The soldiers responded in unison, their voices echoing through the sky, and stormed into the palace. The palace was immediately thrown into chaos. Palace maids and eunuchs fled in panic, and the guards offered a hasty resistance, but they were no match for the well-trained army.
Meanwhile, Prince Xue Xing led an elite force straight to the Crown Prince's residence. Prince Xue Xing's eyes were sharp, and he led from the front. He was filled with anger at Xue Qinghe's betrayal and only wanted to bring this traitor to justice. The guards of the Crown Prince's residence fought hard, but they were outnumbered and quickly breached the defenses.
Upon learning of the mutiny, Xue Qinghe remained calm, as if he had anticipated it all. He unhurriedly gathered his confidants and guards to organize a counterattack.
In front of the palace hall, Xue Beng and Xue Qinghe finally confronted each other. Xue Qinghe glared at him and questioned, " Xue Beng, how dare you launch a coup! Aren't you afraid of being condemned for all eternity?"
Xue Beng sneered and said, "You are the one who betrayed us! You colluded with the Spirit Hall, attempting to usurp the throne; you are the true sinner for all time. Today is your end!"
The two sides were on the verge of war, and a life-or-death battle was about to break out.
At this moment, the entire Heaven Dou Empire was shrouded in the shadow of this sudden coup, and the future was full of unknowns and uncertainties.
Outside the palace, the clanging of armor and the sharp sound of weapons being drawn mingled, and the air seemed to freeze in that tense moment.
The fourth prince, Xue Beng, clad in black armor, stood atop a tall horse, with three elite armies forming an iron torrent behind him, completely surrounding the palace.
Prince Xue Xing, holding a jewel-encrusted scepter, stood beside Xue Beng, his gaze as sharp as a cold blade piercing the familiar figure within the palace walls—Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
Before the palace gates, Xue Qinghe, dressed in the crown prince's python robe, was surrounded by dozens of personal guards. His face looked particularly grim against the backdrop of the gleaming armor and the gloomy sky.
He gazed at the dark mass of troops outside the city, his fingers gripping the token in his sleeve until they turned white from the force.
" Xue Qinghe!" Prince Xue Xing stepped forward, his aged yet booming voice piercing through the ranks, filled with chilling rage, "How dare you stand there? Colluding with the Spirit Hall, deceiving the Emperor, and even daring to poison His Majesty! Each and every one of these crimes is a capital offense!"
He slammed his scepter heavily on the ground, cracking the stone floor. "Do you know that His Majesty is currently unconscious, and the entire empire is in a state of panic? Do you know that for your own selfish desires, you have invited a wolf into the house, almost causing the Heaven Dou Empire to fall into the hands of a treacherous person?"
Prince Xue Xing's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Considering you were once the Crown Prince of the Empire, if you kneel and surrender now, perhaps you can be spared a whole corpse! Otherwise, today is your death day, and your followers will be wiped out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Beng spurred his horse forward, the patterns on his black armor fluttering slightly in the wind. He looked at Xue Qinghe, his tone tinged with complexity, but even more so with resolve. "Second Brother, at this point, resistance is meaningless."
He deliberately emphasized the words "Second Brother," saying, "If you hand over the antidote that poisoned Father Emperor and surrender, I promise you, for the sake of our brotherhood, I will spare your life and let you spend the rest of your days in the Imperial Clan Court."
"Your Highness, turn back before it's too late!" Blood Moon Duke rode out from the ranks, his scarlet cloak billowing in the wind. "The evidence of your collusion with the Spirit Hall is already irrefutable. Why resist any longer? Handing over the antidote is your only way to atone for your sins!"
Frost Moon Duke followed closely behind, his voice as cold as frost. "His Majesty has treated you well, and the people of the Empire once regarded you as their heir apparent. How can you be so heartless? Surrender immediately, lest more people bleed because of you!"
Imperial Marshal Lei Zhan spoke last, his heavy armor creaking with each movement. He gripped his spear and pointed it directly at Xue Qinghe: "The Crown Prince has treasoned, a crime deserving of death! The Marshal's army is here. I urge you to recognize the situation, or else the army will breach the palace, and we will all perish!"
Four high-ranking officials of the empire stood in a line with the Xue Beng, while tens of thousands of elite soldiers behind them shouted in unison, the sound almost lifting the palace walls.
The cold wind swept across the palace walls, carrying snowflakes. Xue Qinghe looked down at the army that surrounded them like an iron barrel, and a cold smile slowly bloomed on his face.
There was no trace of panic in that smile; instead, it carried a hint of cat-and-mouse playfulness, as if the tens of thousands of elite troops before him were nothing more than pawns to be manipulated in his palm.
His gaze swept over Xue Beng's brand-new black armor, past Prince Xue Xing's hand gripping the scepter, and finally landed on Xue Beng's face, his eyes overflowing with disdain.
A soft laugh broke the tense silence. Xue Qinghe's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the grim atmosphere of the formation. " Xue Beng, Prince Xue Xing... the play you've put on is more lively than I expected."
He leisurely straightened the wrinkles in his python robe, as if he were standing on a throne receiving homage, rather than trapped in a siege. "Do you really think your little tricks can fool everyone? From the moment you, Xue Beng, suddenly shed your image of a gambler and womanizer, and from the moment Prince Xue Xing frequently met privately with these 'high-ranking officials,' I knew you were plotting something wicked."
Xue Qinghe stepped forward, looking down at the Xue Beng, his tone undisguisedly mocking. "The reason I've been holding back is simply to see how many accomplices you, this Haozi hiding in the gutter, can lure out. Now it seems the effect is surprisingly good."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the Blood Moon Duke, the Frost Moon Duke, and the Imperial Marshal before finally settling on Xue Beng. A cold, detached smile curved his lips, "To be honest, I underestimated you."
"Who would have thought that a notorious, incompetent prince, known to everyone, could so quietly collude with so many powerful figures?" Xue Qinghe leaned forward slightly, her voice icy. "He does possess some abilities I hadn't noticed. It's just a pity..."
His tone shifted abruptly, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes. "You think you can bring me down by putting all these people out there? How naive! Today, I'll wipe out all of you traitors in one fell swoop!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Xue Xing raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a serious expression. He knew all too well that power struggles were fraught with danger, and it was not surprising that the other party had noticed something amiss.
But now, with tens of thousands of elite troops surrounding them like an iron wall, and all four gates of the palace under their control, their advantage was overwhelming. There was no room for retreat whatsoever.
He glanced at Xue Qinghe, who was feigning composure atop the palace wall, and sneered inwardly—this was clearly a desperate act of bravado, nothing more than stubbornness in the face of adversity.
"Face reality?" Prince Xue Xing took a step forward, his scepter slamming heavily on the ground with a dull thud. "It's you who needs to face reality, Xue Qinghe!"