Looking at the high-spirited young man, his body was in tatters, and his face was bruised.
Xiao Yan, for once, spoke with gentleness:
“I was delayed a while inside the palace. As soon as things were settled, I came straight here.”
Di Tao whimpered twice, both aggrieved and indignant:
“Uncle, you don’t know how shameless that dog thief Shang Qin is! He stalled with feigned maneuvers, then actually brought troops to attack the city. Just now he even tried to kill me and Jin Yun…”
“This overseer already knows.”
Just listening to the cries of slaughter outside, seeing the ground drenched in blood, one could tell exactly what the Dragon Court Guard had done.
Xiao Yan patted his “dog head,” motioning the furious Di Tao to step aside. Sweeping his gaze over Jin Yun and the others, seeing them covered in wounds, his eyes darkened even more. Stepping ahead of the crowd, he went straight to the palace gate and lifted his gaze toward the man mounted on horseback opposite.
“General Shang, you have broken your word.”
From his high perch, Shang Qin looked down at the bloodied Xiao Yan, face full of ridicule:
“This general made no promises, so how could I break them?”
When Xiao Yan had approached him through Di Shuangcheng, he had only hinted that Emperor An was not the rightful successor, mentioning in passing that the Dragon Jade Order was not in the emperor’s possession. He spoke of the countless wrongful deaths in the southern territories, promising only to “see to matters of the South” and to bring troops to the capital to question the emperor. He had never promised to help Xiao Yan.
Shang Qin’s tone was cold:
“You conspire with the Di family, yet forget, the Dragon Court Guard was founded by the Great Ancestor himself to safeguard the imperial house and preserve the Xie dynasty. You tricked me into bringing troops into the capital to act on your behalf, but did you really think I would join hands with a treacherous usurper like you?
“You borrow the He family’s name, collude with the Di family, and plunge the capital into chaos. Naturally, this general must eliminate you for His Majesty as the traitor you are.”
“You’re the traitor!” Di Tao cursed aloud.
Xiao Yan raised a hand to silence him. Looking up at Shang Qin, though shorter in stature, his presence was no less forceful:
“So General Shang means that the Dragon Court Guard entered the capital in loyalty to the throne?”
“Of course.”
“But His Majesty is unharmed, and has already issued an edict clearing my name. There is no coup tonight, what need is there for ‘loyalty to the throne’?”
“Impossible!”
“The imperial edict is here. Nothing is impossible. If General Shang does not believe me, I can summon the full court of ministers to the palace gate, let you question them one by one.”
Xiao Yan’s gaze bore into him, voice cutting like steel:
“His Majesty knows the Dragon Court Guard abandoned the northwest to storm the capital, risking calamity. He has ordered me to carry the Tiger Tally, lead the palace guards, and command you to withdraw immediately. Whoever disobeys will be treated as a rebel!”
When Shang Qin saw the bright yellow edict and the Tiger Tally pressed upon it, his expression turned especially grim.
He had deliberately delayed his entry into the capital, ignored the agreed drumbeat timing, and even allowed Liu Tong’en’s men into the city to slaughter Di Tao’s forces, waiting until the chaos was nearly ripe before leading his own assault.
Yet after all this time, not only had Emperor An failed to seize Xiao Yan, he had even issued him an imperial pardon and handed him the Tiger Tally?
That useless fool of an emperor!
Shang Qin’s face hardened:
“You forced your way into the Forbidden Palace with Di Tao, throwing the capital into chaos. The night is filled with killing, who knows where this so-called edict and Tiger Tally came from? For all we know, even the emperor is already dead, and you are merely using forged commands to hold the realm hostage.”
“Dragon Court Guard, hear my order, enter the palace at once to rescue His Majesty! Do not heed this villain’s lies. Anyone who resists, kill!”
The clash of blades and the press of armor made the palace guards tense to the bone. Di Tao gripped his spear tightly.
Xiao Yan’s voice rang cold:
“The Tiger Tally is in my hand. Does the Dragon Court Guard intend open rebellion?”
Shang Qin sneered:
“The Tiger Tally can command the army, but my Dragon Court Guard is under no one’s leash. Do you think a mere tally can halt me?”
“If the Tiger Tally is not enough… what about something else?”
Facing the encroaching troops, Xiao Yan showed no fear:
“Shang Qin, will you deny even the Great Ancestor’s seal of authority?”
“What?”
Shang Qin’s expression changed drastically, thinking he must have misheard. But then Xiao Yan raised something high in his hand. Smaller than the Tiger Tally, too far away to be seen clearly, yet Shang Qin’s heart thumped wildly.
The Dragon Jade Order…
It was the Dragon Jade Order!
But how could that be in Xiao Yan’s possession?!
Shang Qin tried to tell himself it was a bluff, that the Dragon Jade Order had been lost for years, and Xiao Yan must have found some trinket to trick him into withdrawing. But Xiao Yan’s face was too calm, those eyes too cold and commanding, piercing even across such distance.
Clutching his sword tightly, Shang Qin roared:
“What ancestral seal? Just another lie from a treacherous rebel to deceive this general!
“Do not listen to his nonsense! Enter the palace, rescue His Majesty! All rebels, kill without mercy!”
The Dragon Court Guard surged forward, and Di Tao and the others turned pale. Even Yu Yanfeng, who had come out with them, tensed to the utmost.
“Uncle Xiao!” Di Tao muttered lowly. “The Shang family has betrayed us…”
Shang Qin would not recognize the Dragon Jade Order!
It seemed Xiao Yan had anticipated this reaction. Producing the Dragon Jade Order was just a step in the process. Calmly, he tucked it back against his body. As Shang Qin led his cavalry charging ahead, Xiao Yan’s expression froze over:
“Retreat.”
Di Tao stumbled as Yu Yanfeng instinctively pulled back.
Xiao Yan had stood at the very front. As he stepped back, the palace guards behind him all withdrew within the gate.
Shang Qin galloped his horse onto Jinshui Bridge, just then, an arrow whistled from high above, striking the bridgehead. Shang Qin sneered, dismissive, until the arrow burst apart on impact with a *boom*, sparks flashing.
“Not good! Retreat!!”
His roar was cut short as an earth-shaking explosion erupted on Jinshui Bridge. The ground trembled, men and horses alike thrown into chaos. Flame and thunderous blast silenced all.
“T-this is…”
Yu Yanfeng stood dumbstruck.
Xiao Yan’s face remained calm:
“An odd little toy I discovered while seeking alchemists for His Majesty.”
Yu Yanfeng’s mouth worked soundlessly. Staring at the collapsed bridge, the mangled corpses scattered across it, he swallowed hard, voice trembling:
“So… Overseer Xiao had prepared long in advance…”
Then he froze, face going deathly pale.
Though Jinshui Bridge was outside the palace, it was not far from the gate. Palace guards patrolled it daily. How had Xiao Yan planted such “toys” under their very noses? If he could do it here, what about inside the palace? Inside the Purple Dawn Hall? Were such “toys” buried there as well?
If tonight’s coup had gone against Xiao Yan, if Liu Tong’en had entered, drums pounding outside, and His Majesty had refused to yield, determined to keep Xiao Yan trapped inside,
Then the Purple Dawn Hall right now…
Yu Yanfeng shuddered violently, feeling ice spread through his whole body. The palace guards who had come out with him also trembled, realizing they had already brushed past the halls of the underworld.
Di Tao only hugged his spear tighter.
Ruthless. His uncle was still the most ruthless of them all.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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