"The first to strike is the strongest, the last to strike will suffer. Father truly understands this rule." Xiao Tang looked towards the palace through the countless torches. "But who will strike first and who will strike last is really uncertain. General, are you not afraid of the palace being lost if you stay here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the direction of the palace, which was originally pitch black, seemed to be illuminated by something, and the light directly broke through the night of the capital.
For there to be such a light, something big must have happened.
"Your Majesty!" The leader of the Royal Guards wanted to ride his horse, but when he turned his troops around, he found that he had been surrounded by countless soldiers with swords. Those who wanted to break through were directly cut down from their horses.
There were a few clattering sounds of horse hooves, and a general in silver armor rode a tall horse to the gate of the Prince's Mansion. When he bent down and stretched out his hand, Xiao Tang's eyes were taken away by him. He had imagined his grace on the battlefield, and today he could already get a glimpse of it through this armor.
"Your Highness, it's time to enter the palace." Lin Su said.
Xiao Tang placed his hand on it, and following the force, he flew in front of his horse. Lin Su spurred on his horse, and the leader of the Imperial Guards was so shocked that he lost his mind: "Your Highness, are you also plotting rebellion?"
"So what?" Lin Su pulled the reins and looked at him, "Get out of the way. The palace is hopeless. It doesn't matter if you die, but what about those soldiers?"
The leader of the Royal Guards breathed tremblingly, but he pulled his horse to the side. Lin Su kicked the horse's belly, and the sound of horse hooves made the horse gallop towards the palace wall.
The night in the palace was actually very quiet, at least it was very quiet in the past when things were peaceful. But tonight the lights were on, and the streets were occupied by soldiers. Some people were collecting the bodies of the dead and running all the way. The cool breeze finally blew away the bloody smell.
Lin Su dismounted and helped Xiao Tang down. He didn't rush into the heavily guarded hall, but turned to look at the body being carried away: "I wanted to end this without bloodshed."
"If you don't kill him, he will kill you." Lin Su pressed his shoulders and said.
Emperor Chengdi of the Ming Dynasty was the emperor for many years. Although he was sometimes foolish and incompetent, he still had many loyal people supporting him. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism was the thinking of that era. Regardless of whether it was blind loyalty or not, loyalty was the most commendable and also the most fatal one.
Xiao Tang is the general trend, but there are still people standing on the side of Ming Chengdi. They want to seize the initiative, so they have to get rid of those who stand in their way.
Xiao Tang looked at him and said, "Help me settle their families."
"This is inevitable, go in." Lin Su said.
Xiao Tang lifted his skirt and stepped onto the steps leading to the palace. The room was bright yellow, and the air was filled with the scent of ambergris. The palace was empty, save for the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.
The emperor's Twelve Yu Liu Crowns were usually only worn when attending court, but the emperor sitting on the throne was dressed in an extremely solemn manner. When Xiao Tang walked over, he said, "You're here."
"May your Majesty be well and safe." Xiao Tang saluted him.
Emperor Ming Cheng looked down at him and chuckled softly, "My son has truly grown up. He's so calm now, even better than when I was young. I feigned illness for years just to plot the throne. I'm no match for him."
"Your Majesty is wrong. I have not been pretending for many years. I am really sick and unable to walk. When I was six years old, I swam in the icy lake, which really damaged my foundation." After paying his respects, Xiao Tang climbed the steps and walked in front of him, sitting directly on the extremely spacious dragon throne, as if the father and son were going to have a long talk.
Perhaps because the outcome was already decided, Xiao Tang's heart was now calm and composed towards his father, with whom he had been extremely disappointed.
But even though Emperor Mingcheng knew the outcome was certain, his arms still trembled at his actions: "You are not the emperor yet? Without my will, you will only be a traitor who steals the country."
"Father, I told you I once lingered on in this world, yet you didn't care at all?" Xiao Tang chuckled. "That's right, Father, you've always only cared about the throne. So what if I stole the country? So what if the history books record a minister murdering the emperor and seizing the throne? It's just a posthumous reputation. I've done things with a clear conscience, so I'll leave it to future generations to judge."
"Since you are barely alive, how can you stand in front of me so healthily now? Do you think I will believe you?" Emperor Ming Cheng said.
"It was Lin Su who cured me. I once thought I wouldn't live long, counting the days to the minute. I never imagined I'd find myself in such a predicament." Xiao Tang pulled his wrist, looking at his wrinkled hand. "Father, the only thing I'm grateful to you for is that you gave me Lin Su."
Emperor Mingcheng was frightened by his actions and trembled. He gritted his teeth and said, "The thing I regret most is giving him to you."
"Father, there's no point in regretting this matter. Lin Su is a very smart man. He naturally understands your temperament and style of doing things thoroughly. There's no reason why he can't get what he wants." Xiao Tang said with a smile.
"The people in the southwestern border hold great power and have been coveting the capital for a long time. Now you have invited a wolf into the house. It is easier to invite a Buddha than to send him away. Lin Su is a man of wolfish ambitions. Even if you ascend to the throne, I am afraid that he will control the government. Your end then may be worse than mine." Emperor Ming Cheng laughed a few times.
Xiao Tang didn't respond immediately. Instead, he studied his expression for a long moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Father claims to be in true love with the Empress Dowager. But have you ever truly trusted her? Have you ever believed her unconditionally in everything? I'm afraid not. You're just boasting about your deep affection. With the three harems and six courtyards, how can one person's sincerity be divided into so many parts? You don't understand. I don't blame you for not being able to comprehend the feelings between me and Lin Su."
"The royal family has no emotions, only the former dynasty and the harem are holding them back. My son is still young, and he actually believes in true love." Emperor Ming Cheng sneered, "Don't let it backfire on you one day."
Xiao Tang looked at him thoughtfully, "If I had known this would happen, I should have left the Empress Dowager and her son behind. If they were desperate, they would surely turn against my father. The Empress Dowager is an expert at poisoning, so my father wouldn't even notice and would have died in peace."
"You!" Emperor Ming Cheng looked at him angrily, "How could you be so vicious?"
"It was your father's indifference and indulgence that turned me into this." Xiao Tang's expression grew cold. "Your Majesty, your father was once a bastard's son. He knew full well that without your father's favor, a prince would be easily bullied and face a difficult situation. Yet, you still allowed them to harm my mother and destroy my foundation. You knew everything, yet from your high position, you watched me struggle in the mud without ever offering a helping hand. If I weren't so vicious, I wouldn't have survived even a single day in this palace."
He took Emperor Mingcheng's hand, placed it on his head, patted it twice, and then let it go. "In my heart, your father was once a man of great stature, the most heroic father in the world. I have hoped more than once that your father would pat me on the head and give me a few words of praise, which would have satisfied me. But wishes are always wishes, and now that I have received it, I realize it's nothing more than that."
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