Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 172: Strike first to gain the upper hand

Hu Bugui and his group quietly left the Prime Minister's residence with the ironclad evidence that exposed the Prime Minister's crimes. In the night, their figures seemed to blend into the darkness, leaving only the sound of hurried footsteps echoing in the silent streets. However, what they didn't know was that a pair of eyes had already been watching their every move in the dark.

Deep inside the Prime Minister's residence, a dark figure stood in front of the window, looking in the direction where Hu Bugui and the others disappeared, with a cold smile on his face. "My Lord, do you think you have won? Unfortunately, you are still too young!"

It turned out that the prime minister's men had been secretly monitoring Hu Bugui, and their every move was under the prime minister's control. After learning that Hu Bugui and others had sneaked into the study, the prime minister realized that his conspiracy had been exposed, but he did not panic, but decided to strike first.

"Someone! Pass the order to seal off the palace immediately. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order!" The prime minister held the token in his hand and spoke in a sharp tone, leaving no room for doubt.

As the night deepened, the palace was brightly lit. Fully armed soldiers surrounded the palace, and the atmosphere was tense and depressing. The prime minister had a large number of troops and controlled all the important roads in the palace. A shocking conspiracy was quietly unfolding.

At this time, Hu Bugui and others were still immersed in the joy of finding evidence, and were completely unaware that danger had come. They returned to the agreed location to meet Wu Tao, ready to present the evidence to the emperor and expose the prime minister's true identity.

"Your Highness, let's go to the palace now! As long as we give this letter to the emperor, the prime minister's conspiracy will be exposed!" Li Xiaoyao could not hide his excitement and said anxiously.

Hu Bugui nodded and was about to leave when he saw a soldier running over in a panic. He looked terrified and said breathlessly, "Oh no! Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The palace... the palace has been controlled by the Prime Minister!"

This sudden news was like a bolt from the blue, shocking everyone present. Wu Tao's heart suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

"What did you say?! The palace has been controlled?!" Hu Bugui grabbed the soldier's collar and asked sternly.

"Yes... yes! The prime minister has surrounded the imperial palace with a large number of soldiers, and... and..." The soldier was so scared that he was incoherent.

"What else? Tell me quickly!" Zhao Yong asked anxiously.

"And... he also threatened to purge the emperor's court!" The soldier finally said the last sentence.

"Purge the imperial court?! What a high-sounding reason!" Hu Bugui was furious. He knew that the prime minister was trying to usurp the throne and seize power!

"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Li Xiaoyao also realized the seriousness of the matter and asked worriedly.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that now was not the time to panic, and he had to come up with a plan as soon as possible. He looked around, his eyes firm and resolute. "The old thief Prime Minister is planning a rebellion, we can't just sit there and wait for death! Zhao Yong, you immediately contact the army outside the city and ask them to rush to support! Brother Li, you follow me into the palace and protect the emperor!"

"Yes!" Zhao Yong and Li Xiaoyao agreed in unison, their tone full of determination to face death.

"Tao'er, stay here and don't go anywhere. Wait for me to come back!" Hu Bugui turned and looked at Wu Tao, his eyes full of worry and tenderness.

"No, I want to go with you!" Wu Tao shook her head firmly and held Hu Bugui's hand tightly. "I won't let you take risks alone!"

"Tao'er, be obedient! The situation is urgent now, it's safest for you to stay here!" Hu Bugui's tone was firm and left no room for doubt.

"But..." Wu Tao wanted to say something else but was interrupted by Hu Bugui.

"No buts! This is an order!"

After that, Hu Bugui no longer hesitated, and resolutely led Li Xiaoyao and others to rush towards the direction of the palace. In the night, their backs looked extremely tragic, as if they were destined to fight a desperate battle with fate. And the outcome of this struggle will also determine the fate of the entire country.

Hu Bugui knew that time was running out, so he put aside his worries about Wu Tao and resolutely took Li Xiaoyao and others to the palace. It was dark, but the lights outside the palace were bright, and the strict security replaced the tranquility of the past.

