Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Palace coup.
Xue Yuanyin walked out of Zhu Yue Palace, leaving only the short blade on her body, and handed the bundle to Fuzhu who was waiting on the roadside, asking her to take the pen, ink, paper and inkstone back home.
Immediately, she used her Qinggong skills and ran towards the direction of the palace. Along the way, she could faintly feel the presence of soldiers ambushing in the woods.
When she heard that the post of the chief priest fell on the prince, she knew that the winter sacrifice ceremony would not go as smoothly as Prince Yu and his faction had expected, and something must have gone wrong.
The closer she got to the palace, the more she could sense the profound inner energy lingering nearby. She knew that the palace coup was finally coming.
I just don’t know who is the mantis and who is the oriole.
The moon is high in the sky and the night is deep.
Xue Yuanyin stopped at the entrance of Xihua Gate, looked up at the magnificent and solemn palace in the dark night ahead, and saw the secret signal given by Xue Chang's deputy at the West Palace Gate. He tightened the short blade in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief.
She walked closer, handed over the command to her deputy, and stood guard at Xihua Gate.
The deputy said with a stern expression:
"I'm going to the palace to assist the Marquis and His Royal Highness Prince Yu. Tonight, Prince Yu is using his soldiers to force the emperor to alter the edict appointing the crown prince. This is a desperate move; victory is inevitable. Since Prince Yu and the Marquis have assigned Miss Xue to guard the all-important Xihua Gate, please show your true abilities! Once His Royal Highness Prince Yu succeeds, all the capital's troops will be led to the Donghua Gate, and Young Master Gao will secretly come from the Donghua Gate to meet you at the Ximen Gate."
As he finished speaking, he heard a distant bell ringing in the imperial city.
"when--"
The ringing of the midnight bell echoed in the dull night. In an instant, the sound of fighting and shouting could be heard faintly from the palace.
Xue Yuanyin nodded to his deputy and responded slowly and reverently:
"I know."
The deputy nodded slightly, picked up the sword and quickly entered the palace, gradually disappearing into the night.
Xue Yuanyin counted the soldiers left by her deputy, turned around, and stood guard in front of Xihua Gate, looking at the helmet tassels hidden in the distance in the darkness.
Xihua Gate seemed to be occupied by their people, but she knew that the enemy was just hiding in secret and had not come to kill them for the time being.
The emperor was bedridden, his heart was full but his strength was limited, yet a considerable portion of the Eastern Palace's guards were under Zhang Jingxuan's command. He had never been a kind person.
When the time is right, the two sides will encircle and attack each other, and she and he will eventually draw their swords to fight.
-
Zhang Jingxuan came out of Zhuyue Palace and met up with several soldiers who came to look for him in the dark.
All the troops in the capital have now been transferred here. The Eastern Palace guards are responsible for protecting the prince to prevent assassination. Qin Fang leads the imperial guards to protect the emperor's safety, and at the same time, he has assigned the imperial guards to the palace to deal with Prince Yu's troops.
Of course, these manpower were far from enough, and the ones who came to join him were Duke Xuanping and his legitimate son, who were in charge of the capital's troops.
They cannot fall behind, but they cannot gain the upper hand too quickly either. They can only close the net when all the troops of Prince Yu are dispatched.
The arrangements for tonight had already been made with His Majesty before the ceremony began. Zhang Jingxuan took a shortcut outside the palace and walked south towards the Noon Gate while giving instructions:
"Please, my Lord, please dispatch three squads of guards from the capital's garrison. Lord Ning and Prince Ning, each of you will lead one squad into the palace and cooperate with the Northern Court's Imperial Guards to capture Gao Zhan and Xue Chang."
Gao Zhan was Gao Songlin's father and the backbone of Prince Yu's party.
Duke Xuanping nodded: "I understand."
Zhang Jingxuan bowed to him.
Duke Xuanping was a military general who controlled the entire capital's military forces. He was also the father-in-law of a princess who was a member of the royal family. He was a real member of the royal family. Leaving the task to him meant that Gao Zhan and Xue Chang had encountered a formidable opponent.
