Chapter 241

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Rui Huanghou was shrouded in enormous shock, feeling that her son had also fallen prey to the bewitching curse of that thing called power; she was terrified to the extreme, left with only a single thought: she must summon the Witch God to come, to stop and dispel this killing curse!

However, chaos reigned here, and no one could be commanded by her; she scrambled up heedlessly, shoved aside two guards, and tried to force her way through this Blood Sea Demon Abyss to seek out gods and ghosts for rescue, to wake her son, to wake all those who should not have had to die!

But even without Liu Cheng giving an order, guards with blood on their hands intercepted her of their own accord; they had staked everything and had no intention of turning back, absolutely refusing to allow anyone to ruin the grand plan.

"We beseech the Empress to remain peacefully here, to aid us in accomplishing this great undertaking!"

"We ask the Empress to prioritize the overall situation!"

Their eyes glinted with a food-guarding ferocity, but in the eyes of the seemingly near-mad Rui Huanghou it was another kind of thoroughgoing madness; the Empress, her features ruined and hair disheveled, cried out: "Move aside, quickly move aside, I am precisely going to invite the Witch God to take charge of the overall situation!"

"Empress, forgive the offense!"

Two guards forcibly pressed Rui Huanghou onto the bedding, stood watch over her with blades drawn; a lady-in-waiting who had been scared out of her wits wept as she clung tightly to Rui Huanghou: "Empress, Empress...!"

Liu Cheng knelt on the bedding, his back to his struggling, pleading mother, and informed her in a hoarse voice: "Mother Empress need not labor in vain; the Witch God will not come..."

"But Mother Empress rest assured, just wait until tonight passes, and the Witch God can forever remain by my side and Mother Empress's..." He seemed to be speaking to his mother, yet more like speaking to himself: "After tonight passes, no one will ever be able to snatch the Witch God away again."

As he spoke here, a smile tinged with tears bloomed on Liu Cheng's face, wet with tears and sweat, as if he were already drawing on that vast power in advance; therefore he finally dared to look straight at his Imperial Father, who was being protected by the Imperial Guard as he retreated, his eyes meeting head-on the gaze that had made him fear for so long, and baring a surging accusation and defiance.

The undying tear-light in Liu Cheng's eyes reflected the bloody light; endless tears seemed to have become boiling blood; he used his gaze to tell his Imperial Father — he too was a son of the Liu clan, unyielding blood also flowed in his bones, only it had finally boiled over at the moment everyone had deemed "it should not."

Long-standing fear and the blood-qi that had burned slowly battled within his body; Liu Cheng felt as if placed between ice and fire, his jaw trembling, his breath scorching, the human figures he saw all distorting under the knife-light.

Half the guards and Imperial Guard did the killing; the remaining half protected him at the front, as if guarding a precious seal that could help them ascend to heaven.

The Emperor, who had proclaimed he would fight his way out, was ultimately unable to personally wield a blade and kill due to old age and frailty, and was also forcibly protected as he retreated; the High-Density King, who was cursing his bad luck in his heart, was compelled to escort the Emperor, hurriedly supporting him as they retreated into another adjacent palace chamber under the knife-light, seeking a way out to survive.

Palace chambers and pavilions connected, with corridors looping around; both sides chased and killed without cease; because of the change in the forces Liu Qi brought, Liu Cheng's side did not achieve the planned one-sided slaughter, and failed to smoothly execute Sixth Brother and the Sovereign Father at the very start; Liu Cheng felt some unease, but then immediately thought, letting Imperial Father escape a bit was also fine — the overall situation would not be changed regardless; before death, just let Imperial Father also play once the role of a timid rat scurrying everywhere seeking a place of peace...

Inside the palace garden, the situation was even more tragic than the indoor slaughter; both sides' forces checked each other, neither allowing the other to pour into the palace chambers in large numbers as reinforcements; bloody bodies fell outside the palace chambers, piled on the stone steps, writhing, struggling, like a breathing wall of crimson ghost gates.

The vast palace garden was dyed red; after the first round of fierce combat, neither side had managed to overwhelm the other in momentum.

The Crown Prince and the Empress's guards numbered over a hundred together; lured by the enormous prospect of advancement, and possessing a certain confidence of inevitable victory, they neither feared nor retreated.

