novelSusiti Chapter 1 Palace Coup
Chapter 1 Palace Coup
Daqian, Nanhaizi, night.
There is no moon tonight, only starlight shining on the Wangwei Tower.
Standing atop the watchtower was a tall, thin man in his fifties, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and wearing a golden crown, with a flowing black beard. He was none other than Liu Jing, the current Emperor Longxing of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Liu Jing stared intently at the North Red Gate, as if waiting for something.
"Bang! Bang! Thump—"
"It's time for the second update!"
The old eunuch behind him stepped forward and gently draped the cloak over his shoulders.
Liu Jing: "Xia Shouzhong, do you think that rebellious son will come?"
Xia Shouzhong dared not answer and immediately knelt down.
Liu Jing raised his head, gazing at the starry sky, as if speaking to Xia Shouzhong, yet also as if talking to himself: "What can be done if a son is not like his father..."
Xia Shouzhong trembled all over. The Crown Prince was finished!
Liu Jing suddenly laughed: "If he really dares to come, I will think more highly of him."
Just then, an alarm bell suddenly rang out from the North Red Gate, followed by deafening shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and screams of agony.
The flickering torchlight illuminated half the sky red, and countless armored soldiers surged through the garden gates like a tidal wave, charging into the garden.
"Good, very good!" Liu Jing's face turned ashen.
The imperial gardens were less than twenty li from the capital, and the accompanying imperial guards were lightly armed and unarmored. Faced with the ferocious, armored rebel army, the outer defenses crumbled instantly.
Countless armored soldiers trampled over corpses and pools of blood, stepping on severed limbs and broken bones, roaring as they charged madly into the depths of the garden!
"Purge the court of corrupt officials and eliminate the wicked concubine!"
"Purge the court of corrupt officials and eliminate the wicked concubine!"
The roar shook the heavens and the earth, and the second line of defense of the Imperial Guard collapsed in response.
"Block it! Block it—"
The imperial guard commander on duty shouted orders, attempting to rebuild the defenses, but it was too late. Before he could even fully raise his sword, he was instantly overwhelmed by the swarming rebel army...
"Womanly compassion!"
Liu Jing snorted coldly, his brows furrowed with disdain.
Xia Shouzhong, kneeling on the ground, smiled bitterly to himself. Over the years, the emperor had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the crown prince, not because the prince lacked ability, but because his influence and power had grown to the point that the emperor could not eat or sleep properly.
Fearing that the Crown Prince would threaten imperial power, the Emperor secretly supported the Prince of Wei while suppressing the Crown Prince and weakening his supporters. He never acted personally, but instead used the influence of the Prince of Wei's mother, the Imperial Noble Consort, to constantly sow discord between father and son.
However, all the discerning people in the court could see clearly that the one who had been scheming to suppress the Crown Prince and eliminate the Wu Xun clique behind him was, from beginning to end, the Emperor himself.
Xia Shouzhong glanced at the battlefield. The Crown Prince's men were almost at the imperial tent, but unfortunately, the Emperor was prepared. The Crown Prince never dreamed that the Emperor would be in the southernmost watchtower; the Crown Prince was destined to lose everything. By dawn, the capital would face a bloody purge.
"Who goes there!"
Immediately following was a scream, and Xia Shouzhong jumped up and stood protectively in front of the emperor—the scream came from outside the south wall!
The watchtower hangs alone atop the southern wall of Nanhai Lake, beyond which lies a vast, open plain. If anyone were to breach the outer defenses of the Imperial Guards, they could advance directly to the foot of the wall, scale it, and reach the emperor himself!
Just as Xia Shouzhong was secretly praying that this was just an accident, shouts of killing suddenly rang out from downstairs!
Xia Shouzhong's heart skipped a beat. How could they have arrived so quickly?
