Chapter 112 Confrontation
Before the Yin hour, everything was silent except for the crackling of the bonfire, which illuminated the quiet profiles of Yun Zhao and his father Yun Chong'an.
"When did you notice it?" Yun Chong'an fiddled with the fire, his voice low.
Yun Zhao gazed at the dancing flames and whispered, "From the moment he confined me to a side hall under the pretext of house arrest and removed you from your position, or perhaps even earlier, when he deliberately stumbled and fell while offering sacrifices to the ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, I already knew it."
A complex expression of relief and tenderness flashed across Yun Chong'an's eyes, and he nodded. "That's good. Father needs to return to the capital secretly tonight. You and your family must be careful as you journey west. Ah Zhao, have you... made up your mind not to go back?"
Yun Zhao was silent for a moment, his voice calm but with a barely perceptible hint of bitterness. "Why go back? He's already surrounded by new people, and he might even have children soon. It would be inappropriate for me to go back. Besides, the inner court of the palace has always been able to function normally without anyone."
"I'm relieved that you think this way." Yun Chong'an breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with emotion. "What I'm most worried about is that you're too obsessed and can't let go of certain things or people. Now that I hear you say this, I'm very comforted."
Yun Zhao's eyes were filled with tears, and he suppressed his emotions. "Dad, you must be careful about everything. When the matter in the capital is settled, please come and meet us as soon as possible."
"Okay, don't worry." Yun Chong'an patted his daughter's hand, his tone firm, "Fortunately, your uncles are both very skilled. There has never been a coward in our Yun family. Ah Zhao, I will wake everyone up later and head west immediately. However..." He paused, looking at his daughter deeply, "If you change your mind and want to come back, your father... will never stop you."
Yun Zhao met his father's gaze and said solemnly, "Dad, you always understand me best and indulge me the most. Please rest assured, I will never put my family in danger, and I will definitely protect myself. Mother just took the tranquilizing soup and is already asleep. You... should leave now. The affairs of the capital require your help."
Yun Chong'an stared at his daughter for a long time, as if he wanted to engrave her appearance into his heart. Finally, he nodded heavily, as if he had made a great decision: "Okay! Father is leaving!" Before he finished speaking, his figure had quietly blended into the thick night.
Just after the Yin hour, Yun Zhao woke everyone up and set off overnight.
At daybreak, the group had arrived at a remote small county town, planning to take a short rest, buy some dry food and supplies before continuing their journey westward.
However, in the bustling morning market of the county town, Yun Zhao and Su Mingli rode their horses and galloped towards the direction they came from - the capital.
…
Capital city, imperial palace.
The undercurrent finally broke through the last obstacle and erupted violently.
King Xiao Yan of Qin took action.
He acted ruthlessly and decisively. He personally led his men to sneak into Zhaixing Tower and mercilessly killed Concubine Yun, who had just been diagnosed with pregnancy and had been promoted to the rank of concubine only three days ago.
Ayun fell to the cold ground, looking at the blood gushing out of her abdomen and staining her skirt red in despair. Her eyes, which were once filled with ambition and joy, now only contained endless fear and confusion.
Until her death, she believed that the man who had lifted her to the top would appear and save her. However, Xiao Jin never showed up.
All the palace maids who served Concubine Yun were also killed, and the Zhaixing Tower turned into a dead sea of blood in an instant.
At this moment, Xiao Jin was sitting on the main seat in Yanying Hall, his face as calm as water, as if all the bloody storms in the outside world had nothing to do with him.
The palace door was suddenly pushed open, and Xiao Yan strode in. His face no longer had any trace of pretended submissiveness, only naked ambition and hostility.
He slammed a pre-drafted abdication edict onto the imperial desk, his voice filled with the arrogance of a sure victory: "Brother Emperor, affix the imperial seal. Considering our brotherly bond, I will send you to a beautiful place with picturesque scenery for you to 'recover' in peace. I will ensure you a life of wealth and prosperity for the rest of your life!"
Xiao Jin didn't move. Xiao Yan, as if suddenly remembering something, sneered, "Oh, look at your poor memory! I'd forgotten that you, my royal brother, couldn't see. No problem, I'll read it to you—'I, deeply ashamed of my failing virtue... Furthermore, I am seriously ill, and my health is failing me. I fear I can no longer carry on the responsibility of the ancestral temple... I abdicate the throne to my fifth brother, the Prince of Qin, Xiao Yan... I voluntarily..."
Xiao Jin slowly raised his eyes, his gaze landing precisely on the dark red bloodstain belonging to A Yun that had not yet dried on the corner of Xiao Yan's robe. His eyes suddenly became as sharp as a knife: "If I don't let you go, what are you going to do? Kill me?"
Xiao Yan suddenly met his clear and sharp gaze, and was suddenly shocked: "You are not blind?! You have been acting this whole time?!"
No, that's impossible! If he could see, why didn't he react at all when I killed Ayun just now?
Xiao Jin's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "I'm perfectly fine, so why do you keep cursing me so that I can't see? Ah Yan, I've already handed over the full command of the 100,000-man Beijing garrison to you. Why are you still unsatisfied and insist on pushing me to this point? Is regicide and usurpation of the throne so important to you?"
His disguise completely ripped apart, Xiao Yan instantly flew into a rage: "This throne should have been mine! It was you! It was you and your lowly mother who stole it from us! Now I'm just taking back what's mine, what's wrong with that?! If you know what's good for you, just write a letter of abdication and I can spare your life! Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our brotherly love!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin's lips curled up in a cold, mocking tone. "Do you think I'm afraid of you? I trusted you and your son so much in the past, but all I got in return is a fight today! Fine, since you insist on fighting, then let me see just how capable you are! Today, if your men can defeat mine, I'll hand over the throne to you!"
Xiao Yan laughed wildly, as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke. "Xiao Jin! You're still stubborn even when death is imminent! Do you know that the entire palace has already been taken over by my people? How many soldiers and generals do you still have around you?"
"Come here!" Xiao Jin gave an order.
Wang Gui appeared with his men and surrounded Xiao Yan!
Xiao Yan laughed wildly: "My people have taken over the entire palace. What can these few people do to me?"
Xiao Jin sat as steady as a mountain, emitting an inviolable imperial majesty. "Oh, if that's the case, then send your people in and try!"
Xiao Yan gave a signal with a sinister smile. However, the expected scene of thousands of soldiers pouring into the hall did not occur. Instead, there was a fierce sound of weapons clashing and screams coming from outside the hall!
Xiao Yan's face suddenly changed and he looked outside the hall in shock and doubt.
At this moment, the palace door burst open!
Yun Chong'an, dusty and clad in military uniform, wielding a blood-stained sword, led a team of elite personal guards into the room, their armor clanging. His gaze swept across the frozen Xiao Yan, then he knelt on one knee, his voice resonating like a bell: "I'm sorry that I've been late in rescuing you, Your Majesty! The traitor and his followers have been apprehended. Please make your decisions, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Yan stared in amazement at Yun Chong'an, who was supposed to be thousands of miles away and had been stripped of his military power. The blood drained from his face...
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