As fireworks bloomed in the sky, Deng Yi was just stepping out of the Emperor's bedchamber.
He had intended to stay, but the Emperor drove him away.
"Although I've been poisoned, I won't die anytime soon," the Emperor said, reclining with a blood-streaked face full of amusement. "I will definitely outlive my dear brother."
He pointed at Deng Yi.
"Right now, I only need you to accomplish this one task. Succeed in this, and you shall be my finest Grand Tutor."
Deng Yi bowed crisply, took his leave, and departed.
This time as he exited, the eunuchs were even more reverent and fearful. One eunuch approached with concern, seeking to curry favor.
"Grand Tutor," he whispered, "is this truly wise?"
The Emperor, poisoned and nearing his end, the Crown Prince dead, the Third Prince destined to become a cripple or a corpse—the Crown Prince of Zhongshan ascending as Emperor was now inevitable.
That was the future Emperor. Even if Deng Yi didn't seek to please him, there was no need to kill his father.
This was the unforgivable enmity of patricide.
It was no longer a question of whether Deng Yi wished to remain Grand Tutor, but whether he wished to remain alive.
Deng Yi walked slowly, a eunuch holding a lantern and imperial guards bearing torches, illuminating his surroundings as bright as day.
"What I aim to be is the Grand Tutor of Great Xia," he said. "Not the Grand Tutor of Xiao Xun."
He glanced at the eunuch.
"Moreover, it is not I who bear the enmity of killing his father—it is he himself."
Whether to honor the Emperor or his own father was the Crown Prince of Zhongshan's own choice. What right did he have to blame others?
Just then, fireworks exploded in the night sky.
Everyone looked up. The imperial guards and eunuchs were on high alert; they did not see this as mere amusement. At such a time, it could only be one side sending a covert signal.
Deng Yi said, "It's either the Third Prince's faction or the Crown Prince's—or rather, the Xie family now—and possibly Prince Zhongshan's people as well."
What were they planning?
To storm the city?
To assassinate the Emperor?
The eunuchs and guards grew tense, but Deng Yi remained calm, even admiring the fireworks with interest.
They were quite beautifully made.
No matter how splendid the fireworks, if anyone dared approach the Imperial City, he would make sure they met a disgraceful end before all under heaven.
...
...
After Deng Yi left, the Emperor closed his eyes. Though the bedchamber was filled with physicians, eunuchs, and guards, it was as silent as a tomb, devoid of life.
Suddenly, the Emperor opened his eyes, gazing bewildered at the window.
"Your Majesty?" The attendants stirred to life, eunuchs and physicians rushing forward.
The Emperor waved them off, pointing at the window. "Something lit up outside."
Lit up?
The eunuchs and physicians looked out. The night had been bright all along, with the entire capital burning, though the chaotic flames were blocked by high walls and deep palaces.
The deep night was nearly over, and it was indeed brighter than before.
Was His Majesty hoping for dawn to come quickly, for this torment to end?
"Yes, Your Majesty, dawn approaches," they hurriedly assured him.
But the Emperor was not comforted. Instead, he tried to rise, weak and nearly tumbling from the dragon bed. The eunuchs rushed to support him, urging him to lie down, but the Emperor refused, growing irritable and insisting on going outside. Not daring to disobey, the eunuchs helped him to the doorway.
The Emperor lacked the strength to step over the threshold. Supported by the eunuchs, he stood unsteadily, gazing at the night sky.
The eunuchs and physicians saw it too: distant fireworks in the sky, their sparks now fading, embers winking like stars, faintly outlining a shape.
What was it?"Flames," the Emperor said.
His voice was weak, and the eunuchs didn't catch it at first.
"What does Your Majesty need?" they hurriedly asked.
The Emperor looked up at the sky and suddenly laughed, raising his voice: "Flames!"
Flames? The eunuchs were puzzled. What did he mean? Did His Majesty want to light a fire? To make the surroundings brighter?
......
......
"Flames!"
Xie Yanlai stood atop the city gate wall, gazing at the distant night sky and sneered.
"Whoever came up with such a ridiculous spectacle."
"Isn't it just killing and arson, working hand in glove with villains?"
The imperial guards on the wall watched the dissipating fireworks, feeling neither beauty nor amusement—only heart-pounding fear.
