Chapter 78: A Bunch of Useless Trash
Lu Cang knew that staging a sudden coup was a bit hasty, but he was confident in his own power. To him, replacing an Emperor was a trivial matter.
The Lu family would never be branded as rebellious traitors, but as for who sat on the imperial throne—that would be decided by Lu Cang.
The plan was for the Ministry of War to mobilize the Military Department to secure the city gates, simultaneously preventing other aristocratic families from entering the palace to rescue the Emperor. Dong Changrui would seize the Emperor himself. Lu Cang only needed to bring a few men into the palace, and that would be enough to make the Emperor obediently write an edict of abdication.
He hadn’t planned on killing the Emperor today. Given the rumors Princess Xuanyang had been spreading, if the Emperor were to actually die, it would likely solidify his reputation as a traitor. So, he didn’t intend for Xiao Jingyun to die. Instead, he wanted him to write an edict passing the throne to Prince Chen, after which he would be sent to guard the Imperial Mausoleum.
As long as Xiao Jingyun didn’t die within the palace walls, who would care whether a deposed emperor lived or died at the Imperial Mausoleum?
However, the moment he made his move, Lu Cang realized he had grossly underestimated the situation.
A vice-commander from the Military Department produced the Emperor’s Golden Order and executed the Commander and Shao Wanfeng, the Minister of War. The Military Department never mobilized.
Dong Changrui led the Dark Scale Guards to provide support, but the Emperor had already been spirited away. Instead, it was Dong Changrui who was captured. The Dark Scale Guards recognize only their Token; without it, not a single guard moved.
Then, the Wang family and their allies appeared with the Emperor, confronting him directly before the Golden Hall.
Now, he was the traitor, the rebel. The crowd opposite him was in a frenzy, shouting curses and showering him with spittle.
Even now, Lu Cang remained unruffled.
He had to admit that, one by one, the day’s events had spiraled out of his control and caused him considerable trouble. But he still held the ultimate trump card. Once he played it, he wouldn’t even have to lift a finger; Xiao Jingyun would have to meekly scramble down from the throne himself.
’He was born a legitimate prince and has been Emperor for many years. It’s about time he abdicated.’
"Your Majesty." Lu Cang maintained his condescending posture, like a merciless judge. "If you write the edict of abdication now, this old minister can, for the late Emperor’s sake, grant you a dignified exit."
Knowing full well that none of Lu Cang’s reinforcements had arrived and that he now held the upper hand, would Xiao Jingyun really be intimidated into writing an edict by a few empty threats?
What a ridiculous notion.
"Lu Cang, if you kneel and surrender this instant, I can spare your life for my father’s sake."
Unaware that Lu Cang still held a fatal secret over him, Xiao Jingyun shot back with supreme arrogance.
’After being suppressed by Lu Cang for so many years, he’d never felt so vindicated! He would never have to take any of Lu Cang’s crap again!’
Lu Cang’s gaze darkened as he looked at the ignorant fool. His patience exhausted, he finally delivered his sentence. "That year, the Empress Dowager gave birth to a girl—"
BANG!
The explosive sound made everyone’s heart leap.
They looked around in confusion, as if nothing had happened.
"Ah! Mr. Lu, what’s wrong?"
"Mr. Lu is wounded!"
As the sound echoed, Lu Cang collapsed, blood gushing from his chest.
A military general instantly identified the direction of the sound and pointed to a nearby wall. "The assassin is over there!"
BANG!
Another shot rang out. This one was far more accurate than the last, blowing a military general’s head apart.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Five bullets. No need to aim precisely—they were all fired into the area around Lu Cang, randomly selecting a few lucky victims.
Once the bullets were spent, Xiao Li didn’t bother disassembling the weapon. She just slung the gun over her shoulder and left.
By the time the military generals gave chase, she had already darted into a hiding spot she’d picked out earlier.
Only Yang Jun was with her. He had been dumbfounded when Xiao Li fired the first shot. The incredible range, the deafening explosion... this unprecedented type of Hidden Weapon suddenly reminded him of the assassination attempt on the Prince Consort.
’Could it be that the Princess was the one who tried to assassinate the Prince Consort?’
Before he could sort out his thoughts, Xiao Li had finished firing and was already pulling him away to flee.
