Chapter 252 Decisive Battle 1
"Princess Xiao Yuluan, the guardian of the country, imprisoned the emperor, controlled the government, and attempted to rebel. She should be punished! Follow me to rescue His Majesty and clean up the government!" The rebels shouted the slogan carefully prepared by King Wu.
King Wu knew very well that it was not right to rebel directly. Since Xiao Yuancheng had not attended court for half a month, he tried his best to exaggerate the lie that Xiao Yuluan was "controlling the emperor and plotting something evil", and packaged himself as a loyal minister and filial son who "rescued his father and supported the country" in order to deceive the people and cover up his ambition to usurp the throne.
When the news reached Minghua Palace, the eunuch who delivered the message had trembling legs, but Xiao Yuluan's face showed a long-awaited smile.
It's finally here.
"Follow me to Zichen Palace to protect the emperor!"
Xiao Yuluan, accompanied by eunuchs and guards, headed straight for the emperor's bedroom. However, upon reaching the door, she saw that the Purple Palace had been tightly surrounded by the Jinwu Guards, who had apparently also received the news.
"Your Highness, please stop here!"
The leader of the Jinwu Guard pointed his sword at Xiao Yuluan. The emperor had already ordered that no matter who came at this time, they should not be let in easily.
Facing the gleaming sword tip, Xiao Yuluan did not get angry. Instead, she raised her voice and said towards the closed palace gate:
"I have heard that a traitor is causing chaos. I am concerned for Your Majesty's safety and have come to protect you! In this time of crisis, only by sharing a room with Your Majesty can we prove our innocence and overcome this hardship together!"
Her voice was clear and firm. At the same time, she leaned slightly to the side, signaling the Jinwu Guard to clearly see the few guards and eunuchs behind her. Her tone was filled with a hint of helpless self-mockery:
"General, you've seen it too. These are the only people around me. If I truly harbored evil intentions, how could I dare confront your elite troops? Please report this to His Majesty immediately. If Your Majesty doubts me, I am willing to wait here until the rebellion is quelled, to prove my true intentions!"
Upon seeing this, the leader of the Jinwu Guards relaxed his expression a little, hesitated for a moment, turned around and quickly walked into the palace to report.
Xiao Yuanben was so frightened by this sudden change that he stood up. He still didn't know which side was causing the trouble. He was originally wary of Xiao Yuluan, but now he felt that what Xiao Yuluan said made sense.
Xiao Yuluan had few guards around her. If she was the real ghost, then letting her come in alone would be considered a capture. If she hadn't caused trouble, it would be a consolation.
"Princess, please come in, but only bring your maids with you."
Bai De'an agreed and let Xiao Yuluan in, but he also deliberately led Xiao Yuluan to sit at the farthest place from the throne. In addition, there were eunuchs standing on all four sides of the hall. If anyone intended to move, they would be arrested in an instant.
Xiao Yuluan took all this into consideration and knew that Xiao Yuancheng was still worried about her and was indeed suspicious.
"Your Majesty, do you know who is causing the riot outside?"
Xiao Yuancheng shook his head with a sullen expression. Bai De'an beside him answered for him, "Your Majesty has already sent someone to check it out."
Less than half an hour later, a Jinwu Guard came in with a pale face and reported: "Your Majesty, the one causing the rebellion outside is King Wu. He is using the pretext that Your Majesty is under the control of the princess and says he wants to... he wants to purge the emperor's court and kill the evil woman..."
After hearing the Jinwu Guard's report, Xiao Yuancheng was stunned for a moment. Then his pale face flushed purple and red, and his chest heaved violently. "Rebellious son! This rebellious son——!!!"
He suddenly let out a hoarse and distorted roar, his voice distorted by extreme anger. With a casual sweep of his hand, all the expensive teacups on the coffee table beside him fell to the ground, shattering the fragments all over the floor.
"Purge the emperor's side? Execute the evil woman? I think he wants to kill his father and usurp the throne!"
He was so angry that his whole body was shaking, his fingers trembling as he pointed in the direction of the outside of the hall, his eyes bloodshot.
The next moment, Xiao Yuancheng started coughing violently, "Cough cough cough... uh..."
The violent shaking of his chest also triggered the injury on his right shoulder. After a heart-wrenching cough, he suddenly spat out a small mouthful of dark red blood, which splashed onto the ground, shockingly.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please calm down! It is more important to take care of your body!" Bai De'an was so scared that he hurried forward to help him calm down and wipe the wound. His voice was filled with tears. If the situation changed like this, he would not have any good results.
The hall was suddenly in chaos.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yuluan immediately stood up, a look of shock and heartache appearing on her face. She said urgently, "Your Majesty! Do not let this anger you to the point of injuring yourself! He is so treasonous. Your Majesty must take care of yourself so that you can personally punish this boy severely and uphold the law of the land!"
At this moment, no one cared about her slow approach. When Xiao Yuancheng was panting and recovered a little, Xiao Yuluan had already sat down below him, and they were only three or four steps apart.
Xiao Yuancheng didn't care about this detail, perhaps because Xiao Yuluan was being targeted just like him at the moment, and in his mind, Xiao Yuluan had already quietly joined his camp.
He looked at Xiao Yuluan, and the last bit of vigilance was finally replaced by anger and dependence. He said in a hoarse voice: "Aunt... what should I do? This rebellious son... this rebellious son..."
