treason

Hua Lingchen's black hair fluttered, and the powerful aura forced the soldiers beside her to retreat.

"Your internal strength is so strong."

Hua Lingteng found it hard to believe. Just a month ago, he was a cripple. How could things have progressed so quickly?

You've been lying to me all along.

The more Hua Lingteng learned the truth, the angrier he became. He gathered all his strength in his right hand, determined to break through Hua Lingchen's internal energy barrier.

He absolutely refused to admit that even after being crippled for three years, Hua Lingchen still easily outclassed him.

Everything he had worked so hard for must not be taken away by Hua Lingchen.

Hua Yourui chased after them and advised, "Patriarch, please stop now."

"Get out of here. Things have come to this point, and no one will get away with this."

He shouted angrily, and with his left hand he struck out, revealing a black mark on his palm.

Hua Lingchen withdrew his strength, dodged, and a leaf flew out from between his fingers, slicing through Hua Lingteng's palm.

Hua Lingteng clutched his hand in pain, and blood seeped from his palm, engulfing the black stain.

The black medicine seeped into Hua Lingteng's blood through the wound, causing him to become delirious, his limbs to go weak, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

Back then, he used this little trick to harm Hua Lingchen.

Hua Lingteng struggled to look at Hua Yourui and Hua Youxiang, and said, "You... kill him." Then he fainted.

Hua Youxiang and Hua Yourui exchanged a glance and ultimately chose to compromise.

Hua Yourui pleaded, "Young Master, the Patriarch is indeed radical. Please, for the sake of brotherhood, spare him. We are willing to obey your orders."

Hua Lingchen said calmly, "Go and undergo the investigation first. If the Hua family has not committed any major offenses, they will not fall."

After saying this, Hua Lingchen bowed to Hua Yourui and Hua Youxiang, then bowed to Cao Yuanyi, and left calmly.

At the entrance of the alley not far away, a carriage slowly drove out. Gu Jinning lifted the curtain and called out, "Brother Hua, get in the carriage."

From afar, Cao Yuan bowed to the carriage, sealed off the Hua family property, and escorted the Hua family members away in the opposite direction.

The carriage left Hwaseong and headed straight for Kyoto.

Having lost his private army in Yangcheng and the weapons of the Hua family, Xiao Liao began to mobilize large numbers of troops from the Xu and Sun families and gather them in the capital.

Retreat means death, advance means death, so of course we have to fight.

Xiao Juebai was indeed ill, so no one could stop him.

Undercurrents are stirring in the capital; the early autumn rains are approaching, and dark clouds are pressing down on the city.

Li Jinghe held the city gates firmly, and the Crown Prince made no further moves. The Gu family and the Quan family remained silent and neutral throughout.

Empress Gu Shuhe seemed to have grown weary of everything, shutting herself away to worship Buddha and ignoring worldly affairs. Consort Xian and Consort De served Xiao Juebai at his bedside.

With the academy closed, Chu Lang stayed indoors at the Chu family's villa. Quan Zichu, bored, came to visit him a few times, but Quan Xiangyi scolded him after finding out, and he stopped coming.

Quan Zijin often came to deliver things, and seeing him sitting at his desk scratching his head, she couldn't bear it. "If you really don't want to learn, then don't. It's just for show anyway, and no one at home will take care of you."

She was already extremely grateful that Chu Lang was willing to help her out of the predicament, so how could she expect him to actually pass the imperial examination?

Chu Lang said, "I learned it because my master said that those of us in this line of work must be well-versed in all aspects and have a broad knowledge of everything."

Quan Zijin was puzzled. "Wouldn't that be very difficult and dangerous?"

She had seen Gu Jinning injured; it was truly frightening.

“But it’s very interesting.” Chu Lang’s eyes lit up when he talked about things he was interested in. “People always need to find some fun for themselves.”

Quan Zijing lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Unfortunately, not everyone can realize their dreams."

Chu Lang asked, "What is your dream?"

When Quan Zijing was suddenly asked the question, she couldn't think of an answer for a moment. She shook her head in confusion, feeling a sense of frustration.

