Chapter 107: "Kill Him!
Xiao Sheng had only wanted to make his presence known, to lay the groundwork for the coming battle for the throne. He never expected the Emperor to stare him down as if her mind had snapped.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Xiao Sheng glanced at Prince Jing and casually toyed with the Jade Pendant at his waist.
Xiao Hong was still in his hands. If Prince Jing wanted his son to live, he’d best not make any reckless moves.
He was being threatened.
Prince Jing defiantly raised his chin and turned his head, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing. ’If Xiao Sheng manages to walk out of here today, I’ll admit defeat!’
At this critical moment, the Empress Dowager spoke up again. "A nation cannot go a single day without a sovereign. Since everyone is present, this is the perfect opportunity to select a new Emperor."
Prince Jing glared irritably at the Empress Dowager. "You keep calling yourself a criminal, so since when does a criminal get to preside over affairs of the state? The Emperor is a woman and cannot rule, but what gives you the right to run your mouth here?"
The more Prince Jing spoke, the more imperious he became. He put his hands on his hips. "So you think the Emperor’s words carry no weight? Well, I am a son of Emperor Taizhong himself, a true Prince of the blood. Men, drag this criminal out!"
The Empress Dowager was already frail. His words made her face drain of all color, and she nearly fainted from rage.
Unfortunately for her, she had confessed to being a criminal herself, and Prince Jing’s status was indisputable.
Xiao Sheng took a deep breath. He realized he couldn’t count on those two.
He strode forward. "You’re just dodging the issue. At the end of the day, you can’t bear to part with the throne. But today, the matter is out of your hands."
"Step down willingly, and for the sake of our Sixth Brother, I will allow you to retain the title of Princess so you can continue to live in splendor. But if you insist on this pointless struggle, don’t blame me for being ruthless in the name of the Xiao Family’s ancestral legacy."
He clenched his fist and looked at all the officials. "You all remain silent. Do you intend to support her?"
A group of officials who had long ago sided with Xiao Sheng gathered around him.
Even neutral figures like Minister Zhou, after a moment’s thought, turned their gazes to Prince Jing. They could never support a prince who had seemingly returned from the dead to be Emperor. Weighing their options, Prince Jing was the most suitable candidate.
In the end, only Rong Yin, Xiao Lv, and a handful of others remained by the Emperor’s side.
In Xiao Sheng’s eyes, such a small group no longer posed a threat.
"Are you going to step down yourself, or must I *invite* you down?"
A troop of the Imperial Guard surged forward. They still wore the palace armor, but each had a red scarf tied around his neck, instantly setting them apart from the rest.
They had been the Emperor’s personal guards, but simply because the Emperor was a woman, they had been easily turned. Now, they pointed their blades at the sovereign they had once sworn to protect.
Xiao Sheng took the sword a guard handed him, unsheathed it in one smooth motion, and assumed a combat stance. His eyes burned with his ambition to seize the throne.
’First, I’ll take care of the Little Emperor, then Prince Jing. The throne is as good as mine today.’
Seeing Xiao Sheng’s stance, Xiao Yang had no desire to waste any more words. She gave a direct order: "Kill him!"
The Imperial Guards were the first to charge forward. They had all been handpicked by Li Wei, every one of them a battle-hardened veteran. Each of their strikes was a killing blow.
A guard beside Xiao Sheng suddenly flung off his armor, revealing all-black attire beneath. He moved like a phantom, lunging straight for Xiao Yang.
CLANG!
Rong Yin drew his sword and blocked the strike, but his arm was still slashed open. A tremor of shock ran through him.
’This man’s martial arts are far superior to mine.’
"Protect the Emperor!"
Rong Yin charged, attempting to draw the deadly assassin away from the Emperor.
Xiao Lv shielded Xiao Yang with his own body.
Xiao Lan and Xiao Cheng joined forces to fight back.
