ISWTDB Ch79

Chapter 79: The Secret Guard Is Mentally Ill (22, 23)

At Huangfu Zhaohong’s suggestion, Ying Ning quickly realized his difficult situation and automatically offered to go find his mother to help Huangfu Zhaohong share the burden.

The Princess, after seeing Ying Ning, knew that the Second Prince had already developed a desire to kill Huangfu Ao. Now that Ying Ning had married Huangfu Zhaohong, helping Huangfu Zhaohong was naturally considered by the Princess as her duty.

However, plotting to harm a prince was no small matter, and the Princess was momentarily indecisive. Ying Ning, seeing that the Princess couldn’t make up her mind, immediately cried out, “Mother, think about it. That Huangfu Ao is so close to Ying Ziyang. We have previously tried to frame Ying Ziyang many times. If Huangfu Ao truly ascends to the throne, he will never spare us, mother and son!”

Hearing this, the Princess shivered inwardly but finally made up her mind.

Unfortunately, Huangfu Ao was highly skilled in martial arts and exceptionally vigilant, making it impossible to send someone to assassinate him. Attempts to poison his food were thwarted by Ying Ziyang’s sharp instincts, allowing Huangfu Ao to narrowly escape each time. After several close calls, the Princess dared not make any further rash moves.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Consort Shu’s informants reported that the Emperor had apparently secretly drafted an imperial edict, intending to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, Huangfu Ao.

At this news, Consort Shu was thoroughly alarmed and hurriedly informed Huangfu Zhaohong. Huangfu Zhaohong had not expected Huangfu Ao to gain the Emperor’s trust in such a short time.

The Emperor intended to hand over the empire to Huangfu Ao so quickly, rendering Huangfu Zhaohong’s long-standing assumption that he would one day inherit the throne nothing but a joke.

The Second Prince had always believed that the lands of the Dayu Kingdom would one day belong to him. Seeing the ministers who had once flattered him suddenly switch their loyalties, Huangfu Zhaohong was both shocked and enraged. Realizing the situation, he decided to take drastic measures.

Even though the Empress’s General’s Mansion was formidable, if he could rightfully ascend to the throne, it wouldn’t be easy for them to dethrone him. Otherwise, they would be committing treason, and the once-loyal and brave military family would be forever disgraced.

Understanding the key to the situation, Huangfu Zhaohong resolved to go all out. He learned from Consort Shu that, since recovering from his illness, the old Emperor had become particularly vigilant.

His mother had made several attempts to probe the Emperor, but to no avail. The Emperor even refused to see her alone. Instead, the Empress, who had long ceased managing the inner court, had begun to wield the phoenix seal once more, overseeing the Six Palaces.

This made Huangfu Zhaohong anxious, prompting him to turn his attention to the Princess. The Princess was Huangfu Yu’s only sister, whom he had dearly loved since childhood.

Otherwise, Huangfu Yu would not have defied the Marquis of Anping’s wishes and forcibly arranged the marriage, marrying the Princess to him. If the Princess took action, everything would proceed much more smoothly.

Huangfu Zhaohong knew that Huangfu Yu had secretly left many skilled palace guards at the Princess’s side for her to command, and he himself had also built up some influence over the years.

Thus, he bided his time and remained quiet for a while, secretly activating his network within the palace, gradually replacing the palace staff attending to the Emperor with his own people. Once everything was in place, Huangfu Zhaohong had the Princess visit the Emperor according to plan.

The Princess sat in her carriage, holding a box of pastries laced with colorless, odorless poison that even a silver needle could not detect. These pastries had been prepared for her in advance by Huangfu Zhaohong.

Thinking of how her imperial brother had always doted on her, and how she had been arrogant for so many years, she naturally understood what she relied on. However, at this moment, she was about to personally send the brother who loved her the most to the afterlife. This thought caused sweat to form in the palms of her hands.

Despite knowing she could report this to the Emperor, the Princess ultimately allowed her selfishness to triumph over her conscience, deciding to present the tainted pastries to the Emperor.

After the Princess arrived at the Emperor’s sleeping quarters, the Second Prince and Consort Shu quickly followed. This time, the Emperor did not turn them away.

