Chapter 57: Tonight, the Heavens Shall Not Tolerate Two Suns!

"There is no time, give me your horse!"

Li Duozao directly snatched the reins from the hands of an imperial guard commander, switching mounts. Behind him, Wu An also ordered everyone to switch horses.

The imperial stables were filled with top-tier steeds. Apart from horses designated for other purposes, there were plenty of warhorses available for Wu An's use. After he mounted a fresh horse, Liang Xin came over and reported in a low voice, "Li Duozao has sneaked a lot of his own men in."

With three tallies that could prove identity, coupled with the intercession of their colleague Li Duozao, even if some of the Northern Gate imperial guard officers harbored suspicions and were reluctant to obey orders, many still followed behind them with the intent of protecting the sovereign and earning military merits.

The crowd was too large to be counted accurately at the moment, but it definitely exceeded Wu An's initial estimate.

Heichi Changzhi also walked over and was about to speak when Wu An slowly said,

"A sufficient number of men under our command will suffice. Bringing a thousand people means we lack the capability to control them."

Wu An was already trying his best to maximize the force at his disposal, but he also remembered that historically, during the reign of Emperor Zhongzhong of Tang, Crown Prince Li Chongjun staged a rebellion at the Xuanwu Gate, which ultimately collapsed because Emperor Zhongzhong ascended the gate tower and promised amnesty to anyone who surrendered, causing the rebel army to scatter instantly. Some even turned around and killed Li Chongjun to claim credit.

Hearing this, Heichi Changzhi nodded slightly.

"If Li Duozao brings more men now and expands his personal influence, he will have greater confidence for whatever happens later tonight, or for contending for merits tomorrow."

"But conversely... the more troops he has under his command right now, the better it will be for us to draw everyone else's attention away."

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and people inside the palace were already beginning to catch on. Moving south from the Northern Gate, they could run head-on into the Forbidden Army at any moment.

"Hoo..."

Wu An turned his horse around, taking a brief rest amidst the gap while the troops behind him changed mounts. Standing his horse at the Xuanwu Gate, watching columns of soldiers enter the palace through the gate, he felt a momentary sense of unreality.

Decades ago, someone had also ridden past this very spot, initiating the most glorious era of a dynasty.

Ancient dynasties generally saw the founding emperor start the enterprise, with the second and third generations carrying on the past and opening up the future, which was precisely when national strength began to rise steadily.

Only the Great Tang, setting aside the founding Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, was at its absolute peak right from the very beginning.

For the next two centuries, the emperors and subjects of Tang lived off the dividends of this period, while imagining the legendary Reign of Zhenguan through the oral accounts of the elders.

While Wu An stood dazed at the city gate, Liang Xin finished his report and immediately sought ways everywhere to persuade the captains and lieutenants leading the troops, convincing them as much as possible to join their side.

The Northern Gate imperial guards poured south into the palace like a tide. Even if the splashing drops they managed to catch seemed insignificant, it was at least enough to quench their thirst.

"Recruiting men, recruiting men! Still short of some archers! Follow us on this run tonight, and you'll be promoted by one rank tomorrow!"

Liang Xin trotted around on his horse again. Zhang Wu rode over and, seeing him so busy, could not help mocking in a low voice, "Second Brother Liang, we don't even know what's going to happen to our lives tomorrow; why bother exhausting yourself running around for him tonight?"

Following him to kill people was only because they had nowhere else to go, but if you were going to suck up to him so hard, don't blame your brothers for laughing at you for being a bit pathetic.

"You're running around here foolishly busy, but just look—how many of those Northern Gate guards are even willing to pay attention to you?"

Zhang Wu chuckled, raised a hand to pat Liang Xin's arm, and muttered to himself,

"I once heard someone tell a story about a fool long ago who used a needle to fish, shouting something about willing fish taking the bait. Forget about lowering a hook; even if you cast a net here right now, what could you possibly catch? If you ask me..."

With a cold face, Liang Xin was about to curse, but both of them heard the sound of approaching hooves in the distance, accompanied by joyful shouts.

"Quick, quickly enter the palace to suppress the rebellion!"

A horse surged out from the darkness. Astride it was an old man, looking exhausted yet filled with boundless joy.

Most striking of all was that he was dressed in purple official robes.

A minister of the third rank!

Although there were other imperial guard troops nearby, the old man must have seen that their armor differed from the others and clearly marked them as officers, so within mere seconds, he spurred his horse straight toward them.

"Two... Generals!"

