allonlinenovel Chapter 434 Tribulation Field
Chapter 434 Tribulation Field
The powerful families certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch Li Chongyi get beheaded.
As the leader of the Right Party, Li Chongyi's death left the party leaderless and trapped in a desperate situation of being attacked from both sides.
Not only do they have to face the increasingly powerful and assertive emperor, but they also face internal strife over power struggles—with Li Chongyi dead, they will inevitably have to elect a new leader.
However, if they fall into internal strife, the strength of the powerful families will be greatly reduced, which is the last thing they want to see.
If this emperor is disobedient, then replace him with an obedient one.
The Li imperial family was large and prosperous. For them, it didn't matter who was emperor, as long as they could obey their wishes and become their puppets.
King Qi and Li Zhuoyue stared at each other in silence for a moment.
King Qi felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. He slowly closed his eyes, as if making a final struggle, and then spoke in a hoarse voice: "Gather your men."
Li Zhuoyue was slightly taken aback, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, before kneeling down and replying, "Yes!"
Li Zhuoyue left the city a few days ago, actually to mobilize troops.
The recent events in Shengjing made King Qi feel that something big was about to happen, so he made preparations in advance to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
King Qi has been working for many years, and many people in the court have expressed their support for him. At present, he has about 50,000 troops at his disposal.
Although the number of people was not large, there were only 30,000 guards stationed in Shengjing City and no more than 20,000 imperial guards in the capital. The total number of people from both sides was only 50,000, and of these 50,000 people, the emperor could actually mobilize less than half of them.
Furthermore, the powerful families would do everything in their power to protect Li Chongyi, and all the troops they had at their disposal would be at the disposal of Prince Qi. In this light, if Prince Qi wanted to rebel, this was indeed an excellent opportunity.
……
More and more people are crowding outside the imperial city.
At noon, Li Chongyi was escorted from Chengxin Palace to the Meridian Gate. His official robes had already been removed, and he was wearing only a thin white prison uniform, and was locked in a prison cart.
Because Chengxin Palace only had one mute old eunuch, and the old eunuch was clumsy, Li Chongyi had not been able to properly groom himself during the days he was imprisoned. His hair was loosely tied up, and a few strands of hair fell messily down his cheeks, making him look extremely disheveled.
The Meridian Gate of the Dazhao Palace is not inside the Imperial City, but outside a corner tower outside the Imperial City.
There was still some distance between the palace gate and the Meridian Gate, and the people made way on both sides of the street, watching the prison cart carrying Li Chongyi slowly pass by.
Among these people were ordinary citizens of Shengjing City, but most were people who had been persecuted by powerful families.
They also knew that Li Chongyi was the source of the powerful families' audacity to commit evil deeds.
Seeing Li Chongyi sitting in the prison cart in such a disheveled state, yet showing no remorse whatsoever, the anger of the people on the street instantly surged. They all crowded around and smashed everything they could with their hands at him!
For a time, shouts of anger and spitting filled the air.
"You treacherous villain, you've finally gotten your just desserts!"
"Countless people have been ruined and killed by him over the years. Today, I will watch his head roll!"
"..."
Li Chongyi had rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs hanging on his head and body, but he remained calm and composed, as if he were not the one about to be beheaded.
The distance from the palace gate to the Meridian Gate was neither too far nor too short, and the prison cart arrived at the Meridian Gate quickly.
Emperor Wenjing ordered Yunshang to exercise the power of supervising the execution. At this moment, Yunshang was sitting calmly behind a table with writing brush, ink, and the execution token, looking up quietly as the prison cart slowly approached.
Yu Wan mingled with Shen Shi and Yun Xi in the crowd.
A sense of unease crept into Shen's heart. She gently held Yu Wan's hand and whispered, "Yu Niang, isn't everything going too smoothly?"
Li Chongyi was a prime minister who held great power for many years. Could he really accept his death so easily?
Yu Wan's gaze swept back and forth between Li Chongyi's prison cart and Yun Shang.
Yun Shang seemed unaware that she was also there, simply placing his hand on the table, his index finger lightly tapping the table intermittently.
Yu Wan's eyes flickered slightly. She grabbed Shen Shi with one hand and Yun Xi with the other. "Let's go first."
Shen was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously said, "The execution hasn't even taken place yet, aren't we going to stay and watch?"
Yu Wan shook her head.
Before Shen could ask anything more, Yunxi looked at her mother and said softly, "Mother, let's listen to our sister-in-law."
Shen immediately shut her mouth.
There were too many onlookers, and it took Yu Wan and Shen Shi a lot of effort to squeeze out of the crowd. Instead of leaving immediately, she went to a teahouse not far from the Meridian Gate.
The teahouse was crowded today, and there were no private rooms available, so Yu Wan pulled them to a corner seat.
After the waiter served the tea, Yu Wan lowered her voice and said, "I'm afraid something will happen at the Meridian Gate today."
Shen and Yunxi exchanged a glance, their faces filled with astonishment. Shen hurriedly asked, "Something's happened? Yu Niang, do you know something?"
Yu Wan picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and was still a little nervous: "I don't know either. Yun Shang told me to leave just now."
Shen and Yunxi were greatly surprised and exclaimed in unison, "Yun Shang?"
"He didn't even glance in our direction just now."
Yu Wan then explained, "I had agreed with Yun Shang on a code word beforehand. If there was danger and it was inconvenient to speak, we would use the code word to warn him."
Yun Shang's tapping on the table just now was a warning that she was in danger and should leave immediately.
Yun Shang has been busy searching for evidence these past few days and hasn't even had time to step into his own home. Yu Wan has no idea what his plans are.
Madam Shen and Yunxi suddenly realized what was going on. Madam Shen pursed her lips and said worriedly, "Yu Niang, will Yun Shang be in danger?"
“Yun Shang must have made thorough preparations. Even if there are any unexpected events, they will definitely be within their expectations.” Yu Wan was still confident in this.
After all, he's a protagonist who thinks a hundred steps ahead for every one he takes, so it's definitely not easy for those villains to make him fall into a trap.
At this moment, Li Chongyi's prison cart stopped at the Meridian Gate.
The people were united in their hatred of the enemy, shouting words like "They deserve to die" and "They deserve to die," their voices filled with the resentment that had been building up for years.
Yun Shang sat calmly on the execution platform, watching as the prison cart was opened and Li Chongyi was escorted out by soldiers.
Having held a high position for many years, the ability to disguise oneself was ingrained in Li Chongyi's bones. Even at this moment, though he was in a sorry state, he did not show the slightest fear or timidity on his face.
Instead, he exuded an eerie calmness, as if everything was under his control.
Yun Shang's gaze fell on him, and he ordered the Imperial Guards to take him to the execution platform.
The executioner was already waiting on the execution platform, just waiting for Yun Shang's order.
At noon, when the sun is at its zenith, all darkness and filth seem to have nowhere to hide under its blazing light.
Yun Shang glanced at the water clock on the table; it was noon. Without hesitation, he picked up the execution warrant from the table, raised his hand, and threw it out, his voice steady and powerful:
"It's noon, carry out the execution!"
The executioner took a big gulp of strong liquor, puffed out his cheeks a few times, and sprayed the liquor all over the blade.
The splashing liquor shimmered in the sunlight, making the broadsword appear even more menacing.
Immediately, the executioner gripped the large, cleaver with both hands and raised it high.
Under the blazing sun, the cleaver gleamed coldly, accompanied by a whooshing sound, and swiftly slashed towards Li Chongyi's neck!