Chapter 187
When they arrived at the gate of the imperial city, it suddenly opened and the imperial guards rushed out with bows and arrows drawn.
Zuo Tianlang drew out the long sword in his hand and stood in front: "We have arrived at the imperial city, those who have not been ordered to stop!"
His voice was extremely cold and hard.
Qu Watanabe felt vaguely uncomfortable.
He and Commander Zuo had spent some time together when they were fighting bandits in Qingzhou and Jezhou. Commander Zuo was a bit simple-minded, and he rarely spoke in such a cold and harsh tone no matter what the circumstances.
Qu Watanabe: "Commander Zuo, the people behind me can stop here."
Xu Jin now had only one thought in mind: "We can even not go in, but Concubine Yi must come out."
Commander Zuo: "You have already arrived in front of the palace. What else can you discuss? I say again, leave the capital! You have two chances. If you don't leave, I will kill you without mercy."
"One shot!"
The deputy general beside him plucked the empty string.
Xia Fuyang clenched the silver spear in his hand, "Tsk, they won't listen to reason with us. Your Highness, this fight is inevitable. After entering the palace, it will be clear who is loyal and who is treacherous."
Zuo Tianlang's voice became even colder: "Second shot."
The deputy general shot the second arrow in front of the men and their horses.
Qu Dubian suddenly shouted: "Are you really Zuo Tianlang?!"
Zuo Tianlang in front of the palace paused for a second, and said without hesitation:
"Three shots to kill!"
The imperial guards shot their arrows without hesitation.
Xia Fuyang swung his spear like a fan and flew up, "This level is not enough to fill the gaps in our teeth on the battlefield!"
Qu Dubian drew out the Liuliu soft sword from his waist and flew to Xia Fuyang, "Catch Zuo Tianlang and see who he is."
Xia Fuyang was still frightened when he saw him practicing his martial arts. After all, his previous appearance with all his martial arts skills destroyed was too scary, and the image of the glass man was deeply rooted in his heart.
He felt that he should kowtow to Doctor Yang when he turned around. What a miracle doctor! He could even relieve the poison that could break bones and tendons like this.
His mind wandered for a second, and he quickly came back to his senses: "Okay!"
There are three thousand imperial guards, two thousand of them are here, and there are three thousand soldiers to support the king. They fought fiercely in front of the palace gate.
Xia Hong, who was in charge of guarding the imperial city, was accidentally injured because he was too concerned about the court, and did not appear from beginning to end.
All the officials on duty in the government offices near Qianbu Bridge hid inside, listening to the shouting and screaming outside, their hearts jumping out of their throats again and again.
Is this a coup?? This must be a coup!
Everyone has thought about the bloody palace coups recorded in history books, but no one has ever imagined that one day they would actually experience it themselves.
-
The family of Dr. Yang.
A carriage quietly left from the back door of his house.
Inside the carriage was Xie Lishan.
Doctor Yang hugged his medicine box and huddled inside the carriage, furtively wiping the sweat from his forehead. He glanced at the future husband of Princess Zhiyi and asked, "Where are we going?"
Xie Lishan said gently: "Don't be afraid."
Doctor Yang: “…”
Woo woo.
Their lives as imperial physicians are really hard.
I'm off duty today.
The carriage passed through the streets and alleys in a low-key manner and arrived at a deserted place. Xie Lisheng asked Doctor Yang to get off the carriage and took him to a high wall.
There's something familiar about this wall.
Zhiyi squatted by the wall and waved at them, "Come."
Doctor Yang: "You are here too, Princess?" He was relieved. "Where do you want me to go?"
Zhiyi didn't expect that after she had enough fun with Xie Lisheng and had just returned from Xianghe, she received a message from her brother on the way, asking them to keep a low profile and go to Beijing early.
She said, "I don't know either. Anyway, you go in first."
"Where to drill?"
Zhiyi made way and pointed to the dog hole on the wall.
Originally there was only a small hole, but when Qu Dubian was a child, he often went to live with his grandmother. Dahei missed him and dug a hole. Over time, a dog hole was formed.
She just made the hole a little bigger, bypassing the cold palace and leading directly to Shunning Palace.
