Chapter 271 Break Out
After Li Yuanzhao castrated Chen Yanqing, Zheng Wenkai ordered all the doors and windows of the main hall of Xihe Palace to be sealed off and more troops to guard it, completely isolating it from the outside world.
Not only was no one allowed to enter or leave, but the daily food supply was also cut off.
He calculated clearly that as long as he survived the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne, it would be Li Yuanzhao's death day.
Therefore, at this final moment, no accidents can be allowed to happen.
On this day, after Zheng Wenkai "led" the officials and the eldest prince to Longwu Gate to announce the news to the world, the soldiers guarding outside Xihe Palace felt that the situation was settled and couldn't help but relax.
The leading general, Wang, leaned against a pillar in front of the hall, surrounded by several soldiers who flattered him.
"General Wang, if this succeeds, you will surely be highly meritorious, and a promotion will be just around the corner!" A soldier approached, his tone obsequious.
"It's still early. The new emperor hasn't ascended the throne yet. It's too early to talk about these things." General Wang said modestly, but he couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes.
He served in the Longwu Army for decades, but only managed to reach the rank of Lieutenant General.
Zheng Xinglang has promised him that as soon as the new emperor ascends the throne, he will appoint him as the deputy general of the Dragon Martial Army.
That was the position he had longed for half his life...
"It's not early at all!" another round-faced soldier hurriedly said, "As soon as the Crown Prince ascends the throne tomorrow and that person inside dies, Prime Minister Zheng will definitely not forget your contributions! When you rise to prominence, don't forget us brothers who have followed you through thick and thin!"
"That's right, that's right! You'll have to give us a lot of help when the time comes!" The others chimed in.
Lieutenant General Wang was in high spirits after being coaxed into doing so, and laughed loudly, "Don't worry! As long as we hold this last line of defense, you'll definitely get your share of the rewards!"
As they were talking, one of the soldiers suddenly sniffed: "What's that smell?"
Everyone then became alert, stopped talking, and sniffed hard.
Sure enough, a faint smell of burning was drifting over on the wind, and it was getting stronger and stronger.
General Wang's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly stood up straight and looked up into the hall.
He should have looked away, because once he did, he was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
Thick black smoke was seen rising from the carved window lattice inside the hall. The smoke column grew thicker and thicker, and the flickering flames could even be vaguely seen!
A soldier shouted in alarm, "Fire! The palace is on fire!"
The others panicked as well.
"What do we do, Captain? The Emperor is still inside!"
"If she were burned to death, what would happen to Prime Minister Zheng..."
General Wang's expression changed drastically as he watched the fire grow ever stronger.
Zheng Wenkai gave him a strict order to keep a close eye on Li Yuanzhao and not to make any mistakes.
But if Li Yuanzhao were to be burned to death in the palace now, even if it were an accident, he would still be held responsible.
Moreover, if the fire were to spread and endanger the entire palace, he would likely lose his head...
"Quickly! What are you all standing there for! Quickly fetch water to put out the fire!" he hurriedly ordered.
But just after shouting, he suddenly realized that all the doors of Xihe Palace were sealed with heavy iron bolts, and hurriedly said, "Quickly break open the doors and windows and rescue the people first!"
The soldiers panicked and scattered to find buckets and axes.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
The smoke grew thicker and thicker, and the flames had already licked the glazed tiles on the roof of the palace. The crackling sound of the burning could be heard from a great distance.
A group of soldiers chopped at the iron gate with axes for a long time, but they still couldn't break the bolt.
General Wang was extremely anxious. He snatched the axe from the soldier's hand and took matters into his own hands.
While chopping, he yelled at the people next to him, "What are you standing here for? Hurry up and fetch some water! If the people in here are gone, we're all doomed!"
The people next to him were startled by his shout and quickly followed the rest of the group to fetch water and put out the fire.
After dozens of chops, a crisp "clang" was finally heard, and the iron bolt was finally broken.
General Wang, panting heavily, kicked open the heavy palace door.
A plume of scalding hot smoke instantly rushed towards him, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly. The room was filled with thick smoke, making it impossible to see anything.
He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and groped his way into the house.
But after searching around, they couldn't find a single person.
He instantly realized something was wrong. Where had everyone gone? And how could something that was perfectly fine have caught fire?
