Chapter 49 Ning Wujie, ah Ning Wujie, there is no hope...
Ning Wujie stopped the imperial carriage and angrily pulled open the curtain.
The three people in the car looked up at him at the same time.
Ning Wujie's movements faltered.
Wen Xing was lying lazily on the couch, while Ning Buhuo was kneeling beside the couch with his hands on Wen Xing's lower back, clearly massaging her.
Ning Wujie: ...
Ning Wujie held his forehead with his hand, feeling deeply that he had really been hanging out with this tyrant emperor, and that his three views had been distorted by what he saw and heard.
When I heard the noise, I subconsciously thought of something wrong.
Wen Xing looked out the window in confusion: "What happened? Are we here already?"
Ning Wujie rubbed his forehead and said helplessly: "No."
"Then what are you doing here?"
Ning Wujie twitched the corner of his lips, "Your Majesty...it's nothing. I'll take my leave."
He was about to turn around and leave when he heard Xing say, "Come back."
Ning Wujie paused, "What is the matter, Your Majesty?"
Wen Xing's lips curled up in a playful smile. "I've heard Ning Qing is proficient in massage. I'd like to try Ning Qing's skills and see if he's as insensitive as she said, 'not knowing how much to use'."
Ning Wujie reacted quickly and glared at Ning Buhuo fiercely.
This tyrant emperor has found another opportunity. I don’t know how he will tease him through massage.
Ning Buhuo received Ning Wujie's murderous gaze, blinked in horror, and looked confused.
What's going on? Why is his brother angry again? Did he do something wrong again?
Ning Wujie walked out with a stone face, lifting the curtain and saying, "I have important matters to attend to. I will serve Your Majesty another day!"
Wen Xing smiled with eyes curved, and said loudly: "Then I will wait for Ning Qing!"
*
Outside the Tangquan Palace.
Dozens of officials in various robes knelt outside the palace gates, shouting in unison, their voices shaking the heavens—
"Today, treacherous ministers are in power, and the sun and moon have lost their light. We implore the Empress Dowager to return to the throne and eliminate these treacherous ministers!"
Amid the officials' loud shouts, the palace gate finally opened slowly, and Wang Fuwei, surrounded by palace servants, appeared on the high steps with graceful demeanor.
She was wearing a phoenix coronet and a red robe, her face seemed calm, but her eyes were suppressing the ecstasy and pride that was about to burst out.
She raised her voice and said, "I have just received confirmed news that Ning Zheng hijacked Your Majesty's carriage with the intention of rebellion, and was killed by the imperial guards at Eagle's Beak Cliff!"
"And Your Majesty..." Wang Fuwei covered her face and pretended to weep, her voice choking at one point, "Your Majesty was murdered by the Ning father and son during the chaos, and has passed away."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this, "What?!"
"His Majesty has passed away?!"
After everyone pretended to cry for a while, someone took the lead and shouted, "The country cannot be without a leader for a day! Please ask the Queen Mother to return to the palace to take charge of the situation!"
"Your Majesty has met with an unexpected disaster, and the country is in danger! I implore the Empress Dowager to take the throne as regent to ensure peace for the people!"
"Please, Queen Mother, put the country first and return to the throne immediately!"
Wang Fuwei raised his lips in triumph and whispered to Yang Qi, who was standing beside him, "Is the Imperial City under control?"
Yang Qi nodded, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Imperial City was already under martial law when Your Majesty left the palace. Everything is under control."
Wang Fuwei nodded in satisfaction. "Return to the palace immediately. If you see Ning Wujie, kill him immediately for regicide. This includes the emperor's carriage, regardless of whether the people inside are alive or dead." Her eyes were stern as she spoke. "Don't spare a single one!"
"Yes!" Yang Qi received the order and retreated quietly.
Wang Fuwei then said to Han Jin behind him: "You'd better tell the truth, otherwise..."
Han Jin knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, please understand! I would never dare to deceive you!"
Wang Fuwei snorted coldly, "It doesn't matter if you lie. Even if it's a lie, I will make it a reality!"
She glanced at him coldly, "But you...will die without a burial place."