Doctor Yang: “…”
Zhiyi: "Do you think it's dirty? It doesn't matter, Xiao Xie, you go in first and wipe the road."
Xie Lishan sighed: "As you command, Princess."
-
The Imperial Palace.
Concubine Yi finally walked out of Fu'an Palace.
She brought two hundred imperial guards with her to the Purple Palace.
Upon hearing the noise, Eunuch Yu came out of the Purple Palace and stopped Concubine Yi with a smile, "Your Majesty, you are not allowed to enter His Majesty's bedroom without permission."
He glanced at the deputy guard of the imperial guards behind Concubine Yi, who had been promoted in recent months.
Concubine Yi took the prince's token and said calmly, "Don't worry, I won't go in. It's just that there are thieves making trouble outside, and the prince has gone to guard the palace gate. Before he left, he told me to guard here."
She raised her hand, and more than a hundred imperial guards immediately guarded the Zichen Palace behind her.
Concubine Yi: "From now on, no one is allowed to leave the Purple Palace."
Eunuch Yu's heart was pounding. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, took a few steps back, and returned to the hall.
He clenched the whisk in his hand and walked back and forth in the hall several times. Having been in the palace for so many years, how could he not see that there was something wrong with Concubine Yi?
But now His Majesty is not awake, and the Fourth Prince, as the crown prince, is supposed to inherit the throne.
Concubine Yi is the prince's biological mother and holds the prince's token. Apart from the prince and Prince Ming, she is the only one who has a say in the entire palace.
She had to guard the Zichen Palace, and no one dared to stop her.
Eunuch Yu walked to the bedside, his throat almost raging with anxiety, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wake up..."
Emperor Chongzhao was still sleeping on the dragon couch.
Eunuch Yu shouted in a low voice for a while, but there was no response. He could only turn his head. As a result, a silver light flew over his head and went straight two meters in front of him.
Eunuch Yu closed his eyes instantly, "My Lord in the dark, I know you are here. If you want to take His Majesty away, go now."
After he finished whispering, there was no movement, so Eunuch Yu opened his eyes.
There were two men in black in the hall.
One was wearing a mask, and the other was B Twelve.
Yi Twelve said softly, "Chief, it's been a long time."
The leader of the secret guards thought for a long time before he found a person from his memory, "Are you Yi Twelve, who died of drunkenness on the third day?"
B12: "Now it's called Liuliu."
The leader of the secret guards asked alertly: "You are not dead, what do you want to do?"
B Twelve: "I'll go with you and take His Majesty away. Only when His Majesty wakes up can this chaos be completely ended."
The leader of the secret guards: "Without your majesty's order, the secret guards cannot move without permission."
Yi Twelve paused, "So what if it moves?"
"According to Shadow Law, when the emperor passes away, the secret guards who have been guarding him must die with the emperor," he pointed at the emperor on the bed, "From the breathing and the condition, the emperor should be dying soon. Even if the leader violated Shadow Law and was sentenced to death by the emperor, it would only be a matter of a few days earlier or later."
The leader of the secret guards: "..."
Yi Twelve continued: "If you don't leave, you may even die today, and His Majesty will die too."
The leader of the secret guards: "Yi Twelve, don't forget that you were once a secret guard and should be loyal to His Majesty."
B Twelve: "I know that I used to be a secret guard, so I know that there is a secret passage under the bed in the Purple Palace. In an emergency, the emperor can take shelter."
The necessity of controlling the secret guards was fully demonstrated at this moment.
The leader of the secret guards: “…”
Yi Twelve completely ignored the words "should be loyal to His Majesty", he knew who he was loyal to.
"Chief, we now have two choices. One, we fight and attract the people outside, so they can kill us as assassins. Two, we take His Majesty away together."
Eunuch Yu lay on the ground, looking left and right.
He swallowed and whispered, "Sir, please take His Majesty away. I have been with His Majesty since I was a child. If he were awake at this moment, he would definitely be willing to go."
The leader of the secret guards was silent for a long time.
Finally, he turned around and fumbled on both sides of the dragon couch. A tiny snapping sound was heard, and he moved the footrest away, and a square small staircase appeared under the dragon couch.