Chu Lang encouraged her, "You dared to run away from home alone, which is a kind of courage and pursuit, exceeding that of 90% of women."

"But in the end I returned to my boudoir and did what I was supposed to do day after day."

Quan Zijing envied Gu Jinning, envied Chu Lang, and even envied Quan Zichu.

"Hey." Chu Lang interrupted her thoughts, asking mysteriously, "Then, do you dare to take the risk again?"

Quan Zijing was surprised, and her heart tightened. "An adventure?"

Chu Lang nodded and took out the letter written by Gu Jinning. "My master assigned me a task, and we happen to be short of someone."

Quan Zijing was a little nervous, but also a little expectant. "Can I?"

Chu Lang shook his head. "Not now."

The light in Quan Zijin's eyes dimmed.

Chu Lang added, "However, it will be enough if you become my disciple."

Quan Zijin was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, immediately brought over some tea, and was about to kneel down.

Chu Lang was joking, but she was startled by his seriousness and quickly pulled her up to stop her from bowing.

"Alright, alright, I was just kidding. If I'm going to take on a disciple, I have to graduate first. You can owe me for now."

"Oh." Quan Zijing put the teacup back in disappointment and asked, "Then I..."

Chu Lang asked, "Can you impersonate my master?"

Quan Zijing thought for a moment, then mustered her courage and replied, "It should be possible, but I don't know martial arts."

Chu Lang waved his hand, "It doesn't matter, as long as the tone and expression are similar."

Chu Lang actually took out the package, introduced the items she would need, and instructed her, "For tonight's operation, have Quan Zichu cover for you and make sure nothing gets out."

Quan Zijing nodded and went back to the manor to ask Quan Zichu for help, and Quan Zichu readily agreed. He had helped Gu Jinning once before, so he was already very experienced in this kind of matter.

That night, dark clouds lingered, and the world was gloomy and dark.

Chu Lang led Quan Zijin out of the capital in a carriage and entered the imperial mausoleum through a pre-prepared secret passage. When they reappeared, the two looked like Gu Jinning and Xiao Heng'an, dressed in mourning clothes.

Song Ming and Song Hui escorted the two into the guard post, and then waited outside the mausoleum hall.

That night, dark clouds rolled in and a fierce wind blew.

The army assembled thirty miles outside the city, awaiting only a command.

Upon hearing the news that Gu Jinning and Xiao Heng'an had appeared at the imperial mausoleum, Xiao Liao immediately dispatched a troop of soldiers to surround the mausoleum, forbidding the two of them from stepping out of it.

The starting flare pierced the night sky, and the fiery red stars urged the army to march forward.

The rain poured down, washing away the tranquility of the night.

Li Jinghe received a last-minute order to go to the capital to guard it. Li Jinghe stated that the capital was not within his jurisdiction and refused to obey the order.

While the two sides were locked in a stalemate, bad news came from the palace: the emperor's condition had worsened and he was on his deathbed. He urgently summoned all civil and military officials of the fifth rank and above from inside and outside the capital to the palace to receive his decree.

Li Jinghe had no choice but to enter the palace, and Gu Xueshu, who was on duty at the military camp outside the city, also entered the palace. Only the imperial mausoleum remained untouched by any news.

The rain relentlessly pounded the earth. The city gates, now devoid of their general, were rendered useless. The army, wading through the rain, stormed into the capital, seizing several official roads and advancing unimpeded towards the imperial city.

Outside the city, a black carriage rushed into the city through the rain.

At midnight, weeping echoed from Mingde Palace. Xiao Liu helped Consort Xian out of the palace and announced with great sorrow, "Father has passed away."

In an instant, officials inside and outside the palace knelt on the ground, and ten thousand servants wept in unison, the sound of mourning echoing throughout the imperial city.

Outside the palace gates, General Ma Xingyang arrived with his troops and shouted, "This humble general, Ma Xingyang, has been ordered to come to the funeral. Open the gates immediately!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards hurriedly entered the Mingde Hall to report to Xiao Liao, who then ordered him to open the palace gates.

Marquis Wu'an, Quan Xiangyi, who was also in the hall, objected, "Prince Qin, His Majesty is about to pass away. How could Ma Xingyang have known in advance that His Majesty was going to the west and come to attend the funeral?"

