readbooksol Chapter 5542 Failure and Death
Chapter 5542 Failure and Death
Chapter 5542 Failure and Death
Everyone says that Fang Jun doesn't wield power, but Li Jingye doesn't believe it. How can a man live a day without power? Power is like the finest liquor and the most beautiful woman to a man. Who doesn't want to wield power over the world when awake and rest their head on a beautiful woman's lap when drunk?
The reason he used to appear indifferent to fame and fortune was simply because he was concerned about his reputation. Given the opportunity, he would definitely become a ruthless and domineering minister.
Although the Crown Prince listened to Fang Jun, he was, after all, raised by His Majesty from childhood according to the imperial curriculum. Even if he had to bow his head, he must still have a kingly aura in his heart. How could Fang Jun not be wary of him?
If the young prince were to be enthroned, both mother and son would be under Fang Jun's control, barely clinging to life, completely at Fang Jun's mercy...
Judging others by his own standards, Li Jingye firmly believed that Fang Jun would stand idly by while the Crown Prince was trapped in the army, and that he would use Fang Jun to get rid of the Crown Prince.
Although he saw through Fang Junzhi's scheme, he was willing to be used by him. He was determined to die, and killing the crown prince and resolutely achieving the "change of heir" was his last obsession.
Therefore, Li Jingye fought bravely and relentlessly, determined to charge into the enemy ranks and kill the Crown Prince. He was fearless even when faced with countless blades.
Influenced by him, the nearby rebels became increasingly brave and fearless, launching wave after wave of attacks despite the heavy rain.
……
Rain streamed down the edge of her straw hat, blurring her vision. Amidst the deafening shouts of battle and the close-quarters carnage, Empress Su felt like a small boat adrift in a vast ocean, her life hanging by a thread, tossed about by the current, her fate completely out of her control.
With her back against the cold, slippery steps behind the Taiji Hall, and holding the Crown Prince's small hand tightly in hers, Empress Su watched as the Xuanwu Gate garrison struggled to hold on against the fierce onslaught of the rebel army, and a thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
Since Fang Jun had ordered Wang Fangyi to take the mother and son to the Taiji Hall, it was clear that the situation was under Fang Jun's control. He was just waiting for the mother and son to settle the overall situation, establish the new emperor's position in front of the ministers, and occupy the righteous right.
So why are reinforcements slow to arrive now that the country is under siege by rebels?
Will reinforcements arrive?
Although they were dozens of feet apart and separated by several lines of defense, they were unexpectedly on the same page and thought of the same question at this moment: for Fang Jun, would it be more beneficial to support the crown prince to ascend the throne, or to support another puppet emperor to consolidate power and control the government?
Empress Su's clothes were already soaked through, her petite body trembled from the cold, and her heart sank into an ice cave.
As an empress, possessing unparalleled beauty, how could she not allow that scoundrel to harbor even the slightest thought of desecrating or profaning her?
She was left to have her beautiful body hacked to pieces outside the Taiji Hall in the cold wind and rain, and even subjected to the humiliation of the soldiers.
For some reason, being in such a dangerous place stirred up a mix of bitterness and resentment within me...
Until he heard Li Jingye's loud shout, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his mind went completely blank.
Slightly regaining her senses, she grabbed Wang Fangyi's arm, her expression panicked: "General Wang, they said... they said His Majesty... is it true?"
Wang Fangyi was also unaware of the situation within the palace, but at this moment, the priority was to stabilize the morale of the troops and not be swayed by the enemy's words. So he loudly proclaimed, "His Majesty is blessed by Heaven and protected by the gods. How could an accident happen to him so easily? It's just a lie by the traitors to incite the troops. The Empress and the Crown Prince need not worry!"
Empress Su, however, believed Li Jingye's words without a doubt. If His Majesty was alright, how could so many rebels appear in the deep palace?
If anything happens to His Majesty...
She turned around abruptly, her beautiful eyes flashing with a sharp light as she stared directly at the towering and majestic Taiji Hall behind her.
At this very moment, a power struggle concerning the imperial authority must be taking place in the Taiji Hall, but it is unknown who will win, who will lose, who will advance and who will retreat, and who will possess the imperial power.
Past affections and agreements seem so thin and fragile in the face of the temptation of power. Is it the teacher-student relationship between the Crown Prince and Fang Jun that makes Fang Jun show mercy, or is it the "promise" she once made that makes Fang Jun remember it?
I'm afraid none of them are possible.
When you reach a certain position or stand at a certain height, your thoughts and ideas are neither personal emotions nor universal right or wrong.
Why would His Majesty, with his supreme imperial power, be able to eliminate his own son without any scruples, and why would he expect Fang Jun to spare them, mother and son?
This cold and desolate Forbidden City is like a tomb, capable of burying a person's passion, emotions, and reason, leaving only a walking corpse supported by power. It may seem to be pointing out the country and building imperial empire, but in reality, it is nothing more than enslaving the people and dreaming of a thousand generations.
Strip everything away, and all that's left is the naked pursuit of "interests".
Those who benefit themselves will follow any course of action, regardless of whether it is morally wrong or not.
Those things that are harmful to oneself should be completely rejected regardless of loyalty, filial piety, propriety, or trustworthiness.
Heartbroken, Empress Su knelt down and hugged the Crown Prince tightly. When His Majesty was alive, the mother and son lived in constant fear, their lives hanging by a thread. Now that His Majesty had passed away, the two of them were trapped in the chaos of battle and were in imminent danger.
