Chapter 107 The Empress Dowager threatens with her life!
Just as the longsword was about to pierce through Marquis Le'an, someone suddenly shoved him aside.
With a soft slur.
The longsword grazed Marquis Le'an's arm and pierced the chest of the man in front of him.
"Lord...Lord...your subordinates...have arrived..." The man finished speaking and died on the spot.
Marquis Le'an then realized that it was his retainers who had arrived.
Looking up, I saw a huge, dark mass of people.
"Good...that's great!" Marquis Le'an, still in shock, disregarded the person who had just risked their life to save him, and ignored his bleeding arm. He turned and pointed at Xiao Qidi not far away, "Quick! Cut off his head for me! I will reward him handsomely!"
Upon hearing of the generous reward, the group of retainers immediately forgot the arrangements given by their strategist and swarmed towards Xiao Qidi.
Anyway, when I came in, there was only Xiao Qidi.
There's no need for skills and tactics anymore.
One person with a knife could chop him into mincemeat!
Xiao Qidi immediately retreated. Although these people did not seem as powerful as the group of assassins, there were simply too many of them. They swarmed forward and blocked the surrounding area completely. If he were trapped in them, he would have difficulty using his skills.
Marquis Le'an naturally did not want Xiao Qidi to escape, so he immediately ordered hundreds of men to quickly go around to the back of the main hall and block all the exits of the side gate and backyard of the main hall.
Xiao Qidi retreated to the steps of the main hall's entrance, looking down at the crowd about to rush towards him. Just as a bloody battle was about to unfold—
"Stop it, all of you!"
A sharp shout suddenly rang out, and Jiang Peihuan, dragging her weak body, stepped out of the main hall's main entrance, supporting herself on the door frame.
When the Marquis of Le'an's retainers saw the Empress Dowager come out, they all stopped in their tracks.
They all knew the nature of the Marquis's relationship with the Empress Dowager in private.
Since the Empress Dowager is obstructing it, we'll have to see what instructions the Marquis will give.
"Empress Dowager!" Marquis Le'an said in a deep voice, "What do you mean by this? Are you trying to stop me from killing Xiao Qidi?"
Jiang Peihuan staggered forward a few steps, shielding Xiao Qidi behind her. Looking at Marquis Le'an with a pained expression, she pleaded, "Lao'an...enough...stop it..."
Marquis Le'an angrily retorted, "I can crush him at any moment, and you're telling me to stop?"
Jiang Peihuan knelt down with a thud. "What you want is the supreme power of the Great Xuan. You can spare his life and make him listen to you from now on. Please don't kill him, I beg you..."
Xiao Qidi's eyes were extremely dark, and he secretly gripped the dagger in his hand, intending to find an opportunity to throw it and take the life of Marquis Le'an. However, Marquis Le'an was extremely cautious, not only keeping a distance but also hiding behind a row of retainers.
Xiao Qidi couldn't find a flaw in the situation for the time being, so he could only wait and see.
When Marquis Le'an heard the Empress Dowager's words, his expression immediately turned ferocious. "Spare his life? You've forgotten! He just killed two of my sons! Two! Jiang Peihuan, those were your own flesh and blood! It was one thing that you couldn't bear to take his life before, but now you actually want to protect him? Are you insane?!"
Jiang Peihuan had cried all her tears, and said in a hoarse voice, "I...I'll have more children for you, as many sons as you want..."
"I don't have the patience anymore!" Marquis Le'an roared. "I don't have time to wait for you to have another son and then wait for him to grow up! I'm going to kill Xiao Qidi now and take his place myself!"
Jiang Peihuan advised, "If you were to take his place, it would be illegitimate and unjust. Even if people on our side in the court would support you, half of the important officials are the prime minister's men. How could they possibly submit to you?"
“Qi Di…” Jiang Peihuan turned around and pleaded with Xiao Qi Di, “You must quickly promise him that you will listen to him from now on. Only in this way can you save your life.”
Xiao Qidi's face was as cold as ice, his lips tightly pressed together, and he remained silent.
Marquis Le'an shouted, "Jiang Peihuan, you don't need to persuade him anymore! Even if he were to submit now, I would still kill him! The fact that this boy could do what he did today shows that he is extremely cunning. I underestimated him! And he is only eighteen years old now, and has not yet assumed power. If I give him more time, I will definitely not be able to control him! If we don't get rid of him today, there will be endless trouble in the future!"
With tears streaming down her face, Jiang Peihuan slowly walked down the steps toward Marquis Le'an.
She walked like a zombie, muttering to herself, "I've done so many wrong things, so many crazy things... I even wanted Qidi to die..."
"Because I hate his father so much for making me give birth to him, but then running away and leaving him with me..."
"But he is still my own son, the one I protected and raised when I was all alone in this desolate country... I'm not a good mother, but now... I just can't bear to watch him die in front of me..."
As Jiang Peihuan approached, the retainers of Marquis Le'an were at a loss and could only slowly back away to make way for her.
