Chapter 136
In an inconspicuous backyard in an inconspicuous alley in Kyoto, several burly men surrounded a thin scholar sitting at a stone table. The scholar, wearing a hood, took a sip of cold wine, as if it could drive away all weariness and complicated emotions.
He exhaled softly through his nose and said, "Go, open the city gates."
Many shadowy figures emerged from the alleys of Kyoto. They usually hid in the streets and alleys, but now the exciting moment had arrived. Like wolves among sheep, they attacked anyone who passed by.
The night watchman had just raised the small stick he was using to strike the gong and stared dumbfounded at the newcomer when his head rolled to the ground.
These shadowy figures, burdened by the pain of their nation's destruction for many years and harboring deep hatred for the Kingdom of Namo, finally had their moment to vent.
The doors of ordinary people's houses were kicked open, men were killed, and women were dragged away. Just as the Kingdom of Namo had trampled on their subjects, now it was time to retaliate in kind... War is always like this, killing and killing, but the people at the bottom never understand the reason.
Tan Bi led 30,000 imperial guards toward the palace, unaware that the people of the capital were being slaughtered.
The officer guarding the city, clad in armor and armed with weapons, stood atop the city walls. He looked down at the dark mass of troops, his heart filled with apprehension.
"Where did these people come from?" he asked his lieutenant.
The deputy general also shook his head, not knowing.
"Keep a tight watch on every corner, and don't let a single person in!" the officer ordered.
"yes!"
But no sooner had he finished speaking than a reply came from behind him, along with another sound that was both strange and familiar—the sound of a knife cutting flesh. Then, a cold blade was pressed against his neck.
He uttered the word "you," and his throat was slit...
The heavy city gates creaked open, and an army bearing the banner of "Su" marched into the capital. They then split into two groups: one headed straight for the palace, while the other group divided into smaller squads and spread into the capital like earthworms.
Just as the emperor's brother-in-law, Han Sizhong, sent someone to inform the officers guarding the city to hold the gates, a messenger came running in, scrambling around: "The...the city gates are open..."
Han Sizhong's previously calm expression finally revealed a more obvious panic as he looked up at Princess Yuanzhao standing by the door.
The eldest princess did not turn around; she stared fixedly at the bright moon in the sky, seemingly unmoved by any news coming from outside.
"You didn't order them to be let in, did you?" Han Sizhong now suspected that this princess had completely betrayed the crown prince. Everything she had done was to lure him into a trap, make him give the order, and then let the Prince of Ning'an's men in to rescue the emperor, so that everything would fall into place naturally...
Yuan Zhao was taken aback by these words, then lowered his head and smiled, turning back to look at Han Sizhong: "Does the Imperial Brother-in-law distrust me so much?"
Han Sizhong narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the woman whose face clearly showed schadenfreude. He shouted, "Han Yao, hurry up and send me a message to the nearest garrison in the east of the city, asking General Zhang to come into the city to rescue the emperor!"
"Yes!" a voice answered loudly from outside the door.
They had only taken a few steps when the sound of arrows whistling through the courtyard filled the air. One of them landed not far in front of Yuan Zhao, its fletching still trembling slightly. If Han Sizhong weren't a fat man, he would have gotten up by now, but he couldn't. So he just stood there, frowning, looking remarkably calm to outsiders.
"What happened?" he asked.
Soon, the sounds of fighting came from outside.
"Master, someone is breaking down the door!" the old butler exclaimed in a trembling voice.
Han Sizhong looked at Yuan Zhao again, and finally, in a fit of anger, stood up and ordered, "Take her down."
The old butler came over to help him up, and just as Uncle Han straightened his bulky body, they heard heavy, rapid footsteps coming from the doorway...
The Emperor's brother's residence is in chaos.
The maids fled, the servants carried gold and silver as they ran, and their masters were all killed with a single blow. What hope did they have left? If they didn't seize the opportunity to grab something to protect themselves and escape, they would all perish along with the Imperial Uncle's mansion and be killed.
Yuan Zhao was dressed very simply when she arrived. She pulled up her hood, went to the backyard, and then blended into the chaotic crowd.
Just as she was about to walk to the side gate of the backyard to go out, someone blocked her way.
Upon seeing who it was, she was pleasantly surprised and put down her hood, saying, "Good thing you've come. Let's go."
However, Bai Yiqing stood in front of her without moving.
Yuan Zhao noticed his expression, chuckled, and asked, "What's wrong?" She was calculating others and the political situation, but she had no idea what her usually stern son was thinking.
Bai Yiqing, dressed in black with snow-white skin and dark, inky eyes, stepped forward and said, "Forgive me, Mother."
With a swift stroke, Princess Yuanzhao collapsed softly into her son's arms.
Bai Yiqing carried the person out through the back door.
***
The Imperial Guard stormed into the capital, their dark ranks filling the long corridors. After years of silence, the place was once again engulfed in bloodshed.
Suddenly, at the very front of the procession, a dark figure fell from the high city wall, landing on the ground with a dull thud.
It's one person.
Tan Bi pulled on the reins to stop the horse, and the people behind him also stopped.
The person in front fell as if he were a cotton sack, so there was no blood splattering. But judging from the fabric of his clothes, Tan Bi had already guessed what had happened.
He looked up, his brows furrowed. On the city wall, the arrows of the Imperial Guards were aimed down. The commander of the Imperial Guards stepped forward from behind and shouted, "The Crown Prince has dared to rebel and attempt to assassinate the emperor and seize the throne. He has been executed by imperial decree! The emperor is unharmed. If you have come to rescue the emperor, then leave the imperial city. If you go any further, you will be considered accomplices of the rebels and your entire family will be executed!"
