Chapter 56: Storm Gathers at Mawei Slope

After seeing off a group of guards, Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) felt as if he had lifted a burden of a thousand jin from his shoulders.

The family's rear arrangements have been settled.

His son's future, too, can only be left to fate.

Now he is alone, with no further ties.

The troop continued westward.

The atmosphere grew more oppressive day by day.

The soldiers' resentment also grew heavier each day.

Their clothes were tattered, they could not fill their stomachs, and each day they had to endure the scorching heat and insect bites. Yet the relatives of Yang Guozhong and Yang Guifei—those Ladies of Han Guo, Guo, and Qin—still sat in luxurious carriages, complaining that the food was unpalatable and the road too bumpy.

This stark contrast was like thorns, piercing deep into every soldier's heart.

Their gaze toward the Yang family members was no longer reverence but filled with undisguised hatred and murderous intent.

Dragon Martial General Chen Xuanli took in all of this.

He was a loyal subject, but more importantly a general. He knew that if he did not find a way to calm the troops, a terrible mutiny could erupt at any moment.

By then, not to mention protecting the emperor, he himself might be torn to pieces by the angry soldiers.

That day, the troop arrived at Mawei Slope Station.

It was a medium-sized relay station, but it could hardly accommodate a troop of several thousand.

Most of the soldiers could only camp in the wilderness outside the station, under the open sky.

Li Longji, Yang Guifei, and the others took up the station's finest rooms.

However, they had barely settled when a tremendous clamor arose outside.

"Kill Yang Guozhong! Purge the emperor's side!"

"Kill Yang Guozhong! Purge the emperor's side!"

Thousands of starving, fury-filled soldiers surrounded the tiny Mawei Station, leaving no gap. They held Weapon in their hands, their faces etched with anger.

Chen Xuanli stood at the forefront of the troops, his face grim and stern.

He knew that what he feared most had come to pass.

Inside the station, Yang Guozhong heard the shouts of slaughter outside and was terrified out of his wits.

He scrambled and crawled to Li Longji's chamber, dropped to his knees, and clung to the Emperor's legs, wailing, "Your Majesty! Save me! Your Majesty! Those rebel soldiers are going to kill me! I have been loyal to you—you cannot abandon me!"

Li Longji's complexion also turned ashen.

Though dazed, he was not utterly foolish. He knew the situation outside had slipped beyond control.

"Xuanli! Chen Xuanli!" he shouted toward the door, "Let me in!"

Chen Xuanli quickly entered, his armor still dusted with soil.

He knelt on one knee before Li Longji, his voice heavy.

"Your Majesty, the army's heart is in disarray, the troops' resentment soaring. They say Chancellor Yang colluded with the enemy and misgoverned the state, bringing about this disaster. If we do not kill Yang Guozhong to appease the three armies, I fear… I fear it will provoke a mutiny!"

"What?" Li Longji staggered as if struck by lightning.

He looked at Chen Xuanli kneeling on the ground, then at Yang Guozhong clutching his thigh and trembling like a sieve.

He understood.

This was not merely a mutiny; it was a palace coup.

It was Chen Xuanli, representing the entire Dragon Martial Army, who was forcing the palace upon him.

"You… you…" Li Longji trembled all over, pointing at Chen Xuanli, unable to speak for a long moment.

He could only vent his helpless rage, knowing that westward he still needed these soldiers' escort; here, this emperor could not decide others' fates—rather, his own destiny lay in their hands.

As for Yang Guozhong, he was utterly despairing.

He knew the Emperor could not save him either.

He sprang up from the ground, pointed at Chen Xuanli, and shouted like a madman, "Chen Xuanli! You are plotting rebellion! You intend to revolt!"

Before he could finish, several soldiers who had long been unable to restrain themselves surged forward from behind Chen Xuanli.

The spears in their hands, without hesitation, pierced Yang Guozhong's body.

"Pfft!"

Blood instantly stained the station floor red.

Yang Guozhong stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the spear tip at his chest, then collapsed helplessly, his body still twitching.

To his death he could not fathom how this Tang Dynasty Chancellor, who held sway over court and countryside, could die so ignominiously.

Inside the hall, Yang Guifei and the others, seeing this, screamed and fell into chaos.

Li Longji also stood frozen.

He watched helplessly as his Chancellor and his brother-in-law were slain before his eyes by the rebel soldiers.

And he, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, could do nothing.

An unprecedented humiliation and fear instantly engulfed him.

Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) stood among the crowd outside the station, coldly observing all of this.

Though far away, he could see the situation inside the station clearly.

Seeing Yang Guozhong killed, he felt not a ripple in his heart.

This man deserved his death.

His gaze swept over the tumultuous crowd to the middle-aged eunuch standing calmly amidst them, his face as still as water.

Wang Xiu discovered that, from beginning to end, Gao Lishi's face showed no expression.

Indeed, those in history who rose by their own abilities are never to be underestimated; though mutiny loomed imminent, he still managed to keep his composure.

After Yang Guozhong was slain, the clamor of slaughter outside did not cease.

Instead, it became even louder.

Yang Guozhong is dead! If the demonic concubine is not removed, the nation's disaster will not end!

Kill Yang Guifei! Kill Yang Guifei!

The new slogan echoed across the entire Mawei Slope.

The soldiers' spearheads shifted from Yang Guozhong to Yang Guifei.

They believed Yang Guozhong was merely one of the sources of disaster. The one who truly bewitched the emperor and caused chaos across the land was this woman.

If she is not killed, the soldiers of the three armies swear not to set out!

Inside the relay station, Li Longji had just recovered from the shock of Yang Guozhong's killing when he heard the new shouts of killing outside.

When he clearly heard what the soldiers were shouting, his face instantly drained of color.

Kill… kill the consort?

He abruptly turned his head, looking toward the woman hiding in the corner, already frightened pale and trembling, a peerless beauty.

That is the woman he loves most in his life!

How could he possibly let her die?

No… no! Absolutely not!" Li Longji's voice turned hysterical: "Whoever dares to harm a hair of the consort, I will exterminate his nine clans!

Yet, at this moment, his threats seemed so feeble and pale.

Chen Xuanli entered once again, behind him a group of soldiers wielding weapons, brimming with killing intent.

This time, he did not kneel.

He simply stood there, gazing at Li Longji with his eyes, while the soldiers behind him all glared fiercely, as if they wanted to tear everyone in the room to pieces.

Your Majesty, if the demonic concubine is not removed, the three armies will not be at peace. For the sake of the Tang Dynasty's lands and ancestral temples, please, Your Majesty, make a swift decision!

His words had already been made very clear.

Today, Yang Guifei must die.

Either she dies alone.

Or we all die here, for he can no longer control these soldiers.

Li Longji looked at Chen Xuanli's icy gaze, and at the soldiers behind him, brimming with killing intent.

He knew he had no choice left.

He slowly turned his body, looking toward Yang Guifei.

His eyes were filled with endless pain and despair.