PNB Chapter 227 Asking the Lord to Offer His Life
Chapter 227 Asking the Lord to Offer His Life
At the third quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), the lanterns on Andu Street swayed precariously, their flames flickering, and the whistling wind seemed to carry an air of impending doom.
A group of men in black stealthily moved into the night, until they reached the foot of the palace wall. With swift movements, they threw ropes to the top of the wall, where hidden iron hooks precisely caught on the parapet. The well-trained men climbed up like geckos. Before the imperial guards on the wall could react, their throats were slit by sharp daggers.
Meanwhile, another team, carrying reeds in their hands, sneaked into the moat of the imperial city through a secret passage and quietly approached the inner city's sluice gate in the icy cold water.
The guard on duty, unaware of the approaching danger, was leaning against the gate, dreaming of going to the Drunken Spring Pavilion for some fun after his shift ended, when a cold glint flashed before his eyes, and warm blood spurted from his neck, splashing onto the water and staining it red.
"The time has come."
Grand Commandant Yao Guang stood atop his own watchtower, watching the three fiery red plumes of smoke rising from the direction of the palace, tearing a bloody gash in the dark night sky. He assumed the other clan heads had also seen them.
"Open the gates!"
At his command, the city gate guards, who had already been turned against the city, removed the bolts, and five hundred armored Yao family private soldiers surged in like a tide. The crisp sound of horses' hooves crushing fallen leaves startled countless crows.
Suddenly, a loud bang erupted from the east gate of the palace. The Fifth Army Commander, Chu Dian, spurred his horse and smashed open the vermilion gate, followed closely by three hundred heavy cavalry.
Before the guards could react, Chu Dian cleaved them in two with his nine-ringed broadsword.
"Disarm and you will not be killed!"
The man's rough voice, mixed with the smell of blood, echoed through the palace corridor. He knew that there were accomplices in each department at this moment, and that as long as he controlled the central hub, he could control the whole situation.
As expected, when he rushed into Ji Si's palace, the palace guards scattered in terror, only an old eunuch sighed, "His Majesty has been waiting for a long time!"
Meanwhile, on a hillside a hundred miles away from Xuanwu City, Zuo Mingyi's hair was disheveled and fell over his forehead, his armor was stained with blood that had not yet dried, and his equally disheveled guards stood firmly by his side, still armed.
The surrounding army parted, and Yang Cheng, the second son of the Yang family, stepped out.
Zuo Mingyi gave a wry smile, "Zhijun, even someone like you has rebelled!"
Faced with such questions, Yang Cheng remained silent.
Knowing that all was lost, Zuo Mingyi laughed bitterly in his grief, "The one who destroyed An was not Xuan, but a traitor to the country!"
Your Majesty, you have lost the gamble. Who would have thought that I couldn't even reach Xuanwu City and had to come to the underworld to beg for forgiveness?
Zuo Mingyi smiled until tears welled in her eyes, then looked around at the landscape of Anguo one last time, and asked, "What is this place called?"
Having known each other for many years, Yang Cheng knew that Zuo Mingyi wanted to know where he was buried. After a moment of silence, he replied, "This place is nameless."
"Ha~" Zuo Mingyi chuckled, "It's quite fitting that nameless places bury inactive people."
After saying this, he drew the precious sword given to him by Ji Si and slashed it across his neck, staining the yellow slope with blood.
A look of emotion flashed in Yang Cheng's eyes. He turned and went down the mountain. After taking a few steps, he stopped and instructed, "Erect a boundary marker at the foot of the mountain. From now on, this place will be called Mingyi Slope."
"Follow the order."
Yang Cheng took a deep breath, regained his resolute and indifferent expression, gathered his troops, and continued towards Xuanwu City. He still had to complete the journey that Zuo Mingyi had not finished.
..........................................
After the fifth watch gong sounded three times, in the gray palace, eunuchs carried buckets of water to wash away the bloodstains remaining on the blue brick floor. When the first ray of dawn illuminated the golden roof of the main hall, the ministers representing various noble families gathered at the main gate of the palace.
"Send His Majesty back to heaven!"