The curtain fell, slowly revealing a strikingly beautiful face.
"How could it be you?" Lu Siming roared in fury. "Where is Cheng Simian? Where did you hide her?"
He had surrounded both the front and back doors tightly. Although a few maids had escaped through the back door, how could Cheng Simian have run away with them?
He knew Cheng Simian well. This woman was proud and aloof. She would never let her friend face danger in her place while she fled.
Yes, she hadn't run away. She must be hiding!
He ordered his men to ransack the palace from top to bottom.
Song Wanchu showed no trace of panic. There was always a cold, sarcastic smile on her lips.
Unable to find Cheng Simian, Lu Siming flew into a rage.
"Slut! Both of you are sluts!"
His sword swayed violently in front of Song Wanchu's nose, as if it would leave several bloody scars on her face at any moment.
Song Wanchu didn't even blink an eye.
"The way you're throwing a tantrum is both ridiculous and pitiful."
"What did you say? Who's pitiful?"
Lu Siming's face twisted ferociously.
Failing to capture Cheng Simian meant that his plan to force Lu Sihong to abdicate by holding Cheng Simian hostage had completely fallen through.
The Gao family's army had invaded the palace and was about to fight against the eight thousand Golden Feather Guards.
During this period, Lu Sihong might proclaim himself emperor at any time.
Dealing with a crown prince was completely different from dealing with an emperor.
He wanted to win gloriously, not be condemned in history!
Song Wanchu calmly and gracefully got up. A sword couldn't threaten her, nor could the room full of bloodthirsty rebel soldiers.
"I said you're both ridiculous and pitiful."
The sarcastic curve of her lips deepened. "You want to threaten the crown prince in the most despicable way, yet you still hope to be written as a just and upright emperor in history. Your insidiousness and baseness don't deserve the throne!"
"Shut up! Once I become emperor, I can write history however I want. You're not qualified to judge my morality!"
Lu Siming roared, the veins on his neck bulging.
His already pale and bloodless face became even more hideous.
He looked like a green-faced evil ghost emerging from hell.
While Song Wanchu remained calm and composed, his outburst was clearly the result of being hit on the sore spot.
Suddenly, he looked at Song Wanchu and let out a sinister laugh.
"Liang Yuzhou is probably accompanying Lu Sihong and protecting him at this moment. Tsk tsk tsk. Isn't he the one who cares about you the most? Do you think that if I bring you into the palace and he sees the woman he loves about to die under my sword at any moment, will he act like a dog and do whatever I say? If I tell him to kill Lu Sihong, will he obey?"
There was a look of anticipation for a good show on his face.
Song Wanchu had already disdained to talk to him.
"Then let's go." She was calm and indifferent.
...
The palace had turned into a sea of blood.
The Gao father and son had led their troops to break through the last line of defense of the Golden Feather Guards.
In front of the Qianyuan Hall, the two armies confronted each other, the cold light of their weapons glinting.
Gao Zhao, who was usually timid and mediocre, excitedly rushed to the front.
"The crown prince is unworthy of his position and doesn't deserve to be the new emperor! Soldiers, charge with me. Kill Lu Sihong and support the second prince!"
The crown prince stood on the Qianyuan Hall. There were only less than a thousand guards left by his side.
He was wearing a plain robe with a white silk ribbon around his waist. His expression was solemn and heavy, and there was suppressed anger in his eyes.
Gao Zhao pointed his sword at him and sneered. "It's the law of the jungle. So what if you're in the emperor's favor? In front of a large army, you're still powerless to fight back."
Gao Tianyu could hardly contain the joy of victory on his face. He strode forward. "Your defeat is already certain. Don't make any futile struggles. Come down obediently and kneel to welcome the second prince's accession to the throne. The second prince is kind-hearted and won't take your life. The queen can also spend her remaining years in peace in the harem."
The crown prince remained silent. There was only a faint trace of sarcasm in his eyes.
"You're already a lost dog. Why are you still pretending to be so noble? I'm giving you a chance to save face, but you don't want it. Do you want me to step on your back and force you to kneel for the second prince?"
