Chapter 3: The Public Way

  Shi Heng's IQ

  There is a phrase that perfectly describes Shi Heng - simple-minded, with well-developed limbs. His IQ and strength seem to be inversely proportional, just like Lv Bu in the Three Kingdoms game, who has high strength but low intelligence.

  He was able to seize the gate successfully, relying on Xu Youzhen. He was able to defeat Xu Youzhen, relying on Cao Jixiang. Now that Yu Qian is gone and Xu Youzhen is also gone, he finally revealed his originally stupid face that didn't understand anything.

  One of the manifestations of foolishness:

  One time, Shi Heng took two small officers under his command to see Zhu Qizhen in a swaggering manner, speaking very casually. When Zhu Qizhen saw this, his face immediately sank, after all, this was the emperor's place, not a vegetable market, what kind of cat and dog could come in like this!

  He angrily asked: "Who are these two? What did they come in for?"

  Shi Heng said nonchalantly: "They are my trusted subordinates, I hope Your Majesty will promote them."

  Zhu Qizhen's patience was almost at its limit, but he still endured and said: "This matter is not urgent, let's talk about it another day."

  Shi Heng however was unrelenting: "Please have Your Majesty approve it today."

  Zhu Qizhen coldly looked at Shi Heng for a moment before finally agreeing to his request. However, the seeds of anger had already been deeply sown.

  The second manifestation of foolishness:

  Shi Heng's nephew Shi Biao was garrisoned in Datong, and one day he led his troops out on patrol. He encountered a group of Wala people, and without hesitation, he charged forward and killed dozens of them. When he returned, he cleverly reported it as a great victory for Datong, and Shi Heng also used this to boast repeatedly.

  In fact, the border troubles were already very serious at that time. The Wa people constantly made enemies with the Ming Dynasty and launched attacks. Zhu Qizhen saw this border report and couldn't help but cry and laugh, so he simply followed the meaning and gave some rewards to pray for good luck. He then turned around and asked Wu Jin, the Duke of Gongshun, about countermeasures.

  "What's good when the border is tight?"

  Wu Jin said just one sentence:

  "If Yu Qian were still here, this wouldn't have happened!"

  Zhu Qizhen fell silent, facing such accusations, he could only remain silent.

  The messenger who reported the merits of Shi Biao's faction was a foolish person. Seeing Shi Xiong boasting, he also followed suit, saying that they had captured countless people and taken countless prisoners. The imperial scholar Yue Zheng was a man who liked to make jokes, so he asked him:

  "You say countless captives, but where are they?"

  "There were too many people, no way to bring them back, all killed in the forest."

  This sentence should have been able to get by, but unexpectedly, Yue Zheng wanted to take the joke to the end.

  He took out a local map and smiled at the messenger:

  "This area is all desert, where did this forest come from?"

  Shi Heng's poor performance was not limited to this, but this old brother seemed to have gotten water in his head and couldn't understand that he was just a worker, while the emperor was the real boss. And soon after, an incident completely ruined his promising future.

  In this year, Zhu Qizhen met a special guest in his palace, which solved the mystery that had been entwining Zhu Qizhen for a long time and eventually led to the downfall of the "Returning Home Faction".

  This special guest was named Zhu Zhanjun, the uncle of Zhu Qizhen. He was the person who had been rumored to come to the capital to take over the throne that year, and he was also the person whom Yu Qian's "Returning to the Countryside Society" was preparing to support.

  In order to dispel the doubts in Zhu Qizhen's mind, so as not to be suddenly and inexplicably killed one day, he specially came to the capital to explain the situation. The two sides held talks, which were conducted in a warm and cordial atmosphere, reviewing their traditional friendship of many years and exchanging views on matters of common interest. Zhu Zhanji reiterated that the throne was Zhu Qizhen's indivisible property and expressed his determination to uphold this principle in the future. Zhu Qizhen highly praised Zhu Zhanji's contributions and hoped for further cooperation between the two sides in all aspects.

  The meeting ended and Zhu Zhanji left with satisfaction, but Zhu Qizhen was furious.

  The facts ultimately proved Yu Qian's innocence, and Shi Heng and others not only acted arbitrarily and disregarded themselves, but also used their own hands to kill Yu Qian, this scapegoat was really miserable.

  Zhu Di immediately ran to question Shi Heng, Shi Heng was speechless and could only shift the blame to Xu Youzhen. However, these excuses made Zhu Di even more dissatisfied, he said no more and turned away with a flick of his sleeve.

  Li Xian, who had been quietly observing from the side, was shocked to discover that Shi Heng was actually the stupidest and worst of the "Returning Village" group. Compared to Xu Youzhen, his level was really too low. Dealing with such a person didn't require him to take action himself; he would eventually bring about his own downfall.

  Although so, Li Xian still did not dare to underestimate the enemy, because behind Shi Heng, there was also a Cao Jixiang.

  The cruelest game in this world is the political game, because there has never been a runner-up in this game. The runner-up is the loser, and only the champion can survive. Li Xian understood that before he could completely defeat his opponent, he had to endure, accept countless tests, and wait for the opportunity to come.

