Chapter 145 A Desperate Fight to the Death

Chapter 145: A Desperate Fight to the Death

Finally, some of the officials around could no longer hold back.

"His Highness Prince Rui!" an old minister stepped forward, his voice aged yet steady. "Since His Highness Prince Yu is alive, this is wonderful news! What are you doing?"

"Yes, yes, His Highness Prince Yu doesn't look like a ghost at all..."

Voices of agreement rose from all sides.

Someone also muttered under their breath, "Could it be that Prince Yu's 'death' was indeed the doing of Prince Rui..."

Xiao Jing listened to the murmurs coming from every direction, each wave threatening to drown him.

He forced himself to stand up, his robe hem covered in dust, his crown slightly askew, making him look utterly disheveled. Yet his bloodshot eyes blazed with the mad flame of a man on the brink of death.

"Guards!!" he roared, his voice hoarse, almost cracking. "Tie him up!"

"Oh my God," Xiao K murmured quietly, "Xiao Jing has been pushed to madness; he's planning a desperate fight to the death."

The men waiting outside acted swiftly. Before anyone could react, Xiao Yan had been bound hand and foot and escorted before Xiao Jing.

"Your Highness Prince Rui, what are you doing?!"

"Now that Prince Yu's identity has been proven, do you still intend to administer punishment without authorization?"

Several elderly ministers stepped forward trembling.

Xiao Jing had long anticipated the consequences of making such a move in front of so many people.

He looked at the man before him, bound yet composed, at the face that was exactly like his seventh brother in his memory yet felt utterly unfamiliar, and sneered.

"Of course I will not administer punishment without authorization. I only wish to take this Prince Yu back to the palace properly."

Xiao Jing enunciated each word through gritted teeth, yet his voice was perfectly clear.

Outside the imperial mausoleum, it was already broad daylight.

The glaring sunlight poured down through gaps in the clouds, illuminating the mottled stone steps.

Xiao Jing walked at the very front, followed by Xiao Yan under escort, and then the civil and military officials with varied expressions.

The procession stretched long, their footsteps chaotic, yet no one dared to speak.

Liu Wenyuan walked in the middle of the procession, his steps steady, his expression grave.

He had witnessed everything that happened today, but from beginning to end he had not uttered a word.

His gaze fell on Xiao Jing's back at the front, and he lowered his head in contemplation.

Xiao Jing's actions today seemed rather to be cutting off his own retreat.

Liu Wenyuan had experienced ups and downs in officialdom for decades and had seen many people when they were cornered.

Xiao Jing like this... Liu Wenyuan looked up at the sky, thinking to himself that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to return home on time today.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Wenyuan called over a young servant from his mansion waiting outside and told him to rush back home to deliver a message so his family wouldn't worry.

When Liu Wenyuan called the servant, the procession was passing a slightly wider slope.

He stepped aside a few paces, lowered his voice, and gave a few instructions. The servant was sharp, nodding repeatedly, and when no one was paying attention, slipped into the pine forest by the roadside, taking a shortcut toward the city.

Liu Wenyuan watched the figure disappear into the woods, then let out a small sigh of relief and rejoined the procession.

He knew in his heart that today's matter would not be easily resolved.

As the procession entered the palace gate, Xiao Jing suddenly raised his hand to signal a halt.

"Issue the order," his voice carried a tone of finality, as if ready to bring everything down. "Blockade all palace gates. Without my written command, no one may enter or leave."

The captain of the guards was stunned for a moment, then accepted the order and left.

In the Golden Throne Hall, the officials filed in one by one, their expressions varied.

Xiao Yan, on the other hand, was directly escorted by several sword-bearing guards to stand before the imperial steps.

Xiao Jing walked in last, his princely robes glaringly bright under the candlelight. His steps were steady, but his eyes burned like a wildfire about to consume everything.

The gates of the Golden Throne Hall slammed shut behind him.

The heavy sound was like a muffled thunderclap, making many hearts tremble.

Xiao Jing stood on the imperial steps, looking down upon the civil and military officials filling the hall.

Those faces were all too familiar to him: some were his allies, some were neutral, and some were the stubborn old men who had always opposed him.

At this moment, all these people stood before him like a flock of lambs to be slaughtered.

The corners of his mouth curled up; that smile finally shed all pretense, becoming wild and mad.

"My lords," his voice resounded through the hall. "What happened at the imperial mausoleum today, you all witnessed with your own eyes."

Xiao Jing's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, finally settling on Xiao Yan's face, the curve of his lips growing more sinister: "But what I want to tell you is... regardless of whether there is a corpse in the coffin, regardless of who this person is, today, there must be an end to this."

As soon as the words fell, orderly footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall. Immediately after, countless armored guards rushed in, holding long swords, surrounding the hall so tightly that no one could escape.

The gleam of blades flickered in the candlelight, exuding a chilling cold.

Some cried out in alarm, some turned pale with fear, some demanded in a trembling voice, "What does Prince Rui mean by this?"

But Xiao Jing just stood there, watching it all, his smile growing more frenzied.

"What does it mean?" He repeated those words, then suddenly burst into laughter, the laughter rising from low to high, ultimately becoming a piercing screech. "Isn't my meaning clear enough? Today, you, my lords, will stay here. When you have thought it through, when you are willing to support me as sovereign..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the terrified faces, then said word by word:

"Only then will you leave this hall."