Chapter 56: The Rebellion Plan Was Hastily Implemented
The plan was implemented hastily, and the Sixth Prince personally went to the Princess's Mansion to lobby Princess Duanyang. As for Yao Ce, the Sixth Prince did not tell him the detailed plan, but only asked him to wait in the mansion.
Although Princess Duanyang felt that this matter was inappropriate and did not understand why the Sixth Prince wanted to use his name to enter the palace to visit his father, she was worried about her father's safety. In addition, her mother had taught her since she was a child and she had always adhered to the principle of putting her younger brother first, so she agreed to go to the palace with him to "visit the sick."
They brought a group of death warriors trained by Prince Liang and the Sixth Prince over the years, as well as some bribed imperial guards disguised as "guards". They broke into the palace on the pretext of the princess visiting a sick patient. Their people had already been waiting for them in the palace, and they rushed to the outside of the emperor's bedroom smoothly without any hindrance.
Looking at the bedroom door that was so close, Xie Jingrong felt an irrepressible ecstasy and excitement of having won the victory.
The palace was silent, and their journey was unusually "smooth". He seemed to have seen his father lying sick and helpless on the dragon bed after the palace door opened, and he would be in control of everything as the "rescuer" and the only reliable prince!
Thinking of this, a smug and twisted smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were burning, almost emitting light.
He subconsciously straightened his already luxurious robes, as if he had already touched the dragon throne that was so close to him.
"It's almost time... it's almost time... This world will finally be mine!" He screamed frantically in his heart, all his anxieties washed away by the lust for power. He even felt that even his mother's spirit in heaven was blessing him.
Princess Duanyang looked at the silent palace and felt even more uneasy. She looked back at her brother hesitantly, but only saw an almost excited expression on his face that made her feel unfamiliar.
She gently tugged at her brother's sleeve and whispered:
"Jingrong, it's too quiet in there, could this be..."
"Imperial sister, you worry too much!"
The Sixth Prince interrupted her impatiently, his tone filled with undeniable excitement, "It must be that the Emperor needs to rest. All outsiders have been dismissed. Let's go in and visit him. The Emperor will surely be waiting for us!"
At this moment, he only felt that Duan Yang's worries were extremely troublesome, and even secretly winked at the leader of the "guards" behind him, indicating that they should be prepared.
He took a deep breath, and almost impatiently pushed open the heavy door of the bedroom that symbolized supreme power!
“Squeak—”
The palace door was wide open.
However, the expected frail emperor and frightened palace maids did not appear. Instead, under the brightly lit sky, a group of elite armored soldiers stood in a solemn and solemn manner. Before them stood the old northern general, his beard and hair unfurling, spear in hand, his face as stern as steel! Beside the dragon bed, Imperial Preceptor Chi Hua stood quietly, his eyes calm and composed, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Fell into a trap!
It was like being doused head to toe in a basin of ice water during the coldest days of winter. The ecstasy and pride on the Sixth Prince's face instantly froze and shattered, transforming into extreme shock and disbelief! His pupils contracted sharply, his mouth slightly open, but no sound emanated. The blood that had been scalding just a moment before seemed to solidify instantly, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
What went wrong?
"Traitor! Surrender now!"
The old general's thunderous roar shattered his last glimmer of hope!
The huge gap between falling from the clouds to hell in an instant made his mind go blank and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"How could it be... How could it be possible..." There was only endless panic and anger at being plotted against in his heart.
A melee erupted instantly, the sounds of swords clashing and shouts of killing echoing throughout the Forbidden Garden. But how could the death squads and imperial guards he and the King of Liang had brought with them compare to the battle-hardened warriors? He and the King of Liang could only manage a desperate, desperate escape.
As for Princess Duanyang, the Sixth Prince naturally did not forget her. This was certainly not because of the so-called ridiculous family affection, but simply out of his inner malice and the fact that he regarded the other party as a bargaining chip.
His character has long shown that he is a person who will use everything he can, a person who is ruthless and unscrupulous, and who can use everyone around him as tools in order to survive.
As if to confirm this, several arrows flew from the sky, heading straight for them. Even though some of them were knocked down, the number was still quite terrifying. The Sixth Prince subconsciously grabbed the person closest to him, but this person happened to be his biological father, "Prince Liang".