  But Zhu Qizhen did not have such patience, and one time he privately found Li Xian alone and asked him a question:

  "These people interfere with government affairs and cause those who come to report things to me to go to them first, what can be done about it?"

  Li Xian panicked, knowing that the emperor's discontent had reached its peak. He wanted to vent his emotions and asked this question, but he couldn't tell the truth because the timing wasn't ripe yet.

  He thought for a moment and came up with an absolutely brilliant answer:

  "Your Majesty will have to take care of it yourself."

  Some people may wonder if this sentence is shirking responsibility, so where is the cleverness?

  To analyze this sentence, it must be linked to the question. The sentence is absolutely ambiguous in one word with two meanings. It sounds like letting the emperor handle it himself, but in fact, its meaning is to let the emperor "handle it himself", and take all the power.

  Is it really necessary to beat around the bush like this?

  It is very necessary, because Li Xian's ingenuity lies precisely in this place.

  Li Xian is much smarter than Xu Youzhen, and he speaks like this because he knows that perhaps not far away, a pair of ears are listening to their conversation! He always remembers that his enemies are not just the brainless Shi Hen, but also Cao Jixiang, who controls the eunuchs.

  Zhu Qizhen nodded thoughtfully and stopped asking questions, he had already understood Li Xian's meaning. As for these few "Hometown Gang" members, he was disgusted to the extreme. But what had happened so far was not enough to make him finally make up his mind to break with the "Hometown Gang", until that brief conversation at Xiangfeng Building.

  This winter, Zhu Qizhen took Gong Shunhou Wu Jin and several ministers to climb the Xiangfeng Building, overlooking the distance, feeling very comfortable. Suddenly, Zhu Qizhen pointed to a luxurious villa in the central golden area of the city and asked Wu Jin:

  "Do you know whose house that is?"

  Wu Jin not only knew whose house this was, but also why Zhu Qizhen asked this question. As a fellow traveler of Li Xian and sympathizer of Yu Qian, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity to administer another dose of strong medicine, letting those people completely finish off.

  "That must be the Wang Mansion!" Wu Jin replied with conviction.

  In the instant he heard the answer, a hint of murderous intent flashed across Zhu Qi Zhen's face, and he coldly laughed saying:

  "That's not the Wang Mansion, you guessed wrong."

  Zhu Qizhen turned around and coldly looked at the ministers who followed him, threw out a sentence, and floated away:

  "Shi Heng has become so overbearing that no one dares to expose his wickedness!"

  Shi Heng, your doomsday has arrived!

  Shi Heng's Downfall

  As for the emperor's antipathy, Shi Heng was not without feeling, and he also made his own preparations. The ministers lurking around the emperor were not to be mentioned, but he also deliberately planted his nephew Shi Biao to garrison Datong, while he himself commanded the capital's garrison troops. As soon as there was any movement, they could respond from both inside and outside, which was a very formidable arrangement, capable of advancing or retreating, indeed with some skill.

  The formation is set, Zhu Qizhen, you come over on horseback, let's see if you dare move a single finger against me!

  Shi Heng was too naive; it turned out that Zhu Qizhen had indeed solved him - in a way he absolutely did not expect.

  In Shi Heng's view, Zhu Qizhen was just a straightforward person who could be manipulated at will. It was precisely because of this that he dared to be so arrogant and overbearing. Now that he had grown in power and influence, there was naturally nothing to fear.

  It seems that the situation is indeed as Shi Hen imagined, Zhu Qizhen's side has not made any moves, he entrusted his most trusted confidant, Jin Yiwei commander Yu Gang, to investigate and gather information everywhere, the result was that everything was calm in the palace and all was well under heaven, it seemed that things would pass like this, however just as he was feeling complacent, he received a shocking piece of news.

  Shi Biao was arrested.

  In the third year of Tianshun (1459), in August, Zhu Qizhen suddenly had a fit of rage and arrested Shi Biao, who was guarding Datong. This move greatly exceeded Shi Heng's expectations, leaving him stunned.

  Shi Biao was captured, which means that all his foreign aid had been cut off. With the people he currently has in hand, it's not enough to even stage a protest, let alone a rebellion. It was only then that he realized that the emperor before him was no longer the kind and honest Zhu Qizhen of years past. After so many years of trials and tribulations, that naive and ignorant young man had become a seasoned political veteran.

  But it was too late for regrets, Shi Heng steeled himself and prepared to meet Zhu Qizhen's next attack.

  But a strange thing happened again, after Shi Biao was imprisoned, Zhu Qizhen did not make any moves. Shi Heng couldn't figure out what the other side wanted to do, so he submitted a memorial stating that he took leadership responsibility for his nephew's crime and asked to resign and return home to farm.

  Zhu Qizhen smiled and told him, "Don't worry, your nephew's affairs have nothing to do with you, just live your life carefree."

  Shi Heng believed him and no longer insisted on resigning, abandoning his last shred of hope for survival.

  A true political veteran is different from ordinary people, they never use high heat to stir-fry dishes, only low heat stewing, and when fighting a war, they never launch a central breakthrough, but always attack from the side.

  From the day Zhu Qizhen decided to get rid of Shi Heng, he had made sufficient preparations. In order to grasp the first-hand information about Shi Heng, he won over a person beside Shi Heng, who was Jin Yiwei commander Yan Yiqing.