Their opponents were the Sixth Prince and his guards, plus the hundred Imperial Guard from the front ranks led by Xue Yang to reinforce; the struggle inside the palace chambers allowed these Imperial Guard to clearly discern who the true regicide was; they held the legitimacy, had not heard news of the Emperor's death, and had witnessed the Sixth Prince's bold courage fighting at the very front with sword raised; thus their spirits rose and they coalesced, showing no sign of decline.

Only, not long after the two sides engaged, another squad of nearly fifty or sixty Imperial Guard surged in; the palace garden's main gate was shut; these Imperial Guard had red cloth strips tied on their arms, drew blades and joined the Crown Prince's guards — they were the men Du Shulin had arranged to leave behind, deployed by Guo Shi.

With over three hundred people fighting, although the Crown Prince's side held a numerical advantage, they no longer possessed the conditions for a swift, decisive victory; the palace garden was large and the scenery complex, corridors, fake mountains, and flower beds scattered irregularly; Liu Qi and Xue Yang used this to avoid head-on large-scale grinding slaughter, dispersing as much as possible to coordinate and kill enemies.

Both sides wore armor; in close combat it was very difficult to inflict a fatal wound with a single strike, and human stamina is limited; under fierce assault and killing, hacking and blocking for half a quarter-hour would become strenuous, requiring breath, movements slowing thereafter. Therefore, once the initial fierce offensive failed to crush the enemy formation and morale in one go, causing massive casualties, the situation would gradually sink into a war of attrition.

Phase-by-phase combat never ceased; bleeding, watching, confronting, enduring, waiting.

The noise brought by the fierce melee was blocked layer upon layer by the unintentional mountain forests, wood, and stone, and by the intentional holder of the Imperial Seal; it could not spread out in a short time.

Guo Shi held the Imperial Seal, and while waiting anxiously, he paid strict attention to the news and movements from all quarters.

The actual situation deviated from the plan's expectations; the Crown Prince's guards were prepared, originally needing only to wait for Liu Qi to appear to secure victory in one strike, but the Emperor was on guard, and when he went to visit the Crown Prince he also carried ten-odd elite loyal Imperial Guard close by; and that Liu Qi brat, shortly after entering the palace garden, already had Xue Yang arrive with a hundred Imperial Guard to reinforce... in such a short time, not even enough to relay a message, that brat had clearly been on guard long ago, using patrol duty as cover to make deployments!

This made Guo Shi unable to avoid suspecting a traitor at work; precisely because of this, he had to be even more cautious; and although he held the Seal, he also could not rashly mobilize more Imperial Guard to go there —

First, because the Shanglin Park area is too large, the Imperial Guard are dispersed on patrol and guard duty; summoning and mobilizing them all would take too long, and would inevitably alarm the various kings and ministers, making it extremely easy for the situation to spiral out of control.

Second, since that ghost-like brat had prepared early, and with an unknown traitor existing, how could one guarantee there isn't a second or third Xue Yang among the Shanglin Park Imperial Guard? Moreover, the Emperor is not yet dead; if the mobilized Imperial Guard were instead used by the other side, that would be self-destruction.

Government affairs and military killing are not child's play or fantasy; those fifty or sixty Imperial Guard used to reinforce the Crown Prince were the confidants Du Shulin could possibly leave behind; Du Shulin commands the Imperial Guard, but not all Imperial Guard are Du Shulin's private property; the Emperor has not been sidelined, and the various major and minor Imperial Guard commanders each have their own open or secret stances; Guo Shi knows very well that the Crown Prince does not possess the prestige to suppress them all on the spot.

At this moment the Crown Prince's side is not at a disadvantage; absolutely cannot, and there is no need to, anxiously and rashly dispatch hard-to-control Imperial Guard — the most urgent task is to stabilize the situation, wait for Du Shulin to return with men, then in one sweep clean up the remaining threats, firmly grasp the situation and people's hearts, and everything will be perfectly auspicious!

As early as when Liu Qi stepped into that palace garden, Guo Shi had already sent someone on a fast horse to deliver a message to Du Shulin; Guo Shi calculated the time, Du Shulin must currently already be on the road back.

At this critical juncture of life, death, success, failure, survival, and extinction, Guo Shi paced indoors; messages went in and out.

The Imperial Guard in various parts of Shanglin Park, though they could not be mobilized for regicide, could be used to gather intelligence and seal off information, to guard against and check, not giving the trapped beast a chance to break out.

