Chapter 147 Those who achieve great things must have the courage to break their own arms
The empress was stunned by the sudden change, but Concubine Rong, who was beside the emperor, rushed forward at an incredible speed and almost instinctively, using her body to block the fatal blow for the emperor.
The blood stained her clothes red, but it reflected her gentle and beautiful face. The emperor's eyes were wide open with shock and grief. He hugged her tightly, and his voice trembled: "My beloved concubine, my beloved concubine..."
"Your Majesty... Concubine Rong..." The empress exclaimed, her voice full of helplessness.
Concubine Rong endured the severe pain and just frowned slightly. She looked at the emperor with satisfaction in her eyes.
"Your Majesty... I have no regrets in my life for being able to save Your Majesty from this disaster. I was born in a humble family, and others looked down on me. Only Your Majesty loves me deeply, and this is the greatest luck of my life. Your Majesty... Your Majesty is the master of the world, and this time you will be able to turn danger into safety. I will go ahead, and I hope Your Majesty can remember our old friendship and take care of my family." Although her voice was weak, every word was firm, full of reluctance and attachment to the emperor.
Rong Fei's hand slowly dropped, and the emperor cried out her name in pain. He hugged Rong Fei tightly, as if he wanted to integrate her into his bones.
Seeing that the emperor was safe and sound, Prince Yong felt relieved, but he was still frightened when he thought of the cold arrow just now, which made him furious. He turned to face his subordinates who were standing in line, and his voice was as cold as ice, "Who dares to disobey my orders, act without authorization, and shoot arrows privately?"
A captain stepped out tremblingly, with cold sweat on his forehead: "Your Highness, please calm down. I was impulsive for a moment. In fact, I saw that the imperial city had been breached, and I wanted to share your worries. The old emperor spoke rudely to you... uh..."
Before he finished speaking, Prince Yong's sword flashed, and the captain fell to the ground. Prince Yong drew out his sword, and blood splattered on his face. His eyes were cold, "This is the end of usurpation. Generals, take it as a warning!" Prince Yong's thundering method really shocked all the generals, and the whole hall was silent.
Afterwards, Prince Yong looked around with a sharp gaze and ordered in a deep voice: "Immediately search the imperial city and bring all the living people, regardless of their status, here. If Your Majesty insists on not writing the edict of succession, I will count the time with incense sticks, one head for each stick of incense, until Your Majesty is willing to issue an edict to save the overall situation
." After he finished speaking, he slowly turned around and faced the emperor on the dragon throne, his tone threatening, "Your Majesty, the country and the safety of the people all depend on your thoughts. I hope Your Majesty will think carefully and not let the innocent suffer and avoid this unprovoked disaster."
The emperor was already extremely sad because of the death of Concubine Rong, and his frail body was almost on the verge of collapse. Hearing Prince Yong's words, he was filled with grief and anger, and coughed violently. After a while, he even coughed up blood.
The Queen, who was watching from the side, was terrified and cried out, "Your Majesty..." Her voice was full of helplessness and sorrow.
Prince Yong watched coldly, with a sneer on his face, and then ordered in a deep voice, "Go and call the imperial physician quickly, and make sure to save your Majesty's life. Your Majesty must be alive to write the edict."
The imperial physician was brought over quickly. He was carried on a horse and bumped all the way here. His internal organs were churning, but facing the knife on his neck, he dared not make any big moves. He tried his best to suppress the fear in his heart, and trembled as he stepped forward to diagnose the emperor and prescribe medicine.
Just as the palace was busy trying to save the emperor's life, an urgent report came from outside the palace: "Your Highness, the commander of the imperial guards, Yang Huaide, has brought the princess, the county lord, and several other princes to the palace outside the Xuande Gate!"
As soon as this was said, the face of Prince Yong changed drastically. He was shocked and even more angry: "Yang Huaide? He has not been executed yet!"
Outside the Xuande Gate, Jiacheng was tied to a prisoner cart, along with her mother and several brothers. They looked at each other in fear.
Jiacheng was originally trapped in Prince Yong's mansion, and later guessed that Prince Yong might have abandoned them and escaped, and she felt hopeless. Unexpectedly, in the morning, the imperial guards had retreated. When they went out to inquire about the news, they learned that Prince Yong had rebelled and had already entered the imperial city. Just when Jiacheng was dreaming of becoming the first princess of the Song Dynasty, a group of people came from nowhere and kidnapped them all. It was
also because Prince Yong was so focused on breaking through the imperial city that he ignored his wife and children in Prince Yong's mansion and did not send troops to protect them.
Yang Huaide was betrayed by his subordinates, assassinated and fell from his horse. He was escorted away by his loyal subordinates and met the Yu Lin Army who came to support him, which saved his life. When Prince Yong's rebels broke through the Daqing Gate and went straight into the Funing Palace, the Yu Lin Army led by Lin Yunting broke through the Xihua Gate and joined Zheng Xiao's Yu Lin Army. When the two discussed with the rescued Yang Huaide how to rescue the prince, they remembered that the prince's wife and children could be taken hostage in the palace, so they rushed into the palace and kidnapped the prince's family, which led to the scene at Xuande Gate.
Outside the Funing Palace, the rebels took all the living people they had captured in the imperial city to the outside of the palace. The concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs who had not escaped were pushed to the open space in front of the palace by the rebels at knifepoint. The cries and begging for mercy were intertwined, miserable and hopeless, echoing in the empty imperial city.
At the same time, outside the Xuande Gate, another scene was equally shocking. Prince Yong's relatives shouted at the top of their lungs, "Prince, save me!" "Father, save me!" Their voices were filled with helplessness and fear, penetrating the heavy palace gates and echoing the tense confrontation inside and outside the palace.
For a moment, neither side dared to act rashly, and the situation was deadlocked. The two sides formed a delicate balance at this moment, and they were jealous of each other. No one dared to break this fragile deadlock easily. The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder, and a storm seemed to be about to break out at any time.
The crying sound reached the ears of Prince Yong, and his body trembled slightly. At this moment, Prince Yong's thoughts surged like a tide. He remembered the gentleness and virtue of Princess Yong, and he remembered the admiration and love of his sons. However, what made Prince Yong most upset was his youngest daughter Jiacheng, who was the daughter he had been looking forward to for a long time. The
confidant beside him knew that in this vortex of power struggle, any hesitation or softness could become a fatal weakness. He was afraid that Prince Yong would be soft-hearted and lead to all the previous efforts being wasted, so he said, "Prince, please put the overall situation first. You still have the eldest son and the third son..."
Prince Yong raised his hand to stop the confidant from continuing to persuade him. His eyes became very firm, and he ordered in a deep voice: "The army must not lose its morale! Pass the order down, let the archers prepare, and kill without mercy!" After saying this, King Yong closed his eyes, as if he was reluctant, but those who achieve great things must have the courage to cut off their own arms.