Free Web NovelChapter 394: Chapter 396: Hatred
The Yulin Guards posted at the palace gates initially paid no mind to the approaching patrol. Only when the patrol drew nearer did the guards grow vigilant.
One of them shouted a warning.
"Unauthorized personnel are forbidden from approaching the palace gates! Violators will be executed without mercy!"
The instant the words left his mouth, the patrolmen struck. Their blades sliced through the night as they charged the Yulin Guards.
The four Yulin Guards collapsed in pools of their own blood before they could even cry out.
The palace gates were bolted from the inside and could not be pushed open from the outside.
The Flying Dragon Cavalry, disguised as patrolmen, took out the oil they had prepared and splashed it directly onto the palace gates.
They tossed a fire lighter at it, and the oil instantly burst into flames.
The blaze shot high into the air, engulfing the entire set of gates in an instant.
The same thing was happening at the other palace gates.
All the palace gates were set ablaze.
The Yulin Guards scrambled to douse the flames with water, but they couldn’t stop the fire from spreading.
Word of this reached Prince Dongyang.
Li Hao’s heart lurched. He demanded urgently,
"Weren’t the four city gates supposed to be sealed? The capital should be filled with our men. How could someone be attacking the palace gates?"
Xu Jiwu was just as surprised, but being older and far more experienced than Li Hao, he remained perfectly calm.
"My Prince, do not panic. I will send men to investigate at once."
Just then, more news arrived. The Tiger Roar Camp, stationed at the South City Gate, had suddenly started demolishing buildings. It looked like they were planning to force their way into the city!
Xu Jiwu connected the two incidents, and a theory immediately formed in his mind.
"It must be Prince Zhao. He’s returned."
The moment Li Hao heard Prince Zhao’s name, his legs went weak.
He remembered the time at Chongwen Hall when Prince Zhao had taught him archery. Back then, blissfully ignorant of his own limits, he had challenged Prince Zhao, wanting to test his skills against him.
Prince Zhao had taken him down in a single move.
Back then, he never imagined he would one day be Prince Zhao’s enemy. He had only seen Prince Zhao’s superior martial arts and felt a mix of admiration and ambition, hoping that he, too, could one day become as powerful as the prince.
But now, he and Prince Zhao were enemies, about to face each other on the battlefield.
All that admiration and ambition had instantly curdled into panic and dread.
Li Hao’s face was pale. "How could Prince Zhao be back so soon?"
’Xu Jiwu was deeply unsettled as well.’
’Ever since Prince Zhao began leading armies, he had never known defeat.’
’Even compared to the famously skilled warrior, Duke Zhen, Prince Zhao was in no way inferior.’
’Xu Jiwu truly didn’t believe he could defeat him.’
But Li Hao kept pressing, "What do we do?"
Xu Jiwu said grimly, "First, send men to the South City Gate to intercept the Tiger Roar Camp. Don’t let them enter the city. At the same time, have the prisons of the Ministry of Justice, Jingzhao Mansion, and the Ministry of Justice get ready. If the situation turns against us, release all the prisoners at once."
Li Hao gritted his teeth. "Fine. We’ll do it your way."
Xu Jiwu added, "Furthermore, you must keep a close eye on Princess Consort Zhao. At the critical moment, she may be your Life-saving Talisman."
"I understand. I’ll send men to bring Princess Consort Zhao here at once."
...
A squad of Yulin Guards suddenly burst into Chaoyang Palace, sending everyone inside scattering in panic.
Hearing the commotion outside, Hua Manman immediately rose and went to the window. She looked out to see a group of Yulin Guards charging menacingly in her direction.
Alarmed, she turned to Hua Qingqing and said,
"Stay in here. Don’t go outside."
Without waiting for a response, Hua Manman strode outside.
The moment she stepped out the door, she was surrounded by Yulin Guards.
One of them said harshly, "Princess Consort Zhao, you’re to come with us!"
Hua Manman feigned a look of terror.
"Where are you taking me?"
"You’ll know when we get there."
The Yulin Guards reached for Hua Manman.
Catching them off guard, Hua Manman struck. She drew the saber from one man’s belt and swung it in a fierce arc.
The throat of the Yulin Guard nearest to her was slit wide open.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The onlookers hiding nearby were terrified by the sight.
Someone couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
"She killed him!"
The look of terror on Hua Manman’s face had vanished completely.
Her expression was grim and impassive as she stared at the men before her.
’Even if these Yulin Guards didn’t say, she could guess where they were taking her.’
’Prince Zhao must have returned. Prince Dongyang planned to use me as a hostage to threaten him.’
’I can’t let him get his way.’
She tightened her grip on the hilt, her killing intent palpable.
What she didn’t know was that, in that moment, she looked remarkably similar to Prince Zhao in the eyes of the onlookers.
Hua Manman carved a bloody path through the encirclement.
Instead of running for the main gate, she headed straight for the rear courtyard.
Soon, she saw the apricot trees again.
Hua Manman used her Qinggong to fly up into an apricot tree. With another leap, she jumped from the tree to the top of the wall before landing lightly on the ground outside.
The moment she landed, she suddenly felt a twinge of pain in her abdomen.
She paused instinctively.
When she looked up again, the Yulin Guards were already pursuing her.
Hua Manman turned to flee, but then she saw a Yulin Guard run out, dragging Hua Qingqing with him.
"Take one more step, and I’ll kill your sister!"
The Yulin Guard held a blade to Hua Qingqing’s throat.
Hua Qingqing trembled with fear. The Seventh Prince in her arms, sensing the danger, began to wail.
Hua Manman had no choice but to halt.
Hua Qingqing fought back her terror and said in a trembling voice,
"Go! Don’t worry about us."
The system screamed in her mind, "Host, you can’t abandon them!"
The Yulin Guards seized the opportunity to rush forward and surround Hua Manman again.
Having learned their lesson, this time they didn’t dare get too close. They all kept a step’s distance from Hua Manman, their blades aimed at her, warily tracking her every move.
Hua Manman looked at Hua Qingqing in the distance.
The blade was pressed tightly against Hua Qingqing’s neck, leaving a thin, bloody line on her pale skin.
’Just a little more pressure and the blade would slice through her throat.’
The Seventh Prince’s cries grew louder.
Hua Manman slowly exhaled, as if resigning herself to her fate.
"I’ll go with you. Don’t touch anyone else."
With that, she loosened her fingers. The saber fell to the ground with a CLANG.
Hua Qingqing’s eyes widened as she stared, stunned, at the scene before her.
’She watched her younger sister, Manman, standing there, straight and tall.’
’Though the night was dark, her sister’s silhouette was perfectly clear.’
’It was seared into her eyes and carved into her heart, an image she would never forget for the rest of her life.’
’Manman could have escaped, but to protect her and her child, she had been forced to give up the freedom that was within her grasp.’
’Never before had Hua Qingqing felt her own powerlessness and cowardice so keenly.’
’She hated herself!’
