Chapter 73

A strong wind stirred the leaden clouds, and a ray of sunlight broke through, stopping the rain and snow. The golden light fell on the wet marble ground, and the blood-stained sword reflected a sharp crimson.

Huang Dewei glared at him, clutching his chest before collapsing!

Yang Yanzong cut off his head and raised it high, blood dripping. He shouted, “Huang Dewei is dead! Surrender now!!!”

Huang Dewei’s reputation and strength had been deeply ingrained in the hearts of his men. He was like a towering pillar, and his fall caused a massive shock.

The deputy generals and captains looked up in horror, seeing Huang Dewei’s head, and were instantly terrified. The soldiers below were thrown into chaos, and Yang Yanzong’s troops seized the opportunity.

Qingfeng Camp’s commander, Cen Chao, roared, “Brothers, kill!!!”

One side’s morale soared while the other faltered. The experienced Qingfeng and Baisun camps quickly exploited the situation, and despite the Imperial Guards’ attempts to rally, it was too late. After half an hour of fierce fighting, Yang Yanzong broke through the first line of defense, opened the palace gates, and joined forces with Ji Yuanhao.

Ji Yuanhao was truly remarkable. The situation with the Southern Army was a complete mess, nearly spiraling out of control. He managed to intercept and block the enemy, completing a crucial flanking maneuver at the last moment. This allowed the remaining Southern Army forces to regain control. He then rushed to support Yang Yanzong, but by then, Yang Yanzong had already resolved the battle.

Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao joined forces, launching a full-scale assault on the inner palace defenses. The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, Yang Yuwei, shouted, “Traitors, how dare you!!”

Yang Yuwei, a relative of Yang Yanzong, was Huang Dewei’s mentor. The story of the student surpassing the master and the master gracefully stepping aside was once a celebrated tale. Both were heroic figures, but now they stood on opposing sides, each testing whose blade was sharper.

The inner palace defenses were even tighter. Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao attacked three times before finally breaking through. They joined forces with the Kun Imperial Uncle, who had come from the east, and successfully breached the inner palace defenses.

From the moment the war drums sounded until now, it had been a harrowing experience, but it had only taken a little over an hour. They successfully forced their way into the inner palace, ultimately reaching the heart of the Xiling Palace, the Heng’an Hall, the old emperor’s bedchamber!

Empress Kun stood in front of Heng’an Hall, leading hundreds of Kun family death warriors in coordination with their forces. Today, she did not wear her luxurious golden phoenix robe but a black silk outfit wrapped in a black fox fur cloak. She stood on the steps, looking down at the palace eunuchs and servants who had once looked down on her with cold eyes, and she couldn’t help but sneer.

Imperial Uncle Kun waved his hand, “Go in!”

The palace gates were broken open, and the soldiers swarmed like a tide.

---

In the early morning, unusual sounds outside, like the distant thunder of military boots and the faint clash of weapons, suddenly awakened the old emperor, who was in his sleep.

The old emperor had not been sleeping well recently. His old leg injury caused intermittent, indescribable pain, his lower limbs were cold and difficult to move, and even his head began to ache. The pain kept him awake at night.

The old imperial physician had repeatedly advised him to move to the hot spring palace. Feeling increasingly unwell, the old emperor finally agreed after the New Year. Last night, the imperial physician gave him acupuncture, and the warm, humid environment of the hot spring palace finally eased his discomfort, allowing him a rare good night’s sleep. But he was unexpectedly awakened early in the morning.

“Your Majesty?” The young eunuch standing by the footstool didn’t understand and asked softly, but the old emperor seemed not to hear. He listened intently for a moment, and his face changed dramatically.

---

“Bang!” The door of Heng’an Hall was violently broken open, and the palace servants and eunuchs inside were terrified, fleeing in panic.

Empress Kun walked slowly into the hall. The scent of dragon incense lingered, and the light was dim. At the end of the inner hall, a hunched figure sat up, wrapped in a bright yellow brocade quilt.

Empress Kun smiled. She had people inside Heng’an Hall keeping watch, and the time between breaking through the inner and outer palace defenses and surrounding Heng’an Hall was very short. She knew the old emperor hadn’t left Heng’an Hall.

