Chapter 203 The Roles of Attacker and Defender Change
The Empress looked at Consort Rong with a half-smile and said:
"Look at you, you've endured hardship and humiliation in this palace for over a decade for his sake, and this is how he treats you when it really matters."
They completely disregard whether you and your son live or die.
Consort Rong remained silent, her expression still indifferent as she looked at Prince Rui.
"I knew this day would come, you don't need to worry about me."
"I am already very grateful that you could come to the palace and spend these seven or eight days with me."
Upon hearing Consort Rong's words, the Empress's expression suddenly darkened, but she quickly followed with a light scoff:
"I really envy the deep love between you two. I just wonder what Ye Zhen will think when she finds out?"
Prince Rui turned his head and glared fiercely at the Empress:
"If you say another word, I'll kill this dog emperor."
After saying that, he smiled knowingly and said, "No, the emperor is about to die."
"If you say another word, I'll kill your son."
The Empress's expression indeed turned ugly, but she still said:
"Don't forget your son is in my hands too."
Prince Rui looked at the Empress and laughed: "Hmph, I have two more sons, but you only have this one."
Xiao Ling suddenly raised his voice and interjected:
"Your Majesty, my lover hasn't seen me for many years, so he must have something very important to say."
Why don't we give them some time to say goodbye properly?
After hearing Xiao Ling's words, the Empress thought that this might not be a bad way to delay the inevitable, and nodded in agreement.
"Hmm... Ling'er is right, then let's give you some time to talk about what's on your mind."
Prince Rui knew perfectly well that they were stalling for time.
He appears to have the upper hand at this moment, but the palace is heavily guarded, making it impossible for him to escape unscathed with his wife and child.
If we don't speak now, we may never see Consort Rong and her son again.
Prince Rui looked at Consort Rong's calm, smiling face, his eyes churning with emotion:
"I'm sorry."
Consort Rong did not speak, but simply looked at him calmly.
It was the Third Prince who lost his composure first, looking at Prince Rui and saying:
"Stop talking about this. Let's take action before their reinforcements arrive."
Killing the emperor and the crown prince would also throw their power base into chaos.
As soon as the Third Prince said this, everyone's eyes fell on him.
Xiao Ling said, "I didn't realize you were such a ruthless person. Your usual tolerance and indifference are quite well acted out."
The Third Prince looked up at Xiao Ling with an icy expression:
"You have no right to speak here."
Do you really think that just because you have the surname Xiao, you're a prince and can be compared to us?
The crown prince retorted, "Why can't he speak?"
Xiao Qi, you're just a son of a concubine of Prince Rui, while he's a direct descendant of the ancestors. His bloodline is definitely more legitimate than yours.
Why can't he interrupt?
Perhaps stung by the words "the Crown Prince's son by a concubine," the Third Prince immediately became displeased and said with a gloomy face:
"Yuan Che made his move and killed the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling."
Yuan Che glanced at Prince Rui, who then gave Consort Rong one last deep look before closing his eyes and issuing the order:
"Let's do it."
The old eunuch and Fang Qing immediately stepped forward to stop them, while Xiao Ling pulled the crown prince and ran into the tunnel.
Before leaving, he turned back and glanced at Xie Yunyu lying on the ground, in the corner behind Prince Rui.
His body was hidden by two walls, so he seemed to be unharmed.
At this moment, Xiao Ling could only worry about the Crown Prince.
After pushing the prince into the tunnel, he found something to block the entrance and stood at the entrance to shield the prince.
The Crown Prince was unwilling to enter the tunnel, but Xiao Ling, the old eunuch, and Fang all urged him to retreat.
After retreating into the tunnel, he went down the steps, preparing to go out from the other end to fetch reinforcements.
Just as he had walked halfway, he suddenly heard the sounds of fighting ahead, and the prince stopped in his tracks.
This is truly a situation where we are caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to advance or retreat.
So he stopped in the darkness and listened intently.
Suddenly hearing the voice of General Yin Fengshan of the Thousand Bull Guard, the Crown Prince felt relieved; reinforcements had arrived.
Soon the sounds of fighting subsided, followed by Yin Fengshan's gruff voice:
"Hurry up, don't waste time."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard heavy footsteps and the metallic sound of armor plates rubbing together, gradually approaching.
The Crown Prince then spoke, "General Yin."
