bookrebus Chapter 770: Finally Arriving at the Palace of Eternal Life
Chapter 770: Finally Arriving at the Palace of Eternal Life
Li Lin and Huo Duanxiao looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.
The Southern Army general was struck by lightning, and his head buzzed.
"Traitor! Ren Kuan, you Jinyiwei dare to betray the prince! Someone come——"
He hurriedly turned his head to ask for help, but all he saw were two huge, tightly closed palace gates.
As for his soldiers... they are all outside the door at the moment.
Confederate general: ...
Without Li Che's order, several Jinyiwei came forward and put the Embroidered Spring Knife on his neck.
"Your Highness! Don't be impulsive!" The general's hairs stood on end. "The palace is now full of our people. Even if the Jinyiwei turn against us in the middle of the battle, you have no chance of winning!"
"If we look back now, there is still room for improvement!"
Li Che seemed not to hear his wailing at all.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the depths of the palace. He asked in a deep voice, "Commander Ren, how many troops are there in the palace?"
Ren Kuan stepped forward and reported, "Your Highness, all the original palace guards have been transferred out. The ones currently stationed in the palace are the Crown Prince's trusted Shu troops, organized into two guards, each with a full strength of approximately 3,000 men."
"In addition, there are approximately 15,000 reorganized imperial guards, most of whom are drawn from the former capital's city defense forces."
"Adding the elite troops selected from the Southern Border and Southeastern Armies, the total force should be around 30,000."
The restrained general, as if grasping at a lifeline, quickly interrupted, "Not only that! The remaining troops in the imperial capital are continuously rushing towards the imperial city. The number of troops here will only increase. If this drags on, it will be a dead end for you, Prince Feng!"
Li Che heard this, not only did he not panic, but he frowned slightly and muttered to himself:
"In that case... we'll have to wait a little longer."
The general was stunned and almost thought he had heard it wrong.
Wait? Still waiting? Don't you think the troops surrounding you are enough?!
Could it be that this Prince Feng has gone mad and thinks that this imperial capital is the northern border where he can roam freely?
This is the imperial city, any news will be kept strictly confidential, and no common people can help him pass on the news.
The number of people in the imperial city will only increase, and it will be even more difficult for him to escape.
When Prince Feng loses his usefulness, the Crown Prince and the aristocratic families will really kill him!
Li Che ignored this noisy chess piece and continued to ask Ren Kuan: "How many people can the Jinyiwei mobilize now?"
Ren Kuan showed a trace of shame on his face and said with a folded hand, "After the Crown Prince came to power, he laid off and transferred a large number of our Jinyiwei personnel in the name of reducing expenses and rectifying the organization."
"I currently have only about 600 men under my command who can be directly mobilized and whose loyalty is guaranteed."
"Another approximately 200 men, as previously deployed, have already taken control of the north gate."
He changed the subject: "However, although the former commander Cao Yong was dismissed, he is still lurking outside."
"He has received the news that His Highness has returned to the capital, and he must be doing his utmost to gather those deposed brothers."
"According to my estimation, Cao Yong can gather at least another thousand loyal and reliable men."
Li Che nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping towards the towering north gate wall behind him. He suddenly laughed and said, "How can two hundred people defend the palace gate? Let them all come down. Strength must be used where it counts."
"Here!"
Ren Kuan accepted the order, turned around and made a gesture towards the top of the city wall.
The next moment, dozens of flying claw ropes were quickly lowered from the city wall. The Jinyiwei who were originally stationed there moved nimbly and slid down to the ground quickly along the ropes with clean and neat movements.
Li Che looked at this scene, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
These guys are still like this. It would be more painful than death if they didn't pretend to be cool.
"Six hundred, plus two hundred, that makes eight hundred."
Li Che glanced at the Jinyiwei in front of him and asked, "Eight hundred is eight hundred, eight hundred people will strike first and gain the upper hand!"