Empress Kun waved her hand, and the death warriors swarmed in, quickly dealing with the dozens of Imperial Guards in the hall. However, when the chief eunuch in front of the dragon bed was pulled out, it wasn’t Sun Shiping but the deputy chief eunuch, Jiang Taoguang. Empress Kun felt a sudden jolt of unease. Her excitement and joy instantly vanished. She rushed forward and pulled the “old emperor’s” face, revealing the unfamiliar face of an old eunuch with white hair.

“Brother, this is bad!”

Heng’an Hall had a secret passage, and the building plans Empress Kun and Imperial Uncle Kun had obtained were missing this crucial detail. The old emperor had escaped!

---

Imperial Uncle Kun, Yang Yanzong, Ji Yuanhao, and others immediately gave chase.

Meanwhile, on a narrow mountain path about fifteen or sixteen miles south of the Xiling Palace, a group of over a hundred elite Imperial Guards was escorting two small carriages at full speed!

They weren’t even riding horses but running with straw wrapped around their boots for maximum speed.

The old emperor was different from other defeated and fleeing emperors. He only needed to successfully leave the palace and travel seventy miles to reach the capital’s military camp, and the rebels’ plot would immediately collapse!

This was the most urgent escape of his life. The old emperor was being jolted so much that his bones felt like they were falling apart. The makeshift carriage had no soft cushions, and Sun Shiping was holding on in terror.

The old emperor, however, remained silent, holding the young Prince Zhao tightly. The young prince was terrified, having just awakened from sleep and fully realizing what was happening. The tense environment and the jolting carriage made him cling tightly to the old emperor’s sleeve, “Uncle Emperor!”

“Don’t be afraid!” The old emperor’s expression was fierce, almost grim, as he held the young prince tighter. “We will reach the capital’s military camp soon. There’s no need to panic.”

He cursed, “Traitors and rebels, how despicable!” I will have these traitors executed, and their families exterminated!!!

However, things were not going as smoothly as the old emperor claimed, nor as he wished.

The old emperor was not unprepared; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many heavy guards and capital troops inside and outside the palace. But the Kun family had staked everything on this desperate rebellion, determined to succeed or die trying!

Having overcome many defenses and achieved success through great difficulty, how could they allow the old emperor to escape with Prince Zhao and ruin their plans?!

Among them were seasoned strategists who had anticipated the old emperor’s moves. Even without the complete building plans, they had taken precautions.

“The emperor won’t take the main road.”

They had surveyed every unmarked path near the palace that could accommodate people or carriages.

Spreading out the map, they quickly analyzed and divided the possible escape routes into east, south, and north, all leading to the capital’s military camp.

Yang Yanzong studied the map for a moment, quickly selecting three paths. The others took their assignments and immediately split up to pursue the emperor.

Soon, Yang Yanzong received a report from the reconnaissance team, finding tracks of carriages and military boots. He smiled, fired a signal flare, and then adjusted his route to take a shortcut and get ahead of the old emperor.

The sound of urgent hoofbeats thundered, startling the emperor’s party, who immediately changed direction. But soon, they heard the thunderous hoofbeats again on the new path.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!”

Ahead appeared Yang Yanzong, riding fast, his dark green cloak hiding the bloodstains on his body. He said, “I have come to protect you, Your Majesty!”

It was a rollercoaster of emotions, from despair to joy. The old emperor lifted the carriage curtain and shouted, “Quick, intercept the rebels behind us!!”

“It’s Minister Yang.”

Yang Yanzong probably never dreamed he would still be regarded as a beloved minister in the old emperor’s mind.

However, the old emperor was still the old emperor. This thought flashed through his mind, and he squinted, noticing the Qingfeng and Baisun troops behind Yang Yanzong, clad in light armor and clearly having just experienced a fierce battle, their bodies marked and exuding a murderous aura.

Yang Yanzong remained on his horse, looking down at the old emperor from above.

The old emperor saw a hint of mockery in the slight curve of Yang Yanzong’s lips.

The old emperor squinted, “Yang Yanzong, how dare you rebel!!”

Yang Yanzong calmly replied, “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be the dog that is cooked after the hare is caught.”

He didn’t want to die, so the old emperor had to die. Strike first to gain the upper hand. Those who act later are often controlled by others, isn’t that right? Hmph, he had once thought of being a loyal minister, but the old emperor never gave him that chance. Even the emperor couldn’t expect that!!!

Yang Yanzong waved his hand, and over a thousand soldiers charged from the front and back. He slaughtered three major guard commanders and Minister Ge Xiu, leaving the remaining Imperial Guards in disarray, but he didn’t directly touch the old emperor’s carriage.

Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao, who had caught up from behind, exchanged a glance, and with a tacit understanding, they drove the old emperor back.

The carriage wheels rumbled, bouncing rapidly on the rugged mountain path. The old emperor, who had controlled the empire and the lives and fates of his subjects for decades, had never been so humiliated, even when he had once fallen from a horse and been seriously injured. He truly tasted the bitterness of being a fugitive, with strong soldiers and brave generals just dozens of miles away, yet at this moment, no one answered his calls for help. Before long, he finally ran straight into the encirclement of Empress Kun and Imperial Uncle Kun.

Empress Kun was carried by a death warrior, who then let her down. She momentarily examined the small carriage and smiled, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have arrived.” This moment was incredibly satisfying. Just over a month ago, she had knelt at this man’s feet, begging him to spare her family, the Kun clan, which had both merits and hardships. How had the old emperor responded? This old man had coldly brushed her hand away and said in her ear, “Impossible!”

Empress Kun laughed loudly, “What an ‘impossible’!” In just over a month, it was now her turn to say “impossible” to the old emperor!

It was truly exhilarating.

Empress Kun extended her hand, and a death warrior produced a small gourd and a wine cup, pouring a cup of wine. Then, Empress Kun took a small paper packet from her bosom and emptied its contents into the wine cup.

This was poison, specifically prepared by Empress Kun for the old emperor. It was highly toxic, causing excruciating pain as it destroyed the intestines and stomach.

“Your Majesty, do you remember my aunt?”

The old emperor’s first empress, the original Empress Kun, was known for her virtue and kindness. She had fully supported the old emperor, helping him defeat Prince Qing, born of Consort Chen. However, after the old emperor’s only son died in infancy, he blamed her harshly, leading to her death from grief.

“Most of the children you fathered were stillborn. Didn’t you know that?”

Three volleys of arrows had hit the small carriage, and all the resisting Imperial Guards lay dead in pools of blood. The carriage was riddled with arrows, and Empress Kun lifted the curtain to reveal the old emperor clutching his abdomen, motionless, with a look of fierce resentment.

The old emperor, now aged, had been exhausted by the rough ride. When the carriage stopped, he tried several times to sit up straight but failed each time.

Empress Kun let out a short, cold laugh, looking down at the old emperor’s disheveled state. After her aunt’s death, the old emperor quickly decreed that another Kun family girl should be made an empress when she was twelve. If the Kun family had continued to be trusted and prosperous, Empress Kun might have accepted it. But when the old emperor’s nephew was born, he immediately turned his back on them. She and the Kun family had already been dragged into the mess, so how could they be content with being gradually pushed out of the core power circle?

“Your Majesty, come, let me serve you on your way!” Empress Kun laughed twice, then grabbed the old emperor’s chin. He struggled violently but in vain, as two death warriors quickly pinned him down. Empress Kun deftly held his jaw, tilted his head back, and poured the entire cup of poisoned wine into his mouth.

A death warrior pressed on the old emperor’s throat, forcing the wine down into his stomach before he could spit it out. A burning pain quickly spread from his throat to his stomach. The old emperor’s eyes bulged, and he clutched his throat, gasping and writhing in the carriage.

Empress Kun pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her hands, smiling as she watched. Finally, she tossed the handkerchief onto him and turned away.

Empress Kun had personally poisoned the old emperor!

During this time, Imperial Uncle Kun rode up, lifted the carriage curtain, and frowned when he saw Prince Zhao was not there. Soon, one of his confidants returned and whispered a few words in his ear.

Imperial Uncle Kun told Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao, “Gentlemen, I’ll be right back.”

Yang Yanzong and Ji Yuanhao had no objections.

Blood ties are indeed a strange thing. In his final moments, the old emperor had sent Prince Zhao back to Princess Zhao’s carriage, along with a few trusted aides. They had removed the carriage wheels, turned them into sedan chairs, and sent Prince Zhao on a different route to escape, hoping to give him a chance at survival.

But it was ultimately futile. Imperial Uncle Kun would never let Prince Zhao escape, and breaking through the heavy encirclement required extraordinary luck.

Such luck was clearly not on their side.

Imperial Uncle Kun quickly caught up with Prince Zhao, and after a brief skirmish, the sedan chair fell to the ground. Imperial Uncle Kun used his sword to lift the curtain, revealing Princess Zhao tightly holding Prince Zhao, who was also clutching his mother.

