The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 2: Dead End

In the narrow palace corridor, two groups of people with feather fans led the way, followed by the Imperial Guards and a large entourage of officials, escorting the emperor's carriage towards the Hanyuan Hall Square.

On the palanquin carried by sixteen men, Li Ang frowned deeply, his heart filled with anxiety.

According to the plan, once they arrived at Hanyuan Hall, Li Xun and the others would try to lure Qiu Shiliang to the Jinwu Guard's garrison to inspect the sweet dew, and then take the opportunity to kill him.

However, historically speaking, the key figure in charge of taking action, namely Han Yue, the Left General of the Golden Guard who had just reported to the Zichen Hall, was a complete incompetent fool.

This man once served as the Protector-General of Annam, but his excessive corruption caused a military uprising. He was then transferred back to the capital and, by bribing Li Xun, became the Minister of the Imperial Treasury.

Half a month ago, Cui Shan, the former general of the Left Jinwu Guard, died of illness, and Li Xun took the opportunity to promote him to take charge of the Left Jinwu Guard.

If we deduct the time spent on procedural procedures, Han Yue has only been in office for three or four days at most.

Furthermore, he rose to power through bribery and lacked the composure to remain calm in the face of danger.

In this situation, failure is almost inevitable.

As they drew closer to Hanyuan Hall, Li Ang quickly analyzed the current situation in his mind.

First of all, turning back to the palace is definitely not an option.

After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the inner court was completely controlled by eunuchs.

Going back now would be tantamount to handing one's life back into Qiu Shiliang's hands.

If it weren't for the incident of witnessing the nectar, things would have been fine.

The problem is that Li Xun and his associates not only instigated the Imperial Guards this time, but also joined forces with the Prefect of the Capital and the officials and soldiers of the Censorate.

Even more deadly was that he had also arranged for hundreds of soldiers from Taiyuan and Binning towns to ambush outside the palace gates beforehand.

With such a commotion, it's simply impossible to completely erase the traces.

Even if Li Ang abandons the plan now, Qiu Shiliang will definitely get the news later.

When the time comes, he will be able to easily find out the truth with just a little investigation.

Judging from the past, Qiu Shiliang was ruthless and cruel.

If he were to find out the truth, even if Li Ang wasn't placed under house arrest like in history, his life would certainly not be easy.

In other words, the current situation is already one where the arrow is already on the bowstring and cannot be released without a fight.

From the moment Han Yue reported the arrival of heavenly dew, this coup was destined to be a fight to the death, with no room for compromise.

The only way for Li Ang to save himself is to find a way to actually kill Qiu Shiliang and others in this coup.

The problem is that history has proven that the existing arrangements made by Li Xun and others are simply not enough to achieve this goal.

Upon realizing this, Li Ang couldn't help but curse the original owner of the body in his mind again.

Putting everything else aside, just in terms of judging people, the original owner of this body was a completely unqualified emperor.

The people he promoted, like Li Xun and Han Yue, were adept at scheming and plotting, but when it came to actually doing something important, they all failed miserably…

"Your Majesty ascends to the throne!"

With a loud shout from the master of ceremonies, the palanquin slowly descended.

Li Ang quickly composed himself, forced a smile, and stepped into Hanyuan Hall with the help of a eunuch.

Unlike the Zichen Hall, which was used for daily meetings and court assemblies, the Hanyuan Hall was generally only used for grand court assemblies on New Year's Day and the Winter Solstice.

Outside Hanyuan Hall is a large square about 700 to 800 meters square. The Longshou Canal, serving as the imperial river, runs through the square from east to west, forming a clear dividing line.

At this time, the civil and military officials had already arrived at the square and, under the guidance of the master of ceremonies, lined up in order of rank.

Li Ang sat on the throne and looked around. He saw a vast line of hundreds of officials stretching from Hanyuan Hall to the north side of Longshou Canal, near the Imperial Bridge. It was a magnificent sight.

