Rescuing the Emperor (Part 3)
The city gates were wide open, and unrest was raging inside, a stark contrast to the deathly silence outside, as if they were two different worlds.
Zhou Yanzhi and Su Feng rushed in one after the other, the strong smell of burning and blood being abruptly shut out behind them, replaced by the commotion of the city's residents who had been startled.
The collapsed stalls, scattered debris, and dark drag marks left by either people or animals created a chaotic silhouette in the dim light.
Along the long street, shadowy figures lurked behind paper windows, children cried out, and the shouts of soldiers mingled with the questions of the common people.
Su Feng subconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of his knife, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic scene, his expression extremely unpleasant: "...It's too chaotic."
Amidst the cacophony of voices and the chaotic footprints, trying to pinpoint someone intentionally hiding is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Zhou Yanzhi remained silent. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept across every shadowy corner, finally settling on the end of the long street—the direction leading to the Forbidden City.
Yes, Zhou Yu's rebellion at An'an has already failed; to turn the tide—
unless……
They took Emperor Zhaowen hostage!
"Yunyun!" He suddenly looked up, turned around and shoved the Wu Goulang into Su Feng's arms, saying quickly, "The Wu Goulang will guide you. Go and greet the emperor. I'll take the Black Feather Guards into the palace to rescue the Emperor Emeritus!"
Before the words were even finished, the person had already shot off like an arrow towards the Forbidden Palace. The indigo figure disappeared into the thick night leading to the Forbidden Palace in just a few leaps.
Before Su Feng could even reply "Yes," all that remained before him were the Golden Guards in armor maintaining order.
Thinking of the words "Emperor Emeritus" that Zhou Yanzhi had just mentioned, Su Feng clenched his fist tightly, his heart suddenly raced, and an ominous feeling swept over him.
Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly turned around, threw Wu Gou Lang into the air, and then, against the panicked flow of people, followed Wu Gou Lang toward the open city gate once again.
...
At the same time, Zhou Yanzhi had completely shaken off the commotion behind him and led a group of Black Feather Guards to rapidly approach the palace gate.
The closer they got to the palace gates, the more deathly silent the air became. The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the long street were tightly shut, without even a trace of candlelight, but a faint smell of blood wafted from the window paper. Zhou Yanzhi looked over, and his eyes darkened further—it was splattered blood.
suddenly.
"Roll—"
The tightly closed vermilion palace gate emitted a dull and hesitant sound, and slowly opened a crack from the inside—the sound of chaotic footsteps and the harsh scraping of metal against the ground leaked out.
Zhou Yanzhi's pupils contracted sharply. He abruptly raised his hand to stop the movements of the people behind him. His other hand, which was pressing on the hilt of the knife, was already white with force. His gaze was icy as he stared straight at the widening gap.
Suddenly.
"call out--!"
Suddenly, a cold arrow shot out from the half-open palace gate.
"bass--!"
Zhou Yanzhi's eyes narrowed, and he raised his knife to block. The arrowhead struck the blade with a crisp sound, then hit the wooden frame on a nearby stall with a "thud".
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh who ...
Then came more arrows, but without exception, they were all blocked by Zhou Yanzhi and the Black Feather Camp. The sound of arrows colliding with the blades rang out continuously.
A moment later, the last arrow was shot out from inside the palace gate.
Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhi quickly drew three feather darts from his waist and was about to release them. Just as he was about to release them, a cold laugh suddenly came from the narrow gap—
"Ce'an."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi's heart tightened, and his wrist, which was about to bend, froze at the last second! The three feather darts, brimming with power, narrowly missed his fingertips and stopped in mid-air. He abruptly looked up at the dark, narrow gap, and said in disbelief:
"The retired emperor?!"
The narrow gap slowly widened, and the first thing that caught the eye was a corner of a bright yellow robe. Looking up, there was a face that still looked sickly.
Upon seeing the scene inside the city gate, Zhou Yanzhi frowned—Emperor Zhaowen was being held to the neck with a knife, and beside him was Qi Minghua, a physician in a white robe, who also had a knife to his neck.
Behind them stood a group of Imperial Guards soldiers clad in black armor.
The firelight flickered, swiftly slicing across their sharp blades.
A hoarse voice came from behind.
"Zhou Ce'an, what a pity!"
Zhou Yu'an slowly walked out from the Imperial Guards and unhurriedly walked behind Emperor Zhaowen. His clothes, stained with soot, had not yet been changed, and blood was still flowing from his forehead. His gloomy eyes stared straight at Zhou Yanzhi, making him look particularly terrifying in the backlight.
Chao Zhou Yanzhi smiled slightly, his tone full of emotion.
"Just now, you were so close, so close to being accused of regicide."
Looking at Emperor Zhaowen, whose face was ashen, Zhou Yanzhi said in an extremely cold tone: "Fourth Prince, do you know what you are doing?"
Zhou Yu'an did not answer, but instead snatched the hilt of the knife from Emperor Zhaowen's neck, pushed the blade in half a bit further, and let the sharp blade slice across Emperor Zhaowen's neck.
Using this action, he pushed Emperor Zhaowen forward a step, and they stepped out of the palace gate completely.
The firelight flickered on his blood-stained forehead and in his dark eyes. Only when Emperor Zhaowen in front of him cried out in pain did he awaken as if from a dream. He then looked at Zhou Yanzhi and the Black Feather Guards behind him, a smileless curve appearing on his lips.
