The change came so quickly.
The wedding carriage escorting Liu Shushu had only traveled halfway when it was surrounded by a group of soldiers who suddenly rushed out.
Before the wedding procession could react, several palace servants had already been fatally wounded with swords.
The onlookers on both sides of the street were so frightened by the sight that they scattered in all directions. The once bustling and lively market quickly became deserted after a brief period of excitement.
Inside the bridal sedan, Liu Shushu remained calm and composed. She lowered the fan covering her face, lifted the curtain, and looked at the soldiers below, saying sternly, "What are you doing? Today is the Crown Prince's wedding day. Who gave you the audacity to intercept the royal bridal sedan? Aren't you afraid of His Majesty's punishment if we delay the auspicious time?"
Upon seeing this, the official at the head of the wedding procession stepped forward and rebuked, "Who sent you? Do you know that ruining a royal wedding is punishable by beheading?"
"Is that so? Then let's cut off your head first to entertain the Crown Princess." An arrogant voice came from not far away.
The soldiers in front made way for him, and a man in silver armor slowly walked towards them, holding a bloodstained longsword.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Song Changrun, the third son of the Song family.
With a swift movement, he brought his sword down, and the official who had been speaking just moments before fell to the ground without even uttering a sound.
"How dare you! You actually dared to kill an official of the imperial court, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, another one collapsed.
Now, the other officials didn't dare to breathe loudly, and no one dared to voice any opposition.
The officials who came to fetch the bride were all civil servants. They could talk a good game, but if a real fight broke out, Song Changrun probably wouldn't be able to kill them all.
Liu Shushu understood this as well, so she put away the coldness on her face and asked in a soft voice, "Young Master Song, what exactly do you want to do by suddenly hijacking my wedding sedan chair?"
A few drops of blood were splattered on Song Changrun's face. He wiped them away with his fingertips, but they weren't completely wiped off, leaving red marks that, along with the smile on his face, revealed a terrifyingly cruel and bloodthirsty look.
"On this joyous day, His Highness the Crown Prince did not personally come out of the palace to greet the bride, which shows how much he values you."
"What does this have to do with you? Could it be that Young Master Song is here to stand up for me, risking to offend the imperial court?"
"Tch—" Song Changrun scoffed contemptuously, "Do you think you're some kind of celestial being? Worthy of my risking my life for?"
“You…” Liu Shushu’s face turned red and white as he spoke.
"I might as well tell you directly, the palace is now surrounded. If you behave yourselves, you might be able to save your lives. Otherwise, you will only become victims of my sword like these two."
The officials looked at each other in bewilderment, while the palace maids and eunuchs who were escorting them were so frightened that they all knelt down.
"These people from the palace are really shrewd and pragmatic."
Song Changrun narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over the officials, who were immediately frightened and knelt down in unison.
Integrity is never more important than life.
Liu Shushu dug her fingernails, hidden under her sleeve, deep into her palm, gritting her teeth as she stared at him from afar.
Song Changrun remembered that the Seventh Prince had instructed that her life be spared, so he did not argue with him and ordered the soldiers to take all these people away.
...
Meanwhile, the palace was a completely different scene: screams and cries filled the air, palace servants were fleeing everywhere, red silk was burning, flags had fallen, and red lanterns had dropped.
Armed soldiers killed anyone they saw and looted anything they could find. They even forced beautiful palace maids to commit illicit acts right there in the corridors.
The brutality, bloodlust, and wickedness of human nature were fully displayed in this palace coup.
The general who led the palace coup, Prince An, Wei Huaichong, led a group of soldiers into the Yuqing Hall. He intended to take the emperor hostage and rewrite the edict of succession. However, when he lifted the brocade quilt on the imperial bed, he found that the emperor's body was already cold. A jeweled dagger was stuck in his heart, and his hand was still tightly gripping the handle. It looked like he had committed suicide.
“Father…” He felt a hidden sorrow and slowly knelt down in front of the imperial bed.
Vice General Yan Jinming bowed behind him and said, "Your Highness, please accept our condolences, but the most urgent task is to find Wei Huaixu first."
Wei Huaichong slowly lowered his hand that had been supporting his forehead, a smile gradually spreading across his lips, but his voice was hoarse with sorrow: "Crown Prince Wei Huaixu has murdered the emperor and fled. You must come with me to capture him and bring him to justice!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Jinming smiled slightly and respectfully replied, "Yes!"
Then, Wei Huaichong grabbed the long sword that was leaning against the imperial couch, got up and left.
At this time, the most peaceful and serene place within the palace was probably the Empress Dowager's palace.
The palace gates were tightly shut, and several concubines who had escaped were squatting in the courtyard, huddled together and not daring to breathe.
Inside the palace, the Empress Dowager lay on her side on a low couch, while Consort Yan sat beside her, gently massaging her shoulders.
"It was you, Aunt, who had the best idea. You deliberately chose to make your move on the day of the Crown Prince's wedding, which was when his defenses were at their weakest."
"You're the clever one. You instigated the emperor to transfer most of the Imperial Guards first, otherwise things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"It's all thanks to my aunt's excellent upbringing."
"I only hope that Chong'er will succeed this time, and that in the future our Yan family will occupy half of the world."
Consort Yan's eyes darkened slightly, but she smiled and said, "Yes, Aunt, you will soon become the Empress Dowager. Such a blessing is unprecedented in the history of Donglin Kingdom."
As the Empress Dowager thought this, a smile appeared in her eyes.
However, Wei Huaichong searched almost the entire palace, practically digging three feet into the ground, but still couldn't find Wei Huaixu's whereabouts.
Today is the Crown Prince's wedding banquet, and almost all the civil and military officials have entered the palace. At this moment, they are all surrounded by his people in the Imperial Garden.
He casually grabbed the collar of an official who was usually close to the Crown Prince and demanded, "Where is Wei Huaixu?"
The official, with a cold expression, spat disdainfully in his face and sneered, "You traitorous villain have no right to question His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Enraged, Wei Huaichong pressed his sword against Wei Huaichong's neck.
"Your Highness, spare his life!" Yan Jinming hurriedly pleaded.
"What? Are you going to take his side?"
"No, I think he might know Wei Huaixu's whereabouts, so it would be better to spare his life and torture him to extract a confession."
Wei Huaichong thought for a moment, then released his grip, gave him an approving look, and said, "You're right, killing him directly would be too easy."
He then scanned the officials present and ordered, "Arrest all those officials who have had private dealings with Wei Huaixu, detain them separately, and use any means necessary to get them to talk. We must find out Wei Huaixu's whereabouts!"
"yes!"
He smiled with satisfaction, turned and left with his hands behind his back, completely ignoring the pleas for mercy and curses coming from behind him.
"Wei Huaixu, Wei Huaixu, the entire land of Donglin is mine now. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to confess your crimes and serve your purpose!"
Throughout history, only the victors have been entitled to write history, while the losers are left to be slaughtered. Whoever is wrong is condemned as a sinner for all time.
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