Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 116

Li Ji ordered the gatekeeper to open the main gate, and Yuan Jing'an rushed in, presenting an object with both hands, saying, "I came looking for Erlang, but I found this in a corner..."

Li Ji took it and looked at it. It was a dart with a note stuck in it... The dart looked very familiar. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, feeling a bad premonition.

Chapter Twenty-Three: At the Wangchun Tower

Li Ji guessed that the dart and note were originally stuck in the crack of the door, but he was preoccupied and didn't notice them when he got home. As a result, they fell into the corner next to the door when he opened it. If Yuan Jing'an hadn't happened to come over at that moment—although the wedding date was postponed, many things still needed to be prepared in advance, so Yuan Bawang came right when Li Ji got off work—he probably still wouldn't have found them.

She hurriedly unfolded the note and read: "Your concubine is well. Please come to Wangchun Tower to reminisce about our separation. You may come alone. Please come quickly."

Li Ji was immediately alarmed and hurriedly ordered his horse to be brought over. He then instructed Yuan Jing'an, "You must guard my house and not let any outsiders enter!" He spurred his horse and galloped out of Chunming Gate in one breath.

He recognized the dart; it was Jingjing'er's usual concealed weapon... Last year, Zhou Zhi was killed by Shi Chaoyi, and he had wondered what had become of that guy's "Divine Machine Guards." Was Jingjing'er still serving the rebels, or had she defected elsewhere? He never expected that Jingjing'er would actually come to Chang'an and even kidnap his concubine!

If anything happens to Qingluan, Jingjing, I'll tear you apart and grind your bones to dust!

Wangchun Tower, located south of Changle Slope, was originally named Wangchun Pavilion and was an auxiliary building of Changle Palace during the Sui Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, Changle Palace was abandoned, and Chang'an City was rebuilt, but the area around Changle Slope remained a forbidden garden. Wangchun Pavilion was renamed Wangchun Tower and used as an important place for annual sacrifices to Heaven and welcoming spring. However, due to repeated wars and upheavals, the forbidden garden fell into disrepair, and the court lacked the funds for repairs. Therefore, the guards were removed, allowing the people to come and go freely, gathering firewood and other resources—of course, land reclamation and cultivation were still prohibited—and Wangchun Tower became a popular spot for outings and spring excursions.

After leaving Chunming Gate, Wangchun Tower was not far away. Li Ji immediately slowed his horse, his hands on his double maces at his waist, and cautiously scanned his surroundings. He was indeed quite anxious, fearing that something might have happened to Qingluan—since that Jingjing had used Qingluan as a hostage to lure him here, she probably wouldn't harm him for the time being, but Qingluan was pregnant after all, and who knew if it would affect the fetus and cause a miscarriage—but at the same time, he also knew very well that only by protecting himself could he have a chance to save others; otherwise, they might all perish.

Jingjing'er likely has accomplices who set this trap to kill him and avenge their past grievances... But those so-called "Jianghu eccentrics," Li Ji thought, as long as he was vigilant and avoided their schemes, he could take on ten of them head-on! His real fear was that they would hold a knife to Qingluan's neck, forcing him to give up resistance...

However, in the past, everyone served their own master. Now that Zhou Zhi is dead, if Jingjing is willing to show herself, can she use her silver tongue to persuade him to turn from enemy to friend and release Qingluan? What conditions should she offer?

As they were pondering, Wangchun Tower drew ever closer, and suddenly they heard someone on the upper floor call out, "Erlang has indeed arrived."

Li Ji looked up and saw half a body leaning out from the second floor; the appearance was uncanny—it was Jingjing'er. Just as he was about to speak, Jingjing'er bowed to him: "Please, Second Brother, put down your mace, spear, and sword, and come upstairs to talk." Before Li Ji could object, she smiled: "With Second Brother's abilities, why rely on those weapons? And if I had ill intentions, why would I need to greet you?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "You kidnapped my concubine, and you say you meant no harm? If you truly intended to turn an enemy into a friend, or even seek refuge with me, you could have simply come to visit me... Of course, I might ignore you, after all, you once plotted to assassinate Li Yu..."

