Chapter 115 Finale (Part 1)
Half a month later, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In order to demonstrate the power of the emperor and win over the court officials, the emperor would hold a night banquet in the palace every year, and all officials above the fifth rank in Beijing had to attend.
The emperor and his ministers shared the joy, admiring the moon, composing poems and offering sacrifices to the moon god together.
To pray for the stability of the country and the peace of the people.
But I'm afraid there will be no peace in the imperial city tonight.
Upon receiving the news that Prince Ruyang was preparing to take action at the palace banquet, Shen Yan was worried that swords and knives were blind and that innocent people would inevitably be harmed in the chaos, so he wanted Jiang Wanning to stay home on the pretext of being sick and not attend the banquet.
However, because of the "killing evil" incident, Prince Ruyang still could not fully trust Bai Wushuang. During this period, he sent people to keep an eye on the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion every day, and was obviously wary of Shen Yan.
Jiang Wanning couldn't show his weakness at this time and arouse Prince Ruyang's suspicion.
What's more, whether Qingqing can legitimately seize the imperial power as the eldest princess depends on this battle.
Since she is the "mastermind", of course she has to be in charge personally so that she can respond flexibly.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Shen Yan had no choice but to instruct Lu Yao.
"No matter what happens, Madam must be put first. We must protect Madam well and not allow any mistakes!"
Lu Yao immediately clasped his fists in response.
"I will protect Madam!"
Do I need to explain this?
Following his wife, immense wealth and prosperity is just around the corner. How could he possibly let his wife suffer even the slightest harm?
From now on, he will be the sharp blade in the lady's hand, killing the royal family and beheading the officials!
No one is allowed to touch a hair of the lady!
…
Imperial Palace.
When the emperor entered the palace, he saw Concubine Li and the marquis' wife talking and laughing, and they were more enthusiastic towards Jiang than towards himself.
He was a little unhappy.
He walked to the main seat and sat down. After everyone had paid their respects, the emperor waved his hand and granted the banquet. Then he whispered a reminder to Concubine Li.
"Mrs. Jiang is always good at instigating. You can just listen to what she says and don't take it seriously."
Concubine Li sneered inwardly and cursed him for being sick.
He pretended to be embarrassed and replied with a frown.
"But the Marquis's wife just told me that on the night of the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, if you pray to the moon at 12:30 pm and pray sincerely, your wish will come true and you will have a son.
This is how the three young masters of the Marquis’ Mansion got what they wanted.
However, he was not well-educated and could not be of great use, so the Marquis’ wife still wanted to have another son, and that is why she invited me..."
"cough."
The emperor coughed awkwardly.
Perhaps he didn't expect that the two of them were talking about this just now, and he couldn't help feeling that he was a little mean.
Then he changed his words.
"What I'm saying is, don't take provocative words seriously... naturally, it's better to believe such auspicious words than not to believe them! The Marquis's wife has given birth to three sons in a row, so she must have some experience."
Concubine Li: Haha.
She doesn't want to have a son at all now.
She just wants to be happy about her husband's demise!
Anyway, she has a brother who is in a high position and has great power, and maybe she will also have a sister-in-law who is extremely powerful. Even if she becomes a widow, she will be a precious widow.
It's better than being bullied in the palace by a hypocritical and sickly man now!
…
The palace banquet is halfway through.
The emperor and his ministers were all a little tipsy.
I saw Shen Yan peeling a drunken crab with his own hands, shaving the crab meat cleanly, filling a small plate with it, and handing it to Jiang Wanning.
Prince Ruyang couldn't help but sneered and said sarcastically.
"Everyone says that the Marquis of Pingyang is henpecked. I thought it was a joke before, but now I see that it is indeed the case!
"My Lord, you're a military commander, having fought your way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Even if you were once lowly and humble, now that you've achieved such remarkable military success, it's time to show off your power! Why are you still imitating those spineless eunuchs in the palace, being so cautious and trying to please a woman?!"
No wonder Jiang was allowed to behave so rudely and barbarically, causing unrest in the Marquis's mansion!
She has even corrupted the entire imperial capital's morale!"
Hearing this.
Jiang Wanning had just put a mouthful of crab roe into his mouth when he lost his appetite.
She put down her chopsticks and was about to retort.
