Chapter 194: Jiangdu Palace Change
On a rainy, foggy day, near dusk, the Xiaoguo Army led out all the imperial horses from the imperial stables, and sharpened their weapons until they sparkled, preparing for battle in anticipation of tonight!

Assassinating the emperor and changing the dynasty is not an easy task. Yu Wenzhi ordered Yuan Li and Pei Qiantong, who were in charge of the palace guards, to keep a close eye on the palace gate and not allow anyone to see the emperor.

As agreed, the city gates were ajar and not bolted to ensure that there would be no delay due to the city gates.

The generals of the imperial guards were invited to Yu Wenzhi's mansion for a banquet. It was not until the middle of the night that Yu Wenzhi told them what he was going to do.

In an instant, the drunken crowd was sobered up by the shock. Some thought it was a joke, while others ran away and wanted to report Yu Wenzhi, but they were all quickly dealt with by the executioners outside the door.

Although the generals of the imperial guards were quite brave, how could they carry weapons when they went to their superior's house to drink? Without war horses, armor and weapons, even ten thousand enemies could not withstand the swords and axes that came at them.

After some people died, the smell of blood made everyone completely sober, and they said tremblingly: "We are willing to follow the general."

There was no trace of pride on Yu Wenzhi's face, and his fear was even worse than that of everyone else present. He didn't even dare to think about what would happen if he succeeded, he only thought about what to do if he failed.

Some generals who really wanted to follow Yu Wenzhi couldn't help but hesitate when they saw him like this. Can this guy really do it?
At this time, Yuwen Shiji suddenly rushed in wearing only a single layer of clothing, pointed at his elder brother and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Yu Wenzhi hesitated, and the housekeeper who could not bear to watch explained the matter. After listening, Yu Wenzhi slapped his thigh and scolded: "Your Majesty has been so kind to my father and son. Others can rebel, but my family can't escape the condemnation of the world even if they succeed by chance. This regicide will be the source of the family's destruction. Brother, don't be confused!"

For the first time, Yu Wenzhi felt that his younger brother was right, but he was not the leader at all. He was just being coerced by the people below to rebel. He could only helplessly say: "Erlang has already led the Xiaoguo Army to start. It's too late to regret."

The housekeeper immediately said: "Given the temperament of that tyrant, if you attend the banquet tonight, it will be a capital crime. Why don't you try your best to follow the emperor?"

Yuwen Shiji pointed at the housekeeper and said, "What a good slave! You are so rich and powerful that you threaten your master like this."

The steward who used to love to kowtow to him the most ignored him this time and continued to actively deceive the generals. He believed that if one man succeeded, the whole family would benefit. He also wanted his children and grandchildren to be slaves for generations.

Yuwen Shiji suddenly understood why his elder brother, who had always appeared to be fierce but was actually weak, dared to plot a rebellion.

The two brothers looked at each other, and Yu Wenzhi pointed at him and said, "If you don't want to, then get out. You are not from my Yuwen family. Come, throw him out of Jiangdu City!"

Yuwen Shiji naturally understood this kind of preservation strategy, and he was surprised that his brother could do this.

The servant stepped forward, took off Yuwen Shiji's clothes, and pulled him directly to the top of the city gate tower. He sent him down in a basket without giving him any extra clothes.

At this time, the brave soldiers in the east of the city also began to march towards the emperor's palace with torches and swords. Anyone who dared to block their way was turned into a corpse lying on the side of the road.

Although it was night, the noise of tens of thousands of people rising up in rebellion was quite loud. However, most of the people and officials just closed their doors and did not dare to go out to inquire about the situation, let alone report to the emperor.

Of course, they were not needed. After all, there were guards in the palace who were very loyal to the emperor. They hurried to pass the message to His Majesty's bedroom, but were stopped by the on-duty general Pei Qiantong.

The emperor, who was already restless, was also awakened by the noise, so he called Pei Qiantong to ask, "What's the commotion outside?"

Pei Qiantong comforted the emperor: "Your Majesty, the straw workshop was burned down and the soldiers are fighting the fire, so it is noisy. You don't have to worry." Pei Qiantong was the emperor's confidant when he was in the Prince of Jin's Mansion in the past, otherwise he would not have been on duty outside the bedroom, so the emperor did not suspect anything.

At this time, others might be able to stay out of the matter, but the emperor's eldest grandson, Prince of Yan Yang Dan, could not do so. He immediately realized that someone was rebelling, and whether his grandfather knew about it or not, he should enter the palace.

So he led his Qianniu Beishen Yuwen Hao and fifty household soldiers out of the palace, but the fighting had already begun in the palace and it was impossible to get in.

So he took advantage of the cover of night and secretly climbed in through the drainage hole next to Fanglin Gate on the north side of the palace, then passed Xuanwu Gate and went to the emperor's grandfather's bedroom to report the news.

However, the drainage hole was narrow, and most of the guards were big and strong, so only the immature Prince Yan and a few guards with smaller frames could pass through.

Yang Dan knew that he could not hesitate at this moment, so he climbed in resolutely and headed straight for Xuanwu Gate regardless of the dirt on his body, but this gate had already been taken over by the rebels.

Facing the King of Yan running towards him in a panic, the guard sneered, drew out the long sword from his waist and shouted, "Who dares to break into the palace at night!"

Yang Dan often came and went in the palace, so how could the palace guards not recognize him, let alone draw their swords and glare at him?

The cold and unhesitating murderous intent made the emperor's eldest grandson, who had been pampered since childhood, feel a little uncomfortable. His heart, which was already beating rapidly due to running, seemed to be about to jump out of his chest.

"I...I am the Prince of Yan. I want to go to the palace to see my grandfather. Please let him know immediately."

The general did not put away his sword, but led his troops slowly forward and said, "Your Highness the Prince of Yan should not disturb His Majesty's sleep at this time. Is there something important?"

Yang Dan already sensed something was wrong: "I have suffered a stroke and my life is hanging by a thread. Please allow Your Majesty to take your leave."

Upon hearing such a stupid lie from the extremely noble eldest grandson of the emperor, all the generals laughed uncontrollably. The guards beside Prince Yan knew that this would not end well, so two of them pulled Yang Tan away, while the others rushed forward with knives.

But they were all dealt with quickly. Yang Tan, who did not run far, was also captured and imprisoned. It was not known what General Yuwen would do. If he needed to abdicate, then the living Prince of Yan would still be useful.

If it is not needed, then it is just a matter of giving it another stab, which is not difficult and is easier than trying to revive it.

At this moment, there was still one person working hard for the emperor, that was the Imperial Censor Pei Yun, one of the five nobles in the past. He learned the whole story of tonight from Zhang Huishao, the prefect of Jiangdu, but he knew very well that it was useless to inform the emperor now. The army outside the city must be allowed to enter the city to protect the emperor in order to deal with the Xiaoguo Army and the Imperial Guards.

To dispatch the army, an imperial edict is required. If the emperor cannot be seen, the only option is to forge an imperial edict. However, a forged edict that is too fake cannot command the army outside the city and can easily lead to mistakes.

They still had to go through formal procedures and find Yu Shiji, the Minister of Internal Affairs who was specifically responsible for drafting and issuing imperial edicts. Only with the help of the imperial edicts issued by these two emperor's confidants could the army be mobilized.

...............

(End of this chapter)