What he feared most were Jingjing'er's hidden weapons, which were impossible to defend against, but those things couldn't be parried with a mace—the speed of swinging a mace was ultimately too slow—so whether or not he carried a mace wasn't that important. Li Ji thought to himself, what a pity, I should have hidden a dagger in my boot for emergencies, but I just got off work, who could have imagined this would happen.

Normally, given his status, he could freely enter and exit the palace carrying double maces or a sword, as long as he didn't venture into the inner court. However, secretly possessing other weapons would be a serious crime if discovered, so it was impossible for him to hide daggers in his boots or carry crossbows with hidden straps...

So he dismounted, unfastened the double maces from his waist, and put them in his saddlebags. Then, deliberately spreading his arms wide, emptying his hands, he strode quickly up the tower. At the same time, he kept his eyes and ears open, never daring to relax his vigilance for a moment.

Upon ascending to the second floor, he saw a felt carpet spread on the floor, with two small tables set out, upon which lay wine, vegetables, and fruits. Jingjing'er, dressed like a merchant, sat comfortably behind the tables. Li Ji stared in astonishment and asked, "Where is my concubine?" Jingjing'er smiled and waved her hand, saying loudly, "Your concubine is well. Please sit for a moment, Erlang, and I will take you to see her—please sit, please sit."

Li Ji was filled with doubt, yet dared not disobey. So he knelt down opposite Jingjing'er—in fact, he only bent one leg, while the other was turned to the side, ready to jump up at any moment. Because if he were to sit firmly on his knees, he feared that a hidden weapon might strike his face, making it difficult to dodge.

Jingjing raised her hand and gestured, "Second Brother, you're better off drinking." As she spoke, she picked up the wine pot on her table, filled a cup to the brim, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Ji, however, only stared at the other person's movements and refused to touch the food and wine on the table. "Even if it's the same wine pot, I still have to be wary of what kind of Eight Treasures Revolving Pot it is. How much more so if they are two different ones? Do you really think I'm stupid?"

Seeing that Li Ji refused to drink, Jingjing'er immediately flipped her wrist and produced a dart from who-knows-where, which she then twirled and played with between her fingers. Li Ji was just beginning to feel alarmed when he heard her laugh and say, "Erlang, you are a brave warrior of the world. Are you afraid of my dart alone? We are only five steps apart now. If I had any intention of harming you, even with your extraordinary abilities, you would probably not be able to escape unscathed."

Li Ji sneered, "Not necessarily. We're only five steps apart. If your dart misses its mark, I can pounce on you and strangle you!"

Jingjing shook her head and laughed as she replied, "My neck is very strong, Erlang, don't boast."

"Why did you bring me here?!"

"To be honest, I need to borrow something from Erlang."

Li Ji smirked and gestured with his hand: "Could it be my head?"

Upon hearing this, Jingjing burst into laughter—he was a man with a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks, extremely lewd, and his laughter was particularly grating, giving Li Ji goosebumps all over his body—he then said, "Erlang's head is probably not enough; and I can take Erlang's head myself if I want, so why borrow it?"

"Fuck away!"

Jingjing stared at Li Ji and slowly said, "You should know that my benefactor, Prime Minister Zhou, has already perished..."

“Zhou Zhi? He was a false prime minister. It is said that he was killed by Shi Chaoyi,” Li Ji asked, seizing the opportunity. “Now that he is dead, why don’t you return to the Tang Dynasty? Do you still want to serve the Shi family?”

Jingjing shook her head: "Prime Minister Zhou has been very kind to me, and I cannot help but repay him with my life. But Shi Chaoyi murdered his father and usurped the throne, and then harmed Prime Minister Zhou. He is an outrage to both gods and men. How could I possibly serve him? To be honest, I want to go and arrest Shi Chaoyi to avenge my benefactor, but his officials are deep within the Luoyang Palace, surrounded by guards day and night. I really cannot find an opportunity. Therefore, I have come to beg you, Erlang, if you could give me a head so that I can get close to Shi Chaoyi?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned and asked, "Whose head do you want?" What kind of head would it take to get Jingjing'er close to Shi Chaoyi? He said his own head was "not enough," so it would have to be the heads of Li Heng and Li Yu. How could I possibly give it to you!