Ning Chu made a gesture, and the guards quickly split into three groups, in strict order. He looked at Zhang Jingxuan and said:
"How do we arrange for the other one?"
"Give me the troop mobilization order."
As Zhang Jingxuan hurried into the palace from the Noon Gate, he said, "The remaining palace soldiers will enter the palace and focus on encircling Prince Yu. Once he's captured, they will work together with the Eastern Palace guards to capture the rebels at the East and West Hua Gates."
After a pause, he added in a cold voice, "Send 70% of these people to Xihua Gate."
Ning Chu frowned. "Why do you want to focus on encircling Xihua Gate? Prince Yu entered the palace from Donghua Gate, and the Gao family has a large number of troops and is also guarding Donghua Gate."
"Don't worry about the Gao family and Gao Songlin. He will be unable to escape sooner or later."
Zhang Jingxuan paused and said, "The person guarding Xihua Gate and controlling the entrance and exit of the west gate for Prince Yu, if I'm not mistaken, should be Xue Yuanyin."
The Xue family is too close to His Royal Highness Prince Yu. I don’t know what kind of hidden people they hold, so we really have to be on guard.
Ning Chu understood, nodded slightly, turned around and led the dark mass of palace guards into the palace and disappeared into the night.
The dense mass of palace guards at the Noon Gate were quickly arranged. The deputy commander of the Crown Prince's personal guards stepped forward and said,
"Master Zhang, will you come with me to find His Highness, or will you enter the palace to arrest Prince Yu?"
Zhang Jingxuan glanced sideways and asked, "Where is His Highness?"
The deputy commander of the Crown Prince's personal guards bowed and replied, "In the Eastern Palace, the personal guards are always protecting us. We are very safe."
Zhang Jingxuan nodded slightly and said:
"Tell His Highness that I will not be returning to the East Palace. I want to go into the palace and to the watchtower."
Only from there can one clearly see the deployment of troops in the entire palace, making it convenient to command the four palace gates.
The deputy commander agreed and gave him a group of East Palace guards under his command to protect his safety tonight. Then he turned around and left alone to report back to the East Palace.
Zhang Jingxuan turned and entered the palace, then climbed up to the watchtower hidden in the pitch-black night.
He sat down in the watchtower and looked through the window of the high wall at Xihuamen, which was under siege.
In the dark night, the sharp short blade flashed a cold light as it swung, light and smooth, as if it could break through the night and shine into people's eyes.
His eyes were slightly dark, and his emotions were hard to discern.
This palace coup is a game. She wants to win, but how can he lose?
-
The night was pitch black, as if it had been splashed with ink.
The vermilion palace walls stand upright, and the pointed eaves extend diagonally into the night sky, blocking a corner of the view and making it hard to breathe.
Xue Yuanyin stood in front of Xihua Gate, watching the oncoming palace guards. The guards belonged to the Northern Yamen and were responsible for patrol duties. In other words, they were her first enemies.
She stared at the men in front of her and gripped the short blade tightly in her hand.
This group of guards is not large in number and is not the main force of the Beiya Guards. They are just appetizers to test them.
Prince Yu gave her a group of soldiers and guards here, but Xue Yuanyin did not intend to use them. They had to conserve their strength and wait to fight against the Jingjifu soldiers who would come to capture them later.
Xue Yuanyin looked around, but she didn't find Zhang Jingxuan here. She didn't know if he had any deeper plans or backup plans, so she probably wouldn't see him again.
But this is the best. She doesn't want to confront him, and it's better not to confront him to avoid embarrassment for both of them.
Xue Yuanyin collected his thoughts, walked to the front, and faced the small group of imperial guards.
The tug-of-war in this palace coup is about to begin. Whether she is facing the Imperial Guards or the Prince's Party, she will not show mercy.
She grasped the short blade and took the lead in facing several cold lights from the opposite side. The sharp blade force burst out with a swing of her wrist, making bursts of clanging sounds that made people dare not underestimate it.
