Chapter 41: Your Majesty, I respectfully invite you to come and take your life.
Under Li Lianhan's almost angry gaze, Lou Wanqiao showed an almost provocative and even vicious smile.
"Your Majesty," she said respectfully, as pious as she had been during the morning court. This was in stark contrast to her nonchalant gaze and the disrespectful words she whispered. "I—come to take your life."
The sunlight penetrated the clouds and reflected on the blade, stinging his eyes.
There was only a moment's pause, and Li Lianhan reacted extremely quickly. He pulled out his sword and blocked his eyes with it. A bunch of hair on his temples was cut off and slowly fell in the windless air.
His black hair reflected his ink-black eyes, which seemed to be burning with ice.
Anger, humiliation, unwillingness...
There are too many things contained within. The dark eyes are like precious vessels, mixing many kinds of crystal clear gems into sharp blades.
Lou Wanqiao looked at him, as if seeing the blood that had been smeared on the palace walls over the years.
Those people I knew and those I didn't know, some begged for mercy with tears streaming down their faces before they died, while others cursed loudly with their last breath, and eventually became brighter colors on the vermilion palace walls, and then gradually dried up with the passage of time, becoming a decayed past.
Countless grievances were blown away by the wind that passed through the wall, and then blocked inside the tall palace gate, unable to penetrate.
She said something that was inexplicably caused by her: "Is this the day you have come to, Your Majesty?"
The force on the sword was so great that his arms were shaking.
When, exactly when...
Which step was overlooked?!
Li Lianhan knew that now was not the time to be distracted by other things.
This is the imperial palace. Not to mention the imperial palace, the entire four seas are the emperor's territory, and all the four borders are his territory.
Lou Wanqiao is not in a legitimate position, so as long as we catch him, other things will be much easier.
Someone shouted for help. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lou Wanqiao's moves were complicated and strange, and he had a hard time resisting them.
Li Lianhan suddenly realized that Lou Wanqiao seemed to be fighting a desperate battle.
What good would that do for her?
"Lou Wanqiao!" Li Lianhan gritted his teeth and roared, "Are you planning a rebellion?"
"Rebellion?" Lou Wanqiao seemed to have heard a huge joke. "Who were the rebels back then? I don't need to tell the world, right?"
Li Lianhan's expression changed: "What did you say?"
"You've been so comfortable these past few years, haven't you? Do you think you can hide the truth with a sword?" Lou Wanqiao raised the corner of his mouth, letting out a sarcastic smile, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
The collision of swords made a teeth-grinding sound, but Lou Wanqiao remained expressionless as he swung his Embroidered Spring Knife through the air, each move aimed at Li Lianhan's vital point.
She didn't bring many people with her, but they were all top elites, enough to buy her time.
What's more, the main force is around the imperial city. As long as there is internal support, it is only a matter of time before the internal and external forces join forces.
She had been carefully planning for a day like this for a long time...where did she start?
Lou Wanqiao recalled it carefully.
It should be from that snowy night when the Liu family was burned down by fire.
It was a fine day today, and the time was calculated precisely, just at that moment the dark clouds passed by, just enough to hide her edge.
Then, in an instant, the sharp blade that had been dormant for years was unsheathed along with the sunlight.
There must be a reason for me to be here today. The right time, the right place, and the right people are all essential.
Besides that, it had to be legitimate. Without thorough preparation, it would just push the rest of the people into the abyss.
Prince Yun, Prince Duan, and even Li Yuesheng can all be her helpers.
This plan had been brewing in her eyes thousands of times.
Li Lianhan looked into her eyes, but for a moment he could not see her emotions.
He used to disdain to pay attention to the actions of people like Lou Wanqiao, thinking that no matter what she did, he would always be able to control her... After all, she was just someone crawling at his feet, so how could she cause any trouble?
But now it seems that the times have changed.
Memories come slowly and quickly, happening in a flash, yet seeming like decades have passed.
A scene suddenly appeared in Li Lianhan's eyes.
It was unknown how many years later, but Lord Lou was now in his official uniform and had been promoted to the first rank. He was a rare and important official in the court and his right-hand man.
Under her control, the Dali Temple rarely saw injustices, truly living up to the saying that she was as good as a god in solving cases. He looked down and saw her prostrating herself on the palace's red carpet, shouting "Long live the emperor!"
Li Lianhan lowered his head in satisfaction, gazing down at her, his black boots embroidered with golden dragons resting on her clean shoulders. Her official uniform was immaculately groomed, her face stern and her eyes indifferent, yet a subtle subservience emanated from her as she faced him.
