Chapter 1276 We must not leave through Xuanwu Gate
Chaos began to break out in Chang'an.
When the people heard the news of a rebellion at the city gate, it was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples and spreading rapidly in all directions of the city. In less than half an hour, most of Chang'an knew about it.
Someone has rebelled! The Right Thousand Ox Guard has rebelled!
Some people were terrified and immediately tried to leave the city with their families, but they were stopped by the guards and refused to pass no matter how much they pleaded.
Another group of people had many doubts. After all, although the people in the city were panicked after the news spread, no army actually rebelled. Instead, some thieves and ruffians took advantage of the chaos to steal a lot of things, which exacerbated everyone's panic, but no major upheaval occurred.
However, the people were also very vigilant, closing their doors and windows, and even several large restaurants closed during the day.
Although nothing has happened yet, the entire city of Chang'an is already filled with a tense atmosphere, as if a storm is brewing, and the whole city has begun to be on high alert.
In this somber atmosphere, the most tense place was undoubtedly the Crown Prince's residence.
When the Left Thousand Bull Guard, panting and still looking shaken, told the Crown Prince and Prince Qi, who were sitting in the hall, what had happened at Peach Blossom Temple the previous night, everyone in the hall showed a surprised expression, especially the Crown Princess Yu Mingyue.
She seemed unable to believe her ears, staring at them with wide eyes: "What did you say? Xiao Yuansui killed Shang Shoufei!?"
"yes."
Kneeling in the very center of the hall was the same person who had been guarding the entrance to the main hall of Peach Blossom Temple the night before. He was the one who had witnessed Xiao Yuansui kill Shang Shoufei, fled the temple in terror, and immediately led the other members of the Left Thousand Bull Guard back to Chang'an to report this sudden incident.
At this moment, his face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face still showed the shock of escaping death.
He almost died in Peach Blossom Temple.
Yu Mingyue still had an incredulous expression on her face, gently shaking her head: "How could this be? How dare he!"
The soldier who brought the news immediately said, "This humble general dares not deceive His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, Xiao Yuansui has truly rebelled!"
Yu Mingyue glanced at him but didn't say anything.
She certainly didn't doubt that an ordinary soldier from the Left Thousand Bull Guard would dare to come to the Crown Prince's residence to lie to them. What she couldn't believe was that Xiao Yuansui would suddenly turn on them at such a crucial moment!
This person...
Just as she gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with resentment, Yu Dingxing, sitting on the other side, also revealed anger in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "This person has always been a fickle and treacherous villain. From the time he participated in the Zuo family's rebellion, and later joined Wanggang Village, and then actually turned around and killed Wang Quyi, it can be seen that this person is born with a rebellious nature!"
After saying that, he glanced at Yu Mingyue and Yuwen Cheng: "We shouldn't have sent him!"
Yu Mingyue's face darkened.
She instinctively wanted to retort, but the facts were undeniable. Of course, what made her feel even more powerless was that the Crown Prince's side didn't have many capable generals. Besides Yu Dingxing and Su Changjing, there was only Shang Shoufei and Xiao Yuansui, who had just joined them. Since the last incident, Yu Mingyue's rift with the Yu family had grown, and she didn't want Su Changjing to gain merit and benefit Yu Mingzhu. That's why she discussed with Yuwen Cheng and used Xiao Yuansui.
Furthermore, they weren't entirely at ease with Xiao Yuansui, which is why they sent Shang Shoufei over as well. One reason was to keep an eye on him, and the other was to escalate the attack on Yuwen Ye later.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yuansui suddenly turned on them, completely disrupting their plans!
Just as Yu Mingyue's face turned ugly, yet she was unable to refute it, and the atmosphere gradually became somewhat tense, Yuwen Qian's calm voice rang out: "It's too late to say these things now; we should think of countermeasures to remedy the situation."
Yu Mingyue looked at him: "Make amends?"
Yuwen Qian said, "We originally planned to use Xiao Yuansui to block the Prince of Qin, and then immediately accuse him of rebellion when he returned to Chang'an; but now the Prince of Qin has not returned, and he has returned first, and he is leading the Right Thousand Ox Guards who guard the Eastern Palace. If he rebels, who will Father Emperor associate with him?"
Yu Mingyue's eyes widened suddenly, and a chill ran down her spine.
Only then did she realize how terrifying Xiao Yuansui's actions were!
Yu Dingxing glanced coldly at Yu Mingyue with his only remaining eye, then asked Yuwen Qian, "What are Your Highness's plans?"
Before Yuwen Qian could finish speaking, footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Everyone looked up and saw Xue Jing, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince's Palace, walking in with a solemn expression. He bowed to everyone and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has issued an edict ordering you, the Crown Princess, and Prince Qi to come to the palace immediately for an audience with the Emperor."
"What?"
Yuwen Cheng frowned: "What does Your Majesty want to do?"
Xue Jing said, "When His Majesty went to the Prince of Qin's residence, he already knew about Xiao Yuansui's rebellion. He immediately returned to the palace and issued this decree."
After saying that, he stepped forward and said softly, "My father also sent someone to tell us that the Princess Consort of Qin has not yet entered the palace."
