Chapter 1287 Xuanwu Gate!
"Xuan, Wu, Men".
He spoke those three words in a low voice, the same tone he used when he whispered to Shang Ruyi. Almost no one in front of him heard what they had just said. But when he finished speaking those three words, Yu Mingyue suddenly turned her head and looked at them. Her eyes, illuminated by the flames, revealed her nervousness.
Sensing her gaze, Yuwen Cheng turned his head: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
"..."
Yu Mingyue didn't speak, but frowned and stared at Shang Ruyi, her eyes scrutinizing her reaction.
Shang Ruyi lowered her eyes indifferently.
Yu Mingyue looked at her for a while but got no results, so she could only continue riding forward. Yuwen Cheng looked at the Crown Princess and Princess Qin's appearance and smiled slightly, a sly glint in his eyes.
After walking for about the time it takes to eat a meal, it got even darker.
Finally, another tall palace gate appeared in the pitch-black night. In the distance, they could see by the firelight that the plaque above the gate clearly read "Anli Gate". Yu Mingyue subconsciously took a deep breath.
What she didn't notice was that Shang Ruyi, who was walking forward with the horse team, was also holding her breath with nervousness.
As they approached, several soldiers immediately stepped forward and knocked on the door. Just like before, the gatekeeper's panicked voice came from inside, but the response was almost identical: "Your Highness, please forgive us, but the Emperor has ordered that we cannot open the palace gates tonight."
"You bastard!"
This time, Yu Mingyue spoke first, angrily shouting, "You dare to stop the Crown Prince's carriage!"
"Your Highness, this is the Emperor's decree."
Although the people inside were still polite, they had made their point very clear: neither the Crown Prince nor the Crown Princess was above the Emperor, and they would absolutely not risk disobeying the imperial decree by opening the door for them tonight.
"you--"
Yu Mingyue was furious and was about to dismount and knock on the door herself when Yuwen Qian raised his hand to stop her. He then looked up at the road ahead and saw that it was too long. Even though their group had a lot of people and torches, they still couldn't light up the entire passageway.
He could only say, "Then let me ask you, the Emperor has issued an edict summoning me and Prince Qi to the palace for an audience. If none of you open the palace gates, how are we supposed to enter the palace to see the Emperor?"
"..."
"Is this considered disobeying the imperial decree on your part, or on my part and the Prince of Qi's part?"
"..."
The other party hesitated for a moment, and then another set of footsteps sounded, as if someone had come to deliver a message. After a few whispers, the person inside immediately said, "Your Highness, this palace gate cannot be opened, but the Xuanwu Gate in front is still open. You can enter the palace through the Xuanwu Gate."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue and Shang Ruyi gasped almost simultaneously.
Shang Ruyi remained relatively calm, though she was inwardly anxious, while Yu Mingyue's face turned pale, and she immediately said to Yuwen Qian, "No!"
The person inside finally said, "Your Highness, Your Highness Prince Qi, I have said all I can say. Anli Gate must not be opened tonight. Please, sir, move aside."
After saying that, the person walked away.
Yu Mingyue grew even more anxious and turned to Yuwen Qian, whispering, "We can't go to Xuanwu Gate!"
"..."
"Your Highness, have you forgotten? I once told you—"
She suddenly choked up at this point, probably realizing that some things couldn't be said in front of everyone, so she bit her lower lip and looked at Yuwen Qian with anxious eyes. The latter also looked at her, and his expression became serious.
The two men stared at each other, while those around them began to look puzzled.
After all, their primary task now is to enter the palace. Moreover, the emperor issued an edict at noon, and now that night has fallen and it is pitch black all around, they have not yet entered the palace. This is almost "disobeying the imperial edict." If they delay any longer, it may not just be a matter of explaining Xiao Yuansui's rebellion.
So Yu Dingxing urged in a low voice, "Didn't I say that Xuanwu Gate is still open? Let's hurry over there."
Yu Mingyue ignored him and only looked at Yuwen Qian: "Crown Prince!"
The men on horseback looked anxious, while the two men standing on the ground on the other side had shifty eyes and were each lost in their own thoughts.
If she wasn't entirely sure about Yu Mingyue's reaction at Xuande Gate, then after passing Anli Gate, Shang Ruyi completely understood—she could sense that Xuanwu Gate was a dangerous place, a feeling stemming from Yu Mingyue's "possession" of her. Yu Mingyue had taken some of her knowledge, giving her a premonition of something ominous about the place.
