Zhu Yu – Chapter 157

The cavalry beneath the palace walls moved in unison, their dark mass shifting as one. On the Yanchi Tower, the troops from the two camps faced each other, poised for action.

Behind the Wumen Square, the sound of unsheathing blades rang out from the military formation. Wei Yan turned his head slightly, seeing the cold glint of swords reflected in the firelight.

Xie Zheng tugged lightly at the corner of his lips, fingering the reins in his hand. His casual smile carried an overwhelming pressure as he said, “Let him continue.”

Just one step away from the truth, he maintained a composed smile, but his eyes held nothing but endless coldness.

From beyond the crowd came another commotion. A carriage rushed in, its curtains drawn back. The Shadow Guards pushed Wei Xuan and Madam Wei out of the carriage, shouting, “Madam Wei and Wei Xuan are here!”

Atop the city wall, Qi Min’s smile grew more unhinged. His hand, pale to the point of having a faint blue tinge, rested on the cold brick of the wall as he looked at Wei Yan and said, “How convenient that your wife and child are here. I guarantee that if your men take one step forward, their heads will roll!”

Madam Wei and Wei Xuan were both bound tightly, their mouths stuffed with cotton. Madam Wei looked at Wei Yan with fear and guilt in her eyes. She tried to speak but could only make muffled sounds, shaking her head vigorously at him.

Wei Xuan’s eyes were bulging with rage, seemingly at the peak of fury. He had been struggling against his bonds so forcefully that the veins in his neck were protruding. The rope around his neck had chafed his skin raw from the prolonged friction.

When Xie Zheng saw Madam Wei, his cold phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his lips, which had been curled up coldly, pressed down a bit.

Wei Yan’s followers all looked to him for instructions. After a moment of silence, he issued another command: “Storm the city.”

This time, Wei Yan’s trusted subordinates didn’t hesitate. They drew their swords and shouted, “Storm the city!”

In an instant, the troops from the five military camps and two major camps loyal to different masters clashed on the city wall. Below, part of the Three Thousand Camp cavalry charged at the newly barricaded palace gates, while the rest continued to face off against Xie Zheng’s men.

Qi Min made a gesture to the Shadow Guards below from atop the wall. The guard immediately removed the cotton from Wei Xuan’s mouth. Wei Xuan, being extremely strong-willed, was like a rabid hyena with bloodshot eyes. He roared, “If you’ve got the guts, just kill me!”

The Shadow Guard didn’t kill him. Instead, he forced Wei Xuan to kneel, then thrust his blade into his shoulder blade from behind and twisted it violently. Blood immediately soaked through his clothes and gushed out.

Wei Xuan let out an agonizing scream that pierced the eardrums of those nearby.

When the guard withdrew the blade, Wei Xuan could barely kneel. He collapsed to the ground, his face pale and covered in fine sweat from the pain. His dirty hair, matted into clumps, was soaked in the pool of blood from his wound.

After regaining some strength, his lips moved, but he only managed to say, “Kill me…”

Madam Wei was right next to him, controlled by another Shadow Guard. Her mouth was still stuffed with cotton, preventing her from making any sound. She wanted to rush to her son but was held back by the guard’s hand on her shoulder. Her eyes, swollen and red from crying, were on the verge of fainting.

Xie Zheng watched all this with cold eyes, his grip on the halberd tightening slightly.

On the city wall, Qi Min sneered, “The Prime Minister’s heart is truly as hard as iron, not even caring about the life of his son.”

He then turned to look at Madam Wei, who was crying so hard she could barely stand, and said leisurely, “But Madam Wei need not grieve so. After all, killing his child is not something the Prime Minister is doing for the first time.”

This statement was like a stone causing a thousand ripples. Not only was Grand Tutor Li shocked, but even Xie Zheng’s eyes darkened a few shades.

Had Wei Yan had other children before?

Wei Yan, who had been silent until now, suddenly raised his eyes coldly, his voice stern and imposing: “Silence!”

Qi Min’s gaze finally returned to Wei Yan, their eyes meeting across the distance of the city wall. After seventeen years of waiting for revenge, he felt an immense satisfaction in his heart. He chuckled and said, “What is the Prime Minister afraid of? When you were sneaking into Qinghe Palace to have an affair with Consort Su, when you orchestrated the Jinzhou tragedy to protect the bastard in Consort Su’s belly, causing the deaths of my royal father and Sixteenth Uncle, did you not think of this day?”

Compared to Qi Min’s joy at the impending revenge, Wei Yan’s eyes held nothing but killing intent, devoid of any other emotion. He slowly ordered, “Kill everyone present today without exception.”