After the officials had finished their duties, Chancellor Li Xun stepped forward again and said, "Your Majesty, now that the sweet dew has fallen, we are willing to examine it on Your Majesty's behalf to determine its authenticity."

The emperor, being of noble status, would not rush to the Jinwu Guard's garrison just because of a single sentence from Han Yue.

Even though everyone thought that Han Yue wouldn't dare to deceive the emperor in front of everyone at court, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

Moreover, although this ascension to the throne was nominally to allow the emperor to personally witness the sweet dew, Li Xun and others clearly could not allow Li Ang to personally risk his life.

So their plan was to first send officials to inspect it, and then report back that the nectar was fake, and then Han Yue would argue his case based on reason.

In this way, it would be logical to have the eunuch, as a third party, go and verify the case.

Seeing Li Xun and the others leave the classroom, Li Ang became increasingly anxious.

However, to avoid Qiu Shiliang and the others noticing anything amiss, he had no choice but to proceed with the plan for the time being.

"Yes, Minister Li, you may lead the officials of the two provinces to the tree to observe the dew first."

Upon hearing this, Li Xun first bowed with his hands clasped, then stepped down from the imperial steps to deliver the decree.

Subsequently, dozens of officials from the Secretariat and the Chancellery stepped forward, bowed, and received their orders. They then left Hanyuan Hall with Li Xun and headed towards the Jinwu Guard's garrison.

Once again, a chorus of expectant congratulations rang out in the hall. The remaining courtiers and other prime ministers who were still before the emperor stepped forward to offer auspicious words and liven up the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, Li Ang was in no mood to respond to them at the moment, only giving half-hearted replies, while his energy was entirely focused on how to break the deadlock.

However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a dead end.

The plan cannot be stopped, because if it is stopped, Qiu Shiliang will inevitably seek revenge after discovering the truth.

However, this policy cannot continue, because history has proven that Han Yue and others are simply unreliable.

Even if Li Ang were to go all out and follow Cao Mao's example by taking matters into his own hands, he would still be dragged back to the inner palace amidst the encirclement of eunuchs.

Thoughts flashed through my mind, only to be quickly rejected.

As time passed, despite his efforts to remain calm, Li Ang's restlessness inevitably surfaced.

All signs indicate that he has no other option but to carry out the established plan.

His change also made Qiu Shiliang, who was standing next to him, realize that something was wrong.

After all, faced with such an auspicious sign as the rain falling from the sky, the emperor should have been happy, if not excited. Why would he feel annoyed?

After a moment's hesitation, Qiu Shiliang stepped forward and tentatively asked in a low voice, "Does everyone still feel unwell? Perhaps I should send someone to urge Minister Li to hurry up?"

These words immediately made Li Ang's heart tighten.

Should we send someone to urge them?

Wouldn't that completely expose the truth?

If nothing unexpected happens, the Jinwu Guard should already have ambushes laid out.

If Qiu Shiliang really sends someone over, who knows what clues they might discover.

Suppressing his anxiety, Li Ang quickly came up with a plan and pretended to complain, saying...

"I haven't eaten or drunk anything since the morning court session, and I'm really starting to feel the strain..."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Shiliang glanced at the ministers present and noticed that many of them were secretly rubbing their stomachs, clearly feeling hungry.

Indeed, although the Zichen Hall and Hanyuan Hall are not far apart, when the emperor travels, even within the palace, he still needs to prepare ceremonial guards and arrange the court officials again.

After all this commotion, it must have taken at least half an hour. Usually, by this time, it would be almost time for the court session to end.

In the Tang Dynasty, court sessions started very early, so breakfast was usually eaten after the court session ended. It was normal for the emperor to be hungry after such a long delay today.

With his doubts somewhat dispelled, Qiu Shiliang bowed and said, "Everyone, the sweet dew from heaven is an auspicious sign and should not be taken lightly. Please bear with it for a while. I have prepared some tea and had some maltose added. Please have some first. After the court session, I will immediately order someone to serve you a meal."