Сhарter 382: The Вrоnze Spаrrow of Сhаng'аn Sings 36
Сhаоyang, bеing capable of sеrving аs regеnt, was nо innосеnt flowеr. Givеn thе сurrеnt situatiоn, she could еаsily guеss what was haрpening. Нer phоеniх-likе еуеs, similar to thе Еmprеss's, briеflу stirred with turmоil befоrе quickly саlming down. Shе angrily shoutеd, "Lai Luozhi, do уоu аlso intеnd to rebel?"
"Whу nоt?" Lаi Luozhi rеmаinеd соmрosеd аnd indifferеnt.
Stunned, Сhaoуang stаrеd аt Lai Luоzhi. "If it wеrеn't fоr the Emprеss back then, you wоuld have died оn the streеts with no оnе to burу you. Others may have reasons to rebel, but what gives you the right?"
"What gives me the right?" Lai Luozhi retorted. "When Her Majesty dies one day, I will die too. Since that's the case, I might as well take the throne myself, so I won't have to die."
Who could have imagined that Lai Luozhi had no moral bottom line?
Yong'an thought she had misheard. "Lai Luozhi, how dare you! We agreed you would help me ascend the throne, but it turns out you wanted it for yourself."
Only after speaking did she realize she had said too much. She rushed forward to confront Lai Luozhi but was pushed aside by him.
"I'm afraid it's more than that," the Empress slowly spoke, her spirit and energy greatly diminished. "Your Fire Moth Party has been scheming for fourteen years, spreading throughout Great Zhou. You've long wanted to replace me, haven't you?"
Lai Luozhi was momentarily taken aback before understanding dawned on him. "I knew I couldn't hide it from Your Majesty. Did Shen Du tell you? Your Majesty never truly trusted me."
"Trust you? Did I not trust you once? You sent those Fire Moth Sect Members to stir up trouble and fan the flames everywhere. You are my dog, yet you dare to dream of becoming the master. Lai Luozhi, you have overstepped."
"Enough nonsense," Lai Luozhi impatiently interrupted, shouting toward the door. "Why haven't you come in yet? Is everything resolved?"
Only then did everyone in the imperial study realize that Zhou Xian and Zhou Changqing had been killed, yet there was no commotion outside. Either everyone had been killed, or they had all been captured.
Sure enough, as soon as Lai Luozhi finished speaking, the door of the imperial study was shattered from the outside by a long blade. A tall, slender figure stood at the entrance, wrapped in the howling cold wind from outside.
Under the flickering lamplight and the faint moonlight, it was clear that the person wore a mask, with only their eyes visible—deep and piercing like a dark pool, staring intently at everyone inside.
Behind them stood a dense crowd of people dressed in clothing printed with fire moths. At the masked figure's command, they swiftly dispersed and surrounded the imperial study, making escape impossible even with wings.
Yong'an's first reaction was to hide behind the screen at the back of the imperial desk. Chaoyang rushed to the Empress's side, joining Zhang Baohuan in protecting her.
"Bold traitor! Killing the sovereign and seizing the throne—you will not come to a good end," Zhang Baohuan cried out in desperation and sorrow. "Your Majesty, it is my incompetence that I cannot protect you."
The Empress shook her head, but Chaoyang spoke up. "Lai Luozhi, let's talk this through. Such an act will earn you eternal infamy. Aren't you afraid of having your ancestors' graves desecrated?"
"Desecrate my ancestors' graves?" Lai Luozhi laughed. "My parents died long ago, and my sister left me even earlier. What ancestors' graves do I have to desecrate? My parents and sister are now in the Lai residence. If you want to desecrate graves, go ahead."
Lai Luozhi laughed wildly. The Empress narrowed her eyes. "Was your earlier claim about Lai Luofu returning from the dead a lie? Was your goal all along to seize the throne?"
"Of course not. How could I, Lai Luozhi, have such a petty ambition?" Lai Luozhi laughed until tears streamed from his eyes. "You foolish humans, what you need is a new order. I, Lai Luozhi, will create a new world."Narrowing her eyes, the Empress found these words strangely familiar and couldn't help but cast her gaze toward the masked figure standing at the door.
Cold wind kept blowing inside, making everyone shiver. The Empress's fingers grew stiff from the chill, and she disdainfully tossed aside the imperial brush, saying:
"Since you've already started this rebellion, why bother having me write some cession edict?"