His trusted aide released a signal flare, its long trail of sparks about to rise into the sky when an arrow shot it down. The sparks exploded among the crowd like a firecracker.

Wei Yan turned to look behind him and saw Xie Zheng sitting on horseback, holding a bow in one hand. His expression was icy, masking a bone-deep hatred as he looked at Wei Yan: “So this is why you killed my parents?”

Qi Min laughed loudly from the city wall: “Killing his sister and brother-in-law? That’s nothing! When the truth was about to come out, the previous emperor wanted to punish Consort Su. Wei Yan set fire to Qinghe Palace, burning Consort Su and her unborn child alive, destroying all evidence!”

He emphasized the last four words heavily.

The fighting at the palace gates seemed to pause for a moment.

Standing in the cold, desolate wind, Wei Yan opened his lips and uttered only one cold word: “Kill.”

The three factions clashed again. Seeing that Wei Yan truly didn’t seem to care about the lives of Madam Wei and Wei Xuan, a fierce look flashed across Qi Min’s face. He shouted to the Shadow Guards below, “Since Prime Minister Wei is so cold-blooded, send Madam Wei and Young Master Wei to hell first!”

When Wei Xuan heard Qi Min reveal the truth, he lay in the pool of blood, staring unblinkingly at Wei Yan’s distant profile. His facial muscles were tense, but bloodshot eyes still welled up with tears that rolled down his cheeks and fell into the blood beneath him.

As the Shadow Guard’s blade fell, he didn’t even want to struggle anymore.

Only Madam Wei was still shaking her head and crying, looking at him as if trying to say something but unable to due to the gag in her mouth.

As the blade swung toward Madam Wei, Xie Zheng swept his halberd, sending that Shadow Guard flying back several meters.

The blade aimed at Wei Xuan was blocked by Wei Manor’s death squad members who appeared out of nowhere.

Seven or eight signal flares rose into the night sky simultaneously. Even if someone wanted to shoot them down with arrows, it was impossible to stop them all.

The Central Army Camp and Right Wing Camp were still under the Li family’s control, with the Central Army Camp’s strength equal to two camps. Although Wei Yan had the support of the other two camps from the Five Army Camps, as well as the Imperial Guards and the Three Thousand Camp, there was still Xie Zheng and Tang Peiyi’s formidable force to contend with below the city. The three factions were barely able to keep each other in check.

But when a massive explosion suddenly sounded from within the Imperial Palace, dozens of Central Army Camp soldiers were blown away by the artillery fire. Everyone realized that the balance of this game had completely tipped in Wei Yan’s favor.

The Imperial Guards’ insider who had been bribed by Grand Tutor Li had already had his throat slit. Li looked at the artillery and military equipment that the Imperial Guards’ commander was pulling out from the palace, his hand pointing at Wei Yan trembling slightly: “You… you had already moved the Divine Machine Camp’s weapons into the palace?”

Snow fell heavily as Wei Yan stood on the Wumen Imperial Road, which was as bright as day from the fires. He let the cold wind blow through his wide sleeves, making them flutter: “If I hadn’t used the Divine Machine Camp as bait, how could I have lured you all to fight over it?”

Qi Min’s hand, supporting him on the wall, clenched until his knuckles turned white. He gritted his teeth and glared coldly at Wei Yan below, his expression grim.

Tang Peiyi and the others’ faces also darkened. He asked Xie Zheng, “Marquis, Fan General went to the Western Garden. Could she have fallen into Wei Yan’s trap?”

Xie Zheng didn’t answer. His eyes roiled with killing intent. Suddenly, he let out a cold shout, yanked on the reins, and charged directly at Wei Yan with his halberd raised. The wind from his passing horse choked Tang Peiyi.

He hurriedly ordered the officers around him to follow and provide cover, then said to He Xiuyun, “Nephew, stay here with the Marquis and me to deal with Wei Yan. You quickly lead some men to the Western Garden to assist Chang Yu!”

He Xiuyun had just knocked a cavalry officer off his horse. His neatly tied long hair had come loose, making him look a bit disheveled. He took a moment to reply, “If Wei Yan has truly set a trap in the Western Garden, sending more people won’t help. The only way to save General Fan and the others is to take down Wei Yan!”

Tang Peiyi looked at Xie Zheng, who was fighting like a god of war, forcing several of Wei Yan’s generals to retreat. He slapped his horse’s rump and said, “Then I’ll go assist the Marquis!”

