Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 167 Rebellion

"Don't get excited. What if you get sick from anger?"

The corners of Chu Yunyi's mouth rose slightly, revealing a playful smile. He looked at Chu Yunxiao as if he was looking at a clown, and his eyes were full of undisguised sarcasm.

"Look at this fourth brother, he is almost coming to the Shenwu Gate, he is so daring and lawless! Don't worry, third brother, I, the emperor, will go and teach this ignorant kid a lesson on your behalf!" After saying that, Chu Yunyi gently raised his hand and casually snapped his fingers loudly and crisply.

In an instant, the numerous guards who had been hiding around them suddenly appeared like ghosts. They were well-trained, solemn-looking, and wielding sharp weapons, exuding a chilling aura.

Chu Yunyi's face was calm as water, but his tone was extremely steady and forceful as he spoke and ordered: "His Majesty's safety is in your hands!" As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves, turned around and strode out of the Golden Palace.

At the same time, at the gate of Zhaojing City.

Chu Yunzheng tightly grasped the reins of the horse in his hand and shook it hard. The horse under him immediately raised its head and neighed.

He looked up at the towering city gate tower and shouted to the guards above, "I have come to rescue you at the command of the Emperor. Why don't you rush and open the city gates to welcome me?" After saying this, as if worried that the people on the tower might be suspicious, he unhesitatingly pulled out a bright yellow imperial edict from his bosom, raised it high in the air, and waved it, shouting, "Here is the imperial edict. Who dares to stop me?"

The guards on the city wall looked at each other, at a loss for a moment.

One of the guards hesitated for a moment, then quickly turned his head and cast his gaze on the majestic general standing not far behind him.

The general nodded slightly, indicating that he agreed to let him go.

After getting the general's permission, the guards did not dare to delay any longer and took action immediately.

With a heavy and slow creaking sound, the huge and sturdy city gate slowly opened to both sides as the soldiers pushed forward with concerted efforts.

Seeing the city gate gradually opening, a hint of excitement flashed in Chu Yunzheng's eyes.

He swung his arm and lashed the horse's butt with the whip in his hand. With a long neigh, the powerful horse galloped out like an arrow.

A large number of elite troops followed closely behind him and advanced towards the city in a mighty manner.

However, at this moment the streets in the city were empty, without a single person in sight.

Looking around, every household has its doors and windows closed. The closed doors are like silent lines of defense, isolating the noise and danger from the outside world.

Chu Yunzheng and his group marched forward unhindered, their momentum high as they headed straight towards the imperial palace.

As they were about to reach Shenwu Gate, Chu Yunzheng suddenly raised his hand and waved it gently, signaling everyone to stop.

The Shenwu Gate was tightly closed, and there was no one in front of the gate, even the imperial guards who were usually responsible for guarding the gate were nowhere to be seen.

The spacious palace road was deserted. Not to mention the presence of the imperial guards, even the slightest movement was difficult to detect.

Da Zuo, standing by, couldn't help but frown, his face full of worry. He lowered his voice and said to Chu Yunzheng, "Your Highness, I feel something is wrong!"

Chu Yunzheng's expression remained calm. He raised his eyes slightly, glanced at the silent scene around him, and slowly said, "Anyone can see that there's something strange going on here."

Da Zuo became increasingly nervous upon hearing this and quickly asked, "Should we retreat?"

Chu Yunzheng raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a slightly playful smile, and said softly: "I'm afraid it's too late."

As soon as he finished speaking, as if in response to his words, a burst of hurried footsteps came from all directions.

In the blink of an eye, a group of fully armed imperial guards emerged like a tide and quickly surrounded Chu Yunzheng and others.

The man in the lead was tall and strong, wearing a set of imperial guards' armor that shone with cold light. He blocked Chu Yunzheng's way in a majestic manner.

This person was none other than Jiang Huaicheng, the deputy commander of the Sinan Army in front of the palace. He stared at Chu Yunzheng with his eyes wide open, and sternly said, "Your Highness, Prince Huai, you are storming the palace with such fanfare and such a large army. Are you planning a rebellion?"

Facing Jiang Huaicheng's questioning, Chu Yunzheng's face was calm and composed, without any sign of panic. He looked composed and calm as a pond, and responded calmly: "I came here on the orders of the emperor, how could I be accused of rebellion?"

Jiang Huaicheng's face was full of contempt, and he smiled coldly: "Wearing heavy armor, holding sharp blades, and leading a crowd to break into the palace, such behavior is not treason?" His words were full of doubt and contempt.

Chu Yunzheng tightly grasped the golden imperial edict in both hands, raised it above his head, and shouted loudly: "The King of Yue has evil intentions and attempts to usurp the throne. I have come here in compliance with the emperor's order to capture this traitor. It is neither morally nor logically wrong!" His voice was as loud as a bell, echoing all around.

"This is ridiculous!" Jiang Huaicheng said sternly, without flinching. "Your Majesty has never issued such an order! It's clear that you, Your Highness, have ulterior motives!"

Chu Yunzheng remained silent.

After a brief pause, he roared in an increasingly angry tone: "The safety of the emperor is imminent and cannot be delayed! But you are here trying every means to prevent me from entering the palace to rescue him. If the emperor encounters any accident or mishap as a result, can you bear the responsibility?" Chu Yunzheng's roar was deafening, as if to tear apart the air around him.

Jiang Huaicheng stood straight, showing no fear at all. He held his head high and chest puffed out, his gaze determined as he responded, "As subjects, we swear to be loyal to His Majesty until death and protect Him to the utmost. Even if I shed my last drop of blood today, I will never let you set foot in the palace!"

