Chapter 1154: Chapter 990: General He Chaoguang
Gu Chengyu distractedly looked over and saw that they were completely surrounded by archers.
Arrows rained down, and everyone had to wield their swords to fend them off. The arrows had a deterrent effect, and once they ceased, no one dared to make a rash move.
Gu Chengyu felt the shout just now was very familiar, and turning to look, he saw someone stepping out. In the torchlight and palace lamps, the personâs face was unusually familiarâit was Lu Chen!
Gu Chengyu sighed deeply; what was going on today? Even the Imperial Palace wasnât providing any respite!
He glanced at Chengqian Palace in the night; the Emperor had only been dead for two hours, yet chaos had ensued within the palace.
Recalling the Emperorâs oral edict, due to no witnesses, itâs estimated that even if spoken now, it would be unbelieved.
If the testament in the brocade box had clearly indicated whom to summon, it would have saved a lot of troubleâbut unfortunately, Gu Chengyu hadnât had a chance to open the box and take a look.
However, the person had not yet arrived, and now was not the time. Besides, Gu Chengyu had his own considerations; he hadnât made up his mind. In his view, the Crown Prince was benevolent and maintaining stability was preferable.
Qin Min was extremely surprised to see Lu Chen. Then she thought, Marquis Zhanâs Mansion was Prince Gongâs maternal home, could it be that the Lu Family had come on Prince Gongâs orders?
In the past two years, the Crown Princeâs maternal family and the Yue Family had become prominent figures in the Capital, while the Lu Family, due to its connection with Prince Gong, had started to decline.
Could it be that the Lu Family couldnât hold back any longer and intended to help Prince Gong usurp the throne today? But among the crowd, there was no sign of Prince Gong.
Prince Gong was far away in Jingyuan Prefecture; could he really issue orders so swiftly?
Gu Chengyu was weighing in his heart whether this person was friend or foe. Given Lu Chenâs background, he shouldnât be content to assist the Crown Prince.
The capitalâs recent yearsâ situation was very unfavorable to the Lu Family, and if the Crown Prince ascended to the throne, it would be time for retribution.
Even if the Crown Prince was kind, facing those who wanted him dead, would he really show mercy?
"Do not act rashly, you traitors! How dare you attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince just after the Emperorâs passing? Itâs utterly unforgivable."
A commanding voice rang out, but it wasnât from Lu Chen.
Lu Chen looked back in shock and saw it was General He Chaoguang. His pupils contractedâhow could this person possibly appear here now?
Gu Chengyu also looked at the newcomer and found he didnât know them. However, the person was completely clad in armor, indicating he was a General.
The soldiers brought by this person were numerous, and had already surrounded Chengqian Palace.
Previously, Gu Chengyu was focused on fighting, but his eyes werenât idle; it was impossible for him not to notice. It seemed these soldiers hadnât lit any torches while surrounding the palace!
Lu Chen and Qin Min realized the situation, and both felt their hearts sinkâthey had missed the opportunity today.
The black-clothed individuals realized the dire situation; multiple forces gathered, and they couldnât get a good outcome, so they immediately sprang into action.
The individuals drew the iron claws from their bodies and hooked onto the roof.
The cloaked figure beside Gu Chengyu acted swiftly, even with two sword woundsâit couldnât stop him from fleeing to the roof.
"No good, theyâre escaping!" Gu Chengyu thrust his sword at the fleeing cloaked figure, causing a grunt of evident injury.
But the figure didnât even turn back, vanishing within breaths.
"Shoot arrows upwards!" Both Lu Chen and He Chaoguang ordered simultaneously, intending to hunt down the fleeing black-clothed individuals to extinction.
Gu Chengyu was shocked, "No, you canât!"
These damned officials, there were many guards below, and arrows falling downward could easily injure their own people.
But his attempts at prevention were too late; a dense volley of arrows shot into the air. Many black-clothed individuals died instantly, but a considerable number of those below were also mistakenly injured.
Fighting fiercely against the arrows, Gu Chengyu had been battling for so long that he was already exhausted.
Even with all his might, amidst the dense arrows, his arm was hit by one.
"Lu Chen, you idiot, make them stop." Qin Min had been struck by an arrow in the leg, cursing fiercely.
Lu Chen was distracted by a figure fiercely battling the arrows. He glanced at the fleeing black-clothed individuals.
Reluctantly, he ordered, "Stop! All stop!"
"Stop!" The Crown Prince hurriedly emerged from the inner hall, angrily shouting at the remaining archers to halt.
He Chaoguang, seeing the Crown Prince intervene, immediately gestured to cease actions.
In moments, the remaining black-clothed individuals seized the chance to vanish without a trace.
Gu Chengyu panted heavily, leaning on his sword. Damn, today was a huge loss. Since arriving here, he hadnât suffered such a serious injury!
The wound on his arm was shallow, but it hurt! Today brought who knows how many forcesâwhy were they all so impatient? Truly couldnât wait a moment.
Darn! Gu Chengyu suddenly thought of someone, "Whereâs Zhou Yuancong? He escaped!"
Everyone was taken aback; indeed, Zhou Yuancong, the conspirator, was no longer present. Fearful that amidst the chaotic arrows, he had long since fled.
"Ha! Donât worry, this person wonât get away. This General has fifty thousand troops stationed outside the palace; can he escape?"
Gu Chengyu gazed at the personâfifty thousand troops? That should be the army stationed a hundred miles from the Capital, but without the Emperorâs Tiger Talisman, could the army leave their station unauthorized?
He looked at the Crown Prince again; could it be the Crown Prince had already secured the Tiger Talisman? It wasnât impossible!
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince had taken precautions earlier; clearly, he wasnât as simple as his surface seemed. This fierce struggle for power, ultimatelyâwho would sit on the Dragon Throne?
Lu Chen sighed, the situation was dire. Stepping forward, he knelt down.
"Your Highness! Because the Commanderâs Department troops were dispatched by Zhou Yuancong, I couldnât help but gather private soldiers from the mansion, hence the delay!"
Qin Min inwardly cursed Lu Chenâs cunning. What was Lu Chenâs true purpose in comingâcould he really be here to save the Crown Prince? He didnât believe it.
But now the situation was stronger than the people; like Lu Chen, he could only temporarily bow in submission.
Recalling his fatherâs advice, he couldnât help but sigh again; would the Qin Family continue its decline?
Touching the hard object in his pocket, fortunately, he hadnât sent the signal, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"At least the Crown Prince is unharmed, so Iâm relieved." Qin Min endured his pain, lying on the ground, with blood still flowing from the wound on his leg.
Seeing Qin Min, the Crown Prince looked guilty.
"The Imperial Sister suffered minor injuries and is resting in the inner hall; Iâll have the Imperial Physician treat you!" The Crown Prince called guards to carry Qin Min to the side hall.
"What? Mother is injured? What happened?" Qin Min asked urgently upon hearing this.
"Nothing serious, just needs a period of rest."
Qin Min couldnât wait for assistance, scrambling up and limping towards the hall.