Chapter 444: Leaving (First Update)

Early winter in the Imperial Capital, the biting wind was fierce.

Inside and outside the city gates, two opposing forces of soldiers were locked in a standoff.

As time ticked away, the afterglow of the sun spilled down. Outside the city gates, five thousand elite troops stood in formation, exuding a heavy, murderous aura.

Staring at them for long enough, one could almost smell the scent of sand and blood mingling in the air.

Upon the city walls, the Imperial Guards were fully armed.

A tall man clad in black armor stood at the very center.

This man was none other than the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards—Zhao Ming!

With Chu Ning absent, he had been commissioned in a time of crisis to become the top officer of the Imperial Guards.

His gaze was fixed intently on the front as he shouted in a deep voice

"Where is Wei Lin, the Deputy General of the Northwest Army!?"

The low, powerful voice instantly carried far into the distance!

A man clad in red armor took a step forward.

"This general is here!"

He was an extremely burly man, appearing to be no more than thirty years old, with a full beard that made him look incredibly fierce.

Zhao Ming took a deep breath, his gaze cold and heavy.

Wei Lin was highly renowned within the Northwest Army; he was coarse in temperament and possessed formidable strength! Moreover—he was a true Fifth-Rank Martial Artist, forged on the actual battlefield!

On his own, he could take on a hundred men!

Not to mention the thousands of soldiers behind him, who looked difficult to deal with at a single glance!

Rong Jiu had come fully prepared this time!

"According to the laws of Yaochen, without a direct imperial decree from His Majesty, a Deputy General may not leave the army without authorization! Furthermore, you may not lead troops into the Imperial Capital! Wei Lin, are you attempting to rebel!?"

Wei Lin let out a boisterous laugh.

"Zhao Ming! It is one thing that your strength is lacking, but it turns out your brain is useless as well! As this general has said, this is not a rebellion! It is simply that His Majesty's actions toward the Third Prince are truly unreasonable! Moreover, they have wounded the hearts of us, the soldiers of the Northwest Army! We have come merely to seek justice for the Third Prince, and for ourselves!"

Just as Zhao Ming was about to retort, he suddenly noticed a commotion within the opposing crowd.

Then, the massive throng of soldiers suddenly parted down the middle!

A man walked out from the rear!

Clad in armor, his expression was solemn, and his majesty was imposing!

It was Rong Jiu!

Zhao Ming’s heart sank.

Rong Jiu had indeed managed to escape!

Following the riot at the execution grounds, the Imperial Guards had mobilized collectively to search the entire Imperial Capital for Rong Jiu's whereabouts.

But until now, they had found nothing.

It turned out Rong Jiu had already left the Imperial Capital amidst the chaos!

At this moment, the prisoner's robes and shackles he had been wearing were long gone; he was dressed in military uniform, looking bloody and fierce!

"Welcome back, Your Highness!"

Wei Lin was the first to cup his fists in salute, and the many soldiers behind him immediately followed with a synchronized roar.

"Welcome back, Your Highness!"

The shout shook the heavens!

Rong Jiu raised his palm, and the noise immediately died down.

Zhao Ming and the rest of the Imperial Guards were all shocked by this sight.

Strict discipline and absolute command—the fact that Rong Jiu could achieve this level of control was proof enough of his prestige within the military!

No wonder he dared to do this!

Rong Jiu looked at Zhao Ming expressionlessly.

"Zhao Ming, this Prince does not wish to harm the innocent. Therefore, I will give you one chance—voluntarily open the city gates! Otherwise... do not blame this Prince for showing no mercy!"

How could Zhao Ming possibly comply!?

"Third Prince! To commit such an act of high treason will ultimately result in being despised by the world! I advise you to turn back before it is too late! Return with this general now and apologize to His Majesty!"

Rong Jiu let out a cold sneer.

"This Prince was already branded with the label of 'high treason' earlier. Since that is the case, this Prince might as well live up to the title!"

A sense of unease welled up in Zhao Ming's heart.

"This Prince joined the army at fourteen and has fought on the battlefield for many years, killing countless enemies! I have twenty-three scars on my body, each one a near-fatal wound! This Prince has rendered great service to the state of Yaochen, yet all I received in the end was a set of prisoner's robes and countless accusations!"

If he simply accepted this, how could he be content!?

Apologize?

The person currently sitting on the Dragon Throne was no longer qualified to point fingers at him from a position of superiority!

Zhao Ming said in a heavy voice

"Third Prince! You—"

Before he could finish, he saw Rong Jiu raise his hand high!

Then—he slammed it down violently!

"The first to break through the city gates shall be promoted three ranks immediately! And receive a thousand taels of gold!"

The low, powerful voice spread instantly!

The countless soldiers of the Northwest Army behind him erupted into a frenzy! They raised their arms and shouted in unison!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Wei Lin laughed toward the sky

"Hahahaha! You brats, didn't you hear what His Highness said? This time, I won't be going easy on you! This city gate—leave it to me!"

With that, Wei Lin's figure shot forward instantly!

One man moved, and a thousand followed!

Seeing Wei Lin charging straight for the city gates, the crowd behind him also surged forward!

Rong Jiu suddenly drew the polearm he carried with him!

The blade hummed!

The wind howled!

In the next moment, he tapped his toes and charged forward personally!

The humiliations and tortures he had endured in the Imperial Capital these past days would be repaid all at once today!

Zhao Ming immediately commanded

"Release arrows!"

The Imperial Guards hidden behind the battlements of the city walls drew their bows in unison!

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Countless black iron arrows pierced through the air!

Rong Jiu's movements were agile and his speed was extreme; he wove through the countless arrows without sustaining a single scratch!

He had experienced countless battles and life-and-death struggles since childhood; this current level of danger was nothing to him!

Zhao Ming and the others hadn't even clearly seen how Rong Jiu moved before he had already arrived at the city gates!

Rong Jiu leaped into the air, intending to confront Zhao Ming directly!

Zhao Ming shouted sternly

"Activate the City Gate Defense Array!"

He didn't believe that Rong Jiu, acting alone, could truly break straight in!

However, after waiting for a moment, the city gate's mystical array showed no sign of movement.

"Deputy Commander! It's bad! The city gate array is damaged; it cannot be activated at all!"

A soldier ran up hurriedly, his face filled with panic.

Zhao Ming was startled. He grabbed the soldier by his collar and hoisted him up

"What did you say!?"

The city gate array was a grand formation; its inspection and repair had always been handled well. How could it suddenly be damaged?

Suddenly, his movements froze.

—It was Rong Jiu!

They had been fully prepared!

Both sides fell into a complete melee!

As the battle at the city gates reached a fever pitch, the Imperial Capital was also in a state of chaos.

Although a portion of the Imperial Guards was responsible for security, the hearts of the people were in turmoil.

The streets and alleys were in disarray; almost no one was visible, as everyone had hidden in their homes.

After Rong Jin was crippled, people thought Rong Jiu would naturally be established as the new Crown Prince. Who knew that not only would that not happen, but he would instead lead an uprising!

However, any observant person could see that Rong Jiu must have been prepared long ago; otherwise, it would have been impossible to gather the Northwest Army in such a short amount of time.

For a moment, people could not tell whether Emperor Jiawen had wronged Rong Jiu first, or if Rong Jiu had planned his rebellion first.

But at this moment, Chu Liuyue had no time to concern herself with such things.

Because Mu Qinghe had come to her residence in person!

Inside the room, Chu Liuyue's eyes widened slightly

"What? We leave now!?"

(End of Chapter)