Jingjing'er seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and immediately laughed loudly, "Second Brother, you've misunderstood! How could I dare to take the heads of the Tang Emperor and his son? What I desire is this man!" As she spoke, she pointed behind Li Ji—

Li Ji reacted quickly, immediately ducking his head. With a "whoosh," a dart struck the turban squarely and stuck into it.

He kept a close eye on Jingjing'er's every move and carefully observed her expression—that guy was cunning. He said he wanted someone's head, and you let your guard down? Did you think he wouldn't make a move immediately? Li Ji wasn't that stupid!

In particular, Jingjing'er is not very good at acting. She has naturally bright eyes that dart around when she's not doing anything. Judging from her expressions, unless someone is an idiot, no one would take any of her words seriously.

Li Ji nimbly ducked, narrowly avoiding Jingjing'er's sneak attack, and then leaped to his feet. Suddenly, the sound of wind approached, and another dart came hurtling towards him. Forced to hesitate, Li Ji grabbed a table in front of him and held it horizontally in front of him. With a crash, wine, vegetables, and fruits spilled all over the floor, followed by a thud as the dart struck the table, failing to penetrate it.

When Li Ji looked again, Jingjing'er was nowhere to be seen. He just couldn't understand it. If this bastard wanted to assassinate him with a dart, he could have done it long ago—he was upstairs while he was downstairs, the opportunity was quite good; afterwards, when he went upstairs, when he was about to sit down, his movements inevitably revealed some flaws. Why did he have to spout such a long string of nonsense before making his move?

Did he really think those lies would lower his guard? Or did he think that a kneeling person was less likely to dodge? But I stretched one leg out so far, you're not blind, you can't have missed it, can you?

Suspicion welled up in his heart, and instinctively he bent over, knelt down, and crouched on the ground, trying to minimize his visibility, hiding behind the table. Just then, Jingjing'er's voice rang out from above: "Li Ji, you've fallen into my trap, you have nowhere to run!"

Li Ji looked up, but couldn't see the other person—plus, it was getting dark, and there were no candles lit upstairs, making it dimly lit, and he couldn't find where Jingjing was hiding at all. He could only prick up his ears and listen—

He then exclaimed inwardly, "Oh no, I've fallen for their trap!"

Because Li Ji finally noticed that there were faint footsteps coming from downstairs, seemingly from all directions, and that countless people were hiding in the shadows, ready to attack at any moment.

So this is your cunning scheme, Jingjing'er! A truly brilliant plan...

When Li Ji first arrived, he must have carefully observed the surrounding environment to guard against Jingjing'er's henchmen lying in ambush nearby. But at the time, he felt that at most one or two people were lying in the grass, silent and holding their breath, which was not a big problem - otherwise he would not have dared to stride upstairs to meet them.

Jingjing'er had sparred with Li Ji several times and knew that Li Erlang was not only incredibly strong and skilled in martial arts, but also had a keen sense of smell and quick reflexes. Therefore, if she was on guard beforehand, it would be difficult to strike him down in one blow. And if she missed her first strike, given Li Ji's abilities, she would have little chance of success afterward.

Jingjing'er reflected that she had no absolute certainty about Li Ji's actions, from the moment he ascended the tower and sat down to the moment she actually made her move.

He knew that he would have a hard time killing Li Ji on his own, but this mission was absolutely crucial and could not be lost. Therefore, he had arranged for men to be deployed around the area in advance, intending to outnumber them—no matter how capable Li Ji was, he couldn't fight against so many opponents, and besides, he had him hidden in the shadows, ready to launch a surprise attack with darts at any time.

However, if those people were hiding nearby, they would most likely not escape Li Ji's notice. Although he held the life of the other party's concubine in his hands, if it was clearly a deadly situation, would Li Ji be willing to venture in? That would not be sentimental, but foolish.

