Chapter 190: The General Disrobes for Battle

Chapter 190: The General Disrobes for Battle

Indeed, Helang lazily propped his head up, closing his eyes in deep thought. Under the flickering candlelight, an indescribable allure played across his features. After a moment, he spoke in a tone devoid of emotion, "Very well, let's go to the palace gates and see the spectacle."

Mr. Xiahou rose to dissuade him, greatly perplexed. "Your Highness, why get involved in this mess? The Wei family has suffered heavy losses with many dead and injured. Their power is greatly diminished. We should wait for them to exhaust themselves fighting amongst each other so we can reap the benefits."

Master Sang tugged discreetly on Xiahou's sleeve. "The Marchioness of Zhen Guo is determined to have her say. If tonight drags on, it will be hard to resolve. It's better if Your Highness intervenes."

Helang's decisions were never open to debate. Xiahou had only recently joined his service and was unfamiliar with the prince's temper, not to mention his complicated relationship with the current emperor. Master Sang couldn't explain too clearly, so he deftly steered the conversation away.

Despite the warm charcoal fire burning inside, the biting cold still seeped through the walls.

Helang threw off his heavy fox fur cloak and rose to change behind a screen, attended by maidservants. He had risen through the ranks on the strength of his military achievements, leaving him with old injuries that flared up painfully every winter. He hadn't been on the battlefield for a long time; otherwise, the task of repelling Xiling would not have fallen to the Wei family.

A personal maid glanced at Helang's pale complexion and couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, perhaps you should wear your usual attire. It's freezing outside, and the silver armor is too cold..."

Helang closed his eyes calmly. "Put on the armor. With such a grand display tonight, how can we avoid a confrontation?"

Yongan Street led straight to the imperial palace. Helang mounted his horse swiftly, leading three hundred personal guards as they galloped toward the palace gates. The snow and wind battered their faces, forcing its way through the gaps in their silver armor, making the exposed skin sting like knives.

The night was silent, broken only by the fluttering of paper money and gold ingots that seemed to come from nowhere, filling the sky. White banners lined the streets, and mournful cries echoed from every household. The soldiers who had perished beyond Guiyan Pass were husbands and sons to many.

The Marchioness of Zhen Guo wore mourning clothes, cradling her husband's spirit tablet. Beside her stood a coffin that had been transported back to the capital over great distances. The soldiers around her were remnants of the troops that had retreated from Guiyan Pass. Their armor bore the marks of blood and sword strikes, white bands tied around their left arms. They stood motionless in the snowstorm, their eyes bloodshot, exuding a murderous aura that seemed to reach the heavens.

Under the cover of darkness, all was quiet, even the fierce winds seemed muted.

The city gate commander dared not use force, having already drawn his sword and held his position for two hours. He gritted his teeth and pleaded, "Marchioness of Zhen Guo, please leave quickly. The imperial city is no place for such behavior!"

The Wei marchioness, around forty years old, had a thick layer of snow on her shoulders. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared silently at the speaking officer, instilling a chilling fear as if the souls of the wrongfully deceased soldiers hovered above.

"My husband is dead, my son lost. I have no home to return to. If His Majesty does not give justice for this matter, what's the difference if I die here at the palace gates today?!"

With every word she spoke, the procession carrying the spirit tablet took a step forward. The black iron coffin struck the palace gates repeatedly, like tolling bells, the sound dull yet thunderous.

"Bang—!"

"Bang—!"

"Bang—!"

"Guiyan Pass, Xiling rebels, young men don the armor and seek battle!"

"Gazing north, leaving home, how many return from the icy rivers?"

"You do not see, hunger in our bellies, we drink tears and blood in despair!"

"You do not know, the treachery of the sycophants, feeding the fat rats with full granaries!"

This was a poem of resentment, shouted in unison by the military men, shaking the snow off the palace eaves. The voice pierced the clouds. The coffin, which did not contain a body but was wrapped entirely in fine steel, collided with the palace gates dozens of times, causing a section of the vermilion door to collapse.

The city gate commander begged repeatedly, almost ready to kneel and plead for mercy. "Lady Wei! Lady Wei! Stop! Stop! If you continue, the palace gates will fall! This crime is akin to treason!!"

The fourth Miss of the Wei family, dressed in mourning, chased after her mother. Hearing this, she drew her longsword with a clang, her eyes red with anger. "Get out of the way! If you stop me, I'll kill you! What's the point of treason? Does my Wei family dare not do it?!"

"Swoosh—!"

Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp arrow, propelled by a strong gust of wind, struck her sword, sending it flying. The sound of hooves approached from the distance, and a man's low, cold voice boomed like thunder in everyone's ears.

"Treason? I'm afraid your Wei family can't afford to rebel!"

The fourth Miss of Wei was shocked as she turned around. She saw a cavalry unit galloping towards them, numbering at least several hundred elite soldiers. The man at the front had a bow and arrow in hand, his eyes gleaming with cold light even in the darkness, embodying the title of the first god of death in Beishu.

It was Helang!!

Everyone was startled. The crowd blocking the palace gates parted to either side, clearing a path. They knelt down together as the man on horseback approached, saluting him. "Greetings, Prince Regent!!"

The Wei and Helang families had never gotten along. Their ancestors had explicitly stated that within three generations, no marriage ties should be formed. Lady Helang, while still unmarried, had fallen in love with Wei Han, defying her family to marry him. Otherwise, Helang would still have to address her as "aunt."

The Marchioness of Zhen Guo didn't expect Helang to come to the rescue in the middle of the night. With red-rimmed eyes, she looked at him. Cold wind filled her lungs as she asked in a hoarse voice, "What if I refuse?!"

