The rain outside the latticed windows hadn’t stopped. Ye Xian pushed them open to look at the courtyard and noticed that Lady Gao’s capable servant women and maids were absent.
Mother must be with Father…
Suddenly, a head wearing a bamboo hat appeared above the gray wall, surveying the empty courtyard. With a leap, the figure landed on the windowsill of the facing house, then descended into the courtyard in a few steps. Two servant women guarding the courtyard entrance were chatting softly, oblivious to any sound.
The person pulled the bamboo hat low and walked quickly toward the study.
Seeing it was Li Xianhuai, Ye Xian suspected something was wrong. Climbing over walls in such a secretive manner surely meant something serious had happened. He opened the latticed door, the man slipped into the study, and the door closed quickly behind him.
After entering, Li Xianhuai removed his bamboo hat and used the cloak handed to him by the Young Master to wipe the rain from his body. He was of average height with a square face but long, narrow eyes. He spoke with a thick Sichuan accent: “…Young Master, you don’t know, that bastard Liu Zhou, the old Marquis asked him to deliver a message to Minister of War Zhao, but he rode out to Mingzhao Ward to drink! This servant sent Song Si to deliver the message to Minister Zhao, but I’m afraid it might be too late…”
Ye Xian frowned. Li Xianhuai always talked in a roundabout way.
“What exactly happened? Tell me from the beginning.”
Li Xianhuai cupped his hands and explained how the Marquis of Changxing planned to deploy the Iron Cavalry to attack Prince Rui.
“As soon as this servant heard from a subordinate, I became anxious. Prince Rui is setting a trap, like the Hongmen Banquet. He’s conspiring with Xiao You to frame us. Unfortunately, by the time this servant learned of it, the Marquis had already left. This servant quickly found someone to follow Liu Zhou, and sure enough, he didn’t go find Minister Zhao! I couldn’t wait for Zhishu to send you a message, so I came personally. Young Master, please think of something quickly!”
Upon hearing that the Marquis of Changxing had led the Iron Cavalry into the palace, Ye Xian’s expression turned serious. He hadn’t expected Prince Rui to act so quickly.
Xiao You and Prince Rui were conspiring to create the illusion of a forced coup. When the Marquis arrived with troops at the Forbidden City, Prince Rui would surely accuse him of attempting a coup, leaving Father with no way to defend himself! At that point, if Prince Rui joined with the Imperial Guards to execute Father, it would seem completely justified!
After thinking it through, Ye Xian had a plan. If that was the case, he might as well turn the tables…
“You sent Song Si to deliver a message to Minister Zhao, but how could that move him? Go personally and run there yourself!… Also, send people to watch Xiao You, don’t let him leave.” Li Xianhuai hurriedly acknowledged the order. Seeing the Young Master walking outside, he quickly followed. It was raining, yet the Young Master walked straight into the curtain of rain.
He returned to the study to fetch a cloak and ran after him: “Young Master, at least wear something to cover yourself!”
The two servant women at the entrance also saw Ye Xian coming out and quickly stood up: “Young Master, the Lady instructed that you cannot go out, especially in the rain…”
Ye Xian glanced at them and said quietly: “Take me to the Lady, don’t ask questions. If you delay me, I’ll kill you both.”
The two servant women were frightened into silence. Though the Young Master was usually improper, he had never threatened to kill anyone before.
If he said it, he truly meant it. He never intimidated people idly.
Li Xianhuai watched the Young Master walk away, had no choice but to fasten the cloak around himself, and rushed to the outer courtyard to get a horse and find Minister Zhao.
Lady Gao was with the Marquis of Changxing, already restless. The old Marquis had returned to rest, and she couldn’t concentrate on her needlework. She frequently had her maid lift the curtain to check if the Marquis had returned.
Instead of the Marquis, she saw her son enter, soaked with rain. Lady Gao was shocked: “What are you doing… weren’t you practicing calligraphy in the study?” She called loudly for the matron outside to take Ye Xian back.
Ye Xian said: “Mother, come with me to the palace now. Take me to see the Imperial Noble Consort.”
