Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 475 Sword Pointing at the Deep Palace
An unexpected incident occurred in the Zichen Palace, with earth-shattering shouts of battle shattering the festive atmosphere.

The once noisy banquet at the Eastern Palace was instantly thrown into chaos, with whispers rising everywhere.

The women were terrified, their faces filled with fear, while the nobles and officials exchanged bewildered glances and began to leave their seats...

A sense of impending doom hung in the air...

Li Huan led his elite guards and, with almost no resistance along the way, stormed into Xuande Gate and headed straight for Zichen Palace.

"Your Highness, something's not right." The adjutant beside him lowered his voice and looked around warily. "Li Zhao is known for his cunning. Even if there is good news today, the defenses of the Eastern Palace should not be so lax."

Li Huan also noticed it.

The smoother things went, the stronger his unease became.

The secret passage leading directly to the Forbidden Garden was extremely well hidden, known to very few people; there was absolutely no way Li Zhao could know it…

But the resistance along the way was too weak, retreating at the first sign of trouble. Even though most of the Imperial Guards were cowardly and he held the imperial edict, such perfunctory treatment was still quite unusual...

"The arrow has already left the bow; there's no time to worry about anything else..."

Having come this far, there's no turning back for them.

"Charge in—purge the palace, and risk your life to save the emperor."

"Yes!"

The Right Guard soldiers swarmed forward, heading straight for the tightly closed main gate of the Zichen Palace.

Outside the hall, only a dozen or so imperial guards stood with halberds. Seeing them charging forward aggressively, they offered a token resistance before slowly retreating.

Li Huan, clad in silver armor, stood atop the white marble steps, holding aloft the bright yellow edict deposing the crown prince, and shouted sternly.

"Crown Prince Li Zhao has imprisoned his father and wreaked havoc on the court, committing rebellion and filial impiety. Now, by His Majesty's secret edict, he is deposed as heir apparent and punished for his crimes to uphold the law of the land—you all must immediately lay down your weapons and open the gates to welcome His Majesty. I will only execute the ringleaders; those who surrender will not be killed!"

The area in front of the hall was deathly silent; no one responded.

The guards, brandishing their weapons, also retreated far away, making way for them.

Scared?

Should we retreat upon seeing the imperial edict?

Li Huan made a snap decision, led his men to the palace gate, and bowed deeply.

"Father, I am late in coming to your rescue. Is Your Majesty alright?"

His voice rose again, echoing before the hall.

no respond.

"Your subject, Li Huan, has come by imperial decree! Father, please open the palace gates..."

Still no sound.

The palace doors remained tightly shut and motionless.

It was so quiet inside that it seemed like no one was there.

Li Huan was filled with doubts, but since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and knock on the door.

"Open the door, you inside! I have been ordered by His Majesty to protect the Emperor and capture the traitor Li Zhao..."

“Royal brother…” A chilling voice came from inside the hall.

The next moment, the heavy vermilion gate burst open with a roar.

Surrounded by a group of imposing Eastern Palace guards, Li Zhao stood with his hands behind his back at the intersection of light and shadow inside the doorway. The golden dragon pattern on his wedding robe shone brightly, his face was as cold as jade, and his voice was as firm as iron.

"Breaking into the Zichen Palace, forcing the emperor to abdicate with weapons, and disturbing the imperial procession—Prince Duan, are you plotting a rebellion?"

Li Huan gave a heavy snort and raised the imperial edict high in his hand once again.

"Crown Prince, open your eyes and look carefully. This is the edict of deposing the Crown Prince written by Father Emperor himself—your actions are perverse and arouse the wrath of both Heaven and Man. Today I will rid the country of this traitor on behalf of Father Emperor."

Li Zhao looked at him, a faint smile flashing across his eyes.

"Brother, surrender immediately. For the sake of our brotherhood, I might spare your life..."

Upon hearing this, Li Huan let out a cold laugh, his dark eyes filled with ferocity and bloodshot veins.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain; what need is there for further words? Today, it's either you die, or I perish..."