The arrow hit King Liang's heart, eyebrows, and shoulder. In the last moment of King Liang's life, he only had time to turn his head and stare at the direction of his good son with an expression of disbelief.
The Sixth Prince did not react at all. Instead, he treated Prince Liang as a target and stood in front of him. He roughly and mercilessly dragged the almost exhausted and disheveled Princess Duanyang, completely ignoring the multiple injuries Princess Duanyang suffered as a result of his actions. He just forcefully dragged her back to the top of the high palace wall.
The body of His Royal Highness Prince Liang, whom he used as a target, was also thrown aside.
Behind him was a vast void, and in front of him were the old general and his elite troops who were pressing him step by step. The few remaining warriors around him were like candles in the wind, and fell one after another in the face of absolute strength.
The old general was stationed at the foot of the wall, his voice like a bell, piercing the night:
"Sixth Prince! The situation is hopeless. Refusing to resist will only lead to death! Lay down your weapons now. Perhaps His Majesty will, for the sake of our father-son relationship, show leniency!"
The surrounding imperial guards also shouted in unison:
"Put down your weapons!"
They have no way out.
The dignified and noble Princess Duanyang had already been frightened out of her wits by this series of misfortunes. Her gorgeous palace dress was covered with dust and blood, her pearl hairpins fell sideways, and her hair was disheveled, like a madman who had escaped from the cold palace.
She looked at the dark mass of troops below and her brother's hideous face. A glimmer of hope emerged from the intense fear. She grabbed her brother's arm and cried in a trembling voice:
"Jingrong! Surrender! Let's...let's go and apologize to our father. He has always loved you and will definitely forgive us! Don't make any more mistakes!"
She grabbed the Sixth Prince's sleeve, her voice mournful, but was mercilessly thrown away and harshly interrupted.
"Forgive me?" The Sixth Prince slapped her hard in the face as if he had heard a huge joke! Duan Yang was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Her cheeks instantly became red and swollen, and blood oozed from the corners of her mouth. She looked at her brother in disbelief, who had become so unfamiliar to her.
"Idiot! You're still dreaming of your grandeur!"
The Sixth Prince leaned over, grabbed Duan Yang by the collar of her clothes, lifted her up, and dragged her to the edge of the wall. He shouted hysterically at the old general below:
"Old bastard! Look carefully! This is the precious Princess Duanyang of your Daliang Imperial Family! A true royal bloodline! Back off! Everyone, back off! If you dare take another step forward, I'll push her down, disgrace your Imperial Family, and make your father feel the pain of losing his 'true love' daughter!"
He deliberately emphasized "true royal blood," his tone filled with twisted jealousy and vindictive pleasure.
Princess Duanyang was strangled by him to the point of almost suffocating, but what made her even more suffocated was the information revealed in her brother's words.
"True...real royal blood? Jingrong...you...what are you talking about?"
"say what?"
The Sixth Prince grinned fiercely, leaning close to her ear and speaking like a venomous snake, "My dear sister, you don't know yet, do you? You are our father's child, and I? I am nothing but the bastard child of the affair between Prince Liang and our mother! Do you understand now? Your good father will never forgive me! And I will never surrender!"
These words were like thunder, making Princess Duanyang dizzy. Her mother's earnest teachings and her father's doting on her in the past kept replaying in her mind. The principles she had followed for many years were broken by her own brother. She just stared at him blankly for a while.
Just as the Sixth Prince was roaring threats at the people below him, the loosened bricks under his feet suddenly slipped! He cried out "Ah!" and instantly lost his balance, falling violently towards the wall!
"Jingrong!"
Princess Duanyang cried out in shock! Despite having just learned the cruel truth and being treated so harshly by her brother, the instinct etched in her bones, the instinct to protect him for twenty years, made her forget all grudges in that moment. Almost instinctively, she rushed forward and narrowly grasped the Sixth Prince's arm as it was about to fall!
The immense force of the fall caused Princess Duanyang to fall against the parapet, half of her body protruding outward. She desperately grasped her brother's wrist, her slender arm trembling violently from the unbearable weight, her nails practically digging into his flesh.