The clanging sound of weapons clashing could be heard, and soon blood splattered all over the ground at the gate of Xihua Palace.
Xue Yuanyin's eyes were cold and his body was incredibly light. He kicked away the enemy next to him, turned around, deflected the sword tip that was approaching him with a knife, and stabbed the enemy in the heart with his backhand.
She slowly pulled her hand holding the knife handle out of his chest. The blade was cold and spurted out blood, which also splattered her skirt with blood.
Xue Yuanyin's arm shook slightly, and soon regained its composure.
From the moment she killed the guards, she embarked on a path of no return, and there was no turning back. She had already prepared herself mentally.
The leader of the Imperial Guards saw this and his expression changed slightly. He turned around and called a soldier to him and said:
"Hurry up and ask the Southern Court soldiers for support! Xue Ling is guarding Xihua Gate. Not only can we not get through, we will also be killed here!"
She looked slender, with a thin frame and seemingly little flesh on her body, but her martial arts skills were more advanced than they had imagined.
They are no match.
The soldier quickly agreed, broke away from the end of the team, and hurried into the darkness.
…
The bright moon hung high in the sky, shining through the window sills and illuminating the floor of the imperial palace.
Blood splattered on the floor of Fengtian Hall. Gao Zhan's body fell to the ground with his eyes wide open, as if he died with his eyes open.
Qin Fang stood guard at the palace gate, staring at the few remaining men fleeing in panic with a cold look in his eyes.
…
In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour passed. Xue Yuanyin was panting and looking at the heads scattered on the ground with an expressionless face. There was only silence and the smell of blood in the air.
She did not dare to kill all the imperial guards. She injured all those who could be injured. Those who resisted fiercely were stabbed through the chest with a knife, and their bodies lay on the ground of Xihuamen.
As long as they cannot enter the palace, His Royal Highness Prince Yu will not be restricted in the palace.
But Xue Yuanyin knew that the troops sent to capture them had not yet arrived, and the Jingji Prefecture soldiers were nowhere to be found. She had to guard Xihua Gate until news of Prince Yu's victory spread.
Xue Yuanyin looked towards the dark palace with worry. She could only hear the sounds of fighting inside. Screams and sounds of fighting could be faintly heard from the Fengtian Palace, but due to the distance, she could not hear what the distant noises were specifically about, and who had the upper hand.
It is not easy to tamper with the imperial edict. It is understandable that the Eastern Palace guards are protecting the prince, but where are the soldiers from the capital?
She had a bad feeling, but at the moment no news was the best news, and she had no choice but to trust the people inside.
Xue Yuanyin was about to turn around when he suddenly saw a man in armor running towards him quickly, followed by several soldiers under the control of the Xue family.
The figure was broad, with strong shoulders and back, and looked very familiar.
She saw his face clearly and said in disbelief, "Father? Why are you here?"
That person was Xue Chang. He stopped, his breath was uneven, his voice was heavy, he patted her shoulder and said:
"We have already taken control of the palace. His Highness Prince Yu is about to succeed. I urgently need to return to the palace to get the seal and then return to the palace. Remember to guard the Xihua Gate and don't let the Jingji Palace soldiers chase us out. Once His Highness succeeds and the situation is settled, Gao Songlin, who is guarding the Donghua Gate, will come to meet you."
Xue Yuanyin was overwhelmed by the huge surprise, and even felt that it was going a little too smoothly. "Are you serious? You're not trying to trick us, are you? You're trying to make us let our guard down."
Xue Chang's face turned slightly cold. "You don't understand the situation in the palace, so just believe what I say. If Gao Songlin doesn't show up, lead the soldiers behind you to find His Royal Highness Prince Yu. The Crown Prince and the kid from the Zhang family were caught off guard by our actions, so you need to stop them!"
Xue Yuanyin understood what he meant. He must have used treacherous means to tamper with the imperial edict, so her father and Prince Yu needed to be moved to a safe place. Before Zhang Jingxuan could react, they couldn't let them ruin the important matter.
She responded: "Father, I understand. Go quickly and don't delay."