Li Zhao shook his head slightly, his tone indifferent.

"Then look around you, do you still have a chance?"

Before he finished speaking, a series of rapid footsteps echoed around the palace walls, like muffled thunder.

The Eastern Palace guards, who had been lying in ambush, surged in like a tide from the outer hall, side halls, side corridors, and all around the square. Their armor was gleaming, their swords and spears were standing tall, and their shouts shook the heavens.

Countless archers appeared on the palace walls and rooftops.

The arrowheads gleamed coldly as they were aimed at the Right Wing Guard below.

"Your Highness, we are surrounded." The lieutenant was ashen-faced and his voice trembled.

"Fell into a trap!"

"It's a trap—"

Li Huan surveyed the densely packed ambush of soldiers around him, glanced at Li Zhao's calm and composed face, smiled faintly, and then suddenly drew his sword, pointing it at Li Zhao...

"Since I've come here, I have no intention of leaving alive, so what is there to fear?"

He then shouted in a deep voice at the tightly closed palace doors, as if making a final declaration.

"Father, I have not failed your expectations... Today, I will fight to the death, and I would rather die than surrender..."

"Fellow soldiers!" he shouted, raising his sword, his voice filled with sorrow, "Follow me—charge in and rescue His Majesty!"

"kill--"

Li Huan roared and charged at Li Zhao with his sword.

"Protect His Highness!" The palace guards immediately rushed forward.

Li Zhao raised his arm, took the sword handed to him by his attendant, and went to greet him personally.

Amidst the chaos of battle, the two brothers clashed swords, their attacks fierce and merciless. In an instant, the clash of weapons, shouts of battle, and screams of agony echoed through the palace, shattering the joyous atmosphere of the wedding...

Upon hearing the news, important officials such as Lu Jing and Lu Kefu arrived one after another.

They tried to mediate, but their words of persuasion sounded weak and powerless amidst the deafening sounds of battle.

Prince Chun, Li Qian, also arrived at the Zichen Palace. Seeing the scene of fratricide before him, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his face.

"Second brother, fifth brother—we are all descendants of the Li family, brothers and sisters, connected by blood, how could it come to this, how could it come to this..."

"Stop, all of you stop..."

Li Huan parried Li Zhao's attack with a single sword stroke and responded sharply.

"Brothers? Hmph, he imprisoned our father and seized power, did he ever think of brotherly affection?"

Li Zhao's eyes darkened, and the force in his wrist suddenly increased, sending his longsword piercing the wind upwards.

“Brother, I originally thought that one day I would be the one to go astray. I never expected that you would use a forged edict to disrupt the government and lead troops to force your way to the palace—don't be so stubborn anymore, turn back before it's too late…”

Li Huan laughed angrily.

"You speak so eloquently! You're nothing but a traitor who'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Li Zhao, you're even more hypocritical than I am..."

"Clang!" The two swords clashed again.

Li Zhao used the momentum to spin around, and suddenly flicked his sword tip.

A flash of cold light, and Li Huan's arm was slashed open, leaving a bloody gash.

“At least I have never colluded with the likes of Xiao Song, never aided and abetted evil, never suppressed the loyal and good, and never associated with treacherous officials… I investigated old cases, punished the wicked, and established the Bureau of Redress to let the spirits of heroes who have been wronged for decades rest in peace. And you, my brother, what have you done besides colluding with your cronies and coveting the throne?”

Li Huan gritted his teeth in pain but refused to back down even half a step, swinging his sword straight at Li Zhao's throat.

"Stop your hypocrisy! The Old Mausoleum Swamp is a remnant of the previous dynasty, and you, Li Zhao, are also a traitor, colluding with the Xiz and letting wolves into the house... What right do you have to criticize me?"

Li Zhao sneered repeatedly, dodging the sword's edge and sweeping it horizontally with his backhand.

"You call me a rebel? Fine. If purging the court and upholding the nation is rebellion, then so be it if cleansing the filth and redressing the injustices—then what if I rebel today?"

His voice was as clear as metal and as powerful as stone.

