Chapter 546 - 528 Usurpation
The Forbidden Army was split into two divisions; one was sent by Lin Helin to guard the gates of Kyoto City, blocking General Gao’s fifty thousand troops, while the other reinforced Xie Xun. Lin Helin did not appear outside the Imperial City but instead went to the city gates.
General Gao led a mighty force of fifty thousand men just outside Kyoto, demanding the gate be opened by the defending general. A typical commander wouldn’t be able to stand up to him. If the gates were forced open under such pressure, all efforts would be in vain.
From the city wall, General Gao could clearly see Lin Helin. He had briefly met Lin Helin on a few occasions when reporting to the capital. The mourning periods for Lin Hongyuan and Lin Hongcheng had not yet fully elapsed. Over the past few years, the Lin Family had been under Lin Helin’s control. Yuwen Jing had clearly sent someone to Gaoping for reinforcements, so why was this Grand Scholar standing guard here, unwilling to open the gates? Could something have happened in Kyoto?
General Gao’s heart pounded uncontrollably. He thought of the events from over a decade ago—a bloody palace coup, rivers of blood, and the late emperor burned alive within the palace. The situation was eerily identical.
But Yuwen Jing was not the late emperor. Both the Jinyi Guard and the Forbidden Army were under his command. What could possibly go wrong inside the city?
"Grand Scholar, please open the gate. We are under orders to return to the capital and seek an audience. If you continue to keep the gate shut, we will have no choice but to assault it," General Gao said coldly.
The fifty thousand troops laid siege below, but talk of an assault was mostly a bluff. Kyoto was naturally easy to defend and hard to breach. Furthermore, with no information coming out of the city, who would truly dare to attack Kyoto?
Lin Helin stood silent atop the city walls.
So many decisions had gone awry, yet even mending the fold after losing sheep was not too late. He could only hope this chaos would soon end and peace be restored across the land.
Once reinforcements from the Forbidden Army arrived, fierce battles broke out, escalating into a brutal deadlock. From dawn until nightfall, slaughter raged. Outside the Imperial City, the area became a battlefield, corpses piling up like mountains. Though injured, Chen Mo fiercely led the Jinyi Guard in resistance until midnight. Yet the Jinyi Guard, worn down, could not stand against the unstoppable Kyoto Guard and Forbidden Army. In such close-quarters combat, it was a contest of courage and desperation, of who would risk everything.
Everyone knew this was their fight with no way out. If the Jinyi Guard was not utterly destroyed, and Yuwen Jing not deposed, they would all die. Not only that—they would implicate their entire clans. Treason within the Imperial City was a heinous crime. Even those noble clans who coerced the throne in years past did not dare act so brazenly. Now, Xie Xun was openly rebelling, and the Forbidden Army, while defecting, battled with trepidation.
But they had no choice. Yuwen Jing had committed an emperor’s taboo: autocratic stubbornness and indiscriminate killings had stoked deep-seated clan hatred. This rebellion was inevitable.
After midnight, bloodied Chen Mo, seeing the tides turning, quickly led his men in retreat to the inner court. He never expected the Forbidden Army’s betrayal. Leading the defection was a young member of the Lin Family serving within the Forbidden Army. Apart from Zhang Bolan and a few princely heirs whom Yuwen Jing trusted, this Lin clansman held a minor yet undeniable authority within the army. Now, the mantle of power was unmistakably his.
Chen Mo was alarmed to find that neither Zhang Bolan nor the few Forbidden Army Commanders handpicked by Yuwen Jing were present. "How could you possibly command the Forbidden Army? This is absolutely impossible!"
On a battlefield, one never chases cornered foes. But this was the Imperial City. Xie Xun raised his sword and, at his command, the Forbidden Army and Kyoto Guard charged toward the palace gates. The gates to the inner palace were different from those of the city: defenses were already weak here, and now, with the Jinyi Guard retreating in disarray, they were quickly overrun.
The Forbidden Army and Kyoto Guard surged forward, their ferocity growing stronger as they pushed deep into the inner palace!
Xie Xun convened Nuanyang and Flying Shadow. "Go to Weiyang Palace, escort the Empress and Crown Prince out immediately!"
