On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, the warm sun hung in the sky, its rays radiating brilliantly.
Li Shuchen arrived at the Circular Mound Altar in his imperial palanquin. At the Zhaoheng Gate, he dismounted and proceeded on foot, ascending the steps to the altar platform. His posture was as straight as a pine tree, his expression solemn and dignified.
Since ancient times, the emperor's authority was believed to be bestowed by heaven. The first procedure in the coronation ceremony was to announce to the heavens that a new emperor had ascended the throne.
After paying respects to heaven and earth, he would then go to the ancestral temple to worship his ancestors, performing five bows and three kowtows, praying for their blessings for favorable weather and peace during his reign.
Li Shuchen performed the entire complicated process with grace and nobility, flowing like water... if only Huan could have seen it.
He frowned almost imperceptibly, then returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to formally receive congratulations from his civil and military officials.
Seated on the gilded dragon throne, Li Shuchen wore the emperor's ceremonial robes, his gaze sharp as he looked straight ahead.
As thunderous shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" arose, the sound of killing could be heard outside the imperial city.
The Marquis of Xuanping, who commanded a large army, had fled in panic on the day of the palace coup. Knowing that Li Shuchen would never spare him, he decided to go all in and rebel with his troops.
Filled with righteous indignation, he told his soldiers that the Prince of An had murdered the emperor, falsely accused and deposed the former emperor, and imprisoned the second prince. Their mission was to uphold justice.
The soldiers had mixed reactions.
The simple-minded ones only knew they were going to war and were ready to fight.
The ambitious ones were eager to achieve military glory and earn titles and positions.
The fence-sitters shrank back, thinking to themselves: "We'll follow the Marquis for now, but if things go south, we'll surrender in time... As long as we surrender quickly enough, we can save our lives."
At the hour of the Snake (9-11 am).
The Marquis of Xuanping led the charge, spurring his iron cavalry forward in a great mass!
Charge! Charge! Charge!
Real military power was what truly mattered!
Li Shuchen's Blackfeather Guard, Imperial Guards, and Palace Guards were no match for his hundreds of thousands of troops.
Even if the Blackfeather Guard could fight ten to one, he would fight them ten to one!
He would use quantity to overwhelm quality, kill Li Shuchen, change the dynasty, and ascend the throne himself!
The Marquis of Xuanping was in high spirits, full of vigor despite his age. Just as they were approaching the city gates, he suddenly heard the sounds of fighting from behind.
He turned back in shock and anger, watching helplessly as his troops fell into chaos.
Marquis of Xuanping: ?
"What's happening?"
After a long while, a soldier came to report: "My lord, it's General Mo..."
"I can see that..." the Marquis replied.
They saw Mo Wangshan gripping his reins tightly with one hand as he galloped forward, his other hand clutching a long spear, poised to strike.
He moved as fast as a cheetah, eyes wide and determined, charging through the crowd straight for the Marquis of Xuanping.
As the spear thrust forward, the Marquis barely managed to block the first strike.
"Wangshan! What is the meaning of this?"
Mo Wangshan did not reply.
Mr. Gongsun had once said, when killing someone, talk less and focus entirely on the task at hand.
His Mo Family Spear Technique was extraordinary. After ten moves, he unhorsed the Marquis of Xuanping.
Before the Marquis could get up, he was suddenly trampled on the chest by a startled horse.
He coughed up blood and glared furiously:
Whose damn horse was that?
Could it be a traitor among the horses?
Sunlight glinted off the spearhead, flashing cold and bright. The Marquis used all his strength to roll away, narrowly avoiding Mo Wangshan's fatal strike... only to have another horse break his leg.
The Marquis of Xuanping let out a cry of anguish.
All the horses in the camp were utterly useless!
What was wrong with them? They couldn't tell friend from foe!
After being trampled twice, the Marquis's movements were severely limited.
Meanwhile, the soldiers around him were either being beaten or stood dumbfounded, unable to react in time.
Seizing this opportunity, Mo Wangshan leapt from his horse and flew at him. With a powerful thrust, blood sprayed in a beautiful arc as the Marquis's throat was pierced. He died with his eyes wide open, staring at the dazzling sun.
Mo Wangshan wiped the warm blood from his face.
After twenty-one years of serving a murderer as his father, he had finally avenged his real father!
After his birth father died in battle, he had been adopted by the Marquis of Xuanping as his son and felt immensely grateful.
Until he later learned that his father's death had been deliberately orchestrated by the Marquis to help his own younger brother claim false military merits...
The debt of his father's murder could not be forgiven!
