She Became A Downfall Noble Lady-Chapter 1049 - 1047: Bearing Guilt

In the capital city, there were several mansions prepared with military equipment in advance. Although not as swift and powerful as Sun Yang’s forces, they were still much stronger than the soldiers from the Five Cities Military Command.

After receiving the signal for action, the guards from these families mobilised together, solving the resistance from the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Command while converging on the main road leading to the North City Gate.

Duke An led five hundred armored riders through the chaotic streets, heading toward the North City Gate.

Following the five hundred armored riders were the protectors from those other households.

Meanwhile, outside the city, dust filled the air as the entire military force available from the Suburban Camp had been assembled. These forces, apart from those stationed at the North Gate, began to spread to both sides from the North City Gate, gradually forming a siege around the capital.

Huang Zan, the leader of the Imperial City Guard Office, was aligned with the Crown Prince. Initially, upon seeing the Suburban Camp mobilizing, he harbored a fluke, thinking that the Crown Prince, having taken the palace, could surely send out an edict with the Imperial Seal.

In that way, he could smoothly take over the Suburban Camp, and the explanation of a hundred thousand troops surrounding the capital could be to assist the Crown Prince in smoothly ascending the throne.

However, what he awaited were the signal arrows flying throughout the capital and the unrest in the city’s streets. He also awaited Duke An and the nearly two thousand fierce protectors following him. Most of these protectors were famed military generals’ trusted aides, true warriors who had fought on the battlefield, exuding a naturally born air of sterility.

Under the restraint of imperial power, Duke An’s influence among the imperial and city guards was not considerable. Yet, regarding the hundred thousand troops of the Suburban Camp, he had a nearly god-like prestige.

When the Crown Prince was plotting the uprising, Huang Zan was wholeheartedly in favour. He believed that the Crown Prince, conspiring with Prince Fu, had at least a seventy percent chance of success, which was more than enough.

He originally intended to risk one last attempt for the Crown Prince, hoping to earn himself a first-class merit, glorify his ancestors, and lay a foundation for his descendants.

However, faced with the massive forces outside the city and Duke An eyeing within, Huang Zan realised the cause was lost. If he were to die, perhaps he could exchange it for his family and descendants’ survival.

Huang Zan then sighed deeply and stood atop the city gate tower, committing suicide with his sword in repentance, truly spilling blood three feet in view of many eyes.

The Crown Prince and Prince Fu probably never imagined that this coup meticulously planned for months wouldn’t even last a day before being completely suppressed by dusk.

Prince Fu was on the run, while the Crown Prince was seized and detained by the Imperial Guard Camp.

The Emperor, despite feeling utterly exhausted, issued consecutive orders to search for and capture members of the Crown Prince and Prince Fu’s faction. Officials directly involved in the rebellion were arrested and imprisoned on the spot, their household gates restricted, awaiting investigation of the case for subsequent action.

The first, and only, major purge of the Qianqing Dynasty was about to unfold.

Though the Emperor remained calm and composed in the face of monumental changes, he too was worn out when it was over.

Throughout the day, not only did the Emperor endure terrifying moments, but the ministers attending the morning court and the officials in various government offices also experienced a great upheaval.

Especially those attending the morning court, almost went without food and water the entire day.

Even so, after the situation was brought under control, they had no opportunity to rest, undergoing inspection by the Imperial Guard Camp. To clear their suspicions, they provided various evidence and reasons demonstrating no connections with Prince Fu or the Crown Prince.

Some didn’t face the Imperial Guard Camp’s inspection, directly accepting the Emperor’s interrogations; these were individuals with clear and severe guilt.

Outside the Emperor’s bedroom, Duke An, Jinrong, and Jiang Yifan were kneeling.

The Emperor sat on the bed with a cold expression: "Ye Tang, I’ve always relied heavily on you, yet I didn’t expect you would dare to privately mobilize the Suburban Camp. The responsibility of past Duke Ans was always to safeguard imperial power; without the reigning Emperor’s order, you must never utilize your military prestige. But what did you do?!"

Duke An lowered his head deeply: "Your Majesty is wise, I acknowledge my error. However, I also have my reasons; at such a critical moment, I truly couldn’t ponder much. If the Crown Prince had been allowed to cause chaos and seize the throne, or divide the Great Xia Dynasty’s territory with Prince Fu, it would have equally endangered imperial power and been unforgivable by our ancestors. I was genuinely left with no choice but to resort to such a desperate measure."

He absolutely could not admit guilt, for if he did, the prestige of Duke An’s Mansion would be ruined in his hands. How would his family and Brother Yuan establish themselves afterward? What were all his efforts over the past years for?

The Emperor’s face was displeased; Duke An indeed was loyal to him. Yet the threat posed behind such loyalty was incredibly startling.

Merely relying on an item of Duke An and a handwritten note, the hundred thousand strong suburban troops safeguarding the imperial city could be fully mobilized. This kind of prestige and boldness indeed made the ruler uneasy.

However, Ye Tang’s defense was surprisingly irrefutable.

If this coup had succeeded, with the Crown Prince ascending or the kingdom being divided by the two traitorous sons, the situation indeed would have shaken the foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty’s royal family.

Under such circumstances, Duke An, even without the Imperial private seal and the Commander’s Seal, indeed had the responsibility to use his military prestige to avert the crisis to imperial power.

The Emperor blandly looked at Duke An: "Beloved Minister Ye has committed such a grave offense, it cannot go unpunished. Beloved Minister Ye should submit a letter to the court tomorrow, pass your title to your descendants, and step down yourself."

Duke An frowned, having contemplated several outcomes when using his private prestige to mobilize the Suburban Camp. The Emperor’s words now were among those possibilities, not particularly surprising.

However, every time he thought of the young grandson who would trip running too quickly being revered as Duke An, it made his teeth ache profusely.

"What’s this? Beloved Minister Ye actually clings to this position? Unwilling to step down?"

Duke An, with his advanced age, still had to bow to the Emperor and express his gratitude: "I’m merely astounded; as a minister, I thank Your Majesty for the grace for my unwise grandson."

The Emperor’s expression slightly eased, glanced at the secretary eunuch behind the corner desk, and continued: "From now on, the old Duke An’s official salary will increase by two hundred shi a year."

Duke An expressed gratitude once more, this time sincerely. Two hundred shi wasn’t a small amount, but not significant either; Duke An’s Mansion certainly wasn’t short of this stipend. Yet it was a signal, indicating Ye Tang still held imperial favor.

Then the Emperor turned to Jinrong: "Prince Yu..." He uttered only two words, implying that Jinrong should confess voluntarily.

Jinrong, believing he accomplished something great, was quick to play the victim: "Imperial Father, see clearly, I’ve made no mistake in this matter. I’d warned Imperial Father earlier that second brother and seventh brother had interactions. If Imperial Father chose to believe in their goodness, it was understandable. Yet, as your son, worrying for Imperial Father and taking precautions, that isn’t wrong at all."

The Emperor felt visibly exhausted, his eye twitching repeatedly. Jinrong may not be wrong, but his arrangements threaded dangerously close to disaster; his Emperor father nearly perished in his sleep.

Every time he recalled this, cold sweat broke out on the Emperor.

"Your worry’s claims are far too contrived, resembling more a foundation for your comprehensive scheme with your emperor father’s life."