She Became A Downfall Noble Lady-Chapter 1047 - 1045: Sudden Upheaval

The Emperor’s face bore a mocking smile. If they could act unscrupulously even against him, the Emperor, then what about a few young children?

"I have grown old and my heart has softened. I wish to see them and once I am assured that my royal children are safe and sound, the rest can be discussed," the Emperor spoke, his tone tinged with a sense of defeat and lament.

The Crown Prince’s eyes darted around as he pondered, not replying immediately.

The Emperor snorted coldly: "Have you already acted against them? If you are so ruthless, how can I trust your words?"

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Then let’s go take a look. But Imperial Father, your son can only let you see them from a distance."

"That’s fine," the Emperor nodded.

The Crown Prince was not being difficult, rather he was indeed in a difficult position. Although the Empress, under the pretense of arranging a birthday banquet for Consort Liang, frequently dispatched people to buy food and supplies from outside the palace, swapping in many of their own personnel. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

However, those temporarily in charge of palace security were still the Imperial Guard Army.

Li Dongsheng, aligning himself with Prince Fu, sought to achieve merit by supporting a new ruler. He could also entice some general officers with promises of future wealth and glory. However, it was not guaranteed that all soldiers of the Imperial Guard Army had ambitions of rebellion, and it was not appropriate for them to see the Emperor at this time.

Moreover, the situation within the palace was not as relaxed as the Crown Prince claimed; not the entire palace was under his control. The area centered around Chaohua Palace and West Xia Palace was not in the hands of the Crown Prince and Prince Fu but was occupied by the Imperial Guard Camp since the inception of the palace coup.

The reason the two factions had not engaged in deeper conflict was that both sides harbored concerns that maintained a temporary balance.

On the way from Chenxi Palace to Chaohua Palace, all unrelated persons were cleared out, and those tasked with guarding along the route were confidants of the Crown Prince and the Empress.

Under the escort of others, the Emperor and the Crown Prince stood outside the palace walls of Chaohua Palace, less than an arrow’s distance away.

Watching the soldiers of the Imperial Guard Camp stationed at various points along the palace walls, the Emperor smirked with sarcasm and cast a sidelong glance at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince’s face stiffened, and he said in a deep voice, "Now that Lih Mian is absent and the Deputy Commander has taken a group of trusted aides out of the city for public business, those guarding here are nothing more than riffraff. If not for my concerns about the few royal brothers inside, these traitors wouldn’t be worth..."

"Where are my royal children?" the Emperor interrupted the Crown Prince, asking, "I must see them unharmed before I can trust you and discuss other matters."

The trusted aides guarding Chaohua Palace began to stir upon seeing the Crown Prince and the Emperor’s party. Although they did not leave their posts, they were passing messages amongst each other.

A middle-aged eunuch by the Crown Prince’s side stepped forward, shouting, "Where are your officials in charge? Can’t you see His Majesty is here? Hurry and come out to pay respects! And inform your official, bring out the young princes for His Majesty to see."

Shortly after the shout, a trusted aide adorned with a gold-embroidered collar stood atop the wall, scrutinizing the Crown Prince and his group, and shouted, "You’ve been scheming all night. In broad daylight, you dare bring unrelated people to impersonate His Majesty? If the young princes are deceived by you, wouldn’t that give you the chance to strike? Go back, I won’t be fooled."

The Crown Prince grew anxious immediately. He had tried this tactic last night without success but had it not already been seen through? Was he really that foolish to use an unsuccessful strategy again?

"You insolent thing! You dare not recognize His Majesty! Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look; does this look like someone resembling him?"

The leader of the trusted aides remained unmoved, "It’s too far to see clearly."

Ignoring the Emperor and the Crown Prince’s party, he gestured to the other trusted aides, "Stay alert! If anyone dares to approach, kill them without mercy!" Saying this, he crouched down, preparing to descend the ladder.

The Emperor’s face also darkened, questioning the Crown Prince, "What is happening here? I’m right in front of them and they don’t recognize me. Are my royal children indeed here? Are these really people from the Imperial Guard Camp? If I take out the Commander’s Seal and private seal, they must not fall into the wrong hands."

That must not be allowed, and the Crown Prince’s heart immediately surged with warmth.

"Damn it! These scoundrels don’t even recognize the Imperial Father! Is this a rebellion? I will have them executed down to the ninth generation!"

The Crown Prince felt nearly driven to madness by these incompetents. Last night, the Imperial Guards had used a body double of the Emperor to attempt to deceive and seize Chaohua Palace, but it had been foiled. He thought they had a keen eye for discernment, but who would have thought they planned to recognize no one!

These damn fools! They actually won’t let anyone approach, and if they can’t come closer, how can they see clearly?

"Wait!" The Crown Prince, thinking of the throne soon within reach, nearly jumped in agitation, "You dog! Do you have eyes? Who else could have such authority and presence except His Majesty? Look hard with your dog eyes; how can His Majesty and last night’s impostor be the same? Can they be the same!"

The leader of the trusted aides was briefly swayed by the Crown Prince’s shouting, and he casually pointed at three people on the wall, "You were the guards on duty yesterday, go and see if it is His Majesty. Look carefully!"

Then he turned toward the Crown Prince’s side and shouted, "Your Highness, I shall speak bluntly. If anyone dares harm my brothers from the Imperial Guard Camp, don’t blame me for turning hostile now. If a fight breaks out, inviting suspicion from the officials and commoners outside the palace, I’m afraid Your Highness’s play cannot proceed!"

The Crown Prince snorted, "Have your men drop their weapons before coming over. If they alarm His Majesty, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!" Then he turned his head, instructing his guards, "Remember him. When this succeeds, I will have his entire family executed!"

Three trusted aides leaped down from the wall, forming a triangular formation, moving towards the Crown Prince’s position. When they were about twenty paces from the Crown Prince and his group, they stopped, sized up the Emperor, exchanged glances, and appearing somewhat assured, continued forward.

Seeing they were less than ten paces from the Crown Prince and others yet did not intend to stop, the guards by the Crown Prince hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Stand there and don’t move."

The foremost trusted aide, staring at the Emperor, hesitated and bowed, "Your humble servant greets His Majesty, Your Majesty... do you recognize your humble servant?"

The Crown Prince, growing impatient, cursed angrily, "Who do you think you are? Does everyone need to recognize you? If you’ve identified, hurry and return, bring out the young princes for His Majesty to see..."

As the Crown Prince was cursing, an unexpected change erupted.

From the side and behind, a trusted aide’s figure flickered; even before anyone could blink, the person appeared close to the Emperor. With a spin, he circled halfway around the Emperor, a short blade in hand gliding smoothly, the blade’s tip aimed right at the throats of the eunuchs guarding the Emperor.

In a flash, successive loud shouts erupted, and amid a few exchanges, the other two trusted aides also pounced in. One wielding a sharp weapon fought those beside the Crown Prince, while another reached out to grab the Crown Prince, with the intention of abducting him.

The Crown Prince’s entourage, unprepared for the attackers’ exceptional skills, engaged with all their might.

The scene descended into chaos.

The numbers were overwhelmingly against the three trusted aides, and with them needing to protect the Emperor, they were about to be surrounded by the Crown Prince’s people, when a volley of arrows flew in from the direction of Chaohua Palace.

The arrows were astonishingly accurate, largely avoiding the Emperor and the three trusted aides, and instead targeting the Crown Prince’s group, with extreme force.