"It seems we have alerted the enemy," Hu Bugui looked at the heavily guarded palace gate and whispered to Li Xiaoyao, "Sneak in!"

With their extraordinary skills and familiarity with the terrain, Hu Bugui, Li Xiaoyao and others avoided the guards and sneaked into the palace quietly. However, what greeted them was not as smooth as expected.

As soon as he entered the inner palace, a sharp arrow flew through the air and hit Hu Bugui in the face. Hu Bugui dodged sideways, and the arrow was nailed to the pillar behind him, with the tail of the arrow still buzzing.

"There's an ambush!" Li Xiaoyao shouted in a low voice, drew out his sword, and looked around vigilantly.

Before he finished speaking, several men in black jumped out from the darkness and surrounded them. There were flashes of swords and shadows, and murderous intent was everywhere.

"Kill! Don't leave any one alive!" As the leader of the men in black gave the order, everyone pounced on them like wolves and tigers.

Although Hu Bugui and others were well prepared, they were helpless because the other side had large numbers of people and each of them was highly skilled in martial arts. After a fierce battle, they were inevitably overwhelmed.

"Your Highness, be careful!" Li Xiaoyao saw Hu Bugui being attacked by two men in black and the situation was critical. He struggled to fend off the enemies in front of him and wanted to go forward to help.

At this moment, a cry of surprise came from not far away: "Prince! Be careful!"

Hu Bugui turned around when he heard the voice, only to see Wu Tao being held hostage by a man in black, with a sharp blade pressed against her fair neck, oozing a trace of blood.

"Tao'er!" Hu Bugui was shocked and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Hu Bugui, if you want her to live, put down your weapons and surrender!" The leader of the men in black laughed triumphantly upon seeing this, "Otherwise, I will kill her!"

Wu Tao struggled desperately, but to no avail. He could only watch the blade getting closer and closer to his throat.

"Stop! I promise you!" Hu Bugui felt like his heart was being cut by a knife. He knew that he had no choice.

He slowly put down the sword in his hand and let the man in black tie him up. Li Xiaoyao and others saw this and had no choice but to put down their weapons and surrender.

The leader of the men in black, escorting Hu Bugui and others, walked triumphantly up to Wu Tao and reached out to grab her hair.

"Let her go!" Hu Bugui roared, broke free from his restraints, and rushed towards the leader of the men in black desperately.

However, he was still a step too late.

"Ah!" Wu Tao screamed and was knocked unconscious by the leader of the men in black. He fell to the ground limply.

"Tao'er!" Hu Bugui's eyes were red with grief.

He watched Wu Tao being taken away by the men in black, but he was powerless to do anything. He knew that he had completely failed.

What he didn't know was that the prime minister had already set a tight net, waiting for him to fall into it.

This night is destined to be a sleepless night.

 Peach blossoms shine brightly in Chang'an

Hu Bugui watched Wu Tao being abducted by the men in black, his heart aching, but he was powerless to stop it. He knew that he had fallen into the prime minister's trap, and the palace had already become a den of dragons and tigers.

"Your Majesty, we have to leave here quickly!" Li Xiaoyao shouted anxiously while fighting and retreating. He knew that if he continued to stay here, he would only die in vain.

Hu Bugui knew that Li Xiaoyao was right, but he was even more unwilling to give up Wu Tao. With red eyes, he waved his sword to drive back the enemy in front of him, and roared: "Tao'er is still in their hands, I can't leave!"

“Your Highness, if you have a green mountain, you will never be short of firewood!” The general who was fighting desperately on the side also advised, “Since the Prime Minister has set such a trap, he must have made perfect preparations. If we rush out now, we still have a chance to rescue the princess. If we fail here, then all our efforts will be in vain!”

Hu Bugui understood this logic very well, but when he thought about the torture that Wu Tao might suffer, his heart ached and he found it difficult to make a decision.

