Chapter 329 Tian Family
Commander Zhang pointed his sword at Emperor Tai'an, with a desperate madness: "Tell your people to retreat and let us out of the palace!"
Even if surrounded by elite imperial guards armed with bows and crossbows, there is still a chance to escape with the emperor in hand.
As long as you escape from the palace and the capital, there is a way to survive.
"Commander Zhang, have you missed your family?" asked Commander Yang.
Commander Zhang's eyes flashed with pain, and his voice became colder and harder: "Stop talking nonsense and get out of the way!"
At this point, he had no time to care about his family. Fortunately, he sent one of his sons to the south in advance, so at least a trace of his bloodline was preserved.
"Commander Zhang is truly cruel."
Commander Zhang sneered, "Even if I release the emperor, will that absolve me of my guilt? Stop talking nonsense and get out of the way!"
Commander Yang's eyes blazed as he swept over the people following Commander Zhang. "What about you? Are you also going to follow Zhang Ze into this dead end? Lay down your swords and confess your crimes now. The Emperor will be merciful and at least spare your families from the crimes of those of you who have been deceived and bewitched. However, if you continue to rebel with Zhang Ze, your crime will be unforgivable."
These words made the imperial guards following Commander Zhang look at each other in confusion, their minds in turmoil.
Commander Zhang, worried his men might be persuaded, shouted, "Don't listen to his empty promises. If we lay down our weapons and confess, we'll be dead! The Emperor is in our hands now. If we work together, we can definitely escape!"
"Really?" A deep voice pierced through the inky night and fell into Commander Zhang's ears.
Commander Zhang was stunned.
The voice was so familiar, so majestic, just like the voice he had heard countless times.
He lowered his head sharply and looked at Emperor Tai'an in his hands.
Emperor Tai'an lowered his head weakly, looking like he was terminally ill.
The emperor is still in his hands!
After confirming the situation, Commander Zhang should have breathed a sigh of relief, but he instinctively felt a strong sense of unease.
This uneasiness reached its peak when he saw that serious face in the light of the torch.
"Your Majesty?" He lowered his head in surprise and checked the hostage in his hand again. What he saw was clearly the seriously ill emperor.
There was a commotion among those following Commander Zhang.
How could there be two emperors?
Emperor Tai'an stood still, flanked by Commanders Yang and Li. In the firelight, the emperor's face was clearly visible. Though ill-at-ease, his spirit was unmatched by that of someone controlled by Commander Zhang.
"What on earth is going on?" Commander Zhang was confused.
Commander Yang sneered: "Zhang Ze, open your eyes and see clearly, this is the emperor!"
"Impossible, what about him?" Commander Zhang pushed the hostage in his hand forward and opened his eyes wide to look in the light of the lamp.
It was a face exactly like Emperor Tai'an's - no, there was a slight difference. This face was lifeless and extremely thin. He thought this difference was due to the fact that he was so thin that he looked unrecognizable.
"Cough, cough, cough." The man held by Commander Zhang suddenly coughed twice, raised his half-lowered head, and stared at him. "Want to know who I am?"
Commander Zhang's pupils trembled violently.
It has changed, the voice has changed!
No, this person didn’t talk much before!
The voice sounded familiar to him, but he was so shocked that his mind went blank and he couldn't remember who the voice belonged to.
Before everyone could remain confused for too long, the man raised his hand and pulled off the mask, which was as thin as a cicada's wing.
Using such brute force to pull the mask off caused considerable damage to his skin, but he seemed unconscious and didn't even frown.
"Eunuch Wang!" many people blurted out.
Commander Zhang was also shocked.
The person they had always regarded as the emperor turned out to be the eunuch Wang He who had suddenly fallen ill a few days ago!
Looking at Wang He's height and facial features, which were almost the same as Emperor Tai'an's, Commander Zhang completely understood.
Ever since the news spread that the eunuch Wang He, who held the imperial seal, had contracted a serious illness, it was not Emperor Tai'an but Wang He who lay on the sickbed in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
From the very beginning, this was a trap, and now they are all trapped in the trap!
After realizing this, Commander Zhang turned pale and was filled with despair.
"Aren't you going to plead guilty yet?" Emperor Tai'an asked expressionlessly.
The question sounded casual, but it was like a huge rock falling on the hearts of the rebels.
They looked at each other, and someone loosened his grip and the long sword fell to the ground.
The floor tiles were cold and hard, making a crisp sound.
The sound of the collision seemed to break through some shackles, and soon there was a clanging sound, and the imperial guards rushed to drop their weapons.
Commander Zhang knew that the game was over and his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
The eunuch Wang He, who had been holding the seal, staggered and fell to one side. Someone immediately supported him and brought him to Emperor Tai'an.
"Your Majesty..." Wang He saluted with difficulty, but was stopped by Emperor Tai'an, who ordered someone to send him to see the imperial physician.
The night wind grew stronger, cutting people's faces like a cold knife. The rebellious imperial guards knelt in a black mass, and the scene was filled with a suffocating silence for a moment.
In this silence, Emperor Tai'an looked at Prince Ping, who was stunned.
"I didn't expect that meeting Big Brother again would be like this."
Prince Ping woke up as if from a dream and pointed at Emperor Tai'an: "You, you even plotted against my mother!"
A look of sadness appeared on Emperor Tai'an's face, and he said calmly, "I'm just sick."
When he was sick, all kinds of evil spirits came out, and even his mother could not bear it anymore.
It is said that there are no fathers and sons in heaven, but in fact it is even more cruel. Not only are there no fathers and sons in heaven, there are no mothers and sons either.
At this point, Prince Ping knew he had no chance of survival. With a twisted face, he glared at Emperor Tai'an, "Your eldest son was deposed, and your newborn son is so sickly I'm afraid he won't survive. Even with this, you'd rather adopt other sons and nephews, and never considered returning the throne to me. How could you be so selfish and cruel!"
Emperor Tai'an suddenly lost interest in the conversation and waved his hand, saying, "Capture Prince Ping!"
A group of imperial guards surrounded him, and Prince Ping struggled and shouted, "Let me go! I am the emperor, I am the true emperor!"
Emperor Tai'an closed his eyes, turned around and walked out, and met Concubine Zhuang who was rushing over.
"Your Majesty, what happened?" In the night, Concubine Zhuang looked anxious, and she didn't even tie her cloak properly.
Seeing it was Concubine Zhuang, Emperor Tai'an's expression softened: "Did my beloved Concubine hear the noise?"
"The little prince suddenly started crying, and a eunuch from Yungui Palace went to Yuhe Palace to ask for instructions from me. On the way, he discovered a group of imperial guards..." Concubine Zhuang realized it belatedly, "Your Majesty, are you sick--"
"We'll talk about this later. You should return to Yuhe Palace first." Emperor Tai'an hesitated for a moment. "Send someone to Yungui Palace to check. If there's anything wrong with the little prince, call the imperial physician."
"Yeah." Concubine Zhuang was half nervous and half relieved, and hurried away with full of doubts.
Emperor Tai'an stood quietly for a moment, then walked towards a palace.
In fact, his illness had not yet been cured, and the palace was so big and so dark that it took him an unknown amount of time to finally reach the destination.
That is the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
The palace guards at the gate bowed to the emperor when they saw him coming. Some were secretly nervous, while others knew what was going on.
Even the pitifully thin moon in the sky had disappeared, and everything was pitch black.
The nanny beside the Queen Mother came out and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother invites you in."
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