Seeing her imperial brother smiling gently at her, the Princess took a deep breath and smiled in return. She took the pastries out of the food box and placed them before Huangfu Yu, saying with a smile, “Imperial Brother, please try these pastries. I know about your health, so I made these special pastries with many nourishing ingredients that are good for you.”

Huangfu Yu nodded at her words and glanced discreetly at the Second Prince and Consort Shu. Seeing their eyes fixed intently on the plate of pastries, a glint flashed in his eyes. He nodded to the Princess and said, “You’ve been thoughtful, dear sister. Come, sit beside me.”

But the Princess still held the plate of pastries, moving it closer to Huangfu Yu. She urged, “Imperial Brother, please try some. I don’t cook often.”

This time, Huangfu Yu didn’t hesitate and picked up a piece of pastry from the plate. Noticing the eager expressions in the eyes of the Second Prince and Consort Shu, a trace of sarcasm flashed in his eyes. Instead, he turned to Consort Shu and the Second Prince with a smile and said, “Zhaohong, beloved concubine, you should also taste your sister’s cooking.”

Huangfu Zhaohong and Consort Shu forced a smile at these words and each picked up a piece of the pastry from the plate. However, they did not put it in their mouths; instead, they quietly watched the old Emperor, as if waiting for him to eat first.

At this point, there was nothing Huangfu Yu didn’t understand. He threw the pastry in his hand to the ground with a heavy snort and said coldly to the three people in front of him, “I never knew that the children and concubine I loved the most, even my own sister, would want to put me to death.”

The Princess shivered at these words, knowing that the Emperor had already discovered their conspiracy. Overwhelmed by guilt and fear, she was at a loss for what to do.

But on the other side, when Huangfu Zhaohong realized that their plot had been uncovered, he seemed to have no more scruples. He sneered, walked up to Huangfu Yu, and said, “Father, if you truly loved me as much as you claim, you should pass the throne to me. For so many years, I have always been by your side, fulfilling my filial duties. In what way am I inferior to Huangfu Ao? If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you, Father, for being too partial. Huangfu Ao has only been back for a short time, and yet you intend to give him the throne. So, you can’t blame me for this!”

Huangfu Yu almost fainted in anger at these words. He couldn’t believe that all the years of love he had shown Huangfu Zhaohong had been repaid with accusations of favoritism. Moreover, Huangfu Zhaohong had the audacity to attempt to poison him, truly an ungrateful wretch.

Then, Huangfu Zhaohong clapped his hands twice, and the doors of the Emperor’s sleeping quarters were immediately locked shut. At this point, Huangfu Yu realized that they had come well-prepared. It seemed that the palace attendants around him had already been replaced by their people.

Huangfu Zhaohong arrogantly said to the old Emperor, “Father, you don’t have to eat the pastries if you don’t want to. Just issue an edict stating that you will pass the throne to me. Once I ascend the throne, I will be filial and ensure you enjoy your later years in peace within the palace.”

As he spoke, he directly walked forward, grabbing Huangfu Yu’s arm, attempting to pull him out of bed. Huangfu Yu struggled for a moment, and Huangfu Zhaohong, losing all reason, raised his hand, intending to strike his father.

But before his palm could fall, several hidden guards suddenly appeared from the shadows. Lu Yi quickly moved to shield the old Emperor from Huangfu Zhaohong.

Although the Second Prince quickly summoned the guards outside, there were not many of them, as this was a secret mission into the palace to commit such a heinous crime. Moreover, the so-called elite guards were no match for the hidden guards.

Seeing this, Huangfu Zhaohong was shocked and pulled out a dagger from his robe, attempting to take the Emperor hostage. However, Lu Yi swiftly drew the sword from his waist and chopped off the arm holding the dagger.

Huangfu Zhaohong screamed in pain and immediately fainted. Consort Shu, seeing this, was terrified, but being a woman without the strength to even truss a chicken, she could only cower in the corner, trembling.

There were only five hidden guards in the sleeping quarters, but they quickly defeated all the elite guards brought by the Second Prince and the Princess.

The situation turned instantly, and Huangfu Yu, somewhat dazed, looked at the people who had suddenly appeared to save him. Hesitating, he asked, “Who are you?”

