Immediately afterwards, orders from the military headquarters were quickly issued to all major military regions and legions, requiring each legion to strengthen defense on the spot and not to leave the defense area at will. Anyone who disobeys the order will be punished with rebellion. The Guards Corps entered the highest alert state, and all officers of the five divisions canceled their vacations and returned to the army.
On November 12, 697 in the mainland Gregorian calendar, Situ Mingyue, the 28th emperor of the Tanghe Empire, died of illness in Anfu Palace at the age of fifty-eight. On November 13, all major newspapers and media outlets in the empire reported the news with front-page headlines. At the same time, they also gave a subtle message to the people of the empire, that is, the choice of the new emperor of the empire is still pending, and it still needs to be decided by the royal family and the imperial government. Discuss and decide together. Almost at the same time, other important countries in the Eastern Continent also published the news and expressed concern about the current situation of the Tanghe Empire. Even Xiangma Qihan and Kaman, countries that were at war or semi-war with the Tanghe Empire, also Condolences and concerns were expressed hypocritically.
The chaos of the situation also caused instability in the Imperial Capital. Although three days later, the Imperial Capital Police Department and the Imperial Military Police Headquarters jointly issued a document to cancel the curfew, it did not have much effect. The prices of daily necessities such as food, cooking oil, and cloth in the Imperial Capital Things change every day, and all kinds of rumors and news are flying all over the sky. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs took severe crackdowns, these measures did not have much actual effect. It was not until the Imperial Commerce Administration ordered Jiangnan and Donghai to urgently transport grain and other daily necessities to Beijing to stabilize prices that the superficial chaotic situation ended. alleviated.
"What on earth are these damn bureaucrats doing?!" The girl with a frosty face raised her eyebrows. A majestic light flashed in Danfeng's eyes. Perhaps it was due to the excessive maneuverability on her duck-egg face like mutton-fat jade. A touching blush and a close-fitting palace dress outline the girl's soft and charming figure, and a pair of tall jade peaks on her chest rise and fall sharply.
"Thirteenth sister, don't be anxious. You can't eat hot tofu if you are anxious. You, Ninth Brother, and I are not anxious now. Why are you anxious?" Sitting in the girl's boudoir, the warm smile of the past is no longer on the handsome face, replaced by it There was a cold smile that appeared and disappeared, and the flash of hatred in his eyes showed that he was actually extremely angry inside, "Humph, these guys are waiting to take credit from some people, or else Let’s wait for the price.”
"What did Lu Wenfu do? Why is he, the Minister of the Interior, in charge? Didn't he have any means to deal with Ma Yuanhua's behavior? How did he communicate and coordinate with Ma Yuanhua in the first place? Didn't he see it before? Any clue? Why does this happen?" The girl's tone was not gentle at all. Situ Yushuang actually didn't care very much which of her brothers would become the emperor. Although her father's death also brought a touch of sadness to her, after all, her father had been bedridden for so long. It should be said that almost everyone With this considerable mental preparation, the country cannot be without a king for a day. No matter who takes this position, it will be much better than the current situation where the throne is vacant, especially when facing the enemy countries around and the vassals inside are watching. under circumstances.
"Thirteenth sister, you can't blame Lu Wenfu entirely. You, Ninth Brother, and I have been watching all this with my eyes wide open all day long. I never thought that the problem would come from Ma Yuanwang and Ning Yuanwang. Is Yuanwang really my Situ Lang's nemesis? I won't go into detail about Ning Yuanwang. This guy is two-faced and I have never counted him among them. But Ma Yuanwang, isn't he a confidant of my father? My father Didn't he also summon him? Could it be that he still doesn't understand his father's intentions? But as soon as his father left, the situation became like this. How do you want me to deal with it? I know people but don't know their hearts." Situ Lang was a little depressed. Lying on his back on his sister's crotch, he obviously didn't notice his sister's unhappiness.
"This idiot Jilin actually issued an order to the Third and Fourth Army Corps not to be mobilized at will in accordance with the requirements of the temporary military and political decision-making committee. He didn't even think about how he got into this position. Without me, Situ Lang, Can he survive today? Huh, he didn't even look at who the Third and Fourth Legions would listen to." Situ Lang's face was a little distorted, "It's a pity that I was a step too late, otherwise these two legions entered the capital. Without the Guards, I can still achieve my goal."
Frowning, the girl glanced dissatisfiedly at her brother who was still indulging in fantasy. She did not agree with his idea. From now on, if Ma Yuanwang does not give in, it will lead to the outbreak of civil war in the imperial capital, let alone the future. Whether the fighting power of the Third and Fourth Legions can withstand the Guards Corps, but this war will put the empire into an extremely dangerous situation, and foreign forces are even more happy to see this situation.