Gao Zhao raised his sword and was about to rush up the hall.
A gust of wind swept by, and the Gao family's army was in an uproar.
Everyone only saw a blurred black shadow flash in front of Gao Zhao, and a sword shadow whistled through the deep sky.
Gao Zhao maintained his running posture and fell on the first step of the Qianyuan Hall.
His head rolled to Gao Tianyu's feet, and there was still a smug smile on his face that he hadn't had time to withdraw.
"My son!"
Gao Tianyu let out a shrill scream and staggered back a few steps. He almost fell.
A few soldiers behind him hurriedly supported him.
Gao Tianyu's vision went black, and there was a metallic taste in his throat.
"Who? Who killed my son?"
He tightened his grip on the knife in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot and red as he frantically searched the crowd.
A tall and slender figure lightly landed in front of Gao Tianyu.
Liang Yuzhou was holding a long sword. His blue-gray Taoist robe fluttered in the cold wind.
"Whoever dares to take a step forward will end up like Gao Zhao!"
He was the former champion of the martial arts exam. At the age of eighteen, he had single-handedly penetrated deep into enemy territory and fought against eight bandit leaders alone, killing seven of them.
With his great reputation, no one dared to act rashly for fear of becoming a soul under his sword.
"What are you afraid of? He's just one person. Can he stop our mighty army? Kill him for me!"
Gao Tianyu stared at Liang Yuzhou with blood-red eyes and gritted his teeth. "Liang Yuzhou, aren't you just trying to buy time? Don't dream. Your father is just an old coward. He doesn't dare to come. No matter how many troops he has, he doesn't dare to come!"
"Even if the old duke doesn't come, you'll still be a ghost under my sword!"
Liang Yuzhou's sword blade stabbed at him.
Gao Tianyu was an experienced warrior with high martial arts skills. He fought Liang Yuzhou for thirty rounds without a clear winner.
But after all, he was getting old and couldn't withstand a long battle.
"Whoever can kill Liang Yuzhou, I'll petition the emperor to confer the title of marquis on him! He's the second prince's enemy. Kill him for me!"
Encouraged by him, several fearless generals really came forward.
One by one, they fell under Liang Yuzhou's sword.
"Kill them all together. Lu Sihong and Liang Yuzhou, kill them without mercy!"
Tens of thousands of troops surged towards the Qianyuan Hall like a towering wave.
The sound of the battle echoed through the sky.
Liang Yuzhou was surrounded by hundreds of people.
"Liang Yuzhou, retreat quickly!"
The crown prince drew his sword and prepared to fight to the death.
Suddenly, there was a louder, more resounding and inspiring shout outside the palace.
"Execute the rebels and protect the new emperor! Execute the rebels and protect the new emperor!"
The army of the Duke's Mansion, holding torches, with cavalry and infantry charging together, advanced like a broken bamboo.
A blood-sweating BMW broke through the Gao family's army. The rider on the horse lifted his long spear and charged into the enemy as if there was no one around.
The purple silver-feathered armor was like a bolt of lightning, cutting through the thick night.
Liang Xuguang charged into the heavy siege and stood side by side with Liang Yuzhou.
Gao Tianyu stared at Liang Xuguang in disbelief.
"How dare you? How dare you violate the family precepts?"
A cold light flashed in Liang Xuguang's eyes as he picked off the soldiers protecting Gao Tianyu.
In just three or five moves, he pierced Gao Tianyu's heart.
"The family precepts are not as important as my son's life!"
Gao Tianyu fell into a pool of blood, spurted out a mouthful of fresh blood, and lost his breath.
"The leader of the bandits is dead. Why don't you surrender?"
A loud voice resounded through the hall. The Prince Rui held up a scroll of imperial edict and walked out of the Qianyuan Hall with steady steps.
"The late emperor's edict is here. Why don't you kneel down?"
The besieged Gao family's army was leaderless. They looked around in confusion.
"Where's the second prince? Where's the second prince?"
The Prince Rui slowly opened the imperial edict.
"Get out of the way for me. Liang Yuzhou, take a look at who this is?"