Yuan Zhou’s expression changed again. He quickly turned around and said through gritted teeth, “North Central General Zhao Huang!”
This man’s father was King Yi, and he himself was the East Defense General Zhao Huang. Could it be that the royal family’s elders were revolting together?
Zhao Huang’s army quickly joined Zhao Anming’s men. They now had several times as many men as Yuan Zhou, and the enemy surrounded his forces. The situation looked grim.
Yuan Zhou clenched his teeth and drew his long blade, saying, “Soldiers, follow me. We will break through!”
Zhao Anming and Zhao Huang both coldly issued their orders. “Kill them!”
When he saw the enemies all around him, Yuan Zhou’s heart sank to rock bottom. Everything pointed toward disaster. However, he was still a war-hardened veteran general and quickly adjusted his mindset. He roared, “Everyone, hold on! Once the Third Elder outside the city, the empress dowager inside the city, and General Gao realize the situation, they will definitely come to our aid!”
“Understood!”
His soldiers immediately gained a huge morale boost. Too often, despair was only present because there was no hope. As long as there was a shred of hope, no matter how difficult the situation was, there would always be people who would risk their lives.
Zhao Anming roared with laughter and retorted, “Those guys? Their heads might have already left their necks.”
Yuan Zhou’s subordinates were immediately shaken up. However, Yuan Zhou roared, “Don’t let the enemy confuse you!”
The soldiers snapped out of their daze. It was the enemy saying these things, so how could they believe it? As such, they began to fight with their enemies ferociously. Blood and flesh flew everywhere in the alley.
...
Some time later...
The Liu clan’s Third Elder Liu Ji was processing military affairs when he suddenly got up. He picked up the teapot next to him and drained it in one gulp. For some reason, he just felt ill at ease today.
He said to a soldier, “Send someone to pay the capital’s Liu manor a visit. Check to see if anything has happened over there.”
“Yes, sir!” Even though the soldier was a bit confused, he still obeyed the orders and left. It was already late into the night and the city gates were already closed. But with the Liu clan’s authority, sending a person or two inside wouldn’t be too difficult.
Not long after that guard left, someone quickly came to report, “Reporting to the general, Left Guard General Lu He requests a meeting.”
Liu Ji was stunned.
Why did he run all the way here in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me that something really did happen in the capital?
“Quick, invite him in!” he replied; naturally, he didn’t dare to show any negligence here.
Even though his military rank was higher than Lu He’s, Lu He managed half of the Imperial Palace’s Palace Guards and was a fiercely independent individual who wouldn’t listen to any of his orders. Lu He was also Eunuch Lu’s very own brother, and Eunuch Lu was the empress dowager’s most trusted eunuch. That level of relationship made him feel a bit closer to Lu He.
“What brings General Lu’s visit so deep into the night?” Liu Ji welcomed Lu He enthusiastically upon the latter's arrival.
Lu He chuckled and said, “It couldn't be helped. The empress dowager has something she needs Third Elder for, and has invited you into the palace. This officer had no choice but to personally make a visit.”
“The empress dowager is looking for me?” Liu Ji asked, stunned. He hadn’t heard a thing about that before. “Does General Lu know the reason why?”
Lu He shook his head and replied, “How can the empress dowager’s thoughts be something us lowly subjects can guess at? Third Elder, please hurry so that the empress dowager doesn’t become too anxious while waiting.”
Liu Ji thought to himself, Could it be what the empress dowager spoke of a few days ago? She was worried that something might be happening in the capital and wanted me to pay closer attention.
When he thought of that, he cupped his hands and said, “Please wait for a brief moment, General Lu. I’m going to make some quick arrangements in the army camp before leaving.”
“But of course,” Lu He said unhurriedly. He tactfully returned outside to wait for him.
Liu Ji thus gathered his trusted commanders and had them watch over the barracks, warning them to be mindful of various things.
When they heard that Liu Ji was going to enter the palace so deep in the evening, they all advised, “General, please be careful of potential schemes!”
“Indeed, even if the empress dowager had anything she needed to summon you for, why does she have to do it so late at night?”
