Chapter 733 – The Emperor’s Demise, Chenzhou’s Royal City in Ruins (6)
Jiang Pengji pondered for a moment, deciding to hide Hui Jun away, allowing her to feign death and evade prying eyes.
Looking at her face, Jiang Pengji raised her hand to wipe the wound on her arm, smearing blood across Hui Jun’s pristine visage.
“I’ve put you through so much these days. Once things settle down, I will ensure you live without worry for the rest of your life.”
Hui Jun felt the touch on her cheek, fell silent for a moment, and whispered, “Young Master, to me, you are worth more than my birth parents. With just one word from you, I would give my life without complaint. Your kindness is something I will dedicate my life to serving…”
Jiang Pengji gently tapped her brow with her fingertip, and Hui Jun looked up in surprise, only to find the other smiling and declining.
“No, someone will treat you kindly in the future. As long as you are alive, there is hope. Why be so pessimistic? The road ahead is still long.”
Hui Jun tightened her grip in her sleeve and bowed her head. “Yes.”
Jiang Pengji dispatched someone to strip a set of clothing from the Corpses of the Imperial Guards for Hui Jun to wear.
No matter what, she had to get through this stage first, and once the heat died down, she would change Hui Jun’s identity.
After finishing this task, she instructed her loyal guards to handle another matter.
She sent them to the battlefield to find any female relatives of officials who might have been mistakenly killed, selecting a body that resembled Hui Jun’s, completely disfiguring the corpse, then dressing it in Hui Jun’s garments to pass off as her body, to at least provide a plausible explanation.
Would anyone suspect this?
Haha, only those with a strong fist have a say here, and any beaten soldiers among the officials dare to make a peep?
“Lord, His Majesty has passed away.”
Yan Lin coldly surveyed the bloody battlefield before whispering to Yang Jian.
Yang Jian, still brimming with unspent excitement, froze upon hearing this.
“Passed away?” Yang Jian stuttered, struggling to articulate his thoughts. “His Majesty passed away… Shaoyang, what should we do now?”
Yan Lin’s tone was icy and decisive. “First, stabilize the situation. Don’t throw everyone into a panic. We merely need to cooperate with the allied forces and the court nobles to support a new ruler.”
The Emperor was dead, so what? The royal family had backups in place.
As long as Changshou Wang ascended, everything would be fine.
There were not many people or matters that Yan Lin valued, and the so-called Emperor was certainly not among them.
To Yan Lin, supporting the new monarch was no less a merit than saving a life. The former was even less of a headache.
Yang Jian felt heavy-hearted, but with the Emperor’s body already cold, he could not alter the reality.
Both sides were well-trained; though they had never fought with real blades and guns, they did not hinder each other either.
They joined forces to repel the enemy troops, and none showed any desire for battle or pursuit, instead choosing to comfort the frightened nobles and their families first.
Feng Zhen, Yang Si, and Yan Lin took charge of the situation, negotiating with the court officials.
Of course, the brains of the operation would be left to these scholars.
“Shaoyang, I stole a glance at His Majesty’s corpse; it was truly gruesome… That look, it doesn’t seem like he was killed by the enemy…”
Yang Tao had managed to sneak a peek at the body during the chaos.
A delicate and ornate dagger was stabbed into the Emperor’s chest, his heart practically crushed out.
Yan Lin maintained a calm demeanor, “Doesn’t seem like it was the enemy who struck?”
Yang Tao nodded vigorously, “It really doesn’t look like it was done by the enemy; it feels more like an assassination amidst the chaos, his heart’s tissue has even been exposed.”
Jiang Pengji arrived too quickly, and with the chaos everywhere, no one truly understood what had transpired.
The only one who knew Hui Jun had been taken by Jiang Pengji was an enemy general.
When Jiang Pengji hurried back holding Hui Jun close, she was buried in Jie’s embrace, and onlookers merely thought she was a captured beauty.
According to a previous little yellow gate attendant who served the Emperor, it was not the enemy who killed the Emperor; it was the Empress by his side.
Yang Tao murmured in lingering fear.
“The Empress killed the Emperor? Birds of a feather, flock together. This Empress is truly ruthless…”
“Royal affairs are not to be pried into too much, or you might ruin your own vision.”
Yan Lin’s expression remained calm and unfazed.
Yang Tao obediently responded, “Understood, speaking too much leads to mistakes, I’ll keep my remarks to a minimum from now on.”
Jiang Pengji hastily treated her wound, wrapping her arm with clean cloth a couple of times, barely managing to deal with it.
The battlefield had been partially cleared, but corpses still littered the ground.
Blood stained the earth, and the air was filled with the nauseating stench of carnage.
She noticed several middle-aged men dressed as officials surrounding Yang Si and the others, looking agitated and filled with righteous indignation.
“… The Empress must be executed; killing the Emperor is a crime deserving of annihilation of the nine clans; how could we let her go easily?”
“Not killing the Empress won’t pacify the public; we hope you will send troops as soon as possible to capture her, to appease His Majesty’s spirit in heaven.”
Jiang Pengji stepped forward, and the officials revealed displeasure at her interruption.
They were discussing critical matters, and this clueless little general dared to disrupt?
Just as they were about to scold her for being a commoner, Yang Si and Feng Zhen both cupped their hands in greeting.
“Lord.”
“Who are we discussing killing? I can hear you from so far away.”
Jiang Pengji felt satisfaction seeing the stammering expressions on the old officials’ faces, akin to catching flies.
“His Majesty has passed; several officials assert the culprit is the Empress. But in these chaotic times, it’s indeed difficult to track down the assailant.”
Yang Si and Feng Zhen were also quite fed up with these old officials, who possessed minimal capability yet adored issuing commands.
Let them command, but it was a blind command.
With their combined forces amounting to only twenty-five thousand troops, and having lost some in the recent conflict, it was already quite a feat to protect the officials and their families. They would also need to escort the Emperor’s body back to Chenzhou’s royal city and drive off the enemy troops lingering in the city.
They were critically short-handed!
These old officials were trying to overstep and command them to split forces to track down the Empress who killed the Emperor.
Wasn’t that plainly telling Changshou Wang—come on over, we’re short on manpower; hurry and send some people to sneak attack us?
Considering this, Yang Si and the rest were left utterly speechless.
Yet, these old officials were long-time court veterans, wielding significant influence; they couldn’t be treated lightly, so they could only respond with vague acknowledgments.
Jiang Pengji’s eyes shifted, and she calmly surveyed the old officials.
Her gaze was bland, but her blood-soaked appearance and unresolved killing intent instilled apprehension, making them feel unsteady.
Jiang Pengji fixed her gaze on them and said, “Their assertions are not without reason; His Majesty’s passing is a matter of national mourning, and we cannot let the perpetrator off easily. Speaking of which, it seems there was a suitable corpse just now; however… the body was trampled into a pulp, beyond recognition, with only the clothing to distinguish its identity. Why not, esteemed sirs, go and identify it?”
The officials exchanged glances.
They were no fools; how could they not detect Yang Si and the others’ nonchalance?
Having prepared for a protracted struggle, they did not expect the Lord to be so agreeable, a surprising development.
“Thank you.”
The old officials bowed in gratitude, their sincerity overwhelming.
“It’s nothing; we are also court officials, so this small matter is of no concern. Come, have the female corpse we found earlier brought forth!”