The sounds of clashing weapons and screams grew closer. The commander of the Imperial Guards, dressed in a flying fish robe, rushed in and reported, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards under martial law on the outer perimeter have rebelled! The Crown Prince's men have already infiltrated. You are of noble birth; you should avoid their advance..."
"Should I avoid his sharp edge for now?"
Liu Jing's cold gaze was fixed on the commander's face. The commander felt a chill run down his spine, but still forced himself to utter a "Yes."
Liu Jing shoved Xia Shouzhong aside and walked step by step toward the commander.
The overwhelming pressure caused the commander to retreat repeatedly in fear.
"Bring me the knife." Liu Jing's voice was as calm as water, yet it carried an undeniable ruthlessness.
"emperor!"
Xia Shouzhong quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying urgently, "You are the Emperor! His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty! How can you, at such a critical juncture, contend with traitors for a moment's gain!"
"Fetch the sword!" Liu Jing pushed Xia Shouzhong away again, but Xia Shouzhong suddenly grabbed him and shouted, "Guards! Quickly, escort His Majesty to safety! Hurry!"
"Yes!" A group of eunuchs in red robes rushed over immediately, grabbed Liu Jing, and quickly left in another direction.
"Quickly, keep up!" The commander waved his hand, and several elite guards from the Northern Garrison, who were close to the emperor, quickly followed.
The commander following closely behind had a cold look in his eyes. He suddenly drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist and ambushed and killed several experts.
He looked at the approaching blue-robed eunuch and said in a deep voice, "It's all taken care of."
The eunuch in blue walked to his side: "Let's go."
As soon as the commander turned around, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his waist and abdomen. He looked down and saw a short knife deeply embedded in his body, the hilt held in the hand of a blue-clad eunuch.
"You, you...why..."
"You know too much."
The blue-robed eunuch remained expressionless, twisting the hilt of his sword with his wrist. "If you die, your family will enjoy wealth and honor for generations to come."
The commander let out a bitter laugh, stopped resisting, and allowed the short swords to pierce his waist and abdomen one after another before slowly falling to the ground.
The eunuch in blue drew his short knife, flicked his wrist, and blood splattered as he uttered two words: "Make your move."
A group of men in black, armed with standard-issue swords from the Beijing Garrison, immediately chased after the emperor.
Then another person entered, with a pale face and no beard, and delicate features like a woman. He held a hard bow and carried a quiver of arrows. He nodded to the eunuch and followed after him.
"Quickly, head towards the palace!"
Xia Shouzhong half-supported and half-carried Liu Jing, and under the protection of a group of red-clad eunuchs, they hurried towards the foot of the city wall.
"Bang bang bang—"
Suddenly, a burst of rapid gunfire erupted from the imperial tent, followed by a series of shrill screams.
Xia Shouzhong paused, glancing at the emperor in shock.
The emperor had quietly summoned the Divine Machine Battalion without his knowledge.
What weighed heavily on his mind was that Jia Daishan, the military governor of the capital, was one of the core figures of the Wu Xun group and a very important minister in the Crown Prince's faction. How could he possibly betray the Crown Prince?
If it wasn't Jia Daishan, then who was the one who betrayed the Crown Prince?
Liu Jing seemed to see through Xia Shouzhong's thoughts: "Jia Daishan's old injury has relapsed, and he is currently recuperating in his residence."
Was it a recurrence of an old injury, or...? Xia Shouzhong dared not think any further and silently helped the emperor down the stairs.
Just then, the man in black arrived.
"The tyrant is here!"
"His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed—whoever beheads the tyrannical emperor will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households! Kill—"
"You four guards, go with His Majesty and the Ancestor. The rest of you, follow me!"
A red-clad eunuch shouted a command, drew his sword from his waist, and turned to meet the attack.
More than ten eunuchs in red robes followed closely behind, instantly engaging the men in black in a fierce battle. Sparks flew, and shouts, furious cries, and the clashing of weapons filled the air...
"He actually tried to kill me! How dare he!"
