The imperial city is located in the north of Bianjing City, the Xuande Gate in the south of the Imperial City, just on the central axis of the whole Bianjing City, in front of the Xuande Gate, is the famous Royal Street, and the east and west sides of the Imperial City are Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate.

After the palace examination, the new jinshi are in the Donghua Gate roll call, and the folk legend of the good sons outside the Donghua Gate comes from this.

As the night deepened, pedestrians on the street returned home one after another to reunite with their families, and groups of soldiers in strict armor walked on the empty long street.

British duke, Zhang's family, a team of guards with armor, swords, guns and guns hurried to the front gate, holding the token of the Empress Dowager Cao in their hands, and a soldier with a sword volunteered to call the door.

"Who?" The small door next to it opened, and a head poked out of it.

"The Queen Mother has a will! Not yet plain report! ”

The sergeant's voice was quite harsh.

Although the prime minister is a third-class official in front of the door, and the British Mansion is the top noble family in this Tokyo city, but in front of the angels, the porter did not dare to slack off, hurriedly opened the middle door, and welcomed people into the house, and after a while, the British princess hurried to the front hall with several daughters-in-law.

"I don't know if the angel is coming, there is a loss of welcome, there is a loss of welcome!" The English princess said heartily.

"I came in a hurry!" The British duchess has a noble status, and the British duchess is the pillar of the imperial court, although the chamberlain received the will of the Empress Dowager Cao, but he did not dare to pretend in front of the British duchess.

"At the behest of the Queen Mother, summon the British duchess and several ladies into the palace for a talk."

"Enter the palace at this time?" The British Duchess said suspiciously.

The chamberlain said: "So that the lady knows that today is Chinese New Year's Eve, and the family is reunited outside, and the eldest lady misses the first emperor in her heart, and she can't help but feel a little sad, so she thinks of summoning the lady and several ladies into the palace to talk, lively and lively, so as not to be silent in grief and longing." ”

The British duchess did not doubt him, and said, "Please wait, and I will ask someone to prepare the car." ”

"Madame, don't be busy, the eldest lady ordered me to bring a soft sedan chair later!"

The same situation is playing out in the homes of countless dignitaries in Beijing.

At the right moment, in the palace and in the main hall, the Empress Dowager Cao is listed at the top, with Empress Shen sitting in her left hand, followed by Xiao Shen and Zou, and the first person sitting on her right hand is the British Duchess.

Left and right in the hall are the wives and officials of the martial arts generals in Beijing, and there are a lot of them in the Yuzhou series, in addition to the eldest lady Zhang who is at home for the first Ningyuan Marquis to guard filial piety, even the eldest lady of the fourth room of the Gu family is also in the banquet.

Although this banquet came suddenly, it is not strange, in previous years, there were often banquets in the palace, but in the past few years, there were endless disasters in Beijing, first rebelled against the king, and then Emperor Jiayou died of serious illness, and then there was a rebellion in the south, and the king of Huan was gone.

For today's banquet, the Queen Mother also specially invited the Nanqu team, which has been very popular in Beijing in recent years, to enter the palace.

In the southeast corner of the hall, near the entrance of the main hall, Hua Lan, who was dressed in splendor, sat in the third row against the wall, and in front of her sister-in-law Xiao Zhang and her mother-in-law Zhang who had always made things difficult for her.

It's Mo Lan, because she is married to the sister-in-law of the Marquis of Yongchang, although Mrs. Wu doesn't like her temperament, she still brought her, for naturally not Mo Lan, but Mo Lan's husband, Liang Han, the youngest son of Mrs. Wu.

Although there are more and more recitals in the court to ask the queen mother to return to power, and the voice is getting louder and louder, among the civil official group, there have been several officials on the side of the court who have been demoted to Lingnan, but it is still the queen mother who holds the power of the court.

On the edge of Hua Lan, Xiao Zhang's family looked left and right, looking back and forth in the palace's officials, and said with a smile on his face: "Why don't you see the niece of my brother and sister's family who was named the county lord?" ”

Hua Lan's face froze, and she smiled and said: "The sixth sister is now pregnant again, her body is not very refreshing, the imperial doctor said that she needs to recuperate, and now it is the New Year's pass, and the capital is inevitably a little noisy, the county lord accompanied the sixth sister to the Zhuangzi outside the city to recuperate, it has been some time, and today's banquet came suddenly, it is estimated that the county lord has not received the news!" ”

Xiao Zhang's slanted eyes glanced at Hua Lan and said: "I heard that the sixth brother-in-law of my younger sister and sister offended the eldest lady in the court a year ago, and was punished for thinking about it behind closed doors for a month, and now that I calculate the time, it should be over!" ”

Hua Lan said: "The sixth brother-in-law is in charge of the salt and iron division, and he is the humerus of the imperial court, although he has angered the eldest lady, but he has already been punished, and the eldest lady is broad-minded, how can she grasp such a little thing." ”

"A trifle?" Xiao Zhangshi pinched the handkerchief to cover his mouth and chuckled: "Brother and sister, don't you think that my sister-in-law and mother-in-law are such ignorant women?" It's a matter of changing the law, but it's also a trivial matter? ”

The Zhang family from which the Zhang family and the little Zhang family were born is also a scholarly family, although it has declined over the years, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are also very stupid, but there is still common sense.