Hanging in mid-air, hanging on the parapet, the fear of death made Xie Jingrong's face distorted. He looked up at his sister who was desperately holding him, but there was extreme resentment in his eyes.
"Stupid woman, stupid woman! Pull me back!"
While cursing, he even used his free hand to pull Duan Yang's shoulder, trying to use the force to climb up.
Feeling her brother's merciless force and vicious curses, Princess Duanyang's heart died at that moment. She stared into her brother's eyes, filled with hatred and madness, then gazed at the endless darkness below. Images of her life flashed through her mind—the loneliness of the palace, the false family ties from beginning to end, the exploited trust, and finally, the utter betrayal...
Throughout her life, under her mother's guidance, she devoted herself to her "brother".
An extreme exhaustion and sadness washed over her. She suddenly didn't want to struggle anymore.
Tears slid down silently, mixed with the blood from the corners of her mouth, and dripped onto Xie Jingrong's hands.
She looked at her brother, there was no fear or pleading in her eyes, only an unfathomable pity and the calmness after despair.
Then, under Xie Jingrong's horrified gaze, she used up her last bit of strength, not to pull him up, but... suddenly jumped in the opposite direction of Xie Rong, and at the same time, she used the force to loosen her hand.
"No--!"
Xie Jingrong only had time to let out a short scream.
Princess Duanyang's figure, like a swallowtail butterfly with broken wings, her gorgeous dress like a rose blooming in the air, fell resolutely and lightly into the boundless darkness. In the brief moment of rapid descent, her eyes reflected the outline of the imperial city for the last time. A clear tear slid across the corner of her eye, and finally she returned to eternal silence.
As for Xie Jingrong, due to the reaction force of Duan Yang's final pull, his body fell backwards and heavily into the parapet. Although his bones were broken and he was dizzy, he luckily saved his life.
Before he could recover from the shock of the fall and his sister's resolute action, countless gleaming swords and spears were instantly placed at his neck, pinning him to the ground. The old general approached with steady steps, looking down at the prisoner who had triggered a palace coup and indirectly caused the deaths of his father and sister.
A farce that ended in the most tragic way. Prince Liang was pierced by thousands of arrows, Duan Yang died young, and the Sixth Prince, Xie Jingrong, faced a trial and imprisonment more painful than death. On and below the palace walls, only the smell of blood and a deathly silence remained.
In the bedroom, the emperor was awakened by the sound of fighting outside. He opened his eyes with difficulty and heard the eunuch's report through the crack in the door. He heard the whole process of his rebellious son leading troops to force the palace, his daughter falling to her death, and King Liang being executed.
He felt a chill in his heart, filled with both immense anger at being betrayed and grief over his daughter's tragic death. He felt that his life was a joke, and his already exhausted body could not withstand such a huge stimulation.
But he held on to his last breath, called the eunuchs, and with a trembling hand, pointed at the deposed Crown Prince Xie Xuanhui who had been standing nearby, silently but meritorious in protecting the emperor at the critical moment, and said to his trusted ministers and the eunuchs who drafted the imperial edict in a halting manner:
"Pass...pass on my decree...restore...restore the crown prince to the eldest son, Xie Xuanhui...after my...my death...the crown prince...will succeed to the throne...before my coffin..."
After making this final decision, he seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden, and as if all his vitality had been exhausted. His arms dropped, his eyes slowly closed, and he completely stopped breathing.
At this point, the dust settled, and Xie Xuanhui, with the support of the national teacher, old generals and ministers from aristocratic families, successfully ascended the throne and began his era.
At the same time, in a quiet and unknown town on the border of Beiliang, a simple carriage slowly drove in. Inside the carriage, a pale young man who had been unconscious for a long time had trembling eyelashes and slowly opened his eyes.
His eyes were confused and pure like a newborn baby as he looked around at the completely unfamiliar environment.
"Are you awake?"
Beside this young man was a young man dressed in gorgeous clothes and adorned with luxurious accessories. He looked exactly like a glowing golden ingot. It was this young man who asked in a gentle voice.
The man who had just woken up opened his mouth, but found his throat dry and no sound came out. More importantly, his mind was blank.
Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?
He knew nothing. His memory was like a field covered with snow, pure white and without a trace.
Only the cool and clear Pisces jade pendant tied at his waist seemed to explain his origins.
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