Ambush on the Stone Bridge

On the long street, all was silent.

The once-bustling market district was deserted. A biting wind whipped up flurries of snow, cutting against people's faces like a knife.

In weather like this, the poor huddled at home, using their body heat to fight the cold and praying they could make it through the winter.

Unlike the deathly stillness outside, a vast ceremonial procession was slowly making its way through the snow.

Bright yellow dragon banners snapped in the wind and snow. Heavily armored Imperial Guard soldiers flanked the magnificent imperial carriage, an imposing sight.

Chen Ye sat upright inside the imperial carriage, gazing impassively at the snowy scene through its thick glass windows.

The journey from the imperial palace to the Temple of Heaven was not particularly long. After crossing the long street before them and a stone bridge called Changning, they would be almost there.

As the vast procession stepped onto the bridge, a sudden change occurred!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dozens of piercing whistles suddenly rang out as the ice beneath the bridge was violently smashed apart. Dozens of white-clad assassins sprang from the icy river.

Using the bridge piers as cover, they raised powerful crossbows and pulled the triggers. Countless bolts coated in deadly poison flew toward the imperial carriage in a swarm like locusts.

"Protect His Majesty!"

The Imperial Guard soldiers on the perimeter roared and raised their shields.

Clang, clang, clang!

The bolts struck the thick, specially made walls of the imperial carriage, but left only white marks. None managed to penetrate.

When their first attack failed, the white-clad deathsworn fearlessly vaulted up from beneath the bridge. Their long sabers gleamed with a chilling light as they charged wildly at the imperial carriage.

The deathsworn at the front moved with astonishing speed. They broke through the Imperial Guard's hastily formed defensive line and lunged straight for the carriage door.

One of them wore a vicious grin as he raised his long saber high, about to cleave the door open.

But just then, a flash of cold light shot through a gap in the carriage curtain.

Pfft!

The deathsworn's grin froze on his face. A throwing knife no more than three inches long had appeared between his brows. He toppled stiffly backward, warm blood splattering across the snow in a glaring splash.

Several more flashes of cold light followed, each one taking a life with unerring precision.

The deathsworn who had charged up to the carriage did not even see who inside had struck before they followed their companion, falling into pools of blood.

The eerie sight brought the assault of the deathsworn charging behind them to a momentary halt.

In that split second, a large force of Imperial Guard soldiers appeared on the street in the distance. They arrived at great speed and quickly surrounded the stone bridge, wrapping the white-clad deathsworn up like dumplings.

The white-clad deathsworn clearly had not expected an ambush, and their ranks fell into chaos.

Every one of them was a skilled fighter, but against the well-equipped and prepared Imperial Guard, who outnumbered them several times over, they had no chance of victory.

The battle was a nearly one-sided slaughter.

In no more than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the cries of battle had died away. Corpses lay strewn across the bridge, and crimson blood had stained the snow a shocking dark red.

Tong Lei strode to the imperial carriage and knelt on one knee. In a voice like a great bell, he declared, "Your Majesty, the rebels have all been slain!"

A slender hand lifted the carriage curtain. Chen Ye slowly stepped out and stood atop the carriage, looking at the corpses covering the ground. "Search them," he said coolly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Imperial Guard soldiers immediately came forward and began searching the deathsworn's bodies.

An officer soon called out in report, "Your Majesty, we found waist tokens bearing the marks of the Cui and Wang Clans on these rebels!"

As he spoke, he presented several bloodstained wooden waist tokens with both hands.

At his words, every soldier present broke into an uproar.

The Cui Clan? The Wang Clan?

Those two foremost noble clans, whose power dominated the court and the land, had dared to assassinate the sovereign?!

Of course, Chen Ye had ordered people to prepare this so-called evidence beforehand, and Tong Lei's trusted subordinates had then found it.

Whether or not the Cui and Wang Clans had sent these white-clad deathsworn, this basin of shit would be dumped on their heads.

After all, what Chen Ye wanted was a legitimate pretext. Nothing else mattered.

Chen Ye took the waist tokens, glanced at them, and threw them to the ground. In a chilling voice, he said,

"Cui Lang and Wang Yuanzhi plotted regicide and rebellion, a crime equivalent to treason!"

"I hereby declare the Cui and Wang Clans to be rebel traitors!"

"Tong Lei, hear my command!"

"At your service!" Tong Lei answered loudly.

"I command you to lead the Imperial Guard at once to raid and confiscate the property of the traitors Cui and Wang. Kill anyone in their households who resists, without exception!"

"I obey your decree!"

At the order, several thousand Imperial Guard soldiers swiftly split into two forces and charged toward the Cui and Wang residences, bristling with killing intent.

Meanwhile, inside the Cui residence,

Cui Lang and Wang Yuanzhi were waiting for good news from the front.

As they saw it, their plan was seamless.

With more than a hundred deathsworn trained from childhood and the element of surprise on their side, how could that wet-behind-the-ears brat possibly survive?

"Heh, when word comes, we can say His Majesty was killed by refugee rioters. Then we can put an obedient new sovereign on the throne, and the realm of Great Zhao will be ours for the taking." Wang Yuanzhi held a teacup, unable to conceal the smugness on his face.

Cui Lang stroked his beard and smiled, about to speak.

Suddenly, earth-shaking cries of battle came from outside!

Both men's expressions changed.

"What is happening?"

A steward came scrambling in, his face full of terror. "Master, terrible news! The Imperial Guard... the Imperial Guard is attacking! They have surrounded our residence!"

What?!

Cui Lang and Wang Yuanzhi were struck as if by lightning. The teacups in their hands fell to the floor with a crack and shattered.

The Imperial Guard?

How had they come so quickly? Had the plan been exposed ahead of time?

But how was that possible?

Before they could puzzle out what had happened, a tremendous crash came from the direction of the residence gates, accompanied by the screams of countless servants.

Volley after volley of cold arrows flew over the high walls, mercilessly piercing the servants and guards who were trying to put up a desperate resistance.

A single rain of arrows completely shattered the Cui residence's resistance.

Boom!

Once the heavy gates had been smashed open, heavily armored Imperial Guard soldiers charged in like wolves and tigers.

"It's over... Everything's over..."

Wang Yuanzhi's face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Cui Lang was more seasoned, after all. He hauled Wang Yuanzhi up and snapped, "Why panic? As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Come, we'll leave through the secret passage."

The two men fled blindly toward the rear residence.

But they had only just reached the entrance to the inner residence when a squad of elite armored soldiers, bristling with killing intent, caught up from behind.

The man at their head was none other than Tong Lei, commander of the Imperial Guard.

He had already received Chen Ye's instructions and knew that to catch the bandits, one must first catch their king. Thus, as soon as the gates fell, he had charged straight for the rear residence.

"Lord Cui, Lord Wang, where might you two be going?"

A cold, mocking smile touched Tong Lei's face as he slowly drew the saber at his waist. "His Majesty has decreed that I invite you two... to the imperial prison for a cup of tea."