Therefore, Xuanwu Gate must be a crucial place; there is danger there.
That's always been her belief.
But now, a strange, unprecedented thought suddenly popped into her mind—where does the danger come from?
Or, if it's dangerous for Yu Mingyue, what about for herself?
Shang Ruyi had a sudden thought.
Her mind was racing with thoughts. Standing beside her, Yuwen Cheng had been quietly observing Yu Mingyue's expression and listening intently to her words. At this moment, as if realizing something, he lazily said, "Sister-in-law, whether we are obeying the imperial decree or for something else... right now, we have to go to the palace. But all the palace gates are closed. If only the Xuanwu Gate is open, how can we not go?"
"..."
"You won't let my brother go to Xuanwu Gate. Is there some danger there?"
"certainly!"
"Oh? What danger?"
"Of course—"
Yu Mingyue was about to say something, but she stopped herself at the last second. She looked at Shang Ruyi with a conflicted expression, and the people around her followed her gaze. Some of them understood what was going on.
Yu Dingxing said, "King Qin has already left the city!"
Yuwen Cheng also said, "So that's what you're worried about. The Duke is right, he's already gone. We saw it with our own eyes, how could it be false?"
"..."
"Besides him, who else in Chang'an could be a threat to us?"
"..."
"Sister-in-law, don't be so timid."
"I don't!"
Yu Mingyue wanted to refute him, but her rebuttal was almost impossible to form—after all, she was already very familiar with what would happen at Xuanwu Gate, and the fact was indeed as Yu Dingxing and Yuwen Cheng said, Yuwen Ye had already left Chang'an. Although he was not dead yet, at least for now, the threat at Xuanwu Gate had been eliminated.
She certainly didn't need to be so cautious or secretive.
But……
The unease in my heart was truly inexplicable.
After hesitating for a long time, she could only say, "I'm just... just worried..."
Yuwen Cheng said impatiently, "No matter how worried we are, we can't hesitate. Otherwise, if we really anger Father, we'll be in big trouble. What do you say, Your Majesty?"
His last question was directed at Yuwen Qian.
Yuwen Qian remained seated on horseback, listening silently to their conversation. After a moment's thought, he lowered his eyes and said, "Things have come to this... let's go."
Upon hearing this, everyone spurred their horses and continued onward.
Yu Mingyue seemed to want to hold on to something, but everyone was moving forward. If she didn't move, she would become an obstacle for everyone. Gradually, she was also swept along by everyone and began to ride forward slowly.
Yuwen Cheng smiled and turned to Shang Ruyi beside him: "Second sister-in-law, shall we go?"
Shang Ruyi remained silent and simply followed them forward.
As they continued their journey, whether it was the deepening darkness or the growing wind that nearly extinguished their torches, their pace slowed considerably due to the lack of sufficient light to illuminate their path. The distance between Xuanwu Gate and Anli Gate was already long, and after stumbling along for about 15 minutes, they finally spotted a dark shadow swaying in the wind ahead, making a rustling sound.
That was the pine and cypress grove in front of Xuanwu Gate.
Although there are several palace gates on the north side of the palace, there is only one main gate, which is the Xuanwu Gate. Therefore, this gate is the tallest and most majestic, almost the most magnificent gate besides the Chengtian Gate on the south side. Moreover, the open space in front of the gate is the largest and widest, leading directly to the north gate. Tall pines and cypresses are planted along the way. Even during the day, passing by there will make you feel cold and gloomy due to the shade of the trees. At night, the wind blows the branches and leaves and they sway incessantly, as if thousands of troops are hidden inside, which is frightening.
Yu Mingyue was already nervous, and when she saw the swaying black shadow in front of her, she immediately pulled on the reins.
"Is someone ahead?"
Yu Dingxing glanced at her impatiently, but didn't bother to say anything. He simply waved to the soldiers behind him, and they immediately spurred their horses forward. Soon they arrived at the pine forest, where the torches they held high illuminated the swaying shadows of the trees.
Everyone could see clearly that there was no one there.
Yuwen Qian said calmly, "Let's go, it's alright."
