Chapter 107
The two entered the inner hall one after the other. Tang Qi's gaze remained fixed on the closed door.
"Don't worry, even tigers don't eat their cubs. Besides, His Majesty has no reason to harm His Highness," Cheng Junshi reassured him.
Tang Qi nodded stiffly, clearly not paying attention to what he was saying. It was only when Ye Qian pulled a bloodstained piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him that he barely regained his senses.
He took the paper, unfolded it, and immediately froze on the spot, his pupils widening in shock.
"Where did this come from?" Tang Qi hurriedly looked at Ye Qian.
“Zhou Ziye,” Shen Zhiqing said slowly, “It was found on him…”
Tang Qi froze once again.
"He must have prepared this for a long time. It contains evidence of collusion between the Zhou family, Deng Ning, and even Wu Shunyi with Nanzhou. They were also involved in the murder of Uncle Tang back then. Give this to history, and it will be enough for you to overturn the verdict on Langce."
"He...he..." Tang Qi couldn't speak for a long time.
“He knew we would come to see him.” Ye Qian took a breath and continued, “He also knew… we would definitely collect his body.”
"By handing these things over to us, he was essentially betraying his family. The Zhou family betrayed the country, but only to survive. They knew that His Majesty had so many things to do, and the entire family had no other way to live. He couldn't convince himself to abandon his family, but he also couldn't convince himself to betray the country in a conscious way." Shen Zhiqing paused, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his heart: "So he chose to take these things with him and fall off the cliff."
“If we go and collect his body, we can find the evidence he hid on his person, just like we are now.” Her eyes trembled slightly. “If we leave him there alone, we will never find these things.”
"So, he was gambling." Tang Qi said, holding back her tears, "He was gambling with his life for an answer."
Just as they were still immersed in the atmosphere of grief, a strange noise suddenly came from the back room. First, there was the crisp sound of cups and saucers falling to the ground, followed by the chaotic sound of tables and chairs being knocked over.
"Your Highness!" Tang Qi's mind went blank for a moment. He realized something was wrong almost instantly and immediately got up to rush over.
However, just as he was about to leave, the imperial guards standing there instantly drew their swords and blocked his way. Cheng Junshi, Ye Qian, and others also sprang into action at the same time, and the relaxed atmosphere of the banquet vanished instantly, replaced by a tense and murderous aura.
"Get out of the way!" Tang Qi's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the group of guards.
"General Taqing, please calm down." Eunuch Kong's annoyingly high-pitched voice rang out. He slowly emerged from the back hall, the obsequious smile on his face vanished without a trace, leaving only coldness and indifference. He slowly and meticulously wiped his fingers with a snow-white silk handkerchief, as if it had been stained with something dirty.
He took out a roll of silk from his robes, and without even glancing at Tang Qi and the others, he turned directly to the bewildered generals and officials, announcing in a shrill voice: "The Crown Prince Sheng Xiaoxin has colluded with the Northern Dai, secretly communicating with them, intending to use his military power to his advantage and plotting rebellion! His Majesty has secretly decreed that he be ordered to commit suicide!"
He emphasized the last two words so hard they seemed to pierce everyone's ears like knives.
"You're talking nonsense!" Sheng Xingxing roared, almost rushing forward to kill Eunuch Kong, but was held back by more Imperial Guards who surged forward.
"Where is His Highness?!" Tang Qi's voice was terribly hoarse. He stared intently at Eunuch Kong, and the murderous aura emanating from him made even the imperial guards holding swords tremble with fear.
Eunuch Kong twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a forced smile: "Naturally—he has been brought to justice."
He stepped aside, making way for them, his tone carrying an air of condescending leniency; "If you don't believe me, you can see for yourselves. His Majesty thinks you may have been deceived..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Qi shoved aside the imperial guards blocking his way and staggered into the back hall.
The sight before him almost froze his blood.
Sheng Xiaoxin slumped down beside the chair, his body twitching slightly, dark red blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, a dagger stuck in his heart.
"Your Highness!" Tang Qi rushed over, knelt on one knee, and tried to help him up, but didn't know where to start.
The others naturally wanted to go in as well, but the imperial guards outside remained unmoved.
Sheng Xiaoxin's eyes had begun to glaze over, but when he saw Tang Qi rush in, a last bit of resentment struggled to resurface in his unfocused gaze.
He grabbed Tang Qi's sleeve, trying to say something, but when he opened his mouth, only hot blood gushed out.
“Jing…Ah Jing…I…”
I really want to live.
"Big brother—!" Sheng Xingxing cried out in a pitiful voice from outside the door, struggling to rush over, but Tang Yan held her tightly.
Upon hearing Sheng Xingxing's voice, his previously dimmed eyes suddenly flickered again. Sheng Xiaoxin grabbed Tang Qi's arm tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh. With his last bit of strength, he struggled to speak: "Ninth brother... the late Crown Prince... his posthumous child... protect... him well."
Tang Qi was struck dumb, and knelt on the spot, his body stiff.
Sheng Xingxing was the posthumous child of the late Crown Prince.
His fragmented words exhausted Sheng Xiaoxin's last bit of life. His hands fell limply to his sides, his head tilted to one side, the last light in his eyes went out, and only endless injustice and sorrow remained on his face.
He was about to get married, and he was just hoping for tomorrow.
