Chapter 96 If you're a man, come out with your head held high...
A quarter of an hour later, Li Pan stepped out of the main hall.
Everyone involuntarily turned to look into the hall, where they saw Emperor Jinghui lying slumped on the dragon throne with his eyes closed, his head drooping, and his dragon robe soaked in blood. He was already dead.
Meanwhile, Eunuch Zheng collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Li Pan stood at the threshold, blood dripping from the tip of his spear, and slowly exhaled a breath of foul air.
"Congratulations, General! Your great revenge has been achieved!" General Liao cupped his hands and laughed. "That old villain, who played such cunning tricks, has finally gotten his comeuppance!"
Seeing that General Liao wanted to go in, Li Pan blocked his way with his spear and asked coldly, "What do you want to do?"
"This..." General Liao said in surprise, "Shouldn't we display this old traitor's corpse to the world and announce it to them?"
"What's the rush?" Li Pan said. "When it comes to matters here, should we listen to you or me?"
"Of course I'll listen to the general." General Liao gave a dry laugh.
"Close the door." Li Pan looked at him. "We'll deal with him later."
When General Liao saw him ordering him around, he was taken aback for a moment before reluctantly saying "Yes" and closing the door to the Ganyang Hall.
Li Pan took a few steps forward, letting the heavy rain soak his face and penetrate his very being.
The corpses in front of the Ganyang Palace had been dragged away, but the bloodstains had not yet been cleaned up and, with the seepage of rainwater, had spread even further.
"General..." Lieutenant General Ding asked cautiously, "Have you found out the whereabouts of the lady?"
“No.” Li Pan’s eyes were gloomy. “That old thief would rather die than say anything, and he insisted that he did not do such a thing.”
"Who else could it be but him?" Deputy General Ding said angrily. "He must have wanted to annoy the general even on his deathbed, wanting to make the general anxious! No matter how big the palace is, it has its limits. With so many of us, we're not afraid of not being able to find the lady!"
Li Pan looked at General Liao: "In your opinion, where might my wife be hidden?"
General Liao thought for a moment: "It should be in the inner palace, right? Or perhaps in some uninhabited palace?"
Li Pan: "Alright, let's go look for him. We'll dig three feet into the ground, I refuse to believe we can't find him!"
"Yes!" Deputy General Ding and the other deputy generals replied loudly, each leading a group of men away.
General Liao: "Then...then I'll go look for it for you too?"
Li Pan nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
The area in front of the Ganyang Hall suddenly became empty again. Li Pan walked around the bloodstains and sat down on the steps.
When the emperor died, the rebels searched the palace. The palace servants were terrified and scattered in panic. Some of them fled to the Ganyang Palace in their haste, but when they saw Li Pan, they scrambled away in another direction.
Li Pan watched everything quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, General Liao rushed back to the Ganyang Palace, shouting, "General! We've found her! We've found the Lady!"
Li Pan jumped to his feet and asked urgently, "Where is it!"
"Yes, yes..." General Liao looked troubled. "Deputy General Ding brought her here. General, please see for yourself!"
Li Pan looked over in astonishment and saw Deputy General Ding and a soldier carrying something, running over one after the other.
Li Pan: "How did you two end up together?"
General Liao was surprised that he asked the question first, and choked for a moment before answering: "Deputy General Ding was not familiar with the road, and happened to run into him, so we searched the palace together. Who knew... who knew that in a cold palace, we found... the lady."
As the two men carrying the object approached, Li Pan realized that what they were carrying was a wooden plank covered with a piece of cloth torn from somewhere. The bulge under the cloth looked like a person.
Li Pan suddenly took a step back, horrified, and asked, "What do you mean? What do you mean by this?"
"General!" Lieutenant General Ding put down the wooden board, his eyes red-rimmed, and said, "Madam, Madam was in the Cold Palace. For some reason, no one took care of her, and she has... she has passed away... This humble general hastily tore off a piece of curtain to cover Madam so that she would not lose face... Please, General, take a look..."
Li Pan stared blankly at the wooden plank lying on the ground, each step feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, as he slowly moved towards it.
Deputy General Ding wiped his eyes and stood behind Li Pan.
Just as Li Pan was distracted and squatted down to lift the cover—
The long sword was drawn, and the sound of it cutting through the air filled the air!
Deputy General Ding brandished his sword, aiming straight for Li Pan's head!
However, Li Pan was faster than him.
Despite being clad in heavy armor, he suddenly unleashed astonishing power from his waist, quickly twisting his body and raising his long leg to kick Vice General Ding's wrist.
Calling it a kick might not be accurate; it was more like gliding across half an arc in an instant and crashing into it.
Lieutenant General Ding never expected that he was on guard. A sharp pain shot through his wrist, as if his bones were about to shatter. Although he was a strong man, his body involuntarily tilted as his arm swayed.
A moment later, he fell to the ground, his wrist crushed by the sole of Li Pan's boot, making a clear sound of his wrist bone breaking.
Before he could react, in the blink of an eye, Li Pan caught the long sword that had slipped from his hand and plunged it diagonally into the unarmored area under his ribs!
Deputy General Ding immediately let out a shrill scream.
The blade ripped off his shoulder armor, causing blood to gush out and making him convulse in pain.
"Ding Heng, we've known each other for six years, how could things have come to this!" Li Pan hissed, his eyes red. "Why did you betray me!"
Deputy General Ding was in so much pain that he couldn't speak.
However, Li Pan did not seem to want an answer immediately. He drew his long sword and stabbed Deputy General Ding in the leg again, making sure that he could not stand up. Only then did he straighten up and look coldly at General Liao in front of him.
Before anyone knew it, General Liao had a sword in his hand.
"There are so many good things in this palace," Li Pan sneered, half of his face stained with blood. "I remember General Liao didn't bring any weapons to show his sincerity in surrendering, did he? How come he came back with a weapon after going to the Cold Palace?"
General Liao stared at him in horror.
How could this happen?
Li Pan actually saw through their plan? How did he see through it? When did he see through it? They questioned him for so long in front of the city gate before finally believing that he had truly surrendered. Was it all an act? Who is deceiving whom here?
Li Pan lifted the cloth covering the wooden board, revealing the corpse of a palace servant underneath.
Li Pan sneered: "You think you can outmaneuver me with your wife? I advise you to face reality and stop dreaming of being the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Liang Chong can't be emperor, and it's not your Liao family's turn to be emperor."
A commotion arose from all directions as a large number of Beijing troops and Imperial Guards poured into the square in front of the Qianyang Palace. General Liao calmed down and sneered, "Do you see that, Li Pan? Are you still going to fight like a cornered beast?"
Li Pan remained silent.
"Why do you think there are so few troops outside the city? It's not because they surrendered, but because they've all been lying in ambush inside this palace! Most of your troops are outside and have no idea what's going on inside the palace! And the people you brought into the palace are scattered everywhere looking for your wife; they're just waiting to die!" General Liao laughed loudly. "Look at how many people are around. I advise you to surrender obediently, and you might at least get a proper burial!"
"Is that so?" Li Pan scoffed. "You're right, most of my troops are indeed stationed outside, so now it's you who are surrounded!"
Having said that, a fierce look suddenly appeared between his brows, and he slashed directly at General Liao with his sword.
Li Pan was skilled with a long spear, but his swordsmanship was equally fierce. His attacks were wide and sweeping, swift and powerful; raindrops were cleaved into tiny needles by the blade, splattering directly into General Liao's eyes. The wind from the blade was as fast as lightning, forcing him to retreat step by step, only able to defend.
The Imperial Guards and the capital's army continued to advance, but because the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, they were unable to join the fray.
Just then, a stirring bugle call sounded outside the square, and the massive Northwest Army finally broke through the obstacles, smashed open the palace gates, and stormed in.
"General!" Wu Zhao spurred his horse and rushed over, "Your subordinate is too late!"
"What use are you now that you've only just arrived!" Li Pan cursed.
While fighting the surging enemy troops, Wu Zhao explained, "Lord Lou has rheumatism and walks too slowly. There's nothing I can do about it!"
General Liao was furious to see the two of them talking back and forth despite being so far apart, and his swordplay became much more aggressive.
He was not just a showy general; he possessed genuine skills. However, after years of serving as a member of the Imperial Guard, only responsible for patrolling and reconnaissance, his skills had regressed rather than improved, making him no match for a valiant general like Li Pan.
The square descended into a chaotic battle. Li Pan lost his patience and swung his sword horizontally with the force of thunder, attacking General Liao.
General Liao hastily blocked the attack, but the sword was actually cut with a shallow nick, which made his hands go numb and his body unstable.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Pan swept his leg, forcing him to fall to his knees. The blade pressed against the side of his neck, cutting a thin gash.