Could it be...?
Before he could react, something hard hit him hard on the back of the neck.
Before he could even utter a sound, everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground.
Amidst the thick smoke, Li Yuanzhao slowly emerged from behind the palace gate.
She covered her mouth and nose with a wet towel with one hand, while holding onto half of the broken table leg with the other.
After seeing the man fall, she deftly stripped off his military uniform and put it on herself, then kicked him into the blazing fire.
He then walked calmly out of the palace without glancing at the burning body again.
As soon as she stepped out the door, a loud bang came from behind her.
One of the main beams of Xihe Palace collapsed.
"Fire! Help!"
"Water! Quickly, bring water!"
The scene became even more chaotic. Everyone was in a hurry to put out the fire, and even though they saw "him", they didn't notice anything unusual.
Li Yuanzhao thus disappeared silently right under the noses of hundreds of Longwu soldiers.
When Ru Mo arrived with his troops, they could see flames shooting into the sky from the direction of Xihe Palace.
She instantly realized that the fire must have been His Majesty's doing!
He hurriedly led his men toward this place, and on the way, he unexpectedly encountered Li Yuanzhao.
Li Yuanzhao was covered in soot, his hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in dust, a rare sight of him in such a sorry state.
"Your Majesty!" Ru Mo's eyes welled up with tears, and he immediately knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue and deserve to die!"
The soldiers behind him also knelt down in unison.
Li Yuanzhao pulled off the veil covering his face. "Get up."
Her gaze swept over the group of fully armed female soldiers behind Ru Mo. "Where are the others? Is everything arranged?"
"Your Majesty, everything is arranged!" Ru Mo stood up. "The Imperial Guards have assembled at the West Palace Gate, and the families of all the officials have been brought under our control. They are ready to act at Your Majesty's command."
Perhaps because the Imperial Guard only had 10,000 soldiers, half of whom were women, Zheng Wenkai thought this force was far less worthy of fear than the 50,000 Imperial Guards.
He thought that as long as he controlled the Imperial Guards, these Golden Guards wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
He was completely unaware that in the past three days, the Jinwu Guard's defenses had quietly covered the entire outer perimeter of the imperial city.
Even the families of officials were arrested.
Li Yuanzhao knew these court officials all too well. Most of them were sycophants who talked about "loyalty to the emperor and love for the country" all day long, but in reality, they were all two-faced. They would turn to whoever had the best chance of winning, just like reeds in the wind.
Throughout history, compared to those loyal subjects who would rather die than submit, those who were shrewd and ambivalent were often the ones who lived the longest and prospered the most.
After all, the truly loyal and virtuous had already died by the enemy's sword.
Besides, she was a woman they didn't really approve of deep down.
Therefore, instead of pinning our hopes on their "loyalty to the emperor and love for the country," it is better to directly exploit their weaknesses.
So she made arrangements long ago that if something happened to her, the relatives of these court officials would not be able to escape either.
If she dies, then all of them, those who followed Zheng Wenkai in the rebellion, will have to be buried with her!
Li Yuanzhao narrowed his eyes slightly. "What about the Imperial Guards?"
Ru Mo's expression hardened: "It has already been arranged. As soon as General Shen makes any unusual moves, our people will immediately kill him and take over the Imperial Guard."
A faint smile finally appeared on Li Yuanzhao's lips, but it carried a hint of imperial indifference.
From the moment she entered the imperial court, she knew that there would be no shortage of people who wanted her dead.
Therefore, she has never liked to put all her bets on one thing, and she will never fully trust anyone.
Even with Shen Churong, this "younger brother" who seems to have nothing but her heart and soul, she still has to have a backup plan.
Although the Imperial Guards were placed under the command of Shen Churong, she had already planted spies within them.
No matter what reason Shen Churong might have for betraying her, she would never show him any mercy.
Ru Mo's tone suddenly turned heavy, "But... we just received an urgent report that Imperial Uncle Shen... committed suicide in front of the Longwu Gate to show his resolve. General Shen, witnessing his father's tragic death, is heartbroken and has already led the main force of the Imperial Guards to prepare for a strong attack on the Longwu Gate!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao's gaze faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his usual composure.
She wiped the soot from her face and took the longsword from the soldier beside her. "In that case..."
"Then follow me and fight your way out!"
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