Chapter 84: A Gift of Wealth and Prosperity

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Li Longji smiled and waved his hand. “General Liu, there’s no need to panic. I have come here tonight to bestow upon you great fortune and honor.”

Liu Jingren, filled with suspicion and unease, looked at him without a word.

Li Longji ordered the attendants to withdraw, then continued with a smile, “Do you know that Wu Sansi has already become a ghost beneath the Prince's blade?”

Liu Jingren was shocked and blurted out, “The Crown Prince dares such audacity!” Li Longji watched him, smiling serenely. Suddenly, Liu Jingren fell silent. The Li family and Wu Sansi had always been at odds—could it be that this Prince of Linzi was the mastermind behind it all?

Li Longji chuckled. “There is no greater merit than saving the ruler. Merely killing Wu Sansi is no great feat. The real trouble is that those men intend to enter the palace and assassinate the Emperor. If you can get into the palace and give warning, the rewards of a marquisate and elevation in rank will surely be yours.

“But be sure not to say that it was I who told you this. As the Right Commander of the Imperial Guards, you are not supposed to leave your post at night, yet here you are, seeking pleasure in the Record Bureau. If anyone were to write a report accusing you, it would cost you your head.”

The wine Liu Jingren had drunk instantly turned to cold sweat, and he sobered up at once. He hurriedly knelt to give thanks.

Li Longji laughed. “No need for such ceremony. But remember this: the glory and wealth you gain today come from me. Should you disobey, I will reclaim not only your fortune, but your very life.”

Liu Jingren kowtowed repeatedly, his head thudding on the floor. “Henceforth, I will be loyal to Your Highness alone. Should I ever betray you, may Heaven strike me down with thunderbolts.”

Li Longji waved him off. “Go to the palace quickly, or it will be too late.” Liu Jingren knocked his head to the ground three more times, then hurried downstairs. Li Longji watched his figure disappear around the stairwell and murmured, “Ninth Brother, forgive me.” Grabbing the wine jug from the table, he drank deeply, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Daming Palace. Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian had just finished a banquet as Liu Jingren, drenched in sweat, burst into the palace. As a night-duty general, he could see the Emperor without being announced. Li Xian frowned. “Why such alarm?”

Liu Jingren cried out, “A… a… a terrible calamity! The Crown Prince intends to harm Your Majesty!” With a crash, the Nine-Dragon Cup fell from Li Xian’s hand and shattered on the ground.

Empress Wei, however, remained somewhat composed. “General Liu, calm yourself and speak clearly.” Ignoring protocol, Liu Jingren grabbed a cup from the table and gulped down several mouthfuls of water before catching his breath. “I received word from a spy: the Crown Prince is plotting rebellion, has incited the Right Gate Guards to mutiny, and has just massacred the entire Wu Sansi household. He is now heading for Daming Palace. I beg Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress to decide swiftly!”

Princess Anle, hearing that Wu Sansi’s family had been slaughtered, screamed and fainted on the spot. Empress Wei felt as if a knife had pierced her heart. Only Li Xian sat there, his gaze vacant. Ignoring him, Empress Wei ordered Liu Jingren to close the city gates immediately and dispatched messengers to summon the Left Gate Guards outside the city for reinforcements.

As Li Chongjun and his men charged through the Suzhang Gate of Daming Palace, the gate guards had yet to receive the alarm. Seeing the Crown Prince approach, many even kneeled to greet him. Li Chongjun spurred his horse forward, galloping straight through. The gate commander, Meng Dai, grew suspicious and barked, “Your Highness, halt! Do you have the Emperor’s written order to enter the palace at night?”

Li Duozuo shouted, “Here’s the imperial order! Meng Dai, receive the decree!” Unsuspecting, Meng Dai was about to kneel when, in a flash, Li Duozuo galloped forward and with a single stroke cut Meng Dai in two!

After slaying Meng Dai, Li Duozuo commanded, “Li Qianli, take a hundred soldiers and hold Suzhang Gate. Be ready to support us.”

Li Qianli replied, “Yes, sir!” and led his men to disarm and detain the original gate guards.

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When they reached Xuanwu Gate, they found the palace gates tightly shut, and city guards stood atop the walls with bows drawn and arrows nocked—they were prepared.

Empress Wei stood atop the city wall, flanked by a host of palace maids and guards. She had already shed her court robes for a suit of armor and held a broadsword in her hand. Upon seeing Li Chongjun, she shrieked, “Traitorous son! Why do you rebel?”

Li Chongjun shouted back, “Wicked woman! You have brought shame to the harem and disgrace to the realm! Today, I will claim your life and cleanse the world!”

With that, he leapt from horseback, his toes tapping lightly on the wall. In an instant, he was atop the parapet, lunging at Empress Wei.

Believing herself safe on the wall, Empress Wei was nonetheless taken aback by Li Chongjun’s speed. In a flash of silver, his sword came down at her head. She screamed and collapsed in terror.

The blade was mere inches from her skull when a fierce wind suddenly swept in. Li Chongjun twisted midair, narrowly dodging the attack.

The assailant was Shangguan Wan’er, wielding a broadsword. She was still dressed in her resplendent court attire, the sword snatched from a palace guard.

