Emperor An, hearing Cao Dejiang’s words, felt as though his dignity had been trampled into the dirt. He laughed in fury.
“Good, what an upright and unmatched Cao Boru!”
His face hardened: “Guards, seize Cao Dejiang as well!!”
Though he said “seize,” everyone could see the murderous intent in Emperor An’s eyes toward Cao Dejiang.
Qian Baokun quickly stepped to Cao Dejiang’s side: “Duke Cao merely spoke plainly. Why must Your Majesty fly into a rage out of shame?”
Marquis Wenxin also said coldly: “It is the duty of a censor to remonstrate directly. To kill him would be the act of a tyrant!”
Though the upright faction had been stunned by the palace coup, they knew Cao Dejiang must not die. The right of the Censorate to admonish and speak freely was established by the Great Ancestor himself. It was their duty to advise the emperor. If Emperor An truly killed Cao Dejiang, the Censorate would become a hollow shell.
“Duke Cao is the Censor-in-Chief; advising Your Majesty is his duty.”
“Though Xiao Yan committed an offense against you, he agreed to withdraw. Since Your Majesty promised not to pursue today’s matter, you should not go back on your word.”
“A ruler’s word is paramount; a sovereign does not jest.”
“Duke Cao has no connection with Xiao Yan and could not possibly be colluding with him. Your Majesty, do not act rashly and harm a loyal vassal’s heart.”
Voices gradually rose from the crowd, and one by one, people stepped behind Cao Dejiang.
Emperor An watched them clamor in Cao Dejiang’s defense, some even daring to criticize him. His rage intensified, the throbbing vein in his head pulsing as his bloodshot eyes burned with the desire to kill all who opposed him.
He grabbed an object from the table and hurled it at the last speaker.
“I’ve already said, anyone who pleads for Xiao Yan will be killed!”
“Since you all wish to die, I’ll grant your wish. Liu Tong’en!!”
More imperial guards flooded the hall’s entrance. After Emperor An’s command, some advanced toward the courtiers.
Emperor An’s voice was chilling: “Kill them. If anyone else dares plead for Xiao Yan, deal with them as well!”
The civil officials who had spoken paled, never expecting Emperor An to harbor such bloodthirsty intent.
Even those who hadn’t spoken changed expressions, staring at the disheveled, red-eyed, ferocious Emperor An atop the throne. They thought him mad. Xiao Yan, a so-called “traitor,” hadn’t harmed anyone, only seeking justice, yet Emperor An intended to bathe Zichen Hall in blood!
General Yin’s eyes grew cold. He kicked an imperial guard aiming to slaughter the civil officials. Several other martial generals stepped forward, forming a protective circle around Cao Dejiang and the others.
The atmosphere in the hall grew tense, a standoff between ruler and subjects.
“You dare rebel as well?!” Emperor An gripped the dragon throne tightly.
“I have no wish to rebel, but I will not stand by and watch a tyrant destroy Great Wei!”
“Yin Bao!!”
Emperor An glared at General Yin and the other martial generals, his bloodshot eyes blazing with fury. As the standoff between ruler and subjects intensified, the fighting between Xiao Yan and the imperial guards grew ever more brutal.
Prince Zeng, who had been trembling behind a pillar, was suddenly kicked and shoved forward, stumbling out from the crowd. He looked back in panic, unable to see who had pushed him. As he tried to retreat, all eyes fell on him.
Emperor An’s killing intent surged: “Xie Pingjia, you dare rebel too?!”
Prince Zeng’s face was ashen, feeling the weight of countless piercing gazes, especially Emperor An’s, which seemed to flay him alive.
His legs shook, but with no way to retreat, he stiffened his spine and faced the scrutiny: “Father Emperor is the ruler, and your son would never harbor disloyal thoughts. But Father Emperor is wrong in today’s matter.”
