The protagonist of this crossover film and television series is disrupting the plot again.

Chapter 46 Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men

Now that the court has irrefutable evidence of the Prince of Xiangyang's rebellion, even a fool would know that troops should be dispatched as soon as possible to suppress it. Then, according to the names on the alliance list, these traitors should be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, if too much time passes, the news will inevitably leak out, and if the Prince of Xiangyang is released, the consequences will be unimaginable.

What he could think of, the Emperor could naturally think of as well. Even if he was usually indecisive, he should be decisive for once.

However, he has once again disrupted the original course of events, jumping directly to the end of the story and cutting out a lot of things in between. Won't that cause some problems?

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Judge Bao did not return to Kaifeng Prefecture until the afternoon, and the imperial edict arrived shortly afterward.

The emperor ordered Bao Zheng, the prefect of Kaifeng, to travel out of the capital on behalf of the emperor and inspect Xiangyang.

Gongsun Ce was in charge, and Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, fourth-rank bodyguards, and Lu Fang, Han Zhang, Xu Qing, Jiang Ping, and others, sixth-rank captains, accompanied him as bodyguards.

The text does not directly mention the Prince of Xiangyang's rebellion.

Originally, the Prince of Xiangyang disregarded the Emperor's grace and intended to rebel, which was extremely treasonous. The Emperor was furious and immediately ordered troops to be dispatched to Xiangyang to arrest the Prince of Xiangyang and his family and escort them back to the capital.

However, after calming down, he realized that the matter was of great importance. The Prince of Xiangyang had been planning this for a long time, and if he rashly sent troops, he might provoke the Prince to act desperately and kill innocent people indiscriminately, which would be bad.

After much deliberation, the Emperor issued two imperial edicts to Bao Zheng, the first of which was the first one publicly issued.

The second order was a secret decree, commanding Bao Zheng to capture the Prince of Xiangyang and bring him back to the capital, and to kill him on the spot if he resisted.

Without further ado, Judge Bao summoned the people accompanying him, who were bound by the imperial edict, and explained the purpose of the trip. After studying the plan for the entire afternoon, they made a meticulous plan and set off for Xiangyang the next day.

The Prince of Xiangyang was completely unaware of the impending storm. Although Wang Shan and Wang Bao, who were on duty at Chongxiao Tower that day, inexplicably fell into the copper net formation and died, he later ordered a thorough investigation and confirmed that no one else had entered Chongxiao Tower besides the two of them; their deaths were entirely accidental.

Although I can hardly believe it, that's the result of the investigation!

Faced with this result, the Prince of Xiangyang could only attribute it to a problem with the design of the mechanisms inside Chongxiao Tower. He ordered the craftsmen who had built it to be punished and new craftsmen to be selected to renovate Chongxiao Tower.

Chongxiao Tower had just been renovated, and he retrieved the brocade box that he had hidden in his study and placed it back inside the tower.

Looking at the Chongxiao Tower before him, the Prince of Xiangyang felt a surge of pride: Chongxiao Tower, Chongxiao Tower! When I ascend to the throne, I will surely designate you as the number one tower in the world.

Just as the Prince of Xiangyang was lost in thought, Wu Kui, the general commander of Xiangyang City, led his troops and broke down the gate, shattering his daydream.

When the Prince of Xiangyang saw Wu Kui's menacing approach, he was initially startled, but quickly regained his composure and angrily rebuked him, "Wu Kui, how dare you lead troops into my residence! Do you intend to rebel?"

Wu Kui gave a cold laugh: "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. I am acting under orders. If Your Highness has any questions, please speak with Lord Bao."

The Prince of Xiangyang could no longer contain himself and his expression changed. He knew that he had probably been exposed, but he still asked, unwilling to give up, "Lord Bao? Which Lord Bao?"

“Naturally, it is Lord Bao Zheng, the Prefect of Kaifeng.” After saying this, Wu Kui stepped aside and saw Bao Zheng walking towards him with a cold and stern expression and a steady and firm gait. He was dressed in official robes and looked very imposing. He had a dark face and a crescent-shaped scar on his forehead.

"what!"

The Prince of Xiangyang turned pale, knowing he was doomed. Bao Zheng was now in a high position and held great power, and he would not be sent out of the capital easily. He must have come here for his own sake.

In fact, he had already heard rumors yesterday that an imperial envoy had been ordered to leave the capital to inspect Xiangyang, but he did not pay attention to them after hearing them.

The current emperor has no sons, and court officials have long petitioned the emperor to choose a member of the imperial clan as crown prince to inherit the throne. The emperor is naturally unwilling to hand over the throne to someone else, so he can only work diligently in the inner palace and strictly supervise these members of the imperial clan. Therefore, the court often sends imperial envoys to inspect the fiefdoms of these members of the imperial clan on behalf of the emperor.

Although he had something to hide, he wasn't in a hurry. He was confident that his methods would prevent the imperial envoy from finding anything.

Who would have thought that Bao Zheng would act so decisively, immediately sending men to surround the Prince's Mansion upon arriving in Xiangyang, and then breaking down the gates and forcing his way in?

Why did he arrive so quickly? He must have immediately dispatched Wu Kui's troops to the Prince's residence upon arrival.

Where exactly did I slip up?

