At both sides of the Xianzhang Gate, civil and military officials, along with the rapidly arriving Imperial Guards and Guangming Department agents, witnessed the scene unfolding atop the Fang City walls. Loyal and Filial Prince Pei Yan leaped towards the Sacred Hall, engaging in a fierce battle where he managed to stab Wei Zhao with his sword. However, Wei Zhao, in his dying moment, kicked Pei Yan into the air.
A thunderous explosion shook the area, causing everyone to duck for cover. As they scrambled to their feet, they saw flames engulfing the Fang City. Before they could react, the sounds of battle erupted from the eastern side of the Imperial Mausoleum.
Soon, the Imperial Guards stationed outside the mausoleum were forced back to the Jade Belt Bridge by thousands of attackers. Cries of “Prince Zhuang has rebelled! The Hexi Army has turned traitor!” filled the air.
The officials watched in horror as the elite troops, led by Gao Cheng, pushed the Imperial Guards back step by step. Panic spread, and many fled in terror. The few brave military officers who stepped forward were quickly overwhelmed by the retreating Imperial Guards.
Amidst the chaos, Gao Cheng saw the raging flames and billowing smoke within Fang City. Despair spread through his body, but he pressed on, leading his troops forward, hoping that Prince Zhuang might have escaped, giving them a glimmer of hope.
However, the sounds of pursuit from behind shattered his last hope. Marquis Suhai led thirty thousand troops, forcing the remaining two thousand Hexi soldiers to make a desperate stand at the Jade Belt River. Jiang Yuan also led the Guangming Department guards out from Fang City, surrounding the remnants of the Hexi Army.
Gao Cheng, his face pale, looked to the sky and sighed, “It’s over!” He suddenly shouted, “Stop fighting!”
Marquis Suhai coldly smiled, watching the dying struggles of the Hexi Army. He raised his right hand and declared through gritted teeth, “The Hexi Army has committed treason. By imperial decree, kill them all without mercy!”
A wave of killing intent swept through the battlefield like a storm scattering clouds. In moments, the Hexi Army lay in pools of blood.
Gao Cheng swayed, using his long sword to support himself as he glared at Marquis Suhai. The Marquis, his face calm, extended his right hand to receive a powerful bow from his subordinate. He drew the bow, and a gray-feathered arrow flew like lightning. With a thud, Gao Cheng’s body flew backward, falling into the Jade Belt River.
Marquis Suhai tossed aside the bow and urgently commanded, “Quickly, protect His Majesty!”
Scholar Dong finally managed to stand up, stumbling towards Fang City. By now, the flames had turned half the sky red, and Fang City had become a sea of fire. The hidden gunpowder continued to ignite, causing massive explosions. There was no hope for anyone inside to survive.
Scholar Dong fell to his knees, crying out in anguish, “Your Majesty!”
His cry was echoed by tens of thousands of people who burst into tears, their wails filling the air.
Amidst the thunderous cries, Pei Yan regained consciousness. He crawled forward, calling out in grief, “Your Majesty! Crown Prince! This subject was incompetent, unable to save you!”
The officials who had witnessed Pei Yan protecting the Crown Prince from the incense burner and killing Wei Zhao were overcome with sorrow, realizing he still couldn’t save the Emperor and Crown Prince. They wept even more loudly.
Pei Yan cried for a while, then slowly got up. He stumbled, fell, and struggled to his feet again, turning towards Xianzhang Gate. He was covered in blood, limping, with debris clinging to his body. His face was a mask of grief, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Marquis Suhai knelt at Xianzhang Gate, weeping, but his eyes were fixed on the approaching Pei Yan. Scholar Dong turned his head slightly, giving Marquis Suhai a small shake of his head.
As Marquis Suhai hesitated, the sound of light armor and footsteps came from the south. He quickly stood up to see several thousand lightly armored soldiers arriving at the Jade Belt Bridge.
These troops, though far fewer than Marquis Suhai’s forces, spread out like eagle wings, protecting their flanks. Despite their smaller numbers, their imposing presence exuded a sharp, deadly aura.
Pei Yan, his face full of sorrow, choked out, “Why have you come?”
Tong Min stepped forward quickly, announcing loudly, “Prince Zhuang’s men are staging a coup in the capital. We feared for His Majesty’s safety and came to protect him!”
Pei Yan wept, “Alas, you’re a step too late!”
He slowly crossed the Jade Belt Bridge. Marquis Suhai moved slightly, but Scholar Dong shook his head again. Realizing that with the Changfeng Guards’ arrival, he could no longer act against Pei Yan, especially after Pei Yan’s public display of loyalty, Marquis Suhai could only sigh inwardly and retreat.
Pei Yan, his face streaked with tears, stumbled forward. Tong Min and dozens of Changfeng Guards rushed to support him, bringing him back to their ranks.
Pei Yan, now feeling more secure, turned back towards Fang City, prostrating himself and weeping, “Your Majesty, Crown Prince!” The Changfeng Guards knelt as one, the sound of their armor and boots echoing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan returned from investigating Fang City, falling before Scholar Dong in tears. The officials finally realized there was no hope for the Emperor and Crown Prince’s survival, and their cries shook the heavens.
Scholar Dong wept for a moment, then stood up and said through his tears, “With His Majesty’s passing, the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day—”
Pei Yan, who had earlier seen Tong Min’s secret signal indicating that the Quiet Prince was safe, began to smile slightly upon hearing Scholar Dong’s words. However, Scholar Dong’s next words froze him: “Fortunately, heaven has shown mercy. The Crown Prince was unwell, and following His Majesty’s verbal order, he remained behind due to the strong winds at Fang City, thus escaping the traitors’ evil plot.”
Pei Yan was shocked and raised his head abruptly, only to see Marquis Suhai smiling at him. That smile was like a silent sword piercing his heart.
At the Jade Belt River, Marquis Suhai’s troops parted like a tide, revealing over a dozen people escorting the Crown Prince, who wore a golden silk cloak, as they hurried forward.
In that instant, Pei Yan understood that the real and fake Crown Princes had been switched on the carriage to the Imperial Mausoleum. The one who entered Fang City with the Emperor and died at Prince Zhuang’s hands was merely a body double. His eyelid twitched, and he lowered his head.
The Crown Prince rushed to the Jade Belt Bridge, falling to his knees with a thud. He prostrated himself, crying out, “Father Emperor!” His grief was overwhelming, tears and mucus streaming down his face. After a moment, he cried so hard he could barely breathe, collapsing to the ground.
Scholar Dong and Marquis Suhai, weeping softly, came forward to support the Crown Prince on either side. Scholar Dong said through his tears, “Please, Crown Prince, take care of your health. The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. With His Majesty’s passing, please ascend the throne quickly to stabilize the situation.”
The Crown Prince cried until he was nearly unconscious, then weakly said, “Let Scholar Dong handle everything.” With that, he burst into tears again, finally crying himself to exhaustion and collapsing against Marquis Suhai’s chest.
Scholar Dong released the Crown Prince and slowly stood up. Pei Yan raised his head at that moment. In the cold wind, their eyes met, each with a glint of sharp intent.
Pei Yan’s shoulder and left leg wounds throbbed with pain, and his internal injuries were becoming harder to suppress. His face showed deep sorrow as he shook off Tong Min and the others’ support. He stumbled forward, reaching the Crown Prince, and slowly knelt, saying in a pained voice, “I implore the new Emperor to restrain his grief!”
Scholar Dong seemed to hear the sound of a heart hitting the ground. He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them, looking up at the pale blue sky and exhaling a long breath. As the cold wind blew, he realized he was drenched in sweat, and his feet were trembling slightly.
The great fire in Fang City continued to burn fiercely, illuminating the grief-stricken faces of tens of thousands. The snow-covered mountains stood silent, watching the masses of people prostrating themselves and wailing before Xianzhang Gate.
At the rear of the Changfeng Guard formation, one person quietly slipped out of the Merit Gate, using lightness skills to race along the Imperial Mausoleum Road. Treading through the remnants of snow and mud, they followed the dense lake and turned left at a large pine tree, heading towards the mountains.
In the snow-covered pine forest on the mountainside, when the first explosion sounded, the accumulated snow on the surrounding trees fell in a rush. Pei Zifang rushed forward a few steps, looking towards the Imperial Mausoleum.
According to the original plan, after Gao Cheng led his troops disguised as Imperial Guards to eliminate the Emperor and Crown Prince in Fang City, Pei Yan, and Wei Zhao would kill Prince Zhuang in the chaos. Then the Changfeng Guards would appear, joining the Guangming Department and Imperial Guards to attack the Hexi Army under the pretense of “capturing the traitors.” At that time, the Changfeng Guards would release fireworks, signaling Pei Zifang’s elite troops to rush to the Imperial Mausoleum, “following Quiet Prince’s orders to suppress the rebellion” and ultimately stabilize the situation.
