Your Highness, Gu Chengjue... obeys your order.
"He actually issued another blood decree?"
What An Rong asked was clearly a question, but her expression was as if she had everything under control, without any ripples.
Song Lingshan's face showed no sign of emotion. Holding the bloodstained brocade in his hand, he simply stated, "His Royal Highness the Second Prince is now under house arrest by Li Huan, and His Majesty is trapped in the Qinzheng Palace and has nowhere else to go. He wrote this blood edict in the hope that we can obey his order and fight against the enemy..." At this point, he looked deeply at Gu Chengjue, "The edict of succession is also here. His Majesty has spoken this edict, and it is personally addressed to Gu Chengjue, the Prince of Ning and the Great General of Zhenbei."
As soon as he finished speaking, two imperial edicts were delivered to Gu Chengjue.
Gu Chengjue narrowed his eyes slightly and took the two imperial edicts from Song Lingshan one after another.
As his indifferent gaze lingered over the words in his hand, describing the thrilling changes, Gu Chengjue's face was devoid of any superfluous emotion. If there was any, it seemed to be only a numb coldness, as profound as a frozen river suddenly encountering the harsh winter.
From the feeble and powerless edict of succession to the utterly disastrous blood edict, Gu Chengjue glanced briefly at its contents before withdrawing and raising his gaze. He said calmly, "Your Highness, Gu Chengjue... obeys your command." He then looked quietly at Song Lingshan and said, "Father-in-law, please."
Hearing the voice, Song Lingshan stared at Gu Chengjue's calm face, and a flash of admiration flashed across his deep eyes.
But then, he suppressed his emotions and walked towards the door. "Exiting this door is the former Fengyi Palace, where the Second Prince is currently under house arrest. It will take another incense stick of time to walk from Fengyi Palace to the Qinzheng Palace where His Majesty is staying, but this is the palace closest to the Qinzheng Palace. As for the miscellaneous soldiers up there, I've already sent people to deal with some of them. Compared to the other palaces, it's safer. However, after you exit the last wooden door... it's best for you to hold your swords firmly." Having said this, he turned towards An Rong, clasped his fists, and said, "I'll leave matters outside the palace to Shopkeeper An."
"Don't worry..." An Rong's lazy voice passed by like the wind, but the smile she gave when she looked back gave Song Tiaotiao infinite peace of mind.
When they passed the stone door of the dark room and climbed dozens of high ladders, they finally saw an inconspicuous stone door again.
The mechanism of the stone door was located on its side. At a glance, it looked like a modern password door, but it was the most complicated mechanism they had encountered on this trip.
I saw that there were nine strange fonts corresponding to the nine-square grid of the mechanism. Song Tiaotiao felt that the pattern was familiar, but she was also confused by the fonts.
As they waited, Song Tiaotiao and Gu Chengjue tightened their protective masks for each other. But once the atmosphere settled into silence, the thought of just in case took hold. After much deliberation, Song Tiaotiao finally handed out the anti-infection agent once again, then slipped a few small packets of refined sleeping pills into the hands of the others.
Seeing this, Song Tiaotiao felt a little uneasy and returned to her original place.
"Tiaotiao, is there a treasure bag in your sleeve?"
Hearing the depressed Song Zhaozhao take the initiative to talk, Song Tiaotiao replied softly: "Just in case."
Song Zhaozhao shook his head and said, "It really looks like a Pixiu..."
Song Tiaotiao saw a hint of smile in her red eyes. As his eyes moved, he covered his sleeves and said, "She's already a Pixiu, so having a treasure bowl isn't too much."
After she finished speaking, Song Tiaotiao realized that Gu Chengjue had stood in front of her casually without her noticing when, gently blocking Song Zhaozhao's view of her sleeves.
Seeing Song Tiaotiao looking up at him, Gu Chengjue couldn't help but tremble in time with his heartbeat. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he gently placed his fingertips on Song Tiaotiao's fingertips hanging on the cuffs. He lowered his eyes and said seriously, "Little God of Fortune, a treasure bowl is not too much."
As everyone chatted, Song Lingshan's fingertips danced across the nine-square grid with ease. He then repeated this process three more times, and a gentle "click" sound emanated from both sides of the stone gate.
"Pick up your sword and raise your spirit. Later, we will do as we agreed."
After hearing Song Lingshan's whispered instructions, everyone concentrated on walking through the long and narrow corridor, and finally arrived at the last door of this trip.
This wooden door, like the material it is made of, does not have any complicated mechanism design, only a large stone button is installed on one side.
After everyone pressed it together, the wooden door continued along its trajectory and quietly disappeared into the walls on both sides.
Song Tiaotiao held her breath and watched the scene in front of the door without blinking.
The room in front of me was pitch black, but because it seemed to be catching some residual light from the nearby palace in the farthest distance, it looked like a very spacious and long room at a glance.
Afterwards, after figuring out the patrol's pattern, they kept an eye on the figures passing by outside the window while carefully following Song Lingshan's steps, quietly moving towards the farthest light source.
When they reached the back door of the room, the temple illuminated by the light was already within reach.
They used the most stealthy and lightest means to circumvent the patrolling soldiers. After carefully reaching the main hall, they faced the inevitable garrison soldiers, administering acupuncture, spraying anesthetic powder, and finishing off the wounded.
The process was a seamless, coordinated effort. Under extreme control, not only was the killing invisible, but even those who called for help were completely eliminated.
After that, they rushed straight to the Second Prince's bedroom without hesitation. They spread drugs, killed the guards, and took the prince away... In the end, Song Tiaotiao made good use of the time to catch his breath.
She looked at Gu Chengcan, whose face was as pale as paper, lying on Song Lingshan's back, took out a bottle of medicine and poured it into his mouth.
