Chapter 22: The Emperor Passes Away

After the Emperor swallowed two pills of "Seven Times a Night," he battled with Li Fei and Xiang Fei for over an hour!

Jiu Jiu Qiansui stood guard outside the hall; according to protocol, every half-quarter hour, he had to remind: "Please, Your Majesty, take care of your dragon body..." and so on.

Until the third quarter of the Hai hour, when the hall gradually fell silent, Jiu Jiu Qiansui requested an imperial decree to enter, intending to escort Li and Xiang back to their palace.

But time passed for a long while, yet no response came.

Jiu Jiu Qiansui, not knowing what to do, could only wait outside the hall with the other eunuchs. He thought: Based on past experience, the Emperor is most likely too exhausted and has simply lain down to sleep.

Just as Jiu Jiu Qiansui worried that in three hours the morning court would begin, and wondered what to do if he couldn't wake the Emperor, hurried footsteps echoed from within the hall, thump-thump-thump-thump... approaching from afar!

Jiu Jiu Qiansui recognized the sound immediately; it was the sound of bare feet, no shoes worn. His heart suddenly lurched, and he muttered: "Not good! Could it be..."

At the same moment, the hall door opened; Li Fei appeared, her outer robe half-draped, panicked, hair disheveled, her face filled with terror as she shouted: "Summon the imperial physicians immediately!"

The young eunuch "Xiao Jiezi," upon hearing the cry, without waiting for orders, immediately turned and rushed straight toward the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Jiu Jiu Qiansui hurriedly followed Li Fei into the hall. At that moment, Xiang Fei was weeping beside the Emperor, constantly crying out: "Your Majesty, wake up, Your Majesty..."

Jiu Jiu Qiansui's legs grew weak; he stumbled forward to investigate; only then did he discover the Emperor lying on the dragon bed, bleeding from seven orifices, barely breathing!

After confirming the Emperor had no breath or pulse, Jiu Jiu Qiansui shouted in a trembling voice.

"C-come... come someone! Escort Li Fei and Xiang Fei 'back' to the palace to await judgment!"

Early the next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, as usual, had arrived before the Zhu Que Gate, intending to enter the palace to serve as a reader.

But today was particularly strange; the guards at the gate refused entry to anyone, even officials arriving for court were blocked at the door; in an instant, the area before the Zhu Que Gate was packed with officials, attendants, and sedan-chair bearers, completely overcrowded!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu had entered and exited the Imperial Palace for nearly a year and was quite familiar with the place; he instinctively headed toward the neighboring Eastern Palace.

He thought: Since I cannot enter the Imperial Palace, I shall go find the Crown Prince; the outcome will be the same anyway.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly arrived at the Eastern Palace, only to see the Crown Prince looking anxious, unable to sit or stand still!

"What is the situation at the Zhu Que Gate?" the Crown Princess asked from beside him.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "The palace gates are sealed; all civil and military officials are barred from entering or exiting."

Crown Princess: "It seems... something major has happened inside the palace!"

"W-what... what happened?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked, his face full of confusion and slight anxiety.

At this moment, Xiao Chengzi ran in, plopped down with a thud, knelt directly before the Crown Prince, and cried: "The... the Emperor has passed away!"

The Crown Prince was stunned at once, kicked Xiao Chengzi away with one foot! He scolded: "Do not speak such nonsense! Beware of losing your head!"

"Your Highness... this is news I just gathered from within the palace!"

Xiao Chengzi continued, weeping: "They say the Emperor, after favoring Li Fei and Xiang Fei last night in the Lingxia Palace, collapsed and died on the spot!"

"Is this true?" the Crown Prince asked solemnly.

Xiao Chengzi nodded like a pestle pounding garlic as he swore: "If even half a word is false, I am willing to be cut into a thousand pieces!"

The Crown Prince sat back down on his chair weakly, gazing toward the direction of the Imperial Palace, silent for a long time.

The Crown Princess and the ladies and eunuchs below all knelt prostrate on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, their wails rising and falling.

"Jiang Xingqiu..." the Crown Prince called out.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, unaware of the full situation, bypassed the Crown Princess and her group, approaching the Crown Prince. At this moment, two lines of tears hung on his own face, showing his grief. Yet the Crown Prince did not weep; his face was serious, appearing remarkably calm.

The Crown Prince ordered Xiao Chengzi to fetch a brocade box, then took out a token wrapped in yellow silk from within, and handed it to Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

This jade token was carved from emerald-green jade, smooth and flat, with a clear color and fine, moist texture, emitting a soft fluorescent glow.

The token was no larger than a palm, yet its craftsmanship was extremely exquisite; the jade surface was intricately carved with a lifelike dragon pattern, breathtaking to behold.

Across the top of the token were the two large characters "By Imperial Decree," carved with skilled knife work and vigorous brush-like force, giving a sense of enduring beauty.

