My Darling, Coax Me.

CHAPTER 13: Is she dead?

　　Yun Ling didn't delay any further, leading the general towards the west side path.

　　Of course she knew how dangerous the imperial palace was at that moment; arrows and weapons were everywhere, and she could be discovered at any moment.

　　¹Desperate times call for desperate measures.

　　She wanted to seize the opportunity and achieve a great feat, one that would elevate her status and secure her future.

　　Reaching the lotus pond, Yun Ling said to the general beside her, “Sir, follow me,” and without hesitation, jumped into the pond.

　　Xiong Ying was surprised. He never expected the seemingly delicate palace maid beside the prince to jump into the water so swiftly and decisively. Without a second thought, he followed her into the pond.

　　This lotus pond was built during the previous dynasty. Yun Ling, having learned that her master had drowned here, refused to believe he had simply fallen in drunk. She had secretly dived beneath the surface, searching for evidence, and discovered this waterway, which unexpectedly connected to a water pavilion outside the palace walls. This meant she could avoid the lengthy palace walls and save time.

　　She quickly swam to the water pavilion, not even taking a breath to catch her breath. Yun Ling ran out as fast as she could. Finally, she ran into Chen Zhan, who was just leading his troops into the palace.

　　Xiong Ying immediately stepped forward with the jade pendant, explaining the situation to Chen Zhan.

　　Chen Zhan instantly understood Xie Jue's intention and adjusted his formation, heading towards Chengguang Gate.

　　Before leaving, he glanced at Yun Ling, who was sitting on the ground, completely exhausted.

　　Xiong Ying, having joined forces with Chen Zhan, naturally wouldn't go back. Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment, then said to Yun Ling, “Miss Yun, there will be a fierce battle ahead, and I won't be able to protect you. You have to take care of yourself.”

　　Yun Ling replied, “I understand, Sir. Go ahead, don't worry about me.”

　　She knew this was a crucial moment, and there was no way they could spare troops to protect a mere palace maid.

　　After Chen Zhan's army departed, Yun Ling regained some strength and headed back towards the water pavilion.

　　Along the way, she saw everything clearly. The soldiers were burning, killing, and looting, murdering anyone they encountered, and raping the palace maids. They were using every cruel tactic imaginable. The palace was littered with the corpses of eunuchs and maids. She couldn't stay there.

　　——

　　After several battles, the Seventh Prince was finally defeated and captured. Xie Xu had already pressed forward to the gates of the Qianqing Palace.

　　He threw his head back and laughed, about to lead his men into the palace, when suddenly, a group of elite soldiers emerged from both sides, surrounding Xie Xu. Archers were all ready, their bows drawn, completely encircling him.

　　Seeing Xie Jue emerge from behind the archers, Xie Xu's eyes widened in fury. “You? Aren't you supposed to be dead?”

　　“Are you still worried about me, even as you face your end?” Xie Jue snatched a bow, nocked an arrow, and drew it back. The next instant, a cold arrow, piercing the thick rain, flew with deadly speed, striking the forehead of a powerful general standing beside Xie Xu.

　　In an instant, blades clashed and swords met, the two forces locked in a brutal melee.

　　One soldier after another fell, a mountain of bodies formed, a river of blood flowed.

　　Xie Xu had already lost a significant portion of his forces in the battle against Xie Kang. Now, surrounded by Xie Jue's troops, he was quickly overwhelmed.

　　A cold blade pressed against his neck, announcing the true victor of this palace coup.

　　²The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

　　Xie Xu knelt on the ground, his hands bound, and uttered bitterly, “One wrong move, and I lost.”

　　Xie Jue had no time to waste on a defeated opponent. The wind howled, the night shrouded everything in darkness, revealing only his cold profile. He walked, stepping over a trail of blood, his sword held high, each step taking him closer to the throne of the Qianqing Palace.

　　The crimson palace gates swung open.

　　Emperor Jingning rushed forward, beaming, his gaze never straying from his victorious son. “Well done, Jue'er! You helped your father quell your brother's rebellion. I shall reward you handsomely!” He didn't even glance at the two defeated sons standing behind him.

　　“Prince Ying,” the Emperor declared, “I shall bestow upon you the title of Prince Ying! And to top it off, I shall grant you ten thousand taels of gold!”

　　Xie Jue entered the palace, but instead of kneeling before the emperor, he remained standing, his sword still gripped tightly in his hand.

　　“It holds no value,” he replied slowly.

　　Emperor Jingning paused,

　　“Then what reward do you desire?” the Emperor asked.

　　Blood still dripped from Xie Jue's sword. “Father is advanced in years, and his heart is cold and unkind. It is time to establish a crown prince.”

　　“Insolence!”

　　Emperor Jingning's eyes widened in fury. “Do you dare to demand that I make you Crown Prince?”

　　“Not demand,” Xie Jue countered calmly, his voice devoid of any pretense. “But compel.”

　　“Are you trying to rebel?” Emperor Jingning roared, his face contorted with rage. Finally, he realized that his son had not come to his rescue. “I pardoned you, gave you a chance to redeem yourself, thinking you were different from those two traitors. But it seems you are just as ambitious and treacherous as they are!

　　You insolent brat! Do you truly think I'm helpless against you?”

