Chapter 1286 The Last Palace Gate
As the sun withdrew its last rays, almost instantly, the entire city of Chang'an was shrouded in a dark net.
The Imperial Horse Road, covered by the shadows cast by the high walls on both sides, grew dark faster and dimmer than other places. Even though there was still a faint glimmer of light from the ceiling, it was almost pitch black here, with only countless figures moving in front of you in the darkness.
Finally, someone lit a torch.
Then, one after another, the flickering firelight illuminated the long passageway and cast ghostly figures on the high walls, making the scene even more eerie and terrifying due to the thick stench of blood in the air.
At Yuwen Cheng's command, his soldiers immediately came over and dragged away the bodies of Xiao Yuansui, Zhao Tiesheng, and others.
Shang Ruyi did not stop it.
But he coldly ordered, "Leave Xiao Yuansui's body for now. Once we've finished this important matter here, I will definitely tear his corpse to pieces and leave it to rot in the wilderness!"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi frowned and glanced at him.
As if sensing her gaze, Yuwen Cheng immediately turned to look at her, his cold smile appearing somewhat ferocious in the flickering firelight: "What's wrong, Second Sister-in-law, feeling sorry for her?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent, then slowly lowered her eyelids.
But Yuwen Cheng seemed unwilling to let her go, and slowly walked up to her, deliberately staring into her eyes and saying, "Second sister-in-law, aren't you worried about it anymore?"
"..."
"You know, he just risked his life to save you."
"Help me?"
Upon hearing those two words, Shang Ruyi immediately looked up at him. Her clear eyes, illuminated by the firelight, seemed to radiate a scorching heat: "Why did he save me? Could it be that someone wanted to kill me?"
"...!"
Yuwen Cheng's face stiffened, and he slowly straightened up without responding.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Who among the people here wants to kill me?"
"..."
"Is it you? Or—"
As she spoke, Shang Ruyi slowly turned her head to look at the other side, where the Crown Prince and his men had just suddenly appeared from the north of the palace. Among them were Crown Princess Yu Mingyue, Yu Dingxing, and the elite guards he led. Shi Yuxin had previously reported that although the Crown Prince had brought his men into the palace, they were moving very slowly, clearly trying to delay. After all, Xiao Yuansui possessed evidence that they wanted to harm Yuwen Ye. Only after dealing with him would they dare to enter the palace to see the Emperor and push all the blame onto Xiao Yuansui.
Therefore, they must have been lingering in this area for the time they ran into them.
And now, Xiao Yuansui is dead...
In the firelight, Yuwen Qian's face looked even paler than usual, almost as pale as his translucent eyes, giving him an almost ethereal appearance—but Shang Ruyi knew that it was just an illusion.
So she deliberately said, "Your Highness, is someone here trying to kill me?"
Yuwen Qian lowered his eyelids and remained silent. However, Yu Mingyue, who had been following him, suddenly stood up and walked over, staring intently at Shang Ruyi: "Stop showing off here!"
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly: "Your Highness is joking. I am all alone, and even my sword for self-defense has been taken away by you. What right do I have to show off in front of you?"
"..."
"After all, it wasn't me who rebelled."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue's face darkened.
She was furious. Their plans had been disrupted by Xiao Yuansui. Although he was dead, Xiao Yuansui and his rebellious Right Thousand Bull Guards were still under the Crown Prince's command. They needed to come up with a good excuse to explain themselves to Yuwen Yuan. If they could explain it clearly, all would be well; but if they couldn't, and the Emperor became suspicious of them…
Thinking of this, she flew into a rage and raised her hand at Shang Ruyi: "You—"
Shang Ruyi clenched her fists subconsciously.
But at this moment, there was nothing she could do. After the Crown Prince and Prince Qi led their troops to surround her, they had two guards take her aside. "Take her aside" was just a polite way of saying it; in reality, they had taken her aside. Now, her hands were still tied behind her back, and she couldn't move.
Just as Yu Mingyue raised her hand high, about to swing it down at her, a deep voice rang out: "Alright!"
The large, fair hand stopped on Shang Ruyi's head.
Yu Mingyue gritted her teeth and turned her head. She saw Yu Dingxing slowly walk out of the group. His only remaining eye was particularly bright in the firelight, but it also looked particularly fierce. He only glanced at Shang Ruyi and said, "Princess Consort, there is no need to waste words with her."