Xue Chang nodded, looked at her deeply, and said in a rare slow voice, "Take care of yourself." Then he ran into the darkness outside the palace with several soldiers behind him and soon disappeared.
Xue Yuanyin let out a long breath. "Thank goodness, everything went smoothly."
The emperor was in poor health and out of reach, and Zhang Jingxuan and the Crown Prince were not omnipotent. This time, she had the upper hand. What she had to do next was to win the remaining battles and wait for Gao Songlin to arrive to provide support.
Soon, Xue Yuanyin saw the huge team of soldiers in silver-scale armor walking out of the palace in the dark night, and his expression changed slightly.
The capital's soldiers are divided into the Northern Court soldiers and the Southern Court soldiers. The Northern Court soldiers are the imperial guards, and now they are probably protecting the emperor and dealing with the troops brought into the palace by His Royal Highness Prince Yu.
The disciplined and well-trained soldiers in front of her were the Nan Yafu soldiers, and they came to capture her.
Xue Yuanyin clenched the short blade in her hand. The soldiers and guards behind her all looked as if they were facing an enemy. She could not show any fear, so she took a deep breath and took the lead to meet them.
The blade hit the leader's long sword with a buzzing sound. The man's arm shook, and the contempt in his eyes disappeared immediately. He took two steps back and hit again.
Xue Yuanyin pushed him back, the arc drawn by the blade shining with cold light.
Feeling a pair of eyes falling on him from far above, Xue Yuanyin looked up, but only saw the pointed eaves of the watchtower.
Is there anyone in there? Xue Yuanyin couldn't be sure, but she could vaguely guess who the person in the watchtower might be.
She raised her chin slightly, made a beautiful hairstyle, with contempt and arrogance in her eyes:
"As long as I'm here, don't even think about setting foot through Xihua Gate!"
It seemed as if he was speaking to the leader of the palace guards, and also as if he was provoking the people hiding in the watchtower through these people.
Xue Yuanyin knew that no matter what the outcome was or whether she had the confidence or not, when she stood in front, she had to be the most confident.
…
The air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Xue Yuanyin was panting, her face pale. The ground before her was littered with broken arms and legs, some from the Imperial Guards and some from her own people. She had already held out for half an hour longer than expected, but Gao Songlin hadn't arrived to help her at the agreed time.
Not only that, my father has been back home for too long, and there has been no news from the palace about Prince Yu's success.
She vaguely felt that something was wrong, and the feeling of unease in her heart grew stronger, but she did not show it on her face. She mechanically waved her arms, stabbing one guard before facing the next one.
However, more and more soldiers from the Southern Court came to Xihua Gate to encircle her. Xue Yuanyin and the few people behind her were forced into a corner. Her arms trembled slightly. Even though she was good at martial arts, she could not hold the knife anymore. Her chest and lungs ached with every breath.
She was already a little exhausted.
Xue Yuanyin wasn't even sure if she could wait for her own people to come and pick her up.
This strange feeling gradually spread in her heart until she noticed someone looking at her. She suddenly raised her eyes and saw through the layers of palace eaves and tiles a gentle and handsome figure climbing up the nearest watchtower, looking at her from afar in the dark night.
At the same time, the Eastern Palace soldiers also rushed to Xihua Gate and gradually surrounded the few remaining soldiers behind him.
When Xue Yuanyin saw this, his face suddenly turned pale.
Logically speaking, the Eastern Palace Guards should protect the Crown Prince at all times.
Unless there is a situation where they will leave the prince's side and come to surround her - the prince is safe.
His Royal Highness Prince Yu was defeated?
Then why didn't anyone send her a message?
Xue Yuanyin's doubts spread, and she raised her eyes to look at Zhang Jingxuan.
He stood on the watchtower, looking at her, and said softly, "His Royal Highness Prince Yu failed in his bid for the position of sacrificial officer at the Winter Sacrifice. He instinctively wanted to save his life, but he refused to accept the outcome and launched a desperate coup. His Majesty announced that the Northern Court Guards, the Twelve Southern Court Guards, and the Six Eastern Palace Guards would all be under the command of the Crown Prince. He had just captured Prince Yu's party members in the Fengtian Hall. Prince Yu wanted to seize the opportunity to escape and abandoned his carriage to save himself. His Majesty just announced that he was not feeling well, and starting tomorrow the Crown Prince would be the regent..."