"Understood!"
This had long been an unspoken agreement between him and Lin Helin. Yuwen Jing could die, but Lin Yushu and Abao had to live. With the palace gates locked, even Lin Helin could not enter the inner court. Only by force could they breach the gate, the ultimate symbol of power and desire. In such chaos, Xie Xun alone could rescue Lin Yushu and Abao.
After a day and a night of relentless combat, Xie Xun led the Kyoto Guard and Forbidden Army in encircling Yangxin Palace. Meanwhile, the Jinyi Guard had formed a human barricade at its entrance. The inner court of the palace was illuminated as if it were day. Following the slaughter, a chilling silence engulfed the palace—a silence as ominous as the night before dawn.
Inside Yangxin Palace, Yuwen Jing glared at Chen Mo with a cold and shadowy gaze. Zhang Shun, after losing an arm to Xie Xun’s blade, had perished in the fighting. By now, both the Forbidden Army, the Kyoto Guard, and the Jinyi Guard had suffered over half their men as casualties. With both sides locked in a do-or-die struggle, everyone fought with their utmost resolve—whether to curry favor with the new regime or to protect their family’s survival. In such a desperate situation, the loss of life was unimaginable.
"The Forbidden Army has rebelled?" Yuwen Jing was livid. "Where is Zhang Bolan?"
How could the Forbidden Army possibly betray him? Zhang Bolan’s position in Kyoto’s noble-clan-dominated hierarchy only existed because of royal favor. Why would he betray that? The Forbidden Army had originally been under Lin Cheng’s control, and Yuwen Jing had trusted Lin Cheng implicitly.
Lin Cheng had superior skills and could suppress the rebellious elements within the Forbidden Army. Zhang Bolan, on the other hand, was at a disadvantage due to his lowly status as an illegitimate son. The noble scions within the army often looked down on him, so his authority was never as strong as Lin Cheng’s. After Lin Cheng’s death, Yuwen Jing had no choice but to elevate Zhang Bolan.
Without a family backing him, Zhang Bolan was entirely reliant on the royal family. He was unfailingly loyal. To help Zhang Bolan establish himself in the army, Yuwen Jing had even elevated a few Li Family sons to work alongside him. If Zhang Bolan ever developed rebellious intentions, he could be replaced at any moment.
So how could the Forbidden Army possibly rebel?
"Your Majesty, Zhang Bolan and those Li Family sons are likely dead or imprisoned, stripped of their freedom. Xie Xun must have employed some unknown means to sway the Forbidden Army. The current situation is dire for Your Majesty. Please, retreat to the underground palace and leave with me. There will always be hope if you live. Xie Xun is just outside Yangxin Palace. If you fall into his hands, I fear..." Chen Mo hesitated but clearly pleaded for Yuwen Jing to escape. "General Gao’s fifty-thousand troops are stationed outside the city. If we can meet them, combined with the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, which remains in Jiangnan and Ningzhou and is out of reach for now, there’s still a chance for Your Majesty to turn the tide."
"Those treacherous dogs among the noble clans—they dare to betray me? And Xie Xun? How could he possibly take control of the Forbidden Army? Someone must be helping him... Lin Helin... How dare he!" Yuwen Jing’s eyes reddened with rage. The Crown Prince was his nephew; how could Lin Helin aid Xie Xun in seizing power and allow him to storm the palace?
Was he not afraid of the Crown Prince being killed after Xie Xun gained control?
Did he simply disregard Lin Yushu’s life?
How could the noble clans dare to rise against him?
Three years ago, he had used the forces of Marquis Zhenbei’s old retainers to entrap Xie Xun. Why were these clans unified now when they hadn’t been before? Pacing frantically in the hall, Yuwen Jing’s heart burned with unwillingness.
He refused to lose like this!
"Your Majesty, if you delay any longer, it will be too late!" Chen Mo urged with desperation.
Yuwen Jing’s expression darkened. "Xie Xun wants to kill me? Does he dare? Unless he doesn’t care about Fengyu’s life—I am the Emperor of Yanyang! I will remain in Yangxin Palace. I will go nowhere!"