  He is indeed a strange person, from the Imperial Guard, nicknamed "turning with the wind", nothing escapes his eyes, extremely quick reflexes. He was in the Battle of Beijing, the Gate-stealing Incident, the Xu Youzhen affair and now he's standing on the front line against Shi Heng. Truly admirable.

  Shi Heng's evidence of guilt was constantly being sent to Zhu Qizhen through Yu Qian, while Shi Heng only received daily reassurances that everything was safe and sound.

  With the help of Zhu Di, Zhu Qizhen dealt with Shi Biao and Shi Heng's other subordinates, gradually completing the work of clearing the perimeter. Now Shi Heng is already a lone wolf, and can be said to be unable to withstand a single blow.

  But unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Zhu Qizhen stopped his attack and hesitated to take action against Shi Heng.

  Yu Qian was very puzzled by this. He didn't understand that since things had already come to this point, why not just resolve the issue of Shi Heng once and for all?

  But Li Xian was clear, Zhu Qi's strange behavior had been expected by him.

  Li Xian was very familiar with Zhu Qizhen, this emperor had experienced many things, but after all, he was still a relatively loyal and sentimental person. He couldn't bear to kill Yu Qian, who had helped him ascend the throne, let alone Shi Heng, who had rendered meritorious service in the past?

  Li Xian was very clear that in order to break through Zhu Qi's last mercy, there was only one way, and that was to uncover the truth of the "Duo Men Zhuan"! Only then could these "Hometown Gangs" be thoroughly eradicated!

  Yu Qian, justice belongs to you, I will definitely get it back for you!

  The time has finally come, they have walked to the edge of the cliff and will soon plummet into the abyss, never to rise again.

  Now, all it needs is just one more little push.

  The Final Blow

  "Shi Heng has indeed done so, but he has made great contributions in seizing the gate, and it's a bit too much to completely overthrow him!"

  When Li Xian was summoned to the palace to discuss matters, he heard these words from Zhu Qizhen's mouth and immediately realized that the moment for the final blow had arrived.

  "He suddenly said with a mysterious tone: 'Not deceiving Your Majesty, at the beginning there were also people who advised me to participate in the coup, but I refused.'"

  "What!" Zhu Qizhen was taken aback, and he immediately asked in a stern voice, "Then why didn't you participate?"

  Li Xian said calmly: "Because even if we don't seize the gate, the imperial throne is still yours (the heavenly throne is yours), since that's the case, why bother seizing it?"

  Zhu Qizhen was confused, what does this mean? If I hadn't seized the throne, how would I have today's imperial position?

  He looked at Li Xian with suspicion and waited for his answer.

  Actually, from the day of the Chongwen Gate Incident, Li Xian had already seen through the truth of this so-called coup. He was very clear that it was actually just a speculator's scam, but at the time, due to a key issue not being resolved, he couldn't give a definitive answer, and now the time has come.

  It was Zhu Qizhen and Xiang Wang's meeting that solved the key problem.

  It was during this meeting that Zhu Qizhen learned that the so-called prince's entry into the capital to ascend the throne was a completely fabricated event, and he became very angry. However, he did not realize that the disguise of the Gate-stealing Incident had been thoroughly exposed due to this incident until Li Xian explained it to him.

  Li Xian said with a cunning smile: "Your Majesty, don't you understand? If Jing Tai (Zhu Qizhen) doesn't recover from his illness, even if Your Majesty is in the South Palace, the world will still belong to Your Majesty!"

  Zhu Qizhen sank into deep thought for a long time before suddenly realizing the truth!

  He finally understood the subtlety of it.

  If you still don't understand, then let me explain the beginning and end of this puzzle. The investigation begins below:

  It all started with Xu Youzhen's sentence "Not killing Xian, this move has no name". If analyzed carefully, it can be found that this sentence is not simple at all. Xu Youzhen was able to come up with such a conclusion based on two premises.

  Prerequisite one: Zhu Qiyu is already bedridden and may soon pass away, and he also has no son, so the throne will inevitably be vacant at that time.

  Prerequisite two: Yu Qian prepares to support an external vassal king to enter the capital and ascend to the throne. (This is fabricated by Xu Youzhen)

  Xu Youzhen thus drew a logical conclusion: seizing power is meritorious, plotting rebellion is not a crime.

  If it weren't for us seizing the gate back then and letting you inherit the throne, you'd still be wondering where to cool off!

  At that time, Zhu Qizhen also thought so, so Yu Qian was identified as a negative model, while the "Huxiangtuan" was heavily reused.

  However, Li Xian broke through this seemingly reasonable logical trap with facts two years later.

  One premise still exists: Zhu Qiyu has no son, and after his death, the throne will inevitably be vacant.

  But things changed at this point, because the second premise had been refuted by facts. So a most crucial question emerged - who would the throne belong to?

  But when you list all possibilities, you will find that Li Xian's words are right, the world is none other than Zhu Qizhen!

