txolops Chapter 189 Chaos in the Royal Palace
Chapter 189 Chaos in the Royal Palace
Both of them trembled upon hearing Di Xin's words and immediately turned to look at Queen Jiang.
If what Di Xin said is true, then they will be unable to save Queen Jiang.
King Jiang's face turned deathly pale, but she forced herself to stand tall and said in a sorrowful and indignant voice:
"My two prime ministers, I merely wished to rid the country of a scourge. Since Su Daji entered the palace, only three short months have passed."
This threw the palace into chaos, and they repeatedly slandered the king, inciting him to kill the three border lords in the southeast and west!
"Now my father, Marquis Jiang Wenhuan of the East, and Marquis E Chongyu of the South, have both been unjustly executed."
Only Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, remains in custody. What crime have they committed?
"What?!"
Shang Rong and Bi Gan were struck dumb, their faces turning ashen and their bodies swaying precariously.
The three marquises of the southeast, west, and central regions, each governing one of the two hundred vassal states, were the pillars that protected the great Shang dynasty.
If they were truly killed, all four hundred feudal lords of the land would be shaken, and the Shang dynasty would be in imminent danger of collapse.
Several months ago, Emperor Xin did indeed detain three dukes on trumped-up charges when eight hundred vassal lords came to pay homage.
At that time, although they offered advice, they were not overly worried.
After all, the king's former image of wisdom and might was still fresh in their minds. They thought it was just a way for the king to intimidate his subjects, and never expected that he would actually kill them.
The beginning of all these dramatic changes was the day Su Daji stepped into the palace.
"Your Majesty, please depose the wicked concubine and restore order to the court!"
Bi Gan and Shang Rong kowtowed repeatedly, pleading with him in hoarse voices.
But Di Xin ignored their cries.
A flash of ferocity appeared in his eyes, and he suddenly shoved Bigan, who was blocking his way, aside and snatched the sword from the armored soldier beside him.
"Queen, be careful!"
Before anyone could react, Queen Jiang let out a muffled groan, staggered backward, and fell onto the cold ground.
"queen!!"
"Your Majesty! How could you do this?!"
Inside the Nine-Room Hall, screams and cries of grief mingled.
Di Xin didn't even glance at the body that was gradually losing its warmth, and indifferently threw down his blood-stained sword.
He turned and walked towards Su Daji, who was lying on the ground, and gently helped her up. His actions were completely different from his violent behavior just now.
"Mother Empress!!!"
Just as this deathly silence and chaos were spreading, two mournful howls came from outside the palace.
Immediately afterwards, two young men, wielding sharp swords and with bloodshot eyes, rushed into the hall; they were Yin Jiao and Yin Hong.
Taibai, who had been observing quietly from the shadows, took a half step back upon seeing this, giving the stage to the sudden storm.
Not only the two princes, but also hurried footsteps and shouts could be heard outside the palace gates, as ministers who had heard the news rushed over.
When Yin Jiao and Yin Hong's eyes fell on their mother lying in a pool of blood, their last shred of reason completely vanished.
"Su Daji! You vixen! My brother and I swear to kill you today to avenge our mother!"
The two men raised their longswords, their cold blades pointing directly at the figure nestled in Di Xin's arms.
"You unfilial children! Are you going to rebel too?"
Di Xin's thunderous roar shook the palace, and the surrounding guards and soldiers instantly surrounded them with spears, trapping the two princes inside.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Shang Rong and Bi Gan knelt down and stepped forward, using their bodies to shield the prince from the armored soldiers:
"The two princes were overwhelmed with grief and indignation and had no intention of rebelling! The root of the trouble lies with this wicked concubine!"
"Your Majesty, please execute Su Daji immediately to bring peace to the realm and comfort the Queen's spirit in heaven!"
Di Xin's gaze swept over them without lingering, focusing solely on his two sons who held swords.
"Father! What crime did Mother commit to deserve such a cruel fate? She was virtuous and devoted to you, Father. She never harbored any disloyalty!"
