Chapter 393: A Live Sex Scene Next to a Powder Keg

Zhao Hu, sent to meet Yuan Fang, had not returned yet, but Zhang Yue had already received the emperor’s orders from Hai Shou. At this moment, Hai Shou was completely free of his usual subservience in front of the emperor, his face filled with a triumphant smile. After delivering all the necessary instructions, he even gloated about Huang Yan’s humiliating situation in the Qianqing Palace, before laughing as he shook the snowflakes off his robe.

“Lord Zhang, this time it’s thanks to your sharp eyesight that you managed to catch such a big fish at the Meridian Gate. You should know that Jiang Bao has always been Huang Yan’s right-hand man. Without him, that old fellow will be helpless, and it will be hard for him to rely on his age in the future! If this truly is a case of rebellion, I can guarantee that your role in exposing this treason will earn you the title of earl! I must hurry back to the Imperial Horse Guard to organize troops for defense. I also need to inform Eunuch Liu Yongcheng. Everything here is now in your hands!”

Seeing Hai Shou walk away, Zhang Yue called over Zhou Bailing, who had just returned, and asked, “What was shot into the palace? Did you send anyone to catch it?”

“I’ve already given orders.” Whether from the cold or fear, Zhou Bailing’s face was completely pale. He took out a stack of papers still warm from his padded robe and handed them to Zhang Yue solemnly. “Since this happened suddenly, I urgently dispatched people to guard the southern palace walls. We found seven or eight such documents. Fortunately, I took a look and immediately ordered those who found them to hand them over, while also ordering everyone who saw them not to discuss it. Still, it’s impossible to ensure nothing was missed, and keeping secrets is difficult—news might still leak out.”

Although he had already seen a fabricated will that twisted the truth, scanning these documents now made Zhang Yue’s scalp tingle. The Prince of Zhao colluding with the Prince of Han to rebel, the crown prince and crown prince heir being killed en route… Who came up with such nonsense! He could believe it was a lie, but what about others? The series of events tonight had confirmed that the Prince of Zhao was plotting rebellion—at least, Meng Xian and others were. Once Wang Yu appeared before the emperor, the half-true, half-false statements in these documents would make countless people believe them. Zhu Di only had three sons, and now all of them were implicated by this damned document. The emperor would likely lose his mind upon seeing it!

“Lord, what should we do next…”

“Lao Zhou, there should still be about two thousand people who aren’t on duty tonight. Among them, there are probably six hundred from the Changshan Guard, right? Quietly summon everyone from the Shenji Camp and the Shence Guard, then immediately confiscate the weapons of those six hundred from the Changshan Left Guard. Keep seven hundred Shence Guard members to supervise them, and have seven hundred from the Shenji Camp work with the Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Military Bureaus to conduct a thorough search throughout the city. Anyone who breaks the night curfew must be captured, and those who resist shall be killed without hesitation.”

Zhou Bailing already felt that tonight’s situation was extraordinary, and hearing Zhang Yue’s words only increased his fear. His throat felt choked, and the words to agree wouldn’t come out. Having faced many challenges before, he took a deep breath and asked in a hoarse voice, “My lord, the other matters are easy to handle, but if there’s resistance when confiscating the weapons, what if we can’t suppress them…?”

“Tell them that some in the Changshan Guard are involved in treason. If they join the rebels, their families will also be punished. If they consider themselves innocent, they should surrender and think about their families! After dispersing and controlling those six hundred, promise them rewards for reporting others. Those with no one accusing them are temporarily considered innocent; have them guard the outer city gates barehanded. After identification the next day, their merits will be assessed. Then, follow the same method to replace those on duty from the Changshan Guard. In my opinion, those with rebellious intentions won’t exceed a hundred. So, about a hundred of the six hundred supervisors should be enough, leaving at least five hundred to handle emergencies. You have full authority to handle everything else. I’ll take responsibility if anything goes wrong.”

“Understood, my lord!”

Zhang Yue clearly mentioned the word “treason,” and Zhou Bailing no longer hesitated. He nodded firmly, turned, and strode away. Soon, his loud commands could be heard outside. As the sound of horse hooves faded into the distance, the night returned to silence. But soon, urgent horse sounds came again from the darkness. The noise stopped at the door, followed by a person with half-white hair rushing in.

“My lord!”

