Chapter 1165: Trouble Entering the City
Hundreds of thousands of human troops marched toward Snow Old City, walking in silence without making much noise. There was no particular atmosphere either—just calm.
It didn't look like a victor's advance. It looked more like a homecoming. The scene was truly strange.
The honor of being the first to enter Snow Old City was granted to Guan Feibai.
The Li Mountain Sword Sect had played a very important role in this war, earning countless military merits while also suffering heavy casualties among its disciples.
Of course, it was also dangerous. There might be ambushes hidden within the city gates, or wolf riders with bloodshot eyes, long since driven mad.
Guan Feibai carried his sword and walked toward the city gate.
The gate, destroyed by that painting of the Burning of the Gandhara Temple, was now nothing more than a few frames. After days of relentless bombardment by catapults, it was even more dilapidated.
Guan Feibai stepped inside.
Everything was so casual.
No sneak attacks. No ambushes. No battle.
He stood in the empty gateway, tilting his head slightly, as if even he hadn't expected this.
Then he turned around and waved toward the open plains behind him.
Cheers erupted, soaring straight into the sky.
Hoofbeats thundered like rolling drums as cavalry entered the city in succession.
Flying carriages, protected by red eagles, slowly ascended the city walls.
The moment they entered Snow Old City, many people—including Chen Changsheng—couldn't help but turn their heads to look south.
What was happening in the capital now?
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"I have never seen anyone so shameless!"
Prince Luling stared at the man in the distance—square-faced, exuding authority without anger—and said bitterly, "Even his own nephew, and he rebels? What the hell is he thinking?"
Prince Cheng followed his gaze and saw Tianhai Chengwu. He gave a wry smile and said, "That old fox is sharper than anyone. He wouldn't pick the wrong side."
When Prince Xiang raised the banner of rebellion, no one expected that the Tianhai family, which had kept a low profile for over a decade, would be the first to respond.
Many people, like Prince Luling, couldn't understand. After all, the Emperor's veins carried Tianhai blood.
Seeing Prince Luling's expression, Prince Cheng realized he still didn't get it. He had to patiently explain: "Last year, His Majesty visited the Hundred Herb Garden three times."
Prince Luling was momentarily stunned. "So what?"
Prince Cheng lowered his voice and said, "There's always been a rumor that the Pope buried the Holy Empress's remains in the Hundred Herb Garden."
Prince Luling finally understood. He drew in a sharp breath and said, "Surely His Majesty isn't planning to overturn the verdict?"
Prince Cheng shook his head. "His Majesty shares a deep bond with the Dao Sovereign as master and disciple; he probably wouldn't go that far. But he and the Empress were mother and son after all. Visiting the Hundred Herb Garden to pay respects—no one can fault him for that. The worry is that his feelings for her might deepen, and then things get troublesome."
The Holy Empress Tianhai had been dead for over a decade. Before that, Yu Ren had few memories of her and, logically, little emotional attachment. But emotions are the strangest thing—sometimes just a few words from others or certain scenes can make them flood back like a broken dam.
It was natural for the Emperor to develop feelings for the Holy Empress. No one would worry about that—except the Tianhai family.
Back when the whole world turned against Tianhai, the Emperor could forgive Shang Xingzhou, forgive the princes of the Chen family, forgive the court officials—but he would never forgive the Tianhai family and Xu Shiji.
That old fox Tianhai Chengwu saw it clearly: the deeper the Emperor's feelings for the Holy Empress, the more he would hate the Tianhai family, because they were traitors.
If Xu Shiji could barely cling to his position in court thanks to Xu Yourong, how would the Tianhai family fare when the time came?
In early autumn, the Luo River flowed between banks lined with green trees under a clear, crisp sky.
Troops returning from the north, along with the princes of the Chen family and the experts raised by the Tianhai family, stood on the river embankment, arranged in two dense rows.
If several thousand crossbow bolts were to fire in a single volley right now, this rebellion might end in a ridiculous, bloody spectacle.
But not even the capital, let alone all the prefectures combined, could muster that many crossbow bolts now.
That was why the rebel army was so casually lined up, and why the princes and rebel generals had the leisure to chat.
The rebels hadn't besieged the capital because the capital had no walls—it couldn't be surrounded.
During the days of silent waiting, most of the common people had already fled. The capital was surely deserted now, with not a soul on the streets.
