reflected in his chilling eyes.

"What is the Duke of Qing? Does he even deserve to be called one?"

Before he finished speaking, he strode towards the palace gate.

At the same time, seeing the fierce attack of the rebels, the Imperial Guards knew the situation was urgent and immediately took out a gilded whistling arrow from their robes.

Whoosh! Bang!

A sharp whistling sound pierced the night, followed by a deafening explosion that reverberated over Nanjing.

The brilliant flames instantly illuminated half the sky, transforming into the pattern of a golden halberd.

It shone brightly in the dark night sky.

This was precisely the unique distress signal used by the Imperial Guards of the Great Liang Dynasty.

The loud noise startled many people awake. Meng Zhi was just about to go to bed when he heard the noise and immediately rushed into the courtyard.

Upon looking up and seeing the golden halberd gradually disappearing in the night sky, his expression changed drastically.

"The Imperial Guards are requesting reinforcements?"

"Oh no, His Majesty is in danger!"

He grabbed the sword from the weapons rack in the courtyard and rushed toward Xuanhua Gate.

Chapter 48 Commander-in-Chief Meng, We Meet Again

The golden halberd that suddenly exploded in the night sky caused Wang Hong's pupils to shrink, and his blood-stained longsword paused involuntarily.

This traitor, who came from the Imperial Guard, knew better than anyone that the golden halberd was the highest-level distress signal from the Imperial Guard.

"My lord."

He cleaved through the imperial guards in front of him with a single stroke of his sword, shouting urgently, "Meng Zhi is approaching!"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qing paused slightly in the hand holding his blood-stained sword, then turned to look at Zhuque: "Sir, I entrust Meng Zhi to you."

Zhuque stood with his hands behind his back, his black robes fluttering in the night wind.

A meaningful smile played at the corners of his lips: "Rest assured, Your Majesty, after tonight, there will be no more Meng Zhi in the world."

Having said that, his figure vanished into the night like a ghost.

Watching Zhuque's departing figure, the Duke of Qing suddenly burst into laughter: "A swift and decisive battle! First, execute the tyrant, then seize control of the harem. When I ascend the throne, you will all be meritorious officials who helped me rise to power!"

"kill!"

The rebels shouted in unison, and their offensive became increasingly fierce.

From the shadows, Suzaku chuckled.

The Duke of Qing is far too naive. Does he really think that controlling the concubines in the harem will allow him to blackmail his unfilial sons?

Leaving aside others, just look at the Crown Prince and Prince Yu. They are ruthless and ambitious, and probably wish that the Duke of Qing could take the opportunity to get rid of his troublesome father.

Once dawn breaks, they will definitely lead their men to storm the palace and kill the Duke of Qing and his gang.

Of course, the Duke of Qing probably knew this in his heart.