Chapter 107: The Empress’s Guard
Torches were lit by the camp fence.
Xiao Yi followed Li Ye, hearing shouts approaching.
“Make way! The Empress wishes to mourn the late Emperor.”
“Without General Xiao’s orders, no one may leave!”
“The inner palace dares to disregard even the Empress’s decree?”
“Allow me to report to the general first.”
“Attack!”
Two groups were in a standoff: one consisted of Xi Hou, Hu Deng, Wu Gouzi, Jin Sanshui, and Wang Jiu; the other was twelve soldiers dressed as Control Crane Guards, among whom were Empress An and two palace maids.
When Xiao Yi was still over ten paces away, suddenly, those Control Crane Guard soldiers drew their sabers and broke through the door.
Hu Deng and Wu Gouzi were blocking them and were immediately struck down. Fortunately, they were wearing heavy armor, so they only sustained minor injuries.
The scene immediately became chaotic.
Li Ye seized the opportunity and fled, disappearing into the Yingling woods to the north.
It seemed he was not allied with these Control Crane Guards.
Xiao Yi turned to look and saw horses prepared on the eastern path, so he immediately gave an order.
“The assassin has seized the Empress, kill! Guard the east, do not let them mount the horses!”
“Kill!”
He ran quickly, leading his soldiers in pursuit, and soon struck down two of them.
To the east, Fan Si, who was guarding the watchtower, also rushed over with his men, blocking the opponents’ path, preventing them from reaching the horses. The two sides closed in, striking down five people, who were either dead or wounded.
The remaining five Control Crane Guards, in turn, surrounded Empress An and fled into the northern woods.
“Xi Hou, you pursue the attendant in white. Sound your whistle if you encounter enemies.”
“Understood.”
“Hu Deng, are you alright? Guard the camp gate and keep an eye on the prisoners. Send someone to find Hua Nong to bring reinforcements to protect the Empress Dowager.”
“Understood.”
“Fan Si, leave two men to guard here and send two back to your watchtower. Do not let any more oversights occur.”
“Understood.”
“Jin Sanshui, Wang Jiu, follow me.”
“Understood.”
Xiao Yi brought two men for safety, but it was better if he hadn’t. New recruits wearing heavy armor moving through the woods at night were a burden.
He calmly walked towards the distant torchlight, paying attention to the path beneath his feet. Behind him came two “Ouch!” sounds and the clatter of armor, likely his subordinates tripping on branches.
“Go back and guard.”
“General, we’ll protect you…”
“Get back!”
“Understood.”
Xiao Yi knew the opponents were moving slowly with women, so he adjusted his breathing and calmly caught up.
The torchlight flickered intermittently, drawing closer.
Ahead, a woman was sobbing. It was the two palace maids who couldn’t run any further and had squatted down by the edge of the woods.
“General Xiao…”
“Stay put.”
Xiao Yi walked straight past them. Not far away, five Control Crane Guards were escorting Empress An. Two wounded soldiers saw him approaching and turned back to cover their retreat.
“You two, protect the lady and leave!”
“Swish—”
The saber slashed towards Xiao Yi’s neck.
He neither dodged nor blocked, just shifted slightly. As his shoulder armor “clanged” against the saber, he drew his own weapon.
The ceremonial saber, reflecting the moonlight, flashed like a meteor, cutting through the lamellar armor from the abdomen to the chest.
“Thud.”
One man fell.
Xiao Yi then cut down the other wounded soldier.
Behind him, the palace maids screamed in terror.
Ahead, Empress An turned back, her face full of surprise. She pointed and shouted fiercely, “If you chase further… I’ll kill you…”
Xiao Yi pretended not to hear and continued forward.
“Kill him.”
The remaining three men simultaneously turned back.
Xiao Yi suddenly accelerated and lunged in front of them.
The three men quickly attacked: one ducked and swept a leg, another thrust a dagger straight at the joint where his waist armor met his chest armor, and the third lunged forward to grab his waist.
Xiao Yi moved faster. He stomped on one man’s knee; with his right hand, the ceremonial saber swept back, its blade grazing the lamellar plates and slicing at an opponent’s wrist at a tricky angle; his left hand rose high, head-butting another attacker, then he clamped his left elbow, trapping the other man’s head between his armor plates.
With a crisp “crack” of bone breaking, one man rolled on the ground clutching his leg; another staggered back, covering his wrist, blood spattering on the fallen leaves covered in snow; the third man’s head was stuck against Xiao Yi’s body. After struggling for a moment, Xiao Yi turned his blade and cleanly slit his throat.
