#352 - The Danger of the Great Zhou Royal Family
That night, the sky was starless, the darkness profound, and the wind howled.
The entire capital was shrouded in gloom, and many felt a chilling aura.
A large number of troops rapidly approached the imperial palace.
The sounds of footsteps, horses' hooves, and the metallic friction of armor startled the city's inhabitants, who opened their windows to look at the streets.
Seeing the dense formations of troops, people immediately closed their windows, terrified into holding their breath.
For a time, in the Great Zhou capital, everyone tightly shut their doors and windows.
"The times are changing. My Great Zhou is about to change…" someone muttered to themselves inside their house, still in shock.
"They've made their move."
Atop a high building within the Jùbǎo Emporium, several owners overlooked the capital in the night.
"Now, the entire populace knows that a large army is heading towards the imperial palace, yet the Imperial Guard's camp remains completely silent."
"It's likely that someone has already tampered with the area near the camp, setting up a shielding formation so that those inside cannot sense the situation outside."
"This old man must personally go to the Sect King Academy to inform Jun Wuxie of this matter, otherwise, if he truly steps into this deadly trap, it will be dangerous."
The owner of the Medicine King Sect said this, and with those words, he soared into the sky.
The owner of the Ice Cloud Tower shook his head: "Even if Jun Wuxie knows about this matter and it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, he will inevitably闯(chuǎng - charge) his way in, given his personality."
The owners of the Spirit Control Sect and the Great Brahma Zen Buddhist Sect remained silent.
…
A brief commotion erupted before the imperial palace gates.
The Imperial Guards defending the palace saw the secret army approaching from afar.
"Quickly, quickly report to the Emperor!" The commander of the guard, with a solemn expression, instructed his deputy, then shouted loudly: "Don't panic, don't be disorderly! It is our duty and our mission to guard the imperial palace and protect His Majesty! No matter how strong the enemy is, as long as we are alive, we will not retreat!"
"We will not retreat to the death!"
"We will not retreat to the death!"
…
"Very good! Archers, prepare!"
"Heavy crossbowmen, load your crossbows! Wait for my command to shoot the rebel leaders!"
…
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, disaster! The four great aristocratic families are leading troops into the city and have now arrived before the imperial palace gates!"
The deputy general rushed in hastily.
"What?"
The doors of the Imperial Study were pushed open with a bang. Ji Liufeng looked at the deputy general with a solemn expression and said, "How many men did they bring?"
"A conservative estimate would be over a hundred thousand!"
"Quickly, return and tell Commander Yu that he must hold them off no matter what. I will immediately send someone to the Imperial Guard camp to mobilize troops to encircle and suppress the rebels!"
"Your Majesty, you and the Eighth Prince should leave the palace for now!"
"Nonsense! Even if I die, I will die here! Go quickly and convey my orders to Commander Yu!"
"Yes!"
The deputy sighed and left in haste.
Tonight, the four great aristocratic families led an army of a hundred thousand directly towards the imperial palace, alarming the entire city, but the Imperial Guard camp remained completely silent.
Will the Emperor's attempt to mobilize troops succeed?
"Father Emperor!"
The Eighth Prince Ji Beilan arrived after hearing the news.
"Beilan, you must leave the palace immediately and personally go to the Imperial Guard camp!" Ji Liufeng took out a military tally and placed it in his hand, saying, "You must be quick. Commander Yu and the others won't be able to hold out for long!"
"Father Emperor, your son must go to Sect King Mountain to ask my brother-in-law to intervene, otherwise it will be difficult to resolve this crisis! They dared to take action, they must have support. There are strong individuals behind them that the Imperial Guards cannot contend with!"
Ji Liufeng smiled and stroked Ji Beilan's hair, saying, "Beilan, you should go to Sect King Mountain. After giving the military tally to Commander Liu and informing him of the rebel situation, you should go to Sect King Mountain, but do not tell Wuxie about this matter."
"Why?"
Ji Beilan was bewildered.
"You also know that they have support behind them. Have you forgotten the true disciple of the Holy Gate from a few days ago? Today's events, attacking the imperial palace, is probably not their true goal. Luring Wuxie here is their true purpose. Those people must have set up an inescapable net. Once Wuxie comes here, he will face a near-certain death!"
"But…"
"There are no buts. Going to Sect King Mountain will temporarily guarantee your safety. As long as you and Wuxie are still around, my Great Zhou imperial family will not perish!"
"No!"
"Listen to me." Ji Liufeng patted his shoulder, saying, "You've grown up. You should know how to make choices and have the strength to face everything."
"Father Emperor!"
"Get out!"
Ji Liufeng kicked Ji Beilan several meters away.
"Father Emperor!"
Ji Beilan knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times heavily. When he raised his head again, his face was covered in tears.
He got up, gritted his teeth, and resolutely turned around.
Watching Ji Beilan's figure disappear from view, Ji Liufeng roared, "Bring me my battle armor!"
The entire imperial palace was already in chaos.
Ji Liufeng put on his battle armor, held his battle sword, and stood proudly on the steps of the imperial palace hall.
Behind him were thousands of fierce-eyed, death-defying Imperial Guards!
"Your Majesty!"
An old man quietly appeared.
"Has the Empress been sent out of the palace?" Ji Liufeng asked.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Long Yi and Long Er knocked the Empress unconscious and have sent her away through the secret passage. As long as she reaches the foot of Sect King Mountain, she should be safe."
Ji Liufeng nodded and said nothing more.
…
Before the imperial palace gates, the firelight reached the sky.
The army of a hundred thousand rebels approached the city, pushing large siege crossbows, and stopped two thousand meters from the city gates.
The leaders of the four great aristocratic families and the four great clans, riding warhorses, looked at the Imperial Guards lined up on the city wall, a look of disdain on their faces.
"Murong Bo, Nangong Yi, you are leading troops to the imperial palace, are you rebelling?" Commander Yu's voice was like a war drum: "You four great aristocratic families and four great clans have received great imperial favor, yet you are committing such a heinous act!"
"Commander Yu, you don't need to say these useless words anymore." Nangong Yi said loudly: "You should see the current situation very clearly. We have an army of over a hundred thousand behind us, while you only have ten thousand men. Open the gates and surrender as soon as possible, and follow us to the imperial palace hall to have Ji Liufeng abdicate and support the Third Prince to ascend the throne. At that time, you will also be a meritorious official, and your wealth and glory will be endless!"
"Hahaha! Shameless traitor, how dare you try to persuade this general to surrender!" Commander Yu laughed in extreme anger, and said sternly: "Now, my Great Zhou is at war with Xilin. The entire country should be united and work together to resist foreign enemies and protect my Great Zhou's land! At this moment, you are actually committing treason, disregarding Great Zhou's ten thousand miles of territory and the fifteen hundred million people of Great Zhou. Your crime is unforgivable!"
"Humph! Those who refuse a toast will be forced to drink a forfeit! Stubborn resistance will only lead to annihilation!" Murong Bo sneered repeatedly, raised his right hand, and waved it forward: "Attack!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One formation after another, holding shields, advanced forward.
At the same time, a large number of siege crossbows were pushed out, and steel crossbow bolts, five meters long and as thick as arms, were loaded, aiming at the city walls and the tightly closed city gates.