Li Lianhan was very satisfied.
That's how it should be.
He extended his hand condescendingly, and just as he was about to cover her hair, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone.
Li Lianhan snapped back to his senses from the impenetrable future, just in time to see the face on the golden palace in the future very close. He couldn't explain why he was thinking about such a distant and vague future, as if it was "supposed" to happen at some point.
"Your Majesty," Lou Wanqiao's voice seemed close yet seemed to come from far away through the mist. "Is it the revolving lantern?"
He looked up suddenly and saw her smiling.
Li Lianhan had actually rarely seen her smile, almost never. He had also heard some rumors from the court that the Junior Official of the Dali Temple would occasionally reveal a meaningful smile when handling cases, or more precisely, when killing enemies.
Of course, he had never seen it.
Everything flowed away like the tide, and finally, like the waves washing away the sand, only one thought remained in my mind.
Lou Wanqiao, rebelled.
She wants to rebel!
Is the big plan he has carefully managed for decades going to be destroyed just like this?
Li Lianhan grabbed the hand that was tightly clasped around his own, his narrow, cold, almond-shaped eyes fixed on her face. "Lou Wanqiao, I know your secret!"
Lou Wanqiao raised his eyebrows and without hesitation asked, "Oh? What secret?"
He lowered his voice and said, "It's about the secret of your life."
"Wow!" Lou Wanqiao's lips curled up slightly, his tone filled with disbelief. "How could a dignified emperor have fallen to such a state? Could it be that—is this the way you're begging me?"
He saw sarcasm and malice in her eyes, even a slight condescending look, but there was no fear as he had expected.
Without waiting for Li Lianhan to answer, she looked around and observed the current scene.
Now that the overall situation has been decided, her preliminary preparations have been very sufficient. If she takes action on such a sunny afternoon, Li Lianhan will definitely be warned in advance.
That’s great, I’m just worried he’s not prepared.
Now that Prince Duan is in her hands, Li Su is also her chess piece. Just these few days, Wen Xuechi sent a pigeon to tell her that he is on his way back to Beijing.
Lou Wanqiao stood on the high platform and looked into the distance, with a panoramic view of lush vegetation.
In the distance is the blue sky, the flowing river, the flying birds and animals, and the bright sun.
The day is still ahead... The day is still ahead.
But getting to this point had been incredibly difficult. Step by step, she had slowly made her way forward from that unknown Jiaojiao beneath the shade of the Liu family tree. Each step left a mark, deeply imprinted in the flowing blood. It was impossible to turn back on this path. She had personally chopped off heads with that embroidered spring knife, some glaring in anger, others dying with hatred.
But so what?
Liu Wanqiao was the first one to die.
Her blood was the first to soak this land. On that night many years ago, she and more than a dozen people from the Liu family were the first to die on this road.
From then on, only the young man Lou Wanqiao, holding a long sword, set out alone on this dark and long road with no way back.
Lou Wanqiao came to her senses. The troops she had deployed around the imperial city had already controlled the people around them. In addition, there were also Mu Yunjiao's men. This was not their first cooperation, nor would it be the last.
Now that her elite troops had already taken over, everything was proceeding smoothly. Looking around, the palace guards and ministers had also been controlled, and any resistance was beheaded on the spot.
In these years of hard work, she gradually realized a truth, such as -
Only after some blood is shed can everything go smoothly.
Lou Wanqiao has always been a cautious person, but he has dreamed of this scene countless times and imagined it many times. Now, it seems that this is the case.
Prince Yun is just so-so, Prince Duan is just so-so, and the prince who emerged from the battle without the smoke of gunpowder seems to be just so-so.
The outcome has been decided, success or failure depends on this.
In terms of one-on-one martial arts, Li Lianhan is no match for her. Without the protection of the soldiers in the palace, Li Lianhan has no chance of winning in a one-on-one fight.
It took her decades to sharpen her sword, and although it cannot be said to be "effortless", to be honest, this is indeed not a difficult moment in her fighting career.
The most difficult part is the process of taking each step forward...
Now the Embroidered Spring Sword that had accompanied her for many years was placed on the side of Li Lianhan's neck. He looked grim, and his hands hanging by his side were clenched tightly, full of unwillingness.
A thought suddenly flashed through Lou Wanqiao's mind.
It turned out that the emperor who had pushed her into desperation was no more than this.
"Li Lianhan," this was the first time Lou Wanqiao addressed him by his first name. If it had been before, he would have been accused of disrespect. "What else do you have to say?"
