HLnovel Chapter 145 Catching a turtle in a urn
Chapter 145 Catching a turtle in a urn
"You girl, you always provoke people." Ruan Yuhu slapped Shen Tianjiao again to hide her embarrassing crying look.
Shen Tianjiao looked at Ruan Yuhu innocently. What had she said? In this day and age, was telling the truth enough to get you beaten? Was there any justice left?
"Let's go. The show is about to begin. Let's dress you up nicely. We can't lose our momentum." Ruan Yuhu took Shen Tianjiao's hand and drove away without saying a word.
This left Shen Tianjiao with no chance to complain.
Li Hong, who had always been hesitant and procrastinating, suddenly became a man of action. He asked Yuan Jiang to gather people and set off immediately.
Prince Qing's mansion has been sealed off, so Li Hong and his men naturally cannot enter through the city gate. If they want to enter the city at this time, they can only take the risk of going through the tunnel.
Li Hong may not be a good person in other aspects, but when it comes to how to save his life, he is so proficient that few people can compare to him.
When the tunnels of Prince Qing's Mansion were first dug, Li Hong ordered people to dig two tunnels. One led directly to Prince Qing's Mansion, while the other turned halfway and led directly to a secluded house somewhere in the capital.
The purpose of doing this is to prevent things like today from happening. It was originally just a precaution, but I didn't expect it to come in handy today.
The tunnel was not only very long but also very dark. Hundreds of people were arranged in an orderly manner, with Li Hong walking in the middle. Apart from the chaotic sound of footsteps, there was only a cold wind blowing from nowhere, which made people feel chilled.
Ruan Yuhu personally did Shen Tianjiao's makeup. The carefully dressed Shen Tianjiao was indeed different from her previous image with lightly drawn eyebrows.
After finishing her makeup, Ruan Yuhu nodded with satisfaction. She was very satisfied with the makeup she had done for Shen Tianjiao.
"As a woman, no matter what time it is or what territory she is in, she must dress appropriately and have exquisite makeup."
"You should dress up more in the future. A queen of a country needs not only dignity but also beauty. Sometimes, appropriate clothing, exquisite makeup, and a calm demeanor can soothe people's hearts."
“Never let your enemies see into your heart, never let others know your hidden cards, only then can you be invincible.”
What Ruan Yuhu said to Shen Tianjiao was the basis of her survival in this deep palace for so many years, fighting openly and secretly with others.
"Okay, I got it." Shen Tianjiao looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Although she agreed with her mouth, she didn't take it seriously in her heart.
Although Shen Tianjiao is a woman, she is actually a rough man who only thinks about how to fight every day.
She just thinks dressing up every day is a hassle, and she has to face many things every day. Instead of spending all her time on dressing up, she might as well do something else.
"Master, Deputy Commander Zhang reported that the people have entered the capital."
Chunchao came in from outside and reported the new news to Shen Tianjiao.
When Shen Tianjiao heard this, she felt a little excited. She had fallen into the trap, and the show was finally about to begin.
"Okay." Shen Tianjiao turned around and looked at Qiong Niang, Chun Chao, and Ruan Yuhu standing behind her, and said, "Except Qiu Tong, all of you stay in Yuxiu Palace."
"If, if anything goes wrong in this matter, you don't have to fight to the death. Saving your own lives is the best option. Do you understand?"
No one answered for a long while, and finally Qiong Niang spoke up, "Just go and do what you should do. If anything goes wrong and fails, don't worry, I will immediately set fire to Yuxiu Palace and accompany you to the underworld."
These words made Shen Tianjiao's heart sink. She looked up at Qiong Niang and said, "You..."
"Okay, stop talking nonsense. It's already late. Let's go." Ruan Yuhu interrupted Shen Tianjiao before she finished speaking.
"Don't overthink it. These people in this room are all in the same boat with you. We all prosper together and suffer together."
"No one is willing to stay out of this, so even if it's for the lives of the rest of us, Her Majesty, please take care of yourself."
After saying this, without waiting for Shen Tianjiao to say anything else, he shouted outside the door: "Qiutong, escort the Queen to fight."
Qiu Tong, who was outside, came in after hearing the news and said to Shen Tianjiao, "Master, let's go."
