Chapter 111: Ancestors, take my head!

Inside the Fengtian Hall.

The air seemed to have frozen, heavy and oppressive.

Dong Jie, this Commander of the Jin Wuwei, was currently standing inside the great hall, his gaze piercing through the window lattice, looking at the gradually weakening offensive outside.

It has stopped! Everything has gone quiet!

Yet, there was not the slightest sense of relief in his heart; instead, he was shrouded in heavy worry and self-reproach.

Reality is cruel!

The enemy army outside is numerous, with no fewer than four thousand heavy-armored infantry, and they have formed a siege, firmly trapping the Fengtian Hall.

There are even more than three thousand guards on the flanks standing by; once needed, ten thousand troops can be mobilized immediately to launch an attack.

Such a disparity in military strength made Dong Jie feel unprecedented pressure.

It is already a ten-fold difference!

Dong Jie knew deeply that if it weren't for his strict training and the deep bond he had with the Jin Wuwei over the years, they would likely have collapsed without a fight long ago.

However, even so!

They could only remain trapped in this main hall, without water or food, their situation precarious.

If it weren't for the enemy having their own concerns, they would have been wiped out long ago.

Dong Jie sighed; they had already lost!

Yet, he was unconvinced in his heart; if it were a real fight with blades and spears, he naturally would not fear the likes of Lu Lu.

Even with a three or four-fold difference in numbers, he was confident he would not fall behind.

But everything is in the past!

The Jin Wuwei, this once mighty force, now only had the thousand or so men left in this hall; the rest in the Jin Wuwei headquarters in the capital were likely doomed!

His face showed only heartache and resentment.

"A bunch of rat-like cowards!"

The Empress Dowager had faked an imperial decree to return to the palace to protect the Emperor, the Eastern Depot was destroyed, and Dong Jie had panicked for a moment, rushing to save the Emperor and return to the palace.

Who would have thought!

Lu Lu had set an ambush outside the Xuanwu Gate, causing the Jin Wuwei to suffer heavy losses.

Now, the situation is lost!

What made Dong Jie feel even more disheartened was that the Imperial Guards, in whom he had placed high hopes, had been slow to come to their rescue.

As time passed, he had already vaguely guessed the key to it—the Imperial Guards had rebelled!

This news was like a bolt from the blue.

They were at the end of their rope!

The chainmail on Dong Jie's body was also soaked with blood; he looked at a middle-aged man in yellow robes standing under the portraits of past emperors.

Zhou Zhen!

He knelt down straight, his voice sorrowful as he said:

"Master, Dong Jie is guilty, I was blind and did not see that the imperial decree was fake!"

He kowtowed heavily!

"And the Imperial Guards, I entrusted them to the wrong person, leading to today's disaster!"

His voice echoed in the empty great hall, filled with self-reproach and helplessness.

Because Dong Jie was originally a servant from the Second Prince's private residence, he called him Master.

Zhou Zhen turned around to face Dong Jie; his expression was calm as water, without sorrow or joy.

"I do not blame you!"

He said lightly, yet his tone revealed an indescribable heaviness.

"It is I who entrusted the wrong person; I did not expect Xie Chunan to be like this. The Imperial Guards were originally handed over to him to manage; it has nothing to do with you."

Mentioning the name Xie Chunan!

Anger surged on Dong Jie's face again; his fists were tightly clenched, as if he wished he could tear that old scoundrel to pieces immediately.

Zhou Zhen's gaze fell once more on the portraits of the emperors of past dynasties, each sitting on a dragon chair.

They appeared imposing, telling of the glory of imperial power.

Zhou Zhen said slowly:

"I am just curious, what exactly does Xie Chunan want to do? I originally wanted to be in harmony with him as monarch and subject, truly entrusting my heart to him, but I did not expect..."

He paused, his brows furrowed, and continued: "Moreover, since he participated in the matter of Chen Sanzhong, he has already angered the Empress Dowager, so why would he still act like this?"

Just as the two were lost in thought, a Jin Wuwei rushed in to report:

"Your Majesty, the Empress and the Empress Dowager have arrived!"