But tomorrow will never come.
Kong Gonggong's icy voice rang out again: "Sheng Xiaoxin committed suicide out of fear of punishment and has already submitted to the law."
"As for you," he said, his gaze sweeping over Cheng Junshi and the others with undisguised contempt, "you were deceived by them and joined the rebels. You are hereby stripped of your military command and escorted back to the capital to await your fate! All the garrison troops in Juecheng are to be disbanded immediately, and the border troops will be reorganized by a new general appointed by the court!"
The entire lobby was deathly silent.
The eldest prince...is dead? Did they become traitors?
They had just fought a bloody battle here, repelling the Southern Continent army and saving this city and its people. In the blink of an eye, victory turned into crime, and heroes became prisoners.
An indescribable sense of absurdity and overwhelming anger instantly engulfed everyone present.
Tang Qi slowly laid Sheng Xiaoxin's gradually cooling body down, stood up, and turned towards the door. His face was expressionless.
He walked out of the back hall step by step, his gaze sweeping over the grief-stricken Sheng Xingxing, over the pale-faced Ye Qian and Shen Zhiqing, over all the soldiers who were filled with shock and anger, and then stopping on the face of Cheng Junshi, who was also filled with despair.
The court is corrupt, the emperor is incompetent, loyal officials have died tragically, and the country is worth abandoning!
What kind of world is this?!
He drew his sword from his waist and thrust it forward without hesitation. Kong Gonggong's expression was as if he hadn't reacted; he looked down in disbelief at the sword piercing his chest, and tried to speak, but only large gushes of blood gushed out.
"The sinner Kong Jun, who forged an imperial edict and plotted to murder the prince, has now been executed—" Tang Qi pulled the sword out of his heart and continued slowly, "He committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
Kong Gonggong's body fell limply to the ground, his eyes still wide open, filled with horror and bewilderment.
Tang Qi raised her eyes and stared at the group of people outside who were stunned.
Hu Xingche was the first to react, immediately using his sword to subdue the nearest Imperial Guard.
With that initial start, the rest unfolded naturally, and the scene quickly descended into chaos.
Whether they reacted or not, all were caught in a bloodbath, a feast where people indulged in wine and meat.
The meat is fresh, and the wine is red.
The Imperial Guard was dead, and the soldiers in the courtyard were all dumbfounded.
Tang Qi drew his sword, not even glancing at the terrified Imperial Guards. His gaze was fixed on all the soldiers present, and his voice carried a chilling calmness: "You have all seen and heard. His Highness fought a bloody battle for the country, his merits benefiting the nation. He did not die at the hands of the enemy, but perished on his homeland!"
"A tyrannical and incompetent ruler, who persecutes loyal officials and abandons the land to humiliate the nation!" Tang Qi's voice suddenly became impassioned and fierce, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth: "Such a tyrannical ruler! Such a court! What is there left to be loyal to?!"
He pointed his sword at the Imperial Guards: "Would you rather lay down your arms and be escorted back to the capital, waiting for the day when, like Your Highness, like countless brothers who died unjustly, you would be falsely accused and die without knowing why, or would you rather pick up your swords, fight your way back to the capital, purge the corrupt officials from the court, execute the tyrant, set things right, and fight for a just and fair world!"
Tang Qi spoke passionately, but many more hesitated in the audience. The lack of a legitimate charge of rebellion couldn't give them the resolve to die. Even now, they preferred to gamble on the emperor's conscience.
Finally, he looked at Sheng Xingxing below the stage and uttered the words that the Crown Prince had told him before he died.
There was a brief moment of deathly silence in the audience, and even Sheng Xingxing herself stood there dumbfounded.
All eyes were on Tang Qi, who stood steadily on the steps.
"What I just said were His Highness's dying words, every single one of them is true. If there is even a single falsehood, may I be torn apart by five horses, my bones crushed and my ashes scattered, never to be reincarnated again!" His eyes turned fierce: "Today, I, Ta Qing, swear here! I will surely slay the treacherous officials, cleanse the court of corrupt ministers, establish a new ruler, and restore order to the dynasty! Those who wish to follow me, take up your weapons!"
Hu Xingche was the first to raise his sword and shout in response: "I am willing to follow General Ta Qing and Lord Qing!"
"I don't want to be a pawn! I don't want to be sacrificed!"
"I don't want to die without knowing why!"
"I will never be born on my knees!"
"I'm willing to go with you!"
"I'd love to!"
After a brief moment of shock and hesitation, many soldiers, spurred by the injustices of the past few days and the betrayal before them, raised their weapons, their roars echoing through the night sky:
"I am willing to follow the general! To purge the court of corrupt officials! To rectify the court's affairs!"
The Imperial Guards were few in number to begin with, and Emperor Ming had planned everything perfectly, except for the fact that they dared to rebel today.
Soon, everyone inside was surrounded and wiped out.
Sheng Xingxing's sword trembled as he practically dragged himself to Tang Qi's side, his bloodshot eyes fixed on him as he stubbornly asked, "What did you mean by what you just said?"
Tang Qi looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Your Highness, you're going to be very busy from now on."
His gaze was heavy, and he looked out again, letting out a faint sigh.
They will never have peace again.
The long road to Jingzhou is destined to be paved with the blood of traitors and the fury of avengers.
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