　　He was hoping to buy some time, when he saw Chen Zhan, the heir of the Duke of Chen, enter, carrying the severed head of Vice-Censor Feng Jiang. “Clever plan, Your Majesty. You had a backup, but unfortunately, no one came to save you. Your Vice-Censor is now dead, killed by me.”

　　The fire outside Chengguang Gate was a trap set by Emperor Jingning, a ploy to catch the last ‘holdout’.

　　That old fox is incredibly suspicious and cunning; he wouldn't easily trust anyone, always keeping a backup plan.

　　If Xie Jue hadn't seen through his scheme, they would have had to waste more time today.

　　Emperor Jingning, finally panicking, slumped against his throne, his body trembling. He frantically turned to his advisors, yelling, “Minister Gao, National Master, save me… This traitor is staging a coup!”

　　But as his voice died down, he saw only silence. Minister of War Gao Yan, the National Master, and all the others in the palace remained standing, unmoving, their faces emotionless. No one responded.

　　“You… you were all his people all along?!” Emperor Jingning's voice cracked with disbelief. A torrent of blood erupted from his mouth, and he collapsed to the floor, his limbs stiffening, unable to move.

　　Xie Jue slowly crouched down, leaning close to Emperor Jingning's ear. His voice, low and full of a power that defied all authority, whispered, “Xie Jing, I've finally waited for this day.”

　　Emperor Jingning's eyes, wide with terror and agony, bulged in their sockets.

　　“A useless emperor, a heartless husband, a cruel father,” Xie Jue's words were meant only for Emperor Jingning's ears, while the entire hall remained silent. “You ascended the throne relying on my mother and the Chen clan, yet you betrayed their trust and repaid their kindness with treachery. A selfish, hypocritical scoundrel like you, who lacks both benevolence and righteousness, dares to dream of being remembered favorably by history? Look at yourself! Are you even worthy?”

　　Standing up, Xie Jue casually tossed Emperor Jingning onto the ground. “You deserve nothing more than to suffer in this palace, a miserable existence, neither truly alive nor truly dead, trapped in an endless torment. Only then will my heart find peace, and my mother's life of hardship find some semblance of justice.”

　　The once-mighty emperor was now nothing more than a puddle of mud.

　　Minister Gao Yan stepped forward at that moment, proclaiming loudly, “The Third Prince and Seventh Prince have rebelled in succession, causing His Majesty to be overcome with rage and fall unconscious. Before losing consciousness, he left a decree, establishing the Sixth Prince, Xie Jue, as Crown Prince. He is to enter the Eastern Palace and take charge of the government.”

　　Everyone in the hall knew that the emperor would never wake up again.

　　The remaining eunuchs and maids, their voices forever silenced, watched in stunned silence.

　　After a night of bloodshed, the sun rose slowly in the east.

　　The first rays of dawn pierced through the darkness.

　　——

　　Xie Jue, his face still stained with fresh blood, emerged from the palace. His expression was blank, his eyes cold and unfeeling, numb to the violence he had unleashed.

　　Xiong Ying, having eliminated the remnants of the Seventh Prince's faction, came to report. Xie Jue showed no reaction, simply replying with a cold, “Hm.”

　　As far as the eye could see, the palace was a scene of carnage. Mountains of corpses lay scattered, a gruesome mix of palace maids, eunuchs, and soldiers. The night of slaughter had reduced human life to dust, a single misstep sending one to their death beneath a rain of swords and arrows.

　　One of the deputy generals, having broken free from control, desperately ran towards the gate, seeking escape. Xie Jue, taking a bow and arrow from a soldier, aimed without hesitation at the shrinking figure. In an instant, the arrow flew, striking the man squarely in the heart. The soldier collapsed, lifeless.

　　Xiong Ying stepped forward to take the bow and arrow, about to retreat, when he heard a question, devoid of warmth, “Where is she?”

　　Xiong Ying froze, momentarily confused. He couldn't immediately grasp who ‘she’ referred to in the Prince's sudden question.

　　It wasn't until he noticed the group of palace maids and eunuchs gathered nearby that Xiong Ying realized. “Your Highness,” he replied, “Miss Yun Ling left after meeting with me and Young Master Chen. Where she went…” His voice trailed off. He hesitated for a moment, then knelt down, “I don't know. We haven't seen Miss Yun Ling since last night. I fear she might have…” He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

　　He thought of the chaos of last night, the urgency of the situation. The Prince hadn't given any orders to protect Miss Yun Ling, so Xiong Ying hadn't thought much of it. But swords and arrows had no eyes. With the killing that had taken place throughout the night, a woman without a weapon, she could have easily been caught in the crossfire. Where could she have gone?

　　Xie Jue turned back, his voice calm and emotionless, “You're saying she's dead?”

　　“I'm just speculating, Your Highness,” Xiong Ying replied, his voice barely a whisper. A heavy silence settled over them, punctuated only by the occasional sigh of the wind.

　　The wind carried the stench of blood, a grim reminder of the night's carnage.

　　Xie Jue's jaw tightened, a barely perceptible twitch of his brow betraying a flicker of emotion.

　　A single, clipped “Hmm” was his only response.

　

________________

Glossary:

¹Desperate times call for desperate measures.
– A proverb meaning that sometimes, the only way to survive is to take a big risk.

²The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
– A Chinese proverb that describes how someone focuses on their immediate gain, unaware of the greater danger or rival waiting behind. In this case, Xie Xu focused on seizing power, not realizing Xie Jue had been waiting in the wings.

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter