bookrandom Chapter 2314 Rebellion Again
Chapter 2314 Rebellion Again
Desperate cries erupted from the crowd.
Those officials who were originally running away in panic, seeing black-armored soldiers all around, completely gave up any thought of escaping.
Some collapsed to the ground, some huddled together trembling, and some completely broke down, wailing and crying.
The encirclement of the black-armored soldiers was slowly but steadily tightening.
Their blades reflected the somber light of the sky, and their footsteps were perfectly synchronized as they trod on the official road and onto the ground strewn with paper money, making a chilling, rustling sound.
With each step, they drew closer to the besieged crowd; with each step, the shadow of death loomed ever heavier.
Inside the shield wall, the Imperial Guards gripped their shields and weapons tightly, veins bulging on their foreheads, staring intently at the approaching black-armored soldiers.
Their numbers were far fewer than the other side's.
Their duty was to protect the emperor, empresses, princes, and princesses behind them.
They knew that today might be their last chance, but not one of them retreated, and not one of them trembled.
Zhao Yu stood at the very front of the shield wall, coldly watching the black-armored soldiers through the gaps in the shields.
In his eyes, there was no fear, only burning rage, only contempt and murderous intent for this shameless sneak attack.
"General Guan! General Ma!"
He lowered his voice and spoke to Guan Yun and Ma Chao, who were also protected within the shield wall but still held weapons and were ready to rush out at any moment.
"Protect His Majesty and the Empress! I'll go and tear open an opening!"
Guan Yun grabbed his shoulder: "Don't be reckless! The enemy has a large number of people and they have planned this in advance! Rushing out rashly will only play into their trap!"
Ma Chao gritted his teeth and said, "That's right! First, let's see clearly who they are! Are they remnants of the rebel army, or... spies of the Tang Dynasty!"
Feng Mulan gripped her sword tightly and said coldly, "Whoever dares to assassinate General Han on the day of his funeral is an enemy of my Great Chu and an enemy of His Majesty!"
"If they don't die today, their entire family will be wiped out one day, leaving not a single chicken or dog alive!"
Chu Ning remained silent throughout.
He simply stood quietly in the center of the shield wall, his gaze passing over the gaps in the shields, over the approaching black-armored soldiers, and into the depths of the dark pine forest.
His face showed no panic, no fear, only a chilling, profound calmness.
It was as if he, not the black-armored soldiers, were the ones who were surrounded.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet clearly reaching the ears of everyone around him:
"I want to see who dares to commit such a treasonous act before Han Qing's spirit tablet."
"I want to see who dares to slaughter my subjects right under my nose."
"I'd like to see—"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze like a drawn sword piercing the unknown darkness deep within the black pine forest:
"Who is it today, and for whom is it that we are sending off the deceased?"
The cold wind howled, swirling up paper money and dust everywhere.
The encirclement of the black-armored soldiers tightened. Inside the shield wall, the Imperial Guards stood ready for battle.
Outside the shield wall, corpses littered the ground, and cries of agony echoed everywhere.
Han Xing's coffin remains in the middle of the official road.
The coffin, covered with a bright yellow satin canopy, silently endured it all, as if witnessing the bloodshed and betrayal that unfolded before its spirit.
Before the coffin, the banner, stained crimson with blood, still stood defiantly, its white background and red characters fluttering in the cold wind:
"The spirit of Han Xing, the late Duke of Zhongguo of the Great Chu, posthumously honored as Zhongwu."
Chu Ning's gaze pierced through the gaps in the shields, past the black-armored soldiers who were closing in, and into the depths of the dark pine forest.
His face showed no sign of panic, only a chilling, profound calmness.
On that sharply defined face, even a faint, cold sneer appeared.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly pierced through the wind, screams, and footsteps, reaching the ears of everyone in the black pine forest:
"Since you have laid such a meticulous trap and surrounded me, why not show yourself? Hiding in the shadows and firing arrows is not the act of a hero."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Guards inside the shield wall were all taken aback.
Your Majesty is trying to provoke the other side to show themselves!
But what if the other party actually shows up? Wouldn't that be even more dangerous?
But no one dared to speak up and stop them; they simply gripped their shields tighter and their weapons more firmly.
A brief silence fell over the black pine forest.
immediately--
"Hahahahaha—!"
A burst of wild, unrestrained laughter, filled with obvious smugness and mockery, suddenly rang out from the forest!
The laughter echoed across the empty winter fields, startling countless crows in the woods, which fluttered and flew towards the gloomy sky.
Before the laughter subsided, a figure slowly emerged from the dark depths of the black pine forest.
The man was dressed in a purple-gold prince's robe with a four-clawed golden dragon embroidered on it, a white jade belt around his waist, a purple-gold crown on his head, and black boots on his feet, exuding an air of elegance and composure.
He was around thirty years old, with a handsome face and a resemblance to Chu Ning in his features, but with a more dashing and carefree air.
In his hand, he held a gold-flecked folding fan, its surface painted with meticulous landscapes and inscribed with a few lines of poetry about romance and nature.
On this battlefield in the dead of winter, amidst the flying arrows, this folding fan stood out starkly and eerily.
Prince Yun – Chu Yun.
One of the only two surviving princes among the late emperor's eighteenth sons.
The seventeenth brother of the current emperor, Chu Ning.
When this face appeared in everyone's sight, countless people inside and outside the shield wall gasped, their faces filled with disbelief.
It's him?
How could it be him?
Those veteran officials who knew the secrets of the royal family were filled with shock and turmoil.
They vividly remember the thrilling struggle for the throne several years ago.
Before and after the late emperor's death, his eighteen sons engaged in a fierce battle and struggle for the supreme dragon throne.
Ultimately, Chu Ning, who was ranked last, stood out and ascended the throne as emperor thanks to his exceptional intelligence, decisive skills, and the support of various forces.
Those princes who once had the potential to become emperor—the eldest prince, the third prince, the seventh prince, the eleventh prince…—either died of illness, died in an accident, committed suicide out of fear of punishment, or were killed, disappearing one by one into the long river of history.
Only the seventeenth prince, Chu Yun, miraculously survived.
It wasn't because of his great power or his deep cunning.
On the contrary, it's because he acted too harmlessly.
At the height of the struggle for the throne, he spent his days indulging in brothels and pleasure quarters, composing poems with scholars and poets, drinking and making merry with courtesans and dancers, showing no interest in politics or the throne.
He called himself "Xiaoyao Sanren" (逍遥散人), considered himself a romantic prince, and spent his days indulging in pleasure boats, listening to music, and enjoying the company of prostitutes on the lake.
After Chu Ning ascended the throne, he was quite lenient with his "good-for-nothing" older brother, granting him a generous salary and allowing him to live a carefree life without any constraints.
For ten years, Chu Yun had never participated in any court politics, never befriended any powerful ministers, and never uttered a single comment on any military or national affairs.
He was like a transparent shadow, an insignificant decoration, a wealthy idler who only knew about romance and pleasure.
In the imperial court, almost no one remembered the existence of this Prince Yun; in the marketplace, people talked about his romantic affairs with great interest.
However, at this moment, this "carefree hermit" and "romantic prince" was dressed in a prince's python robe, holding a folding fan, and slowly walked out of the black pine forest, stepping over corpses and blood!
Behind him stood countless soldiers in gleaming black armor!
Before him stood the current emperor, surrounded by enemy forces and hanging by a thread!