freenovelworld Chapter 475 Two years later, her son still came to stop him...
Chapter 475 Two years later, her son still came to stop him...
"Issue the order: three days from now, I will hold my enthronement ceremony in the Hall of Supreme Harmony! Proclaim to the world that I, Zhao Chengyu, will once again ascend the throne and reign over the Eastern Jin Dynasty!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Qingmo Valley members all knelt down, their voices filled with barely concealed excitement. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Zhao Chengyu waved his hand, signaling them to rise, and then his gaze fell on Zhao Yunci, who was slumped in the chair, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"As for you, my 'good nephew,' I will trouble you to stay at Jingxin Villa for the time being. After I ascend the throne, I will find you a beautiful place to live out your remaining years."
He turned and strode out, preparing to personally oversee the enthronement ceremony.
He carefully tucked the abdication edict into his bosom, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
The stone door to the secret chamber slowly closed, isolating Zhao Yunci inside.
Once the footsteps had completely faded away, Zhao Yunci slowly opened her eyes, her earlier dejection and despair completely gone.
He slowly sat up straight, a faint yet slightly mocking smile playing on his lips.
He reached out and gently brushed his hand across his sleeve, where a barely noticeable ink stain seemed to have been found.
"Uncle, Uncle, this game has only just begun," he murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming. "What you think is the end game is just the prelude I've set up for you."
He knew that Gu Junze's troops had arrived.
But Gu Junze wasn't the only pawn he laid out.
Inside and outside the capital, undercurrents were already surging.
Three days later, in the Taihe Hall of the Imperial Palace in the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Today, the palace is brightly decorated, yet it exudes a somber and murderous atmosphere.
The troops from Qingmo Valley replaced most of the Imperial Guards, guarding every corner of the palace.
Wearing a brand-new dragon robe and a crown, Zhao Chengyu walked step by step toward the dragon throne in the Hall of Pilgrimage, surrounded by the people of Qingmo Valley.
He had been longing for this moment for over twenty years, waiting to be worshipped by all the officials.
The auspicious hour had arrived, and the master of ceremonies was about to loudly announce the start of the ceremony.
Sudden--
"Woo-wu-wu-"
The urgent sound of horns came from outside the city and pierced through the palace walls of the imperial city.
Immediately afterwards, the earth seemed to begin to tremble slightly, and the sound of ten thousand horses galloping came from afar.
The smile on King Zhou's face froze instantly. He turned his head sharply towards the direction outside the city and asked, "What's going on? What's all the commotion outside the city?"
"Your Majesty, that sound... it sounds like an army marching!"
Almost simultaneously, within the imperial city, smoke billowed into the sky from the southeast, northwest, and due south directions.
"A signal fire! It's a signal fire!" someone exclaimed.
King Zhou's pupils contracted sharply, and a strong sense of unease rose in his heart.
He never expected that Gu Junze would act so quickly!
What alarmed him even more was that there were spies within the city that he was unaware of!
"Report! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!" A Qingmo Valley disciple scrambled to his feet, "Outside the city... a large army has appeared outside the city, and their banners... their banners are those of the Pingzhou Army! And the leader is Gu Junze!"
"What?!" King Zhou's expression changed drastically, and his hands under his dragon robe clenched into fists.
His meticulously planned coronation ceremony, a moment he had been looking forward to for decades, was interrupted at the last minute!
"Gu Junze!" he gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.
Twenty years ago, Anyang stopped him. Twenty years later, her son comes to stop him again…
Outside the capital, dust swirled.
Gu Junze, clad in armor, sat atop his warhorse, with the Pingzhou army stretching as far as the eye could see behind him.
"Soldiers in the city, listen up! The man before you is Zhao Chengyu, the traitor from the Rebellion of the Five Princes!"
"He has adopted the alias 'Master of Qingmo Valley,' wreaking havoc on the court and bewitching the people. Now he is even attempting to seize the throne by forcing the emperor to abdicate!"
"The late emperor treated you all well; how can you aid and abet tyranny and associate with traitors?"
"Now, I, the general, have been ordered by His Majesty to lead a large army to purge the court of treacherous officials and punish the rebels! Those who have abandoned the darkness and embraced the light will be spared all punishment! Those who remain obstinate and stubbornly resist will be executed without mercy on the day the city falls!"
Gu Junze's voice was like thunder, echoing inside and outside the city walls.
On the city wall, many former Imperial Guard soldiers showed hesitation and wavering upon hearing this.
King Zhou heard this clearly and trembled with rage: "Rebellion! They've all rebelled! Seize Gu Junze! Seize him!"
However, although the Qingmo Valley people around him remained loyal, they had lost their resolve in the face of the imposing army outside the city and the smoke signals burning inside.
At that very moment, within the Qingmo Valley camp...
A high-ranking deputy valley master, who was usually deeply trusted by Zhao Chengyu, suddenly shouted, "Valley Master! No, Zhao Chengyu! Don't try to deceive us anymore!"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.
Zhao Chengyu suddenly looked at the deputy valley master, his eyes filled with disbelief, "Left Protector! You...you dare to betray me?!"
The man known as the Left Protector sighed softly, "Zhao Chengyu! Twenty years ago, you persecuted loyal officials and even slaughtered your own brothers..."
"We joined Qingmo Valley to uphold justice, but we never expected to be used by you and become your tools for usurping the throne!"
He took something from his robes and held it high: "Please look, everyone! This is the abdication edict signed by His Majesty Zhao Yunci that day!"
All eyes turned to the edict, and there was indeed a small, inconspicuous corner where the ink had blurred, besides Zhao Yunci's signature and the imperial seal.
The Left Protector declared loudly, "His Majesty had already anticipated that you would resort to this method!"
"These ink stains are the secret code agreed upon between His Majesty and us! They prove that this edict was signed under duress and was not His Majesty's original intention!"
"His Majesty has never given up! He has endured humiliation and dealt with you, all for this day, for General Gu's army to arrive, and for us loyal and righteous men to set things right!"
The truth is revealed!
It turns out that Zhao Yunci's "cooperation" and "dejection" over the past few days were all an act!
He not only contacted Gu Junze, but also secretly turned some of the high-ranking members of Qingmo Valley against him!
King Zhou always thought of himself as a master strategist, unaware that he had already stepped into the carefully woven trap of Zhao Yunci.
"No...impossible!" King Zhou staggered back a step.
His hard-earned business, built over decades, and his meticulous planning over decades, all fell apart at the very last moment before he was about to succeed!
"Ah—!" King Zhou let out a unwilling roar.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was frantic. "I am the chosen one! I am the emperor of the Eastern Jin! You traitors! I will kill you all! I will kill every single one of you!"
Just as King Zhou was going mad, a figure suddenly appeared on the south gate tower of the imperial city.
Zhao Yunci, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, held a jade seal high in his hand!
"All soldiers, listen to my command! The traitor Zhao Chengyu has committed treason and is plotting rebellion!"