Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Beautiful and Strong Miserable Dad 25
At midnight, as the night watch sounded, a group of men in black suddenly appeared outside the Honglu Temple. They climbed over the wall silently and entered. After a while, the sound of fighting was heard from inside.
Qi Zhang awoke with a start. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a long, gleaming sword slashing towards him. He tumbled off the bed in panic, screaming for help. The guards outside the door immediately rushed in and saw, in the dim candlelight, that four fingers on Qi Zhang's hand, which had been shielding him, had been chopped off.
Blood splattered, Qi Zhang screamed and fell to the ground, and was picked up by the guards who rushed over and ran out. However, just as they reached the door, seven or eight men in black appeared in the yard and surrounded them together with the others behind them.
Qi Zhang tried to communicate with the men in black, but they ignored him and simply went on to kill. The Qi guards fought back desperately, but the men in black seemed to be endlessly increasing in number. Soon, the Qi people suffered heavy casualties. Even Qi Zhang, who was being protected, was slashed several times and could barely stand.
Just as everyone was losing hope, a patrol suddenly rushed in and engaged the men in black. The few remaining Qi people gathered around Qi Zhang in delight, shouting, "We're saved! We're saved! Your Highness, hold on!"
Qi Zhang, who was on the verge of coma due to excessive blood loss, forced himself to open his eyes and looked over. He saw the patrol soldiers killing the men in black as easily as chopping vegetables and melons. He felt something was wrong. Could the patrol soldiers be so strong?
Before Qi Zhang could think, he suddenly heard someone around him exclaim. He looked over and saw a knife flying straight towards him. Qi Zhang's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously struggled to move his body and turn his head away. The next second, his nose felt cold, and he passed out from the pain.
When he woke up again, Qi Zhang heard the sound of a carriage moving on bluestone slabs, and his body was jolted uncomfortably. He struggled to open his eyes, and a servant rushed over crying, shouting through his tears and snot: "Your Highness, you're awake!"
Qi Zhang felt pain all over his body. Recalling the scene before he lost consciousness, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What happened?"
The attendant tragically recounted the events. It turned out that during the fight between the patrol and the men in black, a flying sword accidentally flew towards Qi Zhang. Qi Zhang ducked but couldn't completely avoid it, and his nose was cut off. The man supporting Qi Zhang also failed to dodge and was stabbed in the heart, dying.
They are now in a carriage because the patrol is taking Qi Zhang to meet the emperor.
At this point, the attendant was filled with grief and indignation, "The Zhou Dynasty has gone too far! Your Highness is seriously injured and unconscious, and they..."
"Shut up!" Qi Zhang yelled, his trembling hands reaching for his face. When he felt the flat area where his nose was wrapped, his vision went dark and he nearly passed out. Hearing the attendant still spouting nonsense, Qi Zhang wished he could strangle him to death.
Idiot! Why are you still fussing over treatment? The patrol's actions clearly show they no longer treat them as envoys from another country; they've torn their relationship apart! Entering the palace now would be a near-death experience, so why not seize this opportunity to escape?
Qi Zhang asked about their surviving personnel and weapons. The more he asked, the more disappointed he became. Perhaps the men in black and the patrol army intended to eliminate the officials of Qi State. Now there are only three young eunuchs left. They can only serve people and know nothing else.
Helpless, feeling that he would die at any moment, Qi Zhang forced himself to make an escape plan with his broken body.
Just like Feng Pansheng planted spies in Qi to build up his power, there were also spies from Qi in the capital. After Qi Zhang made a plan, he asked a young eunuch to carry it on his back, and then pushed him off the carriage when turning a corner to ask for help.
"Someone's running away, catch him!"
The young eunuch was discovered before he even landed on the ground. He tumbled and crawled towards a small alley, with three patrol soldiers chasing him.
The carriage did not stop, and Qi Zhang, who had overworked his brain, fell into a semi-comatose state. Just before he was about to lose consciousness, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and something was thrown in with a loud bang, followed by the terrified screams of the other two eunuchs.