Then Shen Yan was the first to respond.
"I just like to pamper my wife and spoil her, so what? Is there any law in our dynasty that strictly forbids a husband from being afraid of his wife?"
emperor:"……"
Although he also couldn't stand it.
But after thinking about it carefully, it seems that there is no such law.
Prince Ruyang snorted coldly and retorted.
"Since ancient times, the husband has always been superior and the wife has always been inferior. The husband is the leader of the wife. If the yin and yang are reversed, it will eventually lead to disaster!"
Shen Yan's tone was lukewarm and he disagreed with this.
"So this Marquis has a wife, but Your Majesty does not."
"you--"
Prince Ruyang's face suddenly turned pale.
The news of the princess's previous divorce dispute spread throughout the city, and Prince Ruyang felt completely humiliated.
But Chen Yan always brings up things that are not related to the topic!
He originally wanted to take the opportunity to stir up a dispute, instigate Jiang to make a scene at the palace banquet, anger the emperor and punish her severely, thereby alienating the relationship between the emperor and Shen Yan.
Who would have thought that Chen Yan would treat that shrew as a treasure and protect her so closely.
He had just said a few words, but Jiang hadn't gotten angry yet, but he was the first to get pissed off.
Jiang Wanning didn't have the time to talk to him today. He looked around and realized something was wrong.
In the original text, King Ruyang plays chess at every step.
First, he secretly let Concubine Liu and the Imperial Master ruin the emperor's health, and while he was seriously ill, he gradually took control of the situation inside and outside the palace.
Afterwards, on the day of the emperor's death, he placed the empress dowager under house arrest and falsely passed on the emperor's will.
This is how he was able to usurp the throne and successfully become emperor.
But right now, Prince Ruyang has been forced into a desperate situation and has no choice but to rebel ahead of time... I don't know what kind of excuse he will find to make himself "legitimate".
Just as she noticed, the few little kids who had been sitting next to Prince Ruyang had gone out to play and had not returned for a long time.
A sharp cry was heard from outside.
"It wasn't me... Let me go! You've got the wrong guy... I didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill anyone..."
Hearing this, everyone at the banquet was shocked and turned to look over.
Soon, a eunuch was brought in.
Behind him, a group of palace maids followed in panic, each with their head hung, as if facing a disaster.
The emperor couldn't help but lower his tone and asked.
"What happened?"
The father-in-law who was walking in front immediately knelt down and said tremblingly.
"Your Majesty...someone's died! The three young masters of Prince Ruyang's mansion have all drowned..."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Ruyang stood up suddenly, his eyes suddenly widened, and he shouted angrily.
"Who drowned? Say it again?!"
"It's... it's the three young princes of your majesty's family. They were all pushed into the lake by that beast. When they were pulled out just now... they were already dead! Not a single one of them was alive, they're all gone..."
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
Prince Ruyang's body trembled violently. He was shocked to hear the bad news and could not believe it!
Everyone present was also shocked.
Who would have thought that such a tragic thing would happen during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet? It's simply horrifying!
Even the emperor showed a sad expression, and for a moment he didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
I even forgot to react.
Soon, the three bodies were carried up, and the accompanying imperial doctors knelt on the ground, trembling as if they had lost their parents.
Watching Prince Ruyang walk to his three children and perform a grief-stricken show.
Jiang Wanning clenched his fists under his sleeves.
For the first time, I felt the urge to kill.
Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. However, Prince Ruyang relied on the fact that he had many sons and treated them as pawns that could be sacrificed at will to justify his rebellious behavior.
What a vicious "father"!
When Shen Yan saw this scene, his eyes darkened a little.
Worried that the lady would be angry, he reached out and covered the back of her hand, whispering soothing words.
"He won't leave here alive tonight."
Jiang Wanning said coldly.
“Must die!”
She knew that a palace coup would definitely result in casualties, and many deaths.
Even if Prince Ruyang is convicted of treason, his children will also be affected.
But no matter what, these three children should not have died in vain.
“Swish!”
Suddenly, Prince Ruyang drew out the sword of the palace guard, pointed at the eunuch who was detained on the ground, and questioned with red eyes.
"Tell me, who ordered you to do this?!"
The young eunuch shook his head repeatedly and denied it in panic.
