ending
In the early morning, shrouded in a thin mist, the soldiers guarding the city gate, as usual, braved the cold wind to check on the passersby.
Suddenly, he felt a tremor coming from beneath his feet.
Not only him, but the people undergoing the inspection also felt the tremors beneath their feet. They all turned to look out of the city, but everything was hazy and unclear under the thin fog.
The soldiers guarding the city walls had already drawn their bows. The soldiers at the city gate raised their weapons and shouted loudly, "This is the capital city, all those who come here must stop!"
The soldier shouted repeatedly, but the tremors beneath his feet only intensified.
The soldiers guarding the city quickly reported the news and received the order to close the city gates.
The heavy city gates slowly closed with the help of soldiers. The people waiting in line to enter the city, seeing this, were terrified and threw down their heavy baggage, shoving and pushing towards the closing gates. But what awaited them was the soldiers' merciless shouts and expulsion.
Seeing the increasingly clear shadowy figures outside the city, the commander standing on the city wall immediately ordered: "Anyone who obstructs the closing of the city gates shall be killed without exception."
"yes."
As the order was conveyed, cries of agony, curses, and weeping rose and fell at the city gate, and even through the fog, one could see large patches of blood spreading into the city gate.
"Thump—" The city gate finally closed.
The moment the city gates closed, the fog was dispelled by the rising sun, revealing the dusty army that had rushed in from afar and the tragic scene at the city gates.
Sun Yi, mounted on his horse, scanned the corpses scattered on the ground without pausing, before his gaze settled on the general guarding the city wall. A guard in armor beside him raised his token and called out, "Open the gate!"
The general guarding the city stared sharply at Sun Yi in the center, and questioned him in a stern voice: "Why didn't you send someone to inform us beforehand? Why didn't you stop when you heard the order to stop? Why didn't the court know you had returned to the capital? Are you planning a rebellion?"
Sun Yi didn't even flinch when he heard this terrifying accusation. He let out a disappointed sigh: "General, you shouldn't waste your time like this. You should lead the troops and come with me to defend the emperor."
Upon hearing the word "loyal to the emperor," the general guarding the city was first startled, then flew into a rage and said, "How dare you! His Majesty is perfectly fine in the palace right now, and you dare to curse His Majesty! Guards..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw a soldier running over, panting and stumbling.
The soldier bowed and said anxiously, "General, something terrible has happened! Yue Xiao has led his troops to break through the west gate and is now heading towards the palace!"
The gatekeeper withdrew his gaze and stared intently at the soldier who had delivered the message. "Is the message true?"
The soldier, head bowed, replied, "It is absolutely true. If you don't believe me, send someone to investigate the direction of the palace and you will know whether it is true or not."
The general was silent for a moment, then pointed to the troops outside the city gate and ordered, "You guard the city walls. If this man makes any unusual moves, kill him without mercy." After saying that, he selected a group of troops and headed straight for the palace.
As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, Sun Yi looked up at the city wall.
The soldier who had just delivered the message lowered his head, seemingly sensing something. Their eyes met, and the soldier quietly left the city wall.
Soon, a commotion broke out at the city gate. The messenger and the gatekeepers engaged in a fierce battle, with one man ultimately killing them all. Just as he reached to open the gate, an arrow pierced his back, pinning him to the gate.
It turned out that the gatekeeper had not left; he had already sensed that the messenger was suspicious.
When Sun Yi saw the gatekeeper general again, he merely twitched his eyebrows and smiled, saying, "The general is still here?"
The gatekeeper general's expression was stern. "Sun Yi, you colluded with the city guards to attempt to enter the city without permission. This is a capital offense!"
Sun Yi maintained his smile and said, "General, you flatter me. I don't have the ability to order the soldiers guarding the city to open the city gate for me."
The gatekeeper's cheek twitched, and he was about to speak when he heard the rapid sound of horses' hooves.
He turned sharply to look into the city and saw a soldier sitting on horseback with arrows stuck in his back. As he got closer, the general finally recognized the man on horseback as one of his trusted confidants who had been sent out to gather information.
The general flew directly from the city wall to the ground. The soldiers on horseback saw him and their eyes lit up. They said with difficulty, "Save... Your Majesty..." Then, his head drooped limply and he stopped moving.
The general clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, saying, "Come with me to rescue the emperor."
At the same moment, soldiers stood in neat rows behind him, weapons in hand.
Before leaving, the general ordered the soldiers guarding the city gates not to let Sun Yi enter the capital.
Sun Yi waited a moment before looking up at the city wall again.
As he looked up, the two guards on either side of him simultaneously leaped onto the city wall. In an instant, all the soldiers inside the city fell to the ground, the closed city gate slowly opened, and Sun Yi lightly kicked the horse's flank, the horse carrying him through the city gate.
The turmoil in the palace came too suddenly and too quickly. It wasn't until Sun Yi led his troops into the capital that the people realized the unrest was coming. The streets were filled with pedestrians hurrying home, and all the restaurants and shops were closed. In less than a quarter of an hour, the bustling capital became completely silent.
The once azure sky turned dark and gloomy, as if a heavy rain was brewing.
As Jin Xiaoxiao listened to Bai Guo describe the scene at the market, her mood suddenly turned gloomy. She looked up at the dark sky and sighed inwardly, wondering how many lives this disaster would involve.
