EWRN - Chapter 76
Chapter 76: Finale
No matter how deathly silent it was within the imperial court, outside the city walls, the gongs and drums were already thundering.
Huo Jinyu directed the Brocade Guard Army in a methodical assault on the Imperial City. Soldiers clad in Reinforced Iron Armor, hoisting massive logs, charged the city walls in wave after wave, shouting in unison. Countless arrows rained down from the ramparts, yet most of the soldiers remained completely unscathed. The few who were injured were quickly replaced. In contrast, the soldiers on the walls were in disarray. Their limited supply of arrows was useless against the vast army below. Seeing Huo Jinyu's Brocade Guard Army already setting up scaling ladders, the soldiers on the walls grew even more frantic.
Soon, Huo Jinyu's soldiers stormed the ramparts, and the two sides engaged in a brutal slaughter. To be precise, it was a one-sided beatdown by the Brocade Guard Army against the Imperial City's palace guard. After all, the Brocade Guard's Reinforced Iron Armor was simply too formidable, rendering them practically impervious to blades and spears. The casualty rate for the Brocade Guard was minuscule.
Since they were all people of the Great Yuan Kingdom, the Brocade Guard, under Huo Jinyu's orders, did not deal fatal blows to the palace guard. They merely dislocated their arms, neutralizing their ability to attack. The battle was completely lopsided, the scales of victory tipping entirely in favor of Huo Jinyu's Brocade Guard Army. Dressed in a woman's battle attire, Huo Jinyu sat on horseback with her hands clasped behind her back. Yan Xi, clad in iron armor, sat atop a tall steed beside her, looking somewhat resigned. Neither feared the stray arrows, standing firm amidst the battle. They were surrounded by the roars of charging soldiers and the sky-shaking sound of gongs and drums. The beat of the drums hammered against their hearts. In this moment, they presided over the city.
At that moment, within the Imperial City, inside the palace's Hall of Imperial Governance.
The ministers were fraught with anxiety. Huo Jinye, seated on the dragon throne, was throwing a violent tantrum, having already smashed several teacups. He demanded the ministers quickly devise a countermeasure.
In reality, the ministers knew full well that a few thousand palace guards could not possibly resist an army of hundreds of thousands. At worst, it was just a change of emperor. Surely they wouldn't be killed for being ministers, would they? The realm still needed its civil and military officials to function. Thus, some ministers had long since given up thinking, calmly standing by with their hands in their sleeves.
Seeing the ministers' detached, "none-of-my-business" attitude, Huo Jinye smashed another teacup in a fit of rage. Chief Steward Lu quickly ordered the young eunuchs to bring a new cup, not bothering to clean up the shards on the floor, letting them lie scattered before the dais.
Chief Steward Lu consoled Huo Jinye in a gentle voice, putting on a perfect show of concern. Inwardly, however, he was rejoicing. It seemed Huo Jinye's time as a placeholder emperor was coming to an end. He, Chief Steward Lu, had secretly followed Huo Jinye for so long, contributing both effort and hardship. When the new emperor ascended the throne, there would be plenty of rewards for him. Thinking of his bright future, Chief Steward Lu couldn't help but narrow his eyes and curl his lips into a smile, all while muttering, "Your Majesty, quell your anger. Your Majesty, quell your anger."
Battle reports from the front lines were delivered to the palace one after another.
"Report! Your Majesty! The enemy is sounding the war drums!"
"Report! Your Majesty! We have run out of arrows, and the defense of the city walls is weakening!"
"Report! Your Majesty! The enemy is erecting scaling ladders!"
"Report! Your Majesty! The enemy has breached the city walls!"
"Report! Your Majesty! The city walls have fallen!"
"Report! The city gates have been broken open!"
"Report!…"
"Get out! Tell all the palace guards to fall back and defend the palace!" Before the soldier could finish his urgent report, Huo Jinye erupted, sweeping everything from his desk to the floor and cutting the soldier off.
"Get out, get out, get out!!!" Huo Jinye roared in agitation.
Huo Jinye's thunderous rage terrified many of the ministers. They shrank back, fearing that His Majesty Huo Jinye might have them dragged out and beheaded on a whim.
At the north gate, the city walls had completely fallen. The ramparts were covered with soldiers sitting on the ground, their arms dislocated. Brocade Guard soldiers held swords to the necks of the palace guards to prevent them from rising up in resistance.
