Lin Taichu and Gao Yang both felt their hearts sink when they heard the words "rebellion."
The First Prince had clearly intended to expose the wizard's conspiracy. How had it turned into rebellion? The two exchanged a glance, both certain there was something fishy going on.
"Don't panic. Find somewhere to hide first and see what happens." Gao Yang grabbed Lin Taichu and ran toward a storage room on the western side of the palace. It was piled with timber and cloth, making it a perfect hiding place.
They had barely hidden when hurried footsteps and the shouts of Jin soldiers came from outside. "Catch the rebels! Don't let the First Prince escape!"
"Guard the palace gates! No one is allowed in or out!"
Lin Taichu quietly lifted a gap in the cloth and looked outside. A squad of Jin soldiers, blades raised, was running toward the Eastern Palace.
Not far away, several servants were running about in panic when Jin soldiers stopped and interrogated them. At the slightest hesitation, they were shoved to the ground.
"It has to be the wizard's doing." Gao Yang lowered his voice. "He must have discovered the First Prince's plan and deliberately turned the tables, accusing the princes of rebellion."
Lin Taichu nodded, frantic inside. "The First Prince has evidence. How could he have been exposed so quickly?"
The moment he finished speaking, the clash of weapons rang out in the distance, mixed with people's screams.
The two dared not wait any longer. While the Jin soldiers were all gathering toward the Eastern Palace, they quietly slipped out of the storage room and ran toward the source of the noise.
The palace's main road had already descended into chaos. The First Prince, leading several dozen Guards, was fighting the wizard's men.
The Second Prince