"Are you willing to clear the way with your swords and escort me into the palace to meet His Majesty?!"
Eight hundred Jinyiwei half-knelt on the ground in unison: "We are willing to die for Your Highness!"
The general who was held at knifepoint behind him had already turned pale and was trembling.
During this brief conversation, more and more palace guards were gathering in the distant palace gardens, squares, and corridors.
They formed a huge encirclement from a distance, trapping Li Che and others in the center, but no one dared to step forward easily.
Li Che grinned, handed the Feng character Wang flag to Ren Kuan, straightened his clothes and armor, and walked to the front of the team.
Ren Kuan's body trembled slightly, and he held the royal flag with excitement.
Eight hundred Jinyiwei followed closely behind.
Entering from the north gate, on the left is the Prince's residence in the Eastern Palace, and on the right is the Ye Ting Palace.
And standing majestically in front of us is the core of the empire's power - the Imperial Palace.
The Hall of Eternal Life, where Emperor Qing was placed under house arrest, is located at the southernmost end of the imperial palace.
This means that if Li Che wants to go to the Changsheng Palace, he will inevitably pass by the Xuanzheng Palace where court meetings are held.
At this moment, a group of people were already standing on the tall steps of Xuanzheng Hall.
Crown Prince Li Huan, wearing the crown prince's robes, was standing at the front.
Seeing Li Che, surrounded by the Jinyiwei, ignoring the heavy encirclement and approaching the Xuanzheng Hall step by step, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.
He forced himself to calm down and maintain the dignity of the crown prince.
Li Che walked all the way to the center of the Xuanzheng Hall Square before stopping.
Looking at the figure on the steps from afar, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Seventh Brother, I haven't seen you for many years. You have made great progress."
Although there were thousands of soldiers surrounding them, no one dared to speak at this moment. Only Li Che's voice spread.
Li Huan's face was so gloomy that it looked like water was dripping out of it. "Prince Feng! You led your troops to trespass into the palace and colluded with the Jinyiwei. Are you planning a rebellion?!"
Li Che sneered, "Prince, have you forgotten that it was you who issued the imperial decree for me to return to the capital immediately? Now that I have come here in compliance with the decree, how can I say I am rebelling?"
"Sophistry!" Li Huan shouted, "I allowed you to come to the capital alone to see me. Who allowed you to collude with the Jinyiwei and break into the palace?!"
Li Lin, who was standing by, could no longer hold back. Upon hearing this, he sneered and started to speak in a series of long and difficult sentences:
"This princess? Li Huan! You don't have a mirror, but you must have urine, right? If you can't, this prince doesn't mind helping you wake up! Don't you see what a worthless loser you are? Even if you put on the dragon robe, you don't look like a prince! Could it be that being locked up in the East Palace for so many years has damaged your brain, and now you think with your butt?!"
Li Huan was so angry that he was shaking all over and roared to the people around him:
"How dare you! Capture these two traitors!"
The prince's words were golden, but the soldiers around him seemed to be nailed to the ground and no one moved.
After all, they are the army of aristocratic families. They don’t listen to Li Huan at all. Shangguan only lets them obey the people of aristocratic families.
However, those family heads have no official positions, so it is impossible for them to be in this imperial city. They can only hand this place over to their agents.
Where is the agent?
They were the two civil officials on Li Huan's left and right.
Left Prime Minister, Du Fuchen.
The Minister of Rites, Qin Huizhi.
Li Huan turned to them anxiously, his voice filled with panic: "Left Prime Minister! Minister Qin! Why don't you say anything?"
The two people reacted differently.
Du Fuchen just glanced at him indifferently and did not speak in a hurry.
And Qin Huizhi didn't even look at Li Huan.
All his attention was fixed on Li Che in the distance. His face was pale and his eyes were full of surprise and uncertainty.
As Li Che's old rival, with whom he had fought countless times openly and secretly, Qin Huizhi became the person who understood Li Che's terrifying side best.