This didn't feel like a rebellion at all. It felt more like a spring outing. The rebels seemed relaxed, but certain details showed they were tense.
Those ill-timed casual conversations were proof of that tension.
If Prince Xiang lost his gamble, they would all die without a burial place.
Just then, a red goose flew down from the sky.
News from the front had reached the capital.
The human army had finally breached Snow Old City.
Cheers erupted along both banks of the Luo River.
Both the princes and the rebel soldiers showed genuine smiles—which quickly turned awkward.
It seemed they no longer had to worry about being branded traitors to history or cursed for a thousand generations. But why did they feel their own faces were even uglier now?
"Your Highness, do you really not care about being infamous for ten thousand years?"
In the largest carriage at the front of the rebel army, Cao Yunping rubbed his round cheeks and looked at Prince Xiang with a smile.
Having secretly returned from the front, Prince Xiang had stayed at Yongxue Pass for a while. The wounds he'd suffered twice had healed, but he was noticeably thinner than before.
"What about you?"
Prince Xiang glanced at Cao Yunping and said, "If the Heavenly Machine Elder were still alive, he'd probably tear you apart."
Cao Yunping chuckled twice and said, "I don't care about being cursed for a thousand years. After all, I'm an idiot."
Prince Xiang smiled and said, "Makes sense. Then I'm a madman."
After a moment, his smile faded. He looked at the faint outline of the imperial palace in the distance and sighed softly. "Actually, I just couldn't accept it."
He had always believed that among the late Emperor's sons, he was the most outstanding, the most excellent, and had shown the most filial piety to the Holy Empress.
From every angle, he should have been the Emperor—not to mention he had an even more outstanding son.
If he didn't seize this chance now, once the demons were destroyed and humanity unified the continent, Yu Ren would gain unprecedented prestige, and he would lose all hope.
It was that simple.
Cao Yunping said with emotion, "I wonder if we'll win this gamble."
Prince Xiang rubbed the fat on his belt and said, "His Majesty wants to clear his mother's name. How can the Dao Sovereign tolerate that?"
Cao Yunping shook his head. "In the end, it hasn't happened yet. How can he hide it from the old man?"
Prince Xiang said, "Even so, the Dao Sovereign might not support His Majesty. Actually, many people haven't realized that his attitude toward His Majesty is more like a projection of Emperor Taizong. In other words, he likes His Majesty because His Majesty embodies Emperor Taizong's benevolence, wisdom, and brilliance. So why couldn't he like me?"
Cao Yunping pointed at Prince Xiang's round belly and said, "Do you have Emperor Taizong's virtues too?"
Prince Xiang said seriously, "Of course. My willingness to take risks and my utterly shameless behavior—isn't that another side of Emperor Taizong?"
Cao Yunping clutched his belly and laughed. But before long, his laughter stopped.
He looked at Prince Xiang very seriously and said, "I suddenly think what you said makes a lot of sense."
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The rebel army entered the capital without encountering any resistance. The deserted streets indeed had no pedestrians, only the occasional stray cat lifting its head warily from a pile of trash.
The capital's defenders were very few in number—about three thousand Imperial Guards and Church cavalry, who had already retreated to the Imperial Palace and the Li Palace. The soldiers who joined the rebellion were naturally loyal to Prince Xiang, but there weren't too many—just over thirteen thousand cavalry. Against the Imperial Guards and Church cavalry, who held the advantage of terrain, they had no overwhelming edge, let alone control over the entire capital.
The rebels' real advantage lay in having two Saint Domain experts: Prince Xiang and Cao Yunping.
The towering imperial city stood before them. The ginkgo trees, shedding their leaves early, stood out starkly on the flat ground of Beixin Bridge.
Prince Xiang and Cao Yunping stood among the yellow leaves, gazing at the palace, paying no attention to the powerful divine crossbows on the walls.
Sensing a strong aura from within the palace, Cao Yunping frowned slightly and said, "Is that the Imperial Map?"
Prince Xiang's brow also furrowed. "The Lingyan Pavilion is destroyed, and I'm sure the Daytime Flame was sent to Snow Old City. So this should only be a part of the Imperial Map."
Cao Yunping squinted, his eyes like two slits on a big white steamed bun, and said, "That's a bit troublesome."
Just then, another troublesome piece of news came from within the rebel ranks.
Prince Xiang's expression turned ugly, but Cao Yunping started laughing.