  Firstly, since Zhu Qiyu had no sons, this branch was already impossible to inherit the throne. Secondly, the succession of other members of the imperial clan (such as King Xiang) has been proven to be unfounded, so there are only two possibilities left:

  1. Zhu Qizhen was restored to his position. This was naturally the best outcome for Zhu Qizhen.

  Two, the King of Yim, Zhu Qizhen's son, originally the rightful crown prince, more importantly, he was only ten years old in 1457, and Empress Dowager Sun, who supported Zhu Qizhen, was still alive, so the throne went to Zhu Jianshen, which is to say it went to Zhu Qizhen.

  The mystery was finally solved, and Zhu Qizhen only then understood that the real beneficiary of this so-called "Gate-stealing Change" was not him, but those "Returning Villagers".

  Li Xian saw that Zhu Qi had come to his senses and took advantage of the situation to add fuel to the fire:

  "Shi Heng and those people said it was to welcome the emperor, which is barely acceptable. How can they say it's a coup?! The world originally belongs to Your Majesty, why do you need to seize it?! Fortunately, things succeeded, if there were any twists or turns, and things failed, those few rotten lives would be gone too, but what about Your Majesty (Zhu Qiyu is still alive)?"

  "If Jingtai were to pass away now, Your Majesty would ascend the throne smoothly, and Shi Heng and others would not have any merit. They put Your Majesty at risk just for their own glory and wealth!"

  How can this be!

  Zhu Qizhen, who had been deceived for several years, suddenly became furious and immediately summoned the officials to issue a decree: From now on, any memorial that appears with the two characters "duo men" will be strictly punished without pardon! Those who took credit and rewards should come forward to admit their fault and accept punishment, don't wait for me to take action myself!

  Shi Heng finally got what was coming to him.

  In the first month of Tianshun 4 (1460), on the fourth anniversary of the coup, Shi Heng was honorably imprisoned and died miserably in prison a month later.

  But he had not lived in the underworld for a month when he met an acquaintance at Yan Wang's place - his nephew Shi Biao was also beheaded on the same day.

  This orthodox general ended his life, from a famous general to a treacherous minister, greed and selfishness changed the trajectory of his life. Everyone has their own ambitions, no need to say more, only wondering what face he would show when meeting his former close comrades Yu Qian in the underworld.

  It is said that a gentleman takes revenge, ten years are not late. But Li Xian seems to be a person who loves life and cherishes time, solving Xu Youzhen and Shi Heng, he only used four years, now his prey has only one person left: Cao Jixiang.

  Xu Youzhen was intelligent and had many plans, Shi Hen held military power in his hands. These two brothers were not good people, compared to them, Cao Jixiang was nothing, he didn't have any academic background or martial arts skills. Now the two main forces of the "Hometown Association" had been punished and removed from the scene, only he remained. For Li Xian, solving this last remaining clown should be the easiest step in his plan, but he didn't think that this unremarkable Cao Jixiang not only was the most difficult to deal with, but also almost took his life.

  Cao Jixiang's Ambition

  Shi Heng is dead, Cao Jixiang is panicked. This is not surprising, no need to think carefully, just counting on fingers can understand, the next one should be him too.

  At such a perilous moment, ordinary people should consider being low-key and living a humble life, and if they can die of natural causes, they would be grateful. However, this gentleman's thinking is indeed different from that of ordinary people. Not only does he not retreat, but he also actively seeks progress. He has an even higher spiritual pursuit - to become the emperor.

  Cao Jixiang had an adopted son named Cao Qin, who like Cao Jixiang, had grand ideals and was full of confidence, but to really take action, he still needed one more thing. For this, he secretly found his own door guest Feng Yi and asked him a profound question:

  "Has there ever been an emperor who was a eunuch's son since ancient times?"

  Feng Yixin knew it wasn't good, but after all, he was eating at someone else's house, so he casually replied:

  Cao Cao.

  For this answer, we need to clarify two points. Firstly, this answer cannot be considered correct because Cao Cao was only posthumously recognized as an emperor. Secondly, it is estimated that Feng Yi did not expect that he would lose his life for this sentence.

  Cao Qin was overjoyed to have found a theoretical basis, and under the brilliant image of Cao Cao, he immediately started working with great fanfare.

  Scholars rebel, three years did not succeed, while Cao Jixiang and Cao Qin proved themselves with limited culture, not scholars, they didn't say a word, flapped their sleeves and prepared to rebel. In the past, the eunuch Wang Zhen was preparing for several days before he dared to go out and fight, while Cao Jixiang followed closely behind, planning for more than a month before taking action.

  Cao Jixiang and Cao Qin carefully planned and formulated a simple plan (so simple that it only had one sentence):

  Cao Qin led his troops into the palace, Cao Jixiang responded from within, killed Zhu Qizhen and became emperor himself.

  That's all for the plan.

  Drafted by: Cao Jixiang, Cao Qin.

  Talented people are indeed highly efficient!

  Although this is a flawed and inexplicable plan, Cao Qin dares to rebel, still having some capital.

  His capital is the Tartar officers under his command.

  The so-called Tartar officers were Mongolian soldiers who surrendered, from the Doyan Sanwei of Zhu Di's era, Mongolian officers and men had already become the most elite troops in the Ming army. Cao Jixiang once guarded the border and knew that these Mongolian soldiers were brave and fierce, so he secretly recruited and won over Mongolian soldiers to serve him.

  To be frank, the Tartar officers under Cao Qin were indeed quite formidable, their combat effectiveness was higher than that of the Ming army, but it also depends on who commands them. If they are placed in Cao Qin's hands, they can only be "the wind is blowing and the water is cold".

  But one thing that was advantageous to Cao Qin was that there were not many troops stationed in the palace, and during the Ming dynasty, in order to prevent military generals from rebelling, the procedure for deploying troops was extremely complicated. As the commander-in-chief, without the army symbol, it would be difficult to mobilize even a single soldier. By the time the large army gathered, everything had already been settled. Therefore, the real key to success lay in timing.

  As long as we can enter the palace and capture Zhu Qizhen before the garrison outside the city is mobilized, victory will be mine!

  With everything ready, Cao Qin began his final preparation for rebellion: selecting a date for the uprising.

  Choosing an auspicious day to rebel is a necessary task for all conspirators from ancient times to the present, and Cao Qin is no exception. He also showed a certain scientific spirit on this issue. Cao Qin did not blindly believe in the imperial calendar, but instead took a pragmatic attitude and asked his fellow party members - the astronomer and professional in charge of the Imperial Observatory, Tang Xu.

  Tang Shu accepted the task and looked up at the sky, observing it carefully for a long time before solemnly telling Cao Qin the auspicious day to start the uprising.

  Tianshun 5th year (1461) July Gengzi day, very auspicious, beneficial for military action.

  Cao Qin left with a thousand thanks and ten thousand apologies. He believed that this day was the best time to start an uprising, because he believed in science.

  If he knew how "good" the day Tansuo had chosen for him was, he would probably do the first thing when making a rebellion is to cut off this brother with a knife.

  A Chaotic Night

  Gengzi day, night.

  Cao Qin hosted a banquet at his home for the Tartar officials who were about to participate in the rebellion. At the banquet, he was extremely excited and granted official titles to everyone present, wishing that they would work hard to set fires, cut people down, and successfully rebel, with boundless prospects ahead!

  Before Cao Qin rebelled, inviting guests was not just about treating these people to a meal, he had a deeper purpose. Because these so-called Tartar officials were all mercenaries who sold their lives for money, they could betray their own country and serve the Great Ming, who can guarantee that they will not sell themselves out for more money?

  So he was talking and laughing with the people present, but at the same time, he was watching everyone in the room with vigilant eyes, and instructed his trusted followers to guard the gate carefully to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.

  Cao Qin's thoughts were indeed very thorough, but as the wine party went on, the atmosphere in the venue became more lively, and he also began to become numb. However, just at this time, a person who had been prepared early took advantage of the situation and slipped away.

  His name was Ma Liang, and he didn't stand out in daily life. Cao Qin only knew that he was a Mongolian, but didn't know that he had a friend named Wu Jin.

  Ma Liang rushed out and ran all the way to Wu Jin's residence, it was already the second watch of the night. Wu Jin was woken up by Ma Liang who was panting heavily, and upon hearing the news, he was shocked and lost his composure.

  But Wu Jin panicked and then realized he was also powerless, because at this moment he was alone and had no soldiers. In a hurry, he suddenly remembered that there was another person living in the imperial chamber, so he immediately got up to find this person.

  This is the Sun Bao who "fought hard but was unable to hold on and wanted to enter the city" during the Battle of Beijing 12 years ago.

  He is about to become the protagonist of this night.

  Wu Jin should really feel lucky, because it turned out that on this chaotic night, Sun Bao played the most crucial role. What's strange is that Sun Bao usually doesn't live in the imperial chamber, so why did he happen to be there on this particular night?

  It was a coincidence that the day before, Zhu Qizhen summoned Sun Bing and ordered him to lead the army westward on the second day. Sun Bing accepted the order and should have rested at home tonight, but he happened to be unwell and slept in the government office for convenience tomorrow.

  It's estimated that such a situation would be hard to come by in years, but the great astronomer Tang Xulu carefully studied and chose this day, finding such an incompetent accomplice, Cao Qin's standards are really embarrassing.

  Sun Tong learned from Wu Jin's mouth about everything that was happening and immediately made a decision: to report to Zhu Qizhen at once.

  But at this moment it was already late at night, the emperor had gone home to sleep after work, and the gates of the palace would not open until dawn, so when the two rushed to the tightly closed Chang'an Gate, they only had one choice - to transform urgently.

  What is called Jiubian, is a contact method used by the Ming Dynasty palace in the most urgent situations. Once there is an extremely urgent matter, when it is necessary to disturb the emperor at night, the presenter should immediately write down the emergency situation and insert it into the door seam of Chang'an Gate. The gatekeeper should send it to the emperor for personal review at the first moment after receiving the document, without any delay, otherwise, beheading will not be discussed!

  But this time something unexpected happened. Sun Bao and Wu Jin were anxious outside the Chang'an Gate, but they never threw the document in.

  It wasn't until these two gentlemen were faced with a critical situation that they discovered they had a very tricky problem on their hands.

  Wu Jin spread out paper and pen to prepare for writing the memorial, but he hesitated and didn't start writing. He just stared at Sun Bao with a eager expression, the reason was simple - he didn't know many characters and couldn't write it out.

