AWB Chapter 1002 He Never Thought of Taking Tang Chujun’s Life
Chapter 1002 He Never Thought of Taking Tang Chujun’s Life
The sound of the imperial guards' iron boots clearing the area gradually faded away, and the heavy palace door slammed shut.
Emperor Zhaowu looked at the retired emperor's sinister eyes, feeling as if he were a prey being stared at by a poisonous snake, and even his bones went cold.
He was terrified.
He never thought of killing Tang Chujun.
He was willing to accept defeat and had clearly ordered Xiao Luzi to release the person.
Why does this happen?
His jaw was deformed by the hands of the retired emperor, and his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "Father, Father..."
Xiao Yunde closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, there was a horrifying scarlet in his eyes.
He suddenly loosened his grip on Emperor Zhaowu, his knuckles turning blue from excessive force.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Emperor Zhaowu staggered and fell to the edge of the dragon bed, gasping for breath, with a burning pain in his throat.
He didn't bother to tidy up his messy robes, stumbled off the bed, rushed to Xiao Luzi, grabbed his collar and asked, "Why did the Six Gods Temple collapse? Why did it collapse when it was fine?"
Xiao Luzi avoided the Emperor Zhaowu's gaze and replied in a tearful voice, "When I arrived, the Six Gods Temple had already collapsed. I heard that when it was first built... a self-destruct mechanism was buried... I really don't know who would do this at this time... I only know that Madam Tang was still there..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao Yunde raised his leg and kicked him sideways, sending him flying like a rag and hitting the red wall heavily.
The muffled sound of bones breaking was particularly clear in the silent hall, and blood slowly flowed down the wall.
The corner of Xiao Yunde's black robe swept across the blood-stained gold bricks. He walked step by step to the limp Xiao Lu, slowly raised the sole of his cloud-patterned boots and rolled over the blue and white face.
His cheekbones made tiny "cracking" sounds when they hit the soles of his boots, and blood foam flowed out from the corners of his mouth. "Mercy! Grand...Emperor...Mercy..."
Xiao Luzi's broken voice of begging for mercy came out from the soles of his boots, and every word he uttered brought out more blood foam, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, save me..."
"You dog slave!" Xiao Yunde suddenly exerted force with his feet.
With a clear sound of bone cracking, Xiao Luzi's cheekbone collapsed completely, and his right eye was immediately covered with blood.
His limbs were twitching, but he didn't even have the strength to struggle. He could only make "ho ho" gasping sounds from his throat.
The left eye that was not covered with blood was wide open, and the pupil reflected the sharp and cold face of the retired emperor.
In the chaos of dying, Xiao Luzi recalled the night before Eunuch An left the palace, when his skinny fingers grasped his wrist and told him, "Xiao Luzi, remember that as slaves, our lives are just a stepping stone for our masters."
Eunuch An asked him to recruit more helpers for his master. He quietly ran around, giving advice and making connections for his master.
He knew he was going to die, but his death was unjust because his master never even looked at him from beginning to end.
Emperor Zhaowu was trembling all over, unable to take care of himself. He had never seen his father so violent. In the past, even if he was furious, he would just say "drag him away". When had he ever taken action like this?
This must be extremely infuriating.
Yes, my father was going to marry Tang Chujun soon. But now... why is he dead?
Why did he die?
He never thought of taking Tang Chujun's life!
The bloody smell in the palace made Emperor Zhaowu's stomach cramp. He burst into tears, "Father, Father... I originally wanted to let Madam Tang change her identity and marry you! I have no bad intentions, I just..."
Before he could finish his words, a cold light flashed.
The long sword left in the hall by the imperial guards had been unsheathed and was held in Xiao Yunde's hand, pressed against Emperor Zhaowu's heart.
The subtle sound of the knife tip piercing through the silk startled him into silence. Looking along the blade, he saw veins bulging on the back of Xiao Yunde's hand.
Emperor Zhaowu's gaze slowly moved upward along the hand and finally met Xiao Yunde's eyes.
Those eyes were like an ancient well frozen in ice, reflecting his paper-pale face.
His Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, but no sound came out.
He could feel the tip of the emperor's knife against his heart, trembling slightly with every heartbeat.
Just one more inch forward... just one inch... Emperor Zhaowu closed his eyes in despair, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Emperor Zhaowu was speechless.
He felt that the emperor would kill him at any time to avenge Tang Chujun.
The hall was eerily quiet.
After an unknown amount of time, the blade suddenly hummed softly. The sound of Xiao Yunde sheathing the blade was particularly harsh in the dead silence.
"From today on, the emperor is seriously ill and bedridden. He does not need to attend court." The voice of the retired emperor was colder than a knife.
The sticky sound of boots rolling over the pool of blood gradually faded away, but Emperor Zhaowu was still kneeling in front of the couch. It was not until the loud bang of the palace door closing shook him all over that he realized that the cold sweat on his back had already soaked through his shirt.
He fell to the ground like a dying fish.
When the morning bell rang at dawn, the front steps of the Beiyang Palace were already filled with civil and military officials kneeling.
Everyone looked at each other.
There was no trace of the bright yellow on the throne, nor the black dragon-patterned robe of the retired emperor. Only a few unfamiliar black-armored guards stood holding halberds, their eyes behind the bronze visors colder than autumn frost.
"Dismiss!" The shrill voice of the eunuch in charge of ceremonies broke the silence.
The morning court just ended without giving any reason.
The officials who were unaware of the situation asked each other about the situation, and someone who was well-informed whispered that the Temple of Six Gods had collapsed. The emperor then took people to the Temple of Six Gods early in the morning.
At this time, the ruins of the Six Gods Temple were already filled with black-armored cavalry. The hem of Xiao Yunde's cloak was covered with brick dust, and the horse whip in his hand was deeply tied into his palm.
Under the main beam carved with the statue of a god, half of a charred mechanical gear was exposed.
Then Shi Yunqi arrived. Later, another carriage came, and Shi Anxia also arrived.
Several of them looked extremely sad.
……
In a deep house, candlelight flickered in a secret room, and the heads of the four great families sat around and discussed in secret.
Qin Hongchang, the head of the Huaidong Qin family, sat on the rosewood armchair in a very good mood. "Since the Six Gods Temple has collapsed, Tang Chujun will definitely die. The rebellion between the retired emperor and Emperor Zhaowu is a foregone conclusion."
The head of the Yunxi Gui family, Gui Sifang, played with his jade ring and smiled, "Brother Qin, this is a brilliant plan. In this way, Emperor Zhaowu and Princess Haiyan will become mortal enemies, and your Qin family's legitimate daughter will soon become the ruler of the imperial palace."
"Brother Gui, be careful with your words!" Qin Hongchang suddenly raised his hand and slammed the teacup on the table. "Our four great families are of the same blood. The ladies of each family have the opportunity to enter the palace. It all depends on who the emperor is in love with."
Guo Jindong, the head of the Guo family in northern Su, frowned and interrupted, "It's too early to celebrate now. The most urgent task is..."
"The most urgent task is to confirm whether Tang Chujun is alive or dead." Lin Wensong, the head of the Guangnan Lin family, interrupted coldly, his thin figure looking particularly gloomy in the candlelight, "Princess Haiyan is cunning and treacherous, and the Qingchen Plan is still a lesson for us."
He knew this woman's methods better than anyone else. If it weren't for her fierce methods, Empress Dowager Jiqing would never have been defeated so miserably.
Why were the four great families so marginalized by the imperial court?