Seeing this, Shen Tianjiao didn't say much, because she knew that it was useless to say more. All she could do now was to control the overall situation and not let go of those who tried to destroy her.
Only by becoming a truly strong person can she protect the people she wants to protect.
Li Hong led his men into the imperial city without any hindrance. Everything went so smoothly that it seemed like a dream and extremely unreal.
Even Li Hong, who was full of confidence and thought he had a sure win, couldn't help but start to doubt.
"How did we get in so easily? Are all the guards of this imperial city ours?"
"Your Highness, although not all the guards of this imperial city belong to us, the guard officer tonight is one of ours. Once the officer gives an order, the minions below must obey."
The speaker was Liu Zhi, the son of Anyuan Earl. He also received a message from his father, Anyuan Earl Liu Ziming, in the middle of the night, asking him to contact those noble families who were conspiring with them to take action together, and everyone should cooperate with Li Hong to enter the palace to overthrow Li Rui's rule and change the dynasty.
After receiving the letter, Liu Zhi took action without any hesitation. Those aristocratic families who had long since surrendered to Li Hong like the Liu family, and who were originally in fear because Li Hong had escaped and Prince Qing's Mansion was sealed, quickly took action when they heard the news that Li Hong had returned.
Because they knew very well that if they did not follow Li Hong in rebelling, Shen Tianjiao would soon settle accounts with them.
Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, these aristocratic families can only follow Li Hong and rush forward. If this thing is accomplished today, then their status will rise and they will become great contributors to the enthronement of the new emperor.
But if it fails, there is no need to be afraid. There are so many people here, and Shen Tianjiao can't kill them all in a short time.
This way they will have a chance to catch their breath and seek opportunities to reconcile with Shen Tianjiao, and they can also keep their titles and wealth.
These people were calculating everything and thinking of all the good things, but they forgot that the Queen of Yunli Kingdom, who now holds great power, is a person who will take revenge and quibble over every little thing.
She will show no mercy to all the traitors. Even if she cannot wipe out all the aristocratic families at once, she will first select some of them to make an example of them and deter those who have ulterior motives.
As for those who stayed behind, there was no need to rush. Shen Tianjiao would not let them go easily. It was only a matter of time before these traitors were dealt with.
Li Hong, who was originally feeling uneasy, felt relieved after hearing Liu Zhi's words.
The relationships between the major families in the capital are so complicated that they almost cover every aspect of the defense of the capital, so it is not surprising that they can easily enter the imperial city.
Li Hong looked at the Zhenghe Hall which was getting closer and closer, and the light of excitement was about to burst out of his eyes.
His dream of becoming emperor was about to come true; the twenty years of waiting had not been in vain after all.
Li Hong was in extreme excitement and didn't notice that the surrounding environment was so quiet that it was a bit weird.
Moreover, along the way, we didn't see any people, not even a mouse. Things went too smoothly.
When Li Hong brought his men into the Zhenghe Hall and saw the dragon throne he had longed for, he went completely crazy.
When he looked at the high dragon throne, he couldn't stop smiling, and his eyes were full of greed and obsession.
"Your Highness, now is not the time to laugh. Our people are waiting. The most important thing right now is to surround Yuxiu Palace first. Only when we control the Empress can we truly win."
Liu Zhi looked at Li Hong who was obsessed with staring at the dragon throne and couldn't help but remind him.
After all, Shen Tianjiao is the most feared person. If they don't control this master of the central palace, everything they do will be in vain.
Liu Zhi's reminder made Li Hong wake up instantly. If he didn't get rid of Shen Tianjiao, his dream of becoming emperor would be nothing but a pipe dream.
Moreover, if he did not control Shen Tianjiao as soon as possible, he would not be able to deal with the Zhenbei Marquis alone. If he wanted to make the Zhenbei Marquis obedient, he had to control Shen Tianjiao.
That old man Shen Lin is a complete daughter slave. For the sake of his precious daughter, he will definitely be obedient.
"Alright, let's go to Yuxiu Palace now." Li Hong's eyes turned fierce. "Except for the Queen, everyone in Yuxiu Palace will be killed without mercy."
As long as Shen Tianjiao is alive, the lives of others are not important at all.