"Sister-in-law is cautious!" Hua Lan's expression did not change, just because when Xiao Zhang's voice spoke, his voice was not low, fortunately, they were far away, and only the officials and relatives near the left heard it.

"If you lose your honor, you will lose the face of the Yuan family!" After staying in the Yuan family for so long, Hua Lan can be regarded as seeing that if she is blindly weak, what awaits her will only be the endless bullying of the Zhang family and the Xiao Zhang family.

It's okay to retreat, but there must be a bottom line, you can't blindly back down, you still have to be tough when you should be tough, now your father is a fourth-grade important member, and her brother-in-law is a third-grade salt and iron envoy, holding heavy power, and his younger brother is also on an errand in the salt and iron division, holding real power in his hands, Hualan naturally has the confidence to speak.

"Say less!"

"Humph!" Xiao Zhang wanted to argue a few more words, but Zhang in front of him turned his head and glared back at all the words.

If it is usual, I am afraid that if I don't wait for Xiao Zhang's mouth to speak, the Zhang family will open up by himself, but he is in the palace today, and he is surrounded by officials and nobles of the Xun family, and the Zhang family does not want the face of the Yuan family, but also has to take care of herself and the face of the Zhang family.

The movements here naturally can't be hidden from the people who are close to the left, especially Mo Lan, who has been paying attention to Hua Lan's side, seeing that Hua Lan and Xiao Zhang's are not happy, Mo Lan feels a burst of happiness in her heart, although her relationship with Mrs. Wu's mother-in-law is also average, but at least Liang Han is still pinched by her, not like Hua Lan, who has been in the Yuan family for so many years, and her life is not as good as her sister-in-law who has just married to the Liang family for less than two years.

Thinking of Hua Lan's cold, lonely and arrogant appearance when she was a girl at home in the past, and then looking at the fact that she is now being targeted by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as if she is angry, Mo Lan feels happy in her heart.

The Empress Dowager Cao, who was sitting at the top, listened to the tunes, ate the wine and food, and talked and laughed with the nearby Empress Shen, the British Duchess and others, and the atmosphere was so cheerful.

But at the same time, in the imperial city, a group of armor-clad armor soldiers trotted back and forth, and a team of soldiers went up to the city tower, and all the palace gates were sealed from the inside.

In the yamen of the front of the palace, Liu Xian, who is currently the commander of the front of the palace, sat at the dining table, with exquisite dishes and a few wine jugs on the table, and there were a few people wearing armor on the side of the table, which could be seen at a glance as generals.

"Someone!" Liu Xian gave an order, and several soldiers with knives immediately pushed the door in.

"The subordinates are here!"

"The three generals are too strong to drink, take them all down!"

Liu Xian's face was full of sadness and joy, but his eyes were cold, there seemed to be a cold light flashing in his eyes, and even his voice became extremely cold: "Good care!" ”

"No!" The soldiers hurriedly carried the people to the inner room, took out the hemp rope and rags that had been prepared, tied up all three of them, stuffed the rags into their mouths, and tied them with hemp rope.

Liu Xian got up and walked to the table, holding the helmet on the shaft in both hands, wearing it on his head unhurriedly, and the guards brought a sword and tied it to his belt.

Walking quickly to the door, a group of soldiers had already lined up in order, all with swords at their waists and torches in their hands.

"Brothers, the wife and the son, the glory and wealth, all today!"

"If there are still regrets, it's too late to quit now!"

"We all take the lead of the horse!"

"Command the horse's head!"

"The horse's head is looking forward!"

Listening to the words of the soldiers holding torches and declaring their loyalty, the smile on Liu Xian's face became more and more intense.

"Good!"

"Soldiers, let's go!"

Liu Xian took the lead in turning around and walked quickly towards Emperor Zhao Zongquan's bedroom.

Outer city, Nanxunmen, as the Empress Dowager Cao has controlled the government in recent years, the guards of each gate have gradually changed from Zhao Zongquan's henchmen to her Empress Dowager Cao's henchmen.

Empress Dowager Cao's Cao family is also the founding of the country, generations of generals, his father and brother are in the Northern Army, last year Empress Dowager Cao has already used the excuse to transfer a dry of brothers and nephews back to Bianjing, and now it is the brother of the Empress Dowager Cao who is dispatching troops in the city.

A team of officers and soldiers in armor were scattered all over the city, surrounding the mansions of important officials in the court, especially the Yuzhou family, and the civil and military ministers headed by the prime minister Han Zhang, who wrote several times to persuade the Empress Dowager Cao to return to power.

Xicheng, Hanfu.

"Who are you, do you know what kind of place this is?" The prime minister's door is a three-rank official, Han Zhang is the chief assistant of the dynasty, under one person, above ten thousand, the head of the civil officials, is a gatehouse, and he is not afraid of the official army.