Li Chongjun had known of Shangguan Wan’er’s unmatched talents in poetry, music, and calligraphy, but had never suspected she was also skilled in martial arts. Startled, he had no time to ponder and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes at her. Shangguan Wan’er met him, laughing coldly, sword aura frosty, her blade moving like lightning.

To onlookers, it was as if an eagle and a butterfly were locked in combat—one bold and fierce, the other agile and graceful—so swift and intricate that it was impossible to tell who was who.

Though Shangguan Wan’er was formidable, she was slightly outmatched by Li Chongjun and unaccustomed to her borrowed weapon. Soon, sweat beaded her brow, and she was forced back several steps. Thinking quickly, she undid her sash and flung her skirt at Li Chongjun. Billowing in the wind like a shroud, it enveloped him. With a cry, Shangguan Wan’er leapt and slashed down.

Li Chongjun did not panic. Channeling his inner energy, he tore the skirt to shreds with a sharp hiss. The colorful fragments fluttered to the ground like petals in autumn. He planted his foot and thrust his sword at Shangguan Wan’er, who was still midair and unable to dodge.

Suddenly, a tremendous force struck from behind—far more powerful than Shangguan Wan’er’s earlier attack. Li Chongjun parried with his sword, but the blow was so fierce he had to leap off the wall to absorb its force. Landing lightly, he vaulted back onto his horse.

The mysterious assailant, clad in golden armor and helmet, brandished a golden spear and leapt down after him like a living statue.

Seeing Li Chongjun forced from the wall by the man in gold, Li Duozuo knew there was no time to lose. He shouted, “Assault the gate! Whoever enters the palace first will be rewarded with three thousand taels of gold! Any who retreat in cowardice will be executed!”

Five or six cavalrymen lined up and charged the palace gate. Reining in their horses, the steeds reared and struck the gate with their hooves. With a thunderous crash, the gate shuddered on its hinges. A few more blows and it would fall.

The horsemen pulled back, then charged again. Just as their hooves rose, a flash of gold streaked by. The riders seemed to hit an invisible wall; they tumbled from their mounts, convulsed a few times, then lay still.

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Everyone looked and saw a tiny hole in each man’s neck, blood oozing out. Their horses, now riderless, galloped off into the distance. At the gate stood the golden-armored man, golden spear in hand.

“Zhou Rui, the Golden Spear!” Li Duozuo drew a sharp breath. This man’s martial skills were legendary; with him guarding the gate, it would be nearly impossible to break in. “Archers! Shoot him down!” he bellowed.

The soldiers immediately nocked arrows and, with a resounding hum, loosed a hail of arrows at Zhou Rui. He only sneered, spinning his spear with such speed that every arrow was batted away. After ten volleys, a great ring of arrows lay around Zhou Rui, not a single one landing within ten feet of him.

Li Chongjun knew that with Zhou Rui’s skill, even an endless rain of arrows would do him no harm. He drew his sword and leapt from his horse, charging at Zhou Rui. Fearing friendly fire, Li Duozuo hastily ordered the archers to cease.

Li Chongjun challenged, “General Zhou, your spearwork is famed as divine. Yet will you resort to such base tricks as ambushing from behind?”

Zhou Rui sneered. “There’s an old saying: first poison, then knife, then spear, then sword. I have long wished to test the Tianshan Swordplay. Today, I have my chance!” With that, his golden spear danced, striking the fletchings of incoming arrows and sending them hurtling back at Li Chongjun.

Li Chongjun recognized this as the art of turning force against itself, but to wield such finesse with a long, heavy spear was truly remarkable.

He did not dare slacken. With his sword, he diverted the arrows back at Zhou Rui, who, in turn, deflected them again. In a blink, the arrows flew back and forth between them dozens of times, leaving all onlookers dumbfounded. The arrows buzzed between them like a swarm of hornets, never touching the ground.

Li Chongjun grew anxious. He knew tonight’s plot must be resolved quickly; if this dragged on until the loyalist reinforcements arrived, all would be lost. He infused his swordplay with his inner power, sending the arrows back at varying speeds.

Zhou Rui, matching him, deflected the arrows again. The faster arrows turned and struck the slower ones midair, and the air rang with the clatter of collisions. Arrow fragments scattered, and amid the rain, Li Chongjun gave a sharp shout. The Tianshan Sword flashed like a blizzard, sword-light sweeping toward Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui, long-accustomed to deadly combat, remained calm. He raised his spear to meet the attack. As spear met sword, Zhou Rui twisted his weapon, the shaft winding upward like a golden python along the blade. Li Chongjun kicked the spear away and sliced at Zhou Rui’s side.

Zhou Rui stood immovable as a mountain, his spear whipping around like a golden dragon’s tail to strike at Li Chongjun’s legs. Li Chongjun flipped aside, his sword darting for Zhou Rui’s throat. Zhou Rui twisted his spearhead, aiming for Li Chongjun’s chest. Li Chongjun slapped the spear away and leapt clear, laughing coldly. “Who would have thought, General Zhou, that your spearwork hails from the infamous Meteor Sect?”

Zhou Rui’s face darkened. His spear style was unique, unlike any in the Central Plains. He had originally trained in the Meteor Hammer, under the Meteor Sect along the Xiang River—a band of river pirates feared for their wickedness but renowned for their martial prowess. The local authorities, wary of their strength and afraid that a military campaign would spark revolt, tolerated their crimes. Though Zhou Rui grew up among criminals, he kept himself clean…