Chapter 1391: Regent

Surrounded? What was happening?

Hao Zhen, Che Buchi, Gao Jianhou, and Xie Longfei were all startled. They hurried straight to the main gate.

When the gate opened, blazing torchlight filled the street outside. Troops had surrounded Prince Ying's residence so tightly that not even water could pass through. Judging by their uniforms, they were soldiers of the Capital Defense Army.

Hao Zhen tugged the outer robe draped over his shoulders into place, descended the steps, and shouted, "What do you think you're doing?"

A general stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Your Highness Prince Ying, Jin spies and bandits have been active in the capital recently. To protect Your Highness's safety, this general has come with troops under orders from the Regent. Your Highness need not worry."

"Regent?" Hao Zhen flew into a rage. "Where did this Regent come from? Move aside! I am going to the palace to see His Majesty!"

A cultivator from Xuanbing Sect stepped forward and said heavily, "Your Highness, please conduct yourself with restraint. Return inside and rest. Await His Majesty's decree!"

Xie Longfei immediately stepped up, tugged Hao Zhen, then looked back and signaled. Che Buchi and Gao Jianhou came forward at once and each took one of Hao Zhen's arms.

"Your Highness, don't act rashly," Che Buchi whispered.

The two practically dragged Hao Zhen back inside.

Only then did Xie Longfei go to the Xuanbing Sect cultivator and cup his hands. "Senior Brother, may I have a private word?"

The two passed through the troops surrounding the residence and walked to a secluded place outside.

Xie Longfei lowered his voice. "Senior Brother, what exactly is going on?"

The Xuanbing Sect cultivator likewise spoke quietly. "Junior Brother Xie, Qi has already changed masters. Don't get involved in this. This is the sect's will, and the collective decision of the Three Great Sects. I too am acting under the Sect Leader's decree..."

A while later, Xie Longfei returned to the residence and ordered the guards to shut the gate. He hurried to the main hall to meet Hao Zhen and the others, who naturally demanded an explanation.

The matter was complicated if explained in detail, but simple if reduced to its essence.

Qi Emperor Hao Yuntu's health had failed. Under the current circumstances, the Three Great Sects believed his strength and energy were no longer sufficient to control a situation beset by crisis within and without. Rather than wait until his health suddenly worsened and be caught unprepared while the princes fought for power and the state descended into internal chaos, they had chosen to stabilize the situation with the momentum of thunder too swift even to cover one's ears.

The Three Great Sects had already chosen Prince Yu Hao Hong to succeed the throne. With their support, and given Hao Yuntu's physical condition, nearly all the officials at court had already swung to Hao Hong's side. Anyone who objected had been placed under control.

But Hao Yuntu refused to surrender power. Hao Hong therefore could not smoothly ascend the throne and, for the moment, could only assume the title of Regent.

Fearing that the imperial princes might rebel, Hao Hong ordered the Capital Defense Army to surround every princely residence, effectively placing all the princes under house arrest. Any prince who dared force his way out without authorization was to be killed without mercy.

The generals who controlled the capital's military forces and remained loyal to Hao Yuntu had likewise been seized by the Three Great Sects in a sudden operation. Only then had the capital defense troops been mobilized so smoothly.

Within the palace's Imperial Guard, a number of commanders fanatically loyal to Hao Yuntu had already been directly purged in blood.

As for Hao Hong, he had moved straight into the imperial palace and begun exercising the authority of Regent.

"This is treason and usurpation!" Hao Zhen slammed a fist onto the table, hatred and unwillingness filling his voice.

He had endured quietly for so many years, yet everything had happened so suddenly that he had not even been given the slightest chance to prepare. How could he be reconciled to it?

Che Buchi, Gao Jianhou, and Xie Longfei were no less disheartened.

The sects' sudden decision had come without the slightest warning beforehand, leaving them no opportunity even to fight for another outcome. Their own fortunes and Hao Zhen's had long since become bound together: one prospered, all prospered; one suffered, all suffered.

Over the years they had secretly worked within their sects to win support for Hao Zhen. But now that the sects had made their final decision, what could they do? Defy their orders?

"The Three Great Sects didn't choose Prince Yu without reason. Prince Yu has Huyan Wuhen behind him, a man who holds military power. Under the present circumstances, even the Three Great Sects may have to take Huyan Wuhen's attitude into account." Gao Jianhou raised his head and let out a long sigh.

No matter what happened, the three of them were still disciples of the Three Great Sects. They still had a road of retreat.

Hao Zhen did not.

His gaze flickered. His life and death might now rest entirely in Hao Hong's hands, and he had no idea how Hao Hong would deal with him afterward.

Dawn was only beginning to break.

Everyone inside Prince Ying's residence was frightened and uneasy.

Shao Liuer, washed and properly dressed, appeared after hearing about the situation outside. She entered the main hall with worry all over her face. "Your Highness, what happened?"

...

"Regent? What Regent?"

Outside the Huyan residence, a large force had likewise surrounded the compound.

A group of retired old soldiers who now served as household retainers showed no fear whatsoever. They stood before the gates with swords and spears, confronting the troops outside.

The encircling army plainly held overwhelming superiority in numbers, yet faced with this collection of old, weak, sick, and maimed veterans, they seemed strangely guilty and lacking in confidence.

Hao Qingqing, heavily pregnant, stood at the gate with a sword in hand and shouted, "Move aside! I want to see Imperial Father!"

The troops refused to clear the way.

Hao Qingqing lost her temper. With a metallic hiss, she drew her sword. "Are you moving or not?"

The general in command said heavily, "Princess, please don't make things difficult for us. If you insist on forcing your way through, don't blame us for being impolite!"

An old servant missing several fingers exploded in fury. He raised his saber and pointed. "Fang Ye! Think back to when you led my horse and held my stirrup. Did I ever treat you badly? Touch our Young Mistress today and see whether I don't skin you alive!"

The commander's face twitched.

His gaze swept across the old, infirm, and mutilated veterans confronting him and his head immediately began to ache.

If he truly harmed these men recklessly today, he would probably lose the hearts of the army from this day forward and find it difficult ever to stand among Qi's soldiers again.

"Impolite? You dog! You dare bring rebellion right to my family's gate?"

The bearded Huyan Wei rushed forward and kicked without warning.

Bang!

Fang Ye staggered backward from the kick and was caught by the men behind him.

Several cultivators immediately stepped forward to block Huyan Wei.

"Huyan Wei, do not act recklessly!"

Huyan Wei roared, "If your Three Great Sects have the guts, then kill me! Otherwise I'll act as recklessly as I damn well please today!"

The cultivators looked at one another.

Who dared kill Huyan Wuhen's son at a time like this?

Who would dare touch him?

If they actually did, how were they supposed to answer to their sects afterward?

Fang Ye straightened himself, rubbed his abdomen, stepped forward, and gestured for the cultivators to withdraw.

He approached Huyan Wei and lowered his voice. "Young General, understand our difficulties too. We have no choice in this. In a little while, have one of your servants go out to buy supplies and secretly carry a Goldenwing to send word to the Supreme General. I won't inspect too closely. In the present situation, only the Supreme General's word can matter. You and I struggling against the Three Great Sects will accomplish nothing. Only the Supