nashuaworldcup Chapter 565
Chapter 565
The late spring breeze, carrying the stench of blood, swept across the vermilion threshold of the Regent's Palace. Dongfang Wan'er's knuckles, gripping her sword, turned white as she watched the torches cast flickering light on the corridor. The bronze bells on the eaves tinkled softly, as if preparing a prelude to the impending battle. She raised her hand, signaling the armored soldiers lying in ambush in the corridor to be silent. Moonlight streamed a cold glint onto the spine of her black iron sword.
Just after the third watch gong sounded, a flurry of footsteps echoed across the bluestone pavement. Leading the group was Wang Chongnian, the Minister of Rites, dressed in a robe embroidered with python patterns, the jade belt buckle at his waist clinking crisply with each step. Behind him followed more than twenty masked assassins, their blades still damp with blood—clearly, they had already taken control of the city gates. "With the Regent absent, this palace is like fish on a chopping board," Wang Chongnian sneered, stroking his beard, his boots crushing half-open magnolia blossoms on the ground.
Before the words were finished, sharp whistles suddenly rang out from all around the Prince's residence. Dozens of black military flags embroidered with the character "镇" (zhen, meaning "suppress") unfurled in the air, the clanging of armor clashing coming from all directions. Dongfang Wan'er slowly emerged from behind the screen wall, followed by a hundred personal guards who surged through the courtyard like a tide. Her white robes billowed in the night wind, and her long sword pointed directly at the traitors: "Lord Wang, have you broken into the residence in the dead of night to discuss the old grievances of forming cliques with the late Emperor?"
Wang Chongnian's pupils constricted, but he still forced himself to remain calm: "Witch! She's only relying on the Regent's protection..." Before he could finish speaking, Dongfang Wan'er leaped into the air, her sword light cascading like a silver river, instantly disarming three assassins. The palace erupted in shouts of battle, arrows and blades weaving a deadly net under the moonlight.
In the heat of battle, Dongfang Wan'er caught a glimpse of flames soaring into the west courtyard. She spun around, deflecting a dagger aimed at her throat, and with a swift backhand, slit her own throat, simultaneously shouting, "Send two teams to guard the armory!" Blood splattered on her pale cheeks, but could not conceal the chilling killing intent in her eyes. In the chaos, she noticed Wang Chongnian attempting to flee towards the study—where the military tally was hidden.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the palace was equally tense. The Regent slammed his teacup down on the table, the sound of shattering porcelain startling a palace maid beside the Empress Dowager. "The Empress Dowager says my brother is unconscious, but why can't she even produce the medical records from the Imperial Physicians' Office?" His gaze swept sharply over the several uneasy-looking ministers below the steps. Before he finished speaking, the sound of clashing weapons suddenly came from outside the window. He sneered and drew a long sword from a guard's waist: "So, they really couldn't hold back."
As the Regent led the Imperial Guards to breach the palace gates, Dongfang Wan'er was facing off against Wang Chongnian in the Prince's martial arts training ground. The rebels' offensive was nearing its end, but a deep, bone-revealing wound had been slashed across her left shoulder. Seeing no hope of reinforcements, Wang Chongnian suddenly drew a short blade from his sleeve and thrust it at her face, but was forced back by a flash of cold light before it could touch her skin—the Regent's longsword had somehow appeared between them.
"Traitorous villains, they deserve to die!" The Regent's voice trembled with rage. He used an unorthodox and ruthless sword technique, subduing Wang Chongnian in just three moves. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the remaining rebels threw down their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy. Dongfang Wan'er looked at the mess on the ground, her tense nerves finally relaxing, but suddenly her vision went black, and she almost fell.
"Watch out!" The Regent swiftly caught her, his heart aching as he touched her palm, which was covered in blisters. Dongfang Wan'er forced a smile: "I'm alright... the Tiger Tally is safe." The sky was beginning to lighten, the morning light casting a hazy glow on their golden figures. In the distance, the sound of the night watchman's gong signaling the end of the night's carnage could be heard, as if the bloodshed of the previous night was nothing but a nightmare.
However, when the Regent looked at the unconscious Dongfang Wan'er in his arms, and then at the corpses of the rebels scattered on the ground, he understood: this was merely the calm before the storm. The undercurrents in the court were still churning; the iron cavalry of the northern frontier could march south at any moment, and the tiger tally in their hands, while a vital instrument of national protection, had also become a death warrant coveted by all sides.
In late spring, the Zichen Palace was shrouded in dark clouds. The ambergris rising from the bronze crane incense burner mingled with the smell of ink, creating a suffocating atmosphere amidst the carved beams and painted rafters. When the eighth impeachment memorial slammed down on the steps, the censors below the jade steps were already lined up in a goose-like formation, their python robes and jade belts gleaming coldly in the morning light.
"The Regent has arbitrarily killed a high-ranking official, and Dongfang Wan'er, a mere woman, has interfered in politics and abused her power!" Minister Wang of the Court of State Ceremonies trembled as he presented his creased memorial, his cloudy eyes glancing frequently toward the high hall of the Golden Palace. Behind him, more than thirty officials knelt down in unison, their robes billowing like churning dark clouds.
The Regent sat regally on his dragon throne, the gold threads on his black python robe gleaming faintly in the shadows. His long, slender fingers traced the dragon patterns on the armrests, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling officials below. A half-smile played on his lips: "You all speak so righteously, yet I wonder who last night smuggled three cartloads of furs from the northern frontier into their own residence?" These words were like a poisoned dagger, sending a chill down the spines of several officials.
Dongfang Wan'er leaned against the dragon-carved pillar, a corner of a snow-white bandage peeking out from her wide sleeves, making her pale face appear even more haggard. But her phoenix eyes shone with an astonishing light as she looked at the hypocritical ministers, a mocking smile playing on her lips. She raised her hand to press against her throbbing wound, pulling at the scabbed flesh, yet seemed oblivious to the pain.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a gray-clad spy stumbled in: "Report—100,000 iron cavalry from the Northern Frontier have assembled outside Yanmen Pass, and the vanguard is less than a hundred li from the border!" These words were like a thunderclap, throwing the entire court into chaos. Some staggered and grabbed the sleeves of their colleagues, while others frantically knocked over their official tablets. Only the two people on the jade steps remained motionless.
The Regent slowly rose, his black python robe fluttering in the wind: "The northern border harbors wolves' ambitions; I, the Regent, shall personally lead the expedition!" He turned to Dongfang Wan'er, a hint of barely perceptible concern in his eyes: "Wan'er, the capital is entrusted to you." Dongfang Wan'er forced a bow, her voice soft yet carrying immense weight: "Your Highness, rest assured, as long as the capital stands, I stand."
Three days later, the streets were packed with people seeing him off. The Regent, clad in heavy black armor, rode a black horse that neighed proudly amidst the shattered morning light. He looked back at Dongfang Wan'er on the city gate tower. She was dressed in a plain white outfit, the newly fitted soft sword at her waist gleaming coldly. Her slender figure appeared incredibly resolute amidst the fluttering banners.
Upon returning to the capital, Dongfang Wan'er, disregarding her injuries, immediately summoned the Commander of the Nine Gates. Unfurling a map, she quickly circled areas on the city's defenses with her vermilion brush: "Immediately seal all city gates and rigorously inspect all merchants traveling to and from the city. Register all servants in the residences of officials of the third rank and above within three days!"