Chapter 39: Forced to Abdicate
Who would have thought that the second son, relying on the favor, would do such a treasonous and stupid thing as issuing a warrant for the prince's arrest!
"Second brother, is what Lord Zhang said true?"
Xiao Du's expression was complicated for a moment, then he chuckled softly: "What does Father mean?"
All those things he did to Xiao Mingyi over the years, which one hadn't been condoned by the emperor? He didn't hold him accountable then, but now he's pretending to be wise in front of the ministers? Ridiculous.
Emperor Xuanyuan clutched the cup, his expression gloomy: "Pass on my order..."
"It's too late for Your Majesty to summon my fifth brother back to the capital now." Xiao Du interrupted Emperor Xuanyuan, his handsome face distorted by greed and excitement.
Before Emperor Xuanyuan could understand Xiao Du's meaning, a burst of uniform and steady footsteps suddenly came from outside the Golden Palace. Silver armor gathered in the black, and at Xiao Du's order, they poured into the Golden Palace.
The ministers were shocked.
Even the ministers of the Second Prince's faction were clearly at a loss.
The second prince is trying to force the emperor to abdicate!
Emperor Xuanyuan's face suddenly tensed, veins bulging on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, "You bastard! How dare you rebel against me when I'm not dead yet!"
Everything was under control. Xiao Du smiled with a masterful smile, "If I don't rebel, do I have to watch you take Xiao Mingyi back? He wants to tear me into pieces. When he comes back, there will be no place for me to stand!"
"The victor becomes king and the loser becomes a bandit. Once Xiao Mingyi takes the throne, we, father and son, will meet in the underworld!"
Emperor Xuanyuan was so angry that his face turned red. He was so emotionally agitated that he coughed violently several times and even coughed up blood, looking horrifying.
The eunuch wanted to step forward to support the crumbling emperor, but was blocked by Xiao Du's sword and fell to the ground in fear.
The other eunuchs lowered their heads in fear and did not dare to move at all.
The Silver-Armored Guards quickly took control of the situation in the palace. Except for a few brave generals who resisted, no one could escape from the Golden Palace.
Xiao Du stood on the high platform with a sword in hand, tilting his head slightly, looking at Emperor Xuanyuan leisurely, enjoying the astonishment, panic and anger in his eyes.
"Father, you are old."
"You boy, cough, cough, cough..." Emperor Xuanyuan had a hunched back and his hands were shaking.
"Traitor! You will die a horrible death!"
Below the stage, the ministers' roars of anger were endless. No one had expected the Second Prince to rebel during the Emperor's birthday banquet. Trapped in the palace, he had no way of summoning reinforcements.
Xiao Du turned around and looked down at everyone, his sword standing in front of him.
"My Lords, please don't worry."
"As long as you obey me today, you will be honored as the Dragon's follower. When I ascend the throne, I will surely promote you all to higher positions and higher ranks."
"Bah!"
A young civil official spat at him, "Traitor! Don't even think about making us surrender!"
Xiao Du had a sly smile on his face, his tone neither angry nor annoyed: "Don't worry, Master Xu. I know you are wholeheartedly following His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Why don't I take you down first? It won't be long before your Crown Prince will come down to look for you."
After saying that, he gave a look to the silver-armored guard beside him.
The silver-armored guard dragged the civil official out of the Golden Palace without hesitation. It goes without saying what would happen next.
The wife of the civil official cried bitterly and kept begging Xiao Du to show mercy. Although the child in her arms could not understand what was happening, it did not stop him from crying bitterly and shouting for his father.
Xiao Du was not moved at all.
He glanced briefly at the hall and said in a deep voice, "Who else wants to follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Most of the ministers kept silent.
"Isn't the Second Prince afraid of being criticized by the world for coming to power illegitimately?!" Prime Minister Zhang said angrily.
Emperors of all dynasties have always cared little about their posthumous reputation. Treason, patricide, and fratricide—each one of these crimes would be enough to drown them in the spit of the world.
"Afraid?"
Xiao Du laughed out loud as if he heard a joke.
"If I were afraid, would I have come this far?!"
"Xiao Mingyi won't come back, so it's okay for you not to surrender..." His eyes suddenly darkened, "Just like Lord Xu, go to the underworld and wait for your rightful Crown Prince."
…
Half an hour ago, outside the imperial city.
Under the bright moonlight, the blood at Donghua Gate turned into ashes, and hundreds of corpses were lying on the ground. They were all people arranged by Xiao Du to meet them outside the palace.
After getting rid of the last person, Xuanfeng swung his sword across his sleeve and turned to look at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince standing at the palace gate.
"Your Highness, when are we entering the palace?" Wang Chong asked, panting.
The figure in the black robe walked against the moonlight. Even though the long sword in his hand was still dripping with blood, it could not conceal his noble aura.
"Wait a little longer."
Don't be too hasty in closing the net.
The ants outside the palace had been dealt with, leaving only the silver-armored guards around Xiao Du, who were no longer able to cause any trouble. However, the more intense the fire in the palace burned and the more infuriated the ministers became, the more favorable the situation became for him.
The night is dark.
There are tens of thousands of houses in Kyoto, the lights are dim and the whole place is calm.
Across the Tongzi River, Xiao Mingyi's hundred soldiers and the Kyoto garrison gathered outside the palace gates, ready to attack. The lingering murderous aura gave them an air of grandeur.
Waited in silence for a long time.
Xiao Mingyi looked down at him, his tone calm, as if he was just chatting casually: "Go to the palace and rescue the emperor."
The black mass of troops poured into the palace like a dark cloud covering the moon, quickly replacing the Second Prince's deployment and occupying all the important roads in the palace.
At the same time in the Golden Temple Square.
The Silver-Armored Guards surrounded the ministers who refused to submit to the Second Prince, with their bowstrings drawn, ready to shoot them on the spot as soon as the Second Prince gave the order.
The palace maids and eunuchs who wanted to leave the palace to inform the public were killed on the spot by the silver-armored guards. Their bodies lay in the corner of the hall, and blood spread, staining the intricately patterned carpet red.
Xiao Du had gone completely mad and actually dragged Emperor Xuanyuan out of the hall, forcing him to watch his subjects being shot to death with his own eyes.
Emperor Xuanyuan was already ill and had not yet recovered. After being stimulated by the night breeze, he felt as dazed as a reed swaying in the wind.
"I am grateful for your kindness in raising me, father. How about this: father, hand over the imperial seal and write the abdication edict, and I will spare them." Xiao Du said.
The situation is under control and he has plenty of time to waste.
With the imperial seal and the imperial edict, he would be the legitimate monarch, and killing Xiao Mingyi would be as easy as crushing an ant.
"You..." Emperor Xuanyuan slowly turned his head to look at him, his hair slightly messy and his cheeks twitching. "Don't even think about it!"
Xiao Du's eyes turned cold: "Father, you are not still thinking that someone will come to rescue you, right?"
"The palace has been surrounded by my men. You have no choice."
After saying that, he raised a hand.
The silver-armored guards under the white marble terrace received the signal, drew their swords, and killed the two elegantly dressed ministers nearby.
The women in the hall cried even louder.
Emperor Xuanyuan closed his eyes in pain, not daring to look any longer, but Xiao Du continued to whisper in his ear:
"Is Father afraid?"
"Don't worry, as long as you hand over the imperial seal and the imperial edict, I will let you enjoy your old age."
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