Prince Zhao’s pale, delicate face turned blue, but he still puffed out his small chest. Though afraid, he stood in front of his mother, “If you want to kill, kill me! Don’t kill my mother!!”

“Prince Zhao, oh no, Crown Prince.”

Imperial Uncle Kun reached out, using his sword tip to lift the two jade ribbons hanging from the child’s golden crown, and sneered. He would kill them both!

What could a little child do to him now?!

Imperial Uncle Kun sneered and reversed his sword, plunging it deep into Princess Zhao’s heart. He pulled it out, and Princess Zhao screamed as hot blood sprayed out, covering her son. She gasped twice, unable to utter her final words, and died tragically in front of Prince Zhao.

Prince Zhao glared fiercely at Imperial Uncle Kun, “Ah—” He raised the small dagger he had been holding and lunged forward. Imperial Uncle Kun sneered, lifted his hand, and thrust his sword forward, impaling the charging Prince Zhao.

The child was thrown into the grass, writhing in agony. He struggled to crawl towards his mother’s body but was struck down by a second sword, ending his life.

Imperial Uncle Kun ordered, “Clean this up and take them back.”

The death warriors, already prepared with cloth bags, quickly wrapped the bodies, covered them with black cloth, and carried them away.

Yang Yanzong and the others didn’t know what happened, but they guessed the outcome when they saw Imperial Uncle Kun and his men returning with two cloth bags. They said nothing.

The group immediately returned to the hot spring palace to handle the aftermath.

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This dangerous and tumultuous early morning coup finally ended in a narrow victory. After dealing with the necessary matters and solidifying their control, the bells announcing the emperor’s death rang across the palace and Yangdu. Yang Yanzong, Ji Yuanhao, and their troops withdrew and returned to their camp. Only then did they ride swiftly to the Yangling villa to fetch their people.

Su Ci and the others had been anxiously waiting for a long time. Due to the chaos and the need to penetrate deep into the inner palace, the communication team had to join the search efforts, causing a break in the flow of information.

Su Ci was under immense pressure, trying to reassure Mrs. Chen and Yang Chongying while worrying about the situation at the palace. She hated this feeling of uncertainty, preferring to be involved in the action rather than waiting in a safe place.

In the early spring drizzle, she couldn’t sit still in her room. She put on her sleeves, grabbed an oil-paper umbrella, and paced back and forth on the hillside, muttering, “Why aren’t they back yet?”

She was referring to Da Fei, who had left without returning. She wanted A Kang to check for news, but he refused, as his task was to protect Su Ci and the Yang family and escort them away if necessary.

As the sky darkened and the drizzle turned into a steady rain, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly echoed from the left side of the mountain path.

Su Ci immediately looked up. She saw a rider on a mighty brown warhorse, its coat gleaming and its hooves strong, emerging from the shadows of the evergreen trees and thickets. The horse was still bloody, and on its back was a tall, familiar man clad in armor and covered in bloodstains. He looked both solemn and weary, with a commanding presence and deep, dark eyes. With the aura of a fierce battle still clinging to him, dressed in black armor and clothing, he sat on the horse and locked eyes with Su Ci from a distance.

Su Ci was stunned, then overjoyed, and ran towards him.

The man dismounted, holding his helmet in one hand, the light rain falling on his blood-stained face. He said to Su Ci, “I’m back.”

“Don’t think about remarrying,” he added. She would be his woman for life.

Su Ci: “…”

The atmosphere changed instantly. What could have been a tearful and joyous reunion was altered by his sudden remark, making her laugh.

“Alright, then make sure you live a long time.” She held his arm, examining him closely, and saw that he was in bad shape. His thick leather armor was slashed in many places, covered in dried blood, even in his hair. It was hard to tell if the blood was his or someone else’s. Imagining the fierce battle he had just survived, Su Ci didn’t want to ask too many questions. His safe return spoke volumes.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she looked at him for a moment, “Want to wash up first?” Then apply some medicine.

He grunted, giving her a sidelong glance, “You’ll serve me?”

Su Ci: “…” Alright, big guy, you’ve worked hard for the family. Considering the hastily written letter, alright, let’s do this.

Su Ci laughed, her beautiful eyes twinkling as she gave him a sidelong glance, “Sure.”

She beckoned with her finger, “Come on!”