Chapter 87: Helpless

Inside the Purple Celestial Hall, a deathly silence.

The shouts of killing outside gradually faded, replaced by the suffocating pressure of the Divine Strategy Army's troops having sealed off the entire palace, leaving no gap.

Wang Xiu leaned against the cold vermilion lacquered door, the bloodstains on his body beginning to clot, but the wounds from the recent melee still throbbed faintly.

He glanced around the hall; over two hundred brothers, every one wounded, each leaning against the hall's pillars and walls, gasping for breath.

And beside the dragon throne in the hall's center, Tang Wenzong Li Ang remained in his dazed, lost state.

He sat there blankly, staring at the vast, disordered hall before him, his eyes empty.

"Your Majesty."

Wang Xiu dragged his heavy steps forward, walked up to him, and dropped to one knee.

"I am incapable, causing the imperial city to run red with blood, disturbing the imperial procession; I deserve ten thousand deaths."

Tang Wenzong slowly shifted his gaze onto him.

He looked at the young commander before him, covered in blood yet still standing tall, and finally a glimmer of spirit appeared in his hollow eyes.

"General Wang," his voice hoarse, "is it… you who saved me?"

"I dare not claim credit." Wang Xiu lowered his head, "I, as a general of the Divine Strategy Army, eat the emperor's stipend; serving the lord is my duty. Protecting Your Majesty is my responsibility."

"Good… good, a matter of loyalty to the sovereign…" Tang Wenzong murmured, two lines of clear tears silently sliding from the corners of his eyes.

He thought of Li Xun, of Zheng Zhu, and of those officials who followed him, cherishing the dream of restoration.

They, at this moment, are probably already…

A wave of unprecedented grief and despair instantly engulfed him.

"They're all dead… they're all dead…" he clutched his head, sobbing in anguish, "It's I who killed them! It's I who killed them!"

Wang Xiu simply knelt there in silence, offering no comfort.

He knew that this young emperor needed a thorough release.

Perhaps only by venting the fear and pain in his heart could he rise again.

After crying for a long time, Tang Wenzong's voice gradually subsided.

He wiped away his tears, looked at Wang Xiu, and his eyes gained a hint of resolve.

"General Wang, how is the situation outside?"

"Your Majesty, Chou Shiliang's Divine Strategy Army has already surrounded the Purple Celestial Hall. Li Xun, Zheng Zhu, and the other officials… are probably… more likely dead than alive." Wang Xiu answered truthfully.

Tang Wenzong's body swayed, but this time he did not fall.

He drew a deep breath and said, "I understand."

He rose, walked to the hall's entrance, and through the crack in the door gazed at the dark masses outside, once his own troops.

A grim smile appeared on his face.

"General Wang, what should we do now?"

Wang Xiu fell silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, we can only wait."

"Wait?"

"Yes, wait." Wang Xiu explained, "Although Chou Shiliang has surrounded us, he dares not attack because you are here."

"You are the Son of Heaven, the legitimate ruler. If he dared to assault, it would be outright regicide, making him a public enemy of the world—a crime he could not bear."

"And although we are trapped, as long as you remain, we still have a bargaining chip."

"What we must do now is hold this place and wait for the right moment—wait for the ministers at court who still remain loyal to you, wait for the regional military governors in the provinces who still turn their hearts to the Tang; they will not stand idly by."

Wang Xiu's words were clear and orderly, gradually calming Tang Wenzong's troubled heart.

"Very well, as you say." Tang Wenzong nodded. "From now on, the defense of the Purple Celestial Hall is entirely in your hands. I trust you."

"I will obey your order!"

……

The standoff began.

One day, two days, three days…

Although food and fresh water inside the Purple Celestial Hall were rapidly being consumed.

But outside, Chou Shiliang fared no better; he could not persist any longer, and over these days he kept waking from sleep startled, dreaming of acquaintances hurling verbal condemnations at him.

Although he controlled the entire Imperial City and had slaughtered all his political rivals, the longer the emperor remained out of his grasp, the more his actions appeared illegitimate and incoherent.

