23: Grandmaster Warrior (Please collect and read)

Chapter 23 Grandmaster and Martial Artist (Seeking Collections and Follow-ups)

Inside Jiaotai Hall.

Hearing the shouts and sounds of slaughter outside, Emperor Zhengyong trembled with anger.

Wang Zhongyi, standing by his side, was even more infuriated, his teeth itching with rage.

Wonderful.

You were the ones who submitted a memorial asking the emperor to offer sacrifices to the heavens.

You were the ones who coerced the emperor for a month.

And you are still the ones purging the imperial court.

In the end, all the blame is being dumped on my head!

This is simply... bullying people too much!

Wang Zhongyi immediately said, "Your Majesty, let this servant go out and slaughter them all!"

"There is no rush."

Emperor Zhengyong gritted his teeth and said, "Have we not been fishing for so long precisely for this day?"

"Order the Imperial Guards to fend off the rebel army outside Taihe Hall!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

Under Emperor Zhengyong's orders, squads of Imperial Guards rushed out from various parts of the imperial palace to build a defense line outside Taihe Hall.

Finally, Prime Minister Yang's imperial army arrived.

As both sides were elite forces of the Great Yu Dynasty, they immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

Behind the imperial army.

Yang Kang, who was a scholar, had also donned a suit of armor. Looking at the chaotic plaza, he said in a solemn voice, "Father, it seems the emperor has been prepared for this long ago?"

"So what if he is?"

At this moment, Prime Minister Yang was full of heroic vigor, shouting loudly, "According to the intelligence gathered by our eyes and ears, Emperor Zhengyong only has the Imperial Guards, a portion of the imperial army, and his own loyal death-sworn men under his command."

"The Longxiang Army is trapped in Nanyue County and Datong Prefecture, most of the border troops have been crippled, and they are also restrained by Wu Country and the rebel forces."

"Under this old man's command, not only do I have the imperial army, but I also have the assistance of Martial Artists, coupled with the Heavens Mandate Sect and Fuyou House, Hahaha..."

"Tonight, this old man am the Mandate of Heaven!"

"Guang'er, kill!"

"Understood!"

"Neigh~!"

Behind Prime Minister Yang, Yang Guang, who was fully armored along with his horse, waved his hand. Immediately, fully armed cavalry charged out from behind, heading straight for the Imperial Guards.

"Kill!"

With an angry shout, hundreds of figures leaped out from the surrounding palaces and palace walls.

Wielding longswords, sabers, giant axes, and other weapons, they hacked their way into the ranks of the Imperial Guards from the flanks.

Martial Artists!

Great Yu was founded on martial arts, which was why there were over a hundred martial arts schools within the capital city.

And among these martial arts schools, more than half had been reined in by Prime Minister Yang through various means.

Now that they had charged into the Imperial Guards, they instantly threw the Imperial Guards into chaos and forced them to retreat continuously.

"Kill!"

"His Majesty has an order! Prime Minister Yang has rebelled; whoever kills Prime Minister Yang will be rewarded with the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

"Prime Minister Yang has rebelled!"

"Whoever kills Prime Minister Yang will be rewarded with the Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

Amidst the roars, two more troops rushed out from the surrounding palaces.

One team wore brocade robes and was extremely ferocious; it was the Royal City Division.

Their leader, Ma Jinwu, wielded a ghost-head saber and successively chopped down several rebels.

The other team was composed of experts from the Hall of Offerings.

Their strength was at least that of a Third-Grade Martial Artist. Although there were only a little over a hundred people, they stood before Taihe Hall like a reef, refusing to retreat no matter how fiercely the rebels charged.

"The Hall of Offerings?"

Prime Minister Yang looked coldly at the figures blocking the front of the Imperial Guards, turned around, and said, "Protector Bahar, leave these people to you."

"Respected Prime Minister Yang of Great Yu, I hope that after today, you will honor the transaction with us."

There were only two figures here; the leader had prominent cheekbones, flushed and deep blue eyes, obviously not a person of Great Yu.

The other person was dressed in a red robe, even his eyebrows were red, and his gaze was fanatical.

The Heavens Mandate Sect!

"Rest assured," Prime Minister Yang said. "As long as Emperor Zhengyong can be forced to abdicate today, Bing Province and Cang Province will be assigned to the Heavens Mandate Sect to preach and serve as your Daoist monastery!"

"It's a deal!"

"It's a deal!"

"Kill!"

With an angry roar from the alien leader, his entire body rapidly turned into a phantom, crossing the imperial army within a breath and charging into the Hall of Offerings.

Behind him, the leader of the Heavens Mandate Sect, Yang Tianjian, also let out a wild laugh, his figure following closely behind.

With two Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists making their moves, they instantly killed several Martial Artists from the Hall of Offerings.

The formation of the Imperial Guards immediately collapsed, and they kept retreating, leaving behind a ground full of corpses.

"Pursue!"

The rebels pursued and killed, and the army continued to press forward.

