Chapter 256: Chapter 255 Coup 5_2
The Crown Prince has won, and they are still the Kyoto Capital Guard. Xie Xun’s rebellion has nothing to do with them.
If Xie Xun wins, they are also the Kyoto Capital Guard, and will gain even more glory.
Zhang Boxin suddenly stood up and roared with all his might, "The Marquis has fought for many years, protecting the people of Yanyang so that we can live peacefully in the Capital City. The Eldest Young Master entered the battlefield in Ningzhou at just fourteen, fighting bloody battles for years. Today is his joyous wedding day, yet it has turned into a night of family annihilation—this is an injustice! The Marquis Mansion has produced five generations of loyal ministers and distinguished generals, all of whom have died in battle, leaving only the Marquis and his two sons. Now the Marquis Mansion is surrounded on this very night. Tell me, do you believe the Marquis would murder the emperor? I do not! If the Marquis wanted to rebel, why wait until the Beiman were defeated? He could’ve opened the gates and let the Beiman forces enter long ago. Should we just stand by and see the bloodline of the Marquis Mansion wiped out? We, the Kyoto Capital Guard, number ten thousand strong—if we assist the Young Marquis, there is still a glimmer of hope. Why stand by idly and help tyranny? Is there any difference?"
He and Zhou Liyu had been quietly sitting amongst the crowd. Lin Xiao was absent tonight, perhaps attending the wedding banquet at the Marquis Mansion. The three of them already carried the air of being the Young Marquis’s trusted allies.
Zhang Boxin could no longer contain the raging fire in his heart or his admiration for the Young Marquis. Zhang Boxin wanted to follow the Young Marquis. His words were always compelling, stirring others, and many were swayed by him—including the disciples of aristocratic families!
The crowd was agitated and uncontrollable. Zhang Boxi secretly gathered several outraged aristocratic family disciples and told them, "We are cast-offs of our families. Staying neutral is our ticket to survival—steering clear of factional fights and living out quiet, uneventful lives. Though the Young Marquis treats us with abundant kindness and has a noble character, what does it matter? Is he worth risking your lives for? Is he worth gambling away your future and the goodwill of your family? If the Young Marquis dies tonight, you will surely be implicated. Even if he wins, his position will still be illegitimate. Do you think he can ascend the throne as emperor? His surname is Xie, not Yuwen. Will the aristocracy agree? Will the people of the empire agree? Such disputes are unrelated to us, who are like the most insignificant stones in the Capital, paved on its streets for everyone to tread upon. We are minor figures who can only go with the flow and seek self-preservation. Brothers, I’ve said all I can—consider it carefully!"
Zhang Boxin was pulled aside by Zhang Bolan, who gritted his teeth and questioned him furiously, "You want to follow the Young Marquis in rebellion. What about your mother? Rebellion condemns nine generations—if you don’t want to live, don’t drag the entire family down with you!"
He, too, belonged to Zhang Boxin’s nine generations!
Zhang Boxin clutched his head in torment. Familial love and blood relations pressed down like a mountain on the moral dilemmas of right and wrong, blurring boundaries and shackling the human heart.
The Marquis Zhenbei Mansion was lit brightly.
Thunder rumbled, and a storm loomed. Red silk ribbons tied around the courtyard danced wildly in the air, filling the grounds with sword glints and grim shadows.
Xie Zhang and Xie Xun were being forced to commit suicide, but that was not the cruelest aspect. The most brutal thing was being coerced to choose—among three wives, only one could live.
Beastly!
The gathered guests were incensed, but under the menace of the Forbidden Army’s blades, they only dared to feel anger without voicing it. Xie Zhang was still dressed in his wedding attire. The flickering lanterns and red silk throughout reminded everyone that today was his wedding night.
Yet he was being driven to lose both family and loved ones.
"I wonder, in a moment of life and death, will you still uphold the virtues of maternal love and filial piety?" The Crown Prince sat in a high seat, looking down at everyone. A glint of malice flashed in his heart.
Patricide and matricide... we are all equally filthy!
The hand Xie Xun held his sword with trembled slightly. If he and Xie Zhang accepted punishment, five thousand hardened cavalrymen would become leaderless and perish without exception. If he and his elder brother did not accept punishment, his mother and the concubines would not survive either.
"Brother..."
This was a deadlock, a trap that no one could escape!
