Chapter 547 - 529: Abdication
Outside Yangxin Palace, Xie Xun led the Forbidden Army, the Kyoto Capital Guard, and the Jinyi Guard into a standoff. The Jinyi Guard, overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty, hadn’t expected the Forbidden Army to turn against them. This Imperial City, where they had once run rampant, was now beyond their control—now seized by Xie Xun, the Forbidden Army, and the Kyoto Capital Guard.
Inside Yangxin Palace was their master. But after tonight, who would truly rule over this Imperial City?
Xie Xun rested his hand on his longsword, his gaze sharp and piercing as he surveyed the weary and fearful Jinyi Guards. Within any group, there were the good and the bad, the schemers and the sincere. The Jinyi Guard was the Emperor’s blade—a blade that could kill but also save. The blade was never guilty; the wielder of the blade bore that responsibility.
Taking a step forward, Xie Xun carried the indomitable air of a general who had waded through seas of blood on the battlefield. His reputation for decisive and ruthless leadership preceded him, as did his ferocity in killing the enemy without mercy. When Xie Xun stepped forward, the Jinyi Guards instinctively retreated in unison. Though they might form a group, their hearts were scattered—unable even to stand against a single Xie Xun.
In a low, commanding voice, Xie Xun declared, "Yuwen Jing has colluded with foreign enemies to commit treason. He is a criminal that all should punish. As a monarch, he failed to protect the nation and instead threw the court into chaos for his selfish desires, massacring the innocent. He is unworthy of ruling Yanyang—his death is well deserved. As Emperor’s Guards, if you turn back now, this King will spare you. But if you persist in aiding a tyrant, this King will execute you all without mercy. Yet this King promises: one bears their own guilt—your families will not be implicated. Will you continue to shield a traitor, or will you lay down your blades and seek redemption?"
The Jinyi Guards exchanged uneasy glances. Xie Xun’s words had undeniable appeal; the man had always possessed a knack for stirring emotions. As a highly venerated general, he had once rallied the soldiers’ fighting spirit on the Ningzhou Battlefield with similar fervor.
"Don’t listen to him! Once we surrender, he’ll kill us all!"
Just as cracks began to appear in the Jinyi Guard’s resolve, one amongst them desperately tried to stop others from yielding. Having lost his brother in the night’s skirmish, he wanted nothing more than to take Xie Xun down with him. But now, they could only stand helplessly before Yangxin Palace—the last line of defense keeping Xie Xun from reaching Yuwen Jing.
With a cold sneer, Xie Xun retorted, "If you don’t surrender, do you think you’ll survive?"
Marquis An Yuan spoke with suppressed anger, "Defending a tyrant who treats human lives like weeds and trades away land for peace? What is there to protect? You see him as the Emperor, but he sees you as cattle—something to be bartered at will. In his eyes, the lives of border citizens are worthless. Such a ruler should have been dethroned long ago. Yanyang deserves a true sovereign, not Yuwen Jing!"
Marquis An Yuan, Feng Changqing, and others stood resolutely behind Xie Xun. They were like soldiers ready to charge alongside him—and also shields to protect his back. Their fates were now intertwined.
Shared glory, shared ruin!
"I am the legitimate Yanyang Monarch!" Yuwen Jing roared as he stormed out of Yangxin Palace, hurling insults at Xie Xun. "And who are you? A treacherous rebel! Even if you storm the Imperial Palace, no noble family in the Capital City will submit to you. In the annals of history, you’ll go down as a disgrace, spurned by generations to come! You accuse me of colluding with Beiman and throwing the court into chaos—what nonsense! If not for me, there wouldn’t have been peace talks with Beiman. Your Marquis Zhenbei Mansion only seeks conquest with no regard for the suffering of Yanyang’s people. Twelve prefectures left desolate after decades of failed campaigns—ten houses empty out of nine! If not for my diplomacy, Ningzhou would still be engulfed in war. It was I who gave the people three years of peace, not your so-called Ningzhou Iron Cavalry!"
Xie Xun nearly laughed in his fury. "Deceitful words, twisting the truth! You call land concessions and city trades noble? Shameless beyond compare! The peace talks with Beiman happened because the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry killed the Beiman King, shattering their morale. Their army was in no shape to continue. It wasn’t your schemes with Dugu Jing! Throughout history, monarchs guarded their borders with their own blood. What ruler besides you has sold out territories, framed the loyal, and massacred the innocent? Yuwen Jing, even if my name is tarnished for eternity, you shall forever remain a tyrant whose name inspires hatred—a despot who deserves to have his bones ground to dust!"
"You want to kill me?" Yuwen Jing laughed maniacally, spreading his arms wide. "Then do it! Kill me! Go on!"
He strode forward with abandon, Chen Mo rushing behind him nervously. The Jinyi Guards in front of Yangxin Palace reflexively parted, leaving a path for Yuwen Jing as he fearlessly approached Xie Xun.
Feng Changqing watched Xie Xun warily. "Be careful! It’s a trap!"
Over the years, Xie Xun had come to understand Yuwen Jing’s disposition well. Yuwen Jing was not one to bluff—he preferred to act with absolute certainty. If he dared to step up to Xie Xun now, he must still have a card up his sleeve.
But hatred clouded Xie Xun’s judgment. His enemy stood within reach, and the urge to kill him, to tear him apart, consumed Xie Xun’s very being. Whatever Yuwen Jing had planned, Xie Xun cared not—he wanted Yuwen Jing’s head!
Marquis An Yuan also sensed something amiss and stepped in front of Xie Xun, shielding him from Yuwen Jing. Laughing like a madman, Yuwen Jing taunted, "Hahaha, come kill me, Xie Xun! Isn’t that what you want? Do it! Take your revenge!"
His provocations became more and more unhinged, as if intentionally goading Xie Xun to strike. Rage surged through Xie Xun, veins bulging as his grip tightened on his longsword. With a sudden move, he seized Yuwen Jing, kicked him to his knees, and pressed the icy blade of his longsword against Yuwen Jing’s neck, pinning him to the cold ground.
It would only take one flick of his wrist to sever Yuwen Jing’s throat and end it all. With Yuwen Jing dead, the hatred burning inside him would finally vanish.
Pointing the blood-stained blade at his enemy, Xie Xun growled menacingly, "Yuwen Jing, you’ll face the judgment of all under heaven. You’ll be torn apart limb by limb, your bones ground to dust!"
Yuwen Jing, you will not escape retribution!
"Hahaha! Kill me, Xie Xun! Why hesitate? Shu’er is dead, and I don’t wish to live either!" Yuwen Jing laughed wildly, his voice laced with despair. "I’ve written my decree: I will abdicate, and the Crown Prince shall ascend the throne. Lin Helin will act as regent. This realm will forever belong to the Yuwen Family. As for your Xie family—you’re nothing but rebels and traitors!"
The expressions on Marquis An Yuan and Feng Changqing’s faces turned grim. They had expected Yuwen Jing to have some trick up his sleeve, but not one so venomous.
A young emperor on the throne, with Lin Helin as regent.
This scheming gambit tore open the precarious alliance between Lin Helin and Xie Xun like a jagged wound.
Yuwen Jing’s move was truly sinister. Could Lin Helin, having convinced the Forbidden Army to back Xie Xun’s coup, remain loyal now that his own position had changed? With the Crown Prince enthroned and himself regent, would Lin Helin still align with Xie Xun?