Xue Yuanyin suddenly understood his subtext—
The Crown Prince has always been His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. What do you have to fight for? And why do you think you can win?
Xue Yuanyin swallowed the fishy taste in her throat, swung her sword and drove back the Eastern Palace soldiers who were about to capture her, a cold light flashing by.
She said stubbornly, "I will not be fooled by your words."
If she wants to give up, she has to wait for the signal from her own people. Otherwise, if they are trying to trick her and she believes them, won't the prince's party take advantage of her situation?
The leader of the Eastern Palace soldiers was driven back by her sword. His expression became more cautious, and his eyes showed admiration:
"As expected of the daughter of Marquis Qing'an, not only is she skilled in blade handling, but her martial arts are also graceful and elegant."
After a pause, he regained his cool expression and said, "It's a pity you're defeated right away! I don't want to tie up a woman, so just surrender."
Xue Yuanyin's chest heaved as he sneered, "You're dreaming."
On the watchtower, Zhang Jingxuan clutched the high stone wall in front of him, listening to familiar and unfamiliar voices behind him. There were the deputy commander of the Eastern Palace Guards, the commander of the Southern Court Guards, another aide to the Crown Prince, the eunuch sent by the Crown Prince to take over, and even the old ministers of the court who rushed to take charge of the situation.
He listened to the urging voices one after another with an expressionless face.
"Only the Xihua Palace Gate is still holding out, and their decline is obvious. We must seize this opportunity to put an end to it!"
"Now that Xue Ling has been dealt with, Prince Yu, who is now hiding in the palace, will have one less escape route through Xihua Gate. With Donghua Gate about to be taken, Prince Yu is like a caged beast, bound to fail. Master Zhang, as His Highness's closest vassal, why haven't you ordered his arrest? What are you waiting for?!"
"Master Zhang, Xue Ling has killed so many people and bears heavy responsibility. She cannot escape blame! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already issued an order. Xue Ling's martial arts skills are too great to be underestimated. It is imperative that she be captured. Don't be soft-hearted and make mistakes!"
“…”
Zhang Jingxuan pressed the wall so hard with his fingertips that it turned white, almost embedding into it.
He suddenly recalled the close breath he had felt with her in Zhuyue Palace two hours ago, the warmth of her body still lingering on his fingertips. Veins bulged on his forehead as he looked at the scene before him. He turned and growled,
"I know! No need for anyone to remind me!"
Everyone had never seen him so suppressed and angry, and they were speechless for a moment, and the air became slightly stagnant.
Zhang Jingxuan looked at the people behind him coldly, and slowly squeezed out a few words from his lips:
"No one is allowed to enter the sentry tower without a reason. Please leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will violate the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I will not intercede for you."
He turned his head and stared at the blood splattered on the ground of Xihuamen, and then slowly looked up at the shocking, mottled wounds on her body.
His gentle eyes were gradually stained with a thin layer of scarlet, and he shouted sternly: "Come here! Arrest her for me!"
This voice reached Xihua Gate, and Xue Yuanyin also heard his words. But she couldn't be caught by him, otherwise all her efforts would be in vain!
Seeing the huge crowd of palace soldiers approaching, she flashed a cold light with the blade in her hand and said in a cold voice: "Unless I die, I will not open the palace gate!"
"How good are they? Just because of a little bit of loyalty, they are worth your life!"
Zhang Jingxuan stared at her, his eyes filled with a fury she had never seen before. She froze in place, only to hear him speak word by word:
"Prince Yu is hiding in the palace, waiting for an opportunity to escape through your Xihua Gate, but Xue Chang has already abandoned you and fled, leaving you alone to defend Xihua Gate. You are just blocking opponents all night for such a master. How many innocent people have they stepped on to ascend to power?!"
