The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch: The Jade-Faced Yama is Actually Me (Twenty-Nine...)
The air was completely silent.
The Prince of Nankang was still completely bewildered, but asked with a smile, "Yongning, why does your voice sound a little different to me?"
Princess Nankang felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
The woman wearing a veil lifted the curtain, revealing a face distorted by the strong wind.
The wine cup had been presented to the woman, who picked it up and respectfully toasted the Princess Consort and the Prince of Nankang, giving them a smile.
"Thank you both for the wine. I just wonder what will happen if this cup of wine falls to the ground?"
Princess Nankang's expression changed drastically. She tried to reach out to stop them, but it was too late.
The wine glass shattered on the ground with a crisp cracking sound, and the door was kicked open in an instant. The cold glint of armored soldiers instantly illuminated the dimly lit candlelight in the room.
The King of Nankang was shocked. Before he could even think about why his sister had become someone else, the soldiers burst through the door and surrounded everyone.
Pei Yu, accompanied by armored soldiers, pointed directly at the princess and her entourage at the banquet, but when he saw the woman's face, he gasped in shock.
Ye Xiqing completely removed her veil.
The princess's carriage was very large and could hold many people. However, due to the dark night, the details inside could not be seen clearly.
After boarding the vehicle, Ji Siyin removed her veil and, using the shadows of others as cover, jumped out of the vehicle through the back door.
Ye Xiqing then took the cloak and veil from her and put them on herself.
Although Guan Xianzhi was thin, she was not short. Wearing high heels and shoulder pads would be enough to make up for the difference in her height.
She had spent every day with Ji Siyin and was extremely familiar with her every move. In addition, it was dark and the shadows were chaotic, and the candlelight was dim, so she was able to enter the room without anyone noticing.
Now that swords and spears are drawn and armor and weapons are on display, it is discovered that the person at the banquet is not Ji Siyin at all!
If Ji Siyin isn't here, where did she go?
In an instant, Pei Yu immediately put down his weapon, turned around, and tried to inform the Prince of Nankang that the plan had been exposed!
Ye Xiqing chuckled softly behind him: "You don't actually think there's still a chance to sheathe your sword now, do you?"
Pei Yu stopped in her tracks.
Regardless of the reason, ambushing the princess with armored soldiers is tantamount to treason.
Such a big thing will be known by everyone the next day. We can't just back down now and pretend nothing happened!
Ye Xiqing smiled and looked at everyone present: "The arrow is already on the bowstring, and the beast has been released from its cage. Even if all of you here kill me on the spot, it will be of no use. It will neither change the facts of tonight nor stop the princess from going to Beijingmen to lead troops to quell the rebellion."
“If one is unaware of a plot to rebel, one can gain the upper hand; but if one discovers it, one can only engage in close combat.”
"Who will prevail, the rebel army led by the crown prince or the righteous army led by the princess?"
"Or rather, which of the two is the rebel and which is the righteous army?"
"After this night, everything will be clear."
"Rather than reporting this to the Crown Prince and causing his army to collapse and backfire, it's better to really gamble on the winner taking all."
"The main performer has already taken the stage; why don't we feast and celebrate here, and await good news?"
"Guards, prepare the banquet!"
No one answered.
This isn't the princess's residence; no one will listen to Ye Xiqing's orders here.
The King of Nankang was shocked and his gaze swept over everyone present.
He never expected that his queen and crown prince would actually outmaneuver him and plot a coup, only to have it exposed!
Over the past few decades, the Prince of Nankang had been embroiled in palace intrigues and was so terrified that he collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.
After the initial fear, Princess Nankang gradually calmed down, leaving only the anger of being fooled!
She slowly looked at Ye Xiqing, who was sitting opposite her, chatting and laughing.
Yes, now that things have come to this point, it's all a matter of the victor taking all. Back then, Emperor Taizong murdered his brothers and usurped the throne, stepping over the bones of his own kin. So what?
As long as there is victory, the pen of history is in the hands of the victor.
