Da Li Temple - Chapter 77.2

Chapter 77.2
New Year’s Eve

Ye Qing froze and propped up his arm to look out. In the crushed snow, the Sheng City gate exploded. The city’s forbidden army gathered from all directions, rushing towards the gates. The sound of horses’ hooves, wind, and snow mixed with the fireworks that continued to be set off, churning out monstrous waves at night.
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“How can ……” Ye Qing was incredulous. He did not care that Lailuo had already seized the key on his waist and only rambled, “This is impossible.”
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The surroundings became noisy, but Lin Wanqing stabilized her mind and asked, “How many forbidden soldiers are there in Sheng City?”
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“Thirty thousand,” Ye Qing replied.
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Lin Wanqing climbed one more floor up and poked out most of her body to look outside the city gates. Amidst the flying snow, she could vaguely see dense flames outside the city walls, but they weren’t all clustered at the exploding spot. She stepped back a bit to allow Ye Qing to move forward for a better view and then asked, “Look at the number of rebels. How many are there visually?”
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“About ten thousand.” Ye Qing said.
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“En,” Lin Wanqing nodded, “I think it’s so too.”
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Ye Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “I told you that it’s the middle of winter now, and the rivers are frozen. The court would notice a large-scale march if the rebels tried to attack Sheng City. They’ve overestimated themselves by relying on only ten thousand men, even if they have explosives.”
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However, Lin Wanqing’s brows knit tighter. The rebels should have known about Sheng City’s forbidden army of 30,000. However, they attacked with only 10,000 men. This action was a moth flying to the flame,’ throwing itself into the net—it was too strange.
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She was stunned at the forbidden soldiers running to the city gates for a while. Then, she heard another loud noise, this time coming from the opposite direction of the city gates. A few teams of people on the street hastily reined in their horses, and after being startled, they turned their horses around and ran in the other direction. Next was a fourth and fifth explosion, each coming from a different place than the previous times.
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Lin Wanqing’s pupils shook slightly. They were fishing in muddy waters, taking advantage of the chaos. So the rebels weren’t trying to attack the city at all, but to use this chaos to slow down the forbidden soldiers guarding the Sheng City. Then, their real goal was not here at all, but —
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Lin Wanqing’s breathing tightened, and she realized her back dripped with sweat. Subconsciously turning her head, she looked through the drifting wind and snow to the Daming Palace at the end of her vision.
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Taiyi Pond, Lin De Palace.
There were long shadows in the side halls. The left and right rows of linked bronze lamps illuminated the night as if it were day. Armored Thousands of Bulls Guards holding sharp blades stood on top of the hall, surrounding King Liang at the bottom.
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The flickering candle flames stretched out the people’s silhouettes, densely packed like dark clouds at the onset of a mountain. It was a tense and anxious atmosphere; the palace was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The cold wind whistled and rolled through, and the long curtains fluttered, emitting gusts of empty sound.
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After a long time, King Liang raised his head, his gaze coldly sweeping over the tall purple figure beside Emperor Yonghui, and let out a cold laugh. Earlier, he had sent a message to Wei Shu, asking her to poison Emperor Yonghui. The Emperor was in his prime and in good health. If he died of a sudden illness, there would be a great shock inside and outside the court. The Emperor has always trusted Su Moyi, so he will definitely entrust the young crown prince and the kingdom to him if he dies. He will use this opportunity to frame Su Moyi. Using the reason of clearing the treacherous officials, he will alleviate the chaos.
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Everything went smoothly. Wei Shu sent a letter to report that the Emperor was poisoned, and the Imperial Hospital’s people came to check on him every day. Moreover, the ministers saw Emperor Yonghui’s pale face, coughing up blood and fainted.
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However, there has been no official news. The Emperor seemed to have blocked the news to the outside world, and he learned all these details from the secret letters from Wei Shu. These made him more convinced that his plan had succeeded. Emperor Yonghui was worried that the vassal kings would use the opportunity to cause chaos, so he deliberately concealed it.
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Therefore, this time, the Emperor probably used the ‘family banquet’ to control the royal family and vassal kings to pass the throne smoothly. However, King Liang did not fail to consider that all of this may also have been a set-up by Emperor Yonghui. But the door to life has been blocked, and now the only way out, even if only one chance in a million, was to throw his weight around.
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The fireworks finally finished, and the clamor ended abruptly, only the whistling of the wind in the ears. King Liang lowered his head, his shoulders and back slightly trembling under the burning firelight, and his sudden laughter echoed in the silent hall, appearing cold and piercing.
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Su Moyi saw this and frowned slightly. “King Liang,” he looked down at the head of the man in a python robe and asked in a deep voice, “You privately unearthed official mines to make weapons and secretly raised private soldiers with the intention of plotting against the government. This pile of sins, do you admit it?”
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With ceasing laughter, King Liang looked up at him for a moment and frankly said, “I do.”
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Su Moyi was slightly surprised at his attitude. His heart felt uneasy, and he clenched his fists under the wide sleeve secretly. He said coldly, “The punishment for plotting rebellion is execution. Do you submit to the law?”
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King Liang froze and laughed, “I confessed to the crime, but for punishment, I would like to see what other means Lord Su has.” As his voice fell, a loud noise shook the hall.
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The curtains and firelight shook violently, and there was a muffled sound of tiles falling to the ground outside the hall. Several candles snapped and rolled down.
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Emperor Yonghui sat up straight in a flash, looking at Su Moyi with a surprised expression. In the night wind, the vague sound of shouting and fighting in the distance came. It seemed that rebels were hiding in the palace’s inner courtyard as well.
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“Your Majesty,” King Liang stood on the stage and leisurely looked at the Taiyi Pond outside the palace for a long time. He said, “I had delayed the Sheng City’s forbidden soldiers. If something happens to me today, someone will instantly level the Lin De Palace to the ground.”
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“It depends on whether His Majesty will let me live or sacrifice himself for me.”
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——