Chapter 254: Chapter 254 Treason 4
Feng Changqing and Cui Lansong, along with a few generals, arrived at the entrance of the Marquis Mansion with three hundred guards ahead of Xie Xun and others. The street was originally guarded by the Forbidden Army after Yanyang broke through. Following that, the Crown Prince ordered the Forbidden Army and the Jinyi Guard to the Marquis Mansion. Feng Changqing, Su Yuejiao, and Cui Lansong were not reckless generals and encountered no obstructions on their way. Upon hearing the sound of a rapid march, the three hundred personal guards hid under the cover of night, evading Lin Cheng and the Jinyi Guard, and eventually reached the entrance of the Marquis Mansion.
The Marquis Mansion was so tightly surrounded that not even water could pass through. Feng Changqing squinted his eyes, "The Forbidden Army and Jinyi Guard together make about forty thousand in the city. General Cui, take two hundred men to the North City Gate; you must ensure the North City Gate remains open. Once we rescue the Marquis and the Lady, we will quickly withdraw through the city gates. The Little Marquis is sure to bring five thousand cavalry for reinforcements. The Crown Prince wouldn’t concentrate all his forces at the city gates, so their defenses are weak. Try to capture the North City Gate. If there are too many troops there, then head to the Northwestern gate."
"Yes!" General Cui accepted the order and, selecting two hundred men, proceeded towards the North City Gate under the cover of night. Upon reaching the North gate, they heard intense sounds of battle; it was the sound of fighting coming from outside the city. Cui Lansong, known for his hot temper but also sharp mind, raised his hand to halt the troops.
The North City Gate was entirely guarded by the Jinyi Guard, making it a trap to catch a turtle in a jar. Cui Lansong was alarmed. Where was the sound of battle from outside the city coming from?
After patrolling around the Marquis Mansion, Feng Changqing, Su Yuejiao, and a few generals regrouped not far from the mansion’s entrance. Su Yuejiao said, "Twenty thousand troops!"
Thick clouds gathered on the horizon; a storm was impending.
"Lin Cheng brought a few thousand of the Forbidden Army, and the Capital City has six main gates that can support each other, requiring at least five thousand soldiers." Feng Changqing’s face was heavy. "With five thousand cavalry, this battle will be hard!"
After all, the Capital City was the stronghold of the Jinyi Guard and the Forbidden Army.
Just as Feng Changqing was thinking this, the Forbidden Army and cavalry clashed head-on not far away. The friction of weapons and armor, bones and blood being pierced, blood splattered, and bodies piled up. Two thousand cavalry slaughtered eight thousand of the Forbidden Army, leaving them defenseless. This cavalry, inspired by the fall of their commander, crushed the Forbidden Army into dust.
Xie Xun, adorned in brocade robes, had bloodshot eyes. His longsword and robes were stained with blood. Cold gleams swept through the dark night, reflecting the madness in his eyes. In the chaos, the Forbidden Army was continuously retreating, soon falling back to the mansion. Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao, among other generals, quickly joined the ranks, with the Forbidden Army and Jinyi Guard at the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion’s entrance poised to attack.
Lin Cheng quickly entered the Marquis Mansion.
Before the mansion, the fire blazed, lighting up the sky. Xie Xun stood at the entrance, gazing at the plaque bestowed by the late emperor for the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, his hate overflowing.
"Little Marquis, be wary of deceit!" Feng Changqing grasped Xie Xun’s wrist. "There are twenty thousand Forbidden Army around the mansion. If you go in, the Crown Prince will have you trapped like a turtle in a jar."
"My family is within reach; even if it’s a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, I will charge in."
Lin Cheng hurried through the courtyard, breaking the confrontation between the Crown Prince and Elder Lin. Chen Mo, like a ghostly shadow, stood next to the Crown Prince, the elite Jinyi Guard protecting him. Lin Cheng knelt, "Your Highness, Xie Xun has led the cavalry to kill a thousand of the Forbidden Army and is now outside the mansion."
Elder Lin stood rigid and his legs went weak, staggering a few steps back. Lin Hongyuan quickly supported him, "Father, hold on, we..."
Tears flowed from Elder Lin’s cloudy eyes, "The situation is dire... Yanyang is in danger."
He had worked diligently for decades to maintain a balance between the noble families, the royal family, and the marquis. Watching the implementation of the new policies, he hoped to retire with honor, allowing the noble families and the marquis to retreat from the stage of power, enabling royal authority to stand alone. Who could have imagined it would end in failure?
A wedding feast, without any warning, broke the balance, as the marquis and the royal family clashed. On one side was the royal authority he had painstakingly upheld for decades, and on the other were his closest kin.
Elder Lin felt the world spinning, fear, and dizziness.
The Crown Prince sneered and snapped his fingers.
Zhang Bolan led a few Forbidden Army soldiers away. Xie Xun charged into the mansion with his troops; outside, the Forbidden Army rapidly surrounded the mansion, sealing it with twenty thousand men, leaving no escape for the cavalry!
"Zhixu!" yelled Elder Lin upon seeing Xie Xun, his body swaying.
Amidst the fierce wind, lanterns swung. The bright red decorations of the mansion hurt Xie Xun’s eyes. A flash of white light cut through the dense clouds, followed by a rumbling thunder. Xie Xun, holding a longsword, dragged its tip across the bluestone pavement, leaving a trail of blood. With a murderous aura, he moved towards the courtyard.
The Jinyi Guard drew their swords, the gleam blinding. The guests shrieked in fear and were pushed into the corners, the Jinyi Guard’s sword tips pointed at Xie Xun. As Xie Xun advanced step by step, the Jinyi Guard retreated, wary and panicked.
"Zhixu, lay down your weapons, your grandfather will find a solution," Lin Hongcheng shouted.