"Oh, Prince Qing is very kind. He actually let me go." As Shen Tianjiao's voice sounded, the Zhenghe Hall was suddenly brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
Shen Tianjiao seemed to have suddenly fallen from the sky and stood at the main entrance of Zhenghe Hall, surrounded by soldiers in armor.
"But I am not a soft-hearted person and I do not intend to let Prince Qing go."
Shen Tianjiao's sudden appearance frightened Li Hong and all the people who followed him so much that they jumped up reflexively.
"You, you, why are you here?" Li Hong pointed at Shen Tianjiao and asked tremblingly.
"Prince Qing is putting the cart before the horse, isn't he? Shouldn't I be the one asking this question to Prince Qing?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Li Hong calmly and asked, "Prince Qing brought so many people to the palace and into the Zhenghe Hall. Is he plotting a rebellion?"
"You, you are talking nonsense. This king, this king does not want to rebel. This king, this king is here to serve the king. Yes, this king is here to serve the king."
In an instant, Li Hong fell from the clouds into the mud, and his mind was now blank.
"Humph! To come to the king's aid?" Shen Tianjiao snorted disdainfully. "Bringing so many people to the king's aid in the middle of the night?"
"After the news of your affair with Concubine Feng and the birth of a prince was exposed, did you come to the king's aid?"
"If you say these words to anyone else, even Prince Qing, do you believe them?"
Shen Tianjiao's words choked Li Hong so much that he even forgot to refute the relationship between him and Feng Yuanyuan.
"Come here, capture all these traitors and thieves. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy."
Shen Tianjiao looked at the people in front of her with a frighteningly cold look in her eyes.
"Shen Tianjiao, you can't do this. This prince, this prince was personally appointed by the late emperor, and the uncle of the current emperor. You have no right to dispose of me at will."
Li Hong was terrified. If he fell into Li Rui's hands, Li Rui might take into account the family relationship and let him go.
But if he fell into Shen Tianjiao's hands, he would have no way to survive and would surely die.
"Huh! Really? So you, Li Hong, know that you are the current emperor's uncle?"
Shen Tianjiao's expression froze as she spoke, "As a member of the royal family, you don't assist the emperor in serving the country and fulfill your duties as a member of the royal family. Instead, you gather your own troops and plot rebellion."
"You still have the nerve to claim that you are the emperor's uncle. Not only did your uncle conspire to assassinate his own son, but he also had an affair with a concubine and gave birth to a prince, confusing the royal bloodline."
"Not to mention how many evil things you've done over the years by relying on your status as a royal relative, just these few things are enough to wipe out the lives of your entire clan."
Li Hong looked at Shen Tianjiao in horror, muttering, "You don't dare to kill me. You are not qualified to kill me."
"Hmph! Why am I not qualified to kill you?" Shen Tianjiao's aura and pressure suddenly increased. "I am now acting as regent for the Emperor, so I have the right to exercise the authority of the Son of Heaven."
"What are you waiting for? Didn't you hear what I just said?"
"Your Highness, I will obey your Majesty's orders."
The soldiers behind Shen Tianjiao said in unison.
The sound was quite earth-shaking and powerful.
"Shen Tianjiao, how dare you! My army will be here soon. If you dare to touch me, I will tear you into pieces."
Li Hong, who was shocked back to his senses by the roar of the soldiers, yelled at Shen Tianjiao.
"Oh, Prince Qing, are you talking about the private soldiers you stationed in Yanzhou?" Shen Tianjiao smiled contemptuously and said, "That's a pity for you, Prince Qing. I'm afraid you won't be able to wait for them in this lifetime."
"My third brother led a large army to Yanzhou last night to encircle and suppress them. In a few days, we will receive news of the army's successful suppression of the rebellion."
"And all of your accomplices, the people you placed in the palace, have been arrested. So, Prince Qing, you are now alone. Do you understand?"
Shen Tianjiao's words completely dumbfounded Li Hong. He had underestimated Shen Tianjiao. This woman was much more powerful than he had imagined.
Li Hong, knowing that his situation was hopeless, rolled his eyes and fainted.
And those people who were shouting at Li Hong just now were now as quiet as death. They only hoped that Shen Tianjiao would show mercy and let them go.
Shen Tianjiao turned around and walked out of the Zhenghe Hall, and the door of the Zhenghe Hall was immediately closed.