Chapter 40: Winners Take All
"Haven't you always disliked my fifth brother? What's wrong with passing the throne to your son?"
"I will be the emperor, and you will be the empress dowager. A hundred years from now, I will share your incense..."
The veins on Emperor Xuanyuan's forehead bulged.
This was all his fault. It was his fault for repeatedly indulging Concubine Shu and her son. It was his fault for not noticing the second brother's evil ambitions. He even repeatedly protected the second brother and allowed him to attack his brothers.
If you think about it, the Empress and the Crown Prince are quite good. He's just out of his mind, favoring Concubine Shu and the Second Prince. The Empress is from a military family, a woman of courage and valor, with a straightforward and free-spirited personality. Although not as gentle and considerate as Concubine Shu, she treats him with all her heart. The Crown Prince is both civil and military, possessing both talent and virtue. Making him the crown prince is the popular choice...
"Shut up!"
Emperor Xuanyuan roared with all his might, his face pale and his eyes red: "I will never hand over the country to a scoundrel like you!"
"If you are willing to bear the crime of patricide and usurpation of the throne, and if you are willing to bear the turmoil that has befallen the country, then proceed!"
Xiao Du's pupils dilated slightly, his smile grew even more arrogant, and he said "OK" solemnly, "Father, please take a good look and see if this son of yours can bear the responsibility!"
After saying that, he raised his sword and slashed at Emperor Xuanyuan.
At the critical moment, a feather arrow came like lightning, hit the sword and broke its original trajectory.
With a clang—
The long sword fell out of his hand.
Xiao Du stared in disbelief at the direction where the arrow came from, his right hand numb and trembling slightly.
There were several muffled sounds in the square, and the silver-armored guards fell down spitting blood. The Kyoto garrison, like a dark cloud approaching, was ready to fight.
In front of the team, an arrow with a cold and sharp light was aimed at Xiao Du like an eagle's eye catching its prey.
The rescued ministers looked back and saw that the figure in black robe with bow and arrow was none other than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!
"Your Highness the Crown Prince?!"
The ministers' voices were trembling with excitement beyond belief.
Xiao Du looked at the figure in the black robe fiercely, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "Xiao Mingyi, you are really lucky."
"Compared to my second brother, I am indeed lucky. After all, tonight is the day my second brother dies." Xiao Mingyi curled his lips, his dark and deep phoenix eyes were almost unscrupulous, making people dare not look at him.
Xiao Du's chest rose and fell as he chuckled softly, "It's still uncertain who will live and who will die. Aren't you being too confident, Fifth Brother?"
"Second brother, are you referring to those hundreds of bastards outside the palace?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Du lost his composure, his face instantly turning as dark as the bottom of a pot. Emperor Xuanyuan, who was held in his grasp, saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me." Xiao Mingyi pursed his thin lips slightly, his eyes as dark as a deep pool, calm and peaceful.
Emperor Xuanyuan calmed down instantly, and his gaze towards Xiao Mingyi became very complicated.
The prince returned to the capital without an imperial edict, clearly having the same idea as the second prince.
What rescue? He only wants the throne!
But the timing of the prince's appearance was too good. He rescued the ministers, suppressed the rebellion, and made great contributions to saving the emperor. It was difficult for him to be held accountable for not returning to the capital without an imperial edict.
"Cough cough cough..." Emperor Xuanyuan coughed violently.
It seems that he is indeed old.
After tonight, the throne will be in the prince's pocket.
"Kill him, kill him for me!" Xiao Du roared, his eyes red with anger.
He is unwilling to accept it!
After planning for so long, Xiao Mingyi still found a loophole!
What a bunch of good-for-nothings, they can't even stop one person, and they expect him to return to Beijing safely!
The Silver-Armored Guards received the order, charged forward with swords in hand, and engaged in a fierce battle with Xiao Mingyi's men. The atmosphere was as tense and oppressive as a fully drawn bowstring.
Xiao Du glanced at Emperor Xuanyuan, and without hesitation, he put the sword on his neck and carried him into the hall.
The ministers and female relatives in the Golden Palace were silent as they watched Emperor Xuanyuan being thrown to the ground with his clothes in disarray.
"Where is the jade seal?" Xiao Du's eyes were bloodshot.
After waiting for two breaths, Emperor Xuanyuan still didn't speak, and his patience was about to run out.
"If the emperor refuses to speak, then go and die."
Xiao Du raised his sword high, his face dark and distorted to the extreme.
Seeing this, the other ministers no longer remained silent.
The Silver Armored Guards were basically outside the palace fighting against His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Second Prince was doomed, and if they remained silent, they might be treated as traitors afterwards.
No one knew who started it, but amidst shouts of "Protect the Emperor," the ministers rushed forward one after another, holding wooden stools and long sticks.
The remaining few silver-armored guards took action in time and protected Xiao Du.
Xiao Du looked at this group of rebellious ministers and laughed more and more crazily. He swung his sword wildly, injuring several ministers.
The hall was in chaos.
Emperor Xuanyuan, who was in a semi-conscious state, was protected behind him by his female relatives. The ministers had no weapons and could only use everything they could to resist.
Amid the noise, there was a "whoosh" sound of breaking wind, followed by a "ding" sound. The feather arrow went straight through the carved wooden door and pierced into Xiao Du's back chest. The dark red blood gradually spread on the snow-green brocade robe.
The second prince stared and suddenly fell to the ground.
All the ministers froze.
The rebels outside the Golden Palace had been completely slaughtered, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent. Xiao Mingyi slowly walked into the Golden Palace, his handsome face stained with a hint of blood, looking sinister and evil.
After a long while, the ministers came to their senses and dropped the tables, chairs and benches in their hands, knelt down and shouted:
"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
…
Under the gloomy gaze of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the female members of the family retreated to the sides, revealing Emperor Xuanyuan standing behind them.
Xiao Mingyi lowered his eyes and looked at his father lying on the ground.
The king who was so vigorous in memory was now lying on the ground in a miserable state. Silver hair had covered his temples without him knowing when. His face was pale due to the pain from the illness and he looked completely undignified.
Emperor Xuanyuan looked at Xiao Mingyi with empty eyes.
The second brother lost, and he lost too.
"Send His Majesty back to the Zichen Palace and summon the imperial physician for treatment." Xiao Mingyi said.
Soon after these words were spoken, eunuchs and palace maids entered the palace, carried Emperor Xuanyuan onto the imperial sedan chair, and the messy Golden Palace was cleaned up.
Naturally, the banquet could not continue, but the ministers did not dare to leave without orders, and they waited in the hall like quails.
After tonight, Kyoto will be in a state of complete change.
Your Majesty is seriously ill and cannot withstand such a change. Although the Crown Prince has not been ordered to return to the capital, he has made great contributions in fighting against pirates and saving the emperor, and is the rightful crown prince.
The current situation is unstable and the court cannot be without a ruler for a day. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has ascended to the throne in response to the times, and no one in the court or the public dares to interfere.
"Your Highness," Zhang Shoufu's old eyes filled with tears as he asked, "Why did you appear so timely?"
Xiao Mingyi glanced at the ministers and chuckled, "After I pacified the pirates, I have been waiting in Danyang County for my father to summon me. I didn't expect that several groups of assassins would arrive, claiming that they were sent by my second brother to kill me."
"My second brother and I share a deep bond, so how could I trust him so easily? I had no choice but to send a letter to Kyoto to inquire about the situation. However, I never expected that the letter would be intercepted. Fearing that something might happen in Kyoto, I led my men into the capital to investigate. I dodged several ambushes along the way and finally managed to sneak into Kyoto."
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