"Indeed, sometimes killing someone is easy, but letting them live is the greatest torment..."
Li Zhu said calmly, having buried his sorrow deep in his heart. He was determined to avenge this, regardless of whether it was the Second Prince or the Eldest Grandson…
Since they've messed with him, none of these people will survive...
He silently prayed in his heart, "Sister Xian'er, Uncle Wei, Mingfei, may you rest in peace..."
Everyone stared at Li Zhu in horror, for only now did they realize how terrifying he truly was. Killing someone was as simple as beheading them; they could even picture Shi Le returning to the Jie tribe…
"Your Highness, are you sure Shi Hu will obey?"
Wang Yanzhang whispered in Li Zhu's ear...
"Disobedient? Then teach him a lesson..."
Li Zhu's words had a double meaning. Whether it was a lesson or a punishment with the black and white discs after capturing him, it would let Shi Hu know that he only had one chance, and that he should be prepared to bear Li Zhu's wrath if he chose to betray him.
Not long ago, Li Zhu went to the dungeon, released Shi Hu, and discussed a plan with Wang Yanzhang: to plant their own spies within the Jie tribe. Shi Hu was the best choice, which is why the scene of Shi Le being rescued by Shi Hu occurred...
He believed that in this certain death situation, even if Shi Le suspected Shi Hu, he would have no choice but to rely on Shi Hu. As long as they returned to the Jie tribe, Shi Le would no longer be suitable to take power, and Shi Le's children would be too young. Shi Hu would then have the opportunity to become the de facto ruler of the Jie tribe.
Even if this couldn't be achieved, the distrust between Shi Hu and Shi Le would bring chaos to the Jie people, and a people fighting among themselves would no longer pose a threat to the new Tang Dynasty...
"Let's go...we're going to the capital..."
Li Zhu has already settled the bodies of Consort Ming and Eunuch Wei, but he hasn't brought Wang Riqing and Yuwen Yingying out yet. In the current situation, the underground passage might be safer. It would be best to bring them out after everything has calmed down...
The imperial city was now engulfed in blood and fire…
"Kill them..."
The sounds of fighting and screams echoed throughout the imperial city. The men in black used iron chains to breach the city walls; under the cover of darkness, their black attire made them easier to conceal, and their swarming figures stretched as far as the eye could see…
On the city wall, those who were not yet dead fell down like trash...
The ground was littered with corpses, some of them men in black, others of the city's imperial guards...
The battle was exceptionally fierce from the very beginning. The hands of the Imperial Guards on the city walls were already trembling. With the continuous fighting, their stamina was gradually being exhausted, and they were nearing their limits...
The men in black beneath the city walls knew they couldn't stop; they had to hold out to breach the city gates. If they stopped now, all those who had died would have died in vain…
Everyone in the palace was filled with fear and unease, because if the enemy invaded, they would be the ones who suffered the most. At best, they would be chosen by a general and abducted to be his concubines; at worst, they might be forced into prostitution, with no dignity whatsoever; and the worst fate would be to be beheaded and displayed to the public, becoming victims of the war…
"Eunuch Tang, what's the situation now?"
Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor calmly asked!
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhu and Consort Yang have been captured, as have the people who came to fetch them. The city gates are still in our hands. There's still no news from the Eastern Palace; it seems the Second Prince will be the one to fail..."
"You lackey, are you so sure the second son will lose?"
The Emperor gave Eunuch Tang a disapproving look!
This glance terrified Eunuch Tang, who immediately knelt on the ground and said in a panic.
"Your Majesty, this servant means nothing by it, but since the Crown Prince took over the Eastern Palace, everything he does has been unexpected. I think this time might be no exception..."
Upon hearing Eunuch Tang's words, the Emperor's eyes subtly shifted. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He hadn't expected that in just a few days, the Crown Prince could have such a dramatic change in public perception. If the Crown Prince won this battle for the Eastern Palace, he would have gained a decisive advantage in the struggle for imperial power. This made it easier to understand why Eunuch Tang had spoken in a way that favored Li Zhu…
"Haha...it was just a joke, why take it so seriously..."
The Emperor laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned about who would win this contest, for he too had his own answer in his heart…
"Your Majesty, it was this servant who lacked manners and fabricated stories about the two princes..."
Tang Gonggong breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his master's temper, and this sentence meant that the other party really didn't care that he had spoken well of Li Zhu in his words...
"It's almost dawn, time to close the net. Have someone bring Yang Guifei and Zhu Fei over..."
"Yes, Your Majesty..."
Before long, the sounds of Consort Zhu and Consort Yang struggling could be heard outside the door. As they struggled, they also shouted at the guards escorting them...
"Let me go! Are you blind? Do you even know who I am? Treating me like this, be careful I tell the Emperor, and he'll have your entire family executed..."
It was obvious that it was Yang Guifei's voice. Consort Zhu, on the other hand, was more composed. Knowing that she was doomed this time, she simply stopped struggling...
The moment the door to the imperial study opened, Yang Guifei seemed to lose all her strength, collapsing to the ground and pitifully weeping.
"Your Majesty, you must do justice for me! These guards are far too rude..."
"Enough! Isn't this humiliating enough? Do you still think he's the same emperor who dotes on you at this point?"
Consort Zhu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but scold her!
"How dare you! You are merely a concubine, while I am an Imperial Concubine. How dare you speak to me so rudely? Kneel down and beg for mercy!"
Seeing Yang Guifei's hopeless state, Consort Zhu didn't even bother to look at her. At a time like this, she still maintained her dignity; such a person was beyond redemption…
"Your Majesty, look at Consort Zhu, a mere concubine, how dare she be so arrogant and rude..."
"You and I were both involved in the rebellion, and now we're both prisoners. Do you really think you're still a royal concubine?"
Consort Zhu retorted without any hesitation!
"Truly a daughter of a military family, Zhu Wen is truly blessed to have a daughter like you..."
The emperor spoke with cold sarcasm, for at this point he had no feelings left for Consort Zhu, for even the last vestige of affection had vanished with Xian'er's death...
"Hmph, if you want to kill, then kill. Why all the nonsense? My father followed you in conquering the world and fought for nearly twenty years, but in the end, all we got was Dingnan, a place surrounded by enemies. The Western Liang, the Xiongnu, and the Liao all consider Dingnan a must-win territory. Faced with a cold-hearted and ruthless king, what would you have chosen?"
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