Under the influence of power, they are nothing more than two small fish adrift on the current, unable to make even the slightest ripple, no matter how unwilling they are.
With pale lips pressed together, she whispered in the prince's ear, "If there truly is an afterlife, neither of us will be born into an imperial family."
Li Xiang's raincoat was already soaked through by the rain, and his small body trembled. He did not understand the grief and despair that his mother's words contained.
He struggled to stand up straight, wiped the rain off his face, and suddenly heard the soldiers around him, who were already struggling to hold on, erupt in a thunderous cheer, followed by a series of neat, heavy footsteps approaching from afar.
He exclaimed with delight, "Is it the Grand Commandant?"
Wang Fangyi withdrew his gaze from the approaching reinforcements and respectfully replied, "Your Highness, the reinforcements sent by the Grand Commandant have arrived!"
Empress Su, who was ice-cold and heartbroken, suddenly felt a surge of heat rise from her body. She looked up abruptly, her eyes shining, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it really the reinforcements sent by the Grand Commandant?"
Wang Fangyi said, "Wearing the banners of the Left Jinwu Guard and the general with the character 'Cheng' on them, it must be General Cheng Wuting of the Left Jinwu Guard who has come. Apart from the Grand Commandant, who else could be assigned to him?"
Empress Su stood up, pursed her lips tightly, and looked up.
Amidst the wind and rain, an army charged towards them from afar, maintaining its orderly formation and steady pace even during the charge. Their imposing military might and murderous aura made them seem like a sharp cone, piercing through layers of rebel forces and charging straight ahead.
Another army suddenly appeared in the pouring rain from the direction of the Liangyi Hall, their armor clanging and their swords and shields like a forest, blocking the rebels' retreat into the palace.
At the critical moment, the Left and Right Jinwu Guards, who had split up and entered the palace, joined forces in the area behind the Taiji Hall and in front of the Liangyi Hall, not only wiping out the rebel troops from various places in the former dynasty but also cutting off the rebels' retreat route in one fell swoop.
The battle situation suddenly changed.
Li Jingye led over a thousand rebel troops in a fierce attack on Wang Fangyi's forces, but the Xuanwu Gate defenders' square formation was rigorous, complete, and adaptable. Their defenses, constructed with swords and shields, were impeccable, resembling a tortoise shell that remained unmoved despite the fierce onslaught.
The Left Jinwu Guards behind them had already rushed in. The momentum of the organized army charging forward was simply overwhelming. In an instant, they smashed the rear of the rebel army into pieces. A gap was cut through the layers of rebels, and then the elite soldiers tore it open to both sides. Wherever their spears and halberds went, the rebels screamed and retreated, unstoppable.
Even the strongest assassins are only effective for street raids and assassinations. When facing elite troops like the Left and Right Imperial Guards, they are utterly helpless.
The Left Jinwu Guard launched a surprise attack, breaking through the rebel army's formation, while the Right Jinwu Guard held the line, cutting off the rebel army's retreat. The two armies cooperated with each other and completely secured the victory.
While Li Jingye fought desperately with his remaining strength, he looked back at the Left Jinwu Guard sweeping away and dispersing the outer rebels with unstoppable momentum. He glared hatefully at Crown Prince Li Xiang, who seemed within reach not far away, and gritted his teeth to pieces.
He risked everything and gambled everything to fulfill His Majesty's long-cherished wish of changing the heir apparent.
Who would have thought things would turn out this way?
"Put down your weapons! Disarm and you will not be killed!"
As the Left Jinwu Guard launched their surprise attack, they shouted loudly. Their gleaming spears and halberds swept forward with the momentum of the charge, stabbing and slicing countless rebel soldiers. Blood splattered and limbs littered the ground wherever they went. The elite warriors, who had the advantage in individual combat, were powerless to resist the army.
Then the defeat naturally followed.
Don't assume that suicide squad members are truly fearless and ready to die. They are still human beings. Even if they have a stronger will and a determination to die than ordinary people, it doesn't mean they have lost their humanity. Fear is an indelible mark on human nature.
When all hope is lost and a massacre has taken place, fear will spread instantly. If even one person yields, flees, or surrenders, the morale of everyone will plummet to its lowest point, leading to a complete collapse.
The assassins who had just been following him in a fierce attack on Wang Fangyi's troops suddenly scattered in all directions, their defeat as swift as a landslide.
Li Jingye knew that the situation was hopeless and there was no way to reverse it.
His pride would naturally prevent him from being captured, but he was still unwilling to give up. As he took off his helmet and threw it aside, he held his sword across his neck and looked at Crown Prince Li Xiang among the guards, trying to make a final struggle.
"Fang Jun is a traitor to the nation! Your Majesty's current position and the establishment of imperial power are all due to Fang Jun's manipulation of power and his attempt to usurp the throne! Your Highness may submit and yield, you may submit to him, but you must always remember the grudge of today. When you hold power in the future and your words carry the weight of the law, you must avenge Your Majesty and wipe away this shame!"
"This humble general will go first, to accompany His Majesty from the afterlife to witness when the traitor will be utterly disgraced and torn to pieces!"
With a forceful pull, the blunt blade still easily sliced through his throat, blood vessels, and trachea, spurting out blood. Li Jingye fell backward, splashing a spray of rainwater.
Upon hearing Li Jingye's words, Empress Su wished she could pounce on him and bite the fool a few times.
Since he has already failed and died, why bother harming the crown prince?!