He continued to shake the reins and urge his horse forward. Yu Mingyue also felt ashamed and could only follow dejectedly. Everyone else moved forward one after another. Only Yuwen Cheng, as they got closer and closer to Xuanwu Gate, took a half step back, with half of his body falling behind Shang Ruyi.
Before long, their large group arrived at Xuanwu Gate.
Here, three sides are surrounded by tall palace walls, their imposing presence comparable to city walls. In the pitch-black night, they resemble a gigantic monster crouching on the ground, with the palace gates below opening like the monster's bottomless maw, waiting to devour all life.
Yu Dingxing immediately said, "The palace gates here are indeed open!"
Yuwen Cheng laughed and said, "I knew it. When Father Emperor summoned us to the palace, how could he not even leave us a door open?"
Shang Ruyi turned her head and glanced at him.
Yu Dingxing said, "Let's go, we should go to the palace to see—"
Just as he was speaking and about to urge his horse inside, Yuwen Qian suddenly raised his hand to signal him to stop, and said in a deep voice, "Wait."
Unexpectedly, he also stopped him. Yu Dingxing was stunned, but he immediately reined in his horse.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"..."
Yuwen Qian didn't speak, but instead shook the reins and took two steps forward by himself. His figure stood alone under the tall palace wall, appearing exceptionally small, as if he were about to be swallowed up by the shadow cast by the tall palace wall at any moment.
After observing quietly for a while, he said, "It's far too quiet here."
Hearing him say this, the people around him realized that normally, after the palace gates were closed, no one would walk around outside except for the patrolling soldiers; but tonight was different. The emperor had specially ordered the palace gates to be left open, and besides, Xiao Yuansui's "rebellion" had occurred in the city during the day, so it was impossible for the gates to be wide open without a single guard.
There wasn't even a glimmer of light.
Realizing this, everyone tensed up. Yu Dingxing immediately waved his hand, and a group of people carrying torches slowly walked to Yuwen Qian's side.
The firelight flickered, but it couldn't illuminate the deep darkness, only barely outlining the towering silhouette of the Xuanwu Gate ahead. As the flames swayed, the shadow cast by the gate rippled across the ground, resembling a menacing, terrifying beast. Indeed, the gate was deserted, and the sound of their horses' hooves echoed between the palace walls, further emphasizing the empty silence of the night.
"wrong……"
Yuwen Qian frowned slightly and spoke in a low voice.
Yu Dingxing turned to look at him: "What did you say?"
"No, no!"
Yuwen Qian finally realized something, turned to him, and shouted loudly to the elite guards following behind him, "Leave now!"
Everyone was taken aback, but before they could react, their eyes were suddenly filled with light. Countless figures suddenly appeared on the empty, dark city tower, all holding torches high. The flickering flames emitted a dazzling light that illuminated the entire city tower. The dazzling light was like the sun suddenly rising in the night, so bright that everyone had to close their eyes.
As visibility blurred, another gust of wind howled from ahead.
Upon closer inspection, amidst the dazzling light atop the city walls, countless soldiers rose to their feet, each gripping a fully drawn bow, arrows taut and poised, gleaming with immense power, aimed at the people below.
Seeing this, the people below were terrified. Yu Dingxing was especially alarmed and hurriedly shouted, "There's an ambush! Be careful!"
A group of elite guards immediately rushed forward.
Their reaction was swift; they immediately formed a goose-feather formation to block Yuwen Qian's path. With a resounding shout, swords were drawn, their blades standing tall. Reflected by the firelight on both sides, the cold glint and flames mingled, creating a dazzling and dangerous spectacle in front of Xuanwu Gate, as if ice and fire were clashing.
However, the arrows were not fired immediately from the city wall.
The people below the city wall held their breath, their hands, covered in cold sweat, gripping their swords tightly, as if a thousand pounds were about to fall, so tense that their breathing and heartbeats seemed to stop.
Just then, a familiar figure slowly appeared in the very center of the city gate tower.
This man was clad in armor, tall and imposing, exceptionally talented, and as bright as the rising sun. When he appeared before the crowd, all the firelight seemed to focus on him at that moment, and even the brightest light could not steal the brilliance from his eyes, which were piercing yet restrained.
He coldly looked down at the crowd below, like a god in the clouds looking down on all living beings.
It's Yuwen Ye!
He actually showed up here!
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