“You… you’ve colluded with the Shang family…” Emperor An’s lips trembled.
Xiao Yan’s eyes flicked upward: “Since I’ve been to the northwest, I’ve naturally met the Shang family. But the Shang family leads the Dragon Court Guards, appointed by the Great Ancestor to protect the imperial line, answering only to the true heir of the royal house. To say they’re colluding with anyone is an overstatement, Your Majesty.”
Emperor An’s face grew even paler, his fingers gripping the dragon throne tightly.
The true heir…
The Dragon Court Guards were created by the Great Ancestor himself to safeguard the legitimate imperial line. If his throne had been rightfully obtained, he would have no fear. But back then, he had forced the late Emperor’s death and seized the throne in the ensuing chaos.
Before his death, the late Emperor had never mentioned the Dragon Court Guards or the token required to command them and the Zhen’an Army. Now, with the Shang family leading the Dragon Court Guards into the palace, if they publicly demanded the Dragon Jade Seal, how could he conceal the truth about the late Emperor’s death or the legitimacy of his throne?
Emperor An was terrified: “Xiao Yan, you’re merely a son of the He family. If the Dragon Court Guards storm the capital, you won’t fare well either.”
“So what?”
The war drums thundered outside, their booming rhythm drowning out the sounds of combat.
The capital, already shaken by the chaos at the palace gates, grew even more panicked as the Dragon Court Guards surrounded the city, their war drums echoing in all directions, filling the citizens with dread.
Xiao Yan wiped the blood from Tang Ning’s face, his voice icy: “The He family was wrongfully destroyed. I’ve never had any intention of sacrificing the realm for personal vengeance. All I seek is justice. But Your Majesty’s actions have truly opened my eyes. Since you won’t let me live in peace, no one will. Let the realm be buried with Your Majesty’s recklessness.”
His lips curled into a smile that sent chills through the heart.
“But why is Your Majesty so afraid of the Dragon Court Guards?”
Emperor An’s lips quivered, his hands clenching tighter.
Marquis Wenxin’s gaze was cold as he looked up: “I recall the Dragon Court Guards were the Great Ancestor’s safeguard for the imperial house, answering only to the royal family, unbound by anyone else. The Shang family has never set foot in the capital and has always been deferential to Your Majesty. How did you convince them to act for you?”
Xiao Yan scoffed: “That’s a question for His Majesty.”
Emperor An, facing the hall’s scrutiny, trembled. The truth about the late Emperor’s death and the illegitimacy of his throne must not be exposed.
In an instant, he softened: “Xiao Yan, all you seek is justice for the He family. I can give you that.”
“The Dragon Court Guards have been entrenched in the northwest for years, no longer the force they were under the Great Ancestor. They dare to march on the capital without imperial command, Shang Jia likely harbors rebellious intent. You’re making a deal with tigers; you may not be able to control them afterward. Why not take a step back with me?”
“I swear, I will clear the He family’s name…”
The words sounded all too familiar. Not only Xiao Yan but the other courtiers in the hall found them hard to stomach.
Fu Laiqing, standing beside Qian Qiyue with blood on his clothes, spoke with biting sarcasm: “Your Majesty swore by the ancestors in the Imperial Temple and issued an edict, only to turn around and order Xiao Yan’s death, branding all the court officials as traitors to be slaughtered. Save your oaths, lest the ancestors’ coffins in the temple burst open.”
Qian Qiyue, for once finding Fu Laiqing’s words agreeable, sneered: “Even a woman like me knows a gentleman’s promise is worth a thousand weights of gold. But Your Majesty treats promises like garbage. I think Lord Xiao should just rebel and topple the court to avoid dying unjustly one day…”
“A-Yue!”
Qian Qingran chided softly.
Qian Qiyue laughed coldly: “Am I wrong? A grand emperor, acting like a base villain, breaking promises without a shred of shame.”
“Father, Duke Cao, and the others offered remonstrance, yet he sees everyone as traitors. He didn’t spare even the generals who earned great merits for Wei. When he ordered their deaths, did he recall a shred of loyalty or their contributions to the realm?”
“His oaths? Only a ghost would believe them!”
Qian Qingran’s expression darkened, though he too despised Emperor An. Tang Ning, at Xiao Yan’s side, gently pulled Qian Qiyue back: “Sister A-Yue.”
Qian Qiyue snorted, her disdain clear to all.
Tang Ning stood beside Xiao Yan, looking up at Emperor An: “To kill my brother, Your Majesty would bathe the court in blood, caring not for the lives of Duke Cao, General Yin, or the other officials and imperial kin. Since your private vendetta outweighs their lives, why bother with this pretense now?”
Emperor An’s fingers trembled: “I… I was momentarily confused…”
“Confused?”
Cao Dejiang’s voice was icy: “Confused enough to forget a ruler’s word is no jest? Confused enough to plan a bloodbath in the court to resolve today’s matter?”
“You would kill censors, seize remonstrators, and slaughter courtiers, leaving all of Wei’s civil and martial officials dead in this hall. I don’t think Your Majesty is confused. You never intended to investigate the events of twenty years ago. What are you afraid of? Why must you kill Xiao Yan at all costs?”
General Yin, disillusioned by the earlier events, was equally disappointed in Emperor An. His robes were bloodstained, and the martial generals beside him bore wounds.
Emperor An had truly meant to leave them all dead in Zichen Hall.
General Yin’s face was frosted: “I’ve served through three reigns and witnessed the Great Ancestor establish the Dragon Court Guards. They are not the work of one man; their leaders were all loyal to the imperial house. Even if the Shang family leads them, they would never betray the royal family.”
“If Your Majesty has no guilt, why fear Shang Qin’s entry into the capital? Where is the boldness you showed when ordering indiscriminate slaughter?”
Emperor An’s face grew paler, and the escalating drumbeats outside heightened his panic.
“Disaster! The Dragon Court Guards have reached the palace gates!”
A desperate cry from outside shattered Emperor An’s composure.
“Xiao Yan!” His voice trembled: “I was wrong. Breaking my word was my mistake. Don’t let the Dragon Court Guards enter the palace…”
Seeing Xiao Yan unmoved, he turned to General Yin.
“General Yin, the Dragon Court Guards are not what they once were. I cannot command them. Xiao Yan is making a deal with tigers and cannot control the men left by the Great Ancestor. Their entry isn’t about the events of twenty years ago. Shang Qin has long defied imperial orders.”
“I shouldn’t have broken my word, but the Dragon Court Guards must not enter the palace, or the realm will truly descend into chaos!”
General Yin looked at Emperor An’s helpless panic, his expression slowly hardening.
The Dragon Court Guards were created by the Great Ancestor, composed of those most loyal to the imperial house. Even if the Shang family defied orders, not all their generals would follow suit. Yet Emperor An was so terrified, claiming he couldn’t command them and that their entry would plunge the realm into chaos.
General Yin’s heart tightened. Why was Emperor An so certain? Unless…
His throne was illegitimately gained!
What General Yin realized, others in the hall could deduce as well. The civil and martial officials were stunned
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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