PDLP Chapter 213 Forced into the Palace
Chapter 213 Forced into the Palace
On this day, the sky was clear and blue when suddenly a strong wind arose.
Then came bursts of heavy rain, as if a hole had been torn in the sky and torrential rain was pouring down from the opening, washing over the entire capital city.
In this way, the tung oil that the King of Yan had sent to pour on the soil was naturally rendered useless.
He stood outside the tent, ignoring the torrential rain, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at the rain-soaked capital.
"Damn it!" The Prince of Yan clenched his fists. "Even the heavens are on his side!"
Having said that, he could no longer control his anger.
His only means of forcing the emperor to show himself has failed, and now it seems that only a direct attack is the way forward.
At this moment, an aide stepped forward and reminded him at just the right time: "Your Highness, have you forgotten? We still have an inside man in the capital."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Yan paused, then glanced at his advisors with a puzzled expression: "An inside agent? Who are you referring to as an inside agent?"
“Naturally…it’s the one who sent us the message.” The advisor smiled meaningfully. “If the intelligence is accurate, we can definitely take Xuanwu Gate within an hour if we attack it now. At that time, our army can advance straight to the capital.”
“Once we reach the capital, that person will appear in time to open the gates for us.” The advisor’s words were full of seduction. “Your Highness, at that time, you will not only be able to take the emperor’s head, but also secure your seat on the throne!”
The advisor analyzed the situation for the Prince of Yan word by word, and every word he said was full of encouragement.
The Prince of Yan's eyes lit up after just a brief listen.
“You’re right,” the Prince of Yan murmured. “His legs are crippled, so he’s destined never to sit on the dragon throne.”
“Otherwise, the emperor wouldn’t have allowed him to stay in the capital for so many years.” The Prince of Yan seized the opportunity and smiled smugly. “His hatred for the emperor has a long history, so it was expected that he would help me this time.”
"Have you made contact with him?" the Prince of Yan asked again.
The aide nodded hurriedly: "Prince Xin sent a letter yesterday, saying that everything is at Your Highness's command."
These words pleased the Prince of Yan greatly. The Prince of Yan smiled and generously said, "When I sit on that throne, I will certainly not mistreat him."
In his excitement, the Prince of Yan had no idea how a Prince Xin, who was crippled in both legs, could have managed to get the message out through the layers of restrictions imposed on him in the capital.
The advisor, having received the Prince's instructions, had a glint of cunning in his eyes.
……
The torrential rain continued unabated.
Such weather was completely unsuitable for warfare, but the troops that the Prince of Yan brought from Qingzhou managed to capture Xuanwu Gate in such terrible weather. Looking at the city gate with a large hole in it, the Prince of Yan was momentarily stunned.
He looked at the capital city so close at hand and subconsciously reached out his hand: "They just breached the city gates like that?"
"Your Highness! Now is the perfect time to attack the capital!" the advisor said, interrupting his wild thoughts. "We must strike while the iron is hot and press our advantage!"
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Yan nodded: "You may arrange everything."
He had great trust in his advisors' abilities, and this time, his attempt to force the emperor to abdicate was entirely planned by them.
His staff were also extremely loyal to him; if he said to go west, they would never dare to go east.
He greatly admired subordinates who were both intelligent and capable of being managed.
His staff, having received his instructions, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately made arrangements for everyone.
……
At the same time, the exit of the secret passage was opened.
The exit was in an abandoned palace. There were so many abandoned palaces in the imperial palace that you could count them on one hand. In the past, the imperial guards rarely patrolled these places, let alone now that they were fully prepared to guard against the Prince of Yan's army. There were even fewer imperial guards here.
—The Imperial Guards have all gathered near the Taiji Hall to protect the Emperor.
Prince Xin looked at the palace, glancing around with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
Only then did his subordinates remember that this palace was where Prince Xin lived when he was young, but it was abandoned after Prince Xin left the palace to establish his own residence and the Dowager Consort passed away.
"Let's go," Prince Xin said coldly. "The Prince of Yan's army must have already arrived at the capital."
That defense map was the one he sent to the Prince of Yan.
He even arranged his own men at Xuanwu Gate so that the Prince of Yan's army could advance unimpeded.
If the Prince of Yan's army remains trapped outside the city, he will have no advantage over the emperor.
Upon hearing this, the subordinates couldn't help but admire the Prince's brilliant strategy.
— Prince Xin even planned for today's rain; he's truly remarkable!
"My spies have reported that the Prince of Yan's army has reached the foot of the capital and is currently attacking the palace gates. They should be able to approach the Taiji Hall in a few hours."
"More than half of the Imperial Guards are now surrounding the Taiji Hall. Roughly speaking, there are probably more than 10,000 of them."
As his subordinates relayed the intelligence, Prince Xin frowned: "More than ten thousand people?"
"I heard that His Majesty ordered the Imperial Guards to temporarily return to their posts, and most of the guards at the various city gates of the capital were transferred away."
Otherwise, even with Prince Xin's inside help, Xuanwu Gate wouldn't have fallen in just half an hour.
Prince Xin intuitively felt that this matter was more troublesome than he had anticipated, but since things had already come to this point, there was no turning back.
"Before the Prince of Yan approaches the Taiji Palace, everyone stay here and are not allowed to leave even for a moment," Prince Xin ordered coldly. "We must not alert the enemy at this crucial juncture."
Hearing what Prince Xin said, his subordinates nodded in agreement.
Under Prince Xin's years of training, whether it was his trusted confidants or the other soldiers, they all obeyed his every word. As soon as Prince Xin gave the order, the palace, which had just become lively, fell into dead silence again.
……
Meanwhile, the Second Prince led his entourage through the secret passage with difficulty.
The current imperial city was rebuilt on the basis of the imperial city of the previous dynasty. Many of the secret passages of the previous dynasty were sealed off at the beginning of the reconstruction, but the powerful families always have their ways.
The concubines in the palace also had their own ideas, so one secret passage after another was opened up.
The secret passage that the Second Prince is taking today was opened up by his maternal clan.
He already knew that the Prince of Yan's army had breached the city gates. It was because he knew this news that he hurriedly led his men into the secret passage without even having time to inform Consort Zhang.
She's just a woman.
He thought to himself, once he becomes emperor, what woman can't I have?
Consort Zhang was thus completely forgotten by him.
Inside the secret passage, the torches illuminated everyone's faces.
In a valley on the outskirts of Beijing, only a quarter of an hour away from the capital.
Xie Jinghan's eyes were sharp as he looked at the misty city gate ahead.
"Xuanwu Gate has fallen."