Outside the hall, the assembled officials had arrived, kneeling in a dense, dark mass, their grief and indignation echoing through the hall's doors.
"Your Majesty, please execute the wicked concubine and restore order to the court!!"
Faced with his eldest son's tearful questioning and the thunderous remonstrances outside the palace, Di Xin's facial muscles twitched, and he unusually waved his hand.
The armored soldiers who surrounded Yin Jiao and Yin Hong hesitated for a moment, then slowly retreated.
"Your mother is secretly possessing a weapon with the intention of assassinating you. This is treason, and she deserves to die."
And you, wielding sharp blades, stormed into the palace, pointing directly at me and the Queen. Do you also intend to follow in her footsteps?
Lay down your weapons now and get out of the palace. I can still consider our father-son relationship and pretend nothing happened.
"Father! Mother is eliminating a traitor for the country, not rebelling! Father, are you really going to kill your own flesh and blood for this vixen? Aren't you afraid that history will be like iron, and future generations will all condemn you as a tyrant?!"
"Good...good! What a tyrant!"
Di Xin laughed in extreme anger, the last glimmer of clarity in his eyes being swallowed up by a violent killing intent.
He suddenly grabbed the blood-stained longsword from the ground again, its blade pointing directly at his two biological sons:
"Since you are so determined to die, I will pretend I never had you two rebellious sons!"
Before he finished speaking, the sword light, carrying the force of a storm, slashed down on Yin Jiao and Yin Hong.
The two princes had practiced martial arts since childhood and were quick-witted. In their grief and anger, they also drew their swords to fight back.
However, they were ultimately young and weak, how could they possibly defeat Di Xin, who had once been able to support the nation?
In a few moves, the bronze swords in the hands of the two men broke in two.
Upon seeing this, Shang Rong and Bigan, who were closest to the emperor, immediately stepped forward and embraced Di Xin, while Shang Rong grabbed the two princes and tried to pull them away.
Outside the Nine-Room Hall, several loyal ministers, including Mei Bo and Du Yuanxian, rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Some helped Taibai into the hall, while others protected the prince and retreated.
Taibai observed coldly and immediately realized that most of these people were loyal old nobles.
To his slight surprise, his ministers dared to storm the Nine-Room Palace and even openly defy Emperor Xin.
However, they ultimately underestimated Di Xin's strength.
All the ministers who rushed forward, whether civil or military, were knocked unconscious by Di Xin with a single blow.
"Fang Bi, Fang Xiang! Quickly take the two princes away!"
Seeing that no one could stop Emperor Xin, Shang Rong hurriedly ordered General Fang Bi and Prime Minister Fang to take the prince away.
The two men were upright and kind-hearted, and unable to bear witnessing the royal family killing each other, they immediately carried the prince on their backs and fled out of the palace.
When Di Xin saw that the two had escaped, he was even more furious:
"Huang Feihu! Send men to capture those two rebellious sons, dead or alive! All officials present here today shall each receive thirty strokes of the cane!"
Having said that, he threw his sword to the ground, helped Su Daji up, and went straight to the inner palace.
After everything had calmed down, Taibai flicked his sleeves and quietly walked out of the palace gate.
With Queen Jiang's death already occurring ahead of schedule, the calamity for Mei Bo and others is probably not far off.
Based on the timeline, Jiang Ziya should have already descended the mountain and is probably already in Chaoge City.
"My junior brother is probably divining on the street right now. We might as well go and take a look; perhaps we can secretly help him."
Thinking of this, Taibai quickened his pace and headed straight for Chaoge North Street.
That was the most bustling place in the city, and according to Taibai's estimation, Jiang Ziya would most likely set up a divination stall there.
A moment later, Taibai arrived at North Street.
As expected, Jiang Ziya was setting up a stall on the street.
The surroundings were calm and there was nothing unusual.
Taibai was not in a hurry to acknowledge Jiang Ziya, but simply stood quietly in the distance, watching everything from the shadows.
Chapter update reminder: Chapter 189 Chaos in the Royal Palace, read here.