  Sun Bao was stared at by him, making him feel uneasy all over, and he couldn't help but shout: "What are you looking at me for? If I could write it out, would I still need to be a martial arts general?"

  Thus, the two illiterate officials scratched their ears and jumped up and down around the white paper, but couldn't write a word. As time ticked away, in desperation, they didn't care about the format of the document or etiquette, and with a flourish of the brush, wrote the shortest memorial in Chinese history, consisting of only six characters:

  Cao Qin rebels! Cao Qin rebels!

  These two are also really helpless, it seems that popularizing compulsory education is indeed a great virtue.

  This memorial was immediately presented to Zhu Qizhen, who remained calm in the face of danger. He made a prompt decision, ordering the closure of all city gates and strict defense, and immediately arrested Cao Jixiang, who was still in the palace.

  This important task was completed, but Wu Jin and Sun Bao understood that the real battle had just begun. On this thrilling night, both of them would face a test of life and death.

  It is worth noting that although Cao Qin's military strength was not great, it was still more than enough to deal with the imperial guards. If the rebels had breached the palace before dawn when reinforcements had yet to arrive, everything would have been over.

  Facing the uncertain future of the dark night, Wu Jin and Sun Bao did not choose to retreat. Although they were both alone, they resolutely decided to take on the heavy responsibility of pacifying the rebellion.

  The two men decided to go their separate ways to seek reinforcements, quell the rebellion, and stabilize the situation. After discussing and settling everything, they parted ways and agreed to meet again another day.

  But who would have thought that after parting ways in front of Chang'an Gate, they would never see each other again.

  When Wu Jin and Sun Bao were running wild outside the palace, Cao Qin, who was drunk and dizzy, finally discovered a serious problem:

  "Where did Ma Liang go?"

  In the dead of night, on the eve of his rebellion, where else could he go? A clear conclusion immediately emerged in his mind: the plan had been leaked.

  Things have come to this point, and if they don't rebel, they will not be able to survive. In an instant, Cao Qin made a decisive decision:

  It's all over! Either the fish dies or the net breaks!

  Cao Qin set out with his mercenaries, and the Cao Clan Rebellion officially began.

  But it was from this moment on that Cao Qin began his incomprehensible and unbelievable performance.

  According to their original plan, their destination should have been the Imperial Palace, but Cao Qin changed direction on his own and wanted to kill someone first.

  This man is Jin Yiwei commander Yu Ao, he is also the person Cao Qin hates the most. Yu Ao was originally a friend of Cao Qin's, but later because of the decline of the "Hometown Association", Yu Ao turned against him and became an enemy of the Cao family. So Cao Qin prepared to get rid of him first.

  At this moment, the well-informed Yu Gang had already heard the news and was preparing to run away, but he happened to bump into the rebel army that rushed over. Cao Qin didn't say a word and beheaded Yu Gang with one knife.

  At the same time, Cao Qin also sent another route of rebels to attack Dongzhao Fang, because there was another important figure - Li Xian.

  Li Xian was sleeping soundly in his bedroom when he suddenly heard the noise of people outside, knew something was wrong, and prepared to get up and run away, but was caught off guard by the rebel army rushing in.

  The rebels didn't show him any courtesy, swinging their knives and chopping him. Li Xian dodged and weaved but was still slashed in the back, while the other rebels drew their swords, ready to chop Li Xian into mincemeat.

  If there were no unexpected events, Comrade Li Xian's reputation for sacrificing his life for the country should have been established, but at this critical moment, a loud shout saved his life:

  "Stop!"

  Li Xian did not expect that the person who shouted this sentence was actually Cao Qin.

  Cao Qin had just returned from Niu Fu's home, he stopped the crowd, with one hand holding a bloody knife and the other holding Niu Fu's head, walked to Li Xian's face, smiled and said:

  "Mr. Li (Li Xian is a cabinet scholar), you've worked hard, help me out with something."

  It was a chilling scene, Cao Qin, holding a human head and covered in blood, smiled at his prey in front of him. Judging from his later behavior, due to the leak of the original plan, Cao Qin seemed to be somewhat at a loss and behaved abnormally at this time.

  Li Xian finally welcomed the most dangerous moment of his life. Over the years, he had gone through wind and rain, cutting through thorns and thistles, eliminating one opponent after another. But he never thought that this last enemy would jump over the wall in desperation and make a final desperate attack. Now he was already wounded by a knife and had become a puppet in his opponent's hands. What was even more deadly was that he was facing an abnormal person.

  Panic is useless, calm down, there must be a solution!

  Li Xian regained his calm demeanor, gritting his teeth against the pain of his wound, and sighed, saying:

  "How did things end up like this?"

  Cao Qin answered his question in a very vivid way, holding up the bloody head of Lü Bu in front of Li Xian and saying word by word:

  "It's this person who is forcing me!" (also: "He's pushing me too!")

  Li Xianqiang suppressed the fear in his heart and took a deep breath.

  "Do you need me to do something?"

  Cao Qin smiled and suddenly took a step forward, grabbing Li Xian's hand:

  "Things have come to this point, it's not what I originally intended. Please help me draft an explanatory memorial to present to the Emperor."