Their attire was not that of the palace’s hidden guards, and it was clear that the people who had just helped Huangfu Zhaohong in the fight were the true palace guards, who had apparently been bribed by Huangfu Zhaohong.

Lu Yi immediately knelt down and respectfully said, “We are hidden guards from the Marquis of Anping’s residence, sent by the heir apparent to protect the Emperor. The heir noticed some unusual activity in the court recently and discussed it with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was very concerned about Your Majesty’s safety, so the heir ordered all the hidden guards from the Marquis’s residence to secretly enter the palace to protect you.”

Huangfu Yu was very surprised at these words and couldn’t help but feel touched. Even though the Crown Prince had not been raised by his side, his filial piety far exceeded that of Huangfu Zhaohong.

Remembering that the child had always been of pure character, Huangfu Yu was moved, feeling that passing the throne to him was the right decision.

He was especially impressed by the fact that the hidden guards from the Marquis of Anping’s residence were so formidable. They had been hidden around him for so long without any palace guard noticing their presence.

Upon learning that they had been trained by the old Marquis of Anping, Huangfu Yu felt it was only natural. Only someone like the old Marquis could train such outstanding hidden guards.

Huangfu Yu was particularly proud that his own son was the most skilled among these hidden guards.

However, what the old Emperor did not know was that the reason why the Second Prince and Consort Shu were able to easily replace the palace attendants around him was due to the secret orders of the Empress.

Ying Zhao had informed the Empress of what he had observed, and the Empress deliberately cooperated with them to set a trap, intending to make the Emperor completely lose faith in the Second Prince and others, and to gather solid evidence of their crimes.

If they had not harbored evil intentions, the Empress and Ying Zhao would have been able to tolerate them. But if they indeed made a move, they would show no mercy.

After this incident, Huangfu Ao was rightfully established as the Crown Prince. The Princess, Consort Shu, the Second Prince, and all his household were imprisoned.

However, these people were still Huangfu Yu’s blood relatives, and he couldn’t bring himself to execute them. Seeing that Huangfu Zhaohong was already impotent and had lost an arm, he confiscated his residence, demoting him and his household, along with the Princess, to commoners. As for Consort Shu, she was confined to the Cold Palace, never to leave.

Consort Shu had originally been the legitimate daughter of a minor official and had worked tirelessly to reach the position of a concubine. She had never imagined that after scheming so shrewdly her entire life, she would end up with such a fate. She could only live in the Cold Palace, often going without food and suffering at the hands of the palace staff. The days when she had wielded the phoenix seal and enjoyed supreme favor now seemed like nothing more than a fleeting dream.

As for the Princess, after being demoted to a commoner, the Marquis of Anping immediately divorced her. However, the Marquis did not kick her while she was down. Although he resented the Princess for indirectly causing the death of his first wife, he also felt responsible for his beloved’s death.

If one were to speak of the root cause, Marquis Anping felt that he himself was the foremost culprit. Now that Ying Zhao had grown strong and capable, he could safely hand over the Marquis of Anping’s residence to him.

After passing the title of Marquis to Ying Zhao, Ying Shiwei spent the rest of his life in the small courtyard where he had once lived with his late wife. Every day, he tended to his wife’s spirit tablet and reminisced about their simple and happy days. He lived out his later years with longing and remembrance.

The Princess, having been demoted to a commoner and left with nothing, had to leave the capital with Ying Ning and Huangfu Zhaohong, moving to a remote town.

Although Huangfu Zhaohong had lost an arm and was impotent, the Emperor did not hold it against him too harshly. He left with considerable wealth, and if he did not squander it, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, Huangfu Zhaohong could not accept his sudden fall from high status to such a miserable state. He began to indulge in drinking and gambling, and although he was unable to fulfill his desires, he found ways to torment Ying Ning.

The family’s wealth dwindled rapidly due to Huangfu Zhaohong’s gambling. Unable to endure it, Ying Ning soon began an affair with an elderly landowner and became one of his many concubines.

However, Ying Ning fled on his own without caring for the Princess, even stealing the remaining money from the household. Consequently, Huangfu Zhaohong became even poorer.