The leader of the secret guards: "After this, I will commit suicide to apologize."
Eunuch Yu said worriedly, "Let's not talk about this for now. How can we get His Majesty down?"
There is a secret passage under the bed, but someone needs to crawl down. The person who designed this secret passage certainly did not consider how the emperor would get out if he fainted.
It is not realistic to move the bed. It is too heavy. Four or five people may not be able to move it. Moving the bed also makes a lot of noise.
Yi Twelve walked forward, bent down and wrapped the sleeping Emperor Chongzhao in a quilt, the same way he would wrap a child, leaving a corner of the quilt to cover his head.
He learned it secretly when he was taking care of the prince who was still a small child, but he never used it.
My son didn't use it, but I did.
After he wrapped it up, he said to the leader of the secret guards, "You can drag it away."
The leader of the secret guards was paralyzed for two seconds before he stretched out his hand with difficulty and moved Emperor Chongzhao to the ground. He crawled under the bed first, then grabbed a corner of the quilt and brought the man down safely.
After they left, only Yi Twelve and Eunuch Yu were left in the hall.
Eunuch Yu said awkwardly, "Well, can I go down with you?"
B12: "There's still one person missing on the bed."
Eunuch Yu: “?”
Yi Twelve knocked him out with a knife and laid him on the dragon couch. He then pulled another quilt from the couch and covered Eunuch Yu tightly with it.
After finishing it, he crawled under the bed and reached out to restore the footrest to its original state.
-
Shunning Palace.
The leader of the secret guards carried Emperor Chongzhao, who was wrapped in a quilt, and pushed open the door of the room where the seventh prince had lived before.
Doctor Yang inside stood up instantly and said, "Someone really is here."
Zhiyi: "Six six?"
Yi Twelve nodded: "Everything is fine."
Only then did Zhiyi feel relieved.
They quickly laid Emperor Chongzhao flat on the bed, then turned their heads in unison to look at Imperial Physician Yang.
Imperial Physician Yang started working overtime as scheduled. He first gave acupuncture and spent a long time before waking Emperor Chongzhao from his deep sleep.
He sighed. His Majesty's body was really empty to a certain extent.
Emperor Chongzhao opened his eyes, still a little confused. This was not in the Purple Palace, but he felt that the surrounding environment was vaguely familiar.
He turned his head and didn't see Eunuch Yu standing by the bed. Instead, he saw his own secret guards and...
Emperor Chongzhao regained consciousness and asked, "You, you...how...?"
The symptoms of his stroke caused him to speak like this, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Zhiyi: "Father, this is what is happening now. Xiaoqi discovered that Concubine Yi was from the royal family of the previous dynasty, and many evil things were done by her. Xiaoqi submitted three memorials to go to the capital, but there was no news. She had no choice but to go to the capital to defend the king.
But the Purple Palace has been controlled by Concubine Yi using the Crown Prince's Order, and there is a fight outside. For your safety, we can only transport you out like this."
She explained the whole story quickly and clearly, and Emperor Chongzhao was stunned for a long time by the amount of information in her words.
He became slightly excited: "No, I don't... believe it..."
Emperor Chongzhao opened his mouth and suddenly hit the edge of the bed, becoming angry at his own appearance again.
He looked at Doctor Yang: "Let me, let me."
Doctor Yang guessed: "You asked me to find a way to make you talk properly?"
Emperor Chongzhao nodded: "You, say..." After several seconds, "Price."
Doctor Yang looked worried, and Zhiyi was confused: "What does father mean by that?"
Doctor Yang said, "Isn't the vitality of Prince Yong's meridians cut off? When I was researching the antidote, I developed a pill that can stimulate the vitality of the human body. However, all the seriously ill animals in the experiment could jump around for a while, but they died soon after."
"Your Majesty, what do you want to eat?"
He had mentioned it to His Majesty before, but His Majesty didn't say he wanted to eat it.
Emperor Chongzhao nodded heavily.
"this……"
Zhiyi and Xie Lishan looked at each other.
Emperor Chongzhao stretched out his hand, "Give it to me."
-
Outside the palace gate.
There was already a bloody smell.