"Your Highness, let's go!" Seeing Hu Bugui hesitating, Li Xiaoyao made a prompt decision. He knocked back the man in black in front of him with a palm, then grabbed Hu Bugui's arm and dragged him out of the palace in the chaos.

"Let me go! I want to save Taoer!" Hu Bugui struggled, but he could not overcome Li Xiaoyao's brute force. He could only watch the palace getting farther and farther away from him.

They fought and retreated all the way and finally broke out of the encirclement, but Li Xiaoyao was separated from them in the melee.

"Xiaoyao!" Hu Bugui was extremely anxious and wanted to go back to look for him, but the general held him back tightly.

"Your Majesty, it's too late! We must leave here immediately!" the general said anxiously, "If we don't leave now, we will really be unable to leave!"

Hu Bugui looked at the brightly lit palace, feeling extremely sad. He knew that he had missed the best opportunity, and now that the prime minister had taken control of the palace, it would be extremely difficult to rescue Wu Tao.

What he didn't know was that at the same time they were fleeing the palace, the prime minister was standing on the throne, accepting the worship of all officials. He was dressed in a dragon robe, looking extremely majestic, without any trace of his usual humility.

"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I have been in poor health recently and have difficulty governing the country. I have hereby ordered the Prime Minister to run the government. All matters shall be decided by the Prime Minister. I decree this!" A shrill voice sounded in the hall, reading out a forged imperial edict.

"Long live the emperor!" All the officials shouted, the sound was deafening.

The prime minister had a cold smile on his face, he knew that his long-cherished wish had finally come true. And all this was thanks to Hu Bugui's "cooperation".

Hu Bugui, who escaped from the palace, did not know that his momentary impulse gave the prime minister an opportunity to take advantage of him. Now, he has lost the best opportunity, and the situation has become more difficult. The disappearance of Li Xiaoyao casts a shadow on this struggle.

The night was dark and the wind was as cold as a knife. After Hu Bugui and his companions escaped from the palace, they found a secluded house to stay in. The candlelight in the house flickered, reflecting the solemn expressions of the people.

"Your Highness, Brother Xiaoyao is a martial arts master. He will be fine." The general whispered to comfort Hu Bugui, trying to ease his anxiety.

Hu Bugui's face was pale, his brows were tightly knitted, and he said in a deep voice: "I hope so. Although Xiaoyao's martial arts are high, the situation in the palace is unclear now. He is alone, and I am afraid that he is in great danger..."

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on saving the princess, Brother Xiaoyao wouldn't have..." Hu Bugui blamed himself, his tone full of regret.

"Your Highness, there is no need to blame yourself. Now that things have come to this, the most urgent task is to come up with a plan as soon as possible, rescue the princess, and crush the prime minister's conspiracy!" The general spoke in a firm tone, trying to pull Hu Bugui out of his self-blame.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and tried to calm his surging emotions. He knew that now was not the time to feel sorry for himself. He had to cheer up, for Wu Tao, for the soldiers who were loyal to him, and for himself.

"You're right, we still have a chance!" Hu Bugui's eyes gradually became firm. "Although the Prime Minister has controlled the palace, I still have 100,000 elite soldiers outside the city. As long as we can contact them, we can work together inside and outside, and we may be able to turn the tide!"

The general's eyes lit up and he nodded, "Your Majesty is right! I will send someone to contact the garrison outside the city. As soon as they receive the news, they will rush to the king's aid!"

"Okay!" Hu Bugui stood up suddenly, with a blazing fire in his eyes, "Prime Minister, you old thief, don't be so complacent, this game is not over yet!"

Outside the window, the night deepens, dark clouds cover the stars and the moon, foreshadowing a bigger storm is coming. The prime minister's usurpation of power is just the beginning of this struggle. What awaits Hu Bugui will be a more cruel test. And what fate will Wu Tao, who is far away in the palace, face?