Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Good!" Zhao Mu laughed heartily, clapping Li Chengqian firmly on the shoulder as he exclaimed, "That’s the spirit!"

With that, he personally opened the door to the top-tier private chamber.

The formerly bustling "Heaven on Earth" establishment was now as silent as a haunted house. The pavilions and halls that were usually brightly lit, along with the steaming bathhouse, were all plunged into darkness. As the door to the private chamber swung open, the light from within instantly tore through the night, which had already been cloaked in stillness for some time.

Seeing the Crown Prince emerge in his dark, narrow-sleeved casual attire with a look on his face that seemed far from normal, Chang He, the leader of the Eastern Palace guards who had been secretly keeping watch, hurried over with his men in a state of panic.

They had been keeping their distance and hadn't heard the commotion inside, so they were unaware of what had occurred. Nonetheless, Chang He bowed without hesitation and asked, "Your Highness, are you in such a rush to return to the palace?"

"If so, I shall go and arrange for the carriage and the escort party immediately. I beg Your Highness to wait here for a moment."

The Prince had ridden here in such haste that no security measures had been taken along the way, a fact that already filled Chang He with self-reproach. Seeing the Prince intending to return to the Eastern Palace without any preparation, Chang He was terrified of something going wrong, but he could only offer his advice in a gentle tone.

The guards following him were equally tense. Although they didn't know what had happened, they could clearly sense that something was wrong, especially seeing the Crown Prince's strange expression and bloodshot eyes.

Indeed, no sooner had Chang He finished his question than Li Chengqian, his face ashen with fury, stepped forward and shoved him aside.

"Get out of my way! I am going to the palace to see the Emperor!"

"Do you think I have time to wait for you to dawdle over preparing a carriage?"

"Go and fetch my horse at once!" The open door allowed the wind to surge into the room, causing the candlelight to flicker wildly and casting the shadow of the Crown Prince, standing at the threshold, into a frantic, jagged dance.

"Your Highness!" Seeing the Prince reach the entrance of "Heaven on Earth" and his men already moving to fetch the horses, Chang He panicked and stepped forward to stop him, his voice trembling with dread. "The night is deep, and the palace gates have long been locked. Even if you go to see the Emperor, you won't be able to enter!"

"I told you to get out of my way!" At this moment, the only thing echoing in Li Chengqian's mind was Zhao Mu’s words: "Catch him off guard." His fear of his father, his anxiety regarding his own status, and his hatred for the Prince of Wei all wove together into a reckless, impulsive courage.

He had no time for explanations, nor did he see the need. Fearing that one more word might dampen this surge of resolve, he simply kicked Chang He, who was kneeling in his path, out of the way.

He vaulted onto his horse and struck its flank with his whip. "Giddyap!"

The horse let out a pained whinny and bolted forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Though Chang He was filled with alarm and suspicion, seeing the Crown Prince charge resolutely toward the palace gates, he had no choice but to scramble to his feet and bark at his men to mount up and follow in close pursuit.

Even with the curfew in effect, no one dared to stop the Crown Prince.

Before long, the Eastern Palace contingent had exited the Pingkang Ward and entered Vermilion Bird Street.

The clatter of armor, the rapid and rhythmic drumming of hooves, and the heavy, hurried breathing of the guards and the Prince shattered the silence of the street, merging into a chilling torrent in the deep darkness of the night.

Led by the Crown Prince, the group swept through like a whirlwind and arrived at the palace gates.

Chang He, finally snapping to his senses, turned deathly pale, cold sweat instantly soaking through his armor.

The Crown Prince was blatantly charging the palace gates in the middle of the night, fully armed!

This... this was clearly...!

A terrifying thought bit into his heart like a venomous snake.

This was treason!

Chang He stared wide-eyed at the Prince, but for some reason, a heat rushed to his head.

"Quick!"

"Everyone follow the Prince! Protect the Crown Prince!" Chang He roared the order, his voice slurred and frantic. He had no time to ponder why the Prince was doing this; he knew that the most likely outcome of charging the palace at night was being turned into a pincushion by the Xuanjia Army, the Emperor's elite guards.

Protecting the Prince was the only thought in his mind.

"Faster, faster!"

"Catch up to the Prince!"

"Form a tight formation!"

Chang He's anxious shouts reached the ears of the Xuanjia soldiers, who had already sensed the commotion outside.

In an instant, the atmosphere atop the palace gates became incredibly tense. The elite guards, stirred from their posts in the corridors and gates, stood ready for battle.

The sounds of blades being unsheathed, hurried footsteps, and the tension of crossbow strings echoed one after another.

"Who goes there!?"

"How bold!" A commander peered down from the gate tower and bellowed at the ground below!

"This is the imperial palace! Who dares to trespass in the dead of night!"

"Dismount and surrender immediately!"

"Otherwise, we shall execute you without mercy and annihilate your entire clan!"

Torches were lit, their flames flickering violently, illuminating faces filled with panic, confusion, or rage. The cold glint of weaponry shone through the night, heavy with a murderous aura.

"Could it be... another Xuanwu Gate Incident?" The veteran soldiers, who remembered the past, couldn't help but recall how the Emperor had once led eight hundred elite troops to storm the Xuanwu Gate.

Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, Li Chengqian suddenly regained his senses!

He yanked on the reins, causing his mount to rear up with a long, piercing whinny!

He managed to pull to a steady stop before the gates, advancing no further.

"The... the Crown Prince!?" The commander of the elite guards recognized that the one charging the palace was none other than the heir apparent of the Great Tang, the Crown Prince himself... Li Chengqian!

"Quick, report this to His Majesty!" The commander hurriedly ordered a messenger, "The Crown Prince is charging the palace gates in the dead of night!"

Inside the Ganlu Hall of the Taiji Palace, the lights were bright, yet the air was eerily still.

Li Shimin, draped in a robe, was hunched over his desk, reviewing memorials. Under the glow of the palace lamps, his focused face showed a trace of exhaustion.

Just as he finished a document and set down his brush to rest, he heard a faint, chaotic noise from outside the hall.

Li Shimin paused slightly and looked up toward the entrance.

"What is the meaning of this commotion?" Li Shimin's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable majesty.

The old eunuch standing by was about to go out and see what was happening when a young eunuch, looking deathly pale, scrambled into the hall. Ignoring protocol, he knelt in terror before the Emperor: "Your Majesty!"

"The Crown Prince... is personally leading a large contingent of Eastern Palace guards, charging the palace gates tonight!"

"What?!" Li Shimin rose abruptly, his expression freezing instantly. The candlelight in the hall seemed to dim as if crushed by an invisible force. "The Crown Prince is charging the palace in the dead of night with armed men?"