The old man finally caught his breath. The moment he saw them, and then caught sight of the brightly lit Xuanwu Gate before him, he felt tears of joy welling up in his eyes.

After stumbling through the darkness so many times, by some sheer twist of fate, he had finally found a horse and hurried here without stopping.

His speed had truly been very fast; many palace gates along the way did not even know what had happened tonight.

"Who are you..."

The other party probably didn't recognize him, which was why he asked. Yet the old man felt that the expressions of the two officers in front of him were rather strange, as if they were desperately holding something back.

Could they be two utter fools?

"This official is the Grand Administrator of the Taohe River Circuit and concurrently the Military Commissioner of Shanzhou, Li Jingxuan."

Zhang Wu took a deep breath and tentatively asked, "Finders keepers?"

He was obviously not asking Li Jingxuan.

"Get lost."

Liang Xin answered bluntly. The Northern Gate guards he had just recruited numbered several dozen and were currently following right behind him, whereas Zhang Wu only had a few personal guards.

Zhang Wu cupped his hands and said nothing more.

Both of them had been handling matters under Wu An for some time and knew a thing or two—for instance, who their Captain Wu had always wanted to kill.

Yet Li Jingxuan certainly did not recognize them, because to him, these two men were mere nobodies.

Li Jingxuan froze. The tone of the two men before him gave him a sense of danger. Instinctively, he pulled back his reins, pretending to move forward, but the next moment, he whipped his horse around and tried to bolt away at a gallop!

A strong hand reached out from behind, forcefully yanking Li Jingxuan down from the fine steed.

Liang Xin pressed him heavily against his chest, locking him in a tight embrace.

Struggling, Li Jingxuan wanted to shout for help, but he felt something pressing against his waist.

Liang Xin pushed his dagger a fraction forward with clear intent to threaten, and Li Jingxuan wisely shut his mouth at once.

"Well, Lord Li, why aren't you speaking now?"

Wu An looked down at Li Jingxuan from horseback. The latter was thrown to the ground, but after a moment, he took a deep breath and prepared to stand up.

"This old man has something to say—three sentences. If you still want to strike after hearing them, then do as you please!"

Wu An nodded slightly and calmly said,

"Actually, I also have a lot to say, and I'd like to discuss it thoroughly with you."

A flicker of joy crossed Li Jingxuan's heart. With the resources at his disposal, as long as he made promises, the other party had no reason not to be tempted.

"This old man..." He drew a deep breath, his mind already organizing the phrasing.

"I have a question to ask you first."

"Ah, ask, go ahead and ask, ask whatever you like..."

"Where is the Emperor tonight?"

Without hesitation, Li Jingxuan answered, "He is lodging in the palace's Directorate of Music tonight!"

"Thank you."

Wu An reversed his grip and drew his saber. Before anyone could anticipate it, he slashed it across Li Jingxuan's neck.

"Splat!"

In an instant, blood spattered three feet into the air, followed by a teeth-gritting sound.

The blade scraped against the windpipe and cartilage, cutting through with immense force to create a flat cross-section.

Wu An had re-familiarized himself with his combat techniques during the recent bloodshed. Right now, his coordination was at its peak; with one full-strength downward stroke, a wide-eyed head rolled directly onto the ground.

Wu An kicked the corpse over, looking down at the gushing neck stump. Liang Xin and Zhang Wu both turned their heads away at the same time, neither daring to look at Wu An's expression at that moment.

"Hoo..."

Wu An stared down for a moment and said, "Pick up the head."

Liang Xin turned back, his lips twitching, "Uh..."

"I told you to pick up the head!"

Clutching the head in panic, Liang Xin stood at a loss. Wu An reached out and pointed at the warhorse beside them: "Hang it on my saddle."

"Oh... Yes."

Looking at Liang Xin's blood-covered hands, Wu An patted his shoulder so hard that Liang Xin staggered sideways.

"Very good."

Wu An licked his lips and looked at Heichi Changzhi, who had been standing silently nearby. Heichi Changzhi nodded silently in response.

A major target for tonight had just been resolved like this.

Yet... the night was not over yet.

"We only brought two hundred riders to the Xuanwu Gate. Although Li Duozao helped us persuade the Northern Gate guards, many are only willing to follow him. Those willing to follow our path number fewer than two hundred."

Wu An stepped closer, grabbed Heichi Changzhi's shoulder, and pulled him down so his ear was close.

Wu An's voice grew even lower.