Helang spoke calmly. "Aunt will agree."

Behind him, the cavalrymen uniformly drew their bows and arrows, the tips gleaming with cold light. Though silent, the pressure was suffocating, as if the Marchioness of Zhen Guo would be pierced through the heart by a thousand arrows if she said "no."

The Marchioness lifted her head coldly. "I didn't realize the Prince Regent was so loyal and brave!"

Helang casually plucked at the bowstring, placing a dark-feathered arrow on it. Then he slowly pulled it taut. His eyes narrowed, aiming past the Marchioness of Zhen Guo, his gaze indifferent to human life. He curled his lips, accepting her mockery. "As a subject, one should act accordingly. Today, whoever dares to rebel before the imperial palace, I will make them wish they were dead!"

By the end of his sentence, his tone had become dark and vicious.

"Mother!"

The fourth Miss of Wei hurriedly tried to shield her mother, but the arrow had already left the string. It whistled through the air, piercing the ear of a faint yellow figure that had been sneaking out from the palace gate crack.

"Ahhhhhhhh—!!!"

The person hit let out a heart-wrenching scream, immediately drawing everyone's attention. The city gate commander rushed forward, supporting the victim and asking anxiously, "Your Highness! Your Highness! Are you alright?!"

The person Helang had shot through the shoulder was none other than Prince Jingyang Zhao Qin, who had been hiding in the palace for most of the night. Seeing Helang and the Zhen Guo Marquisate's people confront each other, he had planned to slip away quietly amidst the chaos. But unexpectedly, disaster struck, and he was suddenly hit by the white-feathered black-gold arrow in his thigh, causing him to scream in pain.

"Zhao Qin! You finally came out!"

When the people of the Zhen Guo Marquisate saw Prince Jingyang, their eyes burned with raging fury. They wished they could tear him apart and drink his blood. When the two armies clashed, Zhao Qin was responsible for overseeing the rear supplies. However, he had embezzled everything. Beyond the pass, the snowstorm raged, and the soldiers went months without food, forced to eat snow and tree bark. This had led to the deaths of the Wei father and son on the battlefield, how could they not hate him!

Riding his horse, Helang tossed the bow and arrow to his deputy general, saying lightly, "It seems my archery skills are lacking, accidentally injuring Prince Jingyang. Hurry and carry him back to his residence for treatment. What if his condition worsens due to delay?"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he had injured a royal relative, dismissing it with a casual "accidental injury."

The gatekeeper dared not defy the order and hurriedly found a carriage to carry Zhao Qin, who was wailing incessantly, back to the Prince's mansion. Lady Wei had blocked the palace gates tonight for the sole purpose of capturing Zhao Qin, and at this sight, her eyes reddened as if they could bleed. She lashed her whip with force and immediately turned her troops around to pursue them. Before leaving, she seemed to recall something and cast a decisive glance at Helang:

"For the battle at Guiyan Pass, my Wei family will never let this rest. Let's see how long you can remain a loyal and brave minister! I fear that when the cunning rabbit is dead, the running dog will be cooked, and your fate will be no better than my husband's today!"

Countless snowflakes drifted slowly from the horizon, covering the ground in a layer of frosty white, but it was soon trampled into mud by the hooves of horses. Accompanied by a deep cry of "Rise - Spirit!", the funeral procession galloped away in grandeur, leaving behind only paper money and ingots fluttering in the sky.

A piece of white spirit money floated leisurely before Helang's eyes. He reached out to pinch it, staring at the thin paper as he muttered to himself, "How long can one remain a loyal and brave minister?"

He chuckled, it all depended on his mood.

Helang tossed away the spirit paper and was about to lead his men away when an eunuch suddenly rushed out of the palace gate in haste: "Regent Prince, please wait, Regent Prince, His Majesty summons you!!"

In the depths of winter, dawn came late. The majestic imperial city, reflected against the falling snow, appeared even more imposing. Yet, the long and quiet palace paths added an indescribable sense of melancholy.

Led by the eunuch, Helang arrived at the Hall of Political Affairs. Just as he was about to step through the palace gate, a Dragon Scale Guard suddenly reached out in trepidation to block him:

"Regent Prince, according to ancestral rules, please remove your armor and unsheathe your sword before entering the hall to meet the Emperor!"

At these words, Helang paused, his dark gaze sweeping over the guard, inch by inch, like a knife scraping across skin, causing a piercing pain. His voice was icy and mocking, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world: "Ancestral rules?"

The ancestors of the Zhao family had been dead for countless years, yet they still dared to establish rules?

Although Helang was usually arrogant, he also maintained propriety and did not overstep his bounds before the emperor. However, since the emperor had widely accepted concubines into the harem at the beginning of the year and established many new consorts, he had become increasingly eccentric day by day. He grabbed the collar of the Dragon Scale Guard and sneered:

"What if this prince refuses to remove it? What will you do?!"

The guard was frightened pale, thinking that the regent prince would normally remove his armor when entering the hall. He was merely reminding him according to protocol, so why was he acting so unusually today? He stuttered, unable to utter a word.

Just then, a voice as light as a breeze and as calm as water echoed from within the hall doors, effortlessly defusing the conflict outside. It was like a gentle rain or warm jade:

"There's no need to remove the armor. Please enter the hall, Regent Prince."

Since the emperor had spoken, the guards naturally dared not obstruct him. They could only watch helplessly as Helang entered. He did not hasten his pace upon entering court, did not bow or announce his name during praise, and carried his sword and shoes onto the hall. The regent prince had broken all three taboos.