The reason I hesitated before about whether to kill the princess was that we were not yet in dire straits and were still considering my reputation.
Now that the truth has been exposed, even if it's the Heavenly King himself, what can't he kill!
The entire court was already dissatisfied with Li Wenyuan's woman-turned-power behavior, and if they were asked to choose sides the next day, they would only side with her family.
Although Ji Siyin could mobilize 500 soldiers from Dengzhou, they also rallied the two garrison commanders of Nanximen, who also gathered 500 elite soldiers. In close combat, it was not necessarily her victory!
Even if you gain the upper hand, what good is it? Only those who survive are the winners.
After assessing the current situation, Princess Nankang calmed down completely.
He sat up straight, unwilling to be outdone by a maid.
He ordered his servants, "Bring the banquet!"
...
Ji Siyin rode swiftly to Beijingmen, where the garrison commanders were Tu Siniang and her later-acquired Hu woman, Bika Wukuozhen.
Upon seeing that she was a princess, he let her in without hesitation and led his men to pick up their weapons: Let's go!
Now that a curfew has been imposed, the faint scraping sound of armor against armor is amplified tenfold as people walk through the empty streets, making everyone's heart pound like a drum.
Ji Siyin didn't know how Ye Xiqing dared to stay in the tiger's den at this time.
But the way she spoke at the end is still vivid in my mind—
"If the princess wins, we will all live; if the princess loses, we will all die. What is the point of where we are then?"
Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Ji Siyin felt as if she had returned to the time when they were suppressing bandits in Dengzhou. They had faked a caravan to lure the bandits out of their caves and then wiped them all out in one fell swoop.
There's no such thing as a thousand days of guarding against thieves, only a thousand days of thievery. Her previous meticulous protection wasn't really for defending against unscrupulous people, but rather to expose all her weaknesses at a special moment.
When a fish bites the bait, it is also when the bait bites the fish. To catch a big fish, you must make such a close connection.
How can one not be heartbroken at all? Looking at the other side of the fishing hook, and catching one's own sibling, how can one not be heartbroken at all?
Ji Siyin's tears were genuine.
However, when it comes to matters of the heart, it is something that the siblings in the Heavenly Family unanimously and unanimously gave up first!
...
It may seem fraught with danger, but in reality, as long as you win, there is no danger at all.
Ji Siyin led the Dengzhou soldiers out of the Beijing Gate, while the guards of the Nanxi Gate, led by the heir of the Prince of Nankang, had already silently marched in.
The Crown Prince of Nankang divided his troops into two groups: one group headed straight for the palace, while the other broke into the mansion.
Li Wenyuan's nephew, the Duke of Jingguo who had always been regarded as the "suspected crown prince," was still full of anger when he came down from Princess Yongning's banquet.
Over the years, his dear aunt had been aloof and unpredictable towards him, playing him for fools, but always managing to get back what he wanted at crucial moments.
He harbored resentment, yet he had no choice but to patiently appease Li Wenyuan and her own daughter.
His cousin was even worse; no one on Li's side liked her.
If she weren't her aunt's biological daughter, probably no one would have tolerated her long ago.
But now, everyone has to bow down to her.
Exhausted from the banquet, he stretched out his arms, inviting the servants to help him undress, when he suddenly heard some noise: "Is there a sound?"
The servant was exhausted and sleepy, unable to keep his eyes open: "Lord Duke, what's that sound?"
As the sound grew louder, the Duke of Jingguo suddenly awoke. Before he could react, soldiers broke down the door, carrying torches that illuminated the entire room.
The Duke of Jingguo was both shocked and furious, and he opened his mouth to shout, "How dare you! You... tsk—"
He was fine when he didn't speak, but once he did, his attire immediately revealed who he was looking for. The person who barged in didn't say a word and plunged a knife into his abdomen.
The servants were terrified and fled in panic. Fortunately, in order to save time, the newcomers did not go on a killing spree. They quickly stabbed the Duke of Jingguo's body to pieces, cut off his head, and left to rejoin the main force!
