Outside the Suzaku Gate, the sound of killing shook the heavens, passing through the palace with tens of thousands of rooms, but gradually became ethereal and distant. 21ggd A line of light white appeared on the horizon, but it was suddenly covered with dark clouds, and a light rain began to fall. A faint smell of blood filled the air, and it was terribly quiet.
Xie Jingyuan divided his troops into two groups. Half of them went to attack Zhou Wenchen, who had suffered heavy casualties, while he took the other half to control the palace. Looking from a high place, he saw flames rising to the sky inside and outside the palace, and the rain did not seem to be able to extinguish the heat.
In the darkness, the battle was chaotic. Xie Jingyuan led his personal soldiers to surround the Taiji Hall. The sound of horses' hooves was rapid, swords and armors clashed, and countless arrows flashed with cold light, showing their sharpness in the darkness.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
They drew their bows and arrows, aiming directly at the imperial guards who were protecting Emperor Yan at the palace gate. Countless arrows shot out densely, penetrating into their flesh and blood bodies, and silently eliminated most of the enemy troops.
Xie Jingyuan tightly grasped the sword at his waist and wanted to rush directly into the hall, but after thinking about it, he asked Chu Xinian's opinion: "Should we go in or not?"
He wore a silver mask on his face, which looked cold in the dark night. The drizzle of rain fell obliquely on his body, flowing slowly along his armor, taking away the blood stains on it.
Chu Xinian thought for a moment, then randomly picked a soldier to come over, bowed his head and whispered a few words in his ear, and ordered him to go to the palace to report to Emperor Yan. After doing all this, he said to Xie Jingyuan: "It's okay, the matter is a foregone conclusion anyway, let's wait a little longer."
The Emperor of Yan was going to pass the throne to the Crown Prince anyway, so there was no need for them to do anything extra. If they rushed in now, the legitimate succession would become a usurpation of the throne. Although reputation was not a big deal, if the situation allowed, why leave a handle for the historians
The Emperor of Yan was so sick that he was in a coma and didn't know what was going on outside. It wasn't until a thunderclap suddenly sounded in the sky that he suddenly woke up. He sat up on the bed with difficulty, and the simple movement made him gasp for breath. He weakly called the prince's name: "Chenghao..."
The prince was concerned about the situation outside, and he didn't know what had happened to Xie Jingyuan and the others. He hadn't received any news in the past few days, and he was lost in thought. There was no one else in the palace except a few palace maids and eunuchs. Hearing the Emperor Yan's call, he came back to his senses a little late, walked to the bedside and half-knelt down: "What do you want, father?"
Emperor Yan said intermittently: "Inside the palace... Why is it so dark inside the palace..."
The old eunuch immediately ordered people to light the lamps, but the dark clouds outside could not hide the gloom of the impending storm.
The prince was a little uneasy, but he forced himself to calm down, lowered his eyes and said, "Father, there is thunder and rain outside, so the sky is gray."
The Emperor of Yan did not speak. He stretched out his hand tremblingly, as if he wanted to touch the prince's face. But he did not have enough strength and fell back, and the prince did not intend to step forward.
The hall was empty, and the palace maids and eunuchs stood in the corners, like lifeless puppets, with numb expressions. Outside the window, the wind and rain were raging, and the heavy curtains were locked, hiding the tragic scene of corpses strewn all over the ground.
At this time, a soldier knelt outside and reported: "Your Majesty, Prince Jin and Chang Zongping led their troops to rebel and have been captured by General Zhou. The troops of Wude Camp and Pingxiang Camp are waiting outside the palace."
The prince was shocked when he heard this, and wanted to ask Xie Jingyuan about their situation, but because Emperor Yan was not in a position to speak, he could only frown and hold back.
The Emperor of Yan was half heartbroken and half angry when he heard this. After all, he had placed high hopes on his son, the Prince of Jin. After a violent cough, he gasped and cursed out two words: "Rebellious son!"