Lady Gao widened her eyes, “Child, what nonsense are you talking about! What business do you have with the Imperial Noble Consort? The palace is in chaos now, it’s best if you don’t add to the trouble.”
Knowing Lady Gao’s temperament, Ye Xian spoke very calmly: “Mother, I need to go to the palace to save Father. If we’re too late, Father’s life may be in danger. Though I’ve always been carefree, I’ve never joked about such matters.”
Lady Gao looked at her son, momentarily stunned.
Fine rain fell gently, and the Imperial City had guards every five steps and banners every ten, with mourning decorations everywhere. The Supreme Hall stood on a blue-white stone sumeru pedestal, surrounded by white marble railings, with yellow glazed tiles on its double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, and gold-plated dragon and sparrow carvings beneath the beams. It looked both majestic and solemn. Inside the hall, where the Emperor’s body lay, Imperial Bodyguards and Palace Guards kept watch, while the faint sound of palace personnel weeping drifted from within.
The endless fine rain and the sheep horn glass palace lanterns cast a soft glow.
The Marquis of Changxing sat astride his steed, wearing armor. Behind him followed a group of soldiers in black heavy armor, arranged in a fan shape on the Imperial Road. They were surrounded by Palace Guards and Divine Machine Camp officials holding red-tasseled spears, their expressions cold.
The Marquis looked up at Prince Rui standing on the white marble steps, rainwater flowing down his cold armor onto his face. His lips were tightly pressed, his gaze steady, displaying a chilling determination.
Prince Rui wore hemp mourning clothes with a black headband, tall and dignified in appearance. He smiled and said: “Marquis of Changxing, bursting into the palace with such force, are you attempting a coup? This prince sees you truly lack a loyal subject’s heart. The Emperor’s body is not yet cold, yet you do such a thing. Aren’t you afraid of being despised by all under heaven?”
The Marquis of Changxing had never excelled at scheming throughout his life; his wisdom was devoted entirely to military matters. But seeing Prince Rui’s attire, and the Divine Machine Camp already prepared to surround him, he could vaguely guess what was happening.
He calmly said: “Prince Rui knows in his heart who the true rebel is! To struggle with such methods is truly petty!”
The Divine Machine Camp Commander stood beside Prince Rui and sighed: “Marquis, why do this? Prince Rui told me you were planning a rebellion, which I couldn’t believe at all. Yet today you truly led the Iron Cavalry into the Imperial City… You already hold an extremely fortunate and noble position, why risk the great taboo under heaven by attempting to usurp the throne!”
The Marquis of Changxing snorted coldly: “Rebellion? If I truly wanted to rebel, do you think your mere Divine Machine Camp could stop me? If I truly wanted to rebel, why would I have suppressed Prince Cheng’s rebellion years ago? You are clearly in league with Zhu Zaitian, trying to place me in an unjust position!”
Hearing this, Prince Rui sneered: “The Marquis speaks too lightly. Did I and the Commander force you at knifepoint to burst into the Forbidden City? How could we place you in an unjust position? You plot rebellion yet make so many excuses, it’s truly unbearable to watch!”
Whether he was rebelling or not, as long as Prince Rui believed the Marquis of Changxing was rebelling, then naturally he was rebelling.
Prince Rui exchanged a glance with the Divine Machine Camp Commander, and guards hidden beneath the six-sided Sumeru pedestal raised their crossbows.
In the blurry night, with light rain falling, the Marquis of Changxing narrowed his eyes, spotted the distant shadows, and said quietly: “Round shield formation.”
The well-trained soldiers behind him immediately held up round shields, forming a seamless barrier.
Prince Rui’s expression turned sour, and with a wave of his hand, he coldly commanded: “Attack!”
Countless Imperial Bodyguards and Divine Machine Camp soldiers attacked with long spears. The Divine Machine Camp Deputy Commander took his long sword and began fighting with the Marquis of Changxing. The Deputy Commander was a seasoned fighter, his sword techniques vicious and tricky. The Marquis, wearing heavy armor unsuitable for close combat, was forced back several steps.