Xiao Liao said, "He rushed to the funeral of the Empress Dowager. The Emperor's death was truly unexpected."

Quan Xiangyi questioned, "Who allowed him to abandon his post and bring troops into the capital? What is his true intention in coming to the palace to attend the funeral?"

Xiao Liao slowly stood up, turned to Quan Xiangyi, and calmly said, "It is I, the King. Do you have a problem with that?"

Quan Xiangyi stood up to confront him, "This is treason!"

Xiao Liao raised his eyelids slightly, and said indifferently, "So what if it is?"

Quan Xiangyi was furious and pointed at his nose, cursing, "His Majesty's health is not yet cold, and you dare to be so rebellious! You are an outrageous scoundrel! Your Highness, this old minister will take him down first."

As soon as Quan Xiangyi finished speaking, he was about to arrest Xiao Liao, but Xu Bingzhong, the Minister of Rites, and Sun Shijie, the Prime Minister, blocked him from the left and right.

Sun Shijie advised, "My lord, please don't get agitated. Do not resort to violence before the Holy Body."

Quan Xiangyi scolded, "You all speak with one voice. I'm afraid you're all involved in what happened today."

Xu Bingzhong said, "My lord, you've gone too far. We're innocent and have never interfered in the affairs of your military officers."

Quan Xiangyi called out, "Your Highness, the Emperor has passed away. You should succeed to the throne. Please give your word."

Xiao Yi knelt before the bed, listening silently to their argument without saying a word. Only when Quan Xiangyi called him did he get up.

Xiao Liao said, “Don’t forget, today is the one-month deadline. Now that midnight has passed, and the Emperor did not leave any last words, according to his previous words, he is no longer the Crown Prince. Now I and he jointly govern the country. Who is more suitable to be the new Emperor is not up to your opinion.”

Upon hearing this, all the officials present were dumbfounded.

Gu Xueshu said, "When His Majesty was critically ill, he ordered the Crown Prince to govern, which means he tacitly acknowledged that the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince. How can you depose him based on your own words?"

Gu Wendela pulled Gu Xueshu, signaling him not to overreact.

Xiao Liao sneered, "It's not up to me to decide, but can you even get out of this door?"

Xiao Yi spoke up, "You've imprisoned us?"

Xiao Liao said, "If you are all willing to cooperate, you may return immediately. Second brother, what do you think?"

Xiao Jing was about to retort when Xiao Yi pressed down on his shoulder, signaling him to be quiet. Xiao Yi then knelt back on the bed and said, "The emperor has passed away, and all the officials kneel to see him off at dawn. Thank you all for your hard work."

He then turned to Consort De and said, “It’s a damp and cold night, and it’s easy to catch a cold. I would like to ask Consort De to have someone prepare some ginger tea to warm you all.”

Consort De was suddenly summoned. She glanced nervously at Consort Xian, then at her son Xiao Jun, and hesitated before getting up. "I'll go prepare tea right away."

Quan Xiangyi had no choice but to kneel back down on the ground. Xu Bingzhong and Sun Shijie, seeing this, also knelt down.

Inside the vast hall, everyone held their breath, and the only sound was the rain pounding on the roof beams, as if it were about to smash through the roof.

The Imperial Guard Commander stood awkwardly in place, waiting for Xiao Liao to speak.

Xiao Jun whispered, "Brother, why don't we wait for the Imperial Uncle to return before making a decision?"

Suddenly, the officials became clear-headed. Yes, there was still the Prince of Jin guarding the imperial tombs. Although he was young, he was the emperor's younger brother and the uncle of all the princes; even the King of Qin should be wary of him.

Xiao Liao glared at Xiao Jun and said coldly, "No need. Let him fulfill his filial duties. I'll make the decision here."

"Open the palace gates!" he commanded, enunciating each word clearly.

Quan Xiangyi said, "Zhang Jing, if you dare to open the palace gates, I will be the first to destroy you! Mingxiao, you go and take over the palace gates."

Gu Xueshu said, "I'll go too."

Xiao Liao warned again, "I said, no one can leave."