Qi Zhang learned from their screams that the person thrown in was the young eunuch he had pushed out and had high hopes for, and he was already dead. Qi Zhang was unable to catch his breath and fainted completely.
Chengqian Palace was brightly lit, yet the only sounds were the wind and the chirping of insects. No servants were found within the hall. Emperor Zhengping sat on the dragon bed in a single garment, panting heavily. His eyes widened as he glared at Feng Pansheng, who stood beside the screen. His voice was like thunder, "Prince Li, are you attempting to regicide?"
Feng Pansheng remained unmoved, half of his body hidden in the shadow of the screen. His voice was cold, "Thirteen years ago, my mother died here." He raised his hand and touched a spot on the screen frame. "It's right here. I can't see the blood anymore."
Emperor Zhengping's breathing paused for a moment, and his voice instantly aged ten years. "It was the Imperial Concubine and the Sun family who falsely accused the Jiang family of colluding with the State of Qi. They have already paid the price."
Feng Pansheng chuckled softly, "It wasn't them who paid the price, it was me who killed them all. You knew the truth back then, but you just wanted to make both the Jiang and Sun families suffer."
Queen Jiang knew that Emperor Zhengping was wary of the Jiang family, and even the death of Uncle Jiang could not reduce this fear in the slightest. In order to save the lives of General Jiang and Feng Pansheng, she committed suicide in Chengqian Palace.
However, Feng Pansheng later refused to exploit Queen Jiang's death to incite public opinion and protect himself. His family was all strong and decisive, preferring death over glory. Feng Pansheng, with the Jiang family's secret guards, killed everyone involved in the incident.
"You think that because I didn't kill you, you have nothing to do with this?" Feng Pansheng took two steps toward the candlestick and pointed upward. "That morning, I was lying on this beam, waiting for you to come out of the morning court. Unfortunately, before I could make a move, my grandfather sent people to capture me."
Afterwards, Feng Pansheng was abandoned by General Jiang in the Yikun Palace and captured by the Imperial Guards. When he was about to be executed, General Jiang saved his life with a red-lettered iron certificate. Feng Pansheng often thought that those who were blindly loyal were truly pitiful and hateful.
He suddenly threw the long sword in his hand at Emperor Zhengping. The long sword stuck firmly in the footstool, frightening Emperor Zhengping, who had been trying hard to maintain his imperial dignity, and trembled.
Feng Pansheng glanced at him coldly, not even bothering to laugh. He turned and left, his words hammering home Emperor Zhengping's heart, "Grandpa used this very sword to kill himself."
Emperor Zhengping immediately collapsed and screamed loudly: "Prince Li! I didn't mean to kill him!"
Feng Pansheng smiled, without bothering to investigate the truth of this sentence, "But I want you to die." He closed the palace door, and finally caught a glimpse of Emperor Zhengping lying dejectedly on the ground through the crack in the door.
After leaving Chengqian Palace, a carriage was parked on the empty palace road. Huang Bai, who was waiting nearby, stepped forward and reported, "Master, the person has been brought here."
Feng Pansheng glanced at the carriage, and Huang Bai understood what he meant. He said, "There was an accident. It could have broken his nose, but he turned his head and it got cut off." After saying this, Huang Bai added with a strong desire to survive, "I don't know if the young master will be satisfied."
Feng Pansheng's stern expression softened a bit, and his words uttered the compromise of a parent raising a child, "Zhuozhuo won't know anyway, so let it be."
Thinking of Zhuo Zhuo, Feng Pansheng couldn't wait to go back to see her. Before leaving, he instructed Gan Song and Huang Bai, "Bring Prince Jing and Qi Zhang in to show His Majesty, and tell His Majesty what they did." He wanted him to understand the important affairs of the court before he died.
"Help him if necessary."
As for what they needed to help with, everyone knew it clearly.
Gan Song Huang Bai said in a deep voice: "I obey your command."