When the men below saw their commander captured, they were terrified and hesitated to act.
General Liao roared, "No retreat! We still have trump cards; we haven't lost! Fight to the death!"
"Oh? That's intriguing." Li Pan pressed his shoulder, stepped on his leg, and looked down at him, saying, "What exactly is this trump card that makes General Liao unafraid of death? If General Liao dies, even if we win in the end, who will be the emperor?"
General Liao gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Li Pan.
Seeing that he remained silent, Li Pan immediately rolled the blade around his neck.
Bright red blood flowed down.
"Liang Ji!" Li Pan shouted, looking at the dense crowd in the square, "If you're a man, come out with your head held high! Is it honorable to cower behind others?"
Liang Ji?!
Isn't this the name of the deceased crown prince?
Everyone in the square, regardless of which side they were on, was taken aback.
Li Pan: "Those who need to inform others should do so quickly. My patience is limited. If I don't see him and my wife within half a cup of tea's time, then his uncle will have no choice but to sacrifice himself here!"
Having said that, he stabbed General Liao again. General Liao let out a muffled groan, his face contorted in a grimace.
Wu Zhao finally managed to break free from the crowd and reach Li Pan's side, where he tied up General Liao.
Li Pan tossed aside the knife in his hand and picked up the long spear that had been leaning against the palace gate.
He stood expressionless on the steps in front of the palace, holding his gun, his gaze sweeping over the crowd still fighting below.
Rain fell on his face, spreading the splattered blood. The light red water slid down his skin, staining half of his face red, making him look like a god of death.
The Imperial Guards and the capital army, who were not good at fighting, were no match for the experienced Northwest Army. Just when the situation was becoming clear, an invisible tide suddenly rose from some corner. Where the tide passed, there was silence, with only the rustling of armor.
The two sides gradually stopped fighting and, as if by unspoken agreement, made way for each other.
Crown Prince Liang Ji, with a gloomy face and his hands behind his back, walked step by step to the front of the Ganyang Palace.
Behind him followed the empress, who was trying to remain calm, and Lou Xueying, who was being held between two soldiers and looked weak and powerless.
Eunuch Cao held a dagger, trembling, to the side of her neck.
"Swish!" Li Pan cried out, gripping his spear tightly and roaring, "What did you do to her!"
The generals who had been calm and collected just moments before suddenly seemed to have transformed into ferocious tigers. If Wu Zhao hadn't been holding them back tightly, they probably would have rushed at the Crown Prince immediately.
Lou Xueying barely managed to lift her head, opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound.
Even though they were separated by a long flight of stairs, Li Pan could clearly see the worry and comfort in those eyes.
She was worried about herself.
She was comforting herself.
For so many days, he had been thinking constantly about how she would be treated after being kidnapped.
He considered many possible outcomes, both good and bad, but he was also certain that, no matter what, he would win her back, avenge her, wipe out all the remaining enemies in his path, and then comfort and care for her so that she would never have to live in fear again.
But he never expected that on their first meeting after their reunion, she wouldn't be seeking his help with tears in her eyes, but would look at him with a thousand words in her brimming eyes.
Her body had lost its strength, but her eyes remained firm and gentle.
She was worried about him, afraid that he might do something impulsive because of her.
She was reassuring him that she was actually fine and there was no need to panic.
With red eyes and his Adam's apple bobbing, Li Pan finally managed to suppress the rage and bitterness in his heart.
"Liang Ji!" he shouted sternly, "Release her!"
The Crown Prince slightly tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Release him? Fine, on the condition that you commit suicide right now, and I will release him immediately."
"I, the Emperor?" An absurd expression appeared on Li Pan's face. "You're a dead man, and before you died you were just a crown prince. What gives you the audacity to call yourself 'I, the Emperor'?"
The Crown Prince said, "When my father was alive, he did not depose me. Now that I am still alive, but my father has passed away, it is only right that I succeed to the throne."
"Who said I've died?!" Behind Li Pan, the doors of the Ganyang Palace burst open, and Emperor Jinghui strode out, his dragon robe stained with blood.
The prince and his entourage suddenly changed color.
"You beast!" Emperor Jinghui stood next to Li Pan, trembling with rage. "How dare you! You deceive the world and steal a reputation! I will depose you right now!"
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