"It's not me, it's really not me..."
Prince Ruyang thrust his sword into his shoulder, scratching it fiercely, and demanded.
"If you don't tell me, I will make you live a life worse than death!"
The young eunuch was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat, veins popped on his forehead, and he could not bear such torture. He pointed at the emperor with trembling fingers.
"Yes... yes, Your Majesty..."
The emperor's face darkened.
He finally realized that Prince Ruyang's drama was aimed at him!
Although he did have this thought, the feeling of being framed was not pleasant after all.
He glanced coldly at King Ruyang and asked.
"Prince Ruyang, what do you mean by this? Murdering your own son and framing me? Are you a beast? How could you do such a cruel thing?!"
Pulling out a bloody sword and kicking away the eunuch at his feet, Prince Ruyang turned around and pointed the tip of the sword at the emperor.
Ambition is evident in his eyes.
"What's the meaning?
Humph, I'd like to ask, what does Your Majesty mean?
Do you think that I am really unaware of the dirty things you did behind my back?
Since you couldn't give birth to a prince, you became suspicious of everything and couldn't stand seeing other princes have children... Aren't there enough sons of the royal family who were secretly murdered by you over the years?
All those children with royal blood died tragically for various reasons before they even reached adulthood!
Do you dare to say that their sudden deaths have nothing to do with you?!"
Concubine Li sat aside.
Suddenly I feel like eating melon seeds.
These two bad guys finally started to bite each other!
Let’s fight quickly, one of them has to die!
It would be best if you stab me with a knife and I stab you with a sword, and we go to hell together.
Only when one goes into a frying pan and the other is burned with fire can they atone for the sins they have committed in this life!
The emperor was so angry that he felt hurt. He interrupted Prince Ruyang harshly before he could finish his words.
"Come here! Prince Ruyang is guilty of treason and insubordination. Capture him!"
However, the words fell.
There was total silence all around, and no one responded.
Obviously, since the three children were carried into the palace, the imperial guards guarding outside had been subdued by Prince Ruyang's men.
The emperor reacted quickly upon seeing this and became furious.
"Prince Ruyang, you are so bold! How dare you attempt to usurp the throne in front of the entire court?!"
Since the relationship had already been exposed, Prince Ruyang naturally had nothing to hide. He turned around and glanced sternly at the ministers present.
Said coldly.
"The emperor is unjust and persecutes his royal family, causing instability in the country and unrest in the nation!
This king has reached the end of his patience today and does not want to see the century-old foundation of the Li family destroyed by such a cruel and inhumane tyrant!
Therefore, as a member of the royal family, I inherit the will of my ancestors, raise an army of justice to depose the tyrant ruler, and vow to support the country and restore the prosperity of the Li Dynasty!
Do you have any objections?!"
Seeing the armored men rushing into the hall, surrounding Prince Ruyang and pointing their swords and spears at their own guards, the ministers looked at each other... and when no one stepped forward, they lowered their heads silently, not daring to move.
“You, you guys…”
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and the emperor panicked for a moment.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Chen Yan.
"Marquis Pingyang, even you—"
“Whoosh!”
In an instant, a sharp arrow broke through the air and headed straight for King Ruyang's face.
"Prince, be careful!"
Prince Ruyang's expression tightened, and he immediately swung his sword to block it, but he was still forced to take two steps back by the fierce and powerful force.
The next moment, before he could even stand firmly.
Lu Yao rushed in quickly with a group of guards, protecting Chen Yan and Jiang Wanning, and confronting King Ruyang's troops.
"My Lord, your sword!"
Raising his hand, he handed the sword to Shen Yan, and Lu Yao took a step back, standing close to his wife.
Just now he spoke.
"They've fallen into our trap. The east and west gates have been taken, and the north gate should be soon! As long as we hold the south gate, Prince Ruyang's rebels will be wiped out!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Ruyang's face darkened, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether what he said was true or false.
But looking at his excited expression, it doesn't seem like he is faking it.
Hearing the fighting outside becoming more and more intense, Prince Ruyang grabbed the emperor's shoulders and put the sword to his neck!
He ordered.
"Chen Yan, how dare you play tricks on me?! Tell them to stop! Otherwise, I will kill this dog emperor!"
The emperor was somewhat relieved to see that Marquis Pingyang was still loyal.