Jiang Peihuan suddenly snatched a long sword from one of her retainers and held it directly to her own neck.
"Empress Dowager!" The guests exclaimed in surprise.
Lao An's expression also changed, "What... are you doing!"
On the steps of the main hall, Xiao Qidi's pupils trembled slightly.
Jiang Peihuan raised her long neck and gripped the sword hilt with both hands. "Lao An, if you don't spare Qi Di's life, I'll die right here!"
Lao An's face turned ashen. "Are you betraying me?"
Jiang Peihuan felt as if her heart was being torn apart, her hands trembling uncontrollably. "When have I ever betrayed you... Whatever you want, whatever you want to do, when have I not done it for you? When have I not helped you? Now I only beg you to spare his life. Can't you even grant me this once?"
"Fine, very well," a ruthless glint appeared in Marquis Le'an's eyes. "If you want to die, then die. Don't block my way! I can even give up my own son's life, let alone yours?"
Jiang Peihuan's expression immediately froze.
Marquis Le'an ignored her completely and roared, "Everyone, listen to my command! Ignore the Empress Dowager! Xiao Qidi has no way to escape now, bring me his head immediately!"
Now that their master had made his decision, the retainers had no more reservations and passed by the Empress Dowager, gradually approaching Xiao Qidi.
Jiang Peihuan's act of threatening to kill herself has become a joke.
Only then did she realize that Lao An didn't love her as much as she thought.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through my heart.
She was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe and felt completely drained.
With a loud clang.
The longsword fell to the ground.
She collapsed to the ground, her swollen, red eyes devoid of any light, like those of a dead person…
The retainers of Marquis Le'an flocked to Xiao Qidi like a tidal wave.
Xiao Qidi had no choice but to fight back; he had no other option but to carve out a bloody path.
With his protective gear that could completely block bronze weapons and his special forces dagger that could cut through iron like mud, he caused a pile of corpses to fall on the steps in the blink of an eye.
And he was covered from head to toe in the blood of his enemies.
Her long, flowing hair appeared to be dyed a dark red.
The figure dominating the steps, illuminated by the swaying lantern light, resembled a god of war.
As more and more corpses piled up at the bottom of the steps, and blood flowed everywhere, the Marquis of Le'an became increasingly horrified.
He thought that with so many highly skilled retainers, he could kill Xiao Qidi in a short time, but he never expected that Xiao Qidi's fighting power would be so terrifying.
More than two hundred retainers have died, yet they haven't even managed to climb the steps in front of the main hall.
On the contrary, Xiao Qidi became more and more frenzied in killing, forcing his retainers to retreat continuously, and they seemed to be about to charge all the way to him.
"Hold on! Don't let him get any closer!" Marquis Le'an shouted at the top of his lungs, hiding at the very back of his retainers. "Don't be afraid! Even if he's invulnerable, he's only one person! He'll eventually run out of energy. Don't give him a chance to catch his breath!"
The retainers were filled with doubt and uncertainty, but gritted their teeth and continued to fight.
Gradually, Xiao Qidi began to feel physically exhausted.
Kill one group, and another group immediately follows suit.
Although the retainers all looked fearful and their morale was not as high as it was at the beginning, they simply couldn't withstand the sheer number of people.
Xiao Qidi roared and picked up the two retainers whose throats he had just cut, then threw them into the crowd.
Bang!
The two corpses knocked down a large number of people.
Immediately afterwards, he turned around and slashed the necks of several people who were sneaking up from both sides with his knife, and then kicked them away with a series of kicks.
Even when he was exhausted, he forced himself to keep from showing any signs of fatigue.
The retainers were becoming increasingly insecure.
Although they knew that with their superior numbers, they could indeed exhaust Xiao Qidi's stamina.
The problem is that no one knows when it will run out, so there's no way to judge it from its outward appearance.
And all of this is at the cost of their lives.
They were not like the Marquis of Le'an's death squad, who were willing to risk their lives.
Unbeknownst to them, the attacking force of the retainers weakened.
Xiao Qidi glared at them menacingly, and with a strong sense of determination, he shouted, "The Marquis of Le'an is a traitor! You must not continue to be his accomplices! Whoever captures Lao'an will not only be spared punishment, but will also be richly rewarded and hailed as a hero who saved the Emperor and quelled the rebellion!"
Upon hearing this, all the retainers were stunned.
At this moment, they were already considering backing down, making Xiao Qidi's promise even more tempting.
"Don't listen to his nonsense! He hasn't taken power yet and has no influence; he can't give you what he promised!" Marquis Le'an shouted as well. "He's at his last gasp! Kill him, and only I can give you a greater reward!"
Xiao Qidi sneered, "What makes you think you can give them a greater reward? Although I have not yet assumed power, I am the rightful King of Da Xuan, whom the Prime Minister has personally groomed. If I die, how can the Prime Minister sit idly by and watch you control the court? In the end, you will surely be punished and killed by the Prime Minister and die a horrible death! The people of the world will only know that you are a traitor who murdered the emperor!"