Guo Shi walked until he was truly tired, sat back behind the case table, gazed at the Imperial Seal on the table, and let out a long, long breath.

After a moment, he sighed with emotion and muttered to himself: "I am but a eunuch, what do I seek? Merely to survive and live long..."

Yet there are always nobles who don't want him to live; he doesn't want to die, so he can only rack his brains and devise every possible way to not let those nobles live.

The fear he had suffered recently finally began to slowly recede; Guo Shi raised a hand to stroke that Seal, with a few parts regret, but imagining the days after tonight passed, he ultimately also revealed a reassured smile, and let out a short laugh.

More laughter was rising at this moment — hearty, joyful, admiring, and children's playful clamor — rising and falling in succession, filling the vast Autumn Hunt Enclosure.

Under one colored canopy after another, with case tables set, sat many officials and family members, chatting and laughing with each other, waiting for today's most bountiful hunting victor to be announced.

As the sun slanted westward, more and more people returned from the mountain forest hunting grounds, most carrying game, drawing children's cries of surprise and crowds gathering to look.

Some sharp-eared kings and nobles learned of the Crown Prince's injury, and also vaguely sensed the occurrence of some "family upheaval"; their hearts were agitated, but their bodies dared not move rashly.

Such matters are like beast fights; only the final victorious ferocious beast will be worshipped; before victory or defeat is decided, to approach rashly, with even a slight misstep in one's position, one might become the unlucky wretch torn to shreds.

"Has the High-Density King not yet left the mountain?"

Someone looking at the returning kings and nobles, not seeing the High-Density King's figure, casually asked this.

Those completely unaware of the secret news said: "It seems the Crown Prince hasn't been seen coming out either..."

Officials and eunuchs tallied the game each person brought back; the Emperor, whose Dragon Body was unwell, had already handed over the remaining affairs to Yan Xiang when he left.

Yan Mian sat upright behind the case table, his gaze passing over the crowd tallying game, looking toward a colored canopy whose main seat was empty.

That was originally Shaowei's place; she had left half an hour ago.

At that time a eunuch came hurriedly, voice low and fast, delivering a sentence of news to Shaowei.

The news came from Deng Hu; Shaowei rose and left immediately; Yu Si Wu hurried after her and asked in a low voice: "Where is the Witch God going?"

Shaowei: "To save someone."

Yu Si Wu froze, voice even lower: "Does this official need to..."

Shaowei did not stop walking, cutting off her words: "Unnecessary."

Watched by Yu Si Wu, Shaowei had not gone far when Quan Wa came face-to-face, his face showing some unease, yet he informed Shaowei of another piece of news.

Shaowei's expression changed slightly, her steps faster, taking a shortcut back to the Ge Yuan where she was staying.

Jiang Fu had not participated in today's hunt ceremony, the reason being she claimed her current appearance was too extraordinary and too flourishing; once she appeared she would inevitably attract all eyes, at which time no one would care about the autumn hunt itself, and she would unavoidably bear the crime of upstaging the host.

And Feng Zhu, who also disliked clamor, naturally stayed with her; the two people had already toured and enjoyed themselves on their own in the morning, returning to their accommodation in the afternoon.

And when Shaowei rushed back, she indeed saw, as Quan Wa said, more than twenty blade-wearing Imperial Guards surrounding the pavilion; the leader saw her, approached with clasped hands in salute, and said in a low voice: "Assassins have appeared in Shanglin Park; this matter must not be publicized; we are ordered by the Emperor and the Crown Prince to come protect; now that the Tai Puzhe has returned, for absolute safety, please enter quickly."

Speaking, he bowed slightly to make way, assuming an inviting posture.

Shaowei's gaze turned cold, she did not move, but raised her head to look up.

A window that was already half-open was pushed open; Jiang Fu, playing chess with Feng Zhu by the window, turned her head and looked down with lowered eyes, smiling as she spoke: "Little ghost, you're back."

Feng Zhu also turned to look at her daughter, holding a black stone in hand, her expression calm and tranquil. Mo Li's head poked out from the window, the servant standing beside Jiang Fu gave a slight nod to Shaowei.

Jiang Fu smiled benevolently: "Since you're back, then go."

The inexplicable words made Shaowei set her heart at ease, and she turned and walked away.

The lead Imperial Guard was surprised seeing this; they had come here to lure the Witch God back, to keep her under watch together; how could they let her leave now?

