Chapter 97 Wouldn't it have been easier if you had come here earlier and been so obedient? …
It was dark, and the firelight in front of the Regent's Palace looked like a battlefield in purgatory.
The blood spread across the blue brick floor, one layer of deep red after another, corpses were strewn all over the ground, and the sound of killing was deafening.
Although General Zhang was dead, the soldiers did not show any intention of retreating. Instead, they were like angry lions with their reins cut off. They were blood-thirsty and shouted "avenge the general" one after another. They rushed towards Shen Xingwan like a tide.
They were all General Zhang's trusted elite soldiers trained personally and were deeply indebted to him. At this moment, they were no longer following orders, but were obsessed with revenge.
It was a murderous intent that was almost insane.
They were like wild beasts crawling out of hell, biting anyone who stood in their way.
Shen Xingwan was still standing in front of the gate of the Regent's Palace, her white clothes stained with blood, her dagger still not retracted, the blade still had traces of General Zhang's undried blood on it.
She did not take a single step back, but stared coldly at the group of soldiers charging towards her, like a general who would never bow her head even in the face of an overwhelming force.
Xing Zhou stood in front of her, with a sword in his left hand and a knife in his right hand. The swords flashed and shone with cold light, and he ruthlessly killed anyone who wanted to get close to Shen Xingwan.
His eyes were cold, his movements were as fast as lightning, his sword was as swift as the wind, and wherever he passed, he brought up waves of blood and gore.
He stood alone against the crowd and refused to retreat even a single step.
But the enemy is numerous and we are few. The secret guards and bodyguards of the Regent's Palace have already tried their best. Those who are exhausted fall in a pool of blood, and those who are seriously injured stand against the wall, still gritting their teeth and fighting hard.
Their uniforms were stained with blood, but they were trying their best to shout and hold on. However, they were ultimately unable to stop Zhang's troops who were rushing in like a tide.
Seeing that the last line of defense was about to be torn apart, several brave soldiers broke through the line, holding their swords and shouting: "Bitch, die!"
Shen Xingwan was not afraid at all. Instead, he slowly raised the dagger and stared coldly at the group of crazy soldiers. He was full of murderous intent, as if he wanted to destroy himself and the enemy.
At this critical moment!
"stop!!"
A loud roar like thunder shook the earth and exploded from a distance!
Everyone was stunned, and the roar of murderous intent seemed to be shattered in an instant by this shout.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
A loud shout followed, shaking the night sky.
I saw the iron cavalry of the Imperial Guards rolling over, with dazzling golden armor and flags like a forest. Hundreds of people were riding together, their horses were like thunder, and they were full of murderous aura. They came breaking through the wind from the night, like divine soldiers descending from the sky!
The leader was none other than Crown Prince Wei Zilin.
He was dressed in a purple-gold prince's battle robe, with a stern look on his face. He rode on a red-maned horse, looking at him sharply from a distance, with the majesty and arrogance of a superior.
The Royal Guards formed an orderly battle array and almost instantly surrounded the gate of the Regent's Palace, circle after circle, as tight as an iron barrel. Spears were stood at attention, bows and arrows were strung, and there were thousands of points of cold light.
Zhang's soldiers instinctively stopped in their tracks, and in an instant, their previous fanaticism and madness turned into confusion and fear.
The prince shouted coldly: "Do you know where your feet are? Do you know who you are pointing your sword at?"
His voice was filled with indifference and intimidation. "The Prince Regent's Palace is the residence of the current prince. You broke in at night and ordered your soldiers to attack and kill. Where do you put the law?!"
Although Zhang's soldiers were jealous of the killing, the prince's identity was still like a sharp sword from heaven, pressing down on them.
Their eyes were full of struggle and their hands holding the knives were shaking, but in the end no one dared to take a step forward.
"You are soldiers of the Wei Kingdom, not Zhang's private soldiers!"
The prince spoke each word with great emphasis, "General Zhang betrayed his master and murdered his royal family. He deserves death. If you insist on being buried with him, I can help you do so."
After he finished speaking, he raised his long arm, and the Royal Guards immediately responded in unison: "Yes!"
The murderous intent was like a knife piercing into their bones, and Zhang's soldiers finally wavered.
Some people gritted their teeth and growled, some lowered their heads in disappointment, and some quietly dropped their weapons.
An older deputy general knelt down first and whispered, "I am ignorant... Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Seeing this, the others also threw away their weapons and armor, with unwillingness on their faces, but they finally had to drop their weapons and kneel on the ground.
Shen Xingwan looked at the weapons on the ground and the kneeling soldiers, his heart surging with emotions.
She did not bow to the prince, but just looked into his eyes calmly.
Wei Zilin also said nothing.
He looked at her deeply, his eyes slowly swept over her body, and finally stopped on the body on the ground that had long lost its breath.
He took a deep breath, turned around and shouted, "Come here! Arrest all the remaining soldiers of the Zhang family and bring them back to the prison for interrogation on a later date!"
The imperial guards immediately stepped forward and arrested and tied up all of Zhang's soldiers.
In the bloody afterglow, the murderous intent gradually subsided, leaving only the night wind blowing the broken flags. The corners of Shen Xingwan's skirt fluttered in the wind, reflecting the chillness that had not yet dissipated in her eyes, as cold as frost.
Wei Zilin sat high on his horse, looking down at the chaotic mess of corpses and blood in front of the palace gate. He looked at the devastated and lifeless Regent's Palace, and his eyes darkened.
He lowered his head and looked again at the bloody and dead body of General Zhang on the ground. He narrowed his eyes slightly and did not speak for a long time.