Jinluan Palace had become a bloody battlefield. The Empress Dowager and Chen Qian scurried to the side. Watching the three Xiao brothers still defending the Little Emperor, the Empress Dowager’s expression turned grim. "Why... why are they still protecting her?"
Chen Qian frowned. ’This situation is getting complicated,’ he thought. ’I can’t believe that even after the Little Emperor admitted to being a woman, so many people are still fighting to the death for her.’
’What kind of spell has the Little Emperor cast on them?’
Xiao Sheng’s top assassin moved like a phantom, his martial arts skills exceptionally high. Rong Yin and his personal guard, Qing Yu, could barely hold him back even when fighting together. Despite their efforts, the number of their wounds continued to multiply.
Qing Yu was soon tied down by another assassin. Just as the first was about to deliver a fatal blow to Rong Yin, a snow-white blade sliced through the air, swiftly intercepting the killing strike and launching a counterattack.
When he saw who it was, Rong Yin’s expression shifted.
’Didn’t Feng Xian say Meng Xuechen had never trained in martial arts? I’ve known him for three years and have never seen him fight. He doesn’t even have the aura of a Martial Artist.’
And yet, Meng Xuechen’s aura was still faint, but his phantasmal techniques looked remarkably similar to those of the assassin.
Seeing Meng Xuechen start to lose ground, Rong Yin immediately jumped in with his sword to help.
Seeing the situation slip from their grasp, Liu Shixu and Xiao Sheng, who had been holding back, finally made their move. Liu Shixu went after Xiao Lv, while Xiao Sheng’s sole target was Xiao Yang.
’I originally planned to have the courtiers force the Emperor to abdicate,’ Xiao Sheng thought, ’while I used my power and my hostage, Prince Jing, to seize the throne. I never thought the Emperor actually had some fight in her, enough to resist this long.’
’Since it’s come to this, I’ll have to take the throne by force.’
Lin Yi and a few other eunuchs stood in front of Xiao Yang. Their martial arts were not advanced, and they were fated to be nothing more than cannon fodder, yet none of them retreated or fled.
Xiao Yang had no intention of letting them die for her. She slowly drew the Emperor’s Sword. "Man or demon, I will face him myself."
Xiao Yang was not a warmonger, but she never shied away from a battle.
She raised her hand, unleashed a killing blow, and charged.
CLANG.
The two fine swords clashed, emitting a melodic hum that was nonetheless thick with killing intent.
Xiao Sheng sneered, "This throne is no longer yours. Why put up such a pointless struggle?"
Xiao Yang scoffed. "Even if I weren’t the Emperor, the throne would never be yours for the taking."
’I have always been defiant. I could give this throne away of my own free will, but I will never accept being forced off it.’
’They think that by exposing my identity, I’ll just slink away and hand over the throne. In that case, I’m more determined than ever to *be* the Emperor!’
A surge of killing intent erupted from Xiao Yang. Her strikes turned vicious as she pressed the attack.
Xiao Sheng, for his part, had some skill; he parried every blow and was even able to strike back.
Together, Rong Yin and Meng Xuechen finally managed to grievously wound the assassin. Just as they were about to finish him off, the assassin made a desperate gamble, launching a frenzied attack toward Xiao Yang.
Xiao Yang was concentrating on her fight with Xiao Sheng, completely unguarded against the assassin’s charge. If the blow landed, she would be severely wounded, if not killed outright.
Rong Yin and Meng Xuechen lunged forward at almost the same time. At the critical moment, Meng Xuechen used his movement technique to get there a step faster, positioning himself in front of Xiao Yang and blocking the assassin’s desperate blow.
Rong Yin’s reaction was lightning-fast. Seeing he couldn’t block the attack in time, he went straight for the kill instead.
At last, the highly skilled assassin fell at Rong Yin’s hands.
Xiao Yang finally wounded Xiao Sheng. She glanced back just in time to see Rong Yin, his face splattered with blood, and Meng Xuechen, who was clutching his heart as he slowly collapsed.