Chapter 114 The victor takes all: a brutal coup, regicide, and rebellion...
Upon hearing this address, Cen Lang looked at Lu Lingyue with a hint of confusion.
"And who are you?"
“General, you may not remember, but I am a man from the Lu family. I once met you by chance at my aunt’s place,” Lu Lingyue said calmly, revealing her identity and trying to get closer to Cen Lang.
"So it's Young Master Lu." Upon hearing this, Cen Langjiang immediately realized that the young master in front of her was the Lu family man who had been abducted by Yuan Yan earlier, and her tone softened a bit.
"My son heard about the General from my aunt at home before, and he greatly admired him. I wonder how the General is doing now?" Lu Lingyue continued.
Cen Lang said politely, "Thanks to Lord Lu's recommendation, I am now highly valued."
She exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lu Lingyue, and her guard gradually lowered.
Yang Lingyi frowned as she watched Lu Lingyue personally step forward to ingratiate herself, without saying a word to stop her, a suspicion gradually rising in her heart.
Seeing that the time was right, Lu Lingyue finally spoke: "General Cen, I have a favor to ask, I wonder if the general would be willing to grant it."
Cen Langjiang said, "Please speak, sir."
"The general has seen the current state of the Prince's residence. I am but a man, ignorant of court affairs, and only wish for peace of mind."
"I wish to return to my maiden home, the Lu residence, for a couple of days. I wonder if the general could make an exception for me?"
Only then did Lu Lingyue reveal her true purpose: to leave the palace and return to her parents' home to avoid trouble.
Cen Langjiang was surprised that Lu Lingyue would make such a request, and hesitated.
“Madam Lu, the Prince’s Mansion is in trouble right now. How can you abandon the Prince’s Mansion and return to your parents’ home on your own?”
Seeing this, Yang Lingyi understood. She knew that Lu Lingyue wanted to find an excuse to leave the manor and take the opportunity to send a message to Yuan Yan, so she cooperated and spoke up. She looked at Lu Lingyue with anger and sternly rebuked her.
"Please forgive me, Your Excellency." Lu Lingyue feigned fear and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
"The future of the Prince's mansion is uncertain, and people are filled with anxiety. I am but a lowly servant, and there is nothing I can do if I stay. I hope that you, Lord Chief Minister, will be merciful and let me go home."
Seeing the two men's behavior, Cen Lang became even more hesitant.
Lu Lingyue was merely a weak man and couldn't really do anything. Under normal circumstances, she would have readily let Lu Lingyue go, as it wouldn't have been a bad thing to do the Lu family a favor.
But today is different.
His Highness Prince Qi personally ordered that, to prevent the news from leaking out, no one from the Prince Qin's residence should be released. Lu Lingyue, a servant in the Prince's residence, was naturally included in this order.
After much hesitation, Cen Langjiang still obeyed the order.
"I'm sorry, Young Master Lu, I can't make that request. I'll have to trouble you to stay at the Prince's residence for a few more hours."
She politely declined Lu Lingyue's request, still refusing to release him, but simply ordered her soldiers to sheath their swords.
The gates of the Prince's Mansion slammed shut.
Seeing the soldiers outside the mansion's resolute attitude, and knowing that Lu Lingyue's attempt to extricate herself from the Lu family had failed, Yang Lingyi knew that the message would likely not get out this time.
Shen Lianzhou's usual composure was gone, and her voice was somewhat heavy. "Now, Prince Qi has colluded with the Imperial Guards to control the capital, and there are troops stationed everywhere. If Your Highness enters the capital without any precautions, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Lu Lingyue remained silent. The delicate expression she had been putting on earlier had vanished, replaced by an unyielding worry between her brows and slightly rapid breathing.
Yang Lingyi was in a state of turmoil, but she showed no sign of it on her face. She reassured the people in the Prince's mansion, "You must believe in His Highness, there must be a way."
...
On Yuan Yan's side.
After the attendant left, Zhang Xiaoju immediately offered a reminder.