"Have them all mount up and pursue the Emperor with us. What Li Jingxuan said should be the truth; we can reach the Directorate of Music in at most the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Once outside the Directorate, have the unrelated men guard the outside, and we'll make a quick strike in and out. Even if investigations happen later, those Northern Gate guards will be linked to Li Duozao."

"But how do we absolve ourselves of the crime?"

"This troop of ours followed Li Duozao south to suppress the rebellion. Once we finish the deed, we'll immediately rejoin his forces. Once the Emperor is dead..."

Wu An took a deep breath and slowly said,

"Do you think the Crown Prince and the Empress will pin the blame on us, or on each other?"

"But what if... what if that one-in-a-million chance happens?"

Wu An patted Li Jingxuan's head hanging from the saddle, lowered his head, and asked, "Do you think this method will work or not?"

Heichi Changzhi could not help rolling his eyes. He looked up at the sky; the heavy night sky seemed to bring gusts of cold wind, lingering around them.

"The wind is rising."

The Emperor lay half-reclining on the imperial couch. Waves of flute and zither music drifted from behind the screen, soft and soothing, even easing his chronic headaches.

Suddenly, a draft of cross-breeze made him slowly open his eyes. The elderly eunuch beside him tactfully handed over a fur robe.

"Your Majesty, it's getting cold. Please add another garment."

"By tomorrow morning, it will probably snow again."

The Emperor smiled and said helplessly, "I have no idea what Meiniang is fussing about outside. I only asked her to discipline Xianer, yet she turned the entire court upside down. Tonight, she even made me stay here, claiming she has a surprise for me tomorrow morning.

That Meiniang, she just loves to stir things up..."

"Your Majesty, perhaps the Empress has prepared some fine delicacies for you." The old eunuch chimed in playfully.

"Mmm..."

The Emperor nodded slightly, wondering what gift the Empress would send him. He closed his eyes again, beating time gently to the music from the side.

His hand fell lightly onto the armrest.

"Tap."

Once, twice.

"Tap..."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

"Ah, help..."

"Rebels, there are rebels in the palace..."

"The rebels are inside, move!"

The elderly eunuch turned his head sharply, straightening his spine in front of the Emperor for the very first time.

The Emperor stopped beating time. Hearing the dying screams of the musicians in the next room, he immediately opened his eyes.

Outside, the dense sound of footsteps and rubbing armor began to echo.

The next moment, outside the hall doors, the two young eunuchs guarding the entrance first shouted sternly, then were struck down directly. Carried by the draft, the smell of blood surged unreservedly into the room.

Inside, braziers and incense were burning simultaneously, yet even they could no longer suppress the suffocating stench of blood.

The Emperor slowly sat up, staring fixedly at the hall entrance.

A youth in black armor appeared at the doorway, followed by a dozen-odd armored soldiers. Half of them wore the armor of low-ranking officers, clearly his trusted subordinates.

"Captain... Wu."

The Emperor sat up, silently sizing up the black-armored youth who walked up to him. Beside them, the elderly eunuch lunged forward, intending to crash into Wu An's armor, but Liang Xin dragged him aside with quick reflexes and kicked him sprawling.

"What are you doing tonight?" the Emperor asked.

"This subject wishes to ask Your Majesty a question."

Wu An pressed his hand against the hilt of his waist saber, slowly drawing it out inch by inch.

"Ask."

The Emperor's eyes reflected the blood-stained blade, yet he looked very calm, without a trace of panic.

"Back then, why did Your Majesty send Li Jingxuan to take command in Hexi? Did you truly not know he was inept at military affairs, or did you know he was already such waste?"

The Emperor shook his head slightly and said indifferently,

"Of course I knew Li Jingxuan couldn't command troops. But I need to appoint a new Secretariat Director next year, and Liu Ren轨 happened to deliberately recommend Li Jingxuan, which just suited my intentions, so I sent him."

Wu An had already reached the Emperor, his stench of sweat and blood making the latter frown directly.

"What you are doing now is treason."

The Emperor said slowly,

"You will lose everything you have now."

"This subject's life has indeed been lived once more, but my second life was not granted by Your Majesty,"

Wu An answered earnestly, "It is not that I have lost everything, but that Your Majesty has squandered an opportunity to make your achievements surpass those of Emperor Taizong the Cultivated and Martial."

"You've gone mad."

The Emperor chuckled softly. He truly cared nothing for what was before him, showing no trace of fear. But the next moment, his smile froze.

A chilling blade edge pressed against his neck.