Qi Zhang, who had already woken up, was terrified. When he was dragged from the carriage, he discovered that he was indeed in the imperial palace, and the imperial guards in the palace were all under Feng Pansheng's command. He looked at Feng Pansheng, making a final struggle, "Feng Pansheng, do you want to start a war between the two countries? Do you want to be a sinner for all eternity?"
Huang Bai tore off a piece of cloth and stuffed it into Qi Zhang's mouth. Qi Zhang tried his best to spit it out and roared, "The Xiongnu will soon attack the Zhou Dynasty. If you let me go, I will persuade my father to form an alliance with the Zhou Dynasty to jointly resist the Xiongnu!"
Huang Bai gagged Qi Zhang again and sneered, "Your Highness has long known about the collusion between Qi and the Xiongnu."
Qi Zhang's eyes widened in disbelief. At this moment, he saw a wheelchair being pushed over from the other end of the palace road, and on it was Prince Jing.
The moment he saw Qi Zhang, Prince Jing lost his composure and said immediately, "I want to see Prince Li!"
Gan Song snorted and laughed, "Your Majesty has nothing to say to you, but you and the Prince of Qi have a lot to say."
Prince Jing thought Gan Song would talk about his conspiracy with Qi Zhang, but the next second he heard him say, "For example, the assassination at the Honglu Temple tonight. Prince Jing has many skilled men under his command, and they almost killed the Qi delegation. Fortunately, the patrol troops under the prince's command discovered the abnormality and rescued the prince of Qi."
Prince Jing and Qi Zhang's expressions changed drastically. Qi Zhang wanted to rush over and tear Prince Jing apart. Prince Jing quickly adjusted his expression and said, "Don't slander me with empty words. What evidence do you have?"
Gan Song smiled and said, "When His Majesty heard the news, he was worried that King Li had saved the Prince of Qi's life, so he took him to the palace to treat his injuries. Unfortunately, King Jing forced the emperor to abdicate, and both His Majesty and the Prince of Qi passed away. King Li had no choice but to execute all the rebels."
After saying that, regardless of the two people's reactions, he directly brought them into Chengqian Palace.
Zhuozhuo didn't sleep well that night. She hummed in her half-asleep state and was gently awakened by Qiuyu's voice, "Little Princess, do you need to go to the toilet? Get up, you can't wet the bed."
Zhuozhuo tossed and turned in bed, rubbing her eyes, covering her ears, and making a strange, long "hmm" sound. When she finally woke up and sat up, she pushed Qiuyu Qiufeng away and got out of bed, "I want Daddy."
Qiuyu Qiufeng was in a dilemma and wanted to coax Zhuozhuo to continue sleeping, but Zhuozhuo was already fully awake. He shouted "Daddy" and ran out of the wing room. Ignoring everyone's obstruction, he ran to the main room, opened the door, and saw an empty bed.
"Daddy, where have you been!" Zhuozhuo's eyes instantly turned red. He climbed onto Feng Pansheng's bed and cried loudly with his head tilted back.
The servants were anxious and helpless. They racked their brains to coax Zhuo Zhuo, tried to play games and toys with her, and even took out all kinds of cakes and candies that she liked.
Zhuozhuo was even sadder when she saw this. She was crying because she wanted to find her daddy, not because she wanted to eat. Why couldn't these adults understand? Stop hanging around her and go out and find her daddy. Zhuozhuo was angry and sad, crying breathlessly.
9972 also coaxed Zhuozhuo, "Baby, can you take a nap first? We'll sleep here so daddy can see you when he gets back."
Zhuozhuo felt extremely aggrieved and choked up, saying, "Daddy... can't you just... come back now?"
Everyone who heard these words was heartbroken. Zhuozhuo usually didn't wake up in the middle of the night looking for her father, so why did she have to wake up today when he wasn't home? Some were more sensitive and thought that the child was crying out for help because he wasn't home. This was the wonderful bond between father and daughter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