"The emperor has previously said that Your Highness Prince Huai cannot return to the capital without a summons, but now you have returned without permission. Isn't this a blatant violation of the emperor's order? Don't blame me for being rude for such behavior!" Jiang Huaicheng said righteously.

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his arm, and the group of imperial guards, as fierce as wolves and tigers, rushed forward like a tide.

Chu Yunzheng was helpless in the face of this situation, but the situation had come to this point, and the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. So he immediately gave the order: "All soldiers, listen to my order, follow me and charge in to rescue me!"

After he finished speaking, he pulled the reins suddenly, and the horse under his crotch neighed and raised its front hooves high. At the same time, he drew the sword from his waist, and with a flash of cold light, he led the charge forward.

Jiang Huaicheng on the opposite side did not retreat when he saw this situation. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes. He gripped the spear tightly with both hands, shouted loudly, and rode his horse to meet the enemy.

In an instant, the originally wide and flat palace road turned into a bloody and cruel battlefield, with shouts of killing and the sounds of weapons clashing one after another.

There were flashes of knives, shadows of swords, and blood splattering everywhere, which was shocking.

……

At this time, outside the Shenwu Gate, corpses were scattered all over the ground, blood flowed like a river, and the air was filled with a strong and pungent smell of blood.

The Shenwu Gate was filled with a murderous atmosphere, as if even the wind had frozen at this moment.

Xu Zhouye's face was grim, his left hand holding his sword while his right hand firmly grasped Qinghe beside him. If any enemy dared to come even a step closer, Xu Zhouye would swing his sword with unstoppable force, instantly killing them.

On the other side not far away, Xuan Qi was agile and moving among the crowd like a ghost.

He carefully protected Su Ming behind him, and the pair of mandarin duck swords in his hands flew up and down like two nimble poisonous snakes. Every attack was accurate and he could kill an enemy with one sword. His movements were clean and neat, without any delay.

Looking at the chaotic scene before her, Queen Mother Jiang, who was tightly surrounded by soldiers, was shaking with anger. She shouted at the soldiers around her who were scrambling but still unable to catch the four people, "You good-for-nothings! What are you all doing? There are so many of you, and you can't even catch four people!"

However, just yelling like this didn't seem to be enough to fully vent the anger in her heart.

Queen Mother Jiang whipped her head around and pointed the sharp tip of her spear directly at Xu Zhouye, who was not far away. She gnashed her teeth and cursed, "Queen! You are disobedient and treacherous, wielding your sword against me. Your actions are no different from those of that traitor!"

Facing Queen Mother Jiang's rebuke and abuse, Xu Zhouye showed no sign of weakness. He straightened his spine, raised his voice, and responded loudly, "It was clearly you, Queen Mother, who first attempted to harm me. I was forced to draw my sword in self-defense. If I hadn't had some martial arts experience, I would have perished by now, becoming a wronged soul in your hands!"

After hearing Xu Zhouye's righteous rebuttal, Queen Mother Jiang's expression became even darker, like the bottom of a pot, as if water could drip out of it.

She knew very well that continuing to argue at this moment was not a good idea. The situation was already out of control, and continuing to stay in this stalemate would only make things worse.

After weighing the pros and cons, Queen Mother Jiang took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and shouted sternly, "Enough! Stop it, everyone!"

Following the order from Queen Mother Jiang, Fu Chuoren and others who were fighting fiercely finally stopped their actions.

On the other side, Xu Zhouye saw that the other party had stopped, and slowly put away the sword in his hand. He felt his legs go weak and his body was a little shaky.

Seeing this, Qinghe, who was standing beside him, quickly supported his master and asked with concern, "Your Highness... How are you? Are you hurt?"

"It's okay..." Xu Zhouye waved his hands, then unconsciously clutched his stomach, thinking: I'm sorry, but I'm letting you see the world first. But...if your father knew about this, he would definitely faint from anger.

Seeing how exhausted he was, Queen Mother Jiang raised the corners of her lips slightly, a sly glint in her eyes, and then she spoke slowly, her tone seemingly amiable but concealing a threat: "Queen, look at how you look now. It truly pains me. If you only listen to me, you will naturally suffer less. I am not a heartless person and will not take your life or the lives of the other three easily. You only need to honestly hand over the national seal to me, and I will keep my promise and let you leave safely. What do you think?"

However, in the face of Queen Mother Jiang's threats and inducements, Xu Zhouye snorted coldly and responded with disdain: "No, what to do!" The three words were said in a decisive tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

"You!" Queen Mother Jiang was so angry that her face turned blue, her chest heaving violently. She pointed at Xu Zhouye and scolded, "You ungrateful person! You refused my toast and insisted on drinking the penalty wine. Don't blame me for being rude to you!"

After she finished speaking, she swung her arm violently. Seeing this, the group of soldiers behind her who were watching with eager eyes immediately rushed forward again like a tide, and were about to launch a new round of fierce attacks on Xu Zhouye and the others.

At this critical moment, a loud shout suddenly came: "Wait!" This voice was like thunder out of the blue, instantly stopping the actions of everyone present.

Queen Mother Jiang was startled and quickly turned her head to look at the palace gate following the sound.

I saw Chu Yunyi walking towards this side with steady steps and leisurely strolling.

Queen Mother Jiang's expression changed drastically. She widened her eyes in disbelief, her lips slightly parted, and she stammered, "You...you..." For a moment she was so shocked that she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Chu Yunyi's lips curled up slightly, a faint smile forming on his lips. He whispered, "Mother, why are you so surprised? Could it be that you are overly happy to see your son?"

"Why are you here?" Queen Mother Jiang finally came to her senses and asked in astonishment, "The fourth brother is rebelling, and Shenwu Gate is almost unable to hold on. The situation is so critical, why did you have the mind to come here instead of staying there to command?"