He saw countless Divine Machine Camp soldiers pouring in from Ningqi Gate and Changze Gate in the distance, and his heart sank. He had brought only two thousand men… but who knew how many people the enemy had hidden within the Imperial City? Even using waves of attacks, they could overwhelm his forces!
Zhao Yinchi, whom Liu Zhou had gone to invite, still hadn’t arrived!
The fine rain continued to fall as the Empress’s phoenix palanquin had just passed through Ningshou Gate, proceeding along the Imperial Road past the western wing rooms.
A eunuch announced her arrival, and the Empress’s voice came forth: “What is happening here? In front of the Supreme Hall where the Emperor lies, you dare to draw weapons? What kind of people are you?” As soon as the Empress spoke, the fighting officials all stopped.
Prince Rui was stunned to see the Empress arrive. He had specifically ordered Ningshou Gate closed to prevent little eunuchs and palace maids from spreading the news, so how did the Empress know? He and the Divine Machine Camp Commander hurriedly descended from the stone steps. The Divine Machine Camp Deputy Commander, being straightforward, hadn’t stopped fighting even when the Empress arrived. Only when the Empress sternly commanded, “Everyone stop, or you’ll all be beheaded at the Wu Gate!” did he glare fiercely at the Marquis of Changxing, sheathe his sword, and retreat behind the Divine Machine Camp soldiers.
Prince Rui and the Commander paid their respects to the Empress, as did the Marquis of Changxing. To his great surprise, the Marquis saw Ye Xian standing beside the phoenix palanquin, and complicated emotions welled up within him. Although his son didn’t even look at him, he had come in the night to save him…
Indeed, since the Marquis’s entry into the Forbidden City was already a fact, Ye Xian could only ask the Empress to help reframe the situation. He and Lady Gao had entered the Forbidden City through Xuanwu Gate. Lady Gao, holding an imperial appointment, entered the palace gates in the name of the Imperial Noble Consort. Upon hearing of this, the Imperial Noble Consort also knew the gravity of the matter and quickly brought them to see the Empress. Ye Xian said a few words to the Empress, who immediately took the matter seriously.
For the Empress, losing the power of the Marquis of Changxing’s faction would be most troublesome. Among the imperial relatives was Prince Rui, and in court was Zhang Julin—without a force to protect her and the Crown Prince, they might be devoured alive by these old foxes! She was not entirely unaware that Prince Rui saw Ye Xian standing beside the phoenix palanquin and cursed inwardly. The Marquis of Changxing’s heir had always been troublesome, and it was unclear how he had learned of this news… and even brought the Empress.
Everyone knew the Empress had always been gentle and most unwilling to be drawn into conflicts.
Prince Rui quickly cupped his hands and said: “Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject heard that the Marquis of Changxing intended to rebel, so I set up an ambush at the Supreme Hall. The Marquis entered the Forbidden City at night, just after the Emperor passed away, his actions are truly suspicious!”
Standing nearby, Ye Xian laughed: “Prince Rui speaks too lightly. How did you hear that the Marquis was rebelling? If the Marquis truly wanted to rebel, wouldn’t he have surrounded the Imperial City with the Iron Cavalry long ago? Why would he need to tangle with your Divine Machine Camp people? You’re making false accusations!”
Prince Rui coldly replied: “False accusations? The Marquis of Changxing bringing elite troops into the Forbidden City is a fact! Otherwise, in the dead of night, was he just out for a stroll?”
The Empress, also wearing mourning attire with a pearl crown and black headband, was fair and plump. After listening, she slowly said: “Prince Rui, you speak incorrectly. The Marquis of Changxing was invited by me, how can that be considered trespassing? Instead, Prince Rui, you’ve colluded with the Divine Machine Camp and Imperial Bodyguards, wielding military power and closing the palace gates. I wonder, is the Imperial Palace now under my authority… or yours?”
Prince Rui’s expression slightly changed. The Empress’s words… she truly intended to protect the Marquis of Changxing’s family!