Xie Xun ignored him, staring at the figure on the ground. Elder Lin’s outer robe covered the face and chest of the Marquis Zhenbei. Blood pooled on the ground. Xie Xun reached the Marquis’s corpse, his treasured sword falling to the ground. The hilt clashed against the bluestone, a muffled echo resonating in everyone’s hearts.
He knelt, his blood-soaked hand trembling as he lifted the outer robe, revealing the deathly pale face of the Marquis inch by inch. Overwhelming grief surged through his blood like boiling lava. It was as if he was being stabbed, the sword twisting in his bones and flesh, grinding him into pulp, his blood and marrow pouring onto the ground.
It hurt so much!
The sound and pain blocked his throat, causing his nerves to twitch with pain, preventing him from uttering a word. He had imagined the worst outcome was for his father and him to die on the Ningzhou Battlefield, defending their territory, dying with honor. Never did he imagine that after peace was restored, his father would die in a conspiracy.
His father had been loyal all his life, holding no shame to the heavens or earth. He was about to retire to a peaceful life, enjoying the company of his family. Why did it end like this?
Feng Changqing, Su Yuejiao, and several generals felt deep sorrow, kneeling on the ground. They couldn’t believe the Marquis was really dead.
When Fengyu brought news back to the mansion, Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao thought perhaps it was false information; maybe the mansion being surrounded meant the news couldn’t get out.
How could the Marquis be dead!
He had been through countless battles, facing dangers many times, always managing to survive. In the hearts of his soldiers, he was like a god of war.
"Xie Xun, lay down your weapons, and I can still ensure you and Xie Zhang remain whole!" The Crown Prince’s voice was lazy, his royal authority towering above, seeing all as ants. He turned this wedding feast into a chaotic scene.
"Did you order my father to be killed?" Xie Xun trembled, pulling the robe to cover the Marquis, gripping the hilt and rising. The enmity of a murdered father was irreconcilable; he wanted the Crown Prince to pay with his life!
The death of the Marquis crushed the wall of loyalty between ruler and subject in Xie Xun’s heart, already thin. He only wanted to overturn the Yuwen family’s heavens, to shatter their kingdom!
What did five generations of loyalty from the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion earn?
"The Marquis Zhenbei committed regicide, deserving death by all," the Crown Prince said coldly. "Xie Xun led the army to kill the Forbidden Army, with what intent? Are you rebelling?"
"Zhixu!" Elder Lin called his name, seemingly aware of the hopeless situation, recognizing the end of the road. The balance he had strived to maintain was shattered, with no chance of turning back. He wanted to persuade Zhixu to surrender, awaiting execution by dismemberment, or perhaps he meant to say, Zhixu, flee, go to Ningzhou, rebel.
But if Zhixu truly fled, he would never live under an alias. The tens of thousands of cavalry in Ningzhou were under his command; chaos in Yanyang spelled its end, turning it into a true hell on earth.
As the maternal grandfather and an elder in Yanyang, his lifetime of striving for peace, only wishing for a stable country and a prosperous people, what could he do now?
"Where are my mother, brother, and aunts?" Xie Xun asked in a deep voice.
The Crown Prince looked at him with a smile, with Lin Cheng and the Forbidden Army between them. Behind him were Chen Mo and the Jinyi Guard. Xie Xun realized his family was already gone. Anger and hatred intertwined, destroying his reason.
"Cavalry, heed the order!" Xie Xun pointed his sword skyward, about to give the order when Zhang Bolan brought the Forbidden Army and pushed the Marchioness, Lady Lan, and Lady Mudan into the courtyard.
The three ladies appeared in disarray, with a bloodstain on the Marchioness’s neck, staining her collar red. After Xie Zhang and Feng Shu’s wedding ceremony, everyone witnessed the Marquis killing Emperor Jianming. The Forbidden Army seemed to be on standby, quickly controlling the courtyard and rear yard of the mansion. The Marchioness and her two relatives only managed to see the Marquis being killed by a frenzy of knives before being captured. The Marchioness threatened the Forbidden Army with a dagger to her neck, but they remained unmoved.
"Mother, aunts!"
"Zhixu!" The Marchioness broke free from the Forbidden Army, rushing to Xie Xun. Her face was pale as she held Xie Xun tightly, whispering in his ear, "Run, go to Ningzhou, don’t mind us. Shouyu is being held captive because of us; take him with you, leave us behind!"
The Forbidden Army didn’t seem to care that the Marchioness had escaped. The entire Marquis Mansion was beyond salvation!
"Mother!" Tears rolled down Xie Xun’s cheeks. The Marchioness saw Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao behind Xie Xun and broke down even more. "General Feng, General Su, we failed Shu’er."
"Where... where is Shu’er?" Su Yuejiao asked with a trembling voice, afraid to inquire about her daughter’s condition.
The Marchioness gently shook her head, not knowing. When the incident happened, Feng Shu had already been sent to the bridal chamber. The front hall fell into chaos; Xie Zhang and the mansion’s guards retaliated. The Marchioness and her two relatives were captured, used as hostages. Xie Zhang couldn’t bear to watch the ladies being killed, thus had no choice but to surrender!
She had no idea what happened in the bridal chamber. With such a significant event occurring in the mansion, Feng Shu must have known, yet there was no sight of her. She was likely imprisoned in the bridal room.
The Crown Prince seemed bored of the display of maternal love and filial piety. "Xie Xun, the three ladies have taken Beiman’s poison, and only I have the antidote. Bring Xie Zhang up!"
"Yes!"
The Forbidden Army went to fetch Xie Zhang. Xie Xun gritted his teeth hard, the Crown Prince sipped his fragrant tea leisurely. "One life for one life. You and Xie Zhang can sacrifice yourselves in exchange for saving any two of the ladies. How about that?"