"Kang'er."

Prime Minister Yang stopped Yang Kang and said, "Go lead men to set fire to the surrounding halls of Taihe Hall and Jiaotai Hall. Make sure to pin down the others in the palace."

"Burn them down?"

Yang Kang asked in surprise, "Father, in this way, even if we win, all we will get is a plot of scorched earth!"

"Just set fire to these few main halls; do not touch the inner harem, side halls, and other places,"

Prime Minister Yang said. "By using fire attacks, we can force out Emperor Zhengyong's backup plan as early as possible. Even if he has ambushed troops, it's impossible for him to summon all of them out."

"Once Zheng Yuhuan's dragon son is born, he will be the new emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty!"

"This... Yes, Father!"

The rebels continued their siege and slaughter, and after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, raging fires ignited in the halls surrounding Taihe Hall, Zhonghe Hall, and Baohe Hall.

Outside Jiaotai Hall.

Looking at the raging fire, Emperor Zhengyong's expression turned extremely ugly.

"Damn it... Yang Xuangan has gone mad! How dare he set fire to burn down the imperial palace!"

"We can't wait any longer. Let Master Zhao and the Shadow Guard make their move."

"Yes... Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhongyi waved his hand, and figures of strange little eunuchs darted out from the shadows, slaughtering towards the rebels.

"Big Companion, send someone to invite the immortal seed out. Great Yu has raised retainers for three hundred years; isn't it precisely for today?!"

"This..." Wang Zhongyi hesitated and said, "Your Majesty is tied to the safety of the millions of commoners in Great Yu; this servant cannot leave Your Majesty's side."

"Why not let Little Chengzi go? He has a steady personality and will definitely not mess things up."

Emperor Zhengyong pondered for a moment and said, "Very well."

Wang Zhongyi summoned Little Chengzi and whispered a few words to him. Little Chengzi hurriedly agreed and quickly retreated.

Outside Jiaotai Hall, Zhao Su Ling and a plump assistant official were also walking towards the rebels.

"Sigh... This old man just wants to drink wine and play with women. What kind of madness has Yang Xuangan gone into, actually daring to launch a rebellion!"

"Troublesome! Troublesome!"

The assistant official shook his head as he walked, his words full of resentment.

"Prince Xian, you must be extremely careful. This old man senses that the aura of the rebels today is somewhat abnormal."

Zhao Su Ling took over the conversation, his words filled with caution.

Prince Xian.

The eighteenth younger brother of the late emperor and the imperial uncle of Emperor Zhengyong.

Since childhood, he had displayed astonishing martial arts talent. Unfortunately, he was a prodigal son who had no interest in the throne and spent his days lingering in the Martial Forest and brothels.

But even so, he stepped into the Grandmaster Realm at the age of fifty-five.

He was one of the only two jade tablet holders within the Hall of Offerings.

He was also the only Grandmaster Realm Martial Artist in the Great Yu imperial family.

"Oh? Could there be an Innate expert?"

"Perhaps."

Zhao Su Ling acknowledged and glided out over the palace wall of Jiaotai Hall.

With a flick of his hand, a three-foot Sword Qi instantly swept out, cutting two cavalrymen and their horses in half.

Guided by their Qi, he immediately engaged in a fierce battle with Bahar, the Protector of the Heavens Mandate Sect.

"Bad luck!"

Prince Xian also cursed inwardly, charged into the rebel ranks, and intercepted Yang Tianjian, the leader of the Heavens Mandate Sect.

For a time, the four of them fought incessantly, their Qi churning, and none of the surrounding soldiers dared to approach.

Jiaotai Hall was located in a remote area.

Zheng Yi also leaped onto the roof to watch the distant battlefield of slaughter.

With Prime Minister Yang's rebellion, Emperor Zhengyong had transferred almost all guards to fend off the rebel army.

The guards stationed outside his courtyard had long since withdrawn, and even the eunuchs and palace maids did not know where they had run off to.

This was also the opportunity he had been waiting for all along.

"Prime Minister Yang is rebelling; Emperor Zhengyong must have a backup plan... Xu Mujun!"

Zheng Yi quietly sneaked out of the detached courtyard, conveniently stole a eunuch's outfit, and put it on himself.

"No wonder he forced me to run into Consort Duan's palace before and constantly made babies with Consort Duan."

"He must have foreseen this and used Consort Duan and the child in her belly to rope in Xu Mujun."

"It's been so long, Xu Mujun might already be hiding in some corner of the imperial palace."

"Prime Minister Yang's rebellion... will definitely fail!"

After putting it on, he smeared a handful of mud on his face, identified the direction, and immediately groped his way toward Jiaotai Hall.

With the realm of a First-Grade Martial Artist, as long as he didn't run into those Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists under Prime Minister Yang, nothing would happen.

Before long, Jiaotai Hall was already close at hand.

"Hey you... come over quickly, follow this servant, there are important matters to do!"