  Li Xianwan did not expect that this brother would make such a request, but this brother was so fierce and evil, who knows what would happen after finishing writing, maybe it's the ghost head knife waiting for him. In order to buy time, he pretended to be difficult and said:

  "I can write, but there is no paper and pen here."

  Cao Qin's face once again revealed a strange smile, and he pointed to the person outside the door who was trembling with fear:

  "It's okay, he has it."

  The second hostage captured by the rebels was Wang Tiao, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs and a close friend of Li Xian.

  At the same time, Wu Yong and Song Jiang, who were acting separately, were seeking help in the dark of night, but the situation was disappointing. Many civil and military officials lived outside the Chang'an Gate, and although they heard the commotion, no one came out to help. It seemed that taking action at the right moment was sometimes just a principle for the Liangshan robbers.

  Wu Jin had no choice but to return home and gather his cousin Wu Kun and several servants, rushing towards the Dong'an Gate. He was well-versed in military strategy and knew that Cao Qin would definitely rebel tonight. The rebels' goal was to capture the emperor and control the situation, so their target must be the city gate of the inner city.

  But he never came back after leaving this time.

  On the other hand, Sun Bao was also in a state of confusion. He searched everywhere but to no avail. In his desperation, he even went to the residence of Taiping Marquis Zhang Jin and asked him to lead his guards to help fight the battle.

  Zhang Jin is a military general, with many family guards at home. If he could stand out, it would be a good solution. However, Sun Bao went to find this gentleman at this time, and can only say that he was confused.

  Because this Zhang Jin is actually the son of "Huxiangtuan" member Zhang Xiang!

  Although Zhang Jue died soon after the seizure of power, his son had not yet awakened to overthrowing his own father, so he ignored Sun Bao who rushed to the door, and Sun Bao could only leave reluctantly.

  Some people may have noticed something strange: Sun Bao wasn't preparing to lead troops on a campaign, so why didn't he go and mobilize those troops?

  Sun Hao was not a fool, and he had troops but still ran around everywhere. The real reason was that those troops could only be mobilized after he received the military emblem the next day and received orders to go on an expedition!

  But now there is no way, helpers can't be found, and the garrison outside the city can't be relied on. Just as they were about to fall into a desperate situation, Sun Hao suddenly had an idea and came up with a plan.

  At this moment, Li Xian and Wang Fan had already written a memorial of apology under Cao Qin's coercion and stuffed it into the palace gate. They thought that Cao Qin would give up at this point, but they never expected that Cao Qin had completely lost control by now.

  Seeing the document being stuffed into the door, Cao Qin let out a sigh of relief, as if the matter had been settled. But in an instant, he changed his mind and suddenly shouted loudly:

  "All troops assemble, attack Chang'an Gate immediately!"

  This is an order that has left later generations baffled. Cao Qin's rebellion plan had already been exposed, and he probably knew it himself too - this letter of apology was not going to fool Zhu Qizhen, nor would it open the city gates; besides, since you've already apologized, why are you still fighting?

  However, he still took action, but the Hetai officers under his command were brave and fierce, yet they could not defeat the defenders of Chang'an Gate. To break this stalemate, Cao Qin set fire to the city gate, but the defenders had long been prepared. They used bricks to block the city gate, which also served as a fireproof function. Cao Qin turned around in front of the gate, repeatedly adjusting his troops to attack, but he could not get in.

  Cao Qin completely lost control and suddenly dropped his spear, running back alone to find Li Xian and Wang Fan.

  The two gentlemen had just finished writing the document and were feeling uneasy when they suddenly saw Cao Qin rushing in with a knife.

  Li Xianxin knew something was wrong and immediately stood up, shouting loudly at Cao Qin:

  "What do you want to do?!"

  Cao Qin didn't say a word either, and his actions answered the question - he raised the bloody steel knife.

  It's come to this point, and there's nothing else to be done about it.

  But Li Xian waited for a long time before realizing that this knife never came down.

  Mr. Cao Qin seemed to have suddenly changed his mind, and he fiercely told Li Xian to be careful before hastily leaving again.

  Li Xian and Wang Cai, who were frightened out of their wits, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Falling into the hands of this abnormal guy, they had no choice but to resign themselves to their fate.

  At almost the same moment, Sun Bao arrived at the military camp with his two sons. Facing the sentry, he did not show his military token, but took a deep breath, sank his diaphragm and shouted loudly:

  "Someone has escaped from the Ministry of Justice's prison! Everyone hurry and catch them, there will be a heavy reward for catching them!"

  The sleeping soldiers were awakened by his shout, many of whom ignored him, but some soldiers got up and followed Sun Bao (how could they miss the opportunity to make money). After statistics, Sun Bao's shout brought in 2,000 people, who finally stabilized the situation and put down the rebellion.

  Sun Bo brought two thousand volunteers who wanted to get rich to the area near Chang'an Gate, and only then did he reveal his true purpose:

  "Have you seen the flames at Chang'an Gate? That's Cao Qin rebelling! Everyone must fight hard to defeat the enemy, there will be heavy rewards!"