Another contingent of the Brocade Guard descended from the inner side of the wall, fighting their way down and ultimately seizing control of the city gates. With that, the gates of the Great Yuan Kingdom's Imperial City were thrown wide open. Huo Jinyu commanded the Brocade Guard to enter the city, where they saw the palace guards hastily retreating toward the imperial palace, preparing for a final, desperate stand.
Huo Jinyu turned and gave some instructions to the Brocade Guard's General, Jian Wei. Jian Wei nodded and split off a large number of Brocade Guard soldiers, who entered the Imperial City to carry out their mission.
Huo Jinyu and Yan Xi, meanwhile, led the larger force straight for the imperial palace.
The streets of the Imperial City were empty. Every household had its doors tightly shut. The moment smoke had risen from the north gate, the common people realized the situation was dire. They had hurriedly packed up their stalls, shuttered their shops, and locked their homes, praying their families would remain untouched by the chaos of war and survive unscathed.
A group of Brocade Guard soldiers surrounded the Li Estate, and one of them stepped forward to knock on the door.
From inside, the steward's slightly nervous voice called out, "Who is it?"
"I am from the Imperial Guard, sent by His Majesty to protect the families of the civil and military officials. I ask that you open the door to receive the decree, so that we may enter the estate and ensure everyone's safety," the Brocade Guard soldier said politely, his tone full of concern for the people. He wasn't wrong. The Brocade Guard's "His Majesty" was indeed Huo Jinyu. And they truly were protecting the officials' families—though it was protection in name, but surveillance and hostage-taking in reality.
The steward inside hesitated for a moment. The master of the house was not home; all the decision-makers had gone to the palace. Now, only a few women and children remained in the estate, and they all listened to the steward. After some dawdling, the steward opened the door. The moment it opened, the Brocade Guard soldiers waiting outside swarmed into the Li Estate. The leader seized the steward, while the others rounded up the hiding family members, gathering them together under guard.
Similar scenes were playing out in the major estates throughout the Imperial City. If a steward refused to open the door, the Brocade Guard forced their way in. If any servants put up a futile resistance, they were soundly beaten by the Brocade Guard and detained with the others.
Soon, the Brocade Guard had the entire Imperial City under control. Now, only the imperial palace remained.
The Imperial City's palace guard was now a spent force. Most of them had been lost on the city walls. The palace walls were not high, a far cry from the city walls, and defending them was exhausting for the guards. Huo Jinyu's Brocade Guard Army, long accustomed to offensive maneuvers, attacked with practiced ease. Soon, the palace walls and gates were also taken. Brocade Guard soldiers opened the sealed palace gates from the inside. The gates swung wide, and the Brocade Guard began to pour in.
Huo Jinyu and Yan Xi dismounted together. She stood before the palace gates, gazing at this incredibly familiar place where she had lived for over thirty years in both her past life and this one. Her heart was filled with immense emotion. In this life, she had traveled to many places, but returning to this palace, she found that while the scenery was the same, the people were not.
The Brocade Guard had already formed ranks, waiting only for Huo Jinyu to enter.
Inside the imperial palace, in the Hall of Imperial Governance.
Huo Jinye sat restlessly on the dragon throne, which felt as if it were on fire, scalding his rear. It was impossible for him to sit still.
During the defense of the palace, the General of the State had also been sent out to resist the enemy. The urgent reports that had once arrived every few moments had now ceased for a long time. Because Huo Jinye was afraid, the great doors of the Hall of Imperial Governance were sealed shut. He could faintly hear the sound of footsteps approaching from outside.
An unknown amount of time passed. It was perhaps fifteen minutes, but to Huo Jinye, it felt like a year. The time spent waiting on the dragon throne seemed to have stretched into an eternity.
Finally, there was movement at the great doors of the Hall of Imperial Governance. A fair, slender hand slowly pushed them open. A woman in battle attire stepped inside, followed by another woman clad in iron armor.
Two women had broken in!
When he saw the face of the woman in iron armor, Huo Jinye was astonished. Wasn't that the former Emperor Huo Jinyu's consort, Yan Xi? She was actually involved in today's events!
When Huo Jinye fixed his gaze on the face of the woman in battle attire, his astonishment turned to utter shock! This woman bore a striking resemblance to the former Emperor Huo Jinyu!
"Who are you?! Why do you disrupt my court!" Huo Jinye's eyes widened in fury as he roared, "Guards!! Assassins! Seize these two women for me!"