He vented all his anger on the Princess, often violently beating her, and once even broke her legs in a fit of rage.

Afterward, Huangfu Zhaohong ignored the Princess, who was lying in a pool of blood, and went off to gamble again. That night, Huangfu Zhaohong quarreled with someone demanding repayment of gambling debts and was beaten to death in an alley.

The Princess, having lost her legs and with no money, could only survive by begging. One day, she begged at the entrance of a brothel and saw Ying Ning standing outside, soliciting customers. Although Ying Ning was young, her face was already marked by hardship.

It turned out that not long after Ying Ning became a concubine of the elderly landowner, the landowner’s wife found fault with her and sold her into a brothel, leading to her fall into the world of vice.

The disheveled Princess, feeling hunger pangs, looked at the child she had once loved but who had abandoned her in times of crisis, and shed tears of regret.

Although Ying Zhao had previously restored the old Emperor’s health, he was already at the end of his life. Within a few months, Huangfu Yu’s health rapidly deteriorated, and he was forced to pass the throne to Huangfu Ao ahead of time.

When Huangfu Ao ascended to the throne, Ying Zhao naturally became his sole male consort. The first thing Huangfu Ao did after becoming Emperor was to dissolve the harem and declare that he would have only Ying Zhao for life.

Although the court officials wanted to oppose this decision, Huangfu Ao firmly rebuffed them. He was adamant and did not allow anyone to argue against him.

The Empress became the Empress Dowager but did not obstruct Huangfu Ao’s decision. She had always been a free-spirited woman from a military family and had hoped for a love that belonged solely to her.

Seeing her son willing to stand firm against opposition, the Empress felt a sense of relief. Subsequently, Huangfu Ao and Ying Zhao quickly selected a talented child from the royal family and brought him to the palace to be trained, effectively silencing the court officials.

However, three years after Huangfu Ao’s ascension, an enemy nation from a neighboring country launched a large-scale invasion. At this point, Ying Zhao remembered that according to the original timeline, Huangfu Zhaohong had also faced such a war after ascending the throne.

In the original plot, Huangfu Zhaohong had resolved this by sacrificing his close confidant to fight on his behalf.

As for now, the remaining five of the original hidden guards had long been freed from their servitude by Ying Zhao and Huangfu Ao, trained well, and had become important officials in the court. They were all highly skilled and had their own specialties, truly exceptional individuals.

Ying Zhao knew that even though Huangfu Ao had governed the country well with his help over the past few years, he still needed an opportunity to establish his authority. So, he decided to accompany Huangfu Ao on a military campaign, while Lu Yi was appointed as Huangfu Ao’s deputy general.

Huangfu Ao and Lu Yi had been partners since childhood and had excellent rapport. On the battlefield, Ying Zhao, as the strategist, did not need to go to the front lines. Lu Yi and Huangfu Ao worked seamlessly together, pushing the enemy forces back.

But just as they were about to counterattack the enemy’s fortress, an enemy general hidden in the shadows shot an arrow directly at Huangfu Ao’s chest.

Seeing this, Lu Yi immediately threw himself onto Huangfu Ao, shielding him with his body. The arrow struck Lu Yi, causing him to lose consciousness on the spot.

Huangfu Ao, seeing his beloved older brother, who had always been most dear to him, severely wounded for his sake, felt his pupils contract and his eyes filled with blood.

He drew the sword from his waist and hurled it at the enemy general, instantly decapitating him.

With the loss of their leader, the enemy troops quickly fell apart, becoming a disorganized mess and were soon defeated by the Great Yu army.

However, after capturing the enemy’s fortress, Huangfu Ao was too distressed to celebrate the victory. He immediately picked up Lu Yi and rushed back to the camp, arriving at Ying Zhao’s tent.

Whenever he felt helpless, he would think of Ying Zhao. For some reason, he felt that his lover would surely have a way to save Lu Yi.

Seeing Lu Yi in a critical state, Ying Zhao’s expression grew serious. He quickly had Huangfu Ao lay Lu Yi on his bed and began to carefully examine his wounds.