"What's happening now?" "Who is it?" "Has the Third Prince's forces increased again?" "Yan Lai, are they going to storm the city?"
Xie Yanlai carried a long blade on his back and gripped a crossbow in his hand. Under the torchlight, his expression was full of mockery.
"Storm the city? They should have done it long ago," he said. "The first thing to do is attack the city. To capture rebels, first capture the leader. Since they’ve chosen to be traitorous beasts, why bother killing brothers? Just take down the old man."
He let out a cold laugh.
"A bunch of useless fools."
"All they think about is besieging the city to keep others out, but they lack the courage to charge in and kill the Emperor."
The imperial guards were stunned by his words. How terrifying!
"Yan Lai, never mind whether they're useless or not," they shouted. "If they attack, we're finished."
As soon as the words fell, the arrow tower ahead erupted into chaos, like a calm-burning bonfire doused with oil, blazing fiercely.
The sounds of fighting, clashing weapons, and screams merged into one, sweeping over like a violent storm, suffocating and intense.
The surviving guards rushed out, standing on the wall to watch and listen to the fierce battle, trembling with fear and uncertainty.
Why did it seem less like an assembled force charging forward and more like a chaotic melee?
One guard said, "Could it be the Crown Prince's men attacking?"
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Xie Yanlai, their expressions excited.
"Yan Lai—"
Should we join the fight? Coordinate from within to take down the Third Prince's forces—
Xie Yanlai remained standing on the battlement, his expression cold. "Whoever comes, without summons, in the dead of night, leading troops, armed, and storming the Imperial City—they are rebels and traitors, deserving death."
One guard was taken aback.
"Yan Lai," he whispered in reminder, "the ones coming might be your family."
The Crown Prince's most significant and reliable forces were the Xie family.
Had Xie Yanlai forgotten his own surname?
Xie Yanlai laughed. "So what? We are the Emperor's imperial guards. Anyone who approaches, unless it is His Majesty, is a rebel and traitor—"
His voice rose, stretching out, scattering in the fierce wind.
The guards looked up at the youth standing on the battlement, at his smile revealing sharp, white teeth. In that moment, he resembled a—wolf.
What did Xie Yanlai mean? He meant that even if it were the Xie family's forces, even if Xie Yanfang himself came, he would aim his crossbow.
And kill this elder brother.
Was Xie Yanlai insane?
No matter who it was, tonight, if anyone approached, he would kill them. Kill them all.
The youth's phoenix eyes flashed with madness, his nostrils filled with the scent of blood—both his own and others'.
Let them all die!
Let us all die together!
The storm ahead finally tore open a gap. The arrow tower's gates swung wide, and a force galloped forth, drawing closer and closer.The rhythmic clatter of hooves drummed against the hearts of the city gate guards.
"Enemy approach—" Xie Yanlai roared.
The previously unsettled guards snapped back to their positions like wooden puppets, aiming their crossbows at the base of the city gate.
"Halt where you are, or face execution!" Xie Yanlai remained standing on the battlement, projecting his voice outward.
……
……
Chu Zhao, galloping at full speed, tore off her cloak and wrapped it tightly around the child in front of her.
"Little Highness," she said, "hold on to me tightly. Don't be afraid."
Though protected by the Dragon Guard Army, charging toward the city gate was still perilous. She needed both hands free to control the horse, raise her shield, and wield her blade.
The Little Highness had to cling tightly to Chu Zhao on his own to avoid being thrown from the horse.
Hearing Chu Zhao's words, the child actively wound the cloak around himself and Chu Zhao. The girl was actually quite slender—he wrapped it several times around them—
Even in death, they would not be separated.
Pressed against the girl's chest, he looked up at her face. In the firelight, he saw her small chin, marked with a streak of red—whether it was someone else's blood splattered there or her own from a cut, he couldn't tell.
He couldn't resist the urge to reach up and wipe it away, but as he raised his hand, the galloping girl reined in her horse. She lifted her head, and her chin vanished from the child's line of sight.
Chu Zhao raised her head, looking toward the city gate ahead. A lone figure stood on the battlement, his features obscured by the darkness, but the voice from earlier—
"A Jiu—" she couldn't help but cry out.
……
……
The ferocity in Xie Yanlai's eyes froze. Damn it, he thought.
OpenNovel