Upon hearing these words, a few retainers immediately laid down their swords, while others became visibly hesitant.
Marquis Le'an was stunned for a moment.
He is not entirely confident that he can confront the Prime Minister head-on. If he were to completely break ties with the Prime Minister, his chances of winning would be less than 40%.
But now the arrow is on the bowstring and must be released.
If Xiao Qidi isn't eliminated, he's doomed.
"Listen up, all of you!" Marquis Le'an shouted, threatening, "A mere prime minister is nothing to fear! Don't forget! Your wives, children, and elderly parents all live in the place I arranged. Kill Xiao Qidi, and I will guarantee your whole family wealth and honor! But if you believe his lies and turn against me, my men will make sure your wives, children, and parents suffer a terrible death!"
Marquis Le'an issued a heavy threat.
Even if the retainers didn't care about their own ultimate fate, they still had to consider their families.
Only then did the retainers realize that the Marquis of Le'an's previous act of sending people to settle their families was not out of goodwill, but rather to exploit their weaknesses.
Unfortunately, it's too late to know now.
"Let's go... It's better for us to die than for our wives, children, and parents to die tragically..." someone said through gritted teeth.
The disciples' eyes reddened, and one by one they gripped their weapons again.
This time, however, the group hesitated and did not launch an attack immediately.
"Stop dawdling!" Marquis Le'an roared, "Kill them!"
Xiao Qidi took a deep breath, wiped the blood off his dagger, and prepared for battle.
Just then, the clatter of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.
"My lord!" Several retainers rushed in to report, "A large number of Shuncheng troops have stormed directly into Shun Palace, and hundreds of vanguard soldiers are heading this way! We didn't dare to stop them and ask what they were up to!"
Although his retainers were unaware of what was going on, Marquis Le'an was certain that his advisors had used the blank edict to summon the Shuncheng army!
Moreover, based on his understanding of his advisor, he could easily guess the contents of the forged edict.
"Hahahaha!" Marquis Le'an laughed loudly, "Well done! Just in time! Let me tell you, the Shuncheng Army was dispatched by me!"
"My lord, is this really true?!" His retainers asked with astonishment.
Marquis Le'an spoke with absolute confidence: "My abilities far exceed your imagination! Otherwise, why do you think I would dare to kill even Xiao Qidi?"
He was worried that the situation was getting out of control and that he wouldn't be able to kill Xiao Qidi.
He is now completely at ease.
As they spoke, hundreds of vanguard soldiers arrived at the front square of the main hall, each clad in armor and wielding a sharp blade.
Marquis Le'an rushed over to greet them, shouting from a distance to the leading general: "General! A villain has broken into Shun Palace, intending to assassinate the Empress Dowager and me! You've finally arrived! I beg you, General, to kill the villain!"
Marquis Le'an guessed that the strategist must have written something like this on the blank edict.
The reason is simple: the Shuncheng army is the main force of the Xuan Kingdom, and we must not tell them that we are here to help Marquis Le'an commit regicide.
Since Xiao Qidi has not yet assumed power and has never met with the generals of Shuncheng Army, he cannot prove his identity under the current circumstances.
Therefore, making the Shuncheng army believe that Xiao Qidi was an assassin was the most appropriate method, without exception.
Moreover, everyone present was his man, so he could accuse Xiao Qidi without any scruples and cooperate with the forged edict written by his advisor.
"My lord, don't panic," the leading general said in a deep voice, pressing his helmet down slightly. "There are tens of thousands of Shuncheng soldiers outside Shun Palace, ready to be deployed at any time."
Marquis Le'an was overjoyed and slowed his pace, walking to a position more than ten feet away from the general.
The night was deep, and the lanterns throughout the palace provided limited illumination. Moreover, the leading general had pulled his helmet down low, making it impossible for Marquis Le'an to see his face clearly.
"Huh?" Marquis Le'an opened his eyes wide and looked him over carefully, asking with some doubt, "May I ask, which general are you? I don't seem to have seen you before."
The Shuncheng Army numbered a full 50,000. Apart from the commanding general, the Marquis of Le'an knew quite a few of the other dozen or so generals, both large and small.
Although he couldn't see the general's face clearly at this moment, both his voice and figure were completely unfamiliar.
Marquis Le'an suddenly had a strange feeling that something was wrong.
Upon closer inspection, several of the generals standing next to the leading general looked familiar.
Before the general could answer, the unease that had just arisen in Marquis Le'an's heart quickly dissipated.
"Where are the people who assassinated the Marquis and the Empress Dowager?" the general asked.
Marquis Le'an immediately ordered his retainers to disperse, then pointed ahead and raised his voice, "That is the assassin! This traitor is treacherous and cunning, and exceptionally fierce. He has already killed hundreds of my men! General, please execute him on the spot!"
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