That cold gaze sent a chill down Han Jin's spine, and he reassured, "I have absolutely no second thoughts!"
Wang Fuwei finally let him go, and waved his sleeves at the ministers below the stairs, "The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. To prevent chaos in the world, my dear ministers, please follow me back to the palace!"
"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!"
The Empress Dowager's procession was magnificent, and she carried many officials with her as she marched towards the palace in a mighty procession.
Han Jin looked back at the inspectors dressed in the uniforms of the imperial guards. The leader winked at him. He suppressed his fear and worry, got on his horse, and caught up with the team.
*
The emperor's nine-dragon palanquin arrived in front of the Meridian Gate. The towering vermilion palace gate closed tightly, and a solemn and deadly silence prevailed.
The tall walls of the Meridian Gate were filled with armored imperial guards, their armor gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Ning Wujie reined in his horse and raised his hand to signal the troops to halt. His eyes swept across the city walls like lightning, and he shouted coldly to the defending generals, "Your Majesty is here. Open the city gates immediately!"
But the imperial guards were holding strong bows and crossbows, with arrowheads flashing coldly in the afterglow of the setting sun, all aimed at the emperor's sedan chair under the city wall.
The generals on the city wall shouted, "We have received military orders. The Ning family has committed treason and regicide. Your Majesty has passed away. Ning Wujie dared to hijack the imperial carriage and impersonate the emperor. He will be punished for treason. Shoot!"
The archers on the city wall pulled their bowstrings to full length, and the bow arms made a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound. At this critical moment, they heard a cold and majestic rebuke: "How dare you!"
The curtain of the imperial carriage was lifted, and the emperor stepped out of the carriage and stood on the shaft.
The golden glow of the setting sun fell on him, outlining his tall figure.
Wen Xing's sharp eyes swept across the imperial guards on the city wall, "I am here, who dares to shoot an arrow?"
When the imperial guards saw the face clearly, they couldn't help but show expressions of surprise and the tips of the arrows in their hands dropped subconsciously.
"Your Majesty...is this really Your Majesty?"
"What's going on? Didn't His Majesty say that he has already..."
Seeing this, the generals on the tower shouted sternly, "Don't be fooled by him! Military orders can never be wrong! Your Majesty died at the hands of the Ning family at Eagle's Beak Cliff! This man must be a substitute found by Ning Wujie! Shoot! Anyone who disobeys orders will be punished by military law!"
But at this moment, a loud shout accompanied by the rapid sound of horse hooves came from far away.
"Yang Qi, the commander of the Fifth Army, has been captured! You must surrender immediately, or I will kill you without mercy!"
Wu Jing rode his horse at full speed and threw a tied-up man to the ground in front of the palace gate.
The man rolled twice on the ground, groaning in pain. He struggled to straighten his upper body from his knees. He stared at Wu Jing fiercely and shouted, "Wu Jing! I am the commander of the five armies. How dare you, a subordinate, capture me?"
The imperial guards all looked horrified.
"Is that... Commander Yang?"
"It really is the Commander!"
Wu Jing rode his horse up to Ning Wujie and said, "Wujie, did I arrive in time?" He pointed at the man on the ground and said, "It's just that Yang Qi is too cunning. I spent a lot of effort to capture him alive on the road he had to take back to the capital."
He chuckled to himself.
Ning Wujie, riding on horseback, glanced at him and said coldly, "If you were a step later, Your Majesty would have passed away."
Wen Xing raised an eyebrow at this and feigned surprise, "So Ning Qing is also adventurous? I thought Ning Qing's plans were always well thought out."
He pretended to lament again, "I thought Ning Qing loved me so much, but it turns out you're willing to put me in danger. I'm so sad."
Ning Wujie's forehead veins twitched.
This tyrant, doesn't he even know when to tease people?!
Yang Qi shouted angrily: "Ning Wujie! This is indeed your trap!"
Wen Xing glanced at him coldly, "Yang Qi, immediately tell the Imperial Guards to lay down their weapons, or you will be charged with treason and have your entire clan executed."