Although the court officials dared not openly oppose him for the time being, they expressed their dissatisfaction through passive neglect, and no one knew whether they had secretly colluded.

The provincial military governors also flooded the throne with memorials inquiring about "Your Majesty's safety," their words brimming with threatening implication.

Chou Shiliang knew he could wait no longer.

That day, Chou Shiliang sent a little eunuch to the steps of the Purple Celestial Hall.

"Those inside, hear me, General Wang! Our Lord Chou says that if you surrender the emperor, he guarantees to pardon the past and let you remain a general, enjoying endless wealth and honor!"

Wang Xiu stood on the hall's wall, coldly staring at the little eunuch without a word.

He picked up a bow, nocked an arrowhead-less shaft, and shot it forth!

That arrow, whistling through the air, struck with a 'tuk' and lodged precisely half an inch before the little eunuch's feet.

The little eunuch screamed and plopped down onto the ground.

"Go tell Chou Shiliang!" Wang Xiu's voice like ice, "If you want to negotiate, let him come himself! A gutless worm—does he really think he can last?"

The little eunuch scrambled back, rolling and crawling.

Not long after, Chou Shiliang indeed came in person.

He stood on the steps, looking up at Wang Xiu on the stairs, forcing an ugly smile onto his face.

"General Wang, what a mighty presence you have."

"Not as good as Eunuch Chou." Wang Xiu countered tit-for-tat, "With the body of a slave, undertaking the deposition and installation of rulers—this aura, this general finds himself inferior."

"You!" Chou Shiliang choked on his words, his face turning ashen, "Wang Zong, I ask you one last time—will you hand over the person or not?"

"Impossible!" Wang Zong (Wang Xiu) said firmly.

Wang Zong (Wang Xiu) continued, "But I have two conditions; if you can agree, perhaps you can still keep your corpse intact."

"First, release Your Majesty immediately to return to the Hall of Supreme Origin to resume governance. You eunuchs must not interfere in state affairs again."

"Second, regarding all officials who participated in the Ganlu Incident, you must not meddle further; the Emperor will arrange everything uniformly, and while the Emperor is absent, you must not act on your own."

"You're dreaming!" Chou Shiliang shouted, "Wang Zong, who do you think you are? What qualifications do you have to discuss terms with us?"

"I have no qualifications." Wang Zong (Wang Xiu) said calmly, "But I know you can't wait; the people outside won't let you keep the Emperor cooped up here like this. If you compromise now, perhaps you can still spare the lives of your nine clans."

He stared at Chou Shiliang and said word by word, "If you refuse, we will set fire to the Purple Hall and perish together with Your Majesty."

"By then, you, Chou Shiliang, will be a heinous sinner through the ages who forced the emperor to death! I'd like to see how you'll explain yourself to the world."

Chou Shiliang's face instantly turned deathly pale.

He looked at Wang Zong's eyes, filled with madness.

He really dared to drag the Emperor to death with him!

Finally, Chou Shiliang still loosened up; he never imagined it would come to this point, "Give me a little time to consider."

But before half a day had passed, the Imperial Guards under Chou Shiliang simply cut down, then knelt in neat rows outside the hall, hoping to obtain the emperor's pardon.

A bloody coup ended in a way no one expected.

A few days later, Emperor Tang Wenzong reappeared at court.

Li Xun, Zheng Zhu and the other chief conspirators of the coup continued to hold office; the emperor issued an edict praising them, but did not promote them, yet they knew they now lay close to the emperor's heart.

The remaining participants, to varying degrees, received rewards and promotions.

Wang Zong, for merit in protecting the emperor, was enfeoffed as Left Divine Strategy Army General, commanding the Imperial Guards; the soldiers who participated in the coup received no reward or punishment, continuing their former lives.

The grand Ganlu Incident thus came to an end.

At court, it seemed to have restored its former tranquility.

But everyone knew that Emperor Tang Wenzong (Li Ang)'s ideals had been shattered.

Although he has returned to power now, he no longer has the spirit he once had.