“A ruler should govern with virtue, and a gentleman’s promise should not be lightly broken. Since Father Emperor issued the edict, you should honor it. The events of twenty years ago must be investigated, and the He family may not have rebelled. For the sake of the wronged souls of the south and the clarity of the court, Father Emperor should not go back on your word or kill remonstrating officials in a fit of rage.”
With no way out, Prince Zeng didn’t know if he would live or die after today, but he had no choice but to see this through.
“I beg Father Emperor to rescind your order, allow Xiao Yan to leave the palace, and, as Duke Cao and General Yin have urged, thoroughly investigate the old case.”
Emperor An stared coldly at his second son, veins bulging on his forehead as he sneered.
“Good, very good. Truly my fine son!”
Using him to win the courtiers’ hearts, what a fine son!
“Seize Prince Zeng as well, dead or alive!”
Emperor An’s murderous intent was undisguised. The martial generals’ faces hardened, and as the hall descended into chaos with courtiers clashing, some began to sustain injuries. The women and children screamed in terror.
Liang Guangyi and the others felt a chill, realizing Emperor An had truly lost his mind. If he killed these civil and martial officials, the court would be half-emptied. Yu Yanfeng’s sword hand trembled with bulging veins, his face filled with hesitation and conflict as he watched the escalating carnage.
Eunuch Feng stood beside the grim-faced Emperor An, a short sword hidden in his sleeve. He leaned closer, appearing to protect the emperor, but his lips pressed tighter.
Just as he prepared to act, seeing Xiao Yan drenched in blood before the hall, a resounding boom echoed through the palace.
It was followed by continuous drumbeats, unlike the muffled signal drums used within the palace. These war drums shook the heavens, piercing the night sky and striking the hearts of everyone in the hall.
Yu Yanfeng looked up sharply: “War drums?!”
Where were war drums coming from in the capital?!
Liu Tong’en, who had been besieging Xiao Yan, faltered, struck on the shoulder by Xiao Yan’s sword and stumbling back. Instead of advancing, he joined the martial generals in looking toward the night sky outside: Why were there war drums?
“Stop!” Marquis Wenxin shouted: “Your Majesty, those are war drums! Order them to stop!”
General Yin’s voice was grim: “These are battlefield drums, used to command armies in war.”
Emperor An’s face changed, and he shouted: “Liu Tong’en…”
“Your Majesty, those aren’t my men.”
Liu Tong’en’s expression was equally grim. He had suspected Xiao Yan due to Lu Chongyuan’s dying words and had grown wary of Di Tao’s sudden appearance in the capital. He had tampered with the suburban camp troops and left men in reserve as a precaution, but he hadn’t brought that private army into the city.
After the palace coup, Feng Lai had helped him signal his men outside with muffled drums and signal fires to hold back Di Tao’s forces at the palace gates, enabling him and the emperor to move against Xiao Yan. But these war drums were distant, continuous, and not too close, sounding as though several were beating in unison, reaching Zichen Hall from afar.
The sound didn’t come from the palace gates but from outside the city…
Emperor An’s gaze snapped to Xiao Yan: “It’s you!”
Xiao Yan’s robes were blood-soaked, his scarlet official garb torn in countless places, yet Tang Ning in his arms was unharmed.
At Emperor An’s accusation, Xiao Yan’s phoenix-like eyes lifted, blood dripping from his sword as he sneered mockingly:
“I told you to remember your words.”
“I didn’t want the He family’s name tarnished and trusted you once for the sake of General Yin and the others. But you didn’t cherish it. Since that’s the case, I’ll fulfill Your Majesty’s wish. I wonder if you can control the Dragon Court Guards, the elite troops passed down by the Great Ancestor, once the Shang family leads them into the palace.”
Emperor An froze, his earlier madness doused as if by cold water, nearly collapsing.
The Dragon Court Guards?!
The Dragon Jade Seal…
The late Emperor’s death!
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T/N: Eunuch Feng was about to go for it lol
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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