Therefore, he first scattered his troops at a distance, then appeared alone to lure Li Ji upstairs. He then engaged in loud conversation, spouting nonsense and occasionally bursting into laughter to mask the noise of his mobilization. Only when he estimated that all his men had gathered, almost completely surrounding the Wangchun Tower, and that Jingjing'er's elaborate lies were running out, did he suddenly launch his darts. Missing his target, he vanished in a flash…

Li Ji, in a moment of carelessness, capsized in the ditch and fell into an encirclement.

Li Ji thought to himself, "I'm doomed. If I had weapons, even if there were a hundred or two people downstairs, I might not be able to kill them all, and breaking through the encirclement wouldn't be difficult. But Jingjing forced me to put my double maces into my saddlebags and leave them downstairs... No matter how strong my fists and feet are, I'm still inferior to long spears, broadswords, and fine steel blades. Besides, there's someone hiding nearby who can launch hidden weapons..."

I need to find something to use as a weapon. This table won't do; it can only be used as a shield, and it's not easy to grab... I reached out and picked up the wine jug from the ground, squeezed it hard, and it became almost a thin slice.

Tin, you poor wretch! Why don't you buy two copper wine jugs instead?!

The only option now is to jump off the building as quickly as possible, even if it's a thousand troops below, it's better than being stuck in this cramped place facing a dart-throwing assassin hiding somewhere. Besides, I didn't hear any horses neighing earlier, so I guess those cunning henchmen were worried about making too much noise and alerting me, so they didn't move their mounts. As long as I can get close to the mounts and draw my mace, I'll feel confident.

In an instant, he stretched out his body, and with a whoosh of wind, a dart came flying. Fortunately, this was exactly what Li Ji had anticipated; he had gotten up specifically to lure the dart away. He immediately dodged it, simultaneously grabbing a table and hurling it towards the source of the dart. If Jingjing didn't change position, the second dart would surely hit the table, posing no threat to him; but if he quickly dodged and changed position, it would give him an opening to escape—

Even if it's just for a moment, as long as you seize the opportunity, it's a way out.

Li Ji performed a side somersault, close to the side of the building, then grabbed the railing and leaped down. He had acted with deliberate planning and lightning speed; sure enough, Jingjing'er moved in time and threw another dart, which only managed to pin the hem of Li Ji's clothes to the wooden railing. With a "ripping" sound, his clothes tore, and Li Ji was already downstairs.

Jingjing thought to herself, "Luckily, I had secretly planted quite a few people nearby, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to keep this Li Erlang here."

But as soon as Li Ji's feet touched the ground, he looked around and couldn't help but cry out inwardly, "Oh no!"

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Shence Rebellion

No sooner had Li Ji left Chang'an than a secret report reached the palace.

In the Qing Si Palace, Ma Yingjun reported, "Li Ji has already left. Even if the assassins fail to succeed, it is nearing dusk and the city gates will be closing soon, so he certainly won't be able to return in time." Empress Zhang nodded, "That's very good."

A man standing nearby smirked and said, "I didn't expect the Empress to be wary of Li Ji."

This man was none other than Li Xi, the Prince of Yue, the second son of Li Heng. His original name was Li Dan. He was initially enfeoffed as the Prince of Nanyang, later promoted to the Prince of Zhao, and then re-enfeoffed as the Prince of Yue.

The Li family has never been on good terms with Li Yu, because they are less than a year apart in age, and Li Yu's mother was a lowly palace maid. Although Li Yu's biological mother, Lady Wu, was not much higher in status, why is it that we are both illegitimate sons, but I was born a few months later than you, yet you were able to naturally ascend to the position of crown prince, while I didn't even have a chance to fight for it? It is said that the third prince (Li Tan) once had the idea, so why can't I?

Especially after the defeat at Xiangzhou and the collapse of the government troops into Henan, Li Heng replaced Guo Ziyi with Li Guangbi. Li Guangbi requested that a prince be appointed as commander-in-chief, so Li Heng appointed Li Xi as the Grand Marshal of the Army. His original intention was merely to arrange the order by age. Since Li Yu had been established as the crown prince, how could there be a crown prince concurrently serving as the Grand Marshal? How could he be at ease? Therefore, he appointed his second son, Li Xi.