Vertically at the bottom were the four characters "As If I Am Present," even more masterful; the knife work reached a state of perfection, revealing an ancient charm.

After handing the token to Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the Crown Prince solemnly instructed: "This is the 'Regent's Hand Order' bestowed upon me by my father! I now order you to take it immediately to the Left Guard Command and find General General Du Gu."

When you arrive... show him the hand order, and he will know what to do."

After seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu take the token, the Crown Prince simply tucked it into his sleeve!

He could not help but remind again: "This hand order is made of Lantian jade; it is very brittle! If even a small corner is chipped or broken due to a scratch, it will not only lose its power, but your head will also be removed!"

Upon finishing his words, Jiang Jiang Mingyu hurriedly rewrapped it in yellow silk and hid it in his own chest.

Next, Jiang Jiang Mingyu followed Xiao Chengzi's steps to the stable, mounted the Crown Prince's steed; after exiting the Eastern Palace, he headed east all the way, rushing straight for the Left Guard Command.

The guards at the Left Guard Command, from far away, recognized the Crown Prince's steed, the Sweat-Blooded Treasure Horse, but the rider was Jiang Jiang Mingyu!

The guards, not understanding the situation, immediately stopped Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

After being stopped by the guards, Jiang Jiang Mingyu said not a word, directly pulled the token from his chest.

Upon seeing the four characters "As If I Am Present," the guards immediately granted passage! When General Du Gu Qiubai saw Jiang Jiang Mingyu and the token in his hand, he too fell into deep thought, silent for a long time.

"Issue the order!" General Du Gu Qiubai suddenly shouted: "Left Guard Command, all forces prepare for battle!"

Two quarters of an hour later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu accompanied General Du Gu Qiubai to the parade ground; by then, fully armored soldiers were already lined up in formation, totaling over two thousand six hundred men!

These two thousand six hundred-plus armored soldiers were all agile, with short-cropped hair and small faces, clad in steel lamellar armor, wielding long spears and crossbows, truly displaying an unyielding, majestic posture.

Under the scorching sun, the armor plates gleamed, sharp and unstoppable.

Most striking were the silver-white steel plates, covering every part of the body, indestructible.

Beneath the helmets, their eyes shone brightly, radiating a spirit as hard as steel.

The long spears in their hands were formidable, the crossbows drawn, their momentum capable of crushing withered wood, inspiring fear.

They stood in formation under the scorching sun, the silver-white armor plates flashing with blinding light, sharp spear blades pointing straight at the sky, eyes like lightning, momentum like a rainbow.

Each was agile, skilled with their weapons; their perfectly uniform formation and meticulous conduct displayed extraordinary training and discipline.

That imposing, overwhelming aura made Jiang Jiang Mingyu instantly feel awe; these are the soldiers of the Son of Heaven!

Another quarter of an hour passed; under the blazing sun, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, dressed in summer clothes, was already covered in sweat, let alone the soldiers before him in full armor.

"General General Du Gu, in this heat of the Dog Days... perhaps... let the soldiers remove their armor first and wait indoors?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu timidly suggested.

General Du Gu Qiubai was also clad in armor, his whole body drenched in sweat.

He gritted his teeth and replied, "Nowadays... a major incident has occurred in the palace. Who still cares about the third or fourth dog days? Wait a bit longer."

After an unknown amount of time passed, a messenger arrived carrying a homing pigeon.

General Du Gu Qiubai skillfully removed the message scroll from the pigeon's leg, opened it, and saw a single character written on it: Bing. (The code: meaning Situation Three)

Having read the message scroll, General Du Gu Qiubai finally felt slightly relieved.

Immediately after, he issued another order, summoning twenty soldiers of the Longyang Army; within moments, twenty armored warriors stood in formation before him.

General Du Gu Qiubai ordered them to remove their bright armor, wear only dark armor, and change into the Flying Fish Robes of the Inner Palace Guards to escort Jiang Jiang Mingyu back to the Eastern Palace.

"The situation in the palace is currently unclear; in times of national doubt, even grass and trees are treated as enemy soldiers..."

General Du Gu Qiubai looked at Jiang Jiang Mingyu and said with grave sincerity, "Someone has sealed off news of the Emperor's passing; there are likely traitors who wish to take this opportunity to depose the Crown Prince... and install a new monarch!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly felt a wave of tingling numbness run down his spine!

Only then did he realize that he was trapped within the storm at the very center of the empire's power.

General Du Gu Qiubai continued, "According to the law, military officers without the Tiger Tally are not permitted to lead troops out of camp on their own; but civil officials can, leading at most three hundred soldiers. However... your rank is too low, so only twenty soldiers can be assigned to you for now."

After understanding his current predicament, Jiang Jiang Mingyu mounted the Heavenly Blood Steed, led the twenty soldiers of the Longyang Army, and immediately rushed back to the Eastern Palace to protect the Crown Prince.