Due to the haste, Zhao Hu was out of breath. After standing still for a moment, he spoke as smoothly as possible, “Lord Yuan replied that he had noticed some clues a few days ago but waited for solid evidence before taking action. He knows what happened during the explosion tonight. The Jinyiwei has already been deployed, so my lord needn’t worry. He’ll handle everything properly.”

This is a great opportunity to earn merits. Just go ahead and do it. As for Wang Yu, it’s fine to have someone send him to the palace; you don’t need to accompany him. Remember, action speaks louder than words. As long as you can sort out everything outside, when the crown prince and grand crown prince return someday, this will also be a significant achievement. The gunpowder ignited today is just a part of it; the rest is hidden in the private residence in Dengcaohutong, east of Li Maofang’s city, the Marquis of Fuyang. He himself thinks it’s precious items entrusted to him by the Prince of Zhao to sell…

Although Zhao Hu lowered his voice by the end, Zhang Yue was still deeply moved and could sense the confidence and concern in his words. Naturally, the secret agents of the Jinyiwei aren’t omnipotent. But that day, he heard Yuan Fang giving instructions to Mu Ning and Lin Sha from the hidden room, clearly indicating he already had a premonition. That’s why he felt the Jinyiwei was a bit slow this time and had to send someone to inform them. As they say, experience truly counts!

“Good, get ready to escort Wang Yu to the palace.”

After saying that, Zhang Yue immediately returned to the room. Seeing Wang Yu jump up from his seat, he nodded and said, “I originally planned to accompany you to the palace, but there’s trouble outside now, so I can only have someone send you in. It’s your first time meeting the emperor, but just remember one thing: tell the truth about everything. Don’t exaggerate or mix in too much personal emotion, and definitely don’t act hesitantly like you did when talking to me just now. The emperor might get furious, so you must stay calm. If you can get through this, at least your whole family will be safe. If you want to plead for others in your uncle’s family, you must gauge the emperor’s mood carefully. It’s better to wait temporarily than to act rashly.”

Seeing Wang Yu nod vigorously, Zhang Yue returned the forged will to him. After a brief pause, he added his own Qilin Gold Plate for entering the palace, along with three seals from the Imperial Secretariat found on Jiang Bao’s body, instructing Wang Yu to present them all. He also taught him a set of lines to use. When he saw Wang Yu dressed thinly at the door, he had an idea and went back to his room to bring the sable fur coat.

“Sir, how dare I accept this…”

“This is borrowed from you, not given to you!” Holding the sable fur coat that had caused so many people so much trouble, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but feel an urge to smile bitterly. “This was an item bestowed upon me by the emperor. Although the soldiers guarding the four gates of the inner palace are nominally under my command, as a mere general, you don’t have the right to enter the palace for an audience. If anyone tries to stop you, it will be troublesome. Wearing this will at least make those who see you from afar think you’re me. Once you reach the Qianqing Palace, explain the situation, and the emperor will surely summon you. If the emperor asks about me, just say I learned that someone is hiding gunpowder and need to deal with that first.”

At this moment, though Wang Yu was still uneasy, he understood better that Zhang Yue had already done everything he could. After putting on the coat, he bowed deeply to the ground and sincerely said, “Third cousin, thank you!”

“We’re all family—why thank me?”

As Zhao Hu and the two guards left, Zhang Yue gathered the remaining soldiers, totaling fifty-four men, all of whom were elite fighters who had followed him to Qingzhou and the Jiangnan region. Knowing that Zhou Bailing had deliberately left them with him, he didn’t say much. After glancing at everyone, he said in a grave tone, “We’ve all followed me to Qingzhou and then to the Jiangnan region, but the credit always goes to me. Tonight is a critical moment, and you should all understand the stakes. Although there may be danger, since Captain Zhou has kept you here, it means he trusts your loyalty and your abilities! If we handle this well, you’ll be able to live comfortably off this merit in the future!”

Though these were utterly clichéd words, they were extremely effective for these men who were all soldiers. The group immediately agreed. Hu Qi, who had just returned, saw this scene and quickly reported that Lu Feng had already taken people into the palace. With that concern resolved, Zhang Yue hesitated no longer. Together with Hu Qi, he mounted his horse and set off with the fifty-some men.

