Chapter Fifty: The Coup of Sixth Son

Zhang Yizhi strode in with his sword, his bearing proud and unyielding. In a swift motion, Shangguan Wan’er flipped her wrist and a delicate dagger appeared in her hand, striking straight at his chest. Zhang Yizhi was intimately acquainted with Shangguan Wan’er, yet had never known she possessed martial skills.

A cry of alarm rose as a flash of black light burst forth; Ghost Sword Han Qinghua blocked the thrust with his Xuanming Sword, then swept his long blade towards her waist. With barely a moment to spare, Shangguan Wan’er twisted in midair, avoiding the slash, and, in her haste, kicked Zhang Yizhi out of the hall with a forceful strike of her right foot.

Ghost Sword’s blade twisted, slashing at her legs, but Shangguan Wan’er deftly flicked her fingers, diverting the sword. Before she could land, a forceful gust swept across her back—Shenguangzi, wielding a jade flute, jabbed toward her heart. He had once used a verdant jade flute, but after it was poisoned and ruined by Lan Wutong’s Bone-melting Venom, he had replaced it with an ordinary one.

Reacting instantly, she swept her left foot back, aiming a kick at Shenguangzi’s groin, forcing him to defend and retreat. Using the momentum, she sprang over his head, just as Ghost Sword’s blade pursued her. Yet Shenguangzi’s figure blocked his path and Ghost Sword was forced to halt. Shenguangzi spun, flicking his hand, sending sparks shooting toward Shangguan Wan’er. She knew these hidden weapons were treacherous and dared not catch them. With a whip of her skirts, she fanned the sparks aside—unfortunately, a Qianniu Guard stood behind her and was struck. The man grunted in agony, flames engulfed his form, and in moments, he was reduced to ashes.

White Snake surged from the flank. In single combat, Shangguan Wan’er was not Ghost Sword’s match, but she surpassed both White Snake and Shenguangzi. She sidestepped the sword tip and struck White Snake’s chest with her palm, forcing her back several steps.

She then leaped behind White Snake. Ghost Sword, though highly skilled, was frustrated at every turn by Shenguangzi and White Snake’s interference. In exasperation, he shouted, “Stop getting in my way! Move aside!” With a sweeping kick, he sent Shenguangzi flying.

At that moment, the warning bells of Daming Palace rang out. A flood of armed Attendants, Crane-Controllers, and Qianniu Guards rushed in, encircling Zhang Yizhi and his group. Zhang Yizhi shouted, “Brothers, attack!” Immediately, more than ten Crane-Controllers turned their blades on their fellow guards, catching them off guard and slaying dozens.

Having cleared a wide space, these men tied white cloths around their heads and formed a protective ring around Zhang Yizhi. He cried, “Charge into the Hanyuan Hall! All who enter shall be made princes!”

The followers of the Crane Sect roared and surged toward the Hanyuan Hall. Zhang Jianzhi emerged and ordered, “Attendants with swords, defend the Emperor! Any who desert shall be executed without mercy!”

These sword-bearing Attendants, loyal to the Zhang family, fought valiantly. Zhang Jianzhi noticed the remaining Crane-Controllers hesitating and rebuked them, “Crane-Controllers, you have betrayed the Emperor’s trust by harboring traitors! Will you wait to be branded rebels and see your families executed at the marketplace?” The Crane-Controllers snapped to their senses, drawing their blades and turning on Zhang Yizhi.

Mu Le roared like a tiger, his massive form clad in ill-fitting armor. Driven wild, he tore off his armor and, bare-chested, swung his spiked club with deadly force. The sword-bearers in his path were crushed, their bodies broken in an instant. He charged straight for the Hanyuan Hall.

Shangguan Wan’er was entangled with the three adversaries and could not break free; Zhang Jianzhi, a frail scholar by nature, was no match for such force. In the crisis, a thunderous shout rang out from the archery tower: “Do not harm my lord!” Like a golden meteor, a long spear shot down from above, aimed at Mu Le—it was Golden Spear Zhou Rui.

Earlier that day, Zhou Rui had been urgently dispatched south by the Crane-Controller Bureau, but barely a hundred miles from Chang’an, a secret missive from Zhang Jianzhi intercepted him, warning of a coup that very night. Zhou Rui turned back at once. Upon reaching the palace, he was blocked by Liu Du at the gate; without hesitation, he slew him and forced his way inside.

Mu Le swung his spiked club at Zhou Rui. With a flick of his spear, Zhou Rui diverted the club’s trajectory, shattering the iron lion at the hall entrance. Mu Le, though immensely strong, could not match Zhou Rui’s divine spearwork. After a handful of exchanges, Zhou Rui unleashed the “Golden Rooster Pecking the Ground” technique, his spear tip exploding into a thousand golden sparks, riddling Mu Le’s body with wounds. The giant collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Ghost Sword was alarmed. Zhou Rui’s martial prowess rivaled his own; if he and Shangguan Wan’er joined forces, he would be at a disadvantage. He intensified his swordplay, the Xuanming Sword slicing with unparalleled sharpness. With a faint “crack,” Shangguan Wan’er’s dagger was sheared in two. With a cry, she hurled the broken blade at White Snake, then tore her silken skirt, twisting it into a makeshift whip and lashing at Ghost Sword.

