Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved-Chapter 538 - 517 First Update

"Charge——" The streets of Zheng Capital were swarmed with Wen Family Army soldiers, causing the terrified locals to hide away, with flags, buckets, and wooden frames knocked over everywhere, creating a chaotic mess.

Old Master Wen Kang took the lead on horseback and had already arrived at the doorway of Chenyuan Hall, with a continuous stream of Wen Family Army soldiers following behind him, smoothly taking over the other palaces within the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Forest Guards stationed inside Chenyuan Hall did not retreat an inch and formed human walls in front of Chenyuan Hall, preventing Old Master Wen Kang and the Wen Family Army from entering.

"Wei Qu, are you trying to throw an egg against a rock? Listen to the noise behind me—it’s the irresistible trend of events. Consider the lives of your family and your future prosperity," Old Master Wen Kang was not in a hurry; as more and more troops gathered behind him, his confidence grew. Now when he spoke, it was just a matter of speaking—whether Wei Qu would recognize the situation was no longer important to him.

"Old Master Wen Kang, the Former Emperor’s body is not yet cold, and you are already raising troops in rebellion—are you not afraid of divine retribution?" Wei Qu bellowed, with the guards by his side standing even straighter, showing no sign of fear.

Old Master Wen Kang sneered, anticipating such a response, while a trusted aide quietly stepped forward behind him.

"Marquis, our men have already surrounded the entire Imperial Palace. Outside Zheng Capital, General Wen Sheng has arrived and is stationed outside the South City Gate, and Wen Qun is already heading to the North Gate."

A great weight fell off Old Master Wen Kang’s heart and settled in his stomach. Even if there was still no news from the North Border Army, it no longer mattered. It seemed that he had overestimated Zheng Congyuan—Zheng Congyuan was just a naive child who was good at strategizing on paper.

He was still too green.

Inside Chenyuan Hall, the officials looked at each other, though the Crown Prince remained calm and steady, claiming to have the situation under control. However, the news they heard, or rather, the situation described by the Wen Family Army surrounding Chenyuan Hall, was not so reassuring.

Many officials started to feel some panic. At this critical moment, any small mistake could endanger their entire families, and now the lives of their whole family were at stake.

Empress Dowager Yan Ping could no longer sit still, heaving herself up with the help of Nanny Leng, disregarding Zheng Congyuan and Prime Minister Lin discussing matters as she barged in.

"Empress Dowager——"

"Greetings, Empress Dowager——"

"Never mind, let that all go," Empress Dowager Yan Ping waved her hand dismissively. It was uncertain how long she could still hold her title anyway. But, what was Zheng Congyuan thinking? At such a crucial moment, he was just telling them not to worry. How could she not worry? The Xiao Family was not without influence either.

"Do not worry, Empress Dowager—" Zheng Congyuan stood up to speak, but Empress Dowager Yan Ping cut him off immediately, dismissed the others, and then turned to look at Zheng Congyuan, gathering up her courage after a long while.

"Fu Xun, tell your Imperial Grandmother the truth—do you really have a plan?" Empress Dowager Yan Ping was not interested in pleasantries at this moment; she wanted a straight answer. She knew Zheng Congyuan had been making moves for years, but were they just minor disturbances? To confront the Wen Family Army, minor disturbances would definitely not be enough; real combat was required.

Empress Dowager Yan Ping sighed internally. It wasn’t entirely Fu Xun’s fault—if blame was to be assigned, it was for their diminished vigilance over the years against the Wen Family, and the border conflicts. Emperor Jingzhi’s reliance on the Wen Family allowed them to rise to today’s position step by step.

Zheng Congyuan glanced at Empress Dowager Yan Ping. He had been confident up to the ninth step, just one step shy of perfection and yet not at the final, crucial moment. He decided to wait for news from the Northern Border.

Similarly, the Wen Family Army had also not received any news from the Northern Border, which made Zheng Congyuan hesitate about making his final move.

"Imperial Grandmother—" Zheng Congyuan was about to speak.

Empress Dowager Yan Ping suddenly raised her hand.

"Imperial Grandmother knows you have tried your best, but you still lack experience in such matters. This isn’t your fault. Your father didn’t manage to teach you either. The rest will be handled by Imperial Grandmother—" Empress Dowager Yan Ping took a deep breath, her people were mobilized to ensure that everyone here could leave, it was still manageable. As for what was to come, they would slowly strategize.

Zheng Congyuan immediately looked up, instantly understanding Empress Dowager Yan Ping’s intention and promptly said,

"Imperial Grandmother, I apologize for worrying you. Rest assured, all is under control. Although I am not fully certain, I am not as weak as you might imagine." Zheng Congyuan suddenly realized that thinking this way was not exclusive to Empress Dowager Yan Ping; likely many officials also thought this way, which could disturb the morale of the troops at such a critical time.

Zheng Congyuan seemed to have made up his mind, turned around, and immediately signaled his guards and others like Prime Minister Lin. Upon the order, the guards released several dazzling signals into the sky, even in broad daylight they were strikingly glaring.

The signals abruptly emerging from Chenyuan Hall startled Old Master Wen Kang and the officials within, but it signaled that the people in Chenyuan Hall were about to make a move.

Old Master Wen Kang’s eyelids twitched, wondering what trick Zheng Congyuan still had up his sleeve. Though unafraid, he still had his men go outside to gather information.

The Wen Family Army guarding the various palace gates saw the signals and were immediately stirred. Seeing that action had been taken inside the palace, they knew that once their men entered Chenyuan Hall, the people inside would scatter like sand, desperate to escape the palace like lost dogs. Although they had few guards at the gates, they were more than enough to handle these deserters.

The Guard Commander at the palace gate hadn’t realized the danger when suddenly, from within the orderly ranks, a scream echoed. Before others could react, more screams followed in quick succession.

"It’s an ambush, an ambush—" a guard shouted. The Guard Commander looked behind him in panic, only seeing his own soldiers, questioning where the ambush could be.

Yet, among his own soldiers, people kept falling. Suddenly, someone among the ranks drew a sword and slashed at the guard next to him, causing the guard to collapse. The surrounding guards had yet to react, and a second guard fell. The ones who realized what was happening still couldn’t bring themselves to believe it.

"He Ying, what are you doing?" a guard drew his sword and stepped back, asking, only to see the man rip off a false skin from his face, revealing a stranger’s features before them. Without another word, he again struck down a nearby guard.

"There are enemies, there are enemies—" the guards shouted. Instantly the ranks dissolved into chaos, filled with the sounds of fighting. Aside from those who had torn off their fake faces, it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe. The chaos spread, and the Guard Commander, clutching his sword, yelled out trying to stop the madness. But those who did stop were immediately cut down, and soon, no one dared to halt.

The Wen Family’s guards stationed at the palace gates were now caught in a brutal melee. Blood splattered on the palace doors, terrifying the gatekeepers to the point where they didn’t know what to do.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on fre(e)webnov(l).com