Liu Jing's eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a severely wounded and raging beast: "This disloyal and unfilial wretch, I have no son like him!"
"Your Majesty, it's too dangerous here, let's leave quickly!" Xia Shouzhong stamped his feet anxiously.
Liu Jing glared fiercely behind him: "I will depose him! Demote him to a commoner! Imprison him in the Imperial Clan Court for life, never to set foot outside again—"
Before the words were even finished, the sound of arrows piercing the air suddenly rang out. A red-robed eunuch clutched his neck and fell to the ground with a scream, followed by a second, a third... until Xia Shouzhong was also struck in the shoulder by an arrow. Only then did Liu Jing react, roaring angrily, "You unfilial son—"
The only response he received was a cold, feathered arrow that pierced Xia Shouzhong's leg, who was standing in front of him. Xia Shouzhong staggered and fell heavily to the ground.
Another arrow pierced the air, and Liu Jing groaned as his bright yellow dragon robe was instantly stained crimson with blood. He clutched his left shoulder, trembling all over, and uttered three "good"s.
There was nowhere to hide in this area; a person couldn't outrun an arrow. Liu Jing was both angry and resentful. He cursed "You little beast!" and closed his eyes.
"Father!"
"His Majesty is here! Protect him—"
Liu Jing suddenly opened his eyes. In the torchlight, the Prince of Wei led a group of imperial guards rushing towards him. His princely robes were torn and stained with blood, indicating that he had just been through a bloody battle.
Just as the Prince of Wei approached the Emperor, another arrow was shot at him. "Father, be careful!" The Prince of Wei immediately rushed forward and took the arrow for the Emperor, falling into the Emperor's arms.
"Second brother! Second brother..."
Seeing his son lying with his eyes closed and blood trickling from his mouth, Liu Jing flew into a rage, roaring, "Kill them all! Kill them all!"
When an emperor is enraged, corpses float for miles.
Screams echoed through the night sky...
On the third day of the tenth month of the thirty-third year of Longxing, the sun did not rise, and a continuous autumn rain began to fall.
The smell of blood was particularly strong in the royal gardens; you could smell it even with the windows closed.
A stick of sandalwood incense emitted wisps of smoke. Liu Jing changed into clean everyday clothes, sat on a soft couch, and closed his eyes.
The palace doors creaked open, and Xia Shouzhong limped in.
"How is the second son?" Liu Jing asked, his eyes still closed.
Xia Shouzhong closed the palace door and limped forward: "He's awake. The imperial physician said that as long as he takes good care of himself, he won't suffer any lasting health problems."
Liu Jing hummed in response, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent.
Xia Shouzhong sighed inwardly, knowing that the emperor wanted to know about the crown prince.
Although the Crown Prince's troops were all elite, they suffered heavy casualties under the fierce barrage of muskets from the Divine Machine Battalion. In addition, the Imperial Guard reinforcements arrived in time, and in the end, only a small group of rebels fought desperately to protect the Crown Prince and break through the encirclement.
"Bang!"
The palace doors were suddenly blown open by the wind, and a fierce gust of wind swept in with a sharp whistling sound, extinguishing the sandalwood incense on the table.
Liu Jing suddenly opened his eyes, and Xia Shouzhong turned to look outside the hall.
In the drizzle, the commander of the Imperial Guards walked in front, followed closely by four Imperial Guard generals carrying a door panel covered with a white cloth.
Xia Shouzhong's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous feeling swept over his entire body like a cold wave.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince refused to surrender and committed suicide!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards knelt outside the hall, and four Imperial Guard generals carried the crown prince's body into the hall and knelt on the ground.
Liu Jing trembled and slowly closed his eyes.
"Your Majesty..." Xia Shouzhong looked worried.
When Liu Jing opened his eyes again, he seemed to have lost all his energy and spirit, and aged considerably in an instant.
