"Prince Chen, do you want to kill the king and usurp the throne?" This time, without waiting for Emperor Yugan to speak, Prince Duan spoke in a cold voice.
The calmness on Prince Duan's face had been replaced by a cold look, and the composure in his eyes gradually turned into a cold light, with great anger in his eyes as he shot towards Prince Chen.
Emperor Yugan was almost hit by the hidden arrow, so how could he let it go? He pushed away Xia Ji who was protecting him, and was about to step forward, but he saw Prince Duan in front of him with one hand behind his back, gesturing to him not to go forward.
Seeing that his elder brother, who was always silent and neutral in the past, was standing in front of him at this moment, Emperor Yu Gan's furious mood calmed down instantly. He stopped in time and did not move forward to avoid becoming Jiang Muchen's target again.
"What are you talking about, eldest brother? When did I kill the king and usurp the throne? Now the Sea King has rebelled, and there are only 80,000 guards in the palace. How can we protect the emperor? I came here specially to protect you, but I didn't expect to cause eldest brother's misunderstanding!" Jiang Muchen did not admit what he had done tonight. In a cold voice, he told everyone about his loyalty.
"Hmph, do you think I will trust you again? If Deputy Commander Xia had not noticed the hidden arrow in time, I am afraid that I and the emperor would have been shot to death by you. What else do you have to say? So, since you are here to protect the emperor, I will follow the order of the regent and order you to lead the army to retreat thirty miles away from the palace. If you can't do it, you can't blame all the civil and military officials in the court for doubting your intentions." Prince Duan was not moved by Jiang Muchen's explanation at all. He sorted out each point one by one and quickly put forward his own demands, waiting to see how Prince Chen would react.
In the dark night, after listening to Prince Duan's questioning, Jiang Muchen's pair of cold eyes suddenly froze into ice, and the cold light instantly shot towards Prince Duan on the palace building, with a strong murderous intent in his eyes. However, Jiang Muchen's face was tense, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and he did not immediately answer Prince Duan's question.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to go to the underground palace for refuge first. Prince Chen has come with ill intentions, and Your Majesty's health is at stake and must not be harmed by the chaotic army. I, your humble servant, will block Prince Chen for Your Majesty, and please leave this place as soon as possible." Taking advantage of the short time when Prince Chen was silent and thinking, Prince Duan slightly turned sideways and begged Emperor Yugan in a very low voice.
"But..." Emperor Yugan was unwilling to accept this, and a look of dissatisfaction suddenly appeared in his eyes. He was the emperor of Western Chu, but he was forced by the rebels to hide in the underground palace like a rat crossing the street. How embarrassing it was for him.
But Prince Duan's words and advice were extremely reasonable. Compared to Prince Chen's army of over 100,000, the 80,000 Imperial Guards were indeed much weaker. Moreover, at this time, the Imperial Guards in the Outer Palace were less than 30,000, of which 50,000 had already gone to the Inner Palace to protect the Queen Mother and others. 30,000 against over 100,000 was simply no match.
After analyzing everything, even though Emperor Yugan was filled with reluctance, he could only grit his teeth and nod to Prince Duan. Then, under the protection of the Minister of the Central Court, he walked downstairs to the palace and quickly ran towards the underground palace...
Seeing that Emperor Yugan finally listened to his advice, Prince Duan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after watching Emperor Yugan and others leave. He was about to turn around to face Jiang Muchen again, but he found that Yun Xuanzhi was still standing on the palace tower, gazing at Prince Chen's army below the palace tower with a stern expression.
Without bothering to communicate with Yun Xuanzhi, and to prevent Prince Chen and the others from noticing that Emperor Yugan had left, Prince Duan spoke again to Prince Chen, "Seventh brother, there's always time to turn back. Why persist in your wrongdoings? Do you think that ruling the country will guarantee peace? The Sea King's rebellion is not only a disaster for the royal family, but also for the people of this country. How many parents will lose their children, how many children will lose their parents, how many people will be forced to leave their homes and become homeless. Even if you sit on the throne, do you think you can gain the support of the people?"
In his words, Prince Duan still took into account the brotherhood, hoping to make Prince Chen realize the seriousness of the situation and not to cause more trouble.
Jiang Muchen smiled coldly upon hearing this, and then said righteously: "I can't be as compassionate as my eldest brother. I only know that I have been living under the watchful eyes of Emperor Yugan and the Queen Mother with my mother since I was a child. Others think that I must be glorious as a prince, but who can understand the fear and anxiety? If I say the wrong thing or take the wrong step, I will face the consequences of being stripped of my title and beheaded. I have never slept a good night, for fear of angering the dragon. Yan caused the Prince Chen's imprisonment. I'm afraid my eldest brother will never understand the pain of this, but this fear has been with me for nearly twenty years. If I make a mistake, I will be punished by the Emperor. And he even tried to manipulate the marriage to make me marry a crazy woman as the Prince Chen's principal wife. How can I bear this? He imprisoned Concubine Yuande in the imperial mausoleum without ensuring its safety, resulting in her serious injury. What would my eldest brother do in my place?
Faced with Prince Duan's emotional and logical persuasion, Prince Chen softened his tone and painfully recounted every detail of his life over the years in front of hundreds of thousands of Prince Chen's army and the Imperial Guards. When he spoke of the sad parts, there was a barely perceptible sob, but he concealed it with an extremely strong tone.
As soon as these words were spoken, all the people standing on the palace tower, including Xia Ji, felt the Chen Wang Army instantly emanate a majestic aura and rush straight towards the imperial city.
Obviously, King Chen's words of retreating to advance have aroused the indignation of all King Chen's troops.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, it seems that Prince Chen will not miss this opportunity today. Please ask Your Highness and Your Highness to follow the Emperor and hide in the underground palace as soon as possible to avoid being injured in the war." At this time, Xia Ji admired the behavior of Prince Duan and Yun Xuanzhi, so he persuaded them to leave.
Prince Duan and Yun Xuanzhi had been immersed in the court for many years, so they naturally saw what Jiang Muchen had just done. They looked at each other, and deep worry rose in their eyes.
After listening to Xia Ji's persuasion, Yun Xuanzhi stepped forward and stood side by side with Prince Duan behind the palace wall. He cast a cold glance at the dark mass of Prince Chen's army at the foot of the imperial city, and felt a chill in his heart.
"Prince." Ning Feng came to Jiang Muchen quietly and called Prince Chen in a very low voice, as if to remind Prince Chen.
Prince Chen, who was blocked outside the Imperial City, was also concentrating on everything in the palace. Seeing Yun Xuanzhi standing out right after Prince Duan, Jiang Muchen's eyes flickered with icy light, but he raised his hand to signal Ning Feng to leave the next task for later. He then turned to Yun Xuanzhi in the palace and said, "I didn't expect the Prime Minister is here too!"
Yun Xuanzhi frowned slightly at Prince Chen's sharpness, then said indifferently, "Your Highness, this move is truly well-intentioned."
"Hmph, Lord Prime Minister, why don't you accuse me of treason?" Jiang Muchen could not fail to hear the sarcasm in Yun Xuan's words. He then turned his attention to Xia Ji, who was secretly arranging the battle plan, and sneered, "Deputy Commander Xia, why are you going to such unnecessary trouble? I must enter this palace, and how long can you hold out while you're busy? Why not open the palace gates and let me in? I can guarantee your survival."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ji was immediately furious. He handed the layout to his deputy general and stepped forward, angrily saying, "Jiang Muchen, you traitor! It's fine if you're plotting rebellion yourself, but you're actually trying to persuade me to do the same. I despise such disloyalty and will not associate with you. Give up on this idea as soon as possible."
As he spoke, Xia Ji immediately signaled to the guards beside him. Upon receiving Xia Ji's signal, the guards rushed forward without a word, dragging Prince Duan and Yun Xuanzhi down from the palace tower and escorting them towards the underground palace...
Seeing that Xia Ji refused to give in, King Chen looked up at the moon in the sky. He saw that the moonlight was gradually fading and the sky was turning white. King Chen knew that this matter should not be delayed for too long. He raised his hand and waved it forward. He saw Ning Feng holding a long sword and holding several people to the front of the team.
"Xia Ji, can you see clearly who this is?" Jiang Muchen had a boundless smile on his face, his eyes were captivating, and he exuded a heavy chill that made people tremble with fear.
