Chapter 22: The Emperor Has Passed Away

After taking two pills of One Night Seven Times, the Emperor battled with Consort Li and Consort Xiang for over an hour!

Ninth Thousand Years stood guard outside the hall; according to protocol, he had to remind every half-hour: “Your Majesty, please preserve your imperial health…” and so on.

Until the third hour of Hai, the sounds from within the hall gradually ceased; Ninth Thousand Years then petitioned the Emperor for permission to enter and escort Consort Li and Consort Xiang back to their palaces.

But long after, there was still no response.

Not knowing what to do, Ninth Thousand Years could only stand guard outside with the other eunuchs, thinking: based on past experience, the Emperor was surely too exhausted and had simply collapsed into sleep.

Just as Ninth Thousand Years was worrying about how to wake the Emperor in three hours for the morning court, rapid footsteps echoed from inside—thud thud thud thud—drawing closer!

Ninth Thousand Years instantly recognized it as barefoot steps; his heart jolted, muttering: “Trouble! Could it be…?”

At that moment, the palace door opened; Consort Li, half-draped in a robe, hair disheveled, face pale with terror, cried out: “Summon the imperial physician!”

The young eunuch “Xiao Jiezi,” upon hearing this, turned and sprinted toward the Taiyi Academy without waiting for orders.

Ninth Thousand Years hurried inside with Consort Li; Consort Xiang was weeping on the floor beside the Emperor, repeatedly crying: “Your Majesty, wake up, Your Majesty…”

Ninth Thousand Years’ legs trembled; he staggered forward to investigate—and gasped: the Emperor lay on the dragon bed, blood streaming from all seven orifices, barely breathing!

After confirming the Emperor had no breath or pulse, Ninth Thousand Years cried out in a trembling voice.

“Bring… bring men! Take Consort Li and Consort Xiang back to their palaces—to await judgment!”

The next morning, as dawn broke, Jiang Mingyu arrived as usual at the Vermilion Bird Gate, intending to enter the palace for tutoring.

But today was strangely different: the gate guards barred everyone from entering—even officials come for court were stopped at the gate; soon, the Vermilion Bird Gate was packed with ministers, attendants, and sedan bearers, overflowing with people!

Jiang Mingyu had been entering and leaving the palace for nearly a year and knew the place well; he instinctively headed toward the Eastern Palace next door.

He thought: if I can’t enter the palace, I’ll go find the Crown Prince—either way, the outcome is the same.

Jiang Mingyu quickly reached the Eastern Palace, only to find the Crown Prince anxious, pacing restlessly.

“How is the situation at the Vermilion Bird Gate?” asked the Crown Princess.

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!”

“What… what happened?” Jiang Mingyu asked, bewildered and anxious.

At that moment, Xiao Chengzi rushed in, fell to his knees before the Crown Prince with a thud, and wept: “The… the Emperor… has passed away!”

The Crown Prince froze, then kicked Xiao Chengzi away, shouting: “Don’t you dare speak nonsense! You’ll lose your head!”

“Your Highness… this is news I just brought from inside the palace!”

Xiao Chengzi continued sobbing: “They say the Emperor collapsed immediately after visiting Consort Li and Consort Xiang in Lingxia Palace last night!”

“Is this true?” the Crown Prince asked sternly.

Xiao Chengzi nodded vigorously, swearing: “If I speak a single lie, may I be cut to pieces a thousand times!”

The Crown Prince sank weakly back into his chair, staring toward the palace, silent for a long while.

The Crown Princess, ladies-in-waiting, and eunuchs all knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, their wails rising and falling.

“Xingqiu…” the Crown Prince called.

Confused, Jiang Mingyu stepped past the Crown Princess and her attendants to stand before the Crown Prince; his face bore two tracks of tears to show grief—but the Crown Prince did not weep. He wore only a solemn, icy calm.

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

The jade token was carved from emerald-green jade, smooth and polished, clear in hue, fine and silky in texture, emitting a soft luminescence.

No larger than a palm, its craftsmanship was exquisitely refined; the jade surface bore exquisitely carved dragon patterns, lifelike and breathtaking.

At the top, two large characters were engraved horizontally: “By Imperial Edict,” the strokes skillful, forceful, radiating enduring elegance.