Yang Qi sneered, his expression filled with determination and ruthlessness: "I've lost my family for a long time, so what if I kill my entire clan?" He shouted to the people on the wall: "Shoot! Don't worry about me!"
"Who dares!" Wu Jing reacted extremely quickly, drawing his sword and instantly pressing the sharp blade against Yang Qi's neck. "Whoever dares to shoot an arrow, I will kill him first!"
The soldiers on the city wall looked at each other, their arrow tips trembling, and no one dared to move.
Ning Wujie looked down at Yang Qi and said coldly, "You are not afraid of death. But you are also right. You have committed the crime of killing nine generations of your clan. What is there to be afraid of now?"
Yang Qi looked at Ning Wujie warily and snorted coldly: "I don't know what you are talking about."
Ning Wujie sneered, "It's a pity that you committed such a heinous crime, but you didn't know who your enemy was, and you were taken advantage of."
His eyes sharpened and he sneered, "How stupid."
Upon hearing this, Yang Qi forced himself to remain calm and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Ning Wujie said coldly: "Fourteen years ago, your sister died in the harem under unclear circumstances."
Hearing this, Yang Qi's pupils suddenly shrank and his body trembled slightly.
"You simply believe that the late emperor slandered her for having an affair with a guard, causing her to commit suicide. That's why you hold a grudge against the late emperor."
"Little did you know..." Ning Wujie's voice suddenly turned cold, "The one who knocked her unconscious and sent her to the guard room was none other than your current master, Queen Mother Wang Fuwei."
Yang Qi was shocked and doubtful. "You... you are talking nonsense! This is impossible! I have investigated the case. That guard was... the late emperor's personal guard..."
Ning Wujie glanced over with a pair of cold eyes, "Wang Fuwei was afraid that your sister's beauty would make her another beautiful concubine, so he took the initiative to attack her before she was fully grown. And you..."
He sneered sarcastically, "Yet he teamed up with his enemy and even helped her kill the late emperor. How foolish!"
Seeing that Yang Qi was still in disbelief and panic, Ning Wujie said again: "I have found all the key clues in this case. The case files are lying in the file library of the Supervisory Department. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself."
Yang Qi felt as if struck by lightning, and even stumbled and fell to the ground, his face ashen.
After a long moment, his shocked expression gradually turned into regret, and then into resentment. He finally gritted his teeth and uttered three words: "Wang, Fu, Wei!"
With bloodshot eyes, he looked up at the imperial guards on the city wall and shouted angrily, "Drop your weapons! Open the city gates!"
However, the general on the tower refused to obey orders and instead ordered: "Yang Qi and Ning Wujie are colluding with each other and have evil intentions! Kill them together! Release..."
However, before he could utter the word "arrow", Ning Wujie took out a hard bow from the horse's back behind him like lightning, and put an arrow on it and drew the bow in an instant.
"Buzz—"
The bowstring trembled, and the sharp arrow flew out of the string, shooting towards the city wall with a shrill sound of breaking through the air.
The arrow's tip pierced the Imperial Guards commander's throat with incredible precision, eliciting a muffled "puff" of flesh tearing apart. The immense force of inertia carried his body backward, pinning it heavily against the battlements of the tower.
The whole place was dead silent, and you could hear a pin drop.
Ning Wujie held the bow and reins, looking proudly at the high city wall, and said in a cold voice: "Put down your weapons. Anyone who disobeys the order will be charged with treason!"
“Bang—!”
The imperial guards dropped their weapons one after another, and the sound of swords falling to the ground could be heard one after another.
The moment they laid down their weapons, a large number of inspectors and three thousand armored soldiers silently emerged from the shadows on the city walls and around the square. Like ghosts, they quickly seized control of key points and took the disarmed imperial guards into custody.
Looking at these soldiers who had already been ambushed, Wen Xing raised his lips with a hint of amusement: "It turns out that Ning Qing had been prepared for this. I thought..."
However, this time, Ning Wujie didn't give Wen Xing a chance to tease him any further. He leaped onto the shaft of the carriage and instantly approached Wen Xing, whispering, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
The two of them were so close together, their noses almost touching, and Ning Wujie's breath was warm on his lips when he spoke.