This remark reminded Lai Luozhi: "Your Majesty makes a valid point. Once you're dead, I can fabricate any edict I want myself."
He shouted toward the door: "What are you waiting for? Take action!"
The masked figure strode in, the clanking of his armor emitting a brittle, metallic sound. He walked directly to Chaoyang and Zhang Baohuan, stopped, drew his sword, and pointed it at their faces.
Lai Luozhi couldn't hide his smugness: "Excellent, Shen Du. You shall be the first meritorious official of my new world. Now, kill them."
Chaoyang, who had earlier noticed the masked man's strange and stiff walking posture, changed expression: "You... you hypnotized him?"
The man before them moved with extreme rigidity—his walking and sword-drawing motions were mechanical, his eyes coldly fixed ahead. A closer look would reveal his pupils never shifting, behavior utterly unlike that of a normal person.
Lai Luozhi didn't bother hiding it: "You could say so," he added, "though I'm not entirely satisfied. His willpower is too strong. The first few attempts weren't very successful, and it took considerable extra effort. But now it seems quite effective."
Chaoyang, recalling Lai Luozhi's constant claims of cultivation, suddenly understood and covered her mouth: "You practice evil arts."
Within the Daoist tradition, some grew weary of the arduous and prolonged path of pure cultivation, always seeking shortcuts through unorthodox and malevolent methods.
"Heh heh heh, evil arts?" Lai Luozhi retorted. "The Fire Moth True God has granted me power. What you believe in are the true evil arts."
Having said that, he saw no need for further words and directly issued orders to the hypnotized tool, Shen Du: "Kill the Empress Dowager. Kill everyone."
"Yes, Master."
Without blinking, Shen Du twirled his sword with a flourish, his aura menacing. The Empress slowly closed her eyes and pushed aside Zhang Baohuan, who sought to protect her. Furious and desperate, Zhang Baohuan shouted and lunged toward Shen Du's blade:
"Your Majesty, Baohuan will go first."
He intended to sacrifice himself upon the sword.
Lai Luozhi curled his lip in disdain: "A male consort with some integrity, it seems."
In the flash of a spark, Shen Du flipped his sword behind his back, his body soaring upward to evade, landing before Lai Luozhi with his blade pointed directly at the man's neck.
Zhang Baohuan, having missed his target and unable to halt his momentum, tumbled headfirst out the door. The iron-tight encirclement outside broke open, and Zhang Baohuan sprawled into the snow at the entrance, his head buried, momentarily unable to lift it, limbs splayed in a comical manner.
At Jing Lin's call, the soldiers instantly shed their garments bearing the Fire Moth Mark, revealing their true identities beneath.
They wore the distinctive Vermilion Bird emblem unique to the Inner Guard's covert agents. The Vermilion Bird represented the Empress; the Inner Guard existed for her alone.
The turn of events was too swift. Lai Luozhi, caught off guard, stood there stunned: "You..."
"Hmph," Shen Du removed his mask, his eyes cold. "Minister Lai seems overly confident in your Hypnosis Technique."
"This..." Lai Luozhi shook his head, his face paler than before. "This is impossible. I verified it myself."
Shen Du curved his lips: "Lai Luozhi, having gone so many years without defeat, have you forgotten the taste of failure?"
"Was it Daisy who gave you such confidence?"
At the mention of Daisy, Lai Luozhi's gray pupils shifted several times."You forcibly hypnotized her, implanting another person's memories into her mind, turning her into your tool for murder. But since those were forcibly inserted memories, they were false, so Daisy ultimately overcame them and destroyed the consciousness of Lai Luofu that you personally hypnotized into existence."
"Without Daisy as the Mirror Person, no matter how many Lai Luofu replacements you produce afterward, they will all collapse on their own."
These words struck Lai Luozhi's weak spot. He roared, "I am the Chosen One of the Fire Moth True God. Even without her, I can still succeed."
Shen Du cast a pitying glance at him, quickly subdued Lai Luozhi, and handed him over to Jing Lin and the others waiting outside the door. Then, he turned and walked to the imperial desk, kneeling before it:
"Your servant arrived late to protect Your Majesty. I beg for your forgiveness."
Zhang Baohuan had already been helped to his feet. Limping over to stand before the Empress, he rubbed his shoulder and asked in confusion:
"What exactly happened?"
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