"The victor is the king, the loser the bandit. This is the result of a single wrong move on my part. I have nothing to say." Li Lianhan snorted coldly, "But do you think you've won? This is neither legitimate nor justifiable. How will you explain this to the world?"
"The world?" Lou Wanqiao looked at him in surprise, as if she had heard something funny. "But Li Lianhan, you haven't managed the world well in all these years on the throne, have you? Taxes are harsh, and the people are suffering. Have you ever given them an explanation? In the bitter winter, while you were living in the palace, enjoying the finery, singing and dancing, were you aware that the people were starving and freezing?"
Li Lianhan was stunned: "I don't..."
"Well, those I often kill always die quickly because they talk too much. Your Majesty should abdicate as soon as possible." Lou Wanqiao whispered in his ear, "As for the explanation, your good brothers will line up to do it."
She clapped her hands and prepared to invite Li Su to perform the final step of the ceremony so that the change of dynasty would be legitimate.
At this moment, there was a commotion not far away.
Lou Wanqiao looked up and saw someone riding on a horse, with a long sword in his hand shining in the sunlight, which was dazzling.
The man on the horse was also a familiar face, it was Prince Duan Li Lie.
She frowned. Why was Li Lie here?
Shouldn't he be...
Just by listening to the noises around, one could tell that he had brought many soldiers and horses with him, and in an instant they surrounded him in a dense circle.
Seeing him rein in his horse and stop at the foot of the altar, Lou Wanqiao quickly took Li Lianhan and tied him up, then spoke loudly, "What do you mean, Prince Duan?"
Li Lie narrowed his eyes slightly, tilted his head back and looked at her from a distance: "Shaoqing, it's not good to eat alone."
Wow, it seems that Prince Duan is not as stupid as he has been pretending to be these days.
Although he didn't know what had gone wrong with Li Lie, it seemed like his mind had been acting strangely for a while. Based on Lou Wanqiao's understanding of him over the years, he was a little confused.
But now it seems to have returned to its previous state...
Lou Wanqiao smiled, his eyelids drooping lazily, and his thin lips lifted slightly: "Who do you think you are?"
Li Lie didn't answer. Instead, he glanced around, taking in the captured ministers and royal guards. He then shouted, "There are traitors holding the king hostage. We have come to rescue him!"
Li Lianhan closed his eyes.
He was not stupid enough to think that Li Lie was really here to save him. After pacifying the rebellion under the pretext of "cleansing the imperial court", the first thing he would do was to "accidentally" die at the hands of "traitors" in this matter.
However, he was currently at a disadvantage, and no matter who won, they would not let him go. To break the deadlock, unless...
"Traitor?" Lou Wanqiao sneered. "I'm afraid it's someone else. Li Lie, you pride yourself on being smart and a good fighter, but do you know you've been kept in the dark from the beginning?"
Li Lie walked up the stairs, his expression unchanged, and stood beside her in full view of everyone. Then he leaned close to her ear and whispered softly, "Be good, don't make a scene here. When I become emperor, I'll make you second only to the emperor."
Lou Wanqiao curled his lips, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes: "Prince Duan, you are worrying too much. The position I want is above ten thousand people."
"You..." Li Lie looked a little surprised. Li Lianhan, who was not far away from them, also showed a different expression when he heard it.
Her eyes were filled with determination. "After so many years of fighting, today is the end. We are on a life-and-death strife. Although I don't know what you did before, I will not show mercy. Under one man? Li Lie, don't you really know? I want to be..."
It has always been just that “one person”.
Li Lie stared at her intently: "Lou Zizhao, don't act on impulse. Who else could it be besides me? You clearly know..."
"Li Lie, don't be unreasonable." Lou Wanqiao said calmly, imitating his tone of voice, "You know exactly what kind of person I am."
She didn't want to say much, looked at the people under the altar, slowly raised her arm, and showed a token.
"This official will purge the imperial court and support the new emperor, which is what the people want."
As she finished speaking, Lisu stepped out from among a group of armored guards. He was dressed in armor and had a cold expression. Just standing there made people inexplicably intimidated and afraid to offend.
"It's the Seventh Prince..."
"Hasn't the Seventh Prince already...?"
"It's really His Majesty the Seventh Prince!"
There was a murmur in the audience.
Li Lie was stunned, then turned around in disbelief, his eyes full of confusion.
"Zizhao," he swallowed, each word seemed to be forced out of his throat, "...why?"
"Why can't it be me?"
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