A golden mace swept in from the side. Tang Peiyi hurriedly leaned back, almost lying flat on his horse’s back to dodge the strike. Immediately after, another heavy mace fell, aiming for Tang Peiyi’s waist. He quickly raised his spear horizontally to block, but the impact left both his hands and arms numb and tingling.

“General!”

He Xiuyun saw Tang Peiyi’s predicament from a distance. The white-tasseled spearhead twirled in the air before thrusting towards the attacker’s vital point. The opponent raised his mace to block, giving Tang Peiyi a chance to spur his horse away and regroup with He Xiuyun.

He spat on the ground, still shaken: “Damn, who is this guy? I’ve been in the army for decades and never seen anyone like him.”

The man deflected He Xiuyun’s spear thrust with his mace, then struck the spear shaft again. He Xiuyun and his horse were forced back several steps by the impact. His numbed fingers loosened and then re-gripped the spear shaft as he said, “He’s a tough one.”

The man across from them just smiled: “He Jingyuan’s son? Your skills are far inferior to your father’s.”

He Xiuyun demanded, “You knew my father? Who exactly are you?”

The man coldly replied, “Dead men don’t need to remember my name, and the son of that traitor He Jingyuan is even less worthy of knowing it.”

He Xiuyun’s jaw clenched. Angered, he spurred his horse forward and charged at the man with his spear: “My father devoted his life to the people! What right does Wei Yan’s dog have to judge him? After I kill you, I’ll slay Wei Yan to avenge my father!”

The man merely tilted his head slightly to avoid He Xiuyun’s spear thrust. His mace swung up, striking He Xiuyun’s arm. He Xiuyun felt as if his arm bones were about to shatter and let out a muffled groan. The opponent then rammed his horse into He Xiuyun’s mount while simultaneously striking He Xiuyun’s abdomen with his mace.

It felt as if all his internal organs had ruptured from that single blow. He Xiuyun coughed up a spray of blood as he was sent flying off his horse.

“Nephew!”

Tang Peiyi’s eyes bulged as he roared, charging at the man again. However, he too was quickly knocked off his horse by a swing of the mace.

The man on horseback looked down at Tang Peiyi and He Xiuyun, sneering, “Revenge? What revenge? If it weren’t for the Prime Minister rescuing He Jingyuan from among the disaster victims, he’d still be fighting with wild dogs for a bowl of rotten porridge in the snow. How could he have today’s glory?”

He Xiuyun, clutching his agonizing abdomen, glared at him hatefully and managed to say, “This… debt of gratitude… my father repaid by serving Wei Yan loyally for most of his life. What right… did Wei Yan have to kill my father?”

The man on horseback laughed coldly: “Because if He Jingyuan were still alive, your He family wouldn’t be gaining titles and promotions now, but would instead be thrown into prison by imperial decree!”

Not wanting to waste more words, he raised his mace to end He Xiuyun’s life. A dull thud of heavy weapons clashing rang through the air.

A long halberd engraved with the pattern of a qiongqi beast had intercepted the golden mace.

The man looked up at the cold-faced young man on horseback who had blocked his weapon with one hand. He grinned, “The young Marquis’s martial skills have improved quite a bit over the years. You haven’t disgraced General Xie’s name.”

Hearing Wei Yan’s man mention Xie Linshan, Xie Zheng’s eyes seemed to conceal an ice-cold blade, but he didn’t spare the man a single glance. He only instructed Tang Peiyi, “Take him away.”

Both Tang Peiyi and He Xiuyun were injured, knowing they couldn’t be of much help here. They supported each other as they retreated to a safer place.

The man withdrew his mace that Xie Zheng had blocked, flexing his wrist. His smiling eyes held a knife-edge’s sharp killing intent: “Wei Sheng may be unworthy, but I was the Marquis’s martial arts instructor for a few years. Today, I’ll show the Marquis what I can do.”

He was one of the oldest death squads following Wei Yan, having been granted the Wei surname long ago.

As he finished speaking, his golden mace activated some hidden mechanism, transforming into a nine-section golden whip. Iron chains connected each section of the golden whip, lashing out at Xie Zheng like a venomous snake’s tongue.

Xie Zheng coldly watched the golden python-like whip approach, not even raising his halberd to block. Only when it was about to reach his face did he sidestep, simultaneously reaching out like lightning to grab a section of the golden whip.

Wei Sheng pulled hard, realizing he was evenly matched with Xie Zheng in strength. He showed no surprise, instead smiling at Xie Zheng.

In the next instant, numerous golden barbs sprouted from the joints of the whip. Xie Zheng’s hand, gripping the golden whip, was instantly covered in blood.

The nine-section whip was known for its viciousness among weapons, with many using it as a hidden weapon. Wei Sheng’s version, improved from a golden mace, was even more lethal.