"It's Han Zhang who is looking for!"

The leading general suddenly drew his sword out of the sheath with a cruel smile, and saw that the knife flashed, and the head on the neck of the porter flew up, and a cavity of blood gushed out in an instant.

"Kill!"

With a wave of the blood-stained long knife in the general's hand, dozens of soldiers behind him drew their swords out of their sheaths one after another, like a pack of wolves, and slaughtered into the Han Mansion.

"Master, it's not good! Oh no, the officers and soldiers are in! ”

Han Zhang was sitting in the hall with his wife and children, eating snacks and teasing his grandson, so unhappy, but a little guy ran into the hall in a hurry.

"What?" The laughter in the room stopped abruptly, and Han Zhang immediately put down the grandson in his arms, stood up, walked forward quickly, and asked sharply, "What did you say?" ”

The little guy hurriedly said: "The official army has come in!" I'm already running this way, sir·····"

"Hahahaha!"

Before the little guy could finish speaking, there was a burst of wild laughter outside.

The blood-soaked key generals carried blood-stained knives and walked into the hall with a group of wolf-like officers and soldiers, and faced Han Zhang: "Prime Minister Han, the eldest lady has a purpose, please invite Prime Minister Han to enter the palace for a while." ”

The pungent smell of blood instantly spread, and several women with small burdens were already frightened to the point that their faces turned pale.

"Bold!" Han Zhang was still not afraid, took a few steps forward, and faced the general: "I am the chief of the court, do you dare to do it?" ”

"The last general naturally doesn't dare!" The general suddenly raised his long knife, bowed down and said: "It's just that the eldest lady has a life, and the last general will not dare to disobey, and I hope that the prime minister will not let the last general be embarrassed." ”

As he spoke, the fierce and bloodthirsty gaze was also scanning the Han family members in the house, and the threat was undisguised.

Han Zhang said: "The prime minister is going with you, don't embarrass women and children." ”

"Prime minister, please!" The general's face grew with a smile on his face, and he leaned sideways.

At the same time, in Chengyuan, Gu Er was teasing his son in the house with Zhang, Gu Er's son was only a few months old, and he had just learned to turn over not long ago, and next to him were Sister Rong and Brother Chang, who were also very curious about children.

Zhang's mind is quite open-minded, for Gu Er's children left in the outer room has always been good, not only has he never made it difficult, but he also takes care of it, of course, it is impossible to love it too much, after all, it is someone else's child, and these two children are not young, but they have been raised by Zhang's side since they were young.

"Brother Tuan'er, come to my sister!" Sister Rong took a rattle in her hand, squatted five or six feet in front of her, and looked at Brother Tuan'er, who was placed on the ground by Gu Er and lying on the blanket, shaking the rattle with interest.

Gu Er and Zhang's saw that Sister Rong liked her younger brother so much, and they all had smiles on their faces.

But at this moment, the stone hurriedly walked in.

"Master Hou!" Shi walked quickly to Gu Er's side with a solemn face, and whispered a few words quickly in Gu Er's ear, Gu Er's expression suddenly became serious.

"What's wrong?" Seeing that her husband's face had changed, Zhang asked worriedly.

Gu Er said with a cold face: "There are a bunch of officers and soldiers from outside the house, and they have surrounded our family!" ”

"Officers and soldiers? Waifu? Zhang said with a puzzled face: "Good and dignified, why do you encircle the mansion?" ”

Gu Er has been keeping filial piety for his father at home for more than a year, except for going to the grave to worship during the New Year's holidays, the rest of the time is basically at home, and even those who are ushered in and sent are much less than before, and now for no reason, how did it provoke the official army to besiege the mansion?

"Don't worry, madam, wait for me to go and see!"

"Master Hou be careful!" Zhang blurted out without thinking about it.

"Don't worry!"

Gu Er smiled, instructed Sister Rong and Brother Chang a few words, and walked out of the hall quickly.

At the same time, in the palace, Liu Xian led a group of soldiers like wolves and tigers towards Zhao Zongquan's dormitory, Funing Palace.

Although Liu Xian has mastered most of the people of the front division of the palace, the front division of the palace has been reorganized, and the composition of the personnel is varied, and there are naturally some cronies of Zhao Zongquan.

Although preparations had been made in advance, the guards around Zhao Zongquan's dormitory were all Zhao Zongquan's confidants.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

Seeing a group of guards with strict armor and white silk tied to their arms approaching, the guards responsible for protecting Zhao Zongquan immediately became alert, and the spears in their hands also pointed at the comer.

Liu Xian didn't have a word of superfluity, the long sword at his waist was unsheathed, and he said loudly: "Feng Wife Yinzi is at this time, kill me!" ”

"Kill!"

In an instant, the group of guards behind Liu Xian rushed forward.

In an instant, the two sides collided together, swords and swords, and blood flowed.

In the chaos, a tall and burly man, a pair of ape arms with extremely slender arms, holding an iron tire bow came out of nowhere, and his arms were also tied with white silk.

(End of chapter)