But Li Xi felt that his father liked him and that he had a chance... Although he was only a marshal in name only and had never stepped out of Chang'an, he still considered himself a general, claiming to know about military affairs and be skilled in martial arts. He was arrogant and had the ambition to pacify the world.

Li Xi, not long ago, had secretly infiltrated the palace to pay homage to Empress Zhang under Zhu Huiguang's guidance, willing to obey her every command. Hearing Ma Yingjun report that Li Ji had already left the capital, he couldn't help but laugh, "That Li Ji enjoys a great reputation, but it's only because the Crown Prince, Prince Qi, and others have deliberately inflated it. I heard that Liu Xixian wanted to challenge him the other day, but he didn't dare to go. If Li Ji were here, I would definitely expose his true colors myself, right in front of the Empress..." He gestured with his hand in a killing motion—"Chop off that scoundrel's dog head!"

Ma Yingjun reminded him, "Your Highness must not be disrespectful in front of the Empress."

Empress Zhang waved her hand, dismissing Ma Yingjun, and then nodded to Li Xi: "The Crown Prince is weak and incapable of punishing the treacherous minister. Today's matter depends entirely on the Prince of Yue." She then looked at Zhu Huiguang: "Now that Li Ji has left, we can proceed—send someone to summon the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Li Xi was taken aback: "Since the Empress summoned me, why does she also need to summon the Crown Prince?"

Empress Zhang explained with a smile, "If the Crown Prince wanders outside, how can we be at ease? Even if we kill Li Fuguo, Your Highness might not obtain the position of heir apparent." She paused, seemingly revealing her plan in all her heart—"Li Fuguo is stationed at the Right Yintai Gate, surrounded by armored soldiers, and he is confident that he cannot approach. If I summon the Crown Prince now, he will hesitate and rely on Li Fuguo for support. He will then leave the West Inner Garden and enter the Daming Palace through the Right Yintai Gate. When Li Fuguo comes to greet you, Your Highness can then lead the palace eunuchs and the Shence Army to achieve two goals with one arrow."

"If it is said that Li Fuguo rebelled and plotted to kill the Crown Prince, then Your Highness would avenge your brother, relieve the country's distress, inherit the great mandate, and surely be able to subdue the hearts of all officials and gain the support of the masses. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Li Xi was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed deeply, saying, "The Empress's plans are perfect, far surpassing my own—I shall obey the Empress's orders completely."

Empress Zhang smiled and said, "Your Highness, please go to the Hall of Longevity and give the eunuchs their weapons and armor. Although the Divine Strategy is in my hands, it cannot be fully trusted. We should still rely on the eunuchs to take charge. I will stay here and await Your Highness's good news."

Li Xi took his leave, and Empress Zhang watched his departing figure, but couldn't help but curl her lip and mutter under her breath, "Fool!"

She then raised her right palm and stared at her ten scarred fingers—scars she had inflicted while mending military uniforms for soldiers in Lingwu and Ding'an to win Li Heng's favor. She muttered to herself, "Am I to stand in the court with such a fool and try to control the world?"

She raised an eyebrow, turned her head and instructed Duan Hengjun: "Summon the Prince of Yan."

Furthermore, Zhu Huiguang dispatched a young eunuch to the Eastern Palace to deliver an imperial edict, falsely claiming it was an imperial decree, summoning Crown Prince Li Yu to the palace overnight.

Li Yu straightened his clothes and was about to leave when his attendants stopped him, saying, "It's getting late, Your Highness. It's not advisable to go to the Daming Palace in the dead of night. Wu Lang has just sent a letter saying that Empress Yun may be hostile to Your Highness. It would be better for Your Highness to wait until dawn and then have Wu Lang accompany you to see the Emperor."

Li Yu waved his hand and said, "My father has summoned me; how can I refuse? Besides, the Emperor has just appointed me as regent; how could the Empress possibly harm me?"