Qu Dubian held his breath and captured Zuo Tianlang, who had many bloody holes on his body.
He swung his soft sword in disdain, throwing Zuo Tianlang to the side, "Old Xia, go touch his face."
Xia Fuyang: "Okay."
He asked someone to hold Zuo Tianlang down, and he quickly went over and touched his face twice, "Eh?"
Genuine Leather?
He carefully touched Zuo Tianlang's jaw and behind his ears with his fingers two or three times, and felt a faint sense of unevenness under his fingertips, but he was not sure whether Commander Zuo's face was naturally rough or if there were many bumps on it.
Zuo Tianlang spat: "Touching a man's face, you have no shame!"
Xia Fuyang: "Are you sick?"
Xu Jin: "Let me do it."
He looked at Zuo Tianlang's face for a moment, then suddenly reached out, grabbed his hair, and pulled it out with all the skin and flesh.
A very thin layer of skin rose from his neck and was torn off along with his hair.
Zuo Tianlang's appearance had changed, and the scars on his face from the fire were particularly obvious.
Xu Jin used too much force and most of his original hair was pulled out, leaving a bloody scalp on top of his head.
Xia Fuyang sighed, "The Marquis is indeed very knowledgeable." He raised his voice and said, "Brothers of the Imperial Guards, stop fighting! Your leader has long been replaced."
The imperial guards who were still fighting looked over when they heard this.
The deputy general's pupils suddenly shrank: "Where is our commander?!" He shouted, "Stop!"
The riot in front of the palace gate gradually stopped.
Qu Dubian said to Leng Yue: "I recognize you, you are the guard beside the fourth brother, how dare you pretend to be Commander Zuo."
Leng Yue moved his mouth, and Xu Jin unfastened his jaw with a click. "If you want to commit suicide, wait a moment."
Qu Dubian said to the deputy general: "One of the two deputy generals of the imperial guards, you should recognize that this is not your commander. This proves that something has already happened in the palace. Why don't you retreat quickly!"
Xu Jin: "If you're still worried, come with us."
The deputy general gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."
Without the obstruction of the imperial guards, Xu Jin picked up the tied up Leng Yue and dragged him into the palace gate.
After passing the six ministries and arriving at the Ganji Gate, they saw Prince Ming, Grand Tutor Fang, Lin Zongping and Xi Shiqiu.
Xi Shiqiu saw Xi Zixing standing next to Qu Dubian at a glance.
His expression twisted for a second, and he looked away, not bothered.
Qu Duanbian felt like they were playing a game, passing one level after another: "Uncle Ming, you three, are you going to stop them too?"
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards bowed and said, "Prince Ming, this is the man who just pretended to be Commander Zuo. He is the guard of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! We have seen him from a distance several times. We are definitely right. His Royal Highness Prince Yong is right. Something may have happened to His Majesty."
Master Fang smiled and said, "Your Highness, are your eyes and body okay?"
Qu Watanabe: "It's only half good."
Master Fang: "That's good too."
Xu Jin said, "Brother Fang, you and I are brothers, we have known each other since we were young. Today, you are going to stop me?" He said in a deep voice, "Empress Yi is a descendant of the previous dynasty, and she is also my blood enemy. She will definitely die today. Get out of the way, and you and I are still brothers."
Lin Zongping swung his sleeves and said, "The four of us cannot stop you, nor do we intend to. If you are really traitors, we will swear to protect His Majesty until our death, and live up to His Majesty's trust in the government!"
Xi Zixing shouted, "Dad, will you let me go?"
Xi Shiqiu said angrily: "Don't call me dad!"
Xi Zixing took advantage of the situation and said, "Minister Xi, will you give way?"
Xi Shiqiu angrily made way.
He looked at Xia Fuyang again.
Damn it, why didn't Xia Hong come? The scene of the father-son confrontation should not be borne by him alone.
-
In front of the Purple Palace.
Concubine Yi stood at the top of the steps and watched indifferently as the back hall of Ganji Gate opened.
Qu Dubian, Xu Jin, Xia Fuyang, Xi Zixing, even Prince Ming and the three regents, soldiers from the northern border, and the imperial guards, all appeared in the wide open space in front of the Purple Palace.
