PDLP Chapter 482
Chapter 482
Zhou Chu looked at Yang Lian and smiled.
Upon hearing this, Yang Lian's face turned deathly pale.
The worst outcome he had anticipated had finally occurred: Grand Secretary Yang Yiqing and Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Zhou Chu had colluded to scheme against them.
wrong!
Yang Lian suddenly realized what was happening.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was the emperor's personal army. Yang Yiqing could not possibly bypass the emperor when he asked Zhou Chu to borrow troops from the Northern Garrison.
Upon thinking of this, Yang Lian's pupils dilated instantly, contemplating an extremely terrifying possibility.
They were outmaneuvered by the Grand Secretary, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Emperor.
Upon realizing this, Yang Lian felt a chill run down his spine, his hands and feet turned icy cold, and he slumped into a chair.
If that's the case, Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, won't have to bear any consequences, because it was Yang Yiqing who mobilized the Northern Garrison to investigate them.
Prime Minister!
"No! No!"
Yang Lian scratched his hair and said.
He felt he had overlooked something. After all, Xie Qian was on Mao's side in the cabinet. How could Yang Yiqing dare to act rashly? How could he bear the consequences?
Thank you for moving!
Yang Lian suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhou Chu.
"Is Lord Xie also one of your people?"
Yang Lian was incredulous.
"Lord Yang, you are mistaken. What do you mean by 'people on our side'? We are all His Majesty's people."
Zhou Chu said with a half-smile.
With great difficulty, Yang Lian raised his head to look at the young man before him. At that moment, Yang Lian realized that he didn't even have the courage to look Zhou Chu in the eye.
If a year ago, this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still young and impetuous, acting rashly, then Zhou Chu at this moment had become a knife that kills without drawing blood.
The Emperor's Knife!
Yang Lian seemed to see the blood of civil and military officials about to stain the knife.
Only now did Yang Lian truly realize how terrifying the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard before him was.
Zhou Hengqi has grown, and at an alarming rate!
"Lord Zhou, I don't ask for a way to survive, I only ask that my family not be made to suffer too much."
Yang Lian seemed to have aged considerably in an instant, and his eyes were filled with pleading as he looked at Zhou Chu.
Yang Lian knew very well that he had lost, and lost miserably.
He had initially mocked Xia Yan for being timid and cowardly, as Xia Yan had been keeping to himself and refusing visitors for the past two weeks. Now, Yang Lian realized that Xia Yan was the one among them who saw things most clearly.
Mao Ji, his teacher, seemed clear-headed, but in reality, he had long been blinded by power. This time, it would be difficult for Mao Ji to escape unscathed.
The best outcome would be to retire and return to one's hometown.
"As long as Lord Yang cooperates, there will naturally be a good result."
Zhou Chu gave an irrelevant answer.
Upon hearing this, Yang Lian felt as if he had grasped a lifeline.
"This humble official will certainly cooperate, will certainly cooperate."
Yang Lian was taken away by people arranged by Shen Lian and imprisoned in the Zhao Prison.
At the same time, the troops of the Northern Garrison Command also took action.
The Northern Garrison Command was arresting people everywhere, and the entire capital was instantly plunged into a state of panic.
Upon receiving the news, Mao Ji felt a chill run down his spine and instantly realized that something was terribly wrong. He hurriedly went to the palace to request an audience with the Jiajing Emperor.
"Grand Secretary Mao, His Majesty is currently bathing and fasting, preparing to pray for the Ming Dynasty and its people in a couple of days. He is not seeing anyone these days. Grand Secretary Mao's arrival is rather unfortunate; it would have been better if it had come a couple of days earlier."
Huang Jin said with a look of regret.
Upon hearing this, Mao Ji's face immediately turned extremely ugly.
He realized that the emperor was deliberately avoiding him, and had even timed it perfectly. There was only one possibility: the people from the Northern Garrison had taken action, and it was the emperor's doing.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. How could the emperor be completely unaware of such a large-scale arrest operation by the Northern Garrison Command? Since he knew but did not stop it, it meant he acquiesced, so naturally he wouldn't see him.
At the Xia residence, Xia Yan sneered upon learning that Yang Lian had been arrested.
"Yang Fangzhen couldn't control his ambition and was too calculating, so it was only natural that he was outmaneuvered."
After Xia Yan finished speaking, he looked at the butler beside him.
"We are closing the doors to visitors. We will not see anyone for the next few days, no matter who they are."
Xia Yan knew very well that Mao Ji and Yang Lian's affairs had nothing to do with him. He had been staying at home for the past two weeks to distance himself from them. Xia Yan used to try to persuade Mao Ji, but recently Mao Ji had been blinded by power and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. So Xia Yan could no longer care about him and only wanted to protect himself.
Mao Ji returned to his residence and listened to his steward report on who had been arrested, his mind a complete mess.
"How dare Zhou Hengqi? Last time, His Majesty and Yang Yongxiu protected him. How dare he do this this time?"
Mao Ji couldn't understand it at all.
"My lord, I have received information that the one who mobilized the Northern Garrison this time was not the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the Grand Secretary Yang Yiqing."
Mao Ji's butler looked grim.
"what!"
Upon hearing this, Mao Ji immediately stood up.
Only then did Mao Ji feel a sense of unease.
This means that Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Yang Yiqing, the Grand Secretary, have joined forces.
It's even possible that the emperor is behind it all.
They wove a giant net, just waiting for them to crawl into it.
"Does Yang Yiqing dare to do this? Can he bear the consequences?"
Mao Ji couldn't understand it no matter how hard he thought about it.
Mobilizing so many people rashly would be a consequence that Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, could not bear, nor could Yang Yiqing, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
After all, Mao and Ji hold the majority of the power in the cabinet now, so Yang Yiqing must have enough confidence to rashly mobilize the troops of the Northern Garrison Command and launch a major operation.
Mao Ji knew Yang Yiqing very well. Yang Yiqing, that old fox, never acted without first seeing the benefits.
"What exactly is wrong?"
Mao Ji was like an ant on a hot pan, starting to review the events bit by bit. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.