“There are all sorts of suspicious points here. You absolutely must be careful.”
...
Liu Ji said with a smile, “I actually already felt these misgivings when I first heard that, but the one who came was General Lu He, so my misgivings disappeared. There is no one more loyal to the empress dowager in this entire world than Eunuch Lu. Lu He and Eunuch Lu have always been extremely close, so why would he harm me?”
When they heard what he said, the others couldn't really continue arguing about that.
Eunuch Lu was known to be a loyal hound who always remained by the empress dowager’s side. The Lu and Liu clan had always had an excellent relationship. Since Lu He had come personally, that meant there was indeed nothing to be worried about.
As such, Liu Ji quickly brought some of his trusted men and followed Lu He to the capital. Along the way, he and Lu He chatted happily in good spirits.
A while later, however, Liu Ji suddenly looked around him. He saw that the surroundings were completely empty. They were clearly off the main road and away from where the people lived. He remarked, “Hm? This doesn’t seem to be the way back to the capital.”
“The city gates are already closed, since it's nighttime. There's a small path that is a bit faster on this side,” Lu He replied.
Liu Ji didn’t continue forward, and instead began thinking to himself. He wasn’t stupid; it was just that he had trusted Lu He too much. Now, he realized that something wasn’t right.
Lu He couldn't help but sigh, saying, “The Liu clan’s three brothers only have a Third Elder who is a genius after all. If it weren’t for me personally coming, it would have been very difficult to deal with you.”
Liu Ji’s expression changed. He asked, “Lu He, why would you betray the empress dowager?”
“That’s something the Third Elder can slowly think about in hell.” There was still a smile on Lu He's face, but it was already extremely cold. He roared, “Attack!”
His subordinates had long since prepared. They all drew their weapons and struck at Liu Ji’s subordinates.
Liu Ji didn’t have many people with him to begin with, and the enemy had been actively plotting. How could they react in time? More than half of them were killed almost immediately.
...
Soon after, Liu Ji’s entire body was covered in blood. The only way he could remain standing was by leaning on the blade he had stabbed into the ground. He stared hatefully at Lu He, saying, “You traitors... Once the regent returns, there's no way he'll let you all go.”
He knew fully well that if Lu He had rebelled, there was most likely something wrong with Eunuch Lu too. That meant the empress dowager was in grave danger. The enemy definitely had other schemes at play. The Liu clan could really be done for this time. The only thing he could still hope for was now the regent Zu An. What was laughable was that his eldest and second brother had even thought of cutting ties with the regent. He really wondered what they were thinking.
“Regent? It has already been so long since we heard from him. He’s probably long dead by now in the Fiend races’ sealed land,” Lu He said, seemingly unbothered. With a slash, Liu Ji was decapitated.
Even if they took ten thousand steps back, if the regent really returned, there was nothing to fear. They had the empress on their side. With her relationship with him, wouldn’t Zu An only be able to accept reality?
It was just that at that moment, no one in the capital knew that these developments formed the prelude to a country-wide rebellion.
...
“Achoo!”
By the shore of the eastern sea, Zu An rubbed his nose. He muttered to himself, “Just who is thinking of me?”
He already had an appearance-altering mask on his face. It wasn’t that he feared the Ocean races, but rather that he was now the regent of both the Fiend races and the humans. If he suddenly appeared in the Ocean races' territory, that could cause quite the disturbance. Then, all of the officials of the Ocean races would come to welcome him along the way. He was here for the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine to save Honglei, so he didn’t want to take the risk of wasting any time.
He arrived at a small island surrounded by coastal waters. There was a restaurant there that he had heard the Second Empress and Shang Liuyu mention before. If he wished to head to the Ocean races' territory, that restaurant had to be be visited first. Then, at a certain time, a ship would arrive to take the visitor into the sea.
He looked up at the restaurant in front of him. Compared to the capital, or even Brightmoon City’s dazzling and splendid restaurants, this restaurant really was a bit too simple. It was hard to even call it a restaurant. Strictly speaking, it was more like a small wine shop.