"Zhou Ce'an, now I order you to lay down your weapons and retreat with the men behind you!"
Left with no other option, Zhou Yanzhi threw the knife in his hand forward and then gestured for the people behind him to retreat with him.
step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
...
After retreating countless steps, Zhou Yu'an supported Emperor Zhaowen as he stepped over the various weapons that Zhou Yanzhi and the Black Feather Guards had thrown on the ground, until all the Imperial Guards behind them emerged from the palace passage, and only then did this silent tug-of-war finally come to an end.
Staring at Zhou Yanzhi, Zhou Yu'an said coldly, "Let Zhou Shouji come out to see me."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi frowned even more deeply. He was about to say something, but Zhou Yu'an didn't give him a chance to speak and spoke first: "I want to see Zhou Shouji in a quarter of an hour."
"otherwise……"
He pressed the knife against Emperor Zhaowen's neck even further in.
The implications are self-evident.
Zhou Yanzhi glanced at Emperor Zhaowen's pale face, turned his head and whispered something to one of the Black Feather Guards beside him, then turned back to Zhou Yu'an and said in a deep voice, "Okay."
...
Time passed slowly, and Zhou Yanzhi and his group of Black Feather Guards stood not far from Zhou Yu'an, in a stalemate.
As the sky gradually turned a pale white, Zhou Yanzhi's heart tightened with each passing moment. Looking at Qi Minghua, who was also being held at knifepoint beside Emperor Zhaowen, he subtly moved his fingertips.
The two exchanged a quick glance in mid-air.
In an instant, a sudden change occurred!
Having been held at knifepoint the whole time, Qi Minghua, who seemed frail and weak, seized the moment when the person behind her relaxed due to holding the knife for so long and suddenly rammed her arm backward!
The impact was both fierce and precise, striking the Imperial Guard directly in the abdomen!
Caught off guard, the imperial guard let out a muffled groan as his restraining arm instantly lost its grip, and the heavy steel blade clattered to the ground.
At the same time, Qi Minghua quickly pulled a white jade hairpin from her hair, and then pressed it down—several almost invisible silver needles instantly pierced into Zhou Yu'an's wrist holding the knife.
Zhou Yu'an felt a numbness in his wrist, and his knuckles gripping the knife instantly went out of control.
With a clang, the green knife fell to the ground.
This sudden change happened in the blink of an eye.
"Protect the Emperor!"
Zhou Yanzhi reacted extremely quickly, rushing forward almost the instant Qi Minghua bumped past the guards behind him.
He firmly gripped Emperor Zhaowen's wrist, spun around to separate Emperor Zhaowen from Zhou Yu'an, and with a push, sent the man directly towards the Black Feather Guards who were already prepared.
He dodged the sword swung by the Imperial Guard by pressing down, and at the same time, he took the opportunity to pick up the sword that had fallen to the ground and stabbed the man through the neck.
In an instant, the man's scalding blood gushed out and splashed onto Zhou Yanzhi's face.
Seeing this, without any orders, the Black Feather Guards surged forward again like a black tide, engaging in fierce combat with the Imperial Guards who had reacted.
In an instant, the scene descended into chaos.
Zhou Yu'an was protected by several imperial guards. He watched helplessly as his protective amulet was snatched away. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Emperor Zhaowen, who was being protected by the Black Feather Guards. Then he suddenly looked at Zhou Yanzhi in the midst of the melee, appearing almost crazed.
"Zhou Ce'an! You were able to take my father away from me, and I can take him back!"
"Zhou Shouji... I want to see Zhou Shouji! I've planted a lot of explosives in the palace. If he doesn't come to see me, I'll take everyone in the palace with me!"
After saying that, he gave a wink to the imperial guards behind him. The next second, a woman dressed in elaborate palace attire was pushed forward.
Upon recognizing the person, Zhou Yanzhi gritted his teeth—this woman was the Empress… no, she should be called the Empress Dowager now!
Zhou Yu'an grabbed the Empress Dowager, tightening his grip on her neck, and said sternly, "Does he no longer want his own mother?!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi swung his knife even more fiercely, his gaze filled with disbelief.
"Are you crazy?!"
Before he could say anything more, a knife suddenly came from his side. Zhou Yanzhi barely dodged it, his gaze quickly sweeping over the Black Feather Guards and Imperial Guards in the melee, and his heart sank.
If things continue like this, there will eventually be hidden dangers in the palace.
We need to finish this quickly.
The next moment, a thunderous sound of hooves suddenly rang out. Zhou Yanzhi looked up sharply and felt relieved—on the tall horse at the front, who else could it be but Zhou Shouji?
"Zhou Yu'an!"
Zhou Shouji rushed forward, his eyes narrowing as he saw the Empress Dowager's face rapidly turning red. He shouted urgently, "Release my mother immediately!"
Upon seeing Zhou Shouji, Zhou Yu'an's expression became even more ferocious, and the hand gripping the Empress Dowager's neck tightened even more: "Zhou Shouji, I advise you to speak to me properly, otherwise..."
He tightened his grip, causing the Empress Dowager's eye sockets to bulge even more, as if they were about to burst open at any moment.
"Good! Good!" Zhou Shouji's heart trembled as he watched, and he said urgently, "Okay, calm down first, tell me, what do you want?"
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