His chest kept rising and falling, and it seemed that he would faint in the next second. The old eunuch hurried forward to calm the emperor down, "Your Majesty, why get angry over someone who is not worth it? Look, the prince is very filial. He has been taking care of the patient all night these days and has not closed his eyes. I feel so distressed when I see him."
He was a shrewd man who had been in the palace for many years. Seeing that Prince Jin was defeated, he naturally had to curry favor with the Crown Prince.
The Emperor of Yan seemed to be comforted by him. He looked at the Crown Prince who was bowing his head and saying nothing, and waved to him with difficulty: "Chenghao, come here."
The prince subconsciously looked up at him, then slowly knelt forward, only to see the Emperor of Yan pull out a bright yellow scroll from under his pillow: "The King of Jin is unfilial, the King of Chang and the King of Ping are unlikely to achieve great things, and now I only have you as a son who can be relied on..."
He coughed again as he spoke, his face turning blue, revealing a near-death grayness: "I... After a hundred years, this Great Yan will be handed over to you..."
There was no doubt that the scroll of yellow silk in his hand was the imperial edict of succession. The prince was stunned when he heard this, and for a moment he didn't know whether to accept it or not. Perhaps he was not as eager for this cold position as he thought.
He hated Emperor Yan, but Emperor Yan was about to die...
The prince suddenly felt bored. In the lifeless Taiji Hall, he was like a walking corpse, and he didn't know how he had survived these days. He touched his stiff and numb knees and suddenly missed Xie Jingyuan's general's mansion.
Xie Jingyuan's mansion used to be dead silent, but it became lively after Chu Xinian left.
The prince always liked to run to their place. Only when he stayed there could he feel warmer. It was not like the palace, which was a cold cage with corpses buried underfoot and people on high seats who didn't recognize their relatives.
He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard the Emperor of Yan give an order, ordering the eunuch to leave the palace and summon Xie Jingyuan and Prince Ping to the palace for an audience.
The prince was shocked when he heard this, and his heart tightened: "Father, why did you summon Xie Jingyuan and Prince Ping?"
The Emperor of Yan did not speak, but the old eunuch beside him got his signal and brought a pot of wine on a tray. The slender golden pot was carved with dragons and phoenixes, but no one knew what was inside.
Maybe it's something that costs someone's life.
"Chenghao, come here..."
Emperor Yan knew that the prince was not a cruel person, at least not for an emperor. Before he died, he had to eliminate the last hidden danger before he could safely hand over the country to the prince.
"I know that you and Xie Jingyuan have a close relationship, but the king is the king... and the minister is the minister... and they can never be confused... You are young and energetic, and you cannot sit firmly on the throne. Xie Jingyuan is a hidden danger..."
The prince said hastily: "Father, you worry too much, Xie Jingyuan..."
Before he could finish his words, Emperor Yan raised his hand to interrupt him: "No need to say more, when Xie Jingyuan enters the palace, you will give him this wine, and after giving him the wine, I will pass the throne to you..."
The prince suddenly felt cold all over. He stared at Emperor Yan in a daze, and felt that the other's eyes were so cold and familiar. Many years ago, Emperor Yan seemed to have had the same expression when he strangled his mother.
"… "
The prince did not speak, his whole body was stiff, and after a long while he finally spoke with difficulty: "What if your son does not want to?"
He didn't know what the situation was like outside, he only knew that Xie Jingyuan had no military power now, and after entering the palace, he would be at the mercy of others. The hand hanging by his side was trembling slightly.
Emperor Yan closed his eyes and said: "You are not the only son I have."
Prince Ping also entered the palace with Xie Jingyuan. If the prince could really make up his mind to kill Xie Jingyuan, he would pass the test of Emperor Yan. If he couldn't do it, the throne would belong to Prince Ping.
What a good calculation...
The prince twitched his lips and suddenly wanted to laugh, but couldn't. The old eunuch beside him saw that he was hesitant to move, so he stuffed the wine glass into his hand and whispered: "Your Highness, don't be stupid. When Xie Jingyuan comes later, you will do whatever His Majesty says."