That was his maternal grandfather, who had supported him in the court since he was a child, protected his growth, and gave him advice.
Along the way, he eliminated dissidents, suppressed officials, and stabilized the court, but now, his body is cold and he died under the blade.
The wind blew the fallen leaves and blew the bloodstained corners of General Zhang's robe. Wei Zilin suddenly gritted his teeth and shouted coldly: "Carry General Zhang back to the Zhang Mansion and bury him in a proper manner on a chosen day."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly turned over and dismounted, stomping his golden boots on the ground. Every step was like thunder, shocking the surrounding royal guards so much that they all bowed their heads and stood in silence.
He strode forward, with a sadness still on his face, but a look of complacency that could not be concealed between his brows.
"Back off." He ordered in a deep voice.
When they arrived in front of Shen Xingwan, several wounded secret guards immediately rushed in front of her. Even though blood was pouring out, they still held their swords tightly and stood still like a mountain.
There was a hint of disdain in Wei Zilin's eyes, but he did not take action immediately. His eyes swept over the blood-stained secret guards one by one, as if he was examining some dying ants.
Shen Xingwan looked at him coldly.
"Why? Are you here to 'protect' the so-called crown prince as well?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Zilin was stunned at first, then he sneered and shook his head as if he had heard a huge joke.
He stood slightly sideways, with his hands behind his back, his eyes full of sarcasm.
"I am the crown prince, the legitimate ruler of the Eastern Palace, the heir apparent. Do I need to protect some other 'heir apparent'?"
He spoke lightly, but every word was sharp as a knife. He emphasized the words "legitimate" and "justified" very heavily, and took the opportunity to demote the Fourteenth Prince to the point of being worthless.
Shen Xingwan remained calm: "Then what are you doing here?"
Wei Zilin's smile faded a little, his eyes locked on her, his tone suddenly slowed down, but also lowered: "If I say... I'm here to save you, would you believe it?"
After hearing this, Shen Xingwan sneered.
Wei Zilin seemed to have anticipated her reaction. He was not annoyed, but just raised his eyebrows and glanced disdainfully at the secret guards and guards who were already at the end of their strength. He said coldly: "How long can these people... protect you?"
He changed the subject and said with a smile.
"If you follow me obediently, I can consider...giving them a chance to live."
Shen Xingwan's heart trembled and he looked up at them.
They were seriously injured, but no one retreated a single step, and they still stood guard in front of her.
Xing Zhou held a long knife in front of her, and blood dripped from the blade onto the ground.
He was covered in wounds, but he held the hilt of the knife tightly and stood in front of her, his eyes fixed on Wei Zilin.
“Princess, don’t worry. We will defend you till death.” His voice was low and hoarse, with blood in it.
Shen Xingwan's heart tightened.
She knew that Xing Zhou was just trying to hold on despite his best efforts, and everyone else was already at the end of their strength. If they continued to fight, they might even lose their lives.
Her eyes moved slightly, and her gaze swept across the blood-soaked, dying guards in the courtyard. She thought of the Fourteenth Prince who was still hiding in the mansion. Her heart was churning like a tide, and she bit her lower lip tightly.
When Wei Zilin saw her expression change slightly, he knew he had hit her soft spot.
He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, pressing forward step by step, his tone becoming more and more presumptuous: "Wanwan, don't force me..."
"I don't have a good temper."
A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he pointed at Xing Zhou and the others and said coldly: "I will kill them first, and then take you away?"
Shen Xingwan clenched his fists, anger boiling in his eyes, but he finally raised his eyes to look at the solemn and iron-like royal guards around him.
Those were troops directly under the imperial palace, and only the emperor could dispatch them.
Now he could be brought out of the palace openly by Wei Zilin, and all Zhang's soldiers were silenced wherever he went, which meant that he had won an overwhelming victory in this palace coup.
He was no longer afraid of anyone, and no longer needed to care about the life or death of the 'crown prince'.
Wei Zilin suddenly leaned forward, leaning close to her ear, and spoke in a low voice, like a malicious whisper, as if tempting: "Why don't you come over? Do you want me to bring Yan Jinghuan's head to you?"
He smiled wickedly, almost viciously, with complacent ambition swirling in the depths of his black eyes. He was like a snake in human skin, vicious and cruel.
"Wanwan, I've come all the way here, what do you think... Yan Jinghuan, how long can he live?"
It was just a light sentence, but it was like the poisonous fangs of a venomous snake, piercing into Shen Xingwan's heart.
Xing Zhou was so angry that his hand holding the knife was shaking violently. He almost couldn't help but burst out and chop off the arrogant and grinning head with one knife.
Shen Xingwan raised his hand and grabbed his arm.
She shook her head slightly and looked at him deeply.
That glance seemed to contain thousands of words, as if it was a trust, or as if it was a farewell.
Xing Zhou's body shook violently, and he looked at Shen Xingwan in disbelief. The knuckles of his hand gripping the knife handle turned white and almost burst.
Shen Xingwan lowered his hands, slowly turned around and never looked back.
She raised her eyes and looked quietly at Wei Zilin, her eyes were indifferent as if she had seen through everything, and then she slowly took a step and walked towards him.
Wei Zilin was stunned for a moment, and then a smile suddenly appeared in his eyes.
It is a kind of pride and pleasure of finally succeeding, and also the excitement and joy of the hunter finally closing the net.
He stretched out his hand as if to catch a precious trophy: "Wouldn't it be easier if you had been so obedient earlier?"
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