  The soldiers who originally came to kill the prisoners only then realized they had been deceived, but since they had come, they couldn't go back empty-handed. The rebels were also human, and it didn't matter who they fought, as long as they got paid. So everyone rolled up their sleeves, gritted their teeth, and charged towards Chang'an Gate.

  However, when Sun Hao arrived at Chang'an Gate, he found that Cao Qin and others had already withdrawn. He immediately formed a battle array and pursued the rebel army's tracks.

  Cao Qin originally thought that Chang'an Gate could not be taken, but the sky was already brightening, so he decided to change direction immediately and attack Dong'an Gate.

  However, on the way of marching, he met another person who was rushing to Dong'an Gate - Wu Jin.

  Everyone was armed to the teeth, exuding a murderous aura, and it was clear what they were there for without needing any introduction. Without another word, they began to fight each other. At this time, Wu Jin had only five or six people by his side, who were no match for the rebel army, but he showed no fear, fighting to the death with the rebels until he was exhausted and died.

  He died on the eve of the final defeat of the "Returning Home League", and he did not see the final victory.

  Cao Qin killed Wu Jin, led the rebels to arrive at Dong'an Gate, and launched a new round of attacks. Like Changan Gate, he used fire attack again this time, burning down the East An City Gate.

  Cao Qin originally thought that Dong'an Gate was easy to attack, which is why he ran over in a big circle, but he really didn't expect the actual situation to be exactly the opposite.

  The general guarding the East Gate didn't use bricks to block the gate, but thought of an even more desperate method. Cao Qin set fire outside, and he didn't idle either, he actually found some wood and set another fire inside! As a result, the flames grew bigger and bigger, forming a sea of fire, let alone the rebels, even rabbits couldn't burrow in.

  Cao Qin fell into a predicament once again, and at this moment, Sun Bao, who had been following closely behind, arrived on the scene. Seeing that these benevolent brothers were still holding a bonfire party in the dead of night, he immediately took advantage of the situation to launch an attack.

  It was said that at this point, the rebellion should have ended soon, but the fighting power of the Mongolian officials under Cao Qin really surprised Sun Bao. These Mongolians were still very brave in the face of exhaustion and hunger, although they were outnumbered, they could hold their own against ten times as many men. Sun Bao relied on his numerical superiority, while Cao Qin relied on the bravery of his troops. The battle raged from Dong'an Gate to Chang'an Gate, from dawn till noon, with intermittent fighting that never ceased.

  It was a strange day, the ministers had already received the news and hid at home without going to court, and the common people did not go out to stroll on the street, but stayed at home and opened the window to watch the commotion on the street.

  The most bitter was Cao Qin. He had no way out and concentrated over a hundred cavalrymen to launch the final charge against the encirclement.

  But Cao Qin's little trick was too childish in front of Sun Bao, who had been through many battles. He immediately arranged a large number of archers to stand in the front row, shooting and killing those who charged on horseback, and both sides fell into another stalemate.

  This ridiculous rebellion has been going on for twelve hours, and the current situation is something Cao Qin never expected. As time goes by, Cao Qin finds that the fighting power of the Tartar officials is getting weaker and weaker. This is not surprising, after all, rebelling is also a physical activity. The Tartar officials have already missed their lunch due to the rebellion, and if this continues, who can endure it?

  Under the circumstances, Cao Qin escaped back to his own home, and Sun Bao immediately led troops to surround the Cao family, launching a general attack. Seeing that all was lost, Cao Qin threw himself into a well and ended his life. However, the government soldiers who broke into the Cao family seemed not to have had enough, and they killed everyone in the Cao family, regardless of age or size (probably because they took away many things and conveniently eliminated them).

  This is the final outcome of the once powerful Cao family.

  Here is the translation:

  Finally, several people's handling results were announced: That night, Zhu Qizhen held a grand meeting at the Meridian Gate and declared that Cao Jixiang was to be executed by lingchi (death by a thousand cuts), along with Feng Yi (who had spoken out of turn) and the incompetent astronomer Tang Xu (whom I think should actually be considered a meritorious official).

  Thus, after a five-year period of intense and thrilling struggle, the members of the "Hometown Gang" were completely defeated, and justice was finally upheld.

  Yu Qian: "Justice still exists in this world!"

  On that starry night, Lee Hyeon revealed a smile.

  Li Xian, for over thirty years, despite experiencing many setbacks, remained unyielding and unchanged in his ambitions, ultimately achieving great things. He held the positions of Minister of Personnel, Minister of Rites, and Grand Academician of the Wenhua Hall, and passed away in 1466 due to illness, leaving behind a lasting legacy.

  "Shi Zan: Great! The Prime Minister is indeed talented!"

  Li Xian's story has come to an end, but the events that followed his death are even more fascinating. It is said that this scholar had a son-in-law named Cheng Minzheng, and thirty-four years after Li Xian's passing, his son-in-law presided over a civil service examination and came up with a unique question that stumped almost all the examinees in the country. That year, only two people were able to answer the question correctly.

  However, it is ironic that the two people who answered the question not only did not rise to prominence but thoroughly changed their own destiny and left distinctly different marks in history.

  And among those two people, there was one named Tang Yin, whom we usually call Tang Bohu.