"Your Highness, there seems to be something strange about this imperial decree."
Yuan Yan: "Does the lady-in-waiting also feel this way?"
"My mother has ordered me to bring my trusted confidants into the palace and station troops outside. If something happens in the capital, the army will probably be unable to come to our aid for the time being."
"I had a premonition that this decree was probably aimed at me."
Zhang Xiaoju strongly agreed, "The situation in the capital is not clear at present, Your Highness must be on guard."
Upon hearing this, Aman, Cheju, and the others realized something was wrong and quickly asked Zhang Xiaoju for advice on how to deal with it.
Zhang Xiaoju: "Just in case, Your Highness can delay the appointed time, ostensibly following the imperial decree and only bringing a small number of personal guards into the capital. Secretly, another group of elite soldiers should be dispatched disguised as ordinary civilians to infiltrate the city and provide cover..."
Yuan Yan nodded, "The lady historian shares a similar view with me."
Besides what Zhang Xiaoju mentioned, Yuan Yan also made an agreement with the army outside the city to use a signal arrow.
"If anything goes wrong, the signal arrow will be fired, and the army will immediately break through the city to provide support." Yuan Yan's voice was calm as he laid out a backup plan.
After everyone had left to carry out their orders, the system said: [Host, I'm so nervous, what should I do?]
"Don't panic, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. With the army here, I'll be fine," Yuan Yan said.
*
"Your Highness, the Prince of Qin has already entered the capital."
The subordinate reported to Yuan Jing, and Yuan Yan did not suspect anything. After entering the capital, he headed straight for the palace.
"After waiting for so long, they've finally arrived." Upon hearing this, Yuan Jing immediately stood up.
How many men did the King of Qin bring with him?
The subordinate replied, "Only close confidants in the army and a few dozen personal guards."
“Yuan Yan is quite obedient at times like this,” Yuan Jing said with a mocking smile.
She ordered the elite soldiers lying in ambush in the palace to prepare, ready to act as soon as Yuan Yan arrived with his men.
Soon, Yuan Yan and Xue Lang were ambushed inside the palace.
Shouts of battle rang out, weapons clashed, and chaos erupted within the palace.
Yuan Jing and others were in a side hall, with Lu Yingkan and Huang Shouzhi and others sitting below them.
Yuan Yan's resistance lasted longer than they had imagined.
This is understandable, though. After all, Yuan Yan was brave and skilled in battle, and ordinary soldiers would probably be no match for her.
To ensure nothing went wrong, Yuan Jing specifically ordered his men to set up a large encirclement, both inside and out. No matter how skilled Yuan Yan and his generals were, they would have no chance of escaping today.
As the sounds of fighting gradually subsided, Lu Yingkan and another official exchanged a glance, knowing that Yuan Yan must have been defeated.
Yuan Jing's expression was solemn: "The King of Qin brazenly forced the emperor to abdicate, committing regicide and treason, which cannot be tolerated under the law. I have already executed him in accordance with the law to appease the world and comfort the spirit of my late mother in heaven."
She had already prepared her explanation. She was just waiting for this moment to kill Yuan Yan, send the Empress Dowager away, and pin the crime of regicide and treason on Yuan Yan's head, thus eliminating all obstacles to her ascension to the throne in one fell swoop.
However, before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Eldest sister, I am not dead yet, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Countless soldiers surrounded the main hall, and Yuan Yan walked out from within.
"Yuan Yan!" Yuan Jing was shocked and his expression changed drastically when he saw the unharmed figure.
The only reason Yuan Yan is here is that all the ambushers outside have been dealt with.
Everyone in the hall was horrified.
Yuan Yan walked forward unhurriedly, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Yuan Jing's gaze followed, and he saw Yu Liu, Yuan Shi and others behind Yuan Yan, as well as the armored soldiers guarding the main hall.
