It was afternoon, less than two hours after noon.
The minor officials dispatched overnight by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, tasked with intercepting the Duke of An's thirty thousand troops entering the capital and rewarding them on the spot wherever they were met, were finally making their appearance.
After several hours of sleepless nights and continuous travel, they finally sighted the Duke of An's army. They bravely rode forward to intercept them.
Fortunately, they had worn their official robes.
This prevented them from being mistaken for bandits and shot.
Immediately, Zhu Xujun, the leader, out of concern, decided to inform the Duke of An of the specific imperial decree first. He worried that if the Duke of An harbored any intentions of rebellion, he might have them executed first.
To prevent their true intentions from spreading.
And to avoid shaking the morale of the troops.
Therefore, as soon as he saw the Duke of An and his entourage halt, he did his utmost, shouting with all his might:
"His Majesty has decreed that to alleviate the hardships of the soldiers from their long journey, he has specially dispatched us to reward the army. The million taels of silver and the appointments from the Ministry of Revenue have been brought.
We request the Duke of An to cooperate and maintain order!"
However, even though he was amplifying his voice to the best of his ability, it was impossible for all thirty thousand soldiers to hear him. But the several thousand, nearly ten thousand soldiers who were closer to him clearly heard his words. Those who hadn't heard clearly asked those in front, and soon everyone was informed and cheered.
For most soldiers, their primary goal was to receive the rewards. And the sooner they got their hands on the silver, the happier they would be. As for why the silver was being delivered so early, or whether there were any issues, who cared!
As long as the silver was real, that was enough.
However, the Duke of An's expression was grim. His fists clenched tightly, his mood inscrutable.
The strategists, advisors, and generals accompanying him.
All immediately frowned.
After a long pause, the Duke of An finally instructed his most trusted deputy to go and receive the decree, maintain order, and deal with the officials.
He himself, with a nod to the remaining generals and advisors, led them on horseback towards a nearby thicket.
"Qinghe, you guessed correctly. The court is indeed very wary of us. But their method of response was something we didn't anticipate. Tell me, is my entering the capital dangerous?
And should we change our original plan?"
Once the personal guards dispersed to maintain vigilance around them, leaving only his trusted confidantes, the Duke of An immediately gritted his teeth and asked his strategist, Xu Qinghe, with great concern.
Xu Qinghe was the leader among his advisors.
He had greatly assisted the Duke in warfare and military discipline.
Even before returning to the capital, Xu Qinghe had warned him that the court might be extremely wary of him, potentially even stripping him of his military power or threatening his life.
The suggestion to return to the capital with thirty thousand troops and, if in danger, to immediately march on the palace and seize the throne, was also his.
But the current situation.
Clearly fell outside their original predictions.
"Duke, I believe you can no longer harbor misplaced benevolence, a soft heart, and constantly hope that those at court will believe in your loyalty.
Are their intentions not clear enough?
This is clearly a lack of trust in you.
If you intended to rebel, you wouldn't have brought only thirty thousand troops back. These thirty thousand troops are merely a precaution for your own safety. Yet, they remain uneasy. Sending these minor officials now.
Is clearly an attempt to sow discord among the troops with small favors.
The world is not yet unified, and the current Emperor is merely a three-year-old child. The court officials each have their own selfish motives. They likely already have a plan to deal with you. Even if you don't consider your own safety, or the safety of your family and children, you must consider the welfare of the common people. The current world is far beyond what a three-year-old child can control. If the court officials engage in infighting.
It will undoubtedly lead to great chaos across the land again.
The land has been in chaos for over two hundred years. Now that there is finally hope for reunification, if it leads to the fragmentation of the empire again due to your soft-heartedness, then you will be a sinner for eternity in the eyes of the people.
Duke, we no longer have much time for hesitation and indecision. I implore you to make a swift decision!"
As soon as the news of the late Emperor's death spread, Xu Qinghe had harbored the idea of instigating the Duke of An to rebel and usurp the throne. However, the Duke of An valued his reputation and felt it was unseemly to bully an orphan and a widow. He also felt indebted to the late Emperor and couldn't be too ungrateful.
Therefore, the Duke initially refused outright.
He even reprimanded Xu Qinghe.
But Xu Qinghe had no intention of merely being a strategist and ending up with a minor civilian post. Furthermore, he was acutely aware that such a rare opportunity for usurpation was unlikely to present itself again in his lifetime. To strive for merit in assisting the ascent to the throne, and for the future opportunity to become a prime minister and wield immense power.
He had orchestrated many covert operations.
For example, he persuaded other generals, inciting them with the idea of vying for merit in assisting the ascent to the throne and obtaining noble titles. He also specifically sent people to the capital to spread false information.
Making them believe the Duke of An was restless.
Even the fact that the Duke of An did not rush back to attend the late Emperor's state funeral was secretly orchestrated by him.
He deliberately orchestrated several incidents of surrendering soldiers defecting.
Preventing the Duke of An from returning in a timely manner.
Including later warning the Duke of An that some officials in the capital, and even the mother and son pair of the Empress Dowager and the young Emperor, might intend to act against him, advising him to bring more soldiers for safety and to receive rewards in the capital.
His hand was in all of it.
He knew very well that regardless of the Duke of An's reasons for bringing thirty thousand troops to the capital, the sheer number of thirty thousand troops was enough to cause panic in the capital.
The two sides were bound to engage in mutual probing.
Concurrently, the capital would increasingly believe that the Duke of An intended to rebel and needed to be dealt with, while the Duke of An's side, due to the capital's actions, would increasingly feel that the capital intended to kill him and seize his military power.
Now, Xu Qinghe felt the time was ripe.
He immediately elevated the issue from the Duke of An's personal safety, family safety, and children's safety, to the safety of the nation and the well-being of the populace. He even found the pretext for him, using the guise of righteousness to persuade him, as if without rebellion, the empire would immediately disintegrate.
And fall into hundreds of years of chaos once more.
As for the Duke of An, although he might not have harbored intentions of rebellion and usurpation initially, as time passed and his influence grew, coupled with the influence of those around him.
He had indeed begun to contemplate.
Whether or not to rebel.
Now, after listening to Xu Qinghe's words, he immediately felt that the time had come, and the pretext was quite suitable. He nodded slightly: "Does this mean I am compelled to rebel?"