eurekapd Chapter 435 Rebellion
Chapter 435 Rebellion
However, the next second, a dark figure darted out from the crowd like a ghost, moving so fast that it was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye.
With a "whoosh," a short arrow, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, accurately struck the executioner's wrist.
The executioner winced in pain, his wrist jerked violently, and the broadsword veered off course, crashing heavily onto the wooden planks of the execution platform with a loud clang, sending splinters flying.
Countless people dressed in black rushed out from all directions, wielding sharp blades, and immediately engaged in battle with the surrounding Imperial Guards!
The crowd gasped in alarm, and the scene instantly descended into chaos. Everyone was stunned and at a loss by this sudden turn of events.
Amidst the chaos, Yun Shang stood up from behind the table, his gaze meeting Li Chongyi's across the execution platform.
The moment their eyes met, a smile flashed in Li Chongyi's eyes.
Just then, a man in black leaped to his side, his sword flashing coldly as he swiftly severed the ropes binding Li Chongyi.
Despite the perilous situation, Li Chongyi calmly and slowly untied the ropes binding him.
He held one end of the rope, slightly raising his chin towards Yun Shang, his eyes revealing undisguised contempt.
It seemed to be mocking Yun Shang's overestimation of his abilities.
Yun Shang calmly met his gaze, taking in all his provocative and demonstrative actions without showing the slightest anger.
An Imperial Guard soldier anxiously leaped to Yun Shang's side and asked, "Lord Yun, there are just too many people coming to storm the execution ground. If this continues, we may not be able to hold them off!"
Yun Shang's lips curled into a faint smile as she said softly, "Then let them go."
The imperial guards soldier was taken aback, and instinctively asked, "What?"
Yun Shang did not repeat himself. The Imperial Guard recalled the events and confirmed that he had not misheard.
He looked into Yun Shang's calm and unwavering eyes and recalled Emperor Wenjing's instructions.
Emperor Wenjing said, "Today, everything will be done according to Yunshang's command."
So the Imperial Guards hesitated for only a moment before disappearing back into the crowd.
The number of black-clad men who stormed the execution ground was so great that the Imperial Guards did not need to deliberately reveal any flaws; they quickly fell into a disadvantageous position in the confrontation.
The Imperial Guards, having received their orders, subtly let the enemy escape, and soon only a few men in black remained, while the rest managed to flee the scene with Li Chongyi.
The last man in black fell, and the area in front of the Meridian Gate was now a pool of blood.
The blood gradually dried in the sunlight, turning a dark red, like old rust, emitting a pungent, fishy smell, mixed with the lingering murderous intent in the air, weighing heavily on the hearts of the people.
The people were still in shock. Those who hadn't managed to escape during the fight scattered like frightened birds, not daring to linger in one place.
Many Imperial Guards were killed or wounded. Yun Shang sent the wounded back to heal, while the rest returned to the palace with him to report back.
Upon learning that Li Chongyi had been kidnapped, Emperor Wenjing smashed an inkstone in his study and roared at the commander of the Imperial Guards, "Immediately seal off the gates of Shengjing! Turn the entire city upside down! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find Li Chongyi for me!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards, trembling with fear, accepted the order and hastily withdrew.
Inside the Imperial Study, only Yun Shang remained, standing quietly in place.
Emperor Wenjing's brows were furrowed with dark anger as he stared intently at Yun Shang for a long time before coldly asking, "Do you know your crime?"
Yun Shang knelt on both knees, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have caused the villain Li Chongyi to escape. I am willing to accept my punishment and beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Emperor Wenjing seemed to be suppressing his anger and said in a deep voice, "I will give you a chance to redeem yourself by bringing back the escaped Li Chongyi. I will not pursue the matter of letting Li Chongyi escape this time."
Yun Shang knelt down to express his gratitude, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
The palace walls were deep, but they could not keep out the eyes and ears of those with ulterior motives.
News of what happened in the palace quickly reached the ears of Prince Qi. Upon learning that Yun Shang had been reprimanded by Emperor Wenjing, Prince Qi finally felt some relief.
The dark room had only a small skylight for ventilation, and the candlelight throughout the room dispelled the darkness. King Qi looked up at the middle-aged man in front of him, and guiltily reached out to grasp the man's hand, "It's all because of my incompetence that the Right Chancellor has suffered."
Li Chongyi had already washed and dressed, put on a brand new outer robe, and combed his hair neatly. He glanced down at Prince Qi's hand, but did not pull it out. He simply said, "His Majesty had planned this all along. I was caught off guard. How can you blame the prince?"
Although King Qi was the weaker party compared to Li Chongyi, King Qi was the ruler and Li Chongyi was the subject, so at least on the surface he had to respect King Qi.
Seeing Li Chongyi's gentle demeanor, the King of Qi's anger at being forced to rebel subsided considerably. He took Li Chongyi's hand and said urgently and sincerely, "Prime Minister, given the current situation, I'm afraid the only way to save ourselves is to raise an army and start a rebellion."
Upon hearing this, Li Chongyi's expression hardened, and he slowly withdrew his hand.
He paced to the candlelight, the flickering light casting a thoughtful shadow on his face.
"When does Your Highness plan to launch your rebellion?" Li Chongyi asked in a deep voice. "And how many troops do you have at your disposal?"
"This matter should be addressed sooner rather than later," King Qi said, frowning. "When I put this down, I already received the news that my father had ordered all the city gates of Shengjing to be closed and the Imperial Guards and patrols to search the entire city. Everyone, whether they are members of the royal family, noble families, or ordinary people, must cooperate with the search."
If the Imperial Guards and patrolmen come to search the Prince of Qi's residence, the Prince of Qi will have to cooperate; otherwise, if Emperor Wenjing finds out, he will definitely become suspicious of him.
Moreover, he has already developed the idea of rebellion, so this matter can only be done sooner rather than later, otherwise things will change.
Li Chongyi did not object. He sat back down in his chair, slowly closed his eyes, and said calmly, "Then please make preparations as soon as possible, Your Highness. The palace gates will be opened for Your Highness at 9:00 PM three days from now."
A hint of shock flashed across King Qi's eyes.
He knew Li Chongyi had many trump cards up his sleeve, but he never imagined that Li Chongyi could control the palace gates.
The palace gates were locked precisely at 3:45 PM every night. No matter what happened at night, no one was allowed to enter the palace unless they had an imperial edict or received a special summons from the emperor.
Li Chongyi was able to get the palace gates wide open at 9 PM.
His alliance with Li Chongyi was tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.
But now he's deeply entrenched in it, with no way to turn back.
It takes time to mobilize troops from outside the palace, and it is even more difficult to get 50,000 troops close to Shengjing City without anyone noticing.
King Qi ordered Li Zhuoyue to leave most of his troops twenty miles outside Shengjing City, while a small group of them broke up and disguised themselves as ordinary people to infiltrate the city.
Although Emperor Wenjing ordered the city gates to be closed, the city's inhabitants needed to make a living, so the gates could not remain closed indefinitely.
Therefore, the city gates were reopened after only two hours of closure.
The number of guards at the city gates was doubled, and all carriages and caravans leaving the city were subject to strict inspections.
People leaving the city were subject to strict checks, while those entering the city were not checked very thoroughly.
Using this as leverage, the King of Qi's men gradually infiltrated the capital over three days.
Some officials noticed the large number of unfamiliar faces in the city in recent days and couldn't help but become suspicious. However, without solid evidence, no one dared to take any rash action.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Imperial Guards and patrols searched almost every corner of Shengjing City, but they still couldn't find Li Chongyi's whereabouts.