Chapter 318 Heartless
He was treated like a criminal by these servants and lackeys, who listed out his crimes and then punished him with swords.
He remembered some of the things these people mentioned, but he had completely forgotten others because so much time had passed.
Although he was tyrannical, he used to care about his reputation and would only punish his servants when he was in a bad mood. He remembered that he should not have committed so many evil deeds. How could every servant around him have such a blood feud with him and hate him so much!
The emperor thought these people were spineless. Now that the King of the Northern Frontier had the upper hand, he fabricated some baseless crimes against him in order to curry favor with the King of the Northern Frontier and save his own life.
However, he completely forgot that his concern for his reputation was only directed at ministers and nobles, and it was only these prestigious individuals who made him willing to go to great lengths to maintain a facade of peace.
In his eyes, the servants and maids were as worthless as weeds. If it weren't for that little eunuch taking away hundreds of eunuchs and maids to find Consort Xi, he might have more than a hundred holes in his body right now.
After the last palace maid finished stabbing him, the emperor lay helplessly on the spot, staring at Wen Zhiming with resentful and unwilling eyes.
In the distance, the sound of war drums resounded. Wen Zhiming's eyes were filled with murderous intent. He raised his long sword and thrust it straight at the emperor's heart. The emperor bent over, blood spurting out, and fell silent as he fell. His sinister eyes stubbornly turned toward the bronze crane incense burner.
The dragon robe had burned out, and the smoke had died down.
Wen Zhiming picked up the emperor's body and addressed the crowd.
"You all served the dog emperor not voluntarily. Now that the dog emperor is dead, it is up to you whether you want to stay or leave. Those who wish to stay will be treated leniently by me. Those who need to leave can register after the war, collect their travel expenses, and then leave the palace on their own."
The eunuchs and palace maids were overjoyed, but they all had their own difficulties. Moreover, after today's events, they believed that the King of the Northern Frontier was a far better ruler than the Emperor, and none of them wanted to leave.
“Your servants are willing to pledge allegiance to the King of the Northern Frontier.”
Wen Zhiming had already carried the emperor's body onto the roof and headed towards the sound of the war drums. Ye Guhong said to the crowd, "If you are willing, then pass on the news of the dog emperor's death to your familiar palace servants and friends, and advise them not to resist, so as to avoid being killed."
Everyone suddenly realized what was happening and immediately rushed out to inform their relatives and friends in the palace.
The entire palace was in an uproar.
Some people hid everywhere with their valuables, some carried weapons like frightened birds, and some even wept bitterly with their lovers, guards, and maids...
Wen Zhiming carried a corpse as he leaped across rooftops and walls, his speed unaffected in the slightest.
The Hall of Diligent Governance is closest to the East Gate, and Wen Zhiming sent his most elite troops to the East Gate. Judging by the time, they should be breaching the East Gate soon.
Once he arrives with the dog emperor's corpse, he will completely shatter the soldiers' resolve and allow them to capture the East Gate in one fell swoop.
However, as they approached the East Gate, they saw soldiers fleeing and retreating in all directions, while drums thundered in front of them, creating a powerful and imposing scene.
Wen Zhiming was invigorated; he hadn't expected that the East Gate would be breached before he even arrived.
He jumped down from the eaves carrying the emperor's body and immediately saw that the person walking in front of him was not Ren Yang, who was attacking the East Gate, but Wen Kehao, the leader of the Headless Gang and his half-brother.
The red markings on Wen Kehao's face were more pronounced than when they last met, and his whole aura was even stronger. He sat on horseback, carrying a large sword, and his eagle eyes were as cold as knives. Wherever he looked, the soldiers all stepped back and gave way.
Only when he saw Wen Zhiming did a slight smile appear on his face.
“King of the Northern Frontier, even though you did not summon me for help during this life-or-death battle, I had no choice but to come.”
When Wen Zhiming saw Wen Kehao, he was both surprised and frightened. His unease intensified when he saw the red marks on Wen Kehao's face.
Wen Zhiming had consulted several military doctors about Wen Kehao's blocked meridians after taking the Gu King. They learned that the more people killed in this situation, the more serious the qi deviation would become. Su Leyan, as a doctor, should also be aware of this.
However, she did not inform him and allowed Wen Kehao to become the bandit leader.
It seems Wen Kehao's situation is quite dire; he can't kill, yet his unique constitution fuels a bloodlust. Therefore, Su Leyan allows him to become a bandit, killing evildoers.
Wen Kehao's arrival to help him, having killed too many people, will likely worsen his condition. Moreover, if officials in the court recognize him as Blood Wolf, they certainly won't tolerate him.
But now that Wen Kehao is already here, it wouldn't help if he said something so discouraging, and it wasn't appropriate for the occasion.
Wen Kehao did not call him elder brother, but the King of the Northern Frontier, which shows that he wanted to conceal his identity and retire after the deed was done.
Thinking of this, Wen Zhiming smiled and raised the corpse in his hand.
"You've come at the right time. The dog emperor is dead. Today, let's strike at the heart of the enemy and restore order."
The body of the thief who harmed my third brother is here; he has avenged his brother.
Ren Yang rode out from behind Wen Kehao's group and said, "Your Highness, this brother is very agile. He broke into the East Gate as if it were empty. It is thanks to him that we were able to break through the East Gate so quickly."
Wen Kehao's appearance had changed slightly, with more prominent red markings. Ren Yang and the others only felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but did not recognize him. They had been worried that this man had ulterior motives, but now that they saw that the prince truly recognized him, they were relieved.
Wen Zhiming tore off the emperor's blood-red dragon robe, cut it in two, and handed it to Wen Kehao and Ren Yang.
"I and the two of you will split into three groups and head to the remaining three palace gates to inform the dog emperor of his death and to bring the two armies to a truce as soon as possible to reduce casualties."
"yes!"
"yes!"
The three parted ways at the crossroads, each heading towards one of the three palace gates: south, west, north, or south.
When two armies clash, each serves its own master.
Now that the emperor is dead, there is no point in the soldiers continuing to fight. All we need to do is spread the news, and they will surrender on their own.
The result was almost exactly as Wen Zhiming had predicted. The soldiers at the three palace gates were already struggling to cope, and they were holding on desperately because they believed that they could get a reward and a promotion by guarding the palace.
When news of the emperor's death arrived, the officers and soldiers knew that there was no hope of promotion or wealth, and that further resistance would only lead to their deaths. Their last remaining strength and belief were extinguished, and they surrendered one after another.
The officials were imprisoned in the Star Gazing Tower.
Outside, the fighting was deafening, but here, far from the palace gates, it was still heavily guarded.
Standing anxiously by the window, Scholar Zhang suddenly noticed that the guards outside had brought in a lot of firewood and pine resin, arranging them in two circles outside the Star Gazing Tower.
"Everyone come quick! Look what they're doing!"
Other officials came over upon hearing the noise, and upon seeing the scene, they were all shocked and wide-eyed, filled with fear.
"Dry firewood and pine resin—these are all flammable materials. Are they trying to burn us to death?"
"The Star Gazing Tower is a wooden building. If it catches fire, we will have no chance of survival."
"Your Majesty is so cruel, how could you be so heartless towards us?"
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