Across the Water Margin: Officials of Ximen

Prime Minister Li Chuwen received the news from the medical officer, and came to Nanyaochi Palace early to visit the emperor's condition.

Confirming that the 60-year-old emperor Yeluchun had been invalidated by medicine and stones, when he was dying, Li Chuwen urged the people in the palace to summon a group of ministers according to the emperor's will, and at the same time found a reason to leave Yaochi Palace with his son Li Shuang, and returned directly to himself. in the mansion.

Chapter 8 Who is the Rebel

"Xiao'er, Chao Gai and Dong Ping's Tanzhou Army have already arrived outside the city?"

After leaving the Yaochi Hall, seeing no one around, Li Chuwen couldn't wait to ask Li Shi.

"Father, don't worry. The two generals, Chao and Dong, have led the troops across Lushui according to my father's order. They have been lurking in the new army barracks of the boy outside Andongmen for several days, only waiting for my father's order to act. Father, but Are you going to do it?"

Li Xun asked excitedly.

"Hey~ The emperor's time has come, and the friendship between the father and his ministers has also come to an end. Xier, you go to An Dongmen quickly, mobilize your new army to occupy the city gate, and welcome the two generals Chao and Dong into the city! For my father to go back to the mansion and mobilize five hundred warriors to enter the palace immediately to protect the safety of Concubine Xiao De and the officials."

Li Chuwen and his son Li Xun left the Wanchun Gate in the east of the imperial city, and Li Xun immediately rushed to Andong Gate along Tanzhou Street, the east-west trunk road of Yanjing City, to welcome Chao Gai and Dong Ping's army into the city.

Li Chuwen returned to his mansion next to Tianwang Temple, and wanted to mobilize five hundred warriors hidden in the mansion to enter the palace and surround Yaochi Palace.

After Li Chuwen's father and son left, Li Chuwen's brother, Li Chuneng of the Privy Council, stood guard outside the palace where Emperor Tianxi Yeluchun recuperated, secretly watching the fidgeting officials who came here for the order.

Concubine Xiao De was accompanying Tianxi Emperor Yeluchun at the time of his death in the palace, and the ministers were full of grief waiting for the moment when the emperor summoned him and announced his will.

Situ Zuo Qigong, Cao Yongyi, a member of the Privy Council, Yu Zhongwen, a member of the political affairs department, Zhang Lin, the Grand Master, Xiao Dan, the prince-in-law, and other important officials and Khitan nobles all came to the Yaochi Palace. Li Chuneng was secretly delighted. The important figures in the capital were swept away, and they were forced to follow their elder brother to Nantou Song Dynasty.

Zuo Qigong and others looked left and right, but they couldn't see the Prime Minister and Taiwei Li Chuwen, so they asked Li Chuneng one after another.

When Li Chuneng was prevaricating, he suddenly felt dazzled, the thin figure walking in front of him, how could he look like Xiao Qian, the envoy of the Northern Privy Council and the king of the fourth army?

Li Chuneng was not old and dim, the person who came was King Xiao Qianxiao who was supposed to confront the Song army on the front lines of Zhuo and Yizhou.

Although Xiao Qian was thin and thin, he was dressed in a military uniform, striding majestically towards the Yaochi Hall.Behind Xiao Qian was a group of fully armed Khitan warriors.

"King Xiao! You, how dare you enter the palace with soldiers? Could it be that you want to plot rebellion!"

Li Chuneng knew something was wrong, so he could only attack first, intending to stir up conflicts between Xiao Qian and the officials, so that he could escape in troubled waters and report to his brother.

Outside the Yaochi Palace, Zuo Qigong and the others were shocked by Li Chuneng's words in this summer night.

Although the emperor had ordered King Xiao and Dashi Linya back to the palace to have an audience early today, no matter how fast King Xiao walked, it was impossible to rush back to Yanjing City at this time.It can even be said that the person who passed the decree may not have rushed to the Liao army camp in Baigou.

Then King Xiao suddenly appeared in the forbidden palace with his soldiers in full armor. Could it be that he really wanted to rebel?

Zuo Qigong's face changed color, and he was about to speak up and question Xiao Qian, but he saw Xiao Qian pointing at Li Chuneng and scolding: "What a bastard calling for thieves! How can you hide the good deeds of your brothers from me? Treat me I’ve seen Your Majesty, and I’ll punish your brother for treason! Come on, and take down the traitor Li Chuneng for me!”

As soon as Xiao Qian finished speaking, several Khitan warriors rushed out from behind, threw Li Chuneng to the ground and tied him tightly.

"King Xiao, you, what are you talking about? The brothers of the Li family want to rebel?"

Zuo Qigong asked in surprise.

Cao Yongyi, who is in charge of the Privy Council, Yu Zhongwen, who is in charge of politics, Zhang Lin, the grand master, and Xiao Dan, the son-in-law captain, saw that Xiao Qian, the king of the Fourth Army, only took Li Chuneng, but did not attack the other officials. They felt a little frightened in their hearts. Ding, exchanged glances with each other and greeted Xiao Qian, wanting to ask what happened.

"Don't be alarmed, everyone. The king led the troops here to escort His Majesty the Emperor, and also to protect you! Someone reported that Prime Minister Li Chuwen's father and son brothers were colluding with the Song Dynasty and plotting wrongdoing. This king led the troops back to Beijing to put down the rebellion. Please wait a moment, Xiao Qian will go to see His Majesty the Emperor first."

Xiao Qian explained to Zuo Qigong and other officials in a few words, and then walked into Tianxi Emperor Yeluchun's bedroom.