Wen Xing's pupils trembled and he looked around in disbelief.
There were thousands of imperial guards guarding the Meridian Gate alone, not to mention their own men.
Under the watchful eyes of so many people, this kid not only didn't hide from him, but also came so close to him!
He looked at the handsome face so close to him in shock.
what happened?
Isn't this person always the most shy?
Ning Wujie's eyes were filled with resentment. "Your Majesty, do you think I would put yourself in danger without making every possible effort? Do you really distrust me so much?"
"I am deeply saddened."
Wen Xing narrowed his eyes.
This kid has learned bad things!
He actually returned his entire argument to him!
Really good.
The two of them were so close that from a distance, it looked almost like they were hugging each other.
Wu Jing couldn't bear to watch it at all and could only shake his head and sigh.
It's over.
His good brother is the most shameless, and now he even dares to hug and kiss His Majesty in public.
I'm afraid we're already deeply in love.
Ning Wujie, ah Ning Wujie, there’s no way to save you!
Wen Xing looked at Ning Wujie's gloomy eyes, and then looked at the tip of his ear in disbelief, and sure enough, he saw that the tip of his ear was slightly pink.
Seeing the unexpected red, he slowly raised his lips playfully.
Are you trying to stay calm with me?
See how long you can play.
"How could that be?" Wen Xing said with a half-smile, "I trust Ning Qing the most."
As he spoke, he tilted his face slightly, moving his nose away, and moved his lips closer, almost kissing the man's lips.
Ning Wujie's pupils shrank.
His heart was pounding like a drum, and the tips of his ears turned red in an instant. Finally, he subconsciously took a step back and kept some distance.
The tyrant emperor stood there and looked at him, smiling evilly.
Ning Wujie closed his eyes deeply, regretting why he wanted to play this game of seeing who had the most shameless bottom line with this tyrant?
It's just asking for trouble.
He jumped out of the car without looking back and strode away, "The palace gate is open, Your Majesty, please return to the palace as soon as possible."
Wen Xing looked at his somewhat disheveled but still upright back, and a smile of pleasure appeared on the corners of his lips.
*
The Empress Dowager's procession was huge and passed through the palace gate unhindered and arrived directly in front of the Huangji Palace.
The official beside him flattered, "The Empress Dowager's return to the palace is truly a source of pride! Look at this palace, so solemn and solemn, everyone is welcoming the Empress Dowager's arrival."
Wang Fuwei glanced at him and snorted in feigned dissatisfaction: "Why are you so happy? His Majesty has just passed away." Having said that, she straightened her back and led the crowd up the jade steps with graceful manners, about to step into the palace gate that symbolizes supreme power.
The official immediately restrained his expression and said in a mournful tone, "Yes, Your Majesty..."
However, the words stopped between teeth.
Everyone who stepped into the palace stopped in their tracks, their faces filled with astonishment and disbelief.
In the empty hall, on the high throne, the emperor, wearing a bright yellow robe with dark sleeves and dragon patterns, was still leaning lazily on the throne, one hand supporting his chin, the other hand resting on the dragon head of the armrest, his slender fingertips tapping lightly from time to time.
Those smiling eyes, with teasing and undisguised provocation, were looking down at him condescendingly, causing Wang Fuwei's pupils to tremble and his face to look shocked and uncertain.
“You’re not dead!”
Wen Xing raised the corner of his lips, "Why does your mother ask this? Could it be... that you hope for my death?"
Seeing that the emperor was safe and sound, the ministers accompanying him were all terrified and broke out in cold sweats.
Who still doesn’t understand this scene?
The emperor faked his death to set a trap for the empress dowager, and the empress dowager and her followers all stepped into it!
This emperor who seemed foolish and lazy on weekdays actually had such deep scheming and cunning! He actually played them all around!
Wang Fuwei turned around angrily, "Han Jin! How dare you deceive me!"
The crowd retreated to both sides like a tide, revealing Han Jin standing at the threshold.
Han Jin took a half step back and stepped on the threshold. A cold look flashed in his eyes, and he said coldly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I am still your Majesty's subject."
