Chapter 443: Soldiers at the City Gates (Fourth Update)

The crowd instantly fell into chaos!

Those people were dressed in extremely ordinary clothes, looking no different from the commoners who had gathered to watch the spectacle.

It was precisely because of this that their movements were exceptionally sudden!

Si Yezhi took a cursory glance; there were at least a hundred of them!

These people were clearly here for Rong Jiu!

More importantly, judging from their ruthless techniques, they were clearly veterans tempered on the battlefield!

Si Yezhi suddenly understood something, and he drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

—Rong Jiu had actually mobilized the Northwest Army to come rescue him!?

Hadn't it been said that after he returned to the Imperial Capital, he had already handed over his military power and ceased all contact with the Northwest Army?

What exactly was going on with the appearance of these people now!?

In an instant, screams, the clashing of weapons, and the sound of sharp blades piercing flesh all blended together!

Countless people screamed and fled in terror!

Just as Si Yezhi was about to chase after Rong Jiu, two people suddenly rushed from the side, directly blocking his path!

In the next moment, they actually struck first, even before Si Yezhi could!

*Clang!*

Si Yezhi was forced into a melee!

After only a few exchanges, he realized something was wrong.

These people had fought their way out of piles of corpses; even if their cultivation realms were inferior to his, they were the most skilled at killing!

Once they struck, every move was lethal! There wasn't a single wasted motion!

In the midst of the panic, Si Yezhi glanced around and found that things were exactly as he had anticipated!

The Imperial Guards, who held the numerical advantage, were actually gradually falling into a disadvantage!

Without hesitation, he flung something from his sleeve!

*Bang!*

A signal flared up into the sky!

At that same moment, Emperor Jiawen was alone in the Imperial Study, flipping through some documents.

But after only two glances, he stopped and rubbed his brow.

Calculating the time, it should be about time...

Suddenly, Eunuch Min's anxious and tense voice came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something has happened!"

Emperor Jiawen's heart skipped a beat. He stood up, walked over, opened the door himself, and asked with a frown

"What on earth happened?"

Eunuch Min was startled; he hurriedly took a step back and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, the... the Third Prince has escaped!"

Emperor Jiawen's expression grew even colder.

"What do you mean he escaped!? What is Si Yezhi even good for!? There are so many Imperial Guards there!"

Eunuch Min wiped the continuous cold sweat from his forehead and said rapidly in a trembling voice

"Your Majesty, someone infiltrated the crowd and fought with the Imperial Guards! They escorted the Third Prince away!"

The ominous premonition in Emperor Jiawen's heart grew even stronger.

"This is the Imperial Capital! Who could possibly help him like this!?"

"It... it seems to be the Northwest Army—"

*Thud!*

Emperor Jiawen kicked Eunuch Min right in the solar plexus!

"Useless!"

Eunuch Min fell to the ground, his chest aching painfully, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!

However, Emperor Jiawen had already strode toward the outside!

"Immediately deploy more men! Block the city gates! Never mind Rong Jiu—today, not a single person involved in this matter is to be let go!"

Eunuch Min endured the pain and hurriedly followed.

"Yes... yes!"

Emperor Jiawen's face became extremely grim.

As expected!

Rong Jiu had long since established secret contact with the Northwest Army!

He had even made such preparations! He intended to escape directly from the execution grounds!

Previously, there were even people saying they would appoint him Crown Prince; it was simply laughable!

Rong Jiu was so ambitious; how could he be content being a prince without any real power?

And once he became the Crown Prince, perhaps this throne of his would no longer be secure!

As Emperor Jiawen was walking forward, someone suddenly rushed toward him from the front and knelt directly before him.

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing this person, Emperor Jiawen's expression shifted instantly.

If it weren't for a major incident, this person would never have appeared here.

Sure enough, the next sentence the man spoke struck him like a bolt of lightning!

"Wei Lin is leading the soldiers of the Northwest Army, and they have already reached twenty li outside the gates of the Imperial Capital! They... they say... the Third Prince has rendered great service to the State of Yaochen and has always been loyal to Your Majesty, yet now Your Majesty has listened to the slander of petty men and intends to behead him! This truly breaks the hearts of countless soldiers guarding the borders! Therefore, they... they have come—to ask Your Majesty to restore the Third Prince's innocence!"

Emperor Jiawen's body swayed.

The Northwest Army... Wei Lin...

Aren't those all Rong Jiu's people!?

How was this asking for innocence for Rong Jin?

This was clearly an act of rebellion!

This place was a thousand miles away from the border; a message taking a round trip would take at least three or four days.

But the imperial decree to execute Rong Jiu was only issued yesterday!

The fact that these people arrived so quickly meant they had been here for a long time!

And now they actually had the nerve to turn the tables and blame him!?

Eunuch Min hurriedly stepped forward to support Emperor Jiawen, but he was brushed aside by a violent wave of the Emperor's hand!

In the next moment, Emperor Jiawen delivered a harsh slap to the kneeling man in front of him!

*Slap!*

The man's face was instantly sent spinning to the side! His cheek quickly swelled and turned red!

But he immediately bowed his head and kowtowed

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty, it is all this subordinate's fault—"

"Such an important matter, and you only just discovered it now? What use do I have for you!?"

Emperor Jiawen's hand was completely numb from the strike, but his chest was still surging with rage, his face ashen.

"This subordinate... Your Majesty, it seems those people arrived in batches. They only regrouped after everyone had arrived. That is why this subordinate failed to discover it in time..."

What kind of place was the Imperial Capital? They were responsible for guarding the city gates; how could they dare to be negligent?

But those people from the Northwest Army were simply too cunning! They hadn't noticed them at all before!

By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late!

"How many people have they brought!?"

Emperor Jiawen took a deep breath and asked.

"Approximately... five thousand!"

Emperor Jiawen gasped.

"Five thousand... five thousand is not enough to worry about the Imperial Guards! Where is Chu Ning!? Have him take men there immediately!"

"...Your Majesty, you forgot, you just sent Lord Chu Ning out of the city yesterday..." Eunuch Min reminded him cautiously.

Emperor Jiawen froze, only then remembering that some news regarding the bronze vats had been found outside the capital, so he had sent Chu Ning to investigate. He wasn't even in the Imperial Capital right now.

"Have Zhao Ming take his place! And you! Immediately summon the Imperial Guards! You must block them outside the gates of the Imperial Capital!"

The Imperial Guards numbered over ten thousand; dealing with a force of five thousand should not be a problem.

The man kneeling on the ground seemed to have read Emperor Jiawen's thoughts, and he spoke with forced courage

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards are scattered throughout the Imperial Capital; it will be somewhat difficult to assemble them all immediately. And most importantly, those people who have come seem to be the elites of the Northwest Army! This... this..."

It wasn't that he was afraid, but he knew all too well how troublesome this situation was!

How could the pampered Imperial Guards of the capital compare to those who could survive on the battlefield!?

If there were no other way, he feared it wouldn't be long before the city gates were breached!