Yuwen Qian narrowed his eyes: "Father Emperor, will you also enter the palace?"
Xue Jing said, "Yes, but Princess Qin used the excuse of the young prince's illness to delay for a while, saying that she would enter the palace later."
Yu Dingxing sneered and said, "She is clever. At this time, whoever enters the palace is only superficially protected by the emperor, but in reality controlled by him and can do nothing. Only by staying outside can one have the greatest opportunity to take action."
Xue Jing nodded slightly, and then continued, "Also, the Imperial Guards and the Feathered Forest Guards have already been mobilized."
Yu Dingxing immediately asked, "How are the Imperial Guards and Feathered Forest Guards being deployed?"
Xue Jing said, "The Imperial Guards were transferred to guard the palace, but the Golden Guards were divided into several groups. One group patrolled the city to prevent any disturbances, while the other group was transferred to several city gates such as Mingde and Yanxing."
Su Changjing said, "His Majesty is trying to prevent Xiao Yuansui from leading his men to attack the capital."
Yu Dingxing frowned, looked up and exchanged a glance with Yuwen Qian before saying, "His Majesty may not only want to defend against the enemy outside the gate, but also want to capture Xiao Yuansui."
Su Changjing looked at him: "The Emperor should capture him alive and then publicly execute him?"
Yuwen Qian said slowly in a somewhat cold voice, "Not necessarily. Compared to why he rebelled, Father Emperor probably wants to know why he, as the Right General of the Thousand Ox Guard, would appear on Tongguan Road at this time."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.
The already sweltering weather felt like an invisible dome was hanging over the Crown Prince's residence, making it almost impossible for them to breathe. Even Yu Dingxing, who was experienced in many battles, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, which dripped down his temples.
He said gravely, "If the Emperor finds out the truth, then our plan—"
"We can't let him know!"
Yuwen Cheng suddenly spoke, his voice trembling with urgency and almost excitement. He stood up, his face grim, and said, "We must kill him before Father Emperor catches him!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Su Changjing out of the corner of his eye.
Su Changjing understood and immediately stood up, saying to Yuwen Qian, "Your Highness, Prince Qi is right. This humble general volunteers to go and kill Xiao Yuansui to eliminate future troubles!"
Yuwen Qian looked at them, then nodded and said, "Alright, you two can go together, so you can look after each other."
The two immediately turned to leave, but just as they reached the door, Yuwen Cheng stopped and turned to look at Yuwen Qian: "What about you, Your Majesty?"
Yuwen Qian thought for a moment and said, "We are different from Princess Qin. We have no excuse not to enter the palace, otherwise it would be disobeying the imperial decree. So, I will bring people into the palace now, but I will try my best to delay, preferably until you have dealt with Xiao Yuansui."
"good!"
Yuwen Cheng nodded, about to turn and leave, but then hesitated and turned back to look at Yuwen Qian: "Brother, what if I can't kill Xiao Yuansui?"
"..."
Yuwen Qian looked at him, and as the two brothers locked eyes, one cold and one warm, it was as if some flame was burning silently between them.
After a long pause, Yuwen Qian said, "The situation still needs to be controlled."
Upon hearing this, a cold smile flashed in Yuwen Cheng's eyes, but he immediately cupped his hands and said, "Very well, Your Majesty, I will go and fight for you!"
After saying that, he and Su Changjing strode out.
As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the hall changed again, becoming somewhat strange. Yu Mingyue had realized that they had been tricked by Xiao Yuansui, and the entire plan had failed. However, looking at the performance of Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Cheng, it seemed that there were other ways to go.
She whispered, "Are we really going to the palace?"
Yuwen Qian glanced down at her and said calmly, "Of course I have to go to the palace. It's the closest place to Father Emperor."
"...!"
Yu Mingyue's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She then realized that what Yuwen Qian had just said—that the situation still needed to be controlled—did not actually mean controlling the “situation” itself.
He wanted to control the emperor!
Yu Mingyue was struck dumb, a sense of shock and fear spreading from the depths of her nightmare instantly gripping her, as if the world itself had changed color. Before she could react, Yuwen Qian turned to Yu Dingxing and said, "Father-in-law, now we only have your Xiaowei Army by our side. Please lead the Left Xiaowei Army to the palace with me immediately—to protect the Emperor."
These four words caused Yu Dingxing's only remaining eye to instantly become bloodshot.
His heart was pounding with excitement, and he practically jumped out of his seat. After catching his breath, he exclaimed, "Good, good, good!"
"..."
"The Imperial Guards are already prepared, awaiting only the Crown Prince's order!"
So he immediately turned around and walked out, preparing to give orders to his troops.
Of the two people remaining in the hall, Yuwen Qian remained calm and indifferent, as if the chaotic situation outside had nothing to do with him. He slowly stood up, straightened his clothes, and then turned to Yu Mingyue and said, "Let's go, come with me to the palace."
"..."
This time, Yu Mingyue did not react immediately.
She remained seated, her back ramrod straight, but it wasn't a dignified posture; rather, it was an expression of overwhelming tension. Yuwen Qian frowned slightly, but didn't urge her, only watching her quietly. He saw Yu Mingyue raise her head, her face pale, her expression panicked—
"Can we...not go through Xuanwu Gate?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com