jdhmnovel Chapter 382 Coup 6
Chapter 382 Coup 6
"We're saved!" the crowd cheered.
The situation reversed again.
Everyone thought the Tong family was finished this time, and that their lives would be spared.
Even the emperor thought so.
But no one expected that the arrows outside would shoot into the main hall as if they had no eyes.
Shen Lan rolled on the ground with Xiao Ji in her arms to avoid an arrow, then pulled him behind a pillar.
There were people crammed behind every pillar, leaving nowhere to hide.
Shen Lan pointed to the high roof beam above, indicating that Xiao Ji should climb up.
Xiao Ji shook his head, picked up the sword from the ground, walked to the front, and guarded a door, buying the officials behind it a little more time.
"Crazy! Crazy!"
"What is the King of Zheng doing? Is he planning to assassinate the monarch?"
Shen Lan heard the righteous and awe-inspiring voice of the Prince of Zheng.
He shouted, "Fire arrows! Don't let the rebels escape!"
Shen Lan smiled.
Prince Zheng arrived at the perfect time. The Imperial Guards and the Tong family's elite troops were both severely wounded. He led his troops into the palace, and it was clear whether he was there to rescue the emperor or to assassinate him.
But the Tong family won't have the last laugh. Did he really think he could?
The emperor's condition stabilized somewhat.
He saw corpses lying in the main hall, many of whom were loyal old ministers who had served him faithfully.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stood up, supporting himself on the dragon throne.
Wu Xuan quickly stepped forward to help him up, and whispered, "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng's motives are impure. You should avoid him."
"Hmph, I knew it. He hasn't given up all these years, still thinking that the dragon throne should be his. I've finally given him the chance."
"Your Majesty, do you think Prince Zheng has a chance?"
The emperor countered, "Where is the Marquis of Pingyang? Such a major event has occurred in the palace; why has the Marquis of Pingyang not returned?"
Wu Xuan lowered his head and replied, "Perhaps they are trapped in the mountains."
He looked up, a shrewd glint in his eyes, and said with a smirk, "Your Majesty, even if the Marquis of Pingyang came, he wouldn't help you."
"What did you say?"
“I said…” Wu Xuan pulled out the hairpin from his hair and stabbed it into the emperor’s neck.
He pressed the emperor down onto the dragon throne and said viciously, "I say, the situation is hopeless, Your Majesty, may you rest in peace."
"Heh heh..." The emperor coughed up blood and couldn't utter a single word.
"Your Majesty!" The minister hiding below the steps roared upon seeing this scene.
"Wu Xuan, how dare you!"
Wu Xuan pulled out the hairpin, turned around and smiled at them, then inserted the hairpin into her neck.
He fell down with his eyes closed, a satisfied smile always on his face.
Nobody knows why he did that.
The ministers swarmed up and surrounded the dragon throne, wailing and crying.
"His Majesty...has passed away!"
There was a lot of crying.
The rain of arrows stopped.
The Tong family's Black Armor Legion was also wiped out.
King Zheng stepped through the blood-soaked ground into the palace. Upon seeing the emperor's corpse, he wailed, "Brother, how could you abandon your subject?"
His chubby body rushed up the platform.
The kneeling, weeping officials quickly made way for him.
King Zheng collapsed onto the dragon throne, lay on the emperor's corpse, and cried, "Your Majesty, it was your fault for being too late to save the emperor! I deserve to die!"
This is the scene that Li Ge saw when he brought Li Ye over.
Li Ye asked, completely bewildered, "Wu Xuan killed the emperor? Wasn't he one of your men?"
Li Ge watched this scene calmly and replied, "No, he is a man of the King of Zheng, and he has been planted in the palace for many years."
"Have we gotten our revenge? Are all our enemies dead?"
Li Ye still felt a little unreal.
So much happened that day, and so many people died.
It turns out that the infighting under a regime is the most brutal.