This wasn't an isolated incident. Soldiers stormed into the mansion, and many people were asleep. Even if they reacted, the poorly armed servants were no match for them. The once noble Li family was wiped out in this way.
Blood from the fresh head dripped all the way down.
The Crown Prince of Nankang led the Imperial Guards straight through the palace gates.
Li Wenyuan had been feeling unwell lately and had already gone to bed. Hearing the commotion, she slowly propped herself up from the bed.
She instructed her maids to light all the palace lanterns and candles. She was old, her eyesight was failing, her hearing was failing, and her legs were immobile. She needed very bright light to see things clearly.
Who came in?
The Crown Prince of Nankang stepped through the palace gates, followed by his subordinates, each carrying a bloody head, as they entered her bedchamber.
Li Wenyuan was once the emperor, but now she is a fish on a chopping board. Everyone standing here is both nervous and excited.
Li Wenyuan squinted at them: "What, have you rebelled?"
Although everyone knows this is a rebellion, there are always many explanations for it, and no one admits to it.
The Crown Prince of Nankang stepped forward and knelt before her bed, saying earnestly, "Grandmother, how could your grandson dare to commit treason?"
"I only received a secret report that the Duke of Jing, the Duke of Lu, and the Duke of Shou were plotting a rebellion. I have already captured all three of them. I was worried about Your Majesty's safety, so I specially went to the palace to protect Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will not misunderstand!"
Li Wenyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The Duke of Jingguo, the Duke of Luguo, and the Duke of Shouguo, what a coincidence that they died. It just so happens that all those who were vying with you for the throne are now dead."
The Crown Prince of Nankang remained unfazed: "I know that you have doubts, but it is indeed the case. No matter what, you are still my beloved grandmother, my father, and my only son. Even if you wanted to seize the throne, why would you need to go to such lengths?"
Li Wenyuan replied with a smile: "Your father is my only son now, but not my only child."
Crown Prince of Nankang: ...
She looked up and smiled, "Auntie, you're a guest at my house right now, maybe you're asleep already."
Li Wenyuan remained silent.
She had always maintained a good demeanor, but upon hearing those words, her eyes darkened.
Looking down at the kneeling Prince of Nankang, the smile on his face had vanished.
"Even though I know you're just a caged cricket, sometimes you really can be infuriating."
...
Ji Siyin led her troops swiftly toward the palace, each of her subordinates carrying something different.
War is a process of escalating as you make a move and I counter it.
The barrage of crossbow bolts was too damaging to soldiers, which led to the development of armored soldiers with no blind spots in their defenses.
Armored soldiers were too cumbersome, so cavalry, in which both men and horses were armored, emerged.
The means of warfare kept escalating, and then one day, they were all rendered obsolete, and firearms appeared.
Everyone talks about close combat, but who actually engages you in close combat?
I'll take out one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal. Aren't you going to fry it?
In close-quarters combat between armored soldiers, guns are not very effective at this stage, but palm grenades can definitely explode in large numbers and are easy to carry.
Ji Siyin and her Dengzhou army were fully prepared, with each member carrying advanced technology.
After overcoming numerous hardships to reach the palace gates to defend the emperor, they arrived to find that there were simply too many people...
The Crown Prince of Nankang knelt on the ground, looking up at Li Wenyuan, feeling smug, when he suddenly heard some noises.
Hesitant, he went out to investigate and found that the Imperial Guards he led were retreating. Under the lamplight, three groups of men were slowly approaching from three different directions.
The Eastern Route Army was led by Shangguan Lanyi, the Western Route Army was led by Qi Yulian, the lady-in-waiting who was always by Li Wenyuan's side, and the Northern Route Army was led by Ji Siyin, who should have been a guest in the Prince's mansion!
Three groups of people slowly approached, and the southern army, which had stormed into the palace gates with great momentum, seemed to be trapped inside a sack that tightened on three sides.
The Crown Prince of Nankang felt a chill run down his spine and abruptly turned around—
In the candlelight, the woman, dressed only in an outer garment, like a flickering candle in the wind, drew a cold, lifeless arc.
"You underestimate me, you little brat."
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