"Brother Ninth, I think you should stop fantasizing about things that have passed. Now you should think more about how to solve the current problems." The girl slowed down her tone slightly and said: "Where is Ma Yuan going? I suggest you It’s better to explore the news again and see what went wrong. Now the entire imperial capital is in his hands. Even if he changes his mind now, the result will still be the same. I can’t see why he would do this.”
"Why? Thirteenth sister, is there anything doubtful about this? Isn't it because someone promised me huge profits and a high position?" Situ Lang's handsome face was covered with a layer of gloom, "Other than this, what else can Ma Yuan go do?" Any other ideas?"
"If this is really the case, Ninth Brother, you should consider other methods. If Ma Yuanzhang really wants to disrupt the situation in the imperial capital for his own personal gain, his subordinates may not be able to fully support him. Ninth Brother, you can do this here Think of more ways to see if you can make a breakthrough." The girl suggested in a deep voice.
"Thirteenth Sister, you underestimate your Ninth Brother too much. Wouldn't Ninth Brother think of these things? But the Guards Corps is managed like an iron barrel by Ma Yuanhang. I sent him to contact the five division commanders. Except for one person who spoke vaguely, the others all clearly rejected my solicitation. What else can Brother Ninth do?" Situ Lang looked dejected, "Even the only one with an unclear attitude refused to do anything more. My people come into contact for fear of being noticed.”
"So Ma Yuan is quite capable. He can control these guys firmly. No wonder he can be so arrogant. He does have the capital to be arrogant." A trace of surprise flashed across the girl's face, "But Ninth Brother, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, you can't give up. Whoever has a vague attitude needs to intensify efforts. The attitude of the Guards is still unclear. If you can't win them into your hands, at least you have to let them Remain neutral, as long as they don't favor the others, I think your popularity in the court is pretty good, and you should have the best chance."
"Thirteenth sister is right, Ninth Brother has learned a lesson." Seeing the girl's serious face, the handsome young man also replied sternly, and then said with a wry smile: "Now we can only take one step at a time, and my father's funeral is also It will be held soon, and local officials from all walks of life will come to Beijing at that time, and it is estimated that then will be the final time to see the outcome."
Mafu in the middle section of Huachang Avenue. Ma Yuanxiang, the commander of the Imperial Guard Corps, sat in his study with a gloomy look on his face, looking at a piece of calligraphy hanging on the wall, "Tolerance leads to greatness, and lack of desire leads to strength." But who can really do this? Don’t you want to get involved in these affairs? Can you help yourself? Thinking of this, a sinister look appeared on Ma Yuan's face. He didn't want to provoke anyone, but someone rode up on him and pushed him into the crater, but he couldn't move.
"Sir, the guests are here." The servant's words interrupted his musings. Ma Yuanxiang sighed softly. The other party was sure that he would not dare to fall out, so he just stuck his vital point and pressed forward step by step. I hope the other party won’t push too far and “let him in.”
There were only two people left in the study. Ma Yuanxiang stared coldly at the thin man in front of him. After a long time, he snorted from his nose and said: "I, Ma Yuanxiang, have done what you have to do according to your master's instructions." The request has been made, is it time for you to fulfill your promise?"
"Master Ma, I can guarantee this. There is absolutely no problem with the life safety of the noble master and his wife. Of course, we hope that Master Ma can continue according to our original agreement. If you are not worried, I can stay here as a hostage. "The thin man has piercing eyes, slightly swollen cheekbones that look like he has foreign origins, thin lips and a mustache, and he looks like a smooth man at first glance.
"Are you a hostage? What value do you have? You are just a pawn of your master. If necessary, wouldn't you just throw it away like a broken shoe?" Ma Yuanxiang glanced at the other party with disdain, and then said with a disdainful curl of his lips. : "Then what you mean is that Ma will be able to fulfill his promise after Se Na Ma's heir? The situation cannot be controlled by Ma alone. There are some things that even if Ma does, they will not have any effect. I hope your master can understand this."
"Master Ma, please rest assured that my master is not an ignorant person. If that were the case, my master would not just put forward such a condition." A trace of anger flashed quickly in the eyes of the thin man, and he responded politely.
"Hey, your master is very smart, and he knows Ma's bottom line clearly enough. If he makes excessive demands, Ma can only say sorry." The captain of the Imperial Guard stood up and turned around. He added: "Don't say Ma won't agree to something that goes beyond the bottom line. Even if he agrees, Ma still won't be able to complete it. I believe your master knows it as well."