Whether it was the emperor, a powerful minister, or an ordinary imperial guard, they all died so easily.
"Lan'er... I'm going to find Lan'er."
Just as Li Ye was about to go in, Li Ge stopped him.
"No rush, she's fine. You can leave the palace now. I'll put your name on the list of those who died in this Imperial Guard operation."
Li Ye has a new household registration, so he can no longer use the name Li Ye.
"Let's go, I should go celebrate the new master's victory."
Li Ye grabbed him. "You've already joined forces with the Prince of Zheng and planned this coup long ago, haven't you?"
"Of course, all this meticulous planning was for today. Otherwise, do you think we could have killed a king on our own?"
"Yes, but you will also become a traitor in the eyes of your subjects, a thorn in the side of many. Why don't you come out of the palace with me?"
"Now that you've avenged your great wrong, what are you doing staying?"
Li Ge pushed him away and said coldly, "Of course I'd stay and enjoy high office and wealth. I paved the way for King Zheng and gained merit in supporting the emperor. Would I be stupid to give up all of this and leave the palace to become a poor person?"
Li Ye looked at him in disbelief.
Li Ge impatiently shooed him away, "Hurry up and leave, or you won't be able to leave later."
Li Ye was anxious, but there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he had no choice but to leave first.
Li Ge watched his retreating figure and muttered to himself, "There always has to be someone who acts as a traitor. Life shouldn't be lived in vain."
Inside the main hall, King Zheng, having finished crying, rose and ordered his men to clean up the scene.
Many civil and military officials also died. When King Zheng saw the corpses of several ministers, he wept again.
"They are all pillars of the nation, yet they have been harmed to such an extent by the Tong family. They deserve to die!"
He commanded with an air of self-righteousness: "Listen up, everyone! Search the entire city for any remaining members of the Tong family, and execute them on the spot!"
"Yes!" came the reply from all of King Zheng's soldiers.
The ministers looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.
Was King Zheng's move intentional or unintentional? What was his purpose?
At this moment, someone shouted: "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. King Zheng has rendered meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion and saved the lives of all the civil and military officials. Moreover, he is in his prime, with both literary and military talents, and is most suitable to inherit the throne. This servant is willing to support King Zheng as the monarch!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a handsome eunuch stride in, kneel down in front of King Zheng, and kowtow to acknowledge him as his master.
Someone recognized him as the head eunuch of Kunning Palace.
Remembering the Empress who hadn't appeared for a long time, everyone guessed that this Steward Li must also be one of Prince Zheng's men.
There was also Steward Wu, who assassinated the emperor and then committed suicide.
I never imagined that the King of Zheng's influence had penetrated so deeply.
There were also ministers in the court whom King Zheng had bribed.
They also stood up to support King Zheng's succession to the throne.
With the crown prince dead and the other princes unremarkable and none worthy of praise, it wouldn't be unreasonable to enthrone the Prince of Zheng as the new ruler.
They are still purer in blood than the Tong family.
"Your subject humbly requests that King Zheng ascend the throne and bless our Great Xi with prosperity and flourishing!"
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
In the dilapidated and in disarray of the main hall, more than a dozen ministers kowtowed to King Zheng.
Many people have not yet recovered from this battle, so it is premature to talk about a new ruler at this time.
Although Lord You is quite old, he still enjoys considerable prestige in the court.
He shakily got to his feet, pointed at the Prince of Zheng, and cursed, "Your intentions are too obvious. Can you bear the crime of regicide?"
Prince Zheng looked completely innocent. "Why does Lord You accuse me of regicide? My elder brother had already passed away when I entered, hadn't he?"
"Isn't Wu Xuan one of your men? Why would he commit regicide at this time of year?"
"How would I know? Perhaps he has long harbored resentment towards my elder brother? Perhaps he is a spy planted by the Tong family?"
Death has no evidence.
King Zheng was fearless and had nothing to fear.