Sure enough, these sons are all ambitious people!
Seeing that Xiao Yuancheng was in a state of panic and even asked questions, Xiao Yuluan sneered in her heart, but her face looked more calm and reliable.
"Your Majesty, do not worry too much! Although the rebels are rampant, there are certainly others who will help Your Majesty and will not stand idly by. We only need to defend the Zichen Palace and prevent the rebels from attacking."
"Yes... yes, and the second, fifth, and sixth..."
These words calmed Xiao Yuancheng's mind. In the past, he would not be so panicked, but now he was weak, and he naturally became weak psychologically.
Yes, the throne under his butt is not wanted by King Wu alone, there are others who can hold him back.
Just as Xiao Yuancheng had thought, King Wu's path to the palace was not smooth. Although he caught the defenders off guard, he did break through several palace gates in the early stages with his bravery and some internal support. However, the deeper he went, the more stubborn and organized the resistance he encountered.
King Wu felt something was wrong. These people did not look like the imperial guards... Was it the second or fifth one?
However, there were only a few thousand of these people, and they could only delay his progress for a moment.
Meanwhile, Prince Wen had already found Xue Chen. He was not good at fighting. "Marquis Xue, you must kill King Wu and rescue His Majesty!"
Xue Chen was now fully armed, wearing armor weighing dozens of kilograms. His eyes were stern and his aura was still as strong as before. He was too lazy to talk to King Wu. He took the sword handed to him by the servant and jumped on his horse.
But for the sake of his plan, he still said, "My Lord, just leave it to me."
King Wen was naturally no pushover. He had bribed a general of the imperial guards at some point in his life and gained command of 5,000 elite soldiers, but... now it was his.
When King Wen saw this, a hint of joy flashed across his face, but he still repeatedly warned:
"Marquis Xue... the rebels are powerful, so you don't need to rush forward too aggressively. You must conserve your strength. When King Wu and the palace defenders... are both defeated, you can then step in with lightning speed to clean up the mess. Only then can you settle the matter in one fell swoop and become the greatest hero!"
His words exposed his intention to preserve his strength and reap the benefits. Xue Chen sneered in his heart, but waved his hand impatiently: "I know what to do! Your Highness, just wait here for news!"
After saying this, he no longer paid any attention to King Wen, kicked his horse's belly, and galloped towards the direction where the shouting and fighting were the most intense with his personal soldiers, as if he could not wait to fight King Wu.
Seeing Xue Chen "obediently" rushing towards the battlefield, the worry on King Wen's face disappeared instantly, replaced by a smug smile.
He quickly turned around and whispered to a trusted confidant behind him, "Hurry! Get our men ready and listen to my orders! I've decided to take over this 'fisherman'!"
He thought he had made a brilliant plan, but he didn't know that all his actions had already been anticipated by Xiao Yuluan and Xue Chen.
The King of England had already left the city to summon his border troops. These border troops were all veterans who had retired from this border battle, or were injured. He had already given them several times the pension two days ago. These soldiers had long been grateful to him and could be used by him now.
Xiao Ji of Prince Zhao's mansion was also busy. He had already donned his armor and rode a white horse. His graceful demeanor reminded Qing Wu of the first time she had seen him. However, she no longer had the heart to admire his good looks. Among all the words she could muster, she could only say one: "May you return safely."
Swords and knives have no eyes, and she didn't know what the future would hold after this separation. But Qingwu knew that she couldn't say anything at this moment. One must keep a breath in one's heart, and only by keeping a breath can one move forward.
Qingwu didn't want to say anything bad, nor could she say anything forced, so she could only express her greatest hope in her heart.
Xiao Ji nodded heavily and looked at Qing Wu deeply. That look contained countless emotions, but he restrained himself and said nothing. Then he pulled the reins and the white horse neighed.
"Open the gate!"
The heavy palace gate slowly opened. Outside, not only was there no one, but hundreds of powerful guards, clad in black armor, were already standing there. These were not ordinary palace soldiers, but the Crown Prince's loyal followers.
"Let's go!" Xiao Ji pointed his sword forward, took the lead, and rushed into the night where flames were faint and the sounds of killing could be heard.
The black-armored guards were silent, yet like a torrent, they followed closely behind, merging quickly into the streets of the capital. Their goal wasn't to engage in a direct battle with King Wu's men, but rather to follow a long-established plan: outflanking them, fighting and retreating, ultimately securing control of all the gates to the imperial city.
Qingwu stood inside the slowly closing gate, listening to the receding clatter of horses' hooves. Her hands were clasped tightly together, her knuckles turning white from the strain. She forced herself to turn around, no longer looking out the door, her face regaining composure.
"Close the mansion! All guards, take your positions and guard the house strictly! No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order!" Her voice was clear and calm, echoing throughout the front yard.
At this moment, she was the backbone of this palace. She quickly walked towards the side hall that had been prepared long ago. There, ground medicinal powder and steamed gauze were already in place, and the maids and servants in the palace were also waiting nearby.
Seeing the panic on everyone's faces, Qing Wu took a deep breath and said loudly: "Review with me what I have taught you. After the battle, treat the wounded soldiers' wounds..."
When people are busy and have something to do, it is not easy for them to have random thoughts...
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