At the bottom, four characters were carved vertically: “As If I Were Present,” the carving masterful, reaching the pinnacle of artistry, exuding an ancient, solemn charm.

After handing the token to Jiang Mingyu, the Crown Prince sternly instructed: “This is the ‘Regency Order’ granted to me by Father! I now command you: take it immediately to the Left Guard Command and find General Du Gu.”

When you arrive… show him the order—he will know what to do.”

As soon as Jiang Mingyu accepted the token, the Crown Prince watched him slip it straight into his sleeve!

He couldn’t help adding: “This order is made of Lantian jade—it’s brittle! If even a tiny chip is lost from bumping or scratching, it becomes useless—and your head will roll!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingyu hastily rewrapped the token in yellow silk and tucked it into his chest.

Then, following Xiao Chengzi, Jiang Mingyu went to the stables, mounted the Crown Prince’s steed, left the Eastern Palace, and rode eastward straight toward the Left Guard Command.

The gate guards of the Left Guard Command recognized the Crown Prince’s blood-sweating steed from afar—but the rider was Jiang Mingyu!

Confused, the guards immediately blocked Jiang Mingyu’s path.

Jiang Mingyu, without a word, pulled the token from his chest.

Upon seeing the four characters “As If I Were Present,” the guards immediately let him pass! When General Du Gu saw Jiang Mingyu and the token in his hand, he fell into deep thought, silent for a long while.

“Issue orders!” General Du Gu suddenly shouted: “Left Guard Command—prepare for battle!”

Two quarters later, Jiang Mingyu arrived with General Du Gu at the drill ground, where over two thousand six hundred fully armed soldiers stood in formation!

These two thousand six hundred soldiers were all agile, with shaved heads and sharp faces, clad in steel armor, wielding spears and crossbows, radiating an unyielding, martial presence.

Under the blazing sun, their armor gleamed, dazzling and unstoppable.

First to catch the eye were the silvery steel plates covering every part of their bodies, impregnable.

Beneath their helmets, their eyes burned with steel-like resolve.

Their spears stood sharp and proud, crossbows drawn—each posture seemed capable of crushing all resistance, instilling dread.

Standing in formation under the sun, their silvery armor flashed blindingly, spear blades pointing skyward, eyes like lightning, aura like a storm.

Each was swift, proficient with weapons, their formations perfectly aligned, their movements precise—testimony to extraordinary training and discipline.

That overwhelming, majestic aura filled Jiang Mingyu with awe—these were the Emperor’s troops!

Another quarter passed; under the blazing sun, Jiang Mingyu, dressed in summer robes, was drenched in sweat—how much worse for the soldiers clad in full armor?

“General Du Gu, it’s the height of summer… perhaps… let the soldiers remove their armor and wait indoors?” Jiang Mingyu ventured timidly.

General Du Gu himself was clad in armor, drenched in sweat.

He snorted and replied: “Right now… something major has happened in the palace—who cares about summer heat or even the dog days? Wait a little longer.”

After an indeterminate time, a messenger arrived carrying a homing pigeon.

General Du Gu skillfully removed the message tied to the pigeon’s leg, unrolled it, and saw only one character: Bing. (Code: Situation Three.)

After reading the message, General Du Gu finally relaxed slightly.

He then issued another order: summon twenty soldiers from the Longyang Army. Soon, twenty armored soldiers lined up before him.

General Du Gu ordered them to remove their outer armor, wear only underarmor, don the imperial guard’s flying-fish robes, and escort Jiang Mingyu back to the Eastern Palace.

“The palace situation is unclear; in this time of royal uncertainty, even grass and trees seem like enemies…”

General Du Gu looked at Jiang Mingyu and spoke gravely: “Someone is suppressing news of the Emperor’s death—there may be traitors plotting to depose the Crown Prince and install a new monarch!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingyu felt a sudden chill run down his spine!

Only then did he realize he had stepped into the heart of the empire’s power storm.

General Du Gu continued: “By law, military officers may not leave camp without the Tiger Token—but civil officials may, up to three hundred men. But… your rank is too low; I can only assign you twenty.”

Understanding his situation, Jiang Mingyu mounted the blood-sweating steed and, with the twenty Longyang soldiers, raced back to the Eastern Palace to protect the Crown Prince.