"..."
"As for who is rebelling—"
As he spoke, he turned and grinned maliciously at Shang Ruyi: "The people under Princess Qin's command went to Mingde Gate, and then the city gate opened; Xiao Yuansui led his troops to Zhuque Gate, and Princess Qin happened to be there to meet them; he wanted to enter the palace but could not, so Princess Qin led the way for him..."
"..."
"Tell me, who are the rebels?"
Upon hearing his words, Shang Ruyi sneered, "Your Highness, do you think the Emperor is a three-year-old child?"
"How so?"
"Everyone saw that my men stopped Xiao Yuansui's army from entering the city, everyone also saw that my men prevented him from entering the palace through the Vermilion Bird Gate, and everyone heard—the Crown Prince's Thousand Bull Guards rebelled, and the Qin Prince's Women's Army quelled the rebellion!"
"..."
"Do you think you can distort the truth with just a few words?"
"..."
This time, Yu Dingxing didn't speak immediately, but quietly watched her. However, this silence, set against the backdrop of the darkening sky and the flickering flames, took on a suffocatingly eerie quality. Shang Ruyi subconsciously held her breath, only to hear her heartbeat growing heavier and heavier.
Then, she saw Yu Dingxing slowly raise his head, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
"The premise for turning black into white is that someone has to judge black and white."
"..."
"If no one judges right and wrong, what meaning do black and white have?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart sank suddenly, and when she looked at the ferocious expression in his eyes, she couldn't help but feel a chill.
Not only her, but she also saw Yuwen Qian's tall and slender figure tremble slightly behind Yu Dingxing. Although it was only a very slight tremor, his figure was projected onto the high wall behind him by the firelight, turning into an enormous black shadow. That slight tremor seemed like a tremor that shook the heavens and the earth.
Yu Mingyue, who was standing to the side, also suddenly changed her expression.
Here, the palace is only separated by a wall.
Whatever you want to do, it's almost just a step away, and you can do it...
She suddenly realized something and gasped sharply, feeling somewhat dazed. Shang Ruyi could see Yuwen Cheng, who was furthest away from the group, more clearly. Most of his body was hidden in the darkness, and the people around him could hardly see the expression on his face, which at that moment revealed a hint of fanaticism.
Yu Mingyue suddenly turned around and looked at Yuwen Qian: "Crown Prince—!"
Yuwen Qian looked up at him, but said indifferently, "It's getting late. We've been delayed for so long. If we don't go to the palace to see the Emperor soon, I'm afraid Father will blame us. Let's go."
After saying that, he walked to the side and mounted his horse.
Yu Dingxing frowned, stepped forward, and placed one hand on the back of his horse, as if to lead the horse for him, or as if to stop him. He said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, there are some things that must be planned for soon."
Yuwen Qian glanced down at him and said in a deep voice, "Let's go into the palace first."
"Crown Prince!"
Seeing that Yu Dingxing was about to grab his horse's head, Yuwen Qian said, "Duke, have your elite guards escort me to the palace. The city is in chaos, and the palace is not safe either. The guards here must be rotated."
Upon hearing this, Yu Dingxing's eyes lit up again.
He immediately replied, "Yes!"
After speaking, he hurriedly walked into the crowd and gave orders to the Imperial Guards who were waiting on the Imperial Horse Road. These soldiers did not dare to be negligent and immediately mounted their horses or stood up, once again forming a neat formation to protect the Crown Prince.
Yuwen Cheng emerged from the darkness at this moment, and Yuwen Qian turned around: "Third brother, aren't you going to mount your horse?"
"good."
Yuwen Cheng agreed and took two steps toward his horse, then suddenly stopped and looked back at Shang Ruyi, saying, "Brother, let's take Second Sister-in-law with us, just in case."
Yuwen Qian glanced at Shang Ruyi and said, "Hmm."
Yuwen Cheng said, "In that case, I won't get on the horse. I'll accompany my second sister-in-law through this part of the journey."
As he spoke, he slowly walked up to Shang Ruyi: "Second sister-in-law, please."
Shang Ruyi frowned as she looked at him, but ultimately said nothing. She silently turned around and followed their large group of people forward.