As soon as he finished speaking, a team of inspectors appeared from behind him, blocking the palace door, and had already drawn their swords.
The icy blade flashed with a terrifying cold light under the afterglow of the setting sun!
Suddenly, there was a gasp of fear in the hall!
At the same time, at the foot of the jade steps of the hall, Ning Wujie and Wu Jing led their teams out from both sides, and the inspectors behind them surrounded the entire hall.
"Wang Fuwei is guilty of treason and regicide, and the evidence is conclusive! You followers will be punished with the same crime!" Ning Wujie's voice was like ice, resounding throughout the hall.
A cry of surprise suddenly rang out in the hall. "Unjust! Your Majesty, be wise! We were simply misinformed, believing Your Majesty had passed away. To prevent chaos within the realm, we are respectfully welcoming Your Majesty back to the throne..."
But Wang Fuwei sneered and angrily scolded the officials without any fear: "What are you panicking about!"
She straightened her back and remained calm. "The Imperial City has long been controlled by the Imperial Guards. With so few men like them, they can't do anything to me!"
She pointed at the emperor on the high steps and angrily shouted, "You are a tyrant, a tyrant, a lazy ruler, a traitor, and a man of no mercy! For the sake of our country and our people, I will depose you today!"
"Imperial Guards!" Wang Fuwei shouted, looking around. "Where are the Imperial Guards? Where are the Jinwu Guards? Hurry up and drag this commoner off the throne!"
Wen Xing curled his lips, "Imperial Guards? Is the Queen Mother calling for Yang Qi?"
Wang Fuwei's face froze.
The emperor actually knew?!
Behind the heavy inspectors, a military officer in armor walked out from the darkness, staring at her with cold eyes.
Wang Fuwei's expression relaxed when he saw the newcomer. He shouted, "Yang Qi, what are you still doing? Hurry up and take down these rebels!"
But Yang Qi remained unmoved, his eyes filled with anger and resentment, his voice hoarse: "My Queen, I have been deceived by you so much!"
Wang Fuwei's pupils trembled violently, and she even took a half step back involuntarily because of Yang Qi's fierce gaze.
"You..." She stood firm with forced composure, "I don't know what nonsense you are talking about!"
Yang Qi's fists clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound. "My sister was killed by you, right?"
Wang Fuwei's eyes widened, and then he reacted, glaring at Ning Wujie with resentment.
It’s this wolf cub from the Ning family again, ruining her plans time and time again!
Seeing her expression, Yang Qi became even more certain that she was the murderer who killed his sister, and couldn't help but laugh miserably.
The next moment, Yang Qi pointed his spear at Wang Fuwei, his voice trembling with extreme anger: "You used me to poison the late emperor!"
As soon as the words "poisoning the late emperor" were uttered, all the ministers were in an uproar!
All the officials, including those royalists who had been hoping for the best, were horrified!
They followed the Queen Mother, but it was nothing more than a factional struggle. After Wen Xing had purged the royal party several times, this group of people had long been excluded from the center of power. This time they were just trying to gain a better future.
But if the Empress Dowager poisoned the late Emperor, it wouldn't just be a factional dispute! It would be a grave crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the clan! Who dares to get involved?
All the ministers retreated several steps to distance themselves from Wang Fuwei as if they were avoiding the plague, leaving her and her two personal guards alone in the center of the palace.
Wang Fuwei pointed at Yang Qi with a fierce expression, angrily shouting, "How dare you make such false accusations against me! When did I poison the late emperor? You are slandering me with empty words, what is your punishment?"
Yang Qi's resentful eyes almost tore Wang Fuwei into pieces. He spoke with determination, his voice escaping from between his teeth: "I'm going to die anyway, so I don't mind killing one more person! Wang Fuwei! Accept your death!"
Before he finished speaking, he shook the spear in his hand, a cold light flashed, and the tip of the spear pierced Wang Fuwei's heart!
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The author has something to say: Wu Jing: My good brother has become love-brained ahhhhhhhh!
——————
Wait for me to finish some plot~ I will send lunch boxes to the Queen Mother in the next chapter!
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