"Witch God, please stay!"

He hurried after, but the girl he raised his hand to block raised her eyes; her sharp gaze made him feel danger for an instant, but he forcibly steadied his mind — even to summon a god she would still need to put on witchcraft attire and dance the sacrificial dance first; gods and spirits are not summoned to possess her at just any time.

The Imperial Guard persuaded himself thus, his tone somewhat firm and implying: "This matter is no child's play; please, Witch God, do not disappoint the Emperor and the Crown Prince's goodwill protection."

Shaowei heard the noise approaching, so she did not strike, striding around the blocker: "Since it is so, I will go offer thanks."

"Witch God!"

The Imperial Guard, annoyed, gave chase again; however, from the side a sharp arrow suddenly flew, the arrow shaft precisely piercing the ground one step before his feet; he changed color and halted, only to see Lu Hou riding a horse with bow drawn, leading men returning from the side front, demanding in a deep voice: "Who are you people, daring to block the Lord Hou!"

The Imperial Guards suppressed their anger, hurriedly explaining their purpose; however, that girl exuding a nearly absurd indifference did not stop walking, heading straight for Lu Hou: "Grandfather, horse."

Lu Hou dismounted immediately; Shaowei swiftly leaped onto the tall horse's back and turned the horse's head; behind her, even Lu Hou, not yet knowing his granddaughter's intention, involuntarily led the Feng Family Guards who had entered the mountain to hunt together to draw their blades: "... Is it protection or confinement? If the latter, produce a clear decree, state the reason! Otherwise, first ask whether this old man agrees!"

Shaowei ignored all sounds and disputes behind her, forcibly spurring the horse to gallop away; her deep clothes, wide sleeves, and purple ribbon flew, cutting across the westward-slanting sun.

The two grandparents and grandchildren each had their own overbearing stubbornness; Lu Hou's attitude was rough, instead causing people to surround those Imperial Guards demanding an explanation, and to go confront the Emperor. Upstairs in the pavilion, Feng Zhu's expression finally showed a few degrees of worry, looking at Jiang Fu: "Female Monarch, Qingniang going like this..."

Jiang Fu looked out the window, spoke to Zhao Qie'an: "In the hall downstairs I have already set up an array; Lu Hou has also returned. Her road may not be easy to walk; you go, go protect the Dharma for her."

The servant nodded, leaped out from the back window.

Below, one Imperial Guard couldn't help but want to draw blades with the Hou Mansion guards, was pressed down in time by a companion; that frowning companion looked toward the direction the girl galloped away on horseback — no blade, no armor, alone, the road ahead, she cannot break through, cannot fly out.

After leaving everyone's sight, the direction Shaowei galloped toward was not the palace park where the Crown Prince was.

Disregarding all people along the way, Shaowei galloped south all the way; the further south, the fewer people, but at a crossroads she still saw a squad of Imperial Guards on guard.

That squad of Imperial Guards saw someone galloping on horseback, shouted to halt, but the other party still galloped without stopping; getting a bit closer, seeing it was a woman, and the purple ribbon fluttering, they immediately knew the other's identity, yet still did not dare to rashly let pass, hurriedly raising dense long spears to block.

"Please, Lord Hou, halt!"

Nearing, she reined in the horse, accompanied by the horse's neigh, hooves raised high then fell; the person on the horse's back spoke with command: "Make way."

The leader said: "We are ordered to guard here; before dawn tomorrow, no one is allowed to enter or exit!"

"Whose order?"

An Imperial Guard held up a silk cloth high: "The imperial command we obey, see the Red Seal!"

The person on the horse asked again: "Issued from whose hand?"

"It was the Middle Attendant!"

The Imperial Guard finished answering, only to see that girl immediately turn the horse's head, very readily obeying the order and turning back.

Shaowei already knew the servant was following behind; this turn back was no more than a hundred steps; she called out the servant walking along the forest path, simply and clearly issuing an order: "Guo Shi has the Imperial Seal in hand, steal it out, hand it to Mother! Be fast!"

Words finished, Shaowei immediately turned the horse's head again, charging toward the front road.

Those Imperial Guards saw the person leave, just lowered their long spears, not expecting she would suddenly come charging back with overwhelming momentum, ignoring shouts, crashing straight through, forcibly making them give way!

?? Figured it out, see you all tomorrow~