Seeing this, Song Zhaozhao stared intently at Gu Chengcan. He was so exhausted that even after drinking the potion, he still didn't have the strength to open his eyes. Fortunately, his mind regained some clarity: "Zhaozhao...are you back?"
Hearing this, Song Zhaozhao wiped away the tears that kept rolling down her eyes: "Yes, I'm back..."
Song Zhaozhao's sobbing voice was choked with sobs, and to Gu Chengcan, it sounded like a voice from another world: "Zhaozhao, you come to save me again... Don't cry, okay?"
Chen Pinglang watched them as they were about to enter the empty hall they had come from, and lowered his voice to say, "They're going to set a fire, and the smoke is choking. From now on, you should all return to the dark room."
…
"Look over there! Why is there so much smoke rising? Isn't that Fengyi Palace?!"
"Really! Oh my God, go report this to the Regent! That sickly fellow doesn't have much time left, so what's the point of using him as a bargaining chip? Why does he have to die now? Why not sooner or later? Have those guards' heads been kicked by donkeys?"
…
"There's a fire in Fengyi Palace! Lord Li has ordered you to bring some men and watch the palace maids and eunuchs put out the fire. Make sure everyone in the palace is rescued!"
A token was handed to him. The leader looked left and right, and seeing that it was the real Ten Guarantees Ten, he hesitated and said, "Sir, now that the brothers have left, who will guard this place?"
"Distant water can't quench a nearby fire. Lord Li has ordered us to be transferred out layer by layer and then replenished." At this point, the man pointed to the line of soldiers rushing over from behind. "They're coming. Go quickly, don't miss the opportunity."
"Well... all right. Brothers, follow me."
Chen Pinglang watched the man and the guards walking further and further away, and shook his wristband impatiently.
If you continue to talk, he'll lose his patience.
Thinking of this, he exchanged glances with the newly arrived soldiers and then headed towards the palace.
It is true that there are layers of external transfers.
But they are not Li Huan’s people, they are their people.
Soon, the outermost palace gate would be opened by those who heard the news. Then, Li Huan would be able to fulfill his wish and become a caged beast in the palace...
Chen Pinglang had a smile on his lips, and in a secluded corner of the palace, he released a red star into the sky.
…
The deeper they got into the Qinzheng Hall, the more numerous and elite the patrolling soldiers became. In the end, they were like a cocoon, enveloping the central hall completely.
The Qinzheng Hall is spacious and airy, where hundreds of officials can sit and discuss matters at the same time, but it also has no shelter.
Therefore, when Song Tiaotiao and his party stepped into the outer layer of the Qinzheng Hall, the soldiers who heard the news surrounded them layer by layer.
At this point, a bloody battle is inevitable, and they must fight their way out.
However, the drugs stored in Song Tiaotiao's space were just for today's battle, so it is not an exaggeration to say that there is an unlimited supply.
"Brothers, kill! What is this..."
"It's a drug, cover your mouth quickly..."
The denser the population, the more pronounced the drug's effect. Seeing the soldiers falling one after another, the outermost layers of soldiers were stunned and lost in thought when they were surrounded and killed by the troops brought by Song Lingshan.
However, due to the population density, once someone on the outside came to their senses and realized how serious the situation was, they would quickly turn around and run towards the Qinzheng Hall to report the situation.
But as soon as the secret guard blows the needle, the fish that has escaped the net will fall to the ground.
This method was repeated several times, and the sound of fighting in the sky finally reached the palace behind him.
When the last wave of soldiers retreated step by step as Song Tiaotiao and his group advanced.
The palace doors, which were built on dozens of stone steps, were pushed open by guards on both sides of the palace.
A young man dressed in a luxurious crimson official uniform stood in the center of the palace gate, his arms folded across his chest as he looked at them with a smile. However, his voice was sharp and sinister as he demanded, "Song Lingshan, are you planning a rebellion?"
Song Lingshan glanced at him lightly, then even looked away. "Li Huan, you should understand the principle of disciplining yourself before disciplining others. Your Majesty is still ill, and you're leaving the doors and windows wide open. What are your intentions?"
Li Huan sneered at the sky, "Duke Zhenguo talks about being loyal to the emperor, but how come when you saw me coming to tend to him, you claimed to be ill and fled, staying indoors for several days? Now, I see you're in high spirits, but I guess you've been planning to deceive the emperor for a long time, and now you're even leading troops to force the palace, disturbing His Majesty!"
Song Lingshan frowned impatiently. "Li Huan, stop smearing me. Your intentions are clear to everyone. Do you really need to drag me into this? You've already replaced all the people in the palace. Who are you trying to impress by talking to yourself? You're so shameless."
Hearing this, Li Huan sneered repeatedly, gritting his teeth and pointing at Gu Chengjue, saying, "If you were solely concerned about His Majesty, why would you go to such lengths to lure Gu Chengjue back to the capital? His Majesty and the Second Prince are merely ill, yet you're speaking highly of this brat to His Majesty and even playing favorites with your relatives when it comes to the succession."
At this point, he watched Song Lingshan and his companions ascend the stone steps, approaching the palace entrance. His eyes flickered, "I suppose he's had the ambition to be the emperor's father-in-law for a long time. Otherwise, why would he have willingly sent his daughter to suffer with him when Prince Ning's mansion was convicted?"
Song Lingshan's eyes darkened, and then his eyelids rolled up. "It's a waste of time to talk to you anymore. Are you going to surrender now, or do you want me to step over you?"
Hearing this, Li Huan spread out his palms as if he didn't care, and swept his eyes deeply over the people in front of him. He smiled meaningfully and said, "If you want to enter the door here, Song Lingshan, you'd better dream about it..." After speaking, he whistled with his lips.
Above the roof of the hall, rows of arrows flashing with sharp light were pointing straight towards them.
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