Chapter 1177 A Long Old Dream
Majestic Luoyang, resplendent Ziwei.
When they entered the palace again, even though Shang Ruyi tried her best to control her breathing and heartbeat, and kept clenching her hands tightly to focus, she still felt her soul gradually becoming heavy as they walked through Xuanren Gate.
It was so heavy that every step she took was incredibly difficult.
The towering red walls around them, the majestic palace in the distance, and the pine and cypress trees that moved backward with their footsteps, casting deep shadows in the sunlight, were like an old dream that was too long and stubborn. When she thought she had gotten up and gone through all the trials and tribulations, she turned around and found that she was still far away, still immersed in this dream.
For a fleeting moment, Shang Ruyi even felt as if she had returned to those days.
Back then, she followed the palace eunuchs into Xuanren Gate, walking along this long road, passing through Zuozang Palace, and entering the East Palace. There, she met Empress Jiang, Chu Ruoyan (then Princess), and Chu Chengfei (then Prince Zhao). After spending some time with them, she prepared to leave the palace, but was "intercepted" at Anning Gate and taken away...
"Hmm!"
Feeling a dull pain in her heart, Shang Ruyi subconsciously reached out and covered her chest.
Her movements were very light and almost silent, but Yuwen Ye, who was walking in front of her, immediately turned around and looked at her, his brows furrowing slightly: "What's wrong with you?"
Guan Ao, Guan Chiying, and others who were following closely behind also looked over.
Shang Ruyi quickly shook her head: "No, it's nothing."
Yuwen Ye glanced at her again, seemingly wanting to say something, but at that moment a noisy fighting sound suddenly came from ahead. Shang Ruyi hurriedly said, "Let's go take a look, lest something happens."
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly, but turned around and continued walking forward.
Before long, the tall and majestic Zuozang Palace came into view.
This was once the treasury of the Daye Dynasty, where almost all of the court's wealth was stored. It was also known as the Heavenly Treasury, where the emperor's private wealth was kept. There were jewels and silks that ordinary people could only dream of, as well as some precious calligraphy and paintings by famous people, antique jade artifacts, important court documents, and of course, household registers.
With such valuable items stored here, the security here is naturally much tighter than elsewhere. The two heavy bronze doors alone weigh over a thousand pounds. Even without any soldiers standing on either side, just looking at those heavy doors gives one a sense of majesty.
But now, in front of that tightly closed gate, chaos has broken out.
A group of soldiers gathered there, surrounding the area in layers. Some of the bolder ones even cheered. In the center of the crowd, the piercing sound of swords clashing rang out, along with shouts and curses.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Shi Yutao and Yuwen Cheng fighting!
Yuwen Cheng dragged his heavy longsword and ran swiftly toward the tightly closed bronze door, letting out a roar like a tiger. His appearance was quite frightening. Shi Yutao, standing at the door, was not afraid at all. In fact, a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes. As Yuwen Cheng rushed toward him, he swung his broadsword in mid-air in a bright arc and slashed down toward Shi Yutao. The latter raised both hands and met the broadsword with his Xuanhua battle axe.
With a loud "clang," the broadsword was blocked by the axe.
Shi Yutao had made thorough preparations, but he did not expect that his arms would only tremble slightly and he would not feel much pressure. In fact, when he raised his arm, he directly blocked the big knife by half a step, and Yuwen Cheng immediately stumbled.
A cold smile appeared on Shi Yutao's face. He actually removed the axe from his left hand and used only one hand to block Yuwen Cheng's long-handled broadsword.
Seeing this, several soldiers nearby mustered their courage and shouted, "Good!"
"General Xiao Shi is brave and valiant!"
"Teach him a lesson!"
Although the crowd was in high spirits, the servant boy standing behind Shi Yutao and guarding the gate changed his expression. These people might not be unaware of Yuwen Cheng's identity as Prince Qi of the Great Sheng Dynasty, but some of them had come from Hebei with Shi Yutao. Although they had surrendered, it was only because of their defeat. They had not yet developed any loyalty or fear towards the Great Sheng Dynasty. They had no fear or respect for this Prince Qi, whom they had heard of before, who had attacked Luoyang several times without success, was forced to retreat to Cijian to hold out, and finally had to rely on his elder brother and sister-in-law to barely enter Luoyang.
That's why Shi Yutao dared to fight him, and why his men cheered loudly.
But Shan Tong'er knew that no matter how incompetent or foolish Yuwen Cheng was, he was still the Prince of Qi, the son of the dignified Emperor of Dasheng. Even if they gained the upper hand by fighting him, they would definitely offend him. Even with Yuwen Ye's protection, if they really hurt him, Yuwen Ye would not be able to handle the situation.
So he immediately shouted, "Don't hurt anyone!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Yutao spun the axe in his left hand and struck Yuwen Cheng in the stomach with the handle.
"ah--!"
Although he was wearing armor and wouldn't be injured, the blow to his stomach still made Yuwen Cheng cry out in pain. He staggered back several steps, barely managing to steady himself by using the hilt of his sword to support himself on the ground.
Shan Tong'er breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "General Xiao Shi, please stop hitting him!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Yutao hesitated for a moment.
He fought this battle with a burning desire to regain some dignity as a man, but he didn't expect Luoyang to be so easy to conquer. They easily broke through the city gates and entered, advancing with unstoppable momentum. Apart from a few subordinates who were willing to die for Liang Shide, almost all the other guards and soldiers defected and fled at the first sign of trouble. As a result, not a single drop of blood has been spilled on his axe so far.
It wasn't until they arrived at the Zuozang Palace that they realized Yuwen Ye had given them a secret order before they entered the city: no matter what, they should first enter the Ziwei Palace and guard the gate of the Zuozang Palace. No one was allowed to enter before he arrived. So when he saw Yuwen Cheng trying to force his way in, he disregarded everything and attacked him.
However, carrying out Yuwen Ye's orders and guarding the Left Treasury Palace seemed to be enough.
The other party was, after all, a prince, and both she and her sister were under Yuwen Ye's command. If they caused him too much trouble...
Cheng Qiao, on the other side, stepped forward and blocked the two of them. However, he did not know Shi Yutao and had nothing to say to him. He simply said to Yuwen Cheng, "Your Highness Prince Qi, this treasury belongs to the imperial court. You cannot touch it without permission."
Yuwen Cheng had just lost in front of everyone and was already ashamed. Now, being tried to stop a child and blocked by a soldier, he was even more furious. He shouted, "I am the dignified Prince of Qi! Who are you to stop me? Get out of my way, or I will kill you all!"
After saying that, he brandished his broadsword and charged forward again.
Just then, Yuwen Ye's calm and cold voice rang out from behind: "Stop right there!"
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