Late night · Kaifeng Prefecture · the third quarter of the chou hour
Torches burned atop the east gate tower. The city gates, which should have been tightly shut, stood wide open.
Atop the wall, many soldiers dressed as city patrol guards had become corpses sprawled on the ground. Inside the passage beneath the gate tower, countless armored soldiers were swiftly entering the city in an orderly procession.
"Quick, quick! All of you, keep your voices down! Once you're inside, get into formation at once and wait for your superiors' orders!"
Amid the rustling scrape of armor, the large force of elite soldiers advanced in silence.
These men came from Pangri and Tianwu, the two most elite upper armies of the Northern Song. Their individual abilities and equipment were second only to those of the Palace Front Army.
By now, some twenty thousand troops had streamed in from outside the city, almost all of them the cream of the two armies.
At the same time, the same scene was unfolding at two other city gates. With the assistance of the city's great clans, countless Northern Song soldiers entered Kaifeng Prefecture in the dead of night.
Not only that, many great aristocratic clans had begun to assemble their secretly maintained private troops and the martial experts they had retained, sharpening their blades and mounting their horses.
A tall, jet-black steed strode in from outside the city, bearing a mighty, imposing general on its back.
He was Qin Jingzhong, deputy commander of the other two upper armies of the Imperial Army.
Because the emperor was young, no commander had ever been appointed. The four Imperial Army forces had been divided between two deputy commanders, each commanding two.
Now that Qin Jingzhong had appeared in Kaifeng City, he had clearly thrown his lot in with the empress dowager.
Mounted on his horse, Qin Jingzhong glanced sidelong at the deputy general beside him.
"What time is it? Can we attack the city yet?"
"Reporting to you, Commander, it is already the second quarter of the chou hour. The agreed time is drawing near."
"Good. Then hurry and get the troops in order. Tell the brothers to make ready. Once we receive the order, we march on the imperial city with all our strength."
"Whether we win glory and riches or have all nine generations of our families implicated depends on tonight."
"Yes, sir!"
To avoid beating the grass and startling the snakes, and to keep those in the imperial palace from noticing, the troops entering the city did not march on the imperial city at once. Instead, they first organized their formations and readied their siege equipment.
Fortunately, the Song Dynasty still enforced a curfew, so hardly anyone was out and about at this hour.
Some households near the city gates heard voices and horses neighing, and all of them clutched their heads tightly and pretended to sleep.
The common people of this era were not as bold as those of later generations, who loved to watch a spectacle.
In this era, watching a spectacle could get a person killed.
Soon, after a wait of about ten minutes, a flare suddenly rose from the city, followed by a firework bursting in the sky.
It was the signal. Receiving it meant that the battle for the throne had begun.
"It's time to act. Tell the brothers to light their torches and advance at a run."
"Enter the imperial palace, kill the traitors, and clear the emperor's side!"
Qin Jingzhong swung his riding crop, and the generals beside him passed the message down.
In the darkness, torches were lit one after another. The soldiers, fully arrayed for battle, prepared for the fighting with solemn faces.
"Brothers, follow me! Into the imperial palace to punish the traitors and clear the emperor's side! Promotions, noble titles, rewards of gold and silver-they're ours for the taking tonight!"
Qin Jingzhong led the charge, his personal guards repeating his words over and over.
With him leading the way, the troops assembled at the city gate all headed fervently toward the inner imperial court. From a distance, they looked like a blazing fire dragon.
At the same time, the same scene was unfolding at several other gates of Kaifeng Prefecture and in the homes of some high officials in the city.
With cries of "storm the imperial palace" and "clear the emperor's side" to rally them, those who had started the revolt seemed truly to have righteousness on their side.
Everyone wanted to contribute to this upheaval, so they could claim a sufficient share of the profits when the new order began.
Only some chose to stand by and watch, looking with regret at the winding columns that resembled fiery dragons.
Your Majesty! Why did you have to be so muddleheaded? Sigh!
Many who were loyal to the Zhao-Song Imperial Family, or simply lacked the courage to join the rebellion, lamented in their hearts.
No one believed the emperor could keep his seat securely on the throne under an attack by the great army.
His death would probably be recorded as illness, and another obedient puppet would then be put in his place.
As the great army entered the city and began openly marching toward the imperial palace with weapons in hand, the palace also fell into a bustle.
"Your Majesty, the Palace Front Army has prepared its defenses at Xuande Gate."
"Your Majesty, the empress dowager left the palace at some unknown time."
"Your Majesty, fire has been sighted in the city. Those treacherous rebels have begun to move."
With each report, the struggle between the old and new forces finally reached its climax. What followed would be a contest of hard strength, fought with real swords and spears.
Whoever won would be the master of this Northern Song.
Inside the imperial palace, Zhao Xu, the three women, and several attending eunuchs were all staying in Daqing Hall.
They had originally planned to hide farther back, but stayed in Daqing Hall at Xu Xiao's strong insistence.
According to Xu Xiao, Daqing Hall was the main hall closest to Xuande Gate, and it would let them witness the might of one man standing against an army of thousands.
Besides, no matter which corner of the imperial palace they hid in, none of them would escape if they lost.
At Xuande Hall, Xu Xiao would be close by, so even if intruders slipped in through other places, he could still protect them.
What could the young emperor Zhao Xu say to that?
He and Xu Xiao had long been grasshoppers tied to the same rope. He could only bow deeply several times before Xu Xiao.
"Master Xu-no, if you can truly save me from fire and water this time, I'll take you as my adoptive father!"
Zhao Xu was still a child. At such a critical juncture, he could not quite keep his composure, and had even offered to become someone's adoptive son.
All he wanted was for Xu Xiao to do his utmost to thwart those ambitious men's plot, so he could remain secure as emperor, the Son of Heaven.
"Who taught you that? Why would I be your adoptive father? Dream on."
Xu Xiao showed him no courtesy.
He was only in his twenties. Why would he become adoptive father to a boy in his teens? Besides, he did not want his relationship with Zhao Xu to develop too far.
Once their relationship deepened, emotional ties would inevitably become a burden, and when he no longer needed this puppet, it would be hard to strike decisively.
That was different from women like Wang Yuyan. Women depended on men to survive, so he could take them without worry.
Men were different. They were competitors by nature; even a father and his own son had to deal with the transfer and rotation of power.
Zhao Xu was still young now, but once he grew older, he would develop ideas of his own even if he knew he was no match for Xu Xiao. Thus, Xu Xiao had already made plans to gradually transfer power to his own descendants in a few years, once everything had developed according to plan.
That was also why he was so keen to gather the beauties of the Heavenly Dragon world.
The World-Crossing Gate could only take him across, and truly managing a world would require people of his own. His blood descendants were the safest choice among them.
When Zhao Xu heard Xu Xiao's refusal, a fleeting look of understanding crossed his face, but he said nothing.
Xu Xiao saw it all and offered a few words of false reassurance:
"Don't worry. Our interests are aligned. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
"Then thank you, Master Xu."