Chapter 82 Forcing Abdication

Chapter 82: Forcing the Palace

The night was still and silent, all lamps and candles were out. Even the noisy cicadas had fallen silent, with only the occasional sweltering wind sweeping through the empty streets.

Everyone had peacefully fallen asleep, and it seemed the entire Zhaojing had fallen into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, a small dog curled up at the mouth of an alley jolted awake. It pricked up its ears, warily looking towards the city gate, then scrambled to its feet and fled in panic deeper into the alley.

Outside the city gate, a crimson ribbon formed by torches flowed like a river, charging towards the gate.

At the head rode a man on horseback, one hand gripping the reins, the other holding a broadsword. A long scar ran across his eyelid, his face full of ferocity.

He spurred his horse and shouted arrogantly, "Brothers! Tonight we play for high stakes, guaranteeing your future wealth and glory!"

The men behind him shouted back, each one looking excited.

Their target tonight was the imperial palace, and the whole of Zhaojing.

They had waited in the deep mountains and remote forests for a long time, all for this very night.

Scarface felt the blood surging and boiling in his veins. He needed rivers of blood to soothe his restless heart.

In the blink of an eye, the group reached the foot of the city wall. Those clearing the path scattered to the sides, while those carrying large bows came to the front. Working in pairs, one held the bow while the other drew the string. A rain of arrows shot towards the battlements.

The attack was completely unexpected. The imperial guards defending the city seemed unprepared for this scene tonight.

Short-handed during the emperor's mourning period, their energy had been severely depleted during the day. Standing night watch left them exceptionally weary.

By the time they snapped out of it and sought reinforcements, it was too late. The city gates had already been breached.

Having torn through Zhaojing's "armor" so effortlessly, Scarface's confidence soared, his smile growing ever more arrogant.

It was a good start.

So confident was he that he even found time to discipline a disobedient underling.

"What are you doing! Look at your pathetic self! Why bother with this commoner trash!" He kicked the head of a straggling underling from his horse, pointing his broadsword towards the palace ahead. "If you want to loot, go loot there!"

With that, he let out a few cackling laughs and rode forward again.

He was determined to be the first to breach the imperial palace.

Unlike the city gates, the palace gates had clearly received word and were prepared.

The imperial guards here were all elite troops. They stood in neat formation, fully armed and ready, their weapons glinting coldly under the dim moonlight.

Fang Fengshi was also fully armed and waiting early, his entire body covered tightly, revealing only his eyes.

Behind his faceplate, his voice sounded somewhat muffled.

"Who are you, to dare invade the palace! Do you not know this is a crime punishable by extermination of the nine clans! Lay down your weapons now, and we might spare your lives!"

Scarface naturally didn't believe it, even feeling a bit of disdain.

"Hah, everyone knows your imperial guards are a bunch of useless straw. If you were any good, how could I have breached the city so easily! You'd better lay down your weapons now and become my underlings. Following me in the future will be much freer than your current lot!"

He turned and raised his arm, rallying his men. "Brothers! Charge! Take the imperial city, trample the Foolish Emperor!"

His underlings behind him gazed at the vast imperial palace, imagining the countless rare treasures within. Delusions of a glorious future blinded their eyes.

Once they breached the palace gates, everything inside would be theirs.

They were like men injected with adrenaline, mustering all their brute force, raising scaling ladders to hook onto the battlements.

This time, however, the combat strength of the palace gate guards was far superior to that at the city gates.

The moment the ladders hooked on, countless rolling logs and stone missiles came crashing down. The men on the ladders were instantly reduced to a bloody pulp, bones shattered, screaming as they fell.

Seizing the moment while the attackers regrouped, the guards promptly lit fireballs and hurled them down. The palace entrance was instantly engulfed in a sea of flames.

The scorching flames danced incessantly, as if opening a bloodthirsty maw.

In the air, the stench of blood, charred flesh, and dust mingled, creating a suffocating foulness.

But unfortunately, despite the palace guards' desperate resistance, they were ultimately defeated, allowing the rebels to pry open a crack.

Scarface, completely disregarding the corpses of his fallen brothers, charged through with maniacal laughter.

When he stood in the deserted front courtyard of the Cangwu Hall, he closed his eyes and spread his arms, feeling the sweltering night breeze, finding it incredibly exhilarating.

So this was how it felt to be the ruler of a nation.

He tightened his grip on his broadsword, walked to the coffin, and looked at the hall full of white mourning drapes. An impulse surged within him to destroy all this and then move in.

But he restrained himself.

Scarface took out a signal flare from his robe, lit it using a white candle, and walked back into the courtyard.

A red firework shot up, exploding against the dark blue night sky.

Chang Wenji looked towards the direction of the imperial palace, watching the firework appear. He knew everything had been accomplished.

"Let's go, Chang Tong."

The steward acknowledged, set down his task, helped Chang Wenji put on his shoes and socks, and led him to the carriage that had long been prepared at the gate.

The interior of the carriage was dim, but it couldn't hide Chang Wenji's wildly unrestrained smile.

At first, he merely covered his face with a low chuckle, but later he couldn't suppress it and laughed out loud. The eerie laughter startled a few sleeping sparrows.