The cold autumn sun is not dazzling.
The glazed tiles on the Purple Palace were still shining.
Concubine Yi glared at them and said, "His Majesty is still sleeping. Are you all gathered here to rebel with Prince Yong?"
Qu Dubian took a half step forward and said, "The previous dynasty's method of hiding words is quite good. Concubine Yi, do you still remember when you gave me paper? I didn't expect that after decades, there are still craftsmen from the previous dynasty who can decipher the method of hiding words alive in the world."
He was very concerned about the last sentence of Concubine Yi's hidden words, 'Remember this as one'.
He was the first person that Concubine Yi attacked. Who was the second one? Did he also receive the same paper with hidden words as him?
The paper sent by Concubine Yi looked very much like the mark left by the murderer on the prey after committing the crime.
She was very satisfied with the result she had created.
Concubine Yi: "I don't understand what you are saying. Just because a random craftsman fooled you twice, you believed it? It's just an excuse to surround the palace."
She glanced at the three regents and Prince Ming beside Qu Dubian, "You are the people His Majesty trusts the most, and now you want to follow Prince Yong in rebellion?"
"I am right here. Anyone who wants to disturb Your Majesty will have to step over my body."
Xu Jin stepped forward with a knife, "I'm here to kill you."
The imperial guards around Concubine Yi blocked her way. Qu Dubian looked around and asked, "Where is Fourth Brother?"
Xia Fuyang whispered, "I haven't seen him."
Concubine Yi smiled and said, "As the crown prince, I must kill the traitor."
As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of soldiers lining up could be heard again at the Ganji Gate behind her. The defenders from the North Gate and the East Gate ran in quickly and surrounded Qu Dubian and the others.
They shouted, "Defend His Majesty! Kill the traitors!"
The situation reversed in an instant.
A figure walked out from behind. The Fourth Prince, holding a sword, walked towards them step by step.
Qu Dubian turned around and said in a complicated tone: "Fourth brother..."
The fourth prince stopped and said, "Xiao Qi."
The chubby look on his face was gone, and the natural laziness and bookishness between his brows had almost disappeared. There was only visible fatigue and alienation all over his body.
Once brothers, now fighting against each other.
"Fourth brother," Qu Dubian stretched out his hand, "I know that everything has nothing to do with you, brother, come here, no one will implicate you in the mistakes made by Concubine Yi."
The fourth prince moved his lips and felt a lump in his throat.
Qu Dubian took two steps forward, staring into the Fourth Prince's eyes. He saw a moment of desperate struggle in them. "Fourth brother, you withheld the memorial to remind me, didn't you?"
"No one will blame you. Only those who make mistakes will be punished. Don't take on things that you shouldn't bear. If you don't want to be the crown prince, want to rest, and don't want to be so tired, that's fine." He said all the little complaints that the Fourth Prince had given him in the letters they had exchanged before. "Brother, don't make the wrong choice. I can protect you."
The Fourth Prince looked at the hand that was extended toward him, and a barely perceptible gleam of tears flashed in his eyes.
Qu Watanabe almost thought he was going to hold it in his hand.
Concubine Yi: "Ze'er, come up."
The Fourth Prince's eyes returned to calm again. He strode forward, ignoring the hand, walked up the steps in front of the Purple Palace, and stood beside Concubine Yi.
Qu Dubian put down his hand and turned back.
Concubine Yi said softly: "Good child, you didn't betray me."
The Fourth Prince: "Mother, how can this matter be ended?"
Concubine Yi raised her voice and said, "Kill Prince Yong and his rebels."
She walked down a few steps, and the surrounding imperial guards followed her down, "Do it!"
The defenders at the north and east gates rushed up.
The Fourth Prince looked at Concubine Yi's back and the chaos below, then raised his head to look at the sky.
No one knew what the Fourth Prince was thinking at this moment. He only looked at Concubine Yi again and suddenly shouted, "Mother! Don't go on. You're killing more people!"
Concubine Yi’s back froze.
Qu Duanbian's expression suddenly changed, his inner strength burst out, and he rushed up the stairs: "Fourth Brother——!"
The fourth prince turned the sword in his hand and stabbed it hard into his chest.