But before he could be happy, a bloody mark appeared on his chin. He quickly looked at Shen Yan and said anxiously.
"Marquis Pingyang...save, save the emperor!"
However, Shen Yan did not look at him, nor did he rush to save him.
Instead, he looked back at Jiang with some concern, and first gave Lu Yao a warning.
"Protect the lady!"
Then he turned his gaze to King Ruyang and said in a deep voice.
"Your Highness, from the moment you stole the capital's defense map, you no longer had any chance of success! If you stop now, I can still plead with His Majesty on your behalf. Otherwise... I will have no choice but to purge the emperor's court and execute the traitor!"
Prince Ruyang's expression changed again, knowing that Shen Yan was not bluffing him.
However, the arrow has been shot and there is no turning back. Even if he stops now, he will still be dead.
It’s better to fight to the death!
"Hmph! Stop talking nonsense! If you want to kill me, it depends on whether you have the ability!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two men fighting in the hall with lightning speed. Both sides attacked at the same time and a battle broke out!
Jiang Wanning held the eldest princess in one hand and Concubine Li in the other, and hurriedly left the hall where blood and flesh were flying everywhere under the protection of Lu Yao and Xiao Huaiyu.
The emperor was still held hostage, with a knife at the neck of Prince Ruyang's deputy general.
He raised his hand and watched the eldest princess and Concubine Li disappear outside the palace gate along with Jiang... He suddenly felt abandoned.
No, what happened to Shen Yan? !
Shouldn't he be the first person he saved?
Is he a loyal minister?
Shen Yan was able to be awarded a title of nobility for his military achievements, so he was undoubtedly the best general on the battlefield. However, Prince Ruyang was also a fierce general, so it was obviously not easy to subdue him.
The fight between the two became more and more intense, and they fought all the way from inside the hall to outside.
The emperor was also held hostage, staring at Princess Rong'an, and was dragged and beaten while retreating by the guards.
Seeing more and more imperial guards pouring into the palace and gradually surrounding the rebels, Lu Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Said happily to Jiang Wanning.
"Madam, it's done!"
Jiang Wanning's expression was slightly tense. Because it was too dark, he couldn't see the fight in the distance clearly, and he was somewhat worried about Chen Yan.
He urged Lu Yao.
"Why hasn't Prince Ruyang been killed yet? Go and help the Marquis!"
Although Lu Yao was a little worried, he didn't dare to leave his wife's side for even a step.
I had to reply.
"The Marquis has repeatedly instructed his subordinates to take good care of you, Madam..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Jiang Wanning.
"Do you listen to the Marquis or me?"
Lu Yao paused for a moment, and replied immediately without even thinking.
"Of course I listen to my wife!"
Thinking for one more second would be disrespectful to his future and financial prospects. He still knows how to prioritize!
Jiang Wanning seemed quite satisfied with his answer and urged him again.
"Then hurry up!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lu Yao was personally trained by Shen Yan, so his skills are naturally beyond doubt.
With his strong participation, King Ruyang soon found it difficult to cope. Not long after, he was injured in the arm by Shen Yan's sword and retreated several steps!
Seeing Lu Yao coming over, Shen Yan couldn't help but lower his tone.
"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to protect the lady and never leave her side?!"
Lu Yao didn't dare to disobey his wife, but he also didn't dare to disobey the Marquis.
He quickly replied.
"Madam was worried about you, afraid you'd get hurt. She was so anxious that she sent her subordinates over here..."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Shen Yan's tone softened a lot.
"It seems that Madam still cares about me."
My heart suddenly felt warm.
The old deer was running around in a panic.
emperor:"……"
He was almost strangled to death. Does anyone in this palace still care about his life or death?
When Prince Ruyang was not injured, he could barely fight Shen Yan to a draw. But now that his arm was injured, he couldn't even hold the sword steadily, so it was impossible for him to defeat Shen Yan.
Looking up, I saw that the eaves around me were soon surrounded by archers.
Prince Ruyang dragged the emperor in front of him again and said angrily.
"Chen Yan, His Majesty is still in my hands. If you dare to shoot the emperor, it will also be treason! Be smart and have someone open the city gates and let me go!"
"Heh...letting you go? Prince, you are already old, how can you still be so naive?"