After repeated attempts to persuade him failed, he suggested, "In that case, we can go out through Xuande Gate, pass through the West Inner Garden, go to the Right Yintai Gate, meet up with Wu Lang, and then enter the Inner Court. We should also inform Prince Fengjie."

Li Yu agreed and then assigned tasks to everyone: "You go and inform Li Fuguo; you go to Baisun's residence and tell my son; you... enter through Mingfeng Gate first and inform Li Ji."

He then mounted his horse and, surrounded by more than twenty eunuchs, exited the Xuande Gate, the north gate of the Eastern Palace.

This marks the departure from the Western Taiji Palace. North of the Taiji Palace lies the Western Inner Garden, the earliest royal garden in Chang'an. To the northeast of the Western Inner Garden, near the western wall of the Daming Palace, stands the Hanguang Hall, the site of the royal polo field. East of the Hanguang Hall is the Riying Gate. Exiting the Riying Gate and walking north a short distance between the two palaces, the Right Yintai Gate, where Li Fuguo resided, is on your right.

Daming Palace was located northeast of Chang'an, on higher ground—one of the main reasons why the Tang dynasty abandoned Taiji Palace and built Daming Palace instead—and this hill actually rose near Hanguang Hall. Li Yu rode his horse along the road, gradually ascending higher. By this time, it was completely dark. The imperial horse, probably used to a life of luxury, usually only traversing flat ground during the day, suddenly found itself climbing in the dark—although there were lamps illuminating the way—and its front hoof twisted, startling Li Yu on its back.

Li Yu instinctively pulled on the reins, forcing his mount to stop. After thinking for a moment, he ordered his men, "Let's not go to the Right Silver Terrace Gate. Let's continue north."

"Isn't Your Highness going to the Daming Palace? Why are you heading north?"

"Let's go to Lingxiao Gate to enter the palace. The terrain is gentler, and it's also closer to the Hall of Longevity."

This "convenience" means that after entering the palace, the route can be slightly shorter, but this means that one must take a long detour along the west wall of the Daming Palace. Neither side understands this—and didn't you already send someone to inform Li Fuguo? Why leave him waiting at the Right Yintai Gate?

In fact, Li Yu did not dare to trust Li Fuguo too much, and was quite worried that the old eunuch would be detrimental to him. He was even more afraid that Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang would rekindle their old relationship and become accomplices again... Could the mishap just now be a warning from heaven?

If he had known better, he would not have gone beyond the Inner West Garden. After exiting Xuande Gate, he would have turned east and gone through the Mingfeng Gate, the main gate of Daming Palace, to summon the Yingwu Army for protection. Of course, he did not know that Li Ji was no longer in Chang'an. But changing his route now would be too obvious and would waste too much time. So he decided to continue north and take a long detour.

Cheng Yuanzhen might be in the Flying Dragon Stable. After all, he's a former retainer from the Prince's residence. Although we haven't been in contact for a long time, he's still more trustworthy than Li Fuguo.

People tried to dissuade me, saying that beyond the Douji Tower and Zouma Tower to the north, there was a vast wasteland overgrown with weeds in early summer, with no roads to walk on. If you didn't intend to enter the Daming Palace through the Youyintai Gate, there were still the Hanlin Gate and Jiuxian Gate to the north, so why bother going all the way to the north wall of the Forbidden City?

However, Li Yu resolutely refused to listen, flicked the reins, and headed north. His attendants had no choice but to jog to keep up. They quickened their pace, trudging through vast stretches of desolate land, and finally arrived north of the Daming Palace and entered the inner city as night deepened. Li Yu then sent someone to the Flying Dragon Stables to summon Cheng Yuanzhen.

The Flying Dragon Stable is located north of the Chongxuan Gate, the main gate of the inner city, and is the first of the "Six Leisurely Places".