But no matter how Huo Jinye called, not a single guard entered. The civil and military officials were also staring in shock at the leading woman in battle attire. She was the spitting image of the former Emperor Huo Jinyu!
Finally, when Huo Jinye was panting and had stopped shouting, the woman in battle attire parted her crimson lips and said teasingly, "My good Imperial Brother, it has been many days. I trust you've been well."
The moment that familiar, androgynous voice spoke, the jaws of the ministers nearly hit the floor. This woman referred to herself as "We" and called Huo Jinye "Imperial Brother." She… she… she was the former Emperor Huo Jinyu!
The ministers wanted to weep. How had their former Emperor Yuanjin become a woman?!
"Who are you?! Stop playing ghosts and gods with me!" Huo Jinye was clearly terrified. When had his imperial brother become a woman?!
"'We'? Are you worthy of calling yourself 'We'? I am your good Imperial Brother, Huo Jinyu!" Huo Jinyu stood before the dais, hands clasped behind her back, and an imposing aura familiar to all the ministers emanated from her.
"Huo Jinyu! You're actually a woman! You deceived the people of the realm! You deceived Father Emperor! You deceived me for so long!" Huo Jinye shot to his feet in shock. With his left hand, he drew his sword and pointed it at Huo Jinyu, shouting, "You, a woman who throws the court into chaos, and you still dare to offend my Imperial City! To offend my Great Yuan Kingdom!"
Seeing that Huo Jinyu and Yan Xi were both women, some military officials in the court forgot about their exceptional martial skills. They rolled up their sleeves, preparing to step forward and apprehend them.
Huo Jinyu caught the military officials' small movements out of the corner of her eye. She let out a cold snort and clapped her hands. Instantly, a large contingent of Brocade Guard soldiers, armed to the teeth, flooded into the hall. The soldiers, swords in hand, placed their blades against the necks of the ministers. The officials immediately deflated. The military officials, being unarmed, could only resentfully lower their hands and stand still, not daring to move with blades at their necks, fearing their heads might roll off at any moment.
"Huo Jinyu! You despicable, shameless villain! You use numbers to bully the few!" Huo Jinye cursed loudly.
"Despicable and shameless? Who was it that colluded with the so-called General of the State, Hou Yuwen, to usurp my throne? Who is it that is truly despicable, shameless, and vile?" Huo Jinyu, however, was in no hurry, speaking in a leisurely tone.
"You're a mere woman. What right do you have to the throne? You should be properly bearing children for men, propagating the next generation. Why are you trying to steal my throne? This throne should have been mine from the start!" Huo Jinye, still unable to grasp the situation, said in shame and anger. How could he be willing to lose to a mere woman?!
"Huo Jinye, my good Imperial Brother, I will give you a chance. If you can defeat me, this throne will be yours. If you lose, you will be at my mercy," Huo Jinyu said, drawing the sword from her waist and weighing it in her hand.
Huo Jinye's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to answer, he suddenly heard a rush of wind from his left. Sensing danger, he dodged to the right but couldn't evade it completely. He felt a sharp pain in his left wrist, and the sword in his hand went flying. Immediately after, a pair of hands viciously clamped down on his left shoulder. With a sickening crack, his left arm was dislocated.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Huo Jinye let out a pig-like squeal of pain on the spot.
After a good while, Huo Jinye, who had collapsed to his knees in pain, turned his head to see Chief Steward Lu standing behind him with a beaming smile, cracking his knuckles.
"Chief Steward Lu?!" Huo Jinye's eyes were wide with fury. He couldn't understand why Chief Steward Lu, who had followed him with unwavering loyalty, would suddenly turn on him and attack at such a critical moment!
He watched as Chief Steward Lu walked down the steps and prostrated himself before Huo Jinyu. "Your Majesty!"
"Ahhh! Chief Steward Lu, you turncoat bastard!" Huo Jinye was about to go mad with rage!
"Emperor Yuanye, what are you talking about? This lowly one never said he was your man," Chief Steward Lu said, rising with a smile directed at Huo Jinye, before stepping aside.
Huo Jinye was so angry he could have coughed up blood.
"My good Imperial Brother, how does it feel to be betrayed by the person you trusted most?" Huo Jinyu narrowed her eyes, her gaze cold as she looked down at Huo Jinye, who was trembling in pain on the floor. Her tone was filled with mockery.
She knew. The feeling she had in her past life when Huo Jinye betrayed her was something he could never comprehend today. She had trusted them for more than thirty years! The so-called brotherly love and respect was all a damn lie! No one could know how much pain, disbelief, and despair she had felt on the day the city fell in her past life!
She had already decided on her heir and was preparing to announce it on a chosen day! To think that her good imperial brother was plotting to usurp the throne!
Huo Jinye was now nauseous with rage. He saw Huo Jinyu, her eyes dark, walking toward him with a sword in her hand. The civil and military officials didn't dare to make a peep, terrified of provoking the god of death who was radiating a murderous aura.
Yan Xi watched Huo Jinyu's back with some concern. For some reason, she could sense a feeling of tragic desolation from Huo Jinyu. She worried that Huo Jinyu would let her anger consume her and wound her own spirit. She didn't know why, but in what was clearly a struggle for imperial power, she could see grief, sorrow, unwillingness, and regret… all these complex emotions in Huo Jinyu.
What was wrong with her Jinyu? What had she experienced that Yan Xi didn't know about? In that moment, Yan Xi wished she could crawl inside Huo Jinyu's mind and see everything clearly.
Finally, Huo Jinyu reached Huo Jinye. She looked down from her superior height at the "pile of mud" on the floor, raised the sword in her hand. Huo Jinye shut his eyes in fear.
But to his surprise, Huo Jinyu only used the sword to slice open his clothes, the sharp blade leaving two bloody gashes on his body.
"Ahhh!" Huo Jinye had never suffered such an injury. The gashes ran diagonally from his shoulder to his abdomen, and the fresh pain made him convulse. He let out another agonizing wail.
Shreds of fabric fell to the floor, exposing Huo Jinye's somewhat flabby upper body. He didn't understand why Huo Jinyu was doing this, and even found it somewhat perverse.
"This is how you cut open my clothes that day," Huo Jinyu murmured under her breath. Yan Xi, who had stepped forward out of anxiety and concern, happened to hear Huo Jinyu's quiet words to herself.
"But you are a man. Perhaps you don't care about being stripped to the waist?" Huo Jinyu was lost in her own world, the ink-black darkness in her eyes spreading, a heavy killing intent enveloping Huo Jinye on the floor.
"Then…" Huo Jinyu shifted her gaze to Huo Jinye's lower body. The tip of her sword wavered, then settled between his legs.
"Ahhh! Huo Jinyu, you pervert!! Are you even a woman?" Huo Jinye seemed to have seen through Huo Jinyu's intentions and screamed in terror.
"I am… In your eyes, I suppose I was never even a person, was I?" Huo Jinyu remained trapped in her own world, muttering incessantly.
"Where should I start?" Huo Jinyu's blade moved, slicing open the lower half of Huo Jinye's dragon robe and grazing his thigh. "Ah!!!" Huo Jinye howled in pain. "Please, let me go! Stop cutting me with the sword! It hurts so much!" Huo Jinye had already forgotten to refer to himself as "We."
Seeing Huo Jinyu on the verge of a psychotic break, Yan Xi quickly stepped forward and embraced her from behind. She whispered, "Jinyu, don't be like this. It pains Xi'er to see you."
Huo Jinyu allowed Yan Xi to hold her. After a long moment, she finally emerged from her own world. Huo Jinyu gently patted the hands Yan Xi had wrapped around her waist, signaling that she could let go. Yan Xi understood and released her, though she still watched Huo Jinyu with concern. Huo Jinyu sheathed her sword, took a small step forward, and began to beat and kick the paralyzed Huo Jinye with her bare hands and feet. She didn't stop until she had beaten his face into a swollen mess.
"Men, take this traitor and lock him in the sky prison," Huo Jinyu commanded loudly. Immediately, men came forward and dragged away the semi-conscious Huo Jinye.
Huo Jinyu ascended the steps to the throne and sat down. Her chilling gaze swept over the officials, who were already scared witless.
Huo Jinyu waved her hand, and the Brocade Guard soldiers sheathed their swords and filed out of the Hall of Imperial Governance.
"I have returned. But it seems you are not very welcoming of my return, are you?" Huo Jinyu said in a low voice.
Seeing that they were no longer restrained, the civil and military officials grew a little bolder.
"You are a woman, how can you be the emperor?!"
"Exactly!"
"Exactly!"
"Is that so?" Huo Jinyu said faintly. "Right now, the entire Imperial City is under my control. Oh, and by the way, before I came to the palace, I ordered the Brocade Guard to take good care of all my dear ministers' families. I trust that your families are all quite safe and have not been affected by this conflict." Huo Jinyu's tone was languid.
A threat! This was a naked threat!
The ministers, who now understood what had happened, cried out in their hearts. With their families in Huo Jinyu's hands, what room did they have to argue?
"This subject, Minister of Revenue Li Wenjie, pays his respects to Your Majesty!" The Minister of Revenue was a clever man. It was just a change of emperor, after all; his own life was what truly mattered. And so, he knelt.
"This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Where there was one, a second and a third followed, and then many more.
The court officials knelt one after another, until finally, everyone was on their knees.
"We subjects pay our respects to Your Majesty!"
Only Yan Xi remained standing, a smile on her face as she looked at Huo Jinyu seated on the high throne, and gave a little wink.
Huo Jinyu looked back at her, the corner of her mouth hooking into a devilish smile.
The next day. On the execution ground.
Huo Jinye was woken by a basin of cold water. When he came to, he was lying on the ground, surrounded by a noisy clamor. He tried to rub his eyes, only to find his hands and feet were bound tightly. He looked down and saw something was also tied around his neck.
When his vision cleared and he could finally see, he discovered with horror that he was on an execution platform. Thick hemp ropes were tied to his four limbs and his neck!
"Mmph! Mmph!" He tried to speak, but his mouth was gagged. He was wearing nothing but a pair of underpants. He was being gawked at, naked like this, by a crowd of commoners!
The winter sun, approaching noon, was somewhat harsh on his eyes. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him, blocking the light.
"My good Imperial Brother, look at you now. How pathetic you are. You have nothing, while I have everything!" Huo Jinyu's voice came from above. Backlit by the sun, Huo Jinye could finally see her face.
"Mmph!!" Huo Jinye glared at Huo Jinyu.
"My good Imperial Brother, don't you remember? That day at noon, this is how you tied me to five horses and had me drawn and quartered! You don't know how much that hurts, do you? It's alright. In a moment, you will. That kind of pain, you will never forget for all your life! I will have you remember that agony as you enter the cycle of reincarnation, in your next life, and the life after that! Just like me, who has been in pain for lifetime after lifetime!" Huo Jinyu's voice was like that of a demon, echoing in Huo Jinye's ears. He was so terrified that tears of fear streamed from his eyes.
"The noon hour has arrived!" the timekeeper's voice rang out. Huo Jinyu turned and walked away without a second glance.
Huo Jinye made muffled sounds, unable to even beg for mercy!
Guards stood beside the five horses. Hearing the cry of "Execute!", they viciously cracked their whips against the horses' rumps.
The horses neighed and galloped off in five different directions.
A look of utter despair filled Huo Jinye's eyes. Then, a heart-rending, lung-splitting pain tore through him…
In the first year of the Jinxi era, Emperor Yuanjin returned to the Imperial City with her army and captured the traitorous faction of Huo Jinye. The very next day, the traitor Huo Jinye was put to death by extreme punishment. The Hou Estate was confiscated, and the General of the Northern Defense and his son, the General of the State, were stripped of their titles, reduced to commoners, and exiled to the barbarian lands of the southwest, forbidden to ever return to the Imperial City for generations.
Emperor Yuanjin, as a woman, reclaimed the throne, becoming the first female emperor of the Great Yuan Kingdom.
At first, there was much discussion among the common folk, but in the martial world, Minghua Pavilion led the way in supporting the female emperor's ascension.
In the court, several military officials who had been saved by Huo Jinyu during Huo Jinye's chaotic usurpation also strongly endorsed the female emperor, and the voices of dissent in the court gradually faded.
After the female emperor took the throne, she lowered taxes, strengthened trade with other nations, and ended the policy of favoring literature over commerce. The Great Yuan Kingdom experienced an unprecedented period of exceptional development.
Strangely enough, ever since the female emperor ascended the throne, the great drought ended, and an auspicious snow began to fall. Auspicious snow foretells a bountiful year, and in the years that followed, every household in the Great Yuan Kingdom had a plentiful harvest. The common people all said that the female emperor of Great Yuan was a star of fortune sent down from the heavens. Thus, the voices of doubt grew ever quieter.
In the fifth year of the Jinxi era, the female emperor abdicated, and Prince Qin, Huo Jincheng, ascended the throne, opening a new chapter for the Great Yuan Kingdom.
The female emperor, Huo Jinyu, was recorded in the annals of the Great Yuan Kingdom, leaving behind a glorious name for all eternity.
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