Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 524 - 271: Managing by Dividing the River_3

Chapter 524: Chapter 271: Managing by Dividing the River_3

Emperor Gaozong of Qi happened to catch a chill and was in poor health.

None of these factors alone threatened Emperor Gaozong’s throne, but once they all converged, what seemed impossible became possible under a chain reaction.

After his visit, Qin Huizhi left the imperial palace.

At this point, the guards of the Imperial Army in the imperial city still thought it was an ordinary day, completely unaware that in just a few hours, Qin Huizhi would return to undertake a momentous deed that would be recorded in history.

...

In the evening, a hundred-man contingent of the imperial troops arrived outside the imperial city.

"Who goes there!"

The Imperial Army guards on the city walls were clearly vigilant as they shouted loudly.

Out from these imperial troops, two men stepped forward.

The first man, clad in full armor, loudly declared, "I am Xin Li, officer of the Hall Before Department!"

The guards on the city wall examined carefully and indeed recognized it was Xin Li. Their tone softened significantly and hurriedly responded, "General Xin! The imperial city is already closed, what is your intent?"

Xin Li declared loudly, "We received intelligence from the Wude Bureau that assassins have infiltrated the imperial city, intending to assassinate the royal family! I am here by the decree of the royal family and Prime Minister Qin to search the imperial city!"

The guards felt a chill run down their spine, "General Xin, even if there are assassins in the imperial city, it should be us, the Imperial Army..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the other man below began to curse angrily.

"You incompetent fool! You Imperial Army are in charge of safeguarding the imperial city, maintain strict lockdown, and must not let the assassins escape! This is an emergency, if you divert men to catch them, and there happens to be a breach in the city’s defense allowing the assassin to escape, or more of them to slip in, can you bear the responsibility?"

The guards, finally recognizing the second person speaking, quickly replied with fear, "Prime Minister Qin, forgive us! We didn’t know you were personally here; we will open the city gate immediately!"

It wasn’t long before the great gates of the imperial city were opened.

By rights, this was against protocol.

But these Imperial Army guards clearly lacked the courage to defy these two men.

Qin Huizhi was the reigning powerful minister, and anyone who offended him was bound to suffer dire consequences afterwards.

If at this moment the guards had rigidly adhered to the protocol and refused to open the gate, then when Qin Huizhi decided to settle scores later, the emperor would not come to their defense.

That was the most critical point.

Was it worth locking horns with Qin Huizhi over this? It wasn’t.

Being members of the Imperial Army was just another way to make a living.

Moreover, Qin Huizhi was not alone; he was accompanied by Xin Li, an officer under the Hall Before Department.

The Hall Before Department and the guard troops together formed the double bureaus, under whose jurisdiction were the two bureaus and three armies’ headquarter of the imperial troops, representing the highest command structure of the imperial forces of the Qi Dynasty.

This meant that technically, mobilizing the imperial troops in this manner was perfectly legitimate.

In historical reality, Qin Huizhi had indeed secretly mobilized the imperial troops on his own before, even without letting Emperor Gaozong of Qi know.

"Once, when bandits rose in Quzhou State, Qin Huizhi dispatched Xin Li with a thousand troops to capture them, without informing the emperor. Prince Jin’an secretly reported this to Emperor Gaozong who was greatly alarmed. Upon inquiry, Qin Huizhi said, ’It was trivial and not worth troubling your sacred thoughts over, thus I dared not report. Once the bandits were suppressed, I would have reported.’ Upon learning it was Prince Jin’an who had informed, Qin Huizhi immediately suggested a reduction in the allowances of Prince Jin’an, who was still in mourning for Prince Xiu, by two hundred coins a month; the emperor granted this from the inner treasury."

That is to say, Qin Huizhi had circumvented the emperor to dispatch the imperial troops to catch bandits and had not informed Emperor Gaozong. It was only because a prince had secretly informed Emperor Gaozong. Despite being shocked, Emperor Gaozong was unable to do anything to Qin Huizhi.

Qin Huizhi even dared to openly retaliate against the prince who had exposed him.

If Qin Huizhi dared to mobilize the imperial troops privately just to catch a few bandits, then mobilizing them for a significant cause at this moment was hardly surprising.

...

The hundred-man contingent of imperial troops, under the pretense of capturing bandits, entered the imperial city and headed straight for Yuansheng Palace.

Yuansheng Palace was expanded from an original palace within the imperial city and was renamed after the return of Emperor Yingzong to the court as his sleeping quarters.

Besides residing there, Emperor Yingzong was also granted special permission to enter Taiyi Palace in the imperial city several days each month to conduct rituals.

Before returning to court, Emperor Yingzong had said he only wished to be a master of Taiyi Palace, to live out his remaining years in religious devotion, and had no desire to covet Emperor Gaozong’s throne.

But Emperor Gaozong could not simply allow him to be a Taoist in Taiyi Palace; he still had to expand Yuansheng Palace in the imperial city for this elder brother. Ostensibly, it was to accord him his due respect, but in reality, it was to better keep him under surveillance.

It was absolutely impossible for the courtiers to see Emperor Yingzong in Yuansheng Palace.

But now, Qin Huizhi and Xin Li had already led the imperial troops to the gates of Yuansheng Palace.

"Breach it!"

At Qin Huizhi’s command, without any hesitation, the imperial troops immediately complied. The men, all staunch confidants recruited by Xin Li, were aware that supporting the right claimant was the greatest merit, promising endless glory and riches once successful, and thus were motivated by the high rewards.

Then, the crowd surged in.

Emperor Yingzong had just been about to sleep when he saw a swarm of people barging in, causing him to jump up in terror.

"Who are you? Are you here to harm me? Is it... could it be..."

He was visibly frightened, obviously thinking that Emperor Gaozong had sent men to harm him.

Especially upon seeing Qin Huizhi’s face, Emperor Yingzong’s complexion turned ashen.