154 Benwang shall lead the coup Part II
Bai Yu was not allowed to leave the inn, no matter how much she wanted to. The shadow guardian, named Ah-Zhen, did not let her move a muscle. Ouyang Feilong told her to stay still and wait while he himself went out with his men to stir up trouble in Da Chu’s imperial palace?!
“Why are you guarding me? Shouldn’t you be with your master?”
“Miss Bai is my master.”
Bai Yu sighed for the hundredth time. She did not call herself ‘Benxiaojie’ to emphasize the distance between their positions. She just learned that Ah-Zhen had been acting as her shadow guard ever since the time they met at the festival, under Ouyang Feilong’s order before he left to go to war.
That meant he had been close by and had already seen her true color, so there was no longer a need to pretend to be a well-mannered noble lady.
“If I’m your master, then you have to listen to my orders. Help me sneak into the palace.”
Ah-Zhen was silent.
“Now.”
Thud Thud Thud.
.....
“Ahhhh!”
“Why are there so many soldiers here?!”
“Coup! There’s a coup! Someone tried to assassinate the Emperor.”
“The Emperor is dead!”
“No! His majesty...”
“Coup! It’s the second prince’s coup. He’s angry that he’s not named Taizi, so he killed the Emperor. Right now, Taizi is trying to capture them!”
“Move! Get out of the way!”
“Aaaahhh.”
The sound of commotion outside the inn penetrated Bai Yu’s room. Though they were keeping a low profile in a foreign nation, she did not have to stay in a mysterious place like a basement or secret room. The most dangerous place was also the safest one. Her bedroom was a normal inn room that overlooked the road. Ouyang Feilong’s and Chu Zhaoran’s men occupied the area, so there was no concern about her safety.
However, right now the street is occupied by soldiers chasing black-clad men who had face veils different from Ouyang Feilong’s mask. Some citizens on both sides of the road gathered into a crowd, while some were dispersed by the commotion, running and fleeing, trying not to become involved in the chase. Everything was in a state of confusion. The sound of shouts that Chu Zhaoran had assassinated the Emperor and led the coup was heard everywhere the soldiers ran by. Did Chu Zhi orchestrate all this to frame Chu Zhaoran too?
“I have to go.”
“Please wait a little longer.” Ah-Zhen did not want to be the one to answer his former master why Bai Yu could go outside. He could only beg her to continue to wait.
“If I had to wait, I would have done so in Da Yang,” Bai Yu said before using martial arts to jump out of the window. She kicked her feet in midair and landed on the roof. Her eyes glanced in the direction where the imperial palace was located before she started running at full speed, with Ah- Zhen following not too far behind her.
In front of the palace, there were soldiers and men wearing black, with masks of a similar design to Ouyang Feilong and Bai He’s covering their whole faces.
“So those men in the street aren’t his, huh?”
Bai Yu was hiding not too far away from the fight. It seemed Ouyang Feilong’s men had quite an upper hand since they were trained elites of the army that had been slowly infiltrating into Da Chu not too long ago. Ouyang Feilong had already foreseen that such things would happen. That was the reason he remained here to make an agreement with Chu Zhaoran.
“Let’s go.”
Bai Yu was going to run out of her hiding place and go into the palace. However, she was stopped by Ah-Zhen, who handed her a black mask. She accepted the mask and wore it just like her shadow guard. The black clothes she had changed into before Ah-Zhen appeared made her fully a part of those men as the coup.
After entering the palace, she did not forget to pick up a sword on the ground to protect herself. She might not know where she needed to go in an unfamiliar palace amidst the falling darkness of night, but her guard seemed to know. He quickly led her to their destination.
Ah-Zhen brought Bai Yu to a palace. From the number of soldiers around it, Bai Yu guessed it must be the Emperor’s. Those soldiers could be divided into three groups: the royal guard commanded by Chu Zhi, the fully armored soldiers who appeared to be under Chu Zhaoran, and Ouyang Feilong’s men covered in black. Both Ouyang Feilong’s and Chu Zhi’s soldiers had bows in their hands, fully drawn, threatening each other. In front of the palace was a battlefield, but the leaders seemed to be inside. At that conclusion, Bai Yu headed inside quietly. The scene in front of her did not deviate from her expectation in the slightest.
Amidst the sound of weeping from the Empress, who was hugging the Emperor’s body, Chu Zhaoran was defending himself against Chu Zhi. Bai He and Ouyang Feilong stood to the side, silently watching.
Bai Yu moved to stand next to Bai He.
“Yu-er!” Bai He called his sister. His tone sounded like a reprimand, but then he let out a resigned sigh.
“Yes, brother?” Bai Yu gave her brother a smile, ignoring the fighting men. She acted as if she had come to watch a play.
“It’s going to end soon.” Ouyang Feilong said nothing to comment on her being here. His golden eyes turned away from the battle to speak to her.
Clang! As soon as his words ended, the fight between the Chu brothers ended, just as Ouyang Feilong had said. Chu Zhi’s sword fell out of his hand, while Chu Zhaoran’s was pointed at Chu Zhi’s throat.
“You’ve lost.”
“Do you really think that?” Chu Zhi was a handsome man, though he looked slightly frail and dandy. He looked nothing like the sickly person that the rumors said. His hair was golden, just like Chu Zhaoran’s. His lips, which were stained with blood, moved, speaking to his brother in an arrogant manner. The scheming Taizi’s eyes glanced at Bai Yu; his gaze carried an unknown meaning.
“Brother, do you believe that a woman, no matter how capable she is, can never be stronger than a man?”
Chu Zhaoran did not answer. He calmly stared at the other person. The usual slyness in his eyes was replaced by violence and ruthlessness that Bai Yu had never seen from him before. Bai Yu met Chu Zhi’s gaze and looked deep into the tyrant’s eyes, and then she spoke,
“What about the first princess, Your Highness?”
The sword that was going to take his half-brother’s life was suddenly stopped.
“Hahahaha.” Chu Zhi burst out laughing when he saw Chu Zhaoran’s shock at the realization that his older sister was not here, and the men he had sent to help Chu Jiaoxin did not come back to confirm her safety.
“What did you do to her?!”
“Brother, I’ve only helped find husbands for her.”
“You!”
“A shame she’s willing to die rather than lose her chastity.”
“Chu Zhi!”
“But I’m not going to let her die, brother. That is why I’m here, to negotiate with you first.”
Bai Yu moved away from the situation in front of her, intending to go do something that could be useful. However, she could only take a step back before her wrist was captured by a strong hand.
“Don’t leave benwang’s side.”
“Then Wangye will have to follow me.” Ouyang Feilong said nothing. He let her wrist free, then patted Bai He’s shoulder once.
“Let me handle this, Your Highness.” The lieutenant-general gave his words at the weight of his commander’s hand. Ouyang Feilong nodded, then carefully left the palace together with Bai Yu.
“If you want to help Chu Jiaoxin, it won’t be as easy as you think,” he said as he predicted the thoughts of the stubborn woman who put herself in harm’s way again.
“No, Your Highness. I’m going to see Shu Fei.” That side used the older sister as a hostage, then she would do the same with his mother. She would do it bluntly like this without thinking things too complicated.
Bai Yu jokingly named this plan ‘The Devastating Beauty.’ Ouyang Feilong said nothing to object to her plan. If it was him he would never do it since it was a dirty trick. But this woman was not a warrior like him.
This little fool had always been wicked. It was fine to let her put it to use from time to time.
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