Hearing this, Zhou Zhen nodded silently, but when he heard the word "Empress," a chill appeared on his face involuntarily.

This "intimate person" of his had immediately turned to the Empress Dowager after he disagreed with the Northern Wind alliance.

"They say that between husband and wife, it is a blessing cultivated over a hundred or a thousand years..."

Zhou Zhen muttered to himself, shaking his head, his tone filled with self-mockery.

"I, a dignified Son of Heaven, am actually being constrained by two women!"

Dong Jie recalled the events of today; they were truly unpredictable!

First, the Western Depot ambushed Lu Chen.

The Jin Wuwei then wiped out the Western Depot.

Dong Jie held the golden arrow to win over Lu Chen.

The City Gate Captain sent troops to wipe out the Eastern Depot, pushing this struggle to a climax.

Various forces appeared one after another; court heavyweights like the Minister of Imperial Entertainments and the Commander of the Palace Guards were also drawn into this dispute.

Faked imperial decrees, ambushes, infighting... scene after scene of heart-pounding events played out in the palace, leaving one overwhelmed.

However!

When the dust settled, Dong Jie discovered that there was no real winner in this struggle.

Although the Empress Dowager seemed to have the advantage, she had actually suffered heavy losses.

The destruction of the Western Depot, the death of Chen Sanzhong!

The City Gate Captain not only lost a large number of troops, but more importantly, he brought the internal power struggle of the royal family into the open, which was undoubtedly a great weakening of imperial power.

The loss outweighed the gain!

And the cause of all this was only one thing: Lu Chen entering the capital!

And now, Lu Shen Zhou, who is at the center of the vortex.

Actually!

Is unscathed and safe.

This person has cultivated the Dao for fifteen years, long since distanced himself from the center of the court, yet what role did he play in it?

Dong Jie felt countless mysteries, unable to find an answer.

But it must be related to this Lu Shaobao.

Another Jin Wuwei hurried in, reporting nervously!

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and the Empress want to see you."

Dong Jie withdrew his thoughts and looked at his master.

The Empress Dowager is his blood relative, and the Empress has been his wife for more than ten years.

Power struggles also involve human feelings!

Zhou Zhen chuckled after hearing this, his face showing only sorrow.

"Tell them, I will not see them."

"It is I, who will not see them!"

"What is there to talk about when the winner is king and the loser is the villain? Do you want me, Zhou Zhen, to compromise before two women?"

Zhou Zhen looked at Dong Jie and said:

"A-Dong, come here!"

When they were in the private residence, Zhou Zhen also called Dong Jie A-Dong.

"Pick up your sword, cut off my head, and go claim the title of Marquis of Ten Battalion Commander."

"Zhou Zhen would rather die by your hand than die at the hands of two women; otherwise, how could I face the ancestors of my Daqing?"

Hearing this, Dong Jie felt as if he had been struck by lightning; he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief and grief.

Dong Jie could not help but kneel on the ground, tears streaming down his face, unwilling to get up for a long time.

Zhou Zhen sighed, his words bitter.

"Eight years as the Son of Heaven, lost in a single day, like a dream, like an illusion!"

"Pity me, Zhou Zhen, who still wanted to build achievements as great as my ancestors, but in the end... haha."

"The temple name for future generations will be Xizong, ridiculous, ridiculous."

The temple names of emperors are in a class of their own: Taizong, Gaozong, Shizong, Zhongzong; these are truly the abilities of founding, restoration, and civil governance.

The upper class: Renzong, Xiaozong, Saintly Ancestor, Worthy Ancestor.

And his father was only a middle-class Shunzong, and that was based on the achievement of recovering the northern lands.

Xizong is a temple name only one step better than that of a fallen monarch.

The emperor who uses it had a broken country during his reign, did not control the court, and was almost a figurehead.

At this moment!

The Jin Wuwei outside the door said excitedly:

"It's the Imperial Guards!"

"The Imperial Guards have come!"

For a moment, everyone outside the great hall was extremely excited.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 112 =====