The hall was deathly silent; the air seemed to have frozen.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a soaking wet eunuch in red robes who tumbled and crawled in, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, the Empress... Her Majesty the Empress has hanged herself! The Crown Princess and the Imperial Grandson have set themselves on fire in their palace..."
Each piece of news struck Liu Jing like a hammer blow to the heart. He couldn't hear a word the head eunuch said afterward; everything went black, and the world spun around him...
Xia Shouzhong then moved to the edge of the bed and hurriedly hugged him, saying, "Your Majesty..."
A mouthful of blood spurted from Liu Jing's mouth, and Xia Shouzhong's face instantly turned deathly pale. He cried out in a hoarse voice, "Summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician..."
Liu Jing suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Draft two edicts: First, appoint the Prince of Wei as Crown Prince. Second, kill everyone around the Crown Prince. The Empress and the Crown Princess's maternal families will be exterminated. Those who followed the army will have their entire families executed, and those who assisted in the rebellion will be exiled..."
Xia Shouzhong's face turned even paler. Most of the Crown Prince's confidants were sons of noble families and high-ranking officials. If they were all killed...
He gave the red-robed chief eunuch a wink, and the chief eunuch understood, leading the imperial guards commander and several others to retreat.
Before he could speak, another eunuch in red robes rushed in and knelt before the bed: "Your Majesty, news has come from the Great Xiangguo Temple that the Imperial Grandson has gone missing."
Liu Jing, who had just caught his breath, was stunned for a moment before remembering that the Crown Prince had a child who had been frail and sickly since childhood and had been raised in a temple. He couldn't remember what the child looked like anymore, but he thought the child must be five or six years old this year.
"That's fine then." Liu Jing closed his eyes.
The head eunuch then reported, "Prince Teng has returned from the Rongguo Mansion. He said, he said..."
"What did you say?" Liu Jing opened his eyes.
"The Duke of Rongguo has passed away. Last night at the second watch, he drank two jars of imperial wine... His old injuries flared up during the night, he vomited blood, and died at dawn..."
Liu Jing remained silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "Did you leave any message?"
"The Duke of Rongguo left behind a memorial." The chief eunuch took out a memorial from his bosom.
Xia Shouzhong took it and presented it to Liu Jing with both hands.
Liu Jing glanced at it, and after a long pause, uttered two words, "Approved."
"As you command!"
Xia Shouzhong accepted the memorial with both hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the imperial physician helping Prince Wei approach and whispered, "Your Majesty, Prince Wei and the Crown Prince have come to see you."
Liu Jing glanced instinctively at the corpse covered with a white sheet, then closed his eyes.
......................
Since that palace coup, Liu Jing's energy and spirit have gradually declined, and he has gradually handed over all the affairs of state to the Crown Prince.
In the winter of the thirty-fourth year of the Longxing era, Liu Jing abdicated and moved to the Daming Palace to live out his remaining years. The Crown Prince ascended the throne and changed the era name to Yankang, meaning to continue the prosperity and peace of the country.
August of the ninth year of the Yankang era, Xuzhou, dusk.
After days of heavy rain, the river swelled, and the muddy yellow water rushed in, overflowing the shallow banks. The current was both rapid and murky. The water was low in oxygen, and the Yellow River carp all floated to the surface to breathe, swimming in groups near the shore, in bends, and in the slow-moving areas.
Fish rise with the tide and shrimp fall with the receding water. Summer floods are the best time of year to catch fish in large quantities. People living on the banks of the Yellow River in Xuzhou and fishermen flock out to fish, either in small boats with nets or standing barefoot in the water with knives, forks, and bamboo traps, taking advantage of the calm water at dusk.
In the crowd, a boy in a coarse cloth jacket held a harpoon, his eyes fixed on the swaying shadow in the water. He waited for the right moment and suddenly thrust it in.
"Brother Li has speared another big carp!" the boy next to him exclaimed loudly.