Jiang Wanning stepped closer.
He sneered.
"You are outnumbered now. Even without these archers, we can still wear you down. How could the Marquis let you go and leave you as a threat?"
Prince Ruyang narrowed his eyes and moved the sword tip closer to the emperor's chin.
He said threateningly in a cold voice.
"Then you are not afraid that I will drag His Majesty to be buried with me?"
But the eldest princess came out from behind Jiang Wanning, raised her eyebrows and smiled.
"That's perfect. My brother has passed away, and it's my turn to take the throne... Uncle, please act quickly. I can't wait to experience the feeling of ruling the world."
As soon as these words were spoken.
The emperor and Prince Ruyang were both shocked, their eyes wide open in disbelief!
No matter how much they planned, they had never expected the eldest princess to have such ambitions. But when they saw Jiang beside her, everything... seemed to make sense and not so absurd.
The emperor's face changed suddenly.
"Imperial sister, you..."
Prince Ruyang suddenly seemed to realize something and laughed.
"Haha! So it turns out that the one who really wanted to rebel was you! I actually used you as my pawns and fell into the hands of a little girl like you!"
The eldest princess raised her chin with a sarcastic look on her face.
Previously, she was worried that she would not be able to be a good emperor and would disappoint the expectations of the marquis' wife, court officials and people.
But today, seeing them fighting each other like two tigers, using such dirty and despicable means, they are totally inhumane and unfit to be kings.
Compared to these tyrants who were enslaved by power, she suddenly became extremely confident.
I feel that no matter how bad I am, I can't be worse than them.
In that case, why wouldn't it be okay for her to sit in this position?
"Speaking of which, the fact that I have this opportunity is thanks to you, my Royal Brother and my Royal Uncle.
Who made you so cruel and ruthless? You have killed almost all the relatives and descendants of the right age. Those who are left can't even read.
Those of my generation were also massacred by King Xiling.
The generation before that was either in poor health or too old... and they were not suitable to be the head of state.
After all this, I think I'm the most suitable candidate, isn't it?"
After saying that.
Without waiting for the emperor and Prince Ruyang to speak again, the princess turned around.
Seeing that the Marquis's wife nodded to him, he immediately raised his voice to urge her.
"My Lord, please shoot! Just think of it as me doing it. If anything happens, I will take responsibility!"
Shen Yan responded calmly and raised his hand to give the order.
In an instant——
But the knife in Princess Rong'an's hand flashed, and it went straight through Prince Ruyang's chest from behind!
Prince Ruyang spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot, turned his head in surprise, and stared at Princess Rong'an.
It's like I can't close my eyes even after death.
"Ling'er, how could it be... you..."
Princess Rong'an's face turned pale, and she was obviously frightened.
She quickly let go of her hand, waved it around in panic, and kept saying.
"Father... I, I didn't mean it... I just, I just don't want to die yet! Yes, yes... I'm still young! I don't want to die yet..."
Jiang Wanning: “…”
What a filial daughter.
She also didn't expect that the person who would finally take action and kill Prince Ruyang would be Princess Rong'an.
Just now, she asked the princess to say that just to incite the subordinates of Prince Ruyang to rebel, but the facts prove that... sometimes, unfilial descendants are more likely to betray than subordinates.
…
A bloody palace riot.
It starts with the father killing his son and ends with the son killing his father, completing a strange closed loop, as if it is a cycle of cause and effect destined by fate.
Prince Ruyang's death was not unjust.
The emperor managed to save his life.
But with Jiang Wanning around, his life obviously wouldn't be easy.
Are you kidding me? He's already rebelling... can he still be the emperor? Is he just waiting to be liquidated?
Jiang Wanning immediately had the princess put him under house arrest.
Then he took a letter of confession and a letter of abdication and placed them beside his bed. He would be given food whenever he agreed.
The emperor starved for two days and had never suffered such hardship in his life.
The health bar, which was not thick to begin with, became even thinner.
But he still stared with gritted teeth at Jiang Wanning, who was sitting in front of the bed and eating melon seeds with Concubine Li, and would rather die than give in.
"A woman in power is like a hen crowing at dawn. It is a sign of the country's demise. Even if I die, I will never pass the throne to the eldest princess—"
“Bang!”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
