Chapter 426: The Emperor Passes Away
Lucy finds Nangong He and says, “Give up on targeting the tenth prince.”
Nangong He frowns, glancing at her. “Just because that barbarian from the Western Regions took on the task of escorting the tenth prince?”
Lucy grabs his arm. “Don’t be like this! He’s not as simple as you think. You’ve seen for yourself, he’s sharp-minded and incredibly strong. Your men simply can’t beat him.”
Nangong He sneers. “Heh… I admit he’s clever. But to say he’s that strong personally? You’re underestimating my men. At best, he’s only a Third Rank Martial Warrior. I may not have as many high-ranking Martial Warriors as you say, but finding a few Third Rank ones? That’s easy.”
Lucy urges, “No, it won’t work! He really is strong. Your men are no match.”
Nangong He grows annoyed. “Why do you put so much faith in that barbarian? What’s so special about him? What makes him worthy of your trust? Look at how he’s repaid us, not only sabotaging our plans but repeatedly trying to kill me. “
”Between me and that Western barbarian, who matters more to you? You won’t let me send the tenth prince away because you’re afraid my men will kill him, right?”
Lucy explains, “No, it’s not that. You don’t truly understand who he is…”
Nangong He suddenly stands, waving his hand angrily. “Enough! I’m going to eliminate the tenth prince no matter what! For your sake, if that barbarian knows his place and stays out of it, I might let him live. But if he doesn’t disappear from the empire forever, he’s definitely going to die! “
”You say he’s strong? Fine! I’ll send more Martial Warriors. Five Third Rank guys aren’t enough? I’ll send ten. I’ll even add two Fourth Rank Martial Warriors. I want to see what makes this Western barbarian so extraordinary!”
With that, Nangong He storms off, leaving Lucy leaning against the railing, tears streaming down her face.
Lucy feels deeply hurt. She’s already crossed the line to help Nangong He.
When she mentioned Henwell’s strength earlier, she had already received warnings.
She never expected Nangong He to see her this way, and it leaves her feeling wronged. At this moment, she recalls Henwell’s earlier words.
Minister of Revenue Yu Chengbang submits a memorial, requesting the court to assign someone to protect the tenth prince on his journey back to the capital.
However, no department dares to take on the task. Everyone already imagines how perilous the route back to the capital will be.
Still, the tenth prince must return promptly. After the southern battles have settled, the old emperor, who’s been working tirelessly for over two months, is rapidly declining in health without that driving force.
The emperor has already drafted the edict to appoint the tenth prince as crown prince.
In a secret letter, the emperor demands the tenth prince arrive in the capital within half a month.
Half a month later is the emperor’s sixty-fifth birthday, when he plans to announce to the world the tenth prince’s right of succession.
This means all the princes vying for the throne and families opposed to the tenth prince’s ascension will target Nangong Ying on his return.
Most don’t intend to kill him outright; they just want to obstruct the process.
So no one wants to wade into this dangerous business.
As silence falls, Henwell steps forward, volunteering to escort the tenth prince back to the capital.
The emperor is overjoyed and promotes Henwell to a second-rank official.
The meaning is clear.
That afternoon, Henwell mounts the divine steed Lucy gifted him and sets off with elite forces from the Prison Department.
Also accompanying him are an elite squad of Imperial Guards, a unit of Wind-Catching Guards, and palace attendants.
Over a thousand men, each with two horses, ride day and night southward.
At this point, Nangong Ying has already been traveling for several days.
Just after leaving Zhilan Prefecture, he faces multiple assassination attempts.
None delay his journey, though, as he presses on at a pace of a hundred miles a day toward the capital.
His escort suffers heavy losses; by the time he meets Henwell’s group, fewer than thirty guards remain.
This is thanks to Fang Yuan and others secretly protecting him. Otherwise, Nangong Ying likely would have died on the road.
After Henwell takes charge of Nangong Ying, Fang Yuan arranges for a divine healer and a large supply of precious elixirs.
Several Fourth Rank Martial Warriors from the court use their internal energy to purge the Qi residues left by the Southern Tribe’s Fifth Rank Martial Warriors inside Nangong Ying.
After two days of rest, Nangong Ying’s condition improves significantly. He immediately abandons the carriage, mounts his warhorse, and rides with the group toward the capital at full speed.
But after just a few hundred miles, trouble strikes.
Some unknown faction, aiming to delay the tenth prince’s progress, digs up the riverbed, turning the path ahead into a vast river.
Furious, the tenth prince curses those who disregard the lives of common folk.
Though they quickly find boats to cross the area, the delay still costs them several days.
With just three days’ ride left to the capital, the emperor’s birthday arrives.
Then, everyone receives a shattering piece of news.
Something terrible has happened in the capital.
The emperor has passed away.
Or rather, he was assassinated.
On the day of the emperor’s birthday banquet, just as he was about to announce the crown prince, disaster strikes.
The newly renovated building opposite the ceremony hall suddenly collapses.
The palace’s architecture is strictly planned, so one building’s collapse shouldn’t affect another.
But somehow, a massive iron pillar hidden inside the building falls along with it.
The deadliest part is that at the end of this pillar hangs a thick chain, attached to a huge iron ball weighing several tons.
Like a giant meteor hammer crashing down, the iron ball strikes the emperor before he even has a chance to dodge.
Yue Du, the chief palace attendant, tries to whisk the emperor away, but the emperor is still caught in the impact.
That very night, despite medical efforts, the emperor passes away.
Before anyone can react, Nangong Yaoyun, leader of the Dragon Guard, announces an edict naming the seventh prince, Nangong He, as crown prince.
With the emperor’s death, the seventh prince naturally ascends the throne.
Many refuse to accept this. And then the capital’s eighteen gates are sealed.
Nangong He controls the Imperial Guards, the thirty-six wards of the Military Affairs Department, the Imperial Dragon Guards, the Wind-Catching Guard, the Divine Detective Department of the Ministry of Justice, and the city’s garrison troops.
Most of the capital’s military forces are under Nangong He’s command.
What follows is two full days of bloody purges.
Nangong He executes many opponents on charges of plotting against the late emperor, including the ministers of the Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Personnel, as well as several princes.
By the time Henwell arrives in the capital with the tenth prince and their group, Nangong He has already seized control of the situation.
But Nangong He does not move to eliminate Henwell and his companions.
He even personally leaves the city to welcome his brother, officially granting Nangong Ying the title of prince on the spot.
A few days later, Henwell is stripped of his real power as Minister of the Court of Judicial Review but retains his second-rank official title and returns to a manor outside the city.
When Lucy finds Henwell, he looks noticeably healthier.
Henwell bows and says, “Should I be calling you Empress now?”