The prince stared at the wine glass in his hand, feeling it was so heavy that it seemed like he was being immobilized. He remained silent for a long time. The Emperor of Yan was a little angry when he saw this. He slapped the edge of the bed and asked, "Xie Jingyuan is just an outsider. Is he more important than your country?"
The prince didn't move and closed his eyes.
Emperor Yan angrily rebuked: "How can you accomplish great things if you are so soft-hearted?!"
The prince still didn't move, but his eyes turned red silently.
The Emperor of Yan would cough uncontrollably when he got angry, as if he was going to cough out all the organs in his stomach. He said breathlessly, "You... do you know how deep Xie Jingyuan's connections are in the army... I can still suppress him when I'm alive... Wait a hundred years for me... You've just ascended the throne... You have little experience... If he has second thoughts... Can you protect this world?! Huh?!"
Regardless of the past, at least the Emperor of Yan was really thinking about the Crown Prince at this moment. He tried his best to swallow the fishy sweetness in his throat, eagerly waiting for the Crown Prince's answer, but the Crown Prince, who had been kneeling quietly on the ground, suddenly threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground.
“Bang!”
The wine glass smashed to the ground with a loud bang, and the poisoned wine splashed all over the ground. Then it rolled twice, and the wheels sank into the shadow of the corner. The palace maids and eunuchs were all frightened, and they all knelt down to apologize, trembling with fear.
The Emperor of Yan was also frightened by the prince's sudden action. He looked up in shock, only to see that the prince had burst into tears without knowing when, with red eyes, stepping back step by step, getting farther and farther away from him. Veins bulged on his forehead, like an angry lion.
The prince slowly raised his hand, pointed at the old Emperor Yan and said word by word: "You are heartless and ungrateful, and you want me to be as heartless and ungrateful as you! You repay kindness with enmity, and you want me to repay kindness with enmity as you do! You are deserted by your friends and relatives, and you want me to have the same fate as you!"
"I don't want it! I don't want it!"
The prince's eyes were filled with hatred. He thought of Xie Bi, the only teacher who didn't mind his stupidity and treated him as his own son. He thought of the queen, the mother who made cakes and sewed clothes for him, but all these people were dead, all dead!
Die at the hands of this heartless man in front of you!
He pointed at Emperor Yan and cursed, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Your heart is made of stone, mine is not!"
The prince beat his chest hard, full of regret and pain: "I used to have a master! I had a close friend! I had a mother! But you ruined it all!"
"You killed Xie Bi! You killed my mother! And now you want to kill Jing Yuan! If you want to die, then die. You can give the throne to whoever you want. I don't want it at all! Do you understand me?"
"Do you know how much I hate you? How much I hate you! I don't want to be your son at all. I would rather be a beggar or a criminal slave than be your son!"
The prince suddenly stepped forward, grasped Emperor Yan's shoulders tightly, stared at him with red eyes, and said fiercely, "In the future, I will have many children and grandchildren, and many close friends. I will be a hundred times and a thousand times happier than you! You will take your throne and power into the coffin with you, and in the future, you will be eaten by insects and ants, and no one will remember you!"
His hot tears fell in big drops, landing on Emperor Yan's hands and on the brocade quilt, burning people's hearts.
"You killed loyal ministers and ruined your virtuous wife. Even if I die, I will let the world know about your dirty past. You will be infamous for eternity and you will be cursed by the world!"
As the prince spoke, the Emperor of Yan was choking on his breath and panting heavily. His eyes bulged out, and he pointed at the prince tremblingly, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't even utter a complete sentence: "You...you..."
The prince let go of him and staggered back two steps. The Emperor's fingertips trembled, as if he wanted to grab his sleeve. His face was thin and old, and his expression was ferocious, as if he was ready to devour someone. He leaned forward too much and fell off the bed with a plop, gasping: "You... You..."
Emperor Yan wanted to say something, but his voice became weaker and weaker. It was as if the violent storm outside was gradually calming down. At the end, he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood, stared at the front, maintained the tense posture for a long time, and after a while, he lay on the ground motionless.
