The Winner Takes All, the Loser Is Branded an Outlaw: The Foolish Eldest Nephew
"Xiao Zhaohuang!!"
With his hands and feet ice-cold, Xiao Chengchen looked up at the sky and roared, his voice filled with anger and resentment, but it was a powerless rage that was outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.
Standing atop the city wall, Xiao Zhaohuang Jingjing looked down at her eldest nephew, her face expressionless.
The two looked at each other across the distance.
The difference in quality is immediately apparent.
One becomes king, the other a bandit.
At Xuanwu Gate, the gears of fate for the Xiao Household began to turn once again.
Although a large army was pressing in from outside the Capital.
But her foolish nephew actually dared to think he could defeat her with a mere eight hundred men.
Such a presumptuous act left her speechless with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
The reason why my father was able to succeed back then,
It relied on the support of the people and the loyalty of the army, and on having a wealth of fierce generals and strategists under its command.
It relies on the general trend; destiny is in his hands.
It's not true that he defeated the Prince of Qin and seized the world with only eight hundred men.
And what does her eldest nephew have?
He had no soldiers, no generals, no popular support, and not even any of the court officials supported him.
In his current state, what can he possibly fight against himself?
That incompetent official Wang Zitao even openly recruited assassins, carrying out the operation right under her nose.
He thought his plan was meticulous, but in reality, it was full of flaws.
Does she really think her Pacification Investigation Office is blind?
He even tried to bribe the guard at Xuanwu Gate, but the guard betrayed him.
Even a city gate guard could see that they were courting death, but his foolish nephew still wanted to turn the tide and reverse the situation.
Calling him stupid is an understatement; he's utterly foolish.
"Nephew, surrender. Too many people in our Xiao Household have already died. I don't want to commit any more bloodshed."
Xiao Zhaohuang stood under the bright yellow canopy,
The voice was cool, yet carried a hint of warmth.
Leading troops to storm the palace in the dead of night is a capital crime of treason.
According to the law, he should be beheaded.
But over the years,
One by one, the descendants of the Xiao Household perished, and even the emperor could not escape the calamity.
The population is dwindling, and the bloodline is dwindling.
If things continue like this, the Xiao Household will truly face the situation of its lineage ending and having no successors.
Xiao Chengchen is guilty.
But she didn't want to kill him.
Father Emperor just died,
If another Imperial Eldest Grandson is added,
Then she would truly have no face to face the ancestors of the Xiao Household after she dies.
By confining him for life, he was able to continue the Xiao Household line and ensure that the lineage of the Crown Prince would not be cut off.
So it's better to be a little foolish in life.
At least it can save your life in critical moments.
If only a clever prince or grandson had rebelled instead...
Xiao Zhaohuang would not give his opponent any chance of survival.
"Surrender? Hahaha..."
To everyone's surprise, upon hearing the Eldest Princess's words of persuasion to surrender, Xiao Chengchen showed no gratitude whatsoever. Instead, he burst into laughter, his laughter filled with mockery and resentment.
Amidst the torrential rain, the shrill laughter pierced through the rain curtain and reached the city walls.
"Xiao Zhaohuang, you're afraid. You're afraid that killing me will bring you infamy from all over the world. You're afraid that if you kill me, you'll have no face to face the ancestors of the Xiao Household."
"Because the one who truly plotted to usurp the throne and bring disaster to the country is you, not me. You are feeling guilty and fearful, so you want to spare my life to preserve your reputation for benevolence."
"I know you've always looked down on me, despised my hypocrisy, and scorned my pretense, but the truly hypocritical one is you."
"I don't need your pity, I don't need your mercy, and I will not let your scheme succeed."
"I am the eldest grandson of the Liang Kingdom, the rightful Crown Prince. I have the blood of the Xiao Household flowing in my veins, and although I am physically weak, I possess the backbone of the Xiao Household."
Xiao Chengchen shouted curses in the rain.
Every sentence is heart-wrenching, every word is piercing.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhaohuang's face on the city wall gradually darkened, all the warmth in his eyes vanished, leaving only an icy coldness.