She had never actually walked this road before. After all, not long after arriving in Chang'an, Yuwen Yuan ascended the throne and became the Princess Consort of Qin, moving into the palace. Although she later moved out of the palace with Yuwen Ye after he established his own residence and military headquarters, she mostly walked along the main road in front of the palace gate when entering the palace to pay homage to the emperor.
She had never been here before.
Although she had never been here before, it was not unfamiliar to her, because the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang was built according to the Taiji Palace in Chang'an. The positions of the palace gates and halls were roughly the same, so she knew that if she walked to the end of this imperial horse road and turned left, she would be on the north side of the palace. The high palace walls stretched westward, and there were three palace gates waiting for them ahead.
The night grew even deeper.
Even with torches leading the way, they didn't walk very fast. Yuwen Qian and the others rode their horses at a leisurely pace. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, they finally saw a tall palace gate in front of them.
That place is Xuande Gate.
Shang Ruyi vaguely remembered that the same location was in the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang. After entering this palace gate, there was the Zuozang Palace, and further in was the East Palace, the former residence of Empress Dowager Jiang.
Of course, this place is different from Luoyang.
Upon seeing the palace gate, their entourage immediately stopped. Yuwen Qian waved his hand, and some members of the group stepped forward and forcefully pounded on the gate. In the darkness, the pounding echoed deafeningly within the towering palace walls. The flickering flames illuminated the tense faces of the men, making the atmosphere even more strained.
After an unknown amount of time, hurried and frantic footsteps came from inside the door.
"who?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to enter the palace. Open the door quickly."
The people inside were visibly flustered, but they did not immediately open the palace gate. Instead, they cautiously said, "Your Highness, you cannot use this gate."
Yu Dingxing immediately spurred his horse forward and angrily shouted, "You insolent fools! The Crown Prince wants to enter the palace, and you dare to stop him? How dare you! Aren't you afraid the Crown Prince will punish you?"
The person inside recognized his voice and hurriedly said, "Lord Wushan, I was rude. Please forgive me, Your Highness, and Your Highness as well. But His Majesty just issued an edict today, forbidding the opening of Xuande Gate. If Your Highness wants to enter the palace, you should go further ahead; the gate ahead will allow you to enter."
Yuwen Qian frowned slightly.
He didn't speak. Since there was an imperial edict, the people inside would never dare to disobey. At this point, their only option was to continue forward and find another gate to enter the palace. So he was about to give the order.
At this moment, Yu Mingyue suddenly asked, "How many more palace gates are there ahead?"
The man immediately replied, "Of course there are two more."
What if we can't get through either of those two paths?
"This, I do not know. But I am under imperial orders to guard Xuande Gate, and without the Emperor's decree, no one can open it. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Yuwen Qian glanced at Yu Mingyue's unpleasant expression, said nothing, and simply turned his horse around and waved his hand lightly: "Let's go."
Yu Mingyue wanted to say something more, but when she looked up at the palace gates that were so tightly closed that not even a wisp of wind could get in, she could only give up. However, the gloomy expression on her face deepened. When she spurred her horse to catch up with Yuwen Qian, she gripped the reins tightly, and the veins on the back of her hands bulged.
Once they left, Shang Ruyi naturally had no choice but to continue walking forward as well.
As he had said before, Yuwen Cheng accompanied her forward. At this moment, he suddenly said, "Second Sister-in-law, you seemed very nervous just now?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at him sideways: "Me? Nervous? What am I nervous about?"
"Yes, we can't get through this palace gate, there are two more ahead; besides, it was Father Emperor who let us into the palace, so he will surely leave us one of the gates open."
"..."
Why are you nervous?
"..."
“It’s not just you, it seems that even my sister-in-law cares a lot about this.”
Because there were two soldiers following closely behind Shang Ruyi, he did not reach out to grab her. Instead, he walked forward with his hands behind his back and a leisurely expression, saying, "If I remember correctly, the palace gate ahead is Anli Gate, which leads directly to the inner court."
"..."
"Do you think Father will let us enter through that palace gate?"
Shang Ruyi didn't speak, but her breathing became even more rapid, just as Yuwen Cheng had said.
Yuwen Cheng glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then smiled and said, "If Anli Gate won't let us in either, then we'll just have to keep going forward. If we keep going forward—" He stretched his neck as he spoke, though he could no longer see what lay ahead. But as a prince, he knew exactly where this path would lead.
"Then only the last palace gate remains."
"..."
"Xuan, Wu, Men".
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