An uneasy commotion arose in the crowd, but after the commotion subsided, no one dared to make a move and all looked toward the commander at the front of the group.
Then Tan Bi shouted, "I think you are the real traitors! You think you can fool my Imperial Guards by just throwing away a corpse? Do you think I, Tan Bi, am blind? Issue my order! The Imperial Guards, instigated by Prince Ning'an, are plotting a rebellion. The Emperor is in imminent danger. Whoever kills the traitors will be rewarded handsomely!"
"Tan Bi, you're a smooth talker who's twisting the truth! Can you all see clearly who's lying on the ground?!" the Imperial Guard commander shouted angrily.
However, not only were there few people in the Imperial Guards who had seen the Crown Prince up close, but now, in the dark, with Zhao Bing's body covered in blood and the dead looking different from the living, no one knew whether the person lying in front of the corpse was the real Crown Prince.
"I'm talking nonsense? The Crown Prince is a noblewoman, and he has been heavily guarded in the Eastern Palace. How could he rebel without any military power?!" Tan Bi remained calm, his voice low and firm. "You are the traitors and rebels. How dare you stop me from rescuing the Emperor?" He spurred his horse forward, ready to charge ahead.
"Imperial Guards, heed my command! Follow me into the palace to rescue the Emperor!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the chief of the Imperial Guards on the city wall gritted his teeth and cursed, signaling for the arrows to be fired.
The Imperial Guards were far inferior in equipment and numbers to the Imperial Army. If the Imperial Army wanted to rebel, they would be unable to hold out for long unless reinforcements from outside the city arrived in time. Several volleys of arrows fell, but they did not weaken the enemy. The dark mass of people, with the clatter of armor, rushed towards the palace.
The commander of the Imperial Guards clenched his fist in frustration, then led his trusted men down the city wall to engage in close combat.
Although Xie Sui'an has not been with the palace for long, he has been trained by famous teachers since childhood, has a good family background and solid martial arts skills. After entering the palace, he was highly valued by the emperor and was given important responsibilities. Therefore, he felt it was his duty to fight desperately, which had nothing to do with his current official rank.
He shared the same goal as the commander: to capture the leader first. Once Tan Bi was captured, it would be much easier to persuade the remaining ignorant Imperial Guards.
However, Tan Bi had been through many years of military training and was in excellent physical condition. He also had a high talent for martial arts. Xie Suian and the others took turns holding him back, and they were kicked away after only a few rounds.
He knew he couldn't win, but he could stall for time, so after landing, he rolled on the spot and charged forward again.
On the other side, Qin Sang went towards the direction of the emperor's palace, because the Prince of Ning'an's letter had also given her another map. On the map, a place was marked in red. It was a palace garden that was once extremely prosperous, but later became a taboo for the palace women of this dynasty—the Southern Garden.
It was the former residence of the mother of Prince Su.
—If anything happens in the palace, take the emperor here.
The emperor was half asleep when his personal eunuch shook him awake: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards have stormed in."
"Weren't all those rebellious sons killed?" He rubbed his forehead, feeling a little dizzy.
"But things have gotten chaotic up ahead, Your Majesty. Look... let's hurry. The Imperial Guards are after you. We need to get out of here first and wait for reinforcements."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please come out quickly! The Imperial Guards are about to attack! I'll take you out to hide!"
Qin Sang's loud voice rang out outside the hall, finally waking the emperor from his drowsiness: "Who is making such a racket outside the hall?"
The chief eunuch reported, "Your Majesty, it is Qin Sang, the future princess consort of Prince Ning'an. Your Majesty summoned her to the palace some time ago..."
The Emperor remembered that he had pretended to use an imperial edict to bring her into the palace because Prince Ning'an said that this woman was highly skilled in martial arts, clever and intelligent, and might be of great use tonight.
"She escaped safely from the Crown Prince's palace?" The old emperor was somewhat surprised.
"Yes. He was covered in blood, but in my opinion, he wasn't injured."
"Where did she say she would take me?"
"This...this old servant doesn't know either..."
He slowly rose, letting the palace maids come up to help him change his clothes, and sighed, "Who could have imagined that in the end it would be him, that it would all end up like him. Years ago, I thought I had too many karmic entanglements in this life, that I would never have a decent prince again, but I never expected... He has suffered so much."
"Yes, Consort Xian endured hardship and forbearance, and Prince Ning'an even pretended to be crazy and foolish, managing to escape the hunt by the Crown Prince... ugh, the former Crown Prince and the former Empress. It was truly not easy for them to survive."
The Emperor sighed again: "It is my fault for being so foolish. I have let them down, and I have let down many other people."
The chief eunuch bowed as he helped the emperor put on his boots: “But Your Majesty has always treated the people kindly and had the world in your heart. You have only been deceived by treacherous people.”
The emperor, dressed neatly and draped in a thick cloak, followed the chief eunuch to the palace entrance.
Opening the door, the late autumn night was exceptionally cold, a cool breeze rushed in, and dark clouds drifted in from the sky, obscuring the moonlight.
The old emperor looked down and saw Qin Sang.
He couldn't say it in front of the Empress and the others that day, but this girl really does look like her grandfather. Seeing her makes one feel both warm and guilty.
He knew she was alive, of course; he allowed her to live, and he allowed Xie Zhongxu to do these things right under his nose.
But I never imagined that this day would come. I wonder if it was some kind of preordained arrangement.
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