amaotonovel Chapter 623 Brotherly Conflict
Chapter 623 Brotherly Conflict
The gates of the entire imperial city have been closed one by one, but on the long street that should have been silent and dark, lights are winding in. Although there are no human voices, the sound of horse hooves is gradually becoming clearer.
Prince Ding breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally!"
The Second and Seventh Princes rushed towards the main gate of the palace. Inside, the two brothers exchanged a glance. They were clad in armor, swords in hand. Outside, a general beside the Third Prince shouted, urging his soldiers on: "Break down this gate! Your Majesty has died fighting at the border! The Evil Queen in the palace controls the government and the harem! Everyone, please follow me to purge the emperor's court and slay the Evil Queen!"
The heavy gate of the palace was pounded again and again by the battering ram, like a tireless bull, charging relentlessly. It was made of a thick tree trunk, with an iron front. The Third Prince ordered his soldiers to carry it and charge toward the gate, pounding it again and again. The "dong dong dong" sound was like the sound of death knocking on the door.
The soldiers outside the palace gate, their faces flushed, strained with all their might, while the defenders behind the gate desperately held on, shouting, “Hold on, hold on.” The power of this battering ram should not be underestimated.
However, both the Second Prince and the Seventh Prince were very calm inside the palace gate. They looked at each other, as if they were confident.
The Third and Fourth Princes rode on tall, sturdy horses, their faces solemnly fixed on the impact of the palace gate. On the other side of the Third Prince stood a middle-aged general. If the Emperor Shenwu were here, he would have recognized him immediately. This man was General Qi Zhinan, one of his former confidants. He had used his military exploits to secure the consortship of his own sister, Qi Zhihuan, but in the end, Qi Zhihuan perished in the harem! After Qi Zhihuan's death, Qi Zhinan remained unused by the Emperor Shenwu, remaining on the fringes of power. Year after year, Qi Zhinan's heart was filled with helplessness and resentment.
This time the third and fourth princes instigated a rebellion against Qi Zhinan, who had an old friendship with the imperial army. Qi Zhinan always had a few close friends, and he used threats, inducements, conspiracies, beauty traps, and gold, silver, and jewelry to finally get two or three of his "friends" to join the pirate ship. Because if they did not go along with the crowd and were exposed by Qi Zhinan, they would end up having their property confiscated, exiled, or even losing their lives!
The palace gate finally burst open with a loud bang. In the darkness, it looked like the gates of hell had been opened. The Third Prince's army rushed in, howling.
The Second and Seventh Princes shouted sternly, "Back off! Everyone, back off!"
When the palace gates were breached, Lan Qingwu, who was in Fengqi Palace, heard the crashing sound of the gates. She felt her heart pound. Then she heard the shouts of the enemy rushing in. Some of the concubines turned pale and tremblingly asked Lan Qingwu, "Empress... are they charging in?"
Lan Qingwu remained calm and composed: "Prince Ding and the two princes have their own arrangements, there is no need to panic!"
Lan Qingwu's calmness infected the concubines seated in the palace. They watched as Ruping, Ruhan, Furong, and Lianqi poured tea for them one by one and served them some new cakes. Lan Qingwu held out her hand and said, "Try these cakes! These are the new flavors developed by the small kitchen in Fengqi Palace."
Imperial Concubine Jiang was the first to reach out and pick up the cake, putting it in her mouth and tasting it: "It's really good! The people in the Queen's kitchen are different from those in other palaces!"
"Eat more if you like!"
Concubine Liang and the others picked up the cakes and started eating. It was a torturous enjoyment to hear the sounds of swords and killing and taste the delicious cakes in their mouths.
Outside, the Third and Fourth Princes rode their horses into the palace, trampling blood all over the ground. The four brothers finally stood facing each other. The Second Prince sighed softly, "Third and Fourth Brothers, why are you doing this? Father will return victorious soon. You are cutting off your own escape route!"
The Seventh Prince twitched his lips slightly. "General Qi Zhinan, it was you and my two brothers who colluded with each other to incite some of the troops in the suburbs to rebel. Did they know that they were committing a heinous act?"
Qi Zhinan said coldly, "God is unfair, Your Majesty is unfair. You all know how my sister passed away and how I have been neglected all these years!"
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes and said, "Today we will naturally avenge Concubine Qi. As long as we charge in, we will wipe out all those who stand in our way! Second Brother, I have never understood why you are willing to submit to the Crown Prince. In fact, if you and I join forces today, then in the future..."
The Second Prince's face darkened as he spoke, "Stop talking! If I don't submit to the Crown Prince, how can I submit to you? No matter how sweet your words may be now, Third Prince, you have already committed such a heinous act. Do you still think of submitting to others in the future? How can you and the Fourth Prince even attempt to determine who is superior? Besides, Father and the Crown Prince are still alive. If you continue to commit such rebellious acts, what good will happen to you and the Fourth Prince when the army returns? Listen to Second Prince's advice and surrender! I will plead with Father to spare your lives!"
The Third Prince laughed sarcastically, "Hahahahahahahahahaha! Can you spare my life? Should I be grateful? Second Brother, you are so naive. Don't you think that I am being imprisoned by my father right now? Such a life without freedom and a future is enough! We must capture the palace today. As for my father, he was killed by King Beinar at the border! When the court stabilizes in the future, I will announce to the world that my father has passed away! Even if there is still a crown prince, if he cannot return to the court in time to take up the responsibility at the border, I will naturally take his place!"
"Wild Miao!"
The Seventh Prince angrily rebuked him, "For your own ambition, you actually cursed our father! You are truly unfilial and unbrotherly. You are unworthy of being a son and a member of the royal family!"
The Third Prince's expression suddenly turned cold. "That's right! Not only Father, but Mother as well, has such a deep bond with Father. Then when the time comes, I'll have Mother go and accompany Father. What do you say, Xiaoqi? You, the legitimate descendants, have enjoyed Father's favor since childhood. I'll send you along to accompany Father, too!"
The Seventh Prince laughed angrily: "Stop making excuses for your own desires and ambitions! You're simply blaming everything on Father because your own greed is insatiable. Which of the princes has Father not carefully taught? Has Father never asked about your studies? Or taught you calligraphy? Or taught you the Five Arts? What's the reason for your resentment towards Father?"
The Third and Fourth Princes' expressions turned grim. The Third Prince said, "Yes, I wasn't treated unfairly, but Father treated my mother unfairly! I feel so sorry for my mother! Does Father dare to say he's not guilty of my mother? My mother passed away due to a serious illness, yet Father is still obsessed with your mother. Xiaoqi, do you think this is fair?"
The Seventh Prince shook his head gently. "There are three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines in the harem. They all entered the palace to compete for favor, each based on their own abilities. You are strong, I am weak, the winner is the king, the loser is the enemy. What right do you have to ask my mother to give her favor to your mother? Don't you think you are ridiculous? You don't even look at your own backyard, and you actually blame my father and mother!"
The Third Prince threw his head back and laughed heartily: "Yes! I shouldn't have expected too much! No matter how eloquent you are today, I will not give up this opportunity! I'll ask you one last time, Second Brother, are you sure you won't move aside? Don't regret it later!"
The Third Prince raised his sword high in the air: "Soldiers, follow me and charge in! Clear the court of evildoers and slay the Demon Queen!"