But it was clear that Lu Yi’s injuries were too severe. Reviving a person in the small world was extremely difficult; previously, the system had used world energy to save Lei Ting.

However, that had accumulated energy over a long time, and there was now insufficient energy to save a person. Nevertheless, Ying Zhao knew that Lu Yi was very important to his lover.

Unable to bear seeing his lover so distressed, Ying Zhao infused some of his own origin power into Lu Yi, hoping to sustain his life for a while longer.

Huangfu Ao saw Ying Zhao’s state and anxiously asked, “Ziyang, how is Lu Yi? Will he be alright?”

Seeing Huangfu Ao’s bloodshot eyes, Ying Zhao was at a loss for words. From Huangfu Ao’s understanding of Ying Zhao, seeing his expression and the bloodied Lu Yi, it was clear that Lu Yi might not survive.

This was the first time Huangfu Ao experienced the feeling of a loved one dying before him. For him, Lu Yi had cared for him since childhood, playing not only the role of his older brother but also that of a father.

In this world, the most important people to him were Ying Zhao and Lu Yi. Huangfu Ao tightly gripped Lu Yi’s hand, thinking about how Lu Yi had patiently taught him and tenderly cared for him.

Even when they were very poor as children, Lu Yi had saved up money to buy things Huangfu Ao liked to eat.

Huangfu Ao and Ying Zhao were happily together, but Lu Yi, even now, was alone. To save him, Lu Yi was risking his own life.

Huangfu Ao was devastated, and his mind felt hazy. At that moment, countless fiery red lights suddenly surged from Huangfu Ao’s body, swirling around Lu Yi and merging into him.

Ying Zhao recognized these lights as the origin energy of the Vermillion Bird, the soul fragments willingly offering themselves to Lu Yi.

But Ying Zhao also knew that in this world, the energy from the soul fragments alone was not enough to save Lu Yi. Even though he had just infused some energy into Lu Yi, it was only enough to sustain his life.

At this time, Xiao Bai in the sea of consciousness seemed to understand Ying Zhao’s thoughts. Xiao Bai focused for a moment and then shot a beam of light from its mouth into Lu Yi’s body.

After receiving the beam of light, Lu Yi turned into a white sphere of light and soared into the sky, disappearing from view.

Ying Zhao’s eyes widened, and he quickly asked Xiao Bai, “Xiao Bai, what did you just do?”

Xiao Bai, hearing Ying Zhao’s question, quickly replied, “Host, although my energy in this world isn’t enough to save Lu Yi, with your and the target’s divine power assistance, I have just replicated a sub-system and placed it into Lu Yi’s body. This sub-system will carry Lu Yi across worlds. Although the energy can only take him through one world, it will be enough to save his life.”

Xiao Bai seemed to sense Ying Zhao’s concern and continued, “Don’t worry, Host. Although Lu Yi is just a person from a small world, the favor of you and the target, both great deities, indicates he has great fortune. This situation might be a chance for Lu Yi!”

Ying Zhao nodded upon hearing this. He knew that with the help of the sub-system and Lu Yi’s own abilities, he would certainly be able to live well in any world.

He then turned to Huangfu Ao and quickly explained that Lu Yi was saved, but he could not remain in their world.

Huangfu Ao did not understand the complex details. Though he felt deeply disappointed and reluctant that Lu Yi could not stay in their world, knowing that Lu Yi’s life was safe and he had a chance for a better future, he finally felt at ease.

However, the incident with Lu Yi ignited Huangfu Ao’s fighting spirit. After that, he led his army recklessly into battle, and with one decisive push, he captured the enemy’s capital.

The enemy’s emperor was forced to sign numerous treaties, making his country a vassal of Great Yu.

As a result of this campaign, no other country dared to invade Great Yu for decades.

Huangfu Ao’s reign was brief, lasting only about ten years, but he managed the country well, ensuring prosperity and stability. Other nations dared not to provoke Great Yu.

After preparing the next generation of rulers, Huangfu Ao abdicated early. He and Ying Zhao spent the rest of their lives traveling and enjoying themselves.

The tale of this once exiled, passionate emperor, his great achievements during his reign, and his romantic promise of a lifetime with his lover became legendary, passed down from generation to generation.