mtl008 Chapter 345: Assassination in Front of the Palace
Chapter 345: Assassination in Front of the Palace
In the Golden Palace.
Emperor Jingde is in a good mood today.
Beimang signed a treaty, agreeing to pay tribute to Nanqi. This was undoubtedly the best birthday gift for him.
Under his leadership, Nanqi defeated Beimang twice. Although he could not compare with Emperor Gaozu in expanding territory, he was worthy of his ancestors.
Looking at the crowded hall with people toasting each other, Emperor Jingde smiled from the bottom of his heart. His usually weak body felt much stronger today.
"Your Majesty, drink this cup to the full."
Beside him, even the usually cold and indifferent Consort De had changed her expression recently and had become more friendly towards him. Today, she was even more smiling and showing her kindness to him frequently.
"Good! Good! Drink it up."
Emperor Jingde raised his head and drank another glass of wine.
There was singing and dancing in the hall. Emperor Jingde could not resist the toasts and drank one cup after another. He soon became drunk and even had double vision when he looked around.
Concubine De and Prince Kang and Prime Minister Cui exchanged glances.
Cui Xiang said to King Su, who was surrounded by people and urged to drink:
"I heard that Your Highness led the troops in the battle of Weihe River and was extremely brave. I am very happy today. Why don't you perform a sword dance on the spot to open the eyes of us ministers who have never seen it before?"
Prince Su was already about 70% drunk, and he waved his hand and refused:
"Today is my father's birthday, so it's not appropriate to wield swords. If you all want to see it, follow me to the camp and I will personally dance for you."
At that moment, some court officials expressed their dissatisfaction and shouted loudly:
"Your Highness Prince Su, our Great Qi was founded on military power, so why should we fear swords and knives? Your Highness Prince Su, are you boasting about your own achievements and looking down on us civil officials?"
This statement was extremely offensive, and Prince Su's supporters were dissatisfied. At that moment, several generals stood up and said in a loud voice:
"Master Zuo, don't you want to see sword dancing? We'll do it for you! If swords aren't enough, we have knives, spears, and halberds. We'll show you whichever you want! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
"Humph, a bunch of crude warriors, you are worthy!"
The atmosphere in the hall was subtly oppressive. Most of the people led by King Kang were civil officials, while most of the people on King Su's side were military generals. The two sides felt a bit tense and at loggerheads.
"Haha, don't you just want to see me dance with a sword?"
Prince Su laughed, and Pei Heng beside him quickly pulled him up. He smiled and gestured for him to rest assured, then he walked forward with a staggering gait and stood in the hall, bowing to Emperor Jingde:
"Father, it's your birthday, and I'd like to perform a sword dance to liven up the occasion. I wish you a long life, and may my great dynasty last for thousands of years."
After saying this, he threw the wine jug in his hand and shouted:
"Bring me my sword!"
Soon a eunuch brought in his sword, and Prince Su drew out his sword with a swish. Drums and music started playing, and the hall suddenly seemed to be in a battlefield with billowing smoke and the sword lights flashing coldly.
At first, Emperor Jingde sat firmly on the dragon throne and watched with interest. As the sound of drums and music became more intense, and the frequency of Prince Su's sword dance became more frequent, Emperor Jingde only felt the flash of swords and the shadow of sharp swords coming towards him.
Recalling the scene on the day when Prince Su entered the city and the people of Shengjing City knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the King", Emperor Jingde suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on his back. He stumbled and fell off the dragon throne, shouting at the same time:
"Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor! He wants to kill me! He wants to kill me!"
The surrounding imperial guards were confused as to what was going on, but when they heard the emperor shouting in panic, they rushed out and surrounded Emperor Jingde, with their swords drawn, ready to face the enemy in unison.
Almost at the same time, Cui Xiang shouted:
"How dare Prince Su assassinate the emperor? How audacious! Capture him now!"
The drunk Prince Su was grabbed by the rushing imperial guards and pressed to the ground before he could react.
Things happened too quickly. By the time Jiang Fei, Pei Heng and others reacted, the situation on the field was already very unfavorable.
Prince Su struggled and roared, "Father!"
Cui Xiang waved his sleeves, stood in the center, raised his hand and pointed directly at Prince Su.
"Your Highness, you boast of your great achievements, yet you actually openly attempted assassination at a banquet. This is so outrageous and outrageous, it's simply treasonous!"
"I didn't!" Prince Su shouted at the top of his lungs.
His supporters also stepped forward and said, "It was you who forced Prince Su to dance with the sword just now. How could Prince Su be dancing with the sword in the hall and then assassinate him? This is slander!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Jingde, who was sitting on the dragon throne, cried out:
"He wants to kill me, he wants to be the emperor! I saw it, I saw it all!"
In an instant, you could hear a pin drop in the hall.
Concubine Jiang, who had been feeling uneasy since just now, finally realized that Prince Kang was taking advantage of their unpreparedness to strike in advance. Seeing her son being pinned to the ground by the imperial guards, she sank to her knees.
"Your Majesty! Guo'er is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, how could he possibly kill his father? Your Majesty, please wake up and take a closer look!"
But no matter how she shouted, Emperor Jingde just kept shaking his head and shouting in fear: "Help me! Help me!"
The De Fei beside her shook her sleeves and stood up.
"Sister, when I first saw Prince Su Zheng, I thought he was a good kid, but I never expected him to be so ambitious. You really can't judge a person by his appearance!"
"It's you!"
Concubine Jiang suddenly looked up and glared at Concubine De.
"What kind of medicine did you give the emperor?"
Just now, Prince Su was dancing with his sword in the center of the hall, showing no sign of assassination! But the emperor was so frightened that he shouted like that. Judging from his unconscious state, he must have been drugged.
"Sister, what are you talking about? I'm good at pharmacology, but I know nothing about it! If you're talking about drugging, then you're more likely to be the suspect."
Concubine De turned the tables.
Cui Xiang snorted coldly:
"Why are you all still standing there? Prince Su committed a crime in public and frightened the Emperor to such an extent, why don't you suppress him quickly?"
"Wait!"
During the banquet, Pei Heng suddenly roared and rushed forward. When he reached the side of Prince Su, the imperial guards who were holding Prince Su down could not help but tremble and took half a step aside.
Pei Heng bent down and picked up the sword on the ground, frightening the imperial guards so much that their swords were thrust out a few inches! Cui Xiang and the others took a few steps back.
"Pei Heng! What are you doing!" Cui Xiang shouted.
Pei Heng said nothing, but just held the extremely sharp sword high above his head. He pinched it with his two fingers, and the sword broke in the middle with a "pop" sound, breaking into two pieces.
Shun Dajian was sharp-eyed and saw it immediately. He pointed at the broken sword excitedly and shouted:
"It's a wooden sword! A wooden sword! It's made of wood!"
Pei Heng threw the two broken swords to the ground and said loudly:
"As everyone knows, swords and other weapons are forbidden in the Golden Throne Hall. The sword that His Royal Highness Prince Su danced with today was actually a replica made of wood. It's just that the materials and workmanship were so fine and realistic that people mistakenly thought it was a real sword. And..."
He paused, pointing to the broken sword on the ground.
"Besides, this wooden sword isn't even sharpened, how can it kill someone?"