"master……"
“Daddy…”
Several crying voices rang out in the silence. Xia Ji heard the familiar voices, took a big step forward, and immediately leaned over to look down at the palace building, only to see Ning Feng standing in the front, holding his wife and children.
Xia Ji's heart suddenly rose to his chest. He glared at the cold-looking Prince Chen with hatred in his eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Prince Chen, I never thought you could be so despicable as to threaten me with my family."
"All is fair in war. I did this because you forced me to do so. Xia Ji, I only need one word from you: will you open the palace gate or not? If you open the palace gate, I will immediately release your wife and children and will not make things difficult for you. If you don't open it, this day next year will be the anniversary of your wife and children's death." After speaking, Jiang Muchen immediately gave Ning Feng a look.
Ning Feng's long sword instantly cut towards Miss Xia's neck, causing her to burst into tears, but she did not dare to beg for mercy.
"Commander..." The generals who climbed up the palace tower with Xia Ji all looked angry at King Chen, but were worried that Xia Ji would open the palace gate for his wife and children.
At this moment, the one who was in the most trouble was Xia Ji. He clenched his fists, his face was ashen, and his eyes towards King Chen were full of hatred.
However, after glaring at King Chen, Xia Ji's eyes unexpectedly softened. He slowly turned to his wife and children who were being held hostage, then closed his eyes. After a long while, he opened them and said in a strong voice, "Madam, Fu'er, Lian'er, Daddy is sorry for you."
In just one sentence, he gave his answer.
Upon hearing this, King Chen's cold eyes suddenly darkened, and he swung his right hand without saying a word.
"ah……"
"ah……"
"ah……"
After three screams, Mrs. Xia and Miss Xia, who were originally alive, were both lying in a pool of blood, their bodies torn to pieces.
"Attack." But King Chen did not give anyone any chance and directly ordered an attack.
A barrage of arrows fell from the sky, and countless guards on the palace tower were killed or wounded in an instant. Xia Ji was dragged into the dark by several generals and narrowly avoided King Chen's powerful attack.
Prince Chen's army had already prepared chariots equipped with huge wooden pillars, which were rammed hard against the tightly closed palace gate. The deafening sound was so deafening that the solemn and dignified vermilion-painted palace gate was in danger under such impact.
"Commander, this is not a solution. The gap in power between us and King Chen is too great. I'm afraid we can't hold out for long. We should find a way to get the emperor out of the palace first. Otherwise, once the palace gate is broken, with King Chen's understanding of the palace, he will definitely find the emperor's hiding place." A general frowned and expressed his opinion.
Xia Ji was awakened by his words. He immediately suppressed the pain of losing his wife and children and said in a deep voice, "Indeed. You should quickly return and escort the emperor out of the underground palace. Just be careful of the troops ambushed by Prince Chen at the exit. I will hold the line here and try to delay him for as long as possible."
Now his wife and children are dead, there is no one at home, and he is the only one left with this miserable life. If he doesn't serve the emperor, who else can he serve?
"Commander..." Several people looked at Xia Ji in shock, with deep admiration in their eyes.
"Don't waste time, go quickly." Xia Ji did not give them a chance to refuse. He gripped the sword tightly in his hand and rushed out in an instant to assist the guards on the palace tower to kill the Chen Wang army that climbed up the palace tower.
"Let's go!" Seeing that Xia Ji had made his decision, several people immediately rushed down the city wall and ran towards the harem...
In Fengxiang Palace.
The sound of the iron cavalry of Prince Chen's army had been heard long ago, and all the concubines in the harem felt threatened and were in a state of panic.
The empress dowager remained calm in the face of danger and asked Eunuch Qu and Aunt Lan to summon all the concubines above the third rank as well as the princes and princesses to Fengxiang Palace. She then ordered the Imperial Guard to protect Fengxiang Palace.
There was a low sound of weeping in the main hall of Fengxiang Palace. The concubines who had never encountered the rebel army at the gates of the city were all crying and praying silently in their hearts to God to allow the palace to safely overcome this difficult time.
The Queen Mother looked at these concubines who used to be arrogant and domineering and only knew how to be jealous and frame others, but were now frightened by Prince Chen's rebels. A hint of disgust and contempt appeared in her eyes.
The Queen Mother was seen sitting calmly on the seat of honor, her eyes looking straight ahead into the dark night. Her calm and composed appearance was a model for the harem, and only the Queen Mother who had experienced great ups and downs could do that.
"Mother, I don't know how the war is going on in the front. I heard that the emperor actually went to the palace tower in person. I wonder if the arrows will hurt the emperor, and..." The queen held Princess Yao tightly in her arms. A layer of mist had appeared in her gentle eyes. It was obvious that she was frightened by what happened tonight. Not a single word she said was good.
However, before the queen could finish her words, the queen mother suddenly shot a cold look at her, with a strong reproach and threat in her eyes. The queen was so scared that she immediately shut her mouth and dared not speak again.
However, the empress dowager did not reprimand the queen. Looking at the concubines in the palace who were already frightened, she knew that the more she spoke, the more panicked people would become. If these concubines started to make trouble, something bad might happen.
At this moment, a figure running towards them caught everyone's attention. The concubines all stood up and stretched their necks to look outside the hall. Even the empress dowager, who had been calm just now, could not help but straighten her body and looked into the dark night with hope in her eyes.
A slightly hunched figure suddenly rushed into everyone's sight. Eunuch Qu rushed into the hall panting heavily, knelt in front of the empress dowager, and without taking a moment to rest, he said, "Your servant pays homage to the empress dowager."
"What's the situation outside?" The Queen Mother asked quickly. Obviously, after waiting for so long, the Queen Mother was becoming more and more uneasy, and even her tone was filled with obvious urgency.
Eunuch Qu was sweating profusely, but after hearing the Queen Mother's question, he hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, Prince Chen's army is refusing to retreat. There's a bloody battle going on outside right now, and the palace servants serving in the outer palaces have been killed and wounded. Lord Xia Ji is desperately trying to stop Prince Chen's attack..."
"Stop talking nonsense and leave the harem immediately." Eunuch Qu was reporting the situation outside to the Queen Mother, but he saw Qu Lingao stepping into Fengxiang Palace with a serious face.
Qu Lingao glanced coldly at the concubines gathered in Fengxiang Palace at this time. He knew very well that the empress dowager had already eliminated many concubines when he came.
"Lingao, how is the emperor? Prince Chen, the traitor, is taking advantage of the situation to rob us! Concubine Yuande is so good that she even deceived me. I curse this bitch to die a horrible death!" Seeing her own brother coming, the empress dowager finally let go of her heart, which had been hanging in the air. She then stood up and walked towards Qu Lingao, asking in a very low voice.
Qu Lingao glanced at the mournful faces of the concubines in the hall, knowing full well that the Queen Mother's actions were merely an attempt to reduce conflict and unrest. However, upon hearing her curses against Concubine Yuande rising in volume, he immediately spoke in a very low voice, "I have been ordered to rush to Fengxiang Palace to escort the Queen Mother and the other concubines to the underground palace for refuge. Please, Queen Mother, accompany me and leave this dangerous place immediately."
"What's the point of His Majesty keeping Prince Chu? If the palace is in trouble, won't Chu Feiyang come to rescue him? I am the mother of a country. How can I give Fengxiang Palace to that bitch Concubine Yuande? How can I let His Majesty give the Golden Throne Hall to that bitch's son? I won't leave. I want to see what Prince Chen dares to do to me!" Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother lost her usual calm judgment in her anger. Regardless of Qu Lingao's persuasion, she was determined to stay in Fengxiang Palace.
The concubines in the palace had already lost their composure upon hearing the Queen Mother's stubborn words. If the Queen Mother refused to leave the palace, they naturally could not leave either. If the rebels entered the palace, they would either die or be captured by the rebels. Their fate would be extremely tragic. For a moment, the Fengxiang Palace was filled with cries, and the concubines knelt before the Queen Mother, begging her to leave.
"Nonsense! Big sister, now is not the time for you to fight with Concubine Yuande. How can you let so many lives be lost just because of a whim? Do you know that if you don't leave, the fifty thousand guards will confront Prince Chen's army of over one hundred thousand? By then, it won't just be the few palace maids and concubines who will die. If you want to die, you should also think about those fifty thousand soldiers. Otherwise, you are unworthy of being the mother of this country." Qu Lingao looked at the stubborn Queen Mother and was immediately furious. He immediately accused her in a deep voice and then ordered Eunuch Qu and Aunt Lan who stood behind the Queen Mother: "Take the Queen Mother away."
After saying this, Qu Lingao didn't wait for the Queen Mother to protest, and turned around and strode away with everyone...
In the early morning, the roosters crowed on time.
Yun Qianmeng was a light sleeper, and after being worried for half the night, she was now drowsy and felt very uncomfortable.
"Let the princess sleep a little longer. If there is anything, we can talk about it after she wakes up." Mu Chun's very low voice sounded outside the tent, but it still made Yun Qianmeng wake up instantly.
"Mu Chun." Yun Qianmeng's voice was hoarse after a bad night's sleep.
"Princess, did I wake you up?" A hand lifted the curtain in front of the bed, and Mu Chun's worried little face came into Yun Qianmeng's eyes.
Gently shaking her head, Yun Qianmeng slowly sat up, leaned against the headboard, and asked softly, "Is there any news from outside?"
Mu Chun looked at the cyan color that appeared in Yun Qianmeng's eyes, and felt a pang of heartache, but she had to answer: "Princess, late last night, Prince Chen forcibly attacked the palace in the name of protecting the emperor, captured Xia Ji, the deputy commander of the imperial guards, and occupied the palace."
"What?" Upon hearing this, Yun Qianmeng's body immediately straightened up, her eyes filled with shock. She hurriedly asked Mu Chun, "What about the emperor and the ministers? What about the concubines in the harem?"
Last night, Emperor Yugan summoned his court officials to discuss how to deal with the Sea King, but he delayed letting them return home. If Prince Chen forced the palace, he would probably kill all the ministers who refused to obey.
"Don't worry, Princess. Xi Lin just sent someone to report back that what Prince Chen got was just an empty palace. The Emperor, court officials, the Queen Mother and the Queen all disappeared in the palace." Mu Chun, who heard the news this morning, was also scared and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Really?" Yun Qianmeng lay back down on the bed tiredly, closing her eyes to rest while analyzing everything.
Yesterday, I guessed that Prince Chen would take action, but I didn't expect him to take advantage of the chaos to force the emperor to abdicate. Indeed, compared to Hai Quan's elaborate rebellion, if Prince Chen could capture Emperor Yugan alive and force him to abdicate, this might be a better solution.
But now that Yu Gan Emperor hasn't been captured, what is Prince Chen planning to do? Will he ascend the throne himself or have Yu Gan Emperor and his men captured first?
Without a legitimate slogan, even if Prince Chen is the prince of the late emperor, he will probably be cursed by the world and drowned in the spit of Confucian scholars.
Bringing Yun Qianmeng a cup of hot water to moisten her throat, Mu Chun slowly spoke, "Princess, I heard from Guard Xi that when Prince Chen was confronting Deputy Commander Xia yesterday, he mentioned that Concubine Yuande was injured in the imperial mausoleum. Prince Chen seemed very angry."
Hearing her say this, the knot in Yun Qianmeng's heart was instantly untied.
Concubine Yuande, Prince Chen’s excuse was his own mother.
Concubine Yuande was ordered to go to the imperial mausoleum, but was injured there. This could indeed arouse the anger in Prince Chen's heart, and it was very normal for him to use this as an excuse to start a rebellion.
Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. This is an eternal truth that people all over the world are well aware of. It is perfectly reasonable for King Chen to raise an army based on this.
However, if that's the case, then all of this is probably just a play directed and acted by King Chen himself.
What's more, this whole plot had already begun when Su Yuan framed Yun Xiangfu and imprisoned him. However, Prince Chen used the excuse of taking her as a concubine to prevent anyone from discovering his true intentions. He then refused Emperor Yugan's marriage proposal and sent Concubine Yuande to the imperial mausoleum to take the blame, leading to all of this unforeseen event.
After this analysis, Yun Qianmeng's palms broke out in a layer of cold sweat.
Jiang Muchen is truly a sinister conspirator. He schemes against people's hearts and calculates everything, leaving nothing out. I'm afraid that until now, Emperor Yugan still doesn't know that he has been schemed by King Chen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com