But now, where did this explosion come from? Seeing the thick smoke and intense flames rising above the Imperial Mausoleum, he instantly broke into a cold sweat.
His clan nephew, Pei Xi, approached with a worried expression, asking, “Uncle, what should we do?”
Pei Zifang slowly scanned the faces of those around him, his heart trembling slightly. Forcing himself to remain calm, he ordered, “Don’t move yet. The situation is unclear. We’ll retreat further north.”
When Dou Zimou of the Changfeng Guards rushed into the forest, his face showing no sign of grief, Pei Zifang’s tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. Still, he couldn’t help wiping away the beads of sweat on his forehead.
After Dou Zimou reported the situation, Pei Zifang’s fine eyebrows furrowed. He gazed at the raging fire above the Imperial Mausoleum for a while, then finally sighed, saying, “This is the only way now—”
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the fifth year of Chengxi, Hua Dynasty, the winter solstice.
During the grand ceremony at the Imperial Mausoleum, Prince Zhuang and Wei Zhao, the Commander of the Guangming Department, jointly staged a coup. They ordered Gao Cheng to lead the Hexi Army in a sudden attack on the Imperial Mausoleum, having planted explosives in Fang City. Emperor Cheng unfortunately perished in the great fire.
Loyal and Filial Prince Pei Yan was unable to protect the Emperor in time, only managing to kill Wei Zhao before escaping Fang City alone.
Marquis Suhai and the Changfeng Guards arrived just in time to protect the Crown Prince and annihilate Gao Cheng and the rebellious Hexi Army at the Jade Belt Bridge in front of the Imperial Mausoleum.
On the twenty-fifth day of the eleventh month, heavy snow fell, and the great fire that had burned for a day and a night in Fang City at the Imperial Mausoleum finally began to die down.
Seeing the thin winter sun on this day, Jiang Ci hung the quilts on bamboo poles in the courtyard to air them out. Noticing a few strands of black hair stuck to the quilt, she gently picked them up. Seeing the slightly curled ends, she smiled and carefully tucked the long hairs into her sachet.
She pressed her face against the brocade quilt, faintly smelling his scent. In her mind’s eye, she saw his bright smile as he left that morning. Lost in thought for a while, she smiled and caressed her abdomen, lowering her head to whisper, “In the future, you must be an obedient little cat, do you understand?”
“Dong! Dong—”
In the distance, the faint sound of bronze bells drifted over. Jiang Ci counted: the bells rang nine times, then after a moment, another nine rings, repeating nine times. The solemn, heavy bell tolls echoed long over the capital, startling flocks of crows and magpies into flight, casting a shadow over the clear winter day.
As the bell sounds reached her ears, Jiang Ci suddenly felt nauseous and shivered. She hurried into the house, putting on the fox fur coat Wei Zhao had brought the night before.
The bell tolls also spread across the clear sky, reaching the top of Lanyue Tower.
Cui Liang was holding a cup, about to drink, when he heard the bells start to ring. He sighed deeply, drained his cup in one gulp, and stood up, saying, “Sister Su, I have matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave first.”
Sister Su smiled faintly as she saw him out of Lanyue Tower. Cui Liang crossed the Nine-Bend Bridge and headed straight for the northern gate of the capital. Just as he stepped onto the main street of the inner city, he heard the thunderous sound of hooves approaching rapidly from the direction of the north gate.
Cui Liang quickly dodged to the side along with other pedestrians on the road. He saw a squad of Imperial Guards galloping past, followed shortly by a group from the Guangming Department, all with solemn expressions, their shouts to urge on their horses tinged with unease.
The sounds of mourning bells, crows and magpies, and galloping horses suddenly made the capital’s citizens tense. Finally, someone realized that these bells were the Nine Dragon Bells, which only tolled when an emperor had passed away. People became panic-stricken, flooding into the streets, and trying to gather information from one another. But they only saw Imperial Guards and Guangming Department agents galloping by, with no one able to get any concrete news, causing even more anxiety.
Half an hour later, the Imperial Guards and Guangming Department agents cleared the way for the Crown Prince’s palanquin, adorned with white mourning banners, to enter the city through the north gate. The civil and military officials walking beside the palanquin stumbled along, each weeping bitterly: “Your Majesty!”
The citizens of the capital finally believed that their supreme ruler—Emperor Cheng of the Hua Dynasty—had passed away on the winter solstice of the fifth year of Chengxi.