Chapter 61: Imperial Relatives Should Naturally Lead by Example

Outside the city of Chang'an, torches blazed brightly, illuminating the night.

Li Ji and Hou Junji had long since secretly dispatched messengers toward Chang'an. Yet, up to this moment, they had not received any reply from Emperor Li Er.

This inevitably led them to worry: had some new upheaval occurred within the palace? Could there be others involved in the rebellion besides Zhangsun Anye and his faction?

At this thought, the two exchanged glances and involuntarily turned their gaze toward the seven enfeoffed princes stationed not far away.

The princes sat proudly atop tall, sturdy steeds, clad in heavy armor, gripping gleaming swords. Though they looked poised for battle and bristling with hostility, they had not committed a single act of transgression or wild defiance.

To Li Ji and Hou Junji, this was utterly bizarre.

According to reason, if these princes had truly come to rescue the sovereign and protect the realm, they should have advanced on Chang'an immediately or demanded an audience with Emperor Li Er. Yet, they had remained completely motionless until now.

What did this indicate? It proved they had not come to protect the sovereign at all! If they had, why would they have stopped the two generals from reporting the matter to Emperor Li Er?

If they were not here to rescue the emperor, what on earth were they here for? Surely they could not be standing guard over Chang'an!

For a time, a whirlwind of thoughts raced through the minds of Li Ji and Hou Junji.

Before long, the sound of hooves echoed from the distance. Hearing it, Li Ji and Hou Junji instinctively urged their mounts forward to meet the newcomer.

Li Ji spoke first, his voice tense: "What has happened inside the palace?"

Clearly, he had already sensed that something was amiss within the palace walls. Given Emperor Li Er's valor and decisive nature, it was impossible for him to miss such a critical timing when an army was at the city gates.

The messenger opened his mouth wide, desperately trying to answer Li Ji, but no sound came out. The frustration twisted his facial features into a grimace.

Seeing this, Hou Junji immediately unhitched the waterskin from the side of his saddle and handed it to him, saying, "Drink up and then speak!"

After gulping down a mouthful of water to lubricate his throat, the messenger finally managed to squeeze out a truly shocking statement: "The Retired Emperor has led men to seize the Taiji Palace! He is pressing the Emperor with threats of death, and right now, he is holding General Yuchi accountable for old crimes!"

"What?!"

Li Ji and Hou Junji exchanged glances, a profound shock rippling through their hearts.

Neither of them had ever imagined that the Retired Emperor himself would be the mastermind behind this rebellion!

No wonder those enfeoffed princes had made no move—they were here to anchor the battle lines for the Retired Emperor! No wonder those princes had rushed to "protect the sovereign" even while knowing the imperial edict was forged—they were accomplices of the Retired Emperor all along!

At this realization, the expressions of Li Ji and Hou Junji darkened considerably.

Hou Junji spoke with indignation, "I will charge back into the palace right now and rescue His Majesty!"

With that, he prepared to spur his horse toward Chang'an.

"Hold on!" Li Ji hurriedly stopped him. "His Majesty is not in immediate danger yet. Even if we go, we cannot change anything!"

He glanced back at the seven princes and added heavily, "Besides, will they simply let us pass?"

"Then what do you suggest we do? We cannot simply sit and do nothing!"

"It is not a matter of doing nothing. In my view, things have not yet reached the point of mortal combat. Why not inform Changsun Wuji and let him deal with the Retired Emperor?"

"This..." Hou Junji hesitated, pondering, "Changsun Wuji is an imperial relative; surely he learned of this no later than we did."

"If that is the case, perhaps we should watch and wait for developments?"

"But..."

"Stop saying 'but'! Our hands are tied right now. If these princes do the unexpected and slaughter their way into Chang'an, we will be in grave trouble!"

Hearing this, Hou Junji weighed the words for a moment before nodding. "True, what you say makes sense. We must not act rashly."

...

Meanwhile.

"Right Prime Minister, a catastrophe! The Retired Emperor is holding a tribunal at the Taiji Palace!"

Changsun Wuji, who was busy discussing the defense of Chang'an with Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, was utterly stunned by the sudden report from a palace attendant.

What on earth was going on? Why had the Retired Emperor gone to the Taiji Palace?

Could this rebellion really be connected to the Retired Emperor?

Recalling Emperor Li Shimin's earlier speculation, Changsun Wuji felt a cold prickle spread across his scalp. He hurriedly looked toward Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

Clearly, the other two were equally shaken; they stood frozen in place, utterly speechless for a long moment.

"Aiyah, stop staring in a daze! Tell me, what are we to do now?" Changsun Wuji anxiously snapped them out of their stupor.

The two men exchanged glances, looking at each other in dismay. But Fang Xuanling quickly seized upon the crucial point and asked the attendant:

"The Retired Emperor is holding a tribunal at the Taiji Palace, but where is His Majesty? Where is the Emperor? Furthermore, whom is the Retired Emperor accusing, and on what grounds?"

"Ah? This..." The attendant was overwhelmed by the rapid-fire questions and had no idea which one to answer first.

Du Ruhui reacted more swiftly, saying concisely, "Tell us exactly what happened in the Taiji Palace, leaving nothing out!"

"Oh, oh, oh, understood..."

The attendant immediately gave a brief account of the events that had unfolded in the Taiji Palace, leaving the three ministers utterly dumbfounded.

By the end, Changsun Wuji's expression had turned ashen with despair. He could not help muttering, "If I had known it would come to this, we should have..."

"Silence!"

Before Changsun Wuji could finish, Fang Xuanling interrupted him in terror, his voice trembling: "That matter is in the past! It must never be spoken of again!"

"It is not that we wish to let it go, it is *he* who will not let it go!" Changsun Wuji retorted bitterly.

Fang Xuanling sighed, then turned to Du Ruhui. "What do you make of this?"

Du Ruhui thought for a moment and said, "I believe that the Retired Emperor has plotted this return not to seize back the throne, but simply to vent his pent-up grievances!"

"You mean the seven princes outside the city really are connected to him?"

"Do you take those seven princes for fools? They must have known the imperial edict was forged! Yet they came anyway. What does that prove? It proves the Retired Emperor still holds sway over this realm!"

Here, he paused, a sigh escaping his lips. "After all, the Retired Emperor sat upon the dragon throne for nine full years. Nine years! That is not something His Majesty can compare to after reigning for only half a year..."

"Are we simply to stand by and watch him flex his might?" Changsun Wuji interjected impatiently.

Du Ruhui glanced at him and said heavily, "Then what do you propose? Continue to lock horns with him? Do you think the current situation is the same as back then?"

"Who on earth let him out in the first place?" Changsun Wuji lamented, deeply depressed. "Even if he only wants to vent his grievances, he is likely to kill a few people in the process! Yuchiigong is the premier hero of the Xuan_wu Gate Incident. If the Retired Emperor executes him, how will His Majesty ever face the world?"

"This..." Du Ruhui was momentarily struck dumb, and he turned his gaze to Fang Xuanling.

After a brief, solemn silence, Fang Xuanling declared righteously, "I was the chief mastermind of the Xuan_wu Gate Incident. Let me go and appease the Retired Emperor's wrath!"

"What kind of talk is that?" Du Ruhui's expression darkened. "I was a chief mastermind as well; how can I let you go alone?"

"Stop arguing, both of you! We were all masterminds, so we shall go together!" Changsun Wuji impatiently cut them off, then strode directly toward the Taiji Palace.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a knowing smile.

As His Highness the Prince of Zhongshan had once said:
Imperial relatives must naturally lead by example!