Everyone was stunned by the scene before them.
After a long time, the old eunuch finally stepped forward and stretched out his hand to feel his breath. Then his face turned pale, he sat down on the ground, and said in a panic: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty has passed away! Your Majesty has passed away!"
The prince was stunned for a moment when he heard this. He stared at the corpse of Emperor Yan, not knowing whether he should be sad or happy. He felt that all his strength had been drained away. He slowly slid down the stairs, holding onto the pillar, his face as pale as paper, as if he had lost his soul.
Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan were just outside the palace gate. The eunuch sent by Emperor Yan to report the news was tied up and thrown into the corner. When they heard the noise inside, their faces changed slightly. They were afraid that something had happened to the prince, so they pushed the door open and rushed in. However, they saw that Emperor Yan had been dead for a long time, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs were terrified and crying.
The prince just sat on the ground, dazed and stupid, staring at one place with unfocused eyes.
Chu Xinian walked forward slowly, leaned forward and squatted in front of him, stretched out a hand and waved it in front of his eyes: "Your Highness? Your Highness?"
The prince did not respond.
Xie Jingyuan was much more direct. He walked over and kicked him over. Then he reached out and grabbed the prince by the collar and pulled him back. He frowned and said worriedly, "Did the little ghost eat your soul? What are you doing sitting here?"
The prince finally came back to his senses. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan appear in front of him. Somehow, his vision began to blur, his nose felt sore, and he suddenly hugged them and cried bitterly: "You... Why did you come just now..."
He cried heartbreakingly, not knowing whether it was out of hatred or sadness, and said breathlessly: "He's dead... He's dead..."
The prince cried like a child: "Jingyuan... I don't want to... I don't want to be an emperor... I don't want to be alone. I want close friends, brothers, and a peaceful life. I don't want to be like him, deserted by everyone..."
His voice was filled with pain and fear, fearing that he would become the same person as Emperor Yan in the future. What is the meaning of a life with disloyal ministers, unfilial sons, unloving wives, and dishonest friends
Chu Xinian remained silent upon hearing this, and Xie Jingyuan also had a complicated expression. After a long time, he pulled the prince up from the ground.
"you will not… "
Chu Xinian silently patted the prince's shoulder, then slowly tightened his grip and whispered, "As long as you always remember this feeling today, you will never become someone you don't even recognize..."
"It doesn't matter if you don't know how to be an emperor, we will teach you. It doesn't matter if you don't know how to be a strategist, we will teach you..."
In the book "A Thousand Years of Marquisship", no matter the original story or the revised one, everything has changed. The only thing that remains unchanged is probably that Xie Jingyuan never betrayed the prince.
Chu Xinian may not have understood it before, but now he understands it a little. In this turbulent era, it is so lucky to have a friend who is loyal to you. Even if I die nine times, I will never regret it.
In front of the throne, the prince has never let Xie Jingyuan down.
Even in the face of danger, Xie Jingyuan never abandoned the prince.
This is a friendship that could not be purer. In their hearts, there are things that are far more important and precious than power.
At this point, it doesn't matter what the villain is...
The sudden rain outside stopped, a ray of early sunshine penetrated the clouds, and the sky suddenly brightened. Outside the Taiji Hall, corpses piled up and blood flowed like a river, but apart from the conspiracy and intrigue, there was also an endless beautiful landscape in the distance.
Chu Xinian slowly exhaled and said to the prince: "Don't worry about being your prince, and don't worry about being your emperor..."
"This is a vast land of mountains and rivers, with boundless beauty and beauty. Jing Yuan and I will help you guard it together."
The old eunuch standing by was quite clever. He took the Emperor Yan's edict of succession, raised his hands above his head, knelt all the way to the prince's feet, and kowtowed, saying, "Before His Majesty passed away, he left a will ordering the prince to succeed him. This old servant kowtows to His Majesty. Long live the emperor!"
Seeing this, all the soldiers outside the palace knelt on the ground, their armor scales clashing and their voices shook the sky: "Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long, long live our emperor!"