By convention, the hour of Hai was curfew time—when everything should be quiet and everyone should be home asleep. But that night in the capital was terrifying. First came the mysterious loud noise in the evening, followed by the military forces from the five city districts rushing out like mad. Then, the sound of horses and footsteps could be heard everywhere in the city. Ordinary people had no choice but to lock their doors and shut their courtyards, while the high officials and nobles, though anxious, didn’t dare send people out to investigate rashly. Compared to the chaos in the western city, the eastern city was much calmer, as there were few wealthy families there.

In the master bedroom of a three-section courtyard house in Dongcheng Dengcao Hutong, bright candles were burning brightly. In front of a large bed adorned with mother-of-pearl inlaid patterns, clothes made of various silks and brocades were scattered on the floor. A pink gauze curtain hung down, faintly revealing the silhouettes of two people entwined together, their soft moans and breaths audible, while the sturdy bed creaked nonstop.

“My lord, please spare me… I can’t take it anymore!”

“Tch! Thinking you can stop me just by stirring my desire? If I don’t have my way tonight, I won’t let you go!”

Although Li Maofang was still young, he had immense experience with women. Almost none of the fairly attractive women in the princess’s mansion could escape his clutches, with the only exception being Yu Qing, who had been sent by Princess Yongping. At this moment, he regarded Zi Xiang, the girl sent by Prince Zhao, as the woman he had never succeeded in possessing before, and used every trick in his arsenal without the slightest mercy. What delighted him even more was that no matter how much he tormented her, Zi Xiang could still respond gracefully, her exquisite responses making him unable to stop.

It took three rounds of torment before things finally calmed down. Though exhausted, he refused to stop, continuing to toy with her body. Thinking of Zhang Xuan coming to the princess’s mansion to cancel the marriage during the day and being scolded harshly by his own mother, he grew furious and increased the force of his actions. Even Zi Xiang, with her strong endurance, couldn’t help but let out a pained cry.

“Shout! Damn it, I want you to scream in pain!”

Li Maofang managed to lift his arm and slapped her hard with his left hand. Seeing her cheek swell instantly, he felt a surge of cruel pleasure. Reaching behind the pillow, he grabbed his leather whip, which he always carried with him, and swung it down viciously with a cruel grin. Seeing the red mark left on her fair chest and hearing her agonized screams only made him more excited, so he struck her again and again. As the blows continued, he became increasingly aroused and threw down the whip to pounce on her once more.

Although Zi Xiang was skilled in bed, she had never endured such suffering before. At first, she tried to dodge and cry for mercy, but she couldn’t escape. The more she begged, the harder he struck. Filled with pain and fear, when Li Maofang attacked her again, she mustered some courage and shouted at him.

“You only know how to mess around with women—what kind of man are you!”
Li Maofang, who had been in a state of heightened excitement, became furious upon hearing these insults. Seeing Zi Xiang staring at him intently, he couldn’t help but recall those nobles who refused to marry his daughter, Zhang Yuan who came to cancel the marriage, and all the gossip and looks he had faced these days. Anger surged in his heart, and with evil thoughts taking hold, he threw aside his whip and grabbed her neck tightly.
Zi Xiang never expected Li Maofang to be so cruel; she was choked almost to the point of losing consciousness. Just as everything went black before her eyes and she thought she was doomed, suddenly there was noise outside, followed by a loud bang, as if someone had kicked open the main door. Seeing someone enter, Li Maofang reluctantly released his grip. Once he recognized who it was, he no longer cared whether Zi Xiang was alive or dead. He tried to climb down from the bed, but his strength failed, and he fell heavily on Zi Xiang, knocking her unconscious.
“Zhang Yue, how dare you barge into this lord’s house!”
“If it weren’t for breaking in, how would I have learned for the first time that the Marquis of Fuyang has the habit of strangling people after intimacy?” Zhang Yue glanced disdainfully at Li Maofang, who was completely naked, then added coldly, “Besides, this is also the first time I’ve heard of someone enjoying performing erotic acts next to a powder keg!”
“What… what are you saying!” Zhang Yue’s first words enraged Li Maofang, but upon hearing the second, he was shocked, “What… what powder keg?”
“Go to the warehouse and get all the gunpowder out there!”
After giving a firm order to the guards following him, Zhang Yue sneered at Li Maofang, “Marquis of Fuyang, those boxes of gunpowder in that warehouse are more than enough to send you to heaven a hundred times!”