Xue Yuanyin's head buzzed, his face suddenly turned pale, and he almost couldn't stand steadily.
No wonder Xue Chang hurried out of the palace alone, no wonder she hadn't heard any good news from the palace for so long, and no wonder Gao Songlin didn't come to pick her up on time.
She stared at the blood on the ground. The blood flowing from her own wounds dyed the ground red, making her breath stagnate. She couldn't help but tremble, and said with a bitter throat:
"Then what am I...what am I?"
A fishy and sweet taste rushed up her throat, and Xue Yuanyin suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The fishy and rusty smell filled her nostrils, dyeing her vision red.
The strength in his hand gradually loosened, and the short blade fell to the ground with a clang.
The surrounding soldiers and guards surged forward again, their swords pointed at her. She gradually lost sight of them. She only heard someone shouting loudly through the fog:
"Secret the rebels——"
Xue Yuanyin was trembling all over, his vision was reversed, and finally he lost all his strength and fell to the ground, his consciousness becoming unclear.
The winter night was so cold that she shivered and scenes from the past flashed before her eyes.
She struggled to hold on, but what she cared about was the merit of following the emperor and the wealth and glory.
She just couldn't accept that so many heroic soldiers who followed His Royal Highness Prince Yu lost their lives because of party disputes, and she couldn't accept that so many ordinary low-level soldiers like her were forced to get involved in Prince Yu's party and sacrificed in vain!
Many of those guards were former soldiers under Xue Chang. They had often visited her house before and had met her several times.
When they had some free time, the cheerful guards would teach her a few martial arts moves and ask her to learn. Seeing that she could master them immediately, they praised her excellent physique and said that she would be as capable as any man in the future.
Xue Yuanyin supported himself on the ground and tried to stand up to maintain his dignity, at least not look so embarrassed, but his body was almost exhausted and even breathing was a little difficult.
She closed her eyes.
She kept telling herself to be rational, to be more open-minded, not to vent her anger on others, and not to hold grudges.
But when this moment came, the heart-wrenching fact still made her unable to help but feel a tremendous resentment.
She hated why Zhang Jingxuan didn't just take her away when they were in Zhuyue Palace; she hated her brother for leaving so early, leaving her alone in the empty Xue Mansion; she wished she could not be as carefree as other girls in the boudoir and throw herself into her mother's arms and act coquettishly; she hated her father for raising her as a boy, causing her to lose her true self, and then abandoning her at the moment of life crisis; she hated the prince, hated Prince Yu, hated the heavens and the earth, and in the end, a tear of hatred came out of the corner of her eye.
She cupped the tears streaming down her cheeks, staring blankly at the bright red dirt on her palms. The dirt stained her nails and the hem of her skirt, and the blood that seeped in was a glaring red. She helplessly realized that after all her hatred, she had finally lost track of who to hate.
Xue Yuanyin didn't have the strength to stand up again. With her eyes half open and half closed, she vaguely saw Qin Fang, the commander of the imperial guards, rushing over from the palace. He carried her up from the ground through the layers of soldiers in the darkness, sighing with gritted teeth:
"Zhang Jingxuan, you saw it clearly! No one wanted to take over this business. I bravely sacrificed myself to get here! Don't bring up the past because of this later!"
It turned out to be an acquaintance, Xue Yuanyin breathed a sigh of relief.
I wonder if Qin Fang can speak up for her and let her go to a cleaner prison because they have shared hardships together in Quanyang County.
His vision gradually blurred, and his consciousness slowly faded. Xue Yuanyin closed his eyes, and before he passed out, he faintly heard footsteps approaching from the watchtower.
Qin Fang, who was holding her, seemed a little shocked and angrily scolded the people who came for being so confused. How could they not understand their identity and occasion at this time? If the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace knew about it, he would probably be furious to death.
The man seemed determined to stand in front. Xue Yuanyin didn't hear clearly, but vaguely noticed the man's voice. It was gentle, calm, and yet carried a hint of indifference:
"Leave her to me."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: The prison plot will begin soon, and this volume is coming to an end.
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