Without hesitation, he had secretly allied himself with the Prince of An, using his help to gradually usurp the Marquis's military power, reorganize the troops, and train the soldiers - all in preparation for this day of revenge!
Mo Wangshan drew the saber at his waist and cut off the Marquis of Xuanping's head. After remounting his horse, he held up the bloody head and shouted with his inner strength:
"The Marquis of Xuanping is dead! Lay down your weapons and your lives will be spared!"
His subordinate soldiers' morale soared as they echoed: "Lay down your weapons and your lives will be spared!"
As they shouted, they also killed some of the Marquis's loyal followers who stubbornly resisted.
Clang, clang, clang —
Weapons fell to the ground as the majority surrendered.
The remaining minority stood dumbfounded.
Wasn't this supposed to be a joint rebellion?
Originally, with their superior numbers, if they had all worked together, they might have been able to defeat Mo Wangshan.
Now, with their comrades turning against them, the remaining minority no longer posed a threat.
After rational consideration, another round of clanging followed —
Weapons hit the ground as all surrendered.
Meanwhile, inside the city, all was calm.
The Marquis of Xuanping's men hadn't even made it into the imperial city.
A small group of secret guards lurking near the Song Mansion grew anxious.
"Why haven't they entered the city yet?"
A guard who had gone to gather information returned and reported: "They can't get in anymore."
"The Marquis of Xuanping is dead, the army has lost heart, and they've all surrendered... Those who didn't surrender have been sent to the underworld to join the Marquis."
The leader of the secret guards twitched his mouth. Was the Marquis of Xuanping made of paper? How could he be so useless?
Leading hundreds of thousands of troops in rebellion, only to end up in the realm of the dead?
It seems he had risen to his current position entirely on the pillow talk of Imperial Consort Yao.
The master was right, the Marquis of Xuanping was just a bat with chicken feathers tied to it - not much of a bird at all.
The next emperor would undoubtedly be Li Shuchen.
Therefore, the position of empress must be vacated!
Their original plan was to take advantage of the chaos by impersonating the Marquis's subordinates and using the opportunity to slaughter the Song Mansion.
To confuse matters, they were also going to kill and loot the entire Qingping Ward.
They would also massacre several other areas along the way.
This was to avoid making Qi Huan too obvious a target by killing her alone.
However, who could have imagined that the Marquis of Xuanping would be so easily defeated, not even making it past the city gates?
How were they supposed to fish in troubled waters now?
"What should we do now? The Marquis's army didn't even enter the city! How can we complete our mission?"
The secret guards grew anxious, asking their leader for instructions.
"You all wait here. I'll go back and ask the master for guidance."
One incense stick's burning time later.
The secret guard leader returned with Liu Heng, the heir of the Marquis of Xuanping.
"Young master, these are all secret guards left by the Marquis to protect you. However, the troops stationed outside the city now all belong to General Mo. It would be difficult for us to leave the city!"
Liu Heng asked in panic: "Then what should we do?"
"Your servant has a plan."
"The young lady of the Song Mansion is His Majesty's fiancée. Why don't we infiltrate and capture her as a hostage?"
Liu Heng twisted his mouth, his gaze full of doubt: "Are you sure that will work?"
"I've heard that the Cloud Brocade County Princess's face is covered in spots and sores. I suspect Li Shuchen would be glad for us to kill her, rather than let us go safely for her sake."
The secret guard was utterly speechless. How had this idiot suddenly grown a brain overnight?
Li Shuchen had indeed shown a cold attitude towards his fiancée. Previously at banquets, when others congratulated him, he would just snort coldly and walk away.
After the palace banquet, everyone said the Cloud Brocade County Princess was ugly...
At subsequent banquets, the Cloud Brocade County Princess's face was indeed covered in freckles and bumps...
That's why the master had ordered them to kidnap the Cloud Brocade County Princess in Liu Heng's name, then deliberately expose their whereabouts to Mo Wangshan.
At that time, in order to not let Liu Heng escape, Li Shuchen would inevitably disregard the Cloud Brocade County Princess's life.
As long as the Cloud Brocade County Princess died, the position of empress would be within easy reach for their young lady.
But the premise was that Liu Heng had to cooperate.
The secret guard wearily tried to persuade the young master: "Li Shuchen is a hypocrite. For the sake of his reputation, he won't abandon his fiancée. Young master, rest assured, taking her hostage will definitely work."
Liu Heng thought for a moment, then said with hunched shoulders: "Alright then, you go ahead. I'll hide and wait for you."
The secret guard: ?