With a puff.
The sword pierced his body.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Blood drops rolled down the tip of the sword.
The Fourth Prince half-knelt on the ground, staring intently at Concubine Yi's back.
Qu Dubian almost turned into a residual shadow. Before the fourth prince fell, he held him firmly and quickly tapped the fourth prince's acupoints with his fingers to stop the bleeding.
His eyes were burning from the blood of the Fourth Prince.
"Fourth brother, I'll take you away."
The Fourth Prince grabbed his arm and shook his head.
He said to Concubine Yi: "Mother, I'm sorry. I can't bear it anymore..."
"I gave you the Crown Prince's Order and dispatched the city defense troops as you requested, but... I can't really do it."
All the soldiers fighting below stopped, and both sides finally stopped because of his suicidal behavior.
Behind the Zichen Hall, Emperor Chongzhao, the Empress, Zhiyi and others finally arrived. Everywhere they looked was chaos.
Emperor Chongzhao: "I am here, everyone, put down your weapons!"
The person who could completely stabilize the situation had arrived, and Prince Ming and the others instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
All the people on both sides laid down their weapons.
Concubine Yi suddenly chuckled twice. She turned around and looked not at the Fourth Prince, but at Emperor Chongzhao, "Your Majesty is awake."
Emperor Chongzhao said: "You are really from the previous dynasty."
Concubine Yi: "Your Majesty, don't you think it's redundant to ask this question now?"
Emperor Chongzhao still couldn't believe what he heard from Zhiyi: "Zhang Fanming of the Astronomy Department was under your instructions, and Tang Yisu is also your man."
Concubine Yi was too lazy to answer: "Since His Royal Highness Prince Yong has a craftsman who can decipher the hidden characters, go find them yourself and see how many you can find."
She dealt with these two sentences before looking at the Fourth Prince.
The dripping blood dyed the ground red. Concubine Yi walked over slowly, and Qu Dubian said, "Stop!"
Concubine Yi: "Your sword has cut off the thoughts of all those who are hiding in the dark and want to restore the country."
If the Fourth Prince was still alive after this incident, and his identity as a royal family of the previous dynasty spread, I wonder if the old clans who had already quietly submitted to the Great Zhou would become restless.
In Concubine Yi's view, his knife strike seemed both cowardly and decisive.
The fourth prince was still apologizing: "I'm sorry, mother."
Concubine Yi: "There's nothing to be sorry about."
It's just that there is no hope of restoring the country. The original Ling royal family was not dead, but it is now dead.
Concubine Yi walked past the Fourth Prince, who subconsciously grabbed the hem of her clothes but failed.
The hem of the dress slid past him and stopped in front of the Zi Chen Palace.
She dropped something in her hand, and a tiny flame ignited outside the Zichen Palace.
Almost instantly, a circle of scorching fire formed around her.
Wood catches fire, and fire burns brighter when it meets wood.
Emperor Chongzhao, who originally wanted to ask her many questions, was quickly pulled away and taken to the bottom of the stairs.
Inside the Zichen Palace, Eunuch Yu was dragged out from the side door by Yi Twelve, crawling and tumbling.
Concubine Yi danced a national mourning song in the flames.
The fire was reflected in the Fourth Prince's eyes, and the light in his eyes gradually went out.
He fell completely into Qu Dubian's arms, his eyes slowly closed, tears streaming down his temples.
"it's over……"
"I'm sorry." This sentence was said to Qu Watanabe.
Qu Duanbian said over and over again: "Brother, you have never been wrong. I have never blamed you."
The Fourth Prince: "Xiao Qi, I'm so sleepy. Be my pillow for a while."
Qu Dubian's tears fell on the Fourth Prince's forehead. He pressed the Fourth Prince's pulse with one hand and slowly injected his inner strength. He raised his other hand and wiped the blood off the Fourth Prince's face. "...Okay, Fourth Brother, go to sleep. When you wake up, you won't remember anything."
The fire in the Purple Palace was put out.
Gray smoke spread across the sky.
The fire of national restoration that spanned several decades has left only ashes in the national tragedy.
The high walls of red bricks and yellow tiles once again recorded a historic struggle for imperial power.
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