Her skills were inferior to Ghost Sword’s, and the skirt served poorly as a whip. Before long, she suffered several wounds but gritted her teeth and fought on.

White Snake, forced from the fray, saw Mu Le fall to Zhou Rui’s spear and cried out in anguish. “A fortune for peace in the world! Iron-Backed Eight-Bolt Crossbows—kill the Golden Spear General!” A Yi answered, “At once!” The eight retainers raised their crossbows, but instead of aiming at Zhou Rui, they targeted Ghost Sword and White Snake. White Snake shouted in shock, “What are you doing?” A Yi replied coldly, “By the command of Grand Protector Tian Yangming, we execute traitors!” Thirty-two iron bolts fired in a volley.

Ghost Sword had to abandon his assault on Shangguan Wan’er to deflect the bolts. White Snake, less skilled, was struck through the shoulder and fell with a cry. Shangguan Wan’er seized the chance to break away and shielded Wu Zetian. Shenguangzi, hit in the leg, pulled out the bolt and escaped over the wall.

Ghost Sword rushed to White Snake’s side. She gave him a wan smile, “Hua Lang, it’s over. We were in their trap from the start. Let’s go!” Ghost Sword nodded, lifted her, and leapt to the roof of Hanyuan Hall. The eight retainers reloaded and fired another volley. Suddenly, Mu Le, with a thunderous roar, sprang up and shielded them, crying, “Go!” The crossbows tore him to pieces, his body tumbling to the ground.

White Snake wailed, “Mu Le, you fool! You utter fool!” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ghost Sword, carrying her, sped away, cutting down any guards who tried to block his path. Outside the palace gates, Poison Bodhisattva saw their desperate flight and immediately set off poison smoke to cover their escape, leading her followers out of the city.

Seeing his cause lost, Zhang Yizhi grew even more desperate. Wielding his sword, he shouted, “To the victor go the spoils! We must kill the old hag tonight if we want to survive! Brothers, kill!” Zhou Rui, furious, charged him. Zhang Yizhi, a mere court favorite, lacked any real skill and was run through the heart. Zhou Rui lifted his corpse high on his spear and proclaimed, “The rebel leader is dead! The rest of you, surrender now!”

Most of the sect followers had been slaughtered. Seeing their masters flee and their leader dead, they threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender.

Zhang Jianzhi, seeing the rebellion quelled, returned to Wu Zetian and reported, “The traitor is dead; the rest have surrendered. What are your Majesty’s commands?”

Wu Zetian gazed woodenly at the scene, murmuring, “Is Liu Lang truly dead?” Zhang Jianzhi declared loudly, “Traitors deserve death at every hand!”

Wu Zetian seemed to age decades in an instant, her eyes no longer shining but dull and withered. After a long silence, she said, “Let the Grand Preceptor deal with them.” Zhang Jianzhi went to the hall entrance and ordered, “All commanders, escort the traitors to the Ministry of Justice for trial!”

The officers thundered their assent. By now, dawn had broken. Cui Xuanli and the others arrived, their faces ashen. The bodies of the slain rebels were piled high, the air thick with the stench of blood. Someone muttered, “Such is fate; so many questions remain unanswered.”

Zhang Jianzhi said, “Your Majesty, a decree must be drafted.” Shangguan Wan’er protested, “Her Majesty has just suffered a fright! What need is there for a decree now?”

Wu Zetian abruptly regained her old acuity and, with a bitter smile, said, “Wan’er, you don’t understand. They want me to do what Liu Lang could not—to issue an edict of abdication. Grand Preceptor, am I right?”

Zhang Jianzhi knelt. “Your Majesty, Heaven’s will cannot be defied.”

Wu Zetian laughed in anger. “Enough talk of Heaven’s will. I am the will of Heaven. Without this decree, you would kill your sovereign and blame Liu Lang for regicide, casting yourself as a tardy savior—is that not so?”

Zhang Jianzhi broke into a cold sweat and kowtowed. “I dare not, Your Majesty. I only beg that, for the sake of the people, the Li family is restored to power.”

Wu Zetian gazed distantly at them and, after a long silence, said, “You may have been loyal enough to save me before Liu Lang could act, which shows some memory of old favors. But you speak of the people, when in truth you think only of your own power. My sons, Dan and Xian, are weak and dull; even if the throne returns to the Li family, they cannot oppose you and you will rule as you wish. So be it—at least you are fit to serve as ministers, if not usurpers. If you can benefit the realm, it is virtue enough. Wan’er, draft the decree.”

Shangguan Wan’er, tears streaming, knelt before her, holding the imperial edict. Wu Zetian picked up the brush, looked at Wan’er, and suddenly smiled. She said to Zhang Jianzhi, “Grand Preceptor, once this decree is written, I shall retire to seclusion. But Wan’er, in the prime of her life, to waste away in the palace with me—what a pity. Grand Preceptor, act as her matchmaker. Whomever becomes emperor, Wan’er must marry him.”

Zhang Jianzhi bowed deeply and replied solemnly, “Your servant accepts the decree.”