The *Zhou Li* (Rites of Zhou), in its section on the Summer Official, states: "The Son of Heaven has twelve stables, with six types of horses; the states have six stables, with four types of horses; the households have four stables, with two types of horses." The Sui Dynasty established these six stables for this reason, a practice continued in the Tang Dynasty. These stables were in charge of the imperial horses and were managed by the Imperial Stables Bureau of the Palace Secretariat. During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, they were named Feilong, Xianglin, Fengyuan, Yuanluan, Jiliang, and Liuqun, also known as the "Six Stables." After the Kaiyuan era, like the "Six Stables Within the Palace Guard," they were managed by the Stables Commissioner of the Inner Palace Secretariat.

After Li Yu was made crown prince and placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, Cheng Yuanzhen was transferred by Li Fuguo, who was concurrently serving as the head of the imperial stables, and became the deputy head of the Flying Dragon Stables. This was a heavy responsibility, as he was in charge of the finest imperial horses. However, for a eunuch, this also meant being far removed from the core of the court and could be considered as being sidelined.

Li Yu said to himself, "My horse is not good. Go and call Cheng Yuanzhen to bring another good horse." Then he stood up in front of Lingxiao Gate and refused to move or call for the gate. He just stood there and waited.

It seemed as if they could hear hurried footsteps and voices coming from inside the door. They wondered if they had discovered Li Yu and his group outside and were planning to send someone out to inquire.

A short while later, while chaos still raged inside the gate, Cheng Yuanzhen hurriedly arrived on horseback. Upon seeing him, he didn't even dismount to pay his respects before urgently asking, "Why has Your Highness come to Lingxiao Gate?"

Li Yu replied, "The Emperor summoned me, intending to enter the palace through the Lingxiao Gate."

Cheng Yuanzhen then jumped off his horse, approached Li Yu, and whispered, "I fear there may be trouble in the palace!"

Li Yu leaned down: "What do you mean?"

"There was some unusual activity at Xuanwu Gate just now. I sent someone to inquire, and they said that the Shence Army had taken over the defense... The inner court should have been guarded by the Yingwu Army at the various gates. Why was the Shence Army changed at this time? I wonder what about Lingxiao Gate..."

Li Yu was shocked to hear this: "There was also some unusual activity inside the gate just now!"

Cheng Yuanzhen suggested, "In that case, Your Highness should not enter without permission. You may come with me to the Flying Dragon Stable for the time being. I will send someone to inquire and find out the details before we escort Your Highness into the palace!"

This time, Li Yu readily agreed and immediately followed Cheng Yuanzhen to the Flying Dragon Stable.

Before long, the men Cheng Yuanzhen had sent to investigate the palace returned, covered in sweat, and said, "The northern gates have all been taken over by the Shence Army. When asked who ordered them, they said it was an imperial edict..."

"Since the Emperor appointed me to oversee the country, why wasn't I informed of such a momentous event beforehand?!" Li Yu also realized something was amiss—"This must be a rebellion by the Shence Army—where is Yingwu? Are we just going to sit idly by and watch them act recklessly?!"

Cheng Yuanzhen said, "It seems that someone in the palace has forged an imperial edict, and the Yingwu Army cannot distinguish the truth... Please summon Li Ji immediately."

Li Yu shook his head: "I have already sent someone to inform Li Ji about my entry into the palace, but I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to arrive quickly..." The main force of the Yingwu Army is stationed in the outer court. If the Shence Army closes all the gates of the outer court, the Yingwu Army will be surrounded. Even if Li Ji has extraordinary abilities, how easy is it for him to fight his way from the south of the palace to the north?

Besides, Li Ji is most likely not in the palace; after get off work, when it gets dark, he always has to go home...

After a moment's thought, he finally made up his mind and said to Cheng Yuanzhen, "Quickly send someone on a fast horse to go around to the Right Silver Terrace Gate and inform Li Fuguo."

According to Li Shi, Li Fuguo failed to control the Shence Army, so this palace rebellion was most likely not the old eunuch's idea... It must be that the Empress wanted to harm him, so she lured him into killing Li Fuguo during the day—perhaps they hadn't actually teamed up again. Now, turning back is too dangerous; he can only gamble that Li Fuguo is still an ally and quickly ask him to come and protect him.