“Swoosh—”
“Thud.”
“Thud.”
In an instant, all three were dead by his blade.
Empress An stared at the scene, stunned, her eyes wide. She covered her mouth with both hands.
“Your subordinate arrived late to protect Your Highness. Empress, please return.”
“No.”
Empress An turned and ran.
Xiao Yi didn’t rush to pursue. He picked up a torch from the ground, lest the woods catch fire.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, Empress An’s plain silk skirt snagged on a branch, and she fell.
“Don’t come closer.”
Xiao Yi, who was about to help her up, stopped when he heard this.
Empress An was quite spoiled. She pushed herself up with her hands on the ground, her brows furrowed from the pain. After finally getting up, she hadn’t taken two steps before her outer skirt “hissed” and she fell to the ground again.
She finally burst into tears.
Suddenly, a whistle sounded from the woods, followed by Xi Hou’s shout.
“Is that you, General?! That attendant in white is nearby, be careful of an ambush.”
Xiao Yi immediately became alert and glanced back.
A flicker of movement caught his eye.
Turning back, Li Ye leaped out from the thicket, holding Empress An hostage, a dagger held to her snow-white neck.
“Ah!”
“Don’t move!”
Li Ye sneered, looking at Xiao Yi, and said, “Let me go, or I’ll kill her.”
“I don’t care about her life. What does it matter if you kill her?”
Seeing him like this, Empress An trembled all over and pleaded, “Please… save me… I don’t want to die.”
Li Ye said, “If she dies, An Shenqi will surely raise an army. If he joins forces with Liu Xin, you will be guilty of more than dereliction of duty. But if you let me go, it will merely be negligence.”
“Fine, I’ll let you go. Our grievances will be settled.”
“Throw the saber over.”
Xiao Yi casually tossed the saber at Li Ye’s feet, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.
Li Ye stepped on the saber and shouted, “Tell your men to get lost and bring a horse.”
“Alright… Xi Hou! Go fetch a fine horse, and the rest of you, return to the camp.”
“Understood.”
“Your waist token, no, your entire belt, throw it over, and your armor, take it all off and give it to me.”
“If the Imperial Uncle goes incognito, his chances of survival will be greater.”
“Heh heh, what’s the point of living as a coward? I’d rather die than not wield power. Unarmor!”
Xiao Yi “clang”ed his armor onto the fallen leaves covered in snow.
“Take off your military robe too… and your inner shirt as well. Walk away naked. If you don’t want to freeze to death, there are clothes on the bodies behind you, hurry! Otherwise, I’ll kill her!”
The dagger drew blood from Empress An’s neck. She was terrified out of her wits, tears falling like pearls.
Xiao Yi had shed far more than this. Not at all hesitant, he willingly undressed, stood naked, bent over, lifted his foot, and took off his boots.
At that precise moment, he grabbed his helmet, scooped up snow, and threw it.
Simultaneously, he sprang out like a leopard.
“Bang!”
The helmet struck Li Ye’s face heavily. Snow swirled, obscuring his vision.
At the same time, Xiao Yi was there, shoving Empress An aside.
The dagger plunged down fiercely. Xiao Yi grabbed Li Ye’s wrist and twisted it. As the dagger fell to the ground, he kicked and sent Li Ye flying.
“Bang!”
“Crack.”
With the force of one kick, Li Ye broke two small trees before his momentum stopped.
“Surrender and…”
Xiao Yi caught up and was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly stopped, speechless.
A broken tree branch, dripping with blood, had pierced Li Ye’s abdomen, and intestines were still hanging from it.
He had joked about using a tree branch to kill someone, never expecting it to come true.
In extreme pain, Li Ye’s face contorted. He mumbled, “Xiao Yi… it’s not too late for you to wake up now and follow me to achieve great things…”
“Alright.”
“Heh heh… Really… really?”
“Really. You showed me kindness, and I should repay you.”
With these words, Xiao Yi slashed with his dagger, cleanly slitting Li Ye’s throat, and whispered, “This is the end.”
Allowing Li Ye to die without pain was his final act of gratitude.
Blood gushed out.
The hand that had been loosely grasping in the air fell powerlessly.
Xiao Yi pulled Li Ye’s body from the broken branch and laid it flat on the ground. He then discovered a brocade pouch hanging from Li Ye’s waist. Upon opening it, he found only a key inside.
Being naked was too cold. He couldn’t focus on anything else for the moment and turned to put on his clothes.
