BLHO Chapter 99

Chapter 99 Playing with Prey

Chapter 99 Playing with Prey

“Form ranks, meet the enemy!”

With Li Yuliang’s command, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Guards, and the Feathered Forest Guard, three armies gathered, brandishing their weapons.

“Take the Emperor away!” he roared, drawing his Embroidered Spring Blade.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard protected Gu Huan as he retreated to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The damp, moldy smell mixed with the scent of dragon saliva incense. The new commander stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the Grand Eunuch has ordered us to escort you out of the palace.”

Gu Huan sneered, “I am the Emperor. If I leave the palace, where am I to go?”

The Embroidered Uniform Guard advised, “Your Majesty, saving your life is paramount at this moment.”

“You want me to abandon the city and flee, to hand over the throne? I would rather die in the palace.”

“Your Majesty…”

Before he could persuade further, Gu Huan refused to listen to another word, “Get out.”

The Embroidered Uniform Guard did not dare to disobey, and could only respectfully withdraw from the hall, guarding outside the door.

After they left, Gu Huan stood alone in the shadows for a long time, his emotions tangled. With a wave of his wide sleeve, he swept the memorials on the desk to the ground.

His shoulders rose and fell as he gasped for breath, his eyes bloodshot and gradually turning crimson.

Then, he reached back and twisted a mechanism, the door to a secret passage rumbled open, and he carried the candlestick, slowly walking into the dimness.

The Imperial Astrologer was bound by his arms, hanging in a secret cell, covered in blood after being tortured. The dried bloodstains made his withered face even more terrifying.

Gu Huan’s footsteps were like a death knell, pressing closer to him step by step. He struggled to lift his head, his bulging eyeballs trembling slightly.

He had regained his composure. The soul that had been trapped in his body had dissipated. No one could prove that the Empress Dowager had truly been there.

Gu Huan drew the sword from his hand, the blade slicing through the ropes, and his body fell heavily.

The impact aggravated his wounds, and the Imperial Astrologer vomited another mouthful of black blood as he lay on the ground.

Gu Huan slowly squatted down, speaking with a sinister tone, “My esteemed minister, help me cast another divination, to calculate whether I will win or lose this time…”

“No need to calculate,” the Imperial Astrologer coughed up blood and phlegm, but his cloudy eyes were filled with hope, “The Ziwei Star has fallen, and Mars is guarding the heart. Your luck has run out, and you cannot turn the tide…”

Murderous intent rose in Gu Huan’s eyes, but his tone became even more unhurried, “Did my esteemed minister foresee that my luck was exhausted long ago, and therefore betrayed me to join someone else?”

“The imperial power changes hands, and the will of heaven cannot be reversed… This humble servant… is only loyal to the Bei Sheng realm, and the people under heaven…”

Gu Huan laughed, “Unfortunately, the realm and the people you are loyal to will be destroyed by your own hands.”

He grabbed the Imperial Astrologer’s dry hair, forcing him to look up, “The He family’s army is going to massacre the city. Everyone will die. Imperial Astrologer, the only thing I regret so far is that I shouldn’t have trusted someone like you, who deceives his master and destroys his ancestors.”

Hearing these words, the Imperial Astrologer’s face began to twist, “I have never deceived my master or destroyed my ancestors! Don’t you dare spout nonsense.”

“If you didn’t deceive your master and destroy your ancestors, how did you get the position of Imperial Astrologer?”

“This position should have been mine in the first place!”

“Is that so? How did I hear that when the Imperial Astrologer was young, he was not the one that the late master wanted to promote among his disciples…”

“That’s because he was biased. He suppressed me everywhere, favoring those useless people without any wisdom…”

“So, you wanted to inherit the master’s position, to become the Imperial Astrologer of Bei Sheng, so you were ungrateful and slaughtered your fellow disciples and your own master…”

“I didn’t!” The Imperial Astrologer could no longer restrain his emotions, his pupils contracted, and his veins bulged, “I didn’t kill him!”

Gu Huan had secretly investigated his background, but how could outsiders know the whole truth.

As the past was brought up again, he vented his accumulated grievances and hatred on Gu Huan, “What right do you have to say that to me? When it comes to ingratitude, you, Your Majesty, are far worse than this humble servant!”

“I was forced to do so for the sake of the realm.”

“I am also doing it for the peace of the world! With the birth of the new Emperor, Bei Sheng will surely usher in a prosperous age. You, this foolish ruler, don’t even think about deceiving me into helping you…”

The Imperial Astrologer roared, coughing up blood, and staggered to his feet.

Gu Huan did not stop him as he left the secret cell.

He wearily closed his eyes and raised his head.

He was a foolish ruler.

But had the people of the world ever given him a chance to be a good Emperor?

–

Outside the Xuanwu Gate, the blood on the white jade steps meandered into streams, and the three-army square formation collapsed under the iron hooves of the He family’s army.

Li Yuliang’s scarlet python robe was soaked in dark red. Leading the remaining troops, he defended with their flesh and blood, refusing to let the He family’s army break through the imperial city.

Lin Shuangxu sat upright on his horse, coldly watching everything before him.

In his eyes, each body struggling in the pool of blood was like an ant.

Military advisor Guo Yao accompanied him by his side, secretly observing his expression.

He dared not advise him, only sigh.

The young master had no intention of seeking power, he only wanted these people to pay with their lives.

–

The Imperial Astrologer ran out of the secret prison, staggering all the way, and finally arrived at the Xuanwu Gate.

The strong smell of blood filled the air, and all that met his eyes were corpses lying everywhere, a sky full of murderous intent.

The war spread from the Xuanwu Gate to the Zhuque Avenue, affecting the people around the imperial city. The He family’s army was tightly biting down, and the imperial city’s defending army desperately resisted. Neither side had any intention of retreating, and there was no room for negotiation. Only when one side was destroyed would the other side give up.

“No… it’s not like this…” The Imperial Astrologer passed through the flashing blades and shadows of blood, unable to stop the battle.

The curse from years ago still echoed in his ears, hitting him right between the eyebrows.

That was the last sentence his master left him after he designed the slaughter of his fellow disciples——

You are not the one who can protect the fate of the nation. If you are obsessed with power, one day, this world will be filled with rivers of blood and destroyed by your hands.

“Stop! Stop fighting!” He roared like a madman, but his voice was drowned out by the sounds of hacking and killing. No one heard what he was saying.

–

This was probably the most terrifying day and night in Fengdu City. Every household in the city closed their doors, and no one dared to step out.

The river of blood at the Xuanwu Gate seeped into the soil, spreading the bloody smell throughout the entire capital.

Flaming arrows shot down from the city walls, and boulders rolled down continuously. In order to defend against the enemy, the Imperial Guards who were defending the city released all their traps, and countless civilians were affected. They could no longer care.

Lin Shuangxu, like toying with prey, sent out waves of troops, watching the opponent struggle desperately in the offensive, yet unable to resist. The anger in his heart was slightly appeased.

But it was not enough, not nearly enough.

After night fell, the killing continued.

With the disparity in strength, the He family’s army could no longer bear to kill.

Deputy General Qin attacked with restraint, trying to persuade the other side to give up resisting and surrender.

Li Yuliang’s Embroidered Spring Blade was chipped. Exhausted, he could only use his weapon to support his body, “You’re dreaming…”

In fact, not only were there countless casualties in the palace, but Lin Shuangxu had also sent out several other teams of soldiers to arrest the officials involved one by one.

The first to bear the brunt was the residence of Chen Chang, the Minister of War.

Several hundred members of his family watched helplessly as their master was beheaded alive and taken away to report back. Some went mad, and some scattered. Compared to the tragic situation of the Song family years ago, it was even worse.

Watching the escalating situation, Lord Guo Yao deeply knew that if things continued like this, the situation would become unmanageable. The court would be completely overturned, and the subsequent impact of the death of any official was incalculable.

The General’s revenge had to be avenged, and the foolish ruler had to be overthrown, but the stability of the world could not be ignored.

“Young Master, we cannot continue the attack.”

Lin Shuangxu’s eyes merged with the night, and he tilted his head to look at him, as if he did not understand what he was saying.

Guo Yao steadied his breath and advised, “If the General were alive, he would not want you to avenge him in this way.”

Lin Shuangxu was momentarily sad, but then he withdrew his gaze, no longer responding to him.

He would not stop.