When he saw Li Che stepping into the imperial city fearlessly, a terrible thought occupied his mind:
Li Che is definitely not here to fall into a trap, he must have someone to rely on!
What on earth is this? What other cards does he have? What fatal oversight did we make?!
This strong suspicion took all his strength to stand, and he didn't dare to speak easily at this moment.
Finally, Du Fuchen slowly stepped out and said in a serious tone, "Your Highness, I have been ordered by His Highness to return to the capital. So far, he has not committed any illegal acts, and there is no conclusive evidence of rebellion."
"According to the law, he should be allowed to enter the palace to meet Your Majesty. If Your Majesty has any wishes, we will make a decision later."
Li Huan couldn't believe his ears and widened his eyes: "Left Prime Minister, you..."
He suddenly remembered that although the Left Prime Minister had acquiesced to the coup, he had never explicitly agreed to take action against Prince Feng and his father.
"What about Li Lin?!" Li Huan, grasping at the last straw, pointed at Li Lin and said urgently, "Li Lin just insulted me and openly disrespected the Crown Prince. Left Prime Minister, you heard it too. Shouldn't he be apprehended and punished?!"
"Minister, I heard it."
Du Fuchen's answer was still flawless:
"However, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan was personally appointed by Your Majesty. Even if his words or actions are inappropriate, they should be reviewed by the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau according to the law, or judged by Your Majesty personally. It is not for us to preside over this matter."
"You...you guys..." Li Huan pointed at Du Fuchen with trembling fingers, and then looked at Li Che who was calm and composed in the distance.
A feeling of isolation and helplessness instantly overwhelmed him.
At this moment, Li Che no longer looked at him and continued walking forward.
The dark array of imperial guards and palace guards in front of them suddenly parted to both sides like a tide, silently making way for a path leading to the depths of the imperial palace.
When Li Che passed by Xuanzheng Hall, he paused slightly.
His eyes fell on Du Fuchen, as if thinking about something.
Du Fuchen still maintained his composure.
Facing Li Che's gaze, he just bowed slightly and performed a standard intervention salute.
Li Che withdrew his gaze, and his guess became more certain.
Seeing Li Che ignoring everything and walking straight towards the Changsheng Palace, Li Huan's eyes were red and bloodshot.
The two people he feared the most were about to meet.
Fear devoured his sanity and made him act madly.
He actually pounced on a guard next to him and snatched the bow and arrow from his waist!
He hurriedly bent the bow and drew the arrow, the trembling arrowhead aimed at Li Che's back.
Just as the arrow was about to leave the string, a big hand reached out from the side and roughly snatched the bow and arrow from Li Huan's hand!
Li Huan staggered and looked over in shock and anger.
The person who took action was the commander of the Southern Army, Zhai Yan!
Zhai Yan is a typical frontier warrior, with a burly build, a rough and fierce look, and a hideous scar that almost splits his face in half.
He held the bow and arrow, staring at Li Huan with his eyes as bright as copper bells:
"Your Highness! Please don't do anything unnecessary!"
"The military order I received was for Prince Feng to see His Majesty. I have no authority to carry out any other orders, and I will never do so!"
Li Huan was so frightened that he took two steps back, as if he had been poured with a basin of ice water, and was left with only a feeling of powerlessness.
On the other side, Li Che and Li Lin had already passed through the palace and arrived in front of the Hall of Longevity.
The soldiers guarding around the Hall of Eternal Life had obviously received orders long ago and silently retreated to a distance, leaving no way to the hall gate.
Huo Duanxiao stopped at the steps of the palace and bowed solemnly:
"Your Highnesses, please come in and have an audience. I and the Imperial Guards will be here to protect you and will not allow anyone to disturb you!"
Li Che nodded slightly and looked at Li Lin beside him.
Li Lin took a deep breath, his face showing anxiety.
Li Che patted his shoulder and smiled slightly.
Without saying anything, he raised his hand and pushed open the door in front of him.