After Bai Guo finished describing the scene at the market, she continued, "I heard that this disaster was caused by Yue Xiao."
Jin Xiaoxiao wasn't surprised by the news; what surprised her was why Yue Xiao dared to be so blatant. But then she thought about it again and realized that he had already openly rebelled, so it wasn't surprising.
Jin Xiaoxiao was silent for a moment, then made up her mind and said, "Ji Jun, take me to see the outside of the palace."
Bai Guo's eyes widened, and she immediately objected, "No, this is too dangerous."
Jin Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I want to see for myself whether he will succeed." Bai Guo wanted to say something, but her eyes were too bright, which made Bai Guo shut her mouth.
Ji Jun always obeyed Jin Xiaoxiao, and this time was no exception. He grabbed Jin Xiaoxiao's waist, carried her onto the roof, and with a few leaps, landed not far from the stable.
Ji Jun led her on horseback through the quiet streets to the palace.
The main gate of the palace was stained red with blood, and corpses lay everywhere on the ground. Standing in front of the gate, Jin Xiaoxiao could vaguely hear shouts of killing in the distance.
Ji Jun carried her off the horse. Jin Xiaoxiao glanced silently at the corpse on the ground, then stepped into the palace.
Following the sounds of battle, the two finally stopped in front of a magnificent hall.
Jin Xiaoxiao looked up and saw the three powerful and rounded characters of regular script engraved on the plaque above. So this is where the emperor works; how grand! Jin Xiaoxiao silently commented to herself, then, with Ji Jun, she entered the main hall with remarkable ease.
Their arrival did not alert anyone in the main hall.
At the very top of the main hall sat a middle-aged man dressed in a dragon robe. He had obvious wrinkles around his eyes and was now scanning the crowd below, who were holding weapons, with a deep gaze.
Behind the four large pillars inside the hall, a group of ministers huddled together, trembling with fear.
Jin Xiaoxiao strained to stand on tiptoe and finally saw the scene in the center of the hall.
Standing in the center were Yue Xiao and his retinue, his followers holding long spears and protecting him. Those surrounding Yue Xiao were divided into three groups. To the left were the Imperial Guards wielding long swords; to the right were armored soldiers also carrying swords; and facing the gate were the city gate guards with bows drawn.
The leader of the Imperial Guards said solemnly, "Yue Xiao, surrender now!"
As if he hadn't heard, Yue Xiao asked the emperor, who was sitting high above him, a strange question: "Since you're sitting so high up, can you see everything?"
The emperor seemed surprised by the question, and after a moment of hesitation, he confidently replied, "Of course, there is nothing in the world that I do not know."
Yue Xiao burst into laughter after hearing this.
The emperor found his laughter grating and said angrily, "What are you laughing at?"
Yue Xiao wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "I think you're ridiculous. You're not a god, so how could you know everything? Do you know how many people in the world are starving? Do you know how serious the corruption is in the court? Do you know... will you die today?" He shouted the last few words.
His echo reverberated in the hall, and the air in the hall seemed to freeze.
The more tense everyone became, the more they glanced at the emperor out of the corner of their eyes.
The emperor's face darkened, and he roared as if his most sensitive spot had been touched: "Kill him! Kill him for me!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yue Xiao was riddled with arrows, turning him into a beehive.
Even so, he still called out to the emperor, "I'll be waiting for you down there, hahaha..." He laughed twice, and then fell silent.
Yue Xiao is dead? Jin Xiaoxiao's brows furrowed tightly. She had a vague feeling that something was wrong. This extreme way of doing things was not like Yue Xiao's personality at all! Jin Xiaoxiao stared at that face. What was wrong with him?
The atmosphere in the hall eased considerably following Yue Xiao's death, and the emperor's expression returned to normal. Just then, a beautiful woman in palace attire rushed in.
Upon seeing the person who had arrived, the emperor, who was seated at the head of the table, immediately stood up from his seat. He hurried down the steps and came to her, asking with concern, "My beloved concubine, what brings you here?"
She ignored the emperor, her gaze fixed on Yue Xiao, who was riddled with bullets, and tears streamed down her face.
Seeing her like this, the emperor exuded a terrifying aura. "My beloved concubine, for whom are you shedding tears?"
Just then, Sun Yi came out and took the arm of the woman in palace attire, asking with concern, "Sister? What's wrong?"
The woman in palace attire stopped crying when she saw the person's face. She patted Sun Yi's arm and said, "Sister, you're alright." Then she turned and slowly walked towards the emperor.
Jin Xiaoxiao didn't miss the interaction between the two. Because of the angle, she clearly saw that a dagger had been stuffed into the sleeve of the woman in palace attire.
Just as Jin Xiaoxiao was about to speak up to warn her, she saw the person who had slipped the dagger to the woman in palace attire suddenly look at her. The person said silently, "Your aunt is in my hands."
After understanding his words, Jin Xiaoxiao froze, then she suddenly grabbed Ji Jun's sleeve and said urgently, "Let's go."
Ji Jun didn't ask any further questions and quickly led her out of the main hall.
Not long after leaving the main hall, Jin Xiaoxiao heard gasps of alarm coming from within. She knew the emperor was dead. And the one who would ascend the throne would be Yue Xiao, the protagonist of this world, who had swapped identities with Sun Yi.
She and Ji Jun fled out of the palace without looking back, and behind them, the open gate was slammed shut.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