He said nonchalantly, “The last lesson I’ll teach the Marquis is that rules only apply to those who follow them. For those who don’t, talking about rules and morality is just a joke.”

On the city wall, with the Imperial Guards’ firearms suppressing them, the two camps under Grand Tutor Li and Qi Min quickly lost ground.

Seeing that Xie Zheng wasn’t faring well against Wei Yan below, Qi Min’s Shadow Guard immediately said, “Your Highness, we’ll escort you out! As long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of having no firewood!”

Years of effort were destroyed in a day, and who knew when they could rise again?

Qi Min gritted his teeth, squeezing out a word filled with hatred: “Retreat!”

But retreat was almost impossible. The Five Army Camps’ two divisions and the Imperial Guards blocked the palace gates on both sides, while the Three Thousand Camp cavalry waited outside the palace walls.

Qi Min’s guards fell one by one. Even with skilled Shadow Guards clearing the way, progress was extremely difficult.

Grand Tutor Li was left behind. The man who had maintained a poker face in court for over a decade now looked pale and flustered as he called out, “Your Highness!”

Qi Min only looked back once before continuing with his Shadow Guards.

As a cannonball shot from a cannon flew over the long palace gate corridor, heading straight for Qi Min’s group, he felt the world was full of clamor, yet he couldn’t hear anything.

His most loyal Shadow Guard shouted something and pushed him aside. Qi Min didn’t even feel the pain as his back hit the cold, hard city bricks. The explosion of the cannon nearly burst his eardrums, leaving a ringing in his ears for a long time.

When he was pulled up to continue running, Qi Min looked back. He glimpsed the huge crater left by the cannon, blackened and charred. Several bricks from the city wall had been blasted apart. Several of the Shadow Guards who had been protecting him earlier were already dead.

Half of Grand Tutor Li’s face had been blown off, but his intact half still stared in Qi Min’s direction with open eyes.

Countless arrows were still raining down, dense as a large net.

There’s no escape… Qi Min thought despairingly.

Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the day when the Eastern Palace was engulfed in flames. His mother pressed his face forcefully towards a charcoal brazier, crying as she told him, “Wenmin, this is the only way you can survive…”

Seventeen years ago, he had to have half his face burned to barely survive. Today, seventeen years later, what would he have to sacrifice to live on?

When an arrow pierced his chest, he stumbled. Under the alarmed gaze of his Shadow Guards, he slowly knelt, supporting himself against the cold palace wall. Blood spilled from his mouth, but he was surprisingly calm.

He laughed hoarsely, “I prided myself on being a master schemer, but I never thought I’d still fall short before this ruthless old dog of the Wei family.”

The Shadow Guard leader cut off the arrow protruding from his back and said, “As long as we draw breath, we’ll get Your Highness out of here!”

Qi Min just shook his head lightly. Sitting against the wall, the sounds of battle below gradually became clearer. He turned his head to look down through the carved stone railings and saw Xie Zheng surrounded by Wei Sheng and over a dozen of Wei’s death squad members. He laughed self-mockingly, “My royal father and Xie Linshan died in Jinzhou. Who would have thought that seventeen years later, I and Xie Zheng would still die together at the hands of this old dog Wei Yan.”

The golden hooks hidden in Wei Sheng’s whip had barbs. If forcibly pulled out, they would tear off a large chunk of flesh and skin.

The fingers are connected to the heart, and Xie Zheng’s face paled somewhat, but he didn’t even let out a muffled groan. The coldness and killing intent in his eyes intensified, and his grip on the golden whip seemed to tighten even more.

A hint of surprise finally appeared in Wei Sheng’s eyes. But before he could make another move, Xie Zheng had already wrapped the golden whip around his hand and pulled hard. Caught off guard, Wei Sheng was yanked from his horse, stumbling towards Xie Zheng.

However, Wei Sheng was an old hand. His other golden mace quickly activated its mechanism, transforming into a whip that lashed directly at Xie Zheng’s neck.

Being caught around the neck by this nine-section whip with its hidden golden hooks and barbs would mean certain death.

Just as Xie Zheng raised his halberd to block it, another of Wei’s death squad members charged at him with a sword. Xie Zheng’s halberd was still entangled with Wei Sheng’s golden whip. He swung it forcefully, making Wei Sheng let go, then used the halberd’s blade to block the other’s sword.

With just one hand, he forced the opponent, who was gripping his sword with both hands, unable to press down even an inch further.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. Wei Sheng, having lost his other golden whip, seized the opportunity. Grabbing the golden whip that Xie Zheng was still holding, he swung towards him like a pendulum, his other hand forming a claw aimed at Xie Zheng’s throat.

This seemed to be a deadly situation, but no one expected Xie Zheng to suddenly release his grip on the whip. The half-inch-long barbs dug deep into his palm. As he abruptly let go, the barbs, under Wei Sheng’s full weight, tore his entire palm to shreds.

Yet Xie Zheng used that bloodied hand to accurately lock onto Wei Sheng’s throat, lifting him with one hand.

So much skin and flesh had been torn away that the blood-stained fingernails were almost visible through the flowing blood. His face still showed no sign of pain, his eyes even holding a trace of casual coldness: “A lowly thing made by a lowly person, nothing more than this.”

Nearby, Wei Yan’s trusted aide watched this scene and couldn’t help but feel a chill. He swallowed and looked towards Wei Yan: “Prime Minister, look…”

Wei Yan’s cold, stern gaze rested on Xie Zheng for a long time before he said, “Shoot.”

The aide glanced at Wei Yan again, not daring to execute the order immediately.

Wei Yan still didn’t move his gaze. Standing there with his hands behind his back, he was as cold and hard as a stone, a piece of steel. He said coldly, “Raised him for over a decade, only to become a brash warrior with no strategy. Daring to come and attempt a coup with just these few men, he should have been prepared to lose his head.”

A short arrow shot out from the middle, heading straight for Xie Zheng’s back.

With a crisp “ding,” that short arrow was deflected by another arrow.

At the end of the long street, the sound of galloping hooves thundered. The female general riding at the front had blood-soaked robes, holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, not even gripping the reins. Her eyes were as fierce as a tiger’s: “Despicable old thief!”

The heavy snow had stopped at some point, and a faint red glow could be seen on the misty horizon.

Dawn was breaking.

Fan Changyu’s hair, flying in the cold wind, seemed to shine with brilliance as dazzling and intense as the morning glow.

Xie Zheng turned his head to meet her gaze from afar. Both had been through more than one bloody battle, their faces stained with undried blood. Their fierce gazes only softened slightly when they met each other’s eyes.

Wei Yan looked at Fan Changyu galloping towards them, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment of silence, he continued to order, “Shoot.”

This time it wasn’t just one arrow, but a swarm of arrows like a disturbed beehive. Fan Changyu on horseback was almost biting her jaw to the point of bleeding.

Too many! She couldn’t block them all!

Fortunately, Xie Zheng was prepared this time. He threw Wei Sheng aside, swung his halberd to sweep away the death squad member, and blocked the dense rain of arrows.

Wei Sheng, thrown aside by Xie Zheng, recovered and picked up a long sword from the ground, stabbing toward Xie Zheng’s back. Fan Changyu was anxious beyond measure. She was still several zhang away from Xie Zheng and reached back for an arrow, but her quiver was empty. She could only shout, “Watch out!”

“Thud—”

It was the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, blood gushing out in spurts.

But it wasn’t Xie Zheng who was stabbed.

Wei Xuan looked down at the bloody sword that had pierced his chest, then raised his head to look at Xie Zheng. He grinned, his face showing his usual arrogant and contemptuous expression: “I’ve been… been your brother for… for over ten years but I… I never saw you as a brother. Today… today is no different. This… this sword is to repay… repay the debt for saving my mother.”

With these words, he fell to his knees, spitting blood. His gaze, however, was fixed on Wei Yan, full of the resentment and grievance of a son.

Madam Wei, who had just been untied by Wei Yan’s men, stared blankly at this scene. This time she didn’t even cry out but fainted directly.

Wei Yan’s expression remained as cold and hard as ever, his eyes seemingly not even rippling with the slightest emotion.

Wei Sheng, realizing Wei Xuan had died by his hand, was stunned for a moment. The archers in the distance looked at each other, arrows still nocked, but as Wei Yan didn’t give any further orders, they didn’t dare to continue shooting.

Xie Zheng quietly looked at Wei Xuan kneeling before him. He half-squatted down, supporting himself with his halberd, and used his mangled hand to close Wei Xuan’s eyes.

Fan Changyu practically tumbled off her horse. She glanced at Xie Zheng, her previous fury and fear not yet subsided. She immediately raised her blade and swung it at Wei Sheng, roaring, “Die, you despicable wretch!”

With her extraordinary strength, she wielded the blade taller than herself, using broad, sweeping moves. Wei Sheng, still in shock from Wei Xuan’s death and without a proper weapon in hand, lost the initiative and found himself constantly on the defensive, forced to retreat repeatedly.