Upon seeing Yu Liu standing respectfully behind Yuan Yan, Yuan Jing couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Previously, Yuan Jing had bribed Yu Liu with a large sum of money to relay messages from Yuan Yan. Later, seeing how useful Yu Liu was, he also had Yu Liu report on the army's situation regularly.
Looking back now, those messages were probably pre-arranged by Yuan Yan and Yu Liu and intentionally leaked to her.
"Haha, even after all I've tried, I still couldn't get rid of you, Yuan Yan, you really do have some skill!"
Yuan Jing couldn't describe his feelings at that moment; his face showed a mixture of sorrow and joy, and he laughed until tears streamed down his face.
"You flatter me."
Yuan Yan remained calm and even smiled as he listened to Yuan Jing's words. "I am blessed by Heaven, so I'm afraid I won't die so easily."
"If you're not afraid of death, aren't the people around you afraid of death too?"
"The Qin Prince's mansion has been surrounded by my troops. With just one order from me, everyone in the Qin Prince's mansion will have to leave first," Yuan Jing said threateningly.
“Alright, you can try it and see if those soldiers are still there.” Yuan Yan did not show any panic upon hearing this, maintaining a calm and composed attitude, which made Yuan Jing’s heart skip a beat.
As early as when they entered the city, Yuan Yan had already considered the safety of Yi'er and the others, and sent his secret guards, including Zhuiying and Zhuiyue, and Duan Xuchao, to protect the people in the palace.
Yuan Jing knew in his heart that, judging from Yuan Yan's confident and fearless behavior, this move was probably a waste.
Xue Lang: "King Qi, you have done nothing to serve the country and only know how to play tricks and schemes. Even in the face of a great enemy, you only think about vying for power and profit. How can you be compared with His Highness?"
"Yes, I am not worthy."
At this point, Yuan Jing's heart calmed down. She gave a self-deprecating smile and turned her gaze to Zhang Xiaoju behind Xue Lang.
"Is that what you think too, Lady? That's why you betrayed me and joined Yuan Yan's service." She stared intently at Zhang Xiaoju, as if she had to get an answer from him.
Seeing Yuan Jing's stubborn and unconvinced appearance, Zhang Xiaoju sighed, "The highest position in the country should be held by a virtuous person. Doesn't Your Highness already have the answer in your heart? Why ask a lowly person like me again?"
“I truly regret it… If I had known this would happen, I should have killed you long ago,” Yuan Jing said.
"It's a pity you no longer have the chance," Yuan Yan said calmly, interrupting Yuan Jing.
"Elder sister, you delayed the supply of military provisions first, then imprisoned the emperor, forged an imperial edict, and plotted rebellion. The evidence is irrefutable, and only by punishing you can the law be upheld. What do you have to say now?"
Yuan Jing: "Hahaha... The victor is king, the loser is villain, I accept it!"
“Yuan Yan, I was merely outmatched in skill and lost. If I were in your position, you would have done the same. Why pretend to be so righteous and reprimand me?”
She sneered and ordered the remaining guards and soldiers around her to stay there and continue fighting Yuan Yan's men.
Under the protection of his guards, Yuan Jing turned around and walked into the inner hall. Amid the sounds of soldiers falling to the ground one after another, he poured out candlelight to light the curtains.
Rather than be captured by Yuan Yan, she preferred to choose her own way home.
Yuan Yan watched this scene quietly, without ordering anyone to stop it. Instead, he listened to the guard's report, grunted in response, and ordered his men to clean up the mess and put out the fire. He then led Xue Lang and the others out of the main hall.
Lu Yingkan, Huang Shouzhi, and others were all held down by soldiers and taken away.
The towering flames illuminated the night sky.
The moment Feng Qing saw the fire raging in the front hall, she already knew the outcome.
"Your Majesty, it seems that Jing'er and I have lost this bet."
All the palace servants were dismissed by Feng Qing. At this moment, he sat in front of Yuan Hao's bed, his face pale, but his voice was frighteningly calm.
Yuan Hao: "...Jing'er's current situation is all your fault, Father Qing."
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