12dz Chapter 1608: Surround the Imperial Palace and Establish a New King!
Chapter 1608: Surround the Imperial Palace and Establish a New King!
Inside the hall, the empress's reaction was surprising.
The ministers did not expect that the empress would choose to oppose Pei Yan and others in public!
"His Majesty!"
Pei Yan raised his voice: "You are disregarding the Great Zhou! We will never allow Chu's conspiracy to succeed!"
Wu Zhao sneered and slowly stood up from the dragon throne.
She wasn't tall, but at the moment she gave off a condescending, oppressive vibe: "Lord Pei, are you telling me what to do?"
Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Pei Yan's forehead, but things had come to this point and he had no way out.
He took a deep breath and slowly straightened up, no longer maintaining the proper bowing posture of a subject.
"Since Your Majesty has no regard for the safety of our dynasty, please do not blame us, your subjects, for our disrespect!"
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.
Openly defying the order and refusing to kneel is a crime of great disrespect.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense, and several generals had their hands on their swords.
Wu Zhao did not get angry but smiled. She walked down the steps slowly, her dragon robe dragging on the ground, making a rustling sound.
She stopped three steps away from Pei Yan, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Really? Then I want to see how rude Master Pei is going to be today."
Pei Yan's face turned ashen as he met the Empress's gaze. The air in the palace seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath, awaiting the outcome of this showdown between the monarch and his subjects.
At this critical moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, followed by the sound of metal armor colliding.
An imperial guard burst into the hall without warning and knelt on one knee: "Report! Your Majesty, something bad has happened! There is a troop of soldiers outside the palace who have surrounded it!
When Wu Zhao heard the report from the imperial guards, her expression suddenly changed. A cold light flashed in her phoenix eyes, and the pressure around her suddenly erupted. The air in the entire hall seemed to solidify a little.
She slowly stood up, her fingers tightening slightly beneath the cuffs of her dragon robe. Her voice was as cold as a knife: "Who is so bold as to lead troops to surround the palace?"
Leading troops to surround the imperial palace is a serious crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan.
The imperial guard knelt on one knee, sweat dripping from his forehead, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, it is... it is General Li Junxian!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court was in an uproar!
Civil and military officials looked at each other in shock.
Who was Li Junxian? He was a trusted general personally promoted by the Empress. He had commanded the Luocheng army for many years and was deeply trusted by Wu Zetian. She even personally bestowed the title of "Guardian of the Nation" on him as a token of his loyalty.
But now, this general who is least likely to rebel has surrounded the palace with his troops?
For a while, there was a lot of discussion in the court.
"This... How is this possible? General Li is His Majesty's man!"
"Could it be that Lord Pei persuaded General Li?"
"Your Majesty wants to reveal Princess Xiuning's identity. Perhaps this has angered General Li?"
"Leading troops to surround the palace is a serious crime of treason!"
Everyone was talking in low voices, their eyes shifting back and forth between Pei Yan and the empress, feeling anxious and uneasy.
Pei Yan stood in the center of the hall, slowly raising his head which had been lowered, with a sneer on the corner of his mouth. There was no longer any humility of a subject in his eyes, but instead a bit of arrogance as if he was sure of victory.
This is his trump card.
No one would have thought that he would be able to convince Li Junxian.
Now that the palace is in his control, Wu Zetian must compromise even if she is the emperor.
At this time, outside the palace, the wind and snow were howling, and thousands of elite soldiers were standing in formation, with the black mass of troops pointing directly at the palace gate.
Li Junxian was wearing black armor, with a sharp sword hanging from his waist. He stood in front of the palace gate with a cold look in his eyes.
He raised his hand and waved, and the soldiers behind him immediately formed a battle line, with swords and spears like a forest, flashing cold light.
"Open the palace gate, I'm going in!" he shouted in a deep voice.
The guards at the gate turned pale, gripping their halberds tightly. They said with a stiff face, "General Li, you have brought your troops here. I dare not open the gate without permission. Please wait for your Majesty's order!"
Although they didn't know what had happened, the imperial guards knew very well that if they let Li Junxian into the palace, they would be derelict in their duty and might even lead to a disaster!
When people above fight, those below them suffer.
He didn't want to implicate the entire family because of his negligence.
Li Junxian snorted coldly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes: "I am acting on the secret orders of His Majesty. How dare you stop me?"
The captain of the imperial guards gritted his teeth and said, "General, please forgive me. Without your Majesty's order, I dare not let him go!"
Although Li Junxian is the empress's most trusted person, the palace gate cannot be opened just because of a word.
He would never open the palace gate without the emperor's order.
Li Junxian narrowed his eyes and said no more. He immediately ordered: "Come here! Surround the four gates of the palace and don't let anyone escape!"
"Yes!"
At a command, thousands of soldiers quickly dispersed and blocked the four gates of the palace, with swords drawn and murderous intent everywhere!
Li Junxian looked at the besieged palace, and a cold light flashed in his eyes that was unnoticeable.
At this time, the atmosphere in the palace and the main hall was extremely solemn.
Pei Yan slowly turned around and faced Wu Zhao. There was no longer any trace of respect on his face. Instead, he had a sneer that seemed to indicate he was confident of victory.
"Your Majesty, this is my confidence!"
His voice was low, but every word was as sharp as a knife: "If you take back your order, I will surrender myself today!"
"But if you insist on doing so..."
He paused, a cold glint in his eyes: "Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court fell silent!
The ministers held their breath, their hearts beating like drums. Pei Yan's words were tantamount to forcing the emperor to abdicate!
Wu Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of her lips: "Oh?"
She slowly walked down the dragon steps, her dragon robe trailing on the ground. Her steps were steady, but her voice was filled with unquestionable majesty:
"If I don't agree to take back my order, what will you do?"
Pei Yan snorted coldly, his eyes sharp as a sword: "Then the Great Zhou Dynasty will have to be ruled by someone else!"
As soon as the words fell, murderous intent suddenly arose in the hall!
Pei Yan straightened his back, looked around at the civil and military officials in the court with a sharp gaze, and said in a loud and passionate voice:
"My dear colleagues! Today's matter concerns the century-old foundation of the Great Zhou! Your Majesty is determined to reveal Princess Xiuning's identity. This move is tantamount to handing over the Great Zhou to the Chu State!"
He swung his sleeves and continued, "Have you ever thought about this? Once the Emperor of Chu learns that Princess Xiuning is his bloodline, he will definitely demand her by force! If the princess is taken back to Chu, the bloodline of the royal family of the Great Zhou will be cut off, and there will be no successor!"
"That Chu Ning is extremely ambitious. If he takes this opportunity to interfere in our internal affairs, or even supports a puppet to ascend the throne, our Great Zhou will never have peace!"
Pei Yan became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his face flushing red. "Your Majesty, for a personal passion, has disregarded the country and its people! General Li's siege of the palace today is heaven's will! Since Your Majesty is so determined, then I, this old minister, boldly propose..."
He took a deep breath and looked at Wu Zhao sharply: "Today, we must establish a new emperor!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.
Pei Yan didn't wait for anyone to react and continued loudly, "Our dynasty has been established for a hundred years. How can we let it be destroyed by a woman?"
"If the late emperor were still alive, he would never allow the royal bloodline to be tainted by the Chu State!"
"Today, we must prioritize the country and depose the tyrant ruler and establish a wise one!"
He turned to face his ministers, raised his arms, and shouted, "My fellow ministers! Are you willing to join me in this great endeavor and choose a wise ruler for the Great Zhou?"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense. Officials who supported Pei Yan stepped forward one after another, loudly echoing, "We second the motion!"
"Your Majesty, please abdicate!"