As he turned, he saw Empress An holding his inner shirt and military robe, with his saber in her hand.
“Don’t come closer! Listen to me finish speaking, and then I’ll let you get dressed. Do you know who my father is?”
“The Military Governor of Shannan East Circuit, An Shenqi.”
“That’s right. My father is a three-dynasty veteran, the Grand Tutor, enfeoffed as the Duke of Qi, and commands a powerful army.”
Empress An adopted an authoritative demeanor befitting an Empress, acting more earnestly than usual. However, her hand holding the saber trembled violently, unsure if it was from the saber’s weight or fear.
“Today, my father wants to bring me back to Xiangzhou. If you are willing to let me go, you will be handsomely rewarded. Otherwise, you will freeze to death in this forest… Don’t move, trying to strip the clothes from behind me? If you dare, I’ll stab you to death.”
Xiao Yi had already walked up to her and reached out to take the clothes.
“Ah! Don’t come closer, I am the daughter of a noble family…”
Empress An wildly swung the saber, then shut her eyes in fear, perhaps afraid of Xiao Yi’s blood splashing onto her.
Xiao Yi directly grabbed her wrist. It was so slender it didn’t seem like the wrist of a noble family’s daughter. Before he could twist, the saber fell to the ground.
Then, Empress An pushed his chest with her left hand, screamed, abandoned the robes, turned, and ran. After a few steps, she was so startled by the corpse in front of her that she sat down, hugged her knees, and wept.
The series of actions, her expressions, and the emotions in her eyes were completely unlike her usual ornamental appearance.
Xiao Yi put on his inner shirt, and finally, he wasn’t as cold.
He blew on his cold hands and said, “Your father wishes to escort you back to Xiangzhou. You should negotiate with the Lord directly, why go through all this trouble? Unless you wish to become an enemy of the Lord and fear you would be taken hostage.”
Empress An cried for a while, then forcefully held back her tears, wiping her face, and said, “That’s not it. My father never gets involved in court disputes. Do you want to use me to threaten my father?”
“It is my duty. I cannot let the Empress disappear under my watch.”
“But I don’t want to be Empress. I was only in name, and without substance. Look, Yingling has even been abolished, and even the Empress Dowager doesn’t intend for me to be buried with the late Emperor.”
“Were those Control Crane Guards yours?”
“They were sent by my father years ago to protect me in the capital. They have nothing to do with anything else, please don’t implicate my father.”
“How many more men do you have?”
“None.”
“Don’t lie. I’ve captured two of your men, and I can interrogate them.”
“There are none.”
Empress An also calmed down. She abandoned the pretense of being an Empress and displayed the demeanor of a “daughter of a noble family.”
“Guo Wei and Liu Shi are vying for the throne, and the outcome is unknown. Aren’t you afraid of imminent disaster? I see you as a talent. Why not defect to my father and escort me to Xiangzhou? You’ll secure a prosperous future. Whatever wealth you desire, just name your price, and I’ll give you double.”
Xiao Yi remained unmoved, calmly putting on his clothes.
To him, the outcome was already known, and he possessed a certainty that emanated from the depths of his heart.
“Xiao Yi, I know who you are. A former servant of the Li Residence. I am close friends with Li Youniang, making me half your mistress. Do you dare not listen to me?”
Xiao Yi did not respond to such foolish words.
“Truly, didn’t Li Youniang tell you about me? My courtesy name is… Yuanzhen.”
“An Yuanzhen?”
“Who told you to say that? Damn it.”
An Yuanzhen was surprised and turned her face away.
After a moment, she asked again, “Haven’t you heard of it? She must have mentioned me. Hmm, Wan Niang? My elder brother and I were both born late in our father’s life. She used to call me Wan Niang.”
Xiao Yi finished putting on his military robe and fastened his belt. He said, “Whether you are Yuanzhen or Wan Niang, as long as I am the Director of the Inner Palace, you are the Empress I am protecting. Please return.”
“You!”
“Please.”
“You’re incorruptible, a truly hard and stubborn stone. Offending me will do you no good.”
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard.
Xi Hou arrived, stumbling upon the scene, and turned to leave.
“Huh? Where did the General go? I can’t find him!”
“Come back!”
“Understood.”
“Put on my armor for me and take Li Ye’s body back.”
“Understood.”
Tonight, Xiao Yi had indeed “protected” the two palaces. Furthermore, from Li Ye’s plan to quell rebellions in the various circuits and An Shenqi’s attitude, he sensed that Guo Wei would have to overcome the challenge of the various feudal lords before he could claim the throne.