Behind Xiao Qian, the soldiers he brought surrounded the entire Nanyao Lake Palace.

Now that Xiao Qian and Li Chu can accuse each other of being traitors, it is difficult to tell which is right and which is wrong.But Xiao Qian led the troops to occupy the imperial city, Zuo Qigong and others did not dare to act rashly, they could only hope that what Xiao Qian said was true.

But if it was Xiao Qian who rebelled, and his own life was in his hands, should he submit to him?

Some of the ministers saw that Xiao Qian had gained the upper hand in the palace, they didn't care who was right and who was wrong, and who was rebelling, they were already secretly thinking about choosing an opportunity to join the winner of this political struggle.

Xiao Qian was good at using troops, he quietly entered the imperial city directly from Xianxi Gate in the west with his soldiers and horses, and Li Chu Wen was still in the dark.

When Li Chuwen led five hundred warriors to the imperial city and prepared to surround Nanyaochi Palace, he was attacked head-on by Xiao Qianjun and the palace guards.

Until then, seeing Li Chuwen leading troops to attack the imperial city, Situ Zuo Qigong and other officials and Khitan nobles believed that Prime Minister Li Chuwen had rebelled.Prince Consort Xiao Dan and other Khitan nobles were furious, and immediately joined Xiao Qian's army, and wanted to jointly crusade against Li Chuwen, who wanted to overthrow the Liao Kingdom.

Concubine Xiao De, the empress of Emperor Yeluchun, was a Xiren from the same family as Xiao Qian. When the emperor was seriously ill, she immediately announced to the officials outside the palace that all the general and government powers were entrusted to Xiao Qian, the king of the fourth army. Gan led the army to counter the rebellion.

With Xiao Qian's righteousness in his grasp, the officials stood firmly on Xiao Qian's side, and the morale of the soldiers of the Liao army guarding the imperial city was also boosted.

Xiao Qian came back from the baigou belt, they were elite soldiers tempered through bloody battles on the battlefield, they were not comparable to the warriors recruited and selected by Li Chuwen.In addition, Li Chuwen was convicted of being a traitor, Zuo Qigong and other ministers scolded, the morale of the five hundred warriors was low, and they were quickly defeated by Xiao Qianjun, leaving Li Chuwen to flee.

A moment later, Li Chuwen was captured by Xiao Qian's men and bound outside the Nanyaochi Palace.

"You dog thief! The country treats you well, how dare you collude with Song State and rebel here? You dog thief should be cut to death!"

Xiao Qian came out from the hall, raised his foot and kicked Li Chuwen to the ground.

"Xiao Qian, you dare to ruin my event? Hmph! My son has already controlled the Andong Gate and the Yingchun Gate, and he would lead five thousand troops into the city when he was young! If you don't want to burn everything together, let me go!"

Li Chuwen struggled to get up from the ground, but he was still extremely arrogant as he cut his hands behind his back.

"Dog thief, this king is sitting here waiting for your army!"

Xiao Qian really did what he said, and immediately sent someone to move out some tables, chairs and benches, so that all the officials could sit down like him.

Brothers Li Chuwen and Li Chuneng were tied to a fruit tree in the garden.

Outside the east gate, there was a faint cry of killing.

Chapter 8 The Widow Must Be Bullied

The shouting and killing in the east of the city did not last long before it stopped. After a while, with the sound of horseshoes approaching from far to near, Chao Gai and Dong Ping appeared outside the Nanyaochi Palace in full armor and armed forces. .

Li Chuwen, who was tied to the fruit tree, saw Chao Gai and General Dong Ping appearing in the distance, and sneered at Xiao Qian: "Hahaha~ Xiao Qian! This city of Yanjing has fallen into my hands! Your lives are in my hands! Palm, hurry up and untie me!"

Xiao Qian calmly put down the teacup in his hand, raised his hand to signal the officials not to be alarmed, grinned at Li Chuwen, and said, "Li Xiang is really deliberate, planning for a long time, to have mobilized Tanzhou soldiers and horses to this city of Yanjing a long time ago. Outside! I wonder if Xiao Qian surrendered at this time, can Li Xiang let Xiao Qian go?"

Li Chuwen was about to answer, when he suddenly saw the sarcasm on Xiao Qian's face, then glanced at Chao Gai and Dong Ping, he suddenly had a premonition of uneasiness.

This scene is wrong!Why didn't his son Li Shi take the lead to lead the army to rescue him?How did Chao Gai and Dong Ping walk into the South Yaochi Palace without any hindrance without fighting with Xiao Qian's guards?

The two generals Chao Gai and Dong Ping betrayed him, and they were with Xiao Qian!

Li Chuwen, who instantly figured out this joint, lost all color on his face.

After Li Chuwen missed and was captured tonight, he was not too nervous because he pinned his hopes on his son Li Shi.

As long as Li Shi wins in the end, even if his brothers are killed by Xiao Qian, his family will still be able to grow stronger and stronger under the leadership of his son, becoming the leading family in Yandi.

Chao Gai and Dong Ping, who are now subordinate to their son Li Shi, betrayed themselves, which means that their son Li Shi also failed.The family business of the Li family in Yanjing was actually lost in his own hands!

Chao Gai and Dong Ping came to the steps in front of Nanyaochi Palace, they didn't look at the ashen-faced Li Chuwen, but threw a human head under the steps, and reported to Xiao Qian with fists in their hands: "King Xiao, the last general will not be disgraced. , have wiped out the rebels, and killed the rebel Li Shi!"