Upon hearing this, Yin Fengshan quickly stepped forward with a torch. Seeing that it was the Crown Prince, he immediately bowed.
"Your Majesty, I have arrived too late to save you; the Crown Prince has been frightened."
The crown prince stepped forward and helped the man up.
"Stop with the pleasantries, hurry, hurry and go support General Fang."
Yin Fengshan waved his hand: "Men, hurry up!"
The deputy commander of the Thousand Bull Guards led his men forward, while Yin Fengshan stayed by the Crown Prince's side, helping him to catch up slowly.
As the prince walked, he said, "Did my aunt send you here?"
"Yes, Her Highness the Princess said that Prince Rui has taken His Majesty hostage and sent us to protect him."
Then, as if to appease the crown prince, he continued:
"Your Highness, rest assured, the Eagle Guard and the rest of the Thousand Bull Guard, led by Her Highness the Eldest Princess herself, went up to Chunhua Palace."
The crown prince nodded.
Inside Chunhua Palace, Xiao Ling saw the Imperial Guards outside starting to shoot arrows into the room, so he quickly found a chair and hid behind it.
Fang Qing was accidentally hit by an arrow, but his fighting strength was not diminished at all; he became even more courageous as he fought.
Meanwhile, the old eunuch Cui dodged and weaved within the limited space, avoiding arrows while fighting against Yuan Che.
The old eunuch was incredibly skilled, and Yuan Che was no match for him. However, due to the interference of arrows, the two actually fought to a draw.
The Empress then ordered the people behind her to go up and fight the rebellious Imperial Guards.
She had the Third Prince and Consort Rong firmly controlled, and slowly retreated to the doorway to avoid the arrows.
Seeing Fang Qing and the old eunuch so valiant, Prince Rui angrily addressed the crowd outside:
“If a few more come in, kill them.”
A dozen more Imperial Guards entered from outside the door. Ignoring his injuries, Fang Qing fought bravely against them, taking on all of them one by one.
His usual weapon was a long spear, but he didn't have it with him today, so he could only use the sword he had just seized to fight.
But ultimately, two fists can't fight four hands. Soon, Fang Qing was slashed in many places and had to retreat.
Just as they were about to retreat to Xiao Ling's side, the thing blocking the cave entrance was suddenly pierced by a gun from inside.
Xiao Ling knew the Thousand Bull Guards had arrived as soon as he saw the spearhead, and quickly helped move the things away.
Sure enough, the face of Dou Kun, the Lieutenant General of the Thousand Bull Guard, appeared before them.
Xiao Ling made way, and at that very moment, a whooshing sound came from behind.
"Your Highness, please be careful."
Dou Kun shouted loudly.
Xiao Ling reacted quickly and dodged to the side, but it was too late.
An arrow was lodged directly in Xiao Ling's left arm.
Dou Kun leaped out of the tunnel entrance, shielding Xiao Ling behind him and blocking the arrows that followed.
Then a large number of Thousand Bull Guards poured out of the tunnel, and the situation inside the house was instantly reversed.
Yuan was forced to retreat step by step until he reached Prince Rui.
The guards in the room were stunned for a moment when they saw Prince Rui with the emperor's face.
There are actually two emperors in this room.
Dou Kun glanced at the person lying on the soft couch and said loudly:
"The one lying on the soft couch is the real His Majesty."
The guards finally realized what was happening.
Just then, Princess Jinyang arrived outside the palace with her Eagle Guards.
"Xiao Hongyi, you are surrounded. Surrender now."
The eldest princess stood at the entrance of the courtyard and shouted loudly into the house.
Prince Rui then answered towards the outside:
"Hmph, Xiao Wangshu, don't forget, the emperor is still in my hands."
If you dare to make any rash moves, I will kill him right now.
"Elder sister, you cherish your younger brother so much, you wouldn't abandon him, would you?"
The fact that the emperor was in his hands certainly made the eldest princess hesitant to act rashly.
Princess Jinyang had no choice but to say, "How about we talk?"
Prince Rui wanted to hear those words from her. Given his current situation and his weak position, he had no choice but to negotiate.
"Then tell your men to stop."
Seeing that the Imperial Guards in the courtyard were almost all under control, the eldest princess said:
"Okay, stop."
After he said this, the sounds of fighting and hacking in the courtyard gradually subsided and disappeared.
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