"Pah! Yuwen Jing, what are you? How dare you force my father, my brother, and I to death—my entire Lin Family will forever be your enemy!" The Marchioness watched as Xie Xun and Xie Zhang were pushed to the brink, her cold eyes staring fiercely. With one sentence, the Crown Prince’s expression changed drastically. Could he truly imprison the entire aristocracy in the Marquis Mansion and slaughter all their family heads?
He wanted Xie Zhang and Xie Xun’s lives in exchange for theirs—but could he really kill the Marchioness?
The Marchioness was the beloved daughter of Elder Lin, cherished more than Lin Hongyuan and Lin Hongcheng. If not for her, would the elder have contended with the royal power and the Marquis Mansion for over thirty years?
To kill the Marchioness meant to openly oppose the entire Lin Family!
The Marchioness knelt beside the corpse of the Marquis Zhenbei, lifting the outer robe draped over his body. The Marquis Zhenbei had been hacked to death by countless blades, leaving him in a pitiful state.
She supported the Marquis Zhenbei, tears falling like pearls onto his face. Filled with sorrow, the Marchioness gently stroked his no longer youthful but still handsome features.
Holding the Marquis Zhenbei close, the Marchioness’s expression turned resolute. "My husband was Marquis Zhenbei, Xie Yuan—the fifth-generation Family Head of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. He spent his life defending the borders, amassing great merits. On his body, there are forty-six scars—each one an ironclad testament to his protection of the people of Yanyang. His right leg was fractured three times, and during every overcast day and rainfall, he endured unbearable pain. Each bout of pain spurred him to fight harder, ensuring the people of Yanyang would no longer suffer such hardships. My husband was loyal and devoted, harboring no ambition to usurp. If the Xie family had sought the throne, we could’ve overthrown the Yuwen Royal Family twenty or eleven years ago and changed the dynasty. My husband, who did not fall in war, died due to the Yuwen Royal Family’s machinations and conspiracy—this is the only tragedy of his life."
The Crown Prince’s face grew increasingly grim. The gathered women wept uncontrollably—there was too much power in the Marchioness’s voice; it resonated deeply and struck hard.
She was seeking justice for the Marquis Zhenbei!
The Marchioness turned to Elder Lin. "Father, your daughter has led a very happy life. To marry him, to spend my days with him, to bear his children—these were the privileges of my lifetime. Thank you, Father, for disregarding the pressure and approving the marriage years ago, fulfilling both my happiness and my willfulness."
"Mother!" Xie Xun shouted sternly, attempting to approach, but the Marchioness commanded sharply, "Stay where you are and listen to me finish!"
The Marchioness gently stroked the face of the Marquis Zhenbei, speaking softly, "Han Yi, you’re tired. Rest well; from now on, there’s no need to worry or toil. I, too, no longer need to fear hearing news of your death one day. You and Junhua sleep tightly, wait for us, your daughter and I will join you soon."
Turning to the Crown Prince, the Marchioness declared in a sharp voice, "He never betrayed his sovereign above nor his people below. He was a righteous and upright hero, Yuwen Jing! You, a filthy creature who murdered your father, slaughtered your sovereign, and framed others, will never succeed in branding him as disloyal, unfilial, rebellious, or treacherous in this lifetime."
Everyone was shocked, staring at the Crown Prince in disbelief.
Patricide and murdering the emperor?
The Crown Prince’s face darkened like a thunderstorm. Lin Cheng had already drawn his sword to strike down the Marchioness when Elder Lin thundered, "You dare!"
Lin Hongyuan had already stepped in front of Lin Cheng. "You dare!"
Lin Cheng was forced to retreat two steps as the Crown Prince sneered coldly. The Marchioness turned to gaze deeply at Xie Zhang and Xie Xun. How regretful—Ting Feng wasn’t here!
Yet how fortunate—Ting Feng wasn’t here!
"You will never smear my husband with the label of rebellion and treachery," the Marchioness said tearfully. "But sons... kill him. This is your mother’s final wish. I want Yuwen Jing to pay in blood, to sit upon the dragon throne for the rest of his miserable life, sleepless, plagued with nightmares and unrest!"
The crowd was thrown into chaos. Xie Xun and Xie Zhang struggled to run forward, shouting together, "Mother, don’t!"
The Marchioness clutched a dagger and slit her throat on her eldest son’s wedding night, falling onto her husband’s body.
Lady Lan and Lady Mudan gazed sorrowfully yet tenderly at Xie Zhang and Xie Xun.
"Live well!" The two concubines said with soft smiles. "Farewell, sons."
The two concubines grasped the blades held to their necks by the Forbidden Army, sliding them gently across, following the Marchioness and the Marquis Zhenbei into death.