“What I’m rebelling against is this corrupt and tyrannical regime, this deep-seated evil, this world where right and wrong are reversed and loyalty and treachery are indistinguishable… It’s all better than you, my brother, trampling on the law and disregarding human life for the sake of a dragon throne!”

Born into royalty, he enjoyed immense privilege and honor, yet he also experienced profound loneliness and isolation. He never truly felt the warmth of blood ties, nor was he ever genuinely loved by anyone…

"I cherish our brotherhood, but you refuse to. So let's settle things today..."

The clash of swords and the sharp sounds of weapons clashing were incessant.

Li Zhao's wedding robe was stained with blood, but his attacks became increasingly decisive and ruthless, even raising his voice as he fought.

"Distinguished guests, the wedding banquet will proceed as planned, with plenty of drinks. After I finish my family business, I will go to fetch the bride..."

Before he could finish speaking, seeing Li Huan feint an attack to his side and rear, he couldn't help but sneer. With a sudden flick of his wrist, his sword flashed out diagonally like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, swiftly knocking the longsword from Li Huan's hand...

With a clang!
Li Huan's sword flew out of his hand and crashed heavily to the ground.

Li Zhao's sword tip was already pointing directly at his throat.

"Brother, tell your men to lay down their weapons."

His voice was cold and unquestionable, "Today is a day of great joy for me, and I do not wish for the wedding hall to be stained with too much blood."

The scene suddenly became quiet.

The fighting abruptly stopped; the armored soldiers' weapons hung in mid-air, and even their breath seemed to freeze...

All eyes were on the two brothers.

Li Huan took two steps back, slowly raised his hand, wiped his chin with his blood-stained nail guard, and chuckled softly.

“I have studied diligently since childhood, rising before dawn and sleeping after midnight, reading extensively and practicing riding and archery more diligently than you. I am more hardworking and attentive in everything I do, and Father Emperor clearly favors me more…”

He raised his head slightly, the cold light of his silver armor intertwined with the crimson of blood, revealing a poignant smile.

"And you, indulging in pleasure all day long, indifferent to the affairs of the court, have easily taken everything simply because you were born in the Empress's palace and benefited from the status of the eldest son... You say it's fair, but I ask you, is it fair? Why should the position of Crown Prince of Liang belong to you?"

Li Zhao thrust the tip of his sword forward slightly, piercing the skin on Li Huan's neck.

A trickle of blood meandered down...

Li Zhao's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Because you will never understand what the true way of being a ruler is. You can only see the dragon throne, but you can't see the country and the people beneath it."

At that moment, a piercing cry suddenly rang out from inside the hall: "Your Majesty—"

Li Zhao's expression changed, and he struck Li Huan's neck heavily with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious.

"Tie him up! Keep him under surveillance—"

Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed into the inner hall like an arrow released from a bow.

Emperor Chongzhao was slumped on the couch with a dagger at his neck. The person holding the knife was Tian Shu, who had been preparing medicine and consulting doctors for the emperor for days.

An old woman in blue stood before the bed, holding an ebony cane, her eyes gray and empty as she stared ahead.

Beside her stood several young men and women dressed in tight-fitting clothes, exuding a fierce aura and carrying weapons at their waists, clearly skilled in martial arts.

The screen behind the dragon bed had been moved aside, revealing a dark, hidden door in the wall. It hadn't been closed in time, and the scene inside was obscured, leaving it shrouded in mystery.

Clearly, they sneaked in while the brothers were fighting outside and the palace was in chaos.

Zichen Hall was the residence of the emperor.

This hidden door remains unknown to others.

At least, this was the first time Li Zhao had ever seen such a thing in his life.

"If you don't want a joyous occasion to turn into a tragedy, then lay down your weapons..." Jing Shan's voice was as cold as ice. "Otherwise, I will send him on his way."

　Li Zhao: ...I want to plead for you, is that alright? I said, can't we consummate the marriage first?
　　Erjin: 6.6, let's get down to business first.

　　(End of this chapter)