The scheme he had meticulously planned had finally borne fruit, and a rather good one at that.

In the dense forest outside Zhaojing city.

Fang Fengshi, dressed in ordinary imperial guard attire, watched the small firework rising in the distance and revealed a knowing smile.

This was a good omen.

It was time for them to act as well.

*

Flickering flames danced on the scorched earth, and a strange scent of blood filled the air, seeming eager to penetrate people's skin and nostrils.

But this did nothing to dampen Chang Wenji's good mood.

The journey to Cangwu Hall was exceptionally smooth, even faster than his usual trips to the palace.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of Cangwu Hall. He alighted slowly and walked step by step to Xiao Yan's coffin, finally uttering his first words of the night.

"What are historical records? Merely new ink covering old blood."

Chang Wenji shook his head.

"It's not that this old man is ruthless, but on this chessboard, someone must be sacrificed. First it was your brother, and now it's you. It's truly time for the Xiao family to be replaced."

He ignored the white drapes inside the hall and the coffin placed at the center, strolling around as if wandering through a garden.

Chang Wenji glanced at the antique shelves filled with rare treasures, browsed through the treasured classics collected over the years, admired the intricate mechanical gadgets, and finally lay down on the incredibly soft goose-down bedding.

He let out a sigh of satisfaction.

The emperor's bed was indeed very comfortable.

Tomorrow morning, though traces of tonight may remain, everything will be brand new.

A new day, a new dynasty, with new hopes and power.

The usually arrogant Scarface was now acting restrained in front of Chang Wenji, like a fawning dog, almost as if he were about to stick out his tongue.

He bent over obsequiously and asked, "Lord Chang, did I do well?"

After all, everything had gone so smoothly, much faster than he had anticipated, saving a lot of time.

"Hmm."

Chang Wenji lazily responded and then fell silent.

Scarface suddenly sensed something was wrong. His mind raced, and he seemed to realize something, quickly rephrasing his words.

"Y-Your Majesty, did I do well?"

"Hmm." Chang Wenji's tone became more animated. He sat up and patted Scarface on the shoulder. "From now on, you shall be my Grand General of the Nation."

Scarface was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly on the ground.

He never imagined that an illiterate butcher like him could have such luck to become a general.

"Your Majesty is wise! Thank you for your great kindness and grace! If there is anything Your Majesty needs, just give the order!"

"Since you are now a general, you are a minister. Why still refer to yourself as a lowly person?"

"Yes, yes," Scarface hastily corrected himself. "This minister will surely carry out Your Majesty's orders to your satisfaction!"

The two of them were lost in their daydreams, completely immersed in their own world, oblivious to everything around them.

They didn't even hear the commotion coming from outside.

It wasn't until a blood-soaked underling stumbled in, his legs giving way as he knelt before the coffin, tearing down a large section of the white drapes now stained with red blood.

Beautiful yet eerie.

"B-Boss... someone has broken in!"

"Who! Who has broken in!"

Scarface turned around sharply, forced to snap out of his sweet dream.

"Weren't all the people in the palace already under control?!"

"I-I don't know," the underling mumbled incoherently. "But they're wearing the imperial guards' uniforms, and there are quite a few of them!"

Scarface's expression turned grave, and a sense of foreboding instantly rose in his heart.

He looked at Chang Wenji, who had already gotten out of bed and walked into the courtyard.

The nearly extinguished flames reignited, mingling with the clang of steel, lighting up half the sky.

And the smell of blood in the air grew even thicker than before.

Judging by the sounds, the intruders were not far away, and they were just as numerous, if not more so.

They had fallen into a trap.

Scarface clearly realized this as well. The other side had lured them in first and then trapped them like rats, ready to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

No wonder their entry had been so smooth earlier—the city gates opened so easily, and although the palace gates required some effort, it didn't take much time.

Everything had been too easy. It wasn't that the imperial guards were unprepared; rather, they had done it on purpose.

But he had been completely blinded by the joy of victory and hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Later, thinking everything was under control, he even sent a signal to Lord Chang...

Scarface knelt down in panic. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this minister will escort you out. This courtyard is so large; there must be a back door!"

Your Majesty? Still calling him Your Majesty at a time like this?

How foolish! Stupid as a pile of dog shit!

Chang Wenji had long lost his earlier composure. He slapped Scarface across the face with all his might, leaving five clear finger marks instantly swelling on the latter's face.

Where was there any way out for them? They were likely already surrounded.

Suddenly, a familiar head appeared atop the wall.

Since Chang Wenji's men were guarding the entrance, he simply climbed over the wall. After all, he had done it no less than eight hundred times.

Fang Fengshi skillfully found the large stone he used for leverage, leaped onto the wall, and then gracefully dropped into the courtyard.

He brushed the dust off his hands and remarked with amusement.

"Since you two have come all this way, where are you planning to go? We went through so much trouble to set up such a grand scheme for you. How can the main characters leave?"

Fang Fengshi tilted his chin toward the area behind them, revealing a sly smile.

"Right, Xiao Yan?"

Author's Note:

Xiao Yan finally doesn't have to pretend to be sick anymore! Fang Fengshi finally doesn't have to act like a fool anymore! Applause, applause!