Why is this happening?

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Xiangyang, is aware of your plot to rebel. I have been ordered to arrest you and bring you to justice. Why don't you surrender immediately?"

The Prince of Xiangyang glared at Bao Zheng with resentment, knowing that rebellion was a capital offense. Even as a prince, he could not escape punishment.

It would be better to fight to the death. If he could succeed in breaking out, he would naturally have a chance to make a comeback in the future. Even if he couldn't, he could at least have a good end and avoid being humiliated when he returned to the capital.

The Prince of Xiangyang resisted stubbornly, and naturally, the rebels in his palace would not obediently surrender.

Unfortunately, although there were many highly skilled martial artists in the Prince's mansion, these soldiers were not to be underestimated. They came in large numbers, had made thorough preparations and meticulous plans beforehand, and had the assistance of Zhan Zhao and others. The outcome of the battle was obvious.

Bai Yutang was too lazy to fight, so he just followed behind Lord Bao and 'protected' him from beginning to end.

The Prince of Xiangyang was successfully eliminated, and his rebellion failed midway.

Not a single member of the rebel faction, including the Prince of Xiangyang, was able to escape the palace.

Separated only by a door, blood flowed like a river inside, while the people outside remained completely unaware.

The Prince of Xiangyang was captured alive after his attempt to commit suicide failed. Others who resisted fiercely were killed on the spot. A small number of people, seeing that the situation was not good, promptly surrendered and were escorted back to the capital for trial along with the Prince of Xiangyang.

The Prince of Xiangyang was undoubtedly sentenced to immediate execution, and his family was implicated. Those who had conspired with him in the rebellion were also arrested and dealt with according to the previously agreed-upon alliance list.

After everything was finally settled, Bao Zheng prepared a memorial to request commendation for everyone. The Prince of Xiangyang was successfully eliminated without causing any negative impact on the local people or causing any innocent people to suffer. The emperor was quite satisfied.

The emperor was very generous and rewarded everyone who participated in suppressing the rebellion.

Those who contributed to the war effort and achieved meritorious service in the campaign were directly promoted two ranks.

Bai Yutang was ranked first in the merit list because of his meritorious service in the Alliance List. The Emperor was pleased to see that he had made such a great contribution and thought to himself that he had a keen eye for talent.

He was directly promoted to the rank of Imperial Bodyguard, a third-rank official. He was also given a precious sword capable of cutting a hair with a single blow, as well as a considerable amount of gold and silver jewelry.

It was only then that everyone realized that Bai Yutang had made such a great contribution.

He was not a flamboyant person to begin with. Later, when Lord Bao and the others discussed the campaign against the Prince of Xiangyang, they did not specifically mention it because the alliance agreement was extremely important. Therefore, everyone only learned about this matter at this time.

Lu Fang was so excited he almost cried, not for any other reason than he was happy for him: "Fifth Brother has indeed grown up and become more mature. He has accomplished such a great thing without making a sound."

Han Zhang and Xu Qing nodded in agreement, feeling quite pleased.

While Jiang Ping was relieved, he also thought more deeply and realized that his fifth brother's sudden departure from Kaifeng Prefecture a few days ago must have been to steal this so-called Alliance List.

Later, the Emperor sent Judge Bao to Xiangyang to suppress the treacherous king. He was accompanied not only by Master Gongsun, Zhan Zhao, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, Wang Chao, and Ma Han, but also by five other men. It is estimated that this was because the fifth brother had made great contributions and gained fame in front of the Emperor, so the other four were brought along as well.

Otherwise, with so many people around Judge Bao and the Emperor granting him the authority to act expediently and mobilize troops, why would he need them?

Bai Yutang had no idea what Jiang Ping was thinking, and even if he did, he would only think that Jiang Ping was overthinking things.

Because this really had nothing to do with him. The Emperor only sent them to Xiangyang to give Bao Zheng more people in case of emergency. The Prince of Xiangyang was about to rebel, so how could he have time to think about it?

They could only provide Bao Zheng with more manpower and various conveniences within a limited time to ensure the success of the mission.

However, no matter how Jiang Ping thought about it, it had nothing to do with Bai Yutang anymore, because Bai Yutang had already resigned and left Bianliang City.

Before he left, he subtly inquired about Lu Fang and the others' thoughts, asking if they still wished to continue serving as officials.

As expected, all four of them thought that Lord Bao was a good official and valued them highly. In addition, they had just been appointed as fifth-rank military officers, which was a great achievement and brought honor to their ancestors. Therefore, they all wanted to stay in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Everyone has their own ambitions, and Bai Yutang understood what they were thinking, so he didn't force them.

He wouldn't value brotherhood as much as the original owner did. Lu Fang and the others were kind to the original owner, not him, and he harbored resentment towards them because of the original owner's life between them.

So the day after the victory celebration, he quietly left a letter and left Kaifeng Prefecture to enjoy his freedom.

The people of Kaifeng Prefecture were left looking at each other in bewilderment, and they all sighed, "Bai Yutang really is not interested in fame or fortune. Now that he has made great contributions, the emperor is praising him highly. His career will surely rise steadily in the future. I never expected that he would leave like this."

Lu Fang and the other three also lamented his departure without saying goodbye, wondering when their brother would be able to meet again.