"Xiao Zhaohuang, you murdered your father and nephew, plotted to usurp the throne, and you are destined to bear this infamy for all time. No matter how you try to wash it away, you will never be able to."
"Kill me, kill me now! After I die and go to the underworld, I will definitely complain about you to the ancestors of the Xiao Household family, hahaha..."
Completely driven mad, Xiao Chengchen fell off his horse and sat in the rain, pointing at Xiao Zhaohuang on the city wall, laughing maniacally.
Xiao Zhaohuang, standing atop the city wall, remained silent for a moment.
The fingers were slightly raised.
He spoke slowly, in a voice devoid of any emotion.
"Release the arrows."
In an instant,
The powerful bows and crossbows on the city wall, already poised for action, were unleashed in unison, swarming towards the eight hundred elite soldiers below like locusts.
Screams and wails rose from the rain, echoing over Xuanwu Gate.
Some of these so-called eight hundred elite warriors were the Imperial Eldest Grandson's guards, some were Wang Zitao's servants, and most were outlaws from the Jianghu.
Driven by fame and fortune, they were blinded by the promises made by Wang Zitao, which led them to join the ranks of the Imperial Eldest Grandson and engage in the business of exterminating nine generations of their families.
They thought everything was perfect, and that wealth and glory were within their grasp.
Unexpectedly,
But it was a catastrophic disaster.
After several volleys of arrows,
The eight hundred elite soldiers below the city had already suffered heavy casualties.
In front was a steel city wall forged from swords, spears, and shields.
Behind it was a solid wooden gate, incredibly heavy.
It can be said that there was no way to go to heaven or to hell.
Some people laid down their weapons and begged for mercy, only to be riddled with arrows and riddled with arrows.
Some rushed toward the steel wall, trying to fight their way out, but were riddled with bullets and blades.
Corpses were scattered all over the ground, and blood mixed with rainwater stained the ground red.
Xiao Chengchen, who was slumped on the ground in despair and collapse, did not die, because there was someone standing in front of him.
A carefree, irreverent wanderer of the Jianghu world.
Miao Saber wielded
Countless arrows were blocked, as if even rain couldn't penetrate them.
"You take money to solve problems for people, but if you die, who am I supposed to get my money from?"
"Old Yue, clear the way!"
After saying that,
He grabbed the Imperial Eldest Grandson who was sitting on the ground, slashed away the flying arrows, and rushed towards the sealed city gate.
Qiu Qianyue, who had used his Iron Palms to deflect the rain of arrows, nodded in agreement.
Its towering body strode towards the city gate.
The solid wood gate inside the city gate passage was incredibly heavy, far beyond the reach of human power.
However, Qiu Qianyue remained calm and showed no sign of backing down.
He first flexed his wrists a few times, then took a deep breath and began to practice his internal energy.
Two rough, thick hands, like tiger claws, supported the bottom of the door.
Two arms, with muscles bulging like gnarled old tree roots,
"Ha--"
With a low, angry shout, the solid wood gate, which had been completely still, began to tremble slightly.
"Old Yue, give it your all, we're counting on you."
While holding his knife and guarding the entrance to the passage, Ding Buxiu turned to Qiu Qianyue and spoke.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Eldest Grandson Xiao Chengchen, was still shouting and yelling between the two.
"I won't leave! I won't leave! I'll die here! I'll make Xiao Zhaohuang utterly disgraced!"
"Your Highness, as long as we're alive, we can fight again. We haven't lost yet. There's Royalist Army of the Duke of Qian outside the city. As long as we cooperate with the Duke of Qian, we still have a chance to turn the tide."
Surprisingly, Wang Zitao was not killed by the arrows and escaped into the city gate passage with Ding Buxiu and the others.
After hearing what Wang Zitao said,
Only then did the Imperial Eldest Grandson Xiao Chengchen, realize the truth of the matter.
"Yes, yes, yes, I haven't lost yet, I still have a chance."