novelraw Chapter 386
Chapter 386
The Emperor was like a drowning man catching sight of hope: "Yes, yes! Where is Duke Zou? Quickly have him escort the prisoners to the city gates..."
Before he could finish, Duke Zou rushed in frantically, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager! Something has happened at the Internal Affairs Department. The courtyard where the Cao and Xie families were held caught fire. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. Not a single person escaped!"
"What?!"
The Emperor's vision went black. The Empress Dowager glared furiously, "Did I not tell you to guard them well? How could this happen!"
Duke Zou hastily begged for forgiveness, though he was equally bewildered inwardly.
He had ordered people to inspect that place three or four times beforehand. Let alone flint, there wasn't even a single piece of firewood that could burn. How could such a massive fire start? Unless there was an inside man in the Ministry of Justice...
This thought merely flashed through his mind; he had no time to delve into it.
The Emperor went completely limp. Grabbing the Empress Dowager's hand, he stammered, "Mother, Imperial Mother, what do we do now? The rebel army is about to break in..."
Empress Dowager Su was also out of ideas. Looking at the ministers below, she demanded, "Speak! In this moment of crisis, have all of you high-ranking imperial officials gone mute?"
The ministers knelt in unison. "Your Majesty, please forgive us! Empress Dowager, please forgive us!" Inwardly, however, they thought: We just suggested that the Emperor abdicate, but you refused to listen. Moreover, Grand Tutor Rong just spilled his blood across the floor. Who would be stupid enough to become the second him?
Prince Yu suddenly spoke up, "Imperial Mother! Yan Lin!"
Empress Dowager Su immediately remembered. "Right, right! What about the second and third branches of the Yan family? Aren't they still in the capital? Quickly send someone to apprehend them!"
But just as she finished speaking, another blood-soaked soldier rushed in. "Your Majesty! The eastern city gate has been breached!"
Outside the eastern city gate lay a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
It was the most brutal battlefield among the four city gates!
Yue Qianzhong had three fingers severed from his left hand, and his right eye had been pierced by a sharp arrow. Yet, when brought before Yan Zheng, he remained unyielding, stubbornly refusing to kneel. "Yan Zheng, those who usurp the throne will meet a terrible end!"
"Audacious!" Meng Yang furrowed his brows and was about to kick him in the back of the knees, but Yan Zheng raised a hand to stop him. Calmly looking at the man, Yan Zheng said, "Commander Yue, during Princess Ansheng's rebellion, you and I once joined forces. Must it come to this today?"
Yue Qianzhong sneered, "That was different! Princess Ansheng sought to usurp the throne, and you acted to save the Emperor. I naturally assisted you. But this time, you are the traitorous rebel. I am an official, and officials and rebels cannot coexist!"
"What a fine 'officials and rebels cannot coexist'!" A crisp female voice suddenly rang out, like a clear spring amidst the smoke and flames of war. "Commander Yue, if the Emperor were trying to kill your eldest sister's entire family, would you still say that officials and rebels cannot coexist?"
Yue Qianzhong choked on his words. Yan Zheng, however, frowned and stepped forward to grasp her hand. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the rear? Why did you still come?"
This was the battlefield, the most dangerous place of all!
Meeting his worried gaze, Chu Ruoyan smiled. "Rest assured, I am fine. It is not my first time, either."
Her gaze then fell upon Yue Qianzhong behind him. She saw a look of struggle on the face of the Commander of the Five Wards. After a long moment, he shook his head. "Even so, I would first send my eldest sister's family away safely, and then prove my innocence to the Emperor with my death. I would never commit treason!"
A trace of mockery flashed through Yan Zheng's eyes. He could die on the battlefield, but to die for the sake of so-called proving one's innocence—wasn't that foolish?
Seeing this, Chu Ruoyan said no more. Everyone had their own choices, and she respected them all.
However, Yue Qianzhong gritted his teeth and suddenly knelt down.
The others were somewhat surprised, considering he had just preferred death over bending his knees.
Yue Qianzhong said in a deep voice, "As an official of Great Xia, it is my unshirkable duty to fight to the death for my country. But my eldest sister's family is innocent. I beg County Princess Changle to spare them, on account of the fact that I once helped you!"
Chu Ruoyan was stunned, but Yan Zheng let out a cold laugh. "Don't worry, I have no hobby of killing women!"
With that said, he pulled Chu Ruoyan onto his horse. The two rode together, heading in the direction of the Imperial City.
The capital this time was entirely different from her dreams.
There was no burning, killing, or looting; no pillaging or plundering. On the main streets, every household had their doors and windows shut tight, with only the slightly desolate sound of horse hooves echoing.
When Chu Ruoyan passed by the Jiang Manor, she deliberately took a glance. The vermilion gates were perfectly intact, and Jiang Yi had not been dragged out...
"What's wrong?" Yan Zheng noticed her gaze and whispered in her ear.
The young woman pursed her lips and murmured softly, "This is wonderful."
That night of blood and fire, that capital dragged into hell by war—it had finally not reappeared!
Yan Zheng misunderstood her meaning, but still said, "Rest assured. Before entering the city, I issued military orders forbidding any disturbance of the commoners. I also had Pei Zhuo supervise its execution. Everything will be fine."
Chu Ruoyan nodded and asked, "Pei Zhuo? Is the Pei family trustworthy?"
She was not worried about this little tyrant of the Pei family, but the Pei family had previously tried to force Yan Zheng to marry Pei Bingqing, which showed that they were deeply calculating.
"Whether the Pei family is trustworthy or not, they are a Yuzhou clan and the Empress's maiden family. Since we are fighting under the banner of 'deposing the tyrant and supporting a new emperor,' we are destined to not be able to bypass this prominent clan." Yan Zheng explained patiently, lowering his head to kiss her cheek. "But don't worry, Ah Yan. The Pei family cannot stir up any waves. Put your mind at ease."
Chu Ruoyan hummed in response. Their horse had already arrived at the palace gates.
The last time, she had forced her way through these "three courts and five gates," filled with solitary courage to clear the Yan family's grievances!
This time, she was still forcing her way in, but she had someone by her side, moving forward hand-in-hand with all their heart!
Inside the Fengtian Hall, all the officials were kneeling.
By the time Yan Zheng and Chu Ruoyan arrived, Murong Feng had already stepped down from the imperial throne.
He held the Imperial Seal high in his hand and shouted loudly, "Rebel Yan... No! Yan Zheng! I am willing to abdicate and yield the throne to the Second Prince, Murong Rui. You can withdraw your troops now, right?"
The entire hall was dead silent.
Yan Zheng looked at the hopeful expression on his face. His gaze passed over him and landed on the figure lying in a pool of blood behind him. "Your Majesty."
He parted his thin lips, and everyone tensed, holding their breath.
"What crime did Grand Tutor Rong commit? Why did you kill your teacher?"
Those two casually spoken sentences struck everyone's hearts like a clap of thunder.
Murong Feng widened his eyes and yelled, "I did not kill him! He threw himself onto it!"
Gu Sun, Dou Sicheng, and other discerning people guessed something, and bitter smiles appeared on their faces.
No wonder, no wonder!
Grand Tutor Rong clearly did not have to die, yet he insisted on a death remonstrance in the great hall with all the officials present.
It was all for nothing other than to pin this crime of "killing one's teacher" on him!
Sure enough, the next moment, someone among the officials stood up.
"Your Majesty, why do you dare to do it but not dare to admit it? Grand Tutor Rong advised you to prioritize the world above all else, but you flew into a rage out of humiliation and stabbed him to death with a sword. I, Ji Yao, saw it with my own eyes!"