The two of them were now hidden behind a secret door. He felt like his own heartbeat was louder than the footsteps outside.
His heart was in his throat, and every nerve in his body was stretched taut. He didn’t dare to take a deep breath.
In the midst of this tension, he heard a soft rustling sound.
Though quiet, he could tell it was the clinking of metal. The sound was familiar—it was the same noise he’d heard on the palace wall when the Princess had opened the case and assembled the object inside.
CLICK.
The case snapped shut. The Princess must have finished disassembling the weapon and putting it away.
At that sound, Yang Jun’s heart gradually began to steady. ’The Princess is just full of surprises,’ he thought. ’How does she possess such a formidable weapon?’
But as a proper subordinate, he knew he couldn’t ask if the Princess didn’t volunteer the information.
He pressed his ear to the door, listening carefully. The footsteps outside seemed to have faded.
He didn’t speak right away, continuing to listen with caution. Only when he was certain no one was outside did he carefully open the door a crack, peek out, and scan the area.
"Princess, it’s clear."
Xiao Li left the gun in the secret passage and swaggered out with Yang Jun in tow.
Lu Cang was gravely wounded, and of the men he’d brought, two were dead and two were injured. The Emperor immediately seized the opportunity to launch a counter-offensive, finally securing his victory.
All Xiao Li wanted was for Lu Cang and Prince Chen to fail. As long as that happened, the aftermath was none of her concern. Still, she had to go see the Emperor.
The area in front of the Golden Hall was still being cleared. Inside, the Emperor and his ministers were gathered, discussing how to punish Prince Chen and Lu Cang.
Lu Cang was severely wounded but not dead. Even in victory, the Emperor had only thrown them all into the Heavenly Prison.
He could have used this opportunity to execute them on the spot, yet here the Emperor was, deliberating with a group of officials on how to formally convict Lu Cang and his faction.
Xiao Li was speechless. ’What a bunch of useless teammates. They all deserved to die at Lu Cang’s hands.’
’A pack of worthless fools.’
Xiao Li glanced at the entrance. Dong Changrui wasn’t there, and neither was Lou Yan. An old eunuch still stood guard at the door. Judging by his robes, he was one of the four great eunuchs, but Xiao Li didn’t recognize which one.
Xiao Li started to walk in, but he raised a hand to stop her. "Princess, the Jinluan Hall is no place for you."
Xiao Li gave him a smirk. "Whether I can enter is for His Majesty to decide. Please be so kind as to announce me."
The man lifted his heavy eyelids to glance at her, but ultimately went to announce her presence.
He returned a moment later, his expression still unreadable. "His Majesty will see the Princess."
The moment Xiao Li stepped inside, all eyes in the grand hall turned to her, surprised that a princess would dare set foot in the Jinluan Hall.
However, with the matter of Lu Cang’s rebellion still fresh, a princess entering the Jinluan Hall hardly seemed worth a heated debate.
Xiao Li’s objective was clear. She walked straight up to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I’ve come to retrieve something."
Xiao Jingyun sounded both surprised and exasperated. "You couldn’t even wait a moment longer?"
Xiao Li looked at him. "I imagine Your Majesty will be quite busy from now on. I wouldn’t want to disturb you later."
As if Xiao Jingyun would believe such pleasantries.
"The item is in the Imperial Study Room. Go get it yourself."
Xiao Jingyun was exhausted, but he was also in a rare, cheerful mood and feeling quite agreeable. Knowing that Xiao Li had been instrumental behind the scenes, he trusted her implicitly.
Especially now that Lu Cang was a traitor, the marriage engagement between Xiao Li and Lu Yanzhi ought to be dissolved as soon as possible.
Xiao Li offered her thanks and left without another word.
Wang Changwen wanted to know what sort of riddle the Emperor and the Princess were speaking in, but the Emperor clearly had no desire to discuss it. ’Well, the Princess isn’t that important anyway,’ he thought. ’It’s better to focus on dealing with Lu Cang first.’
When a great whale falls, a thousand new lives flourish.
With a behemoth like the Lu family toppled, the most critical task was deciding how to carve up the spoils.
The Lu family’s wealth would most likely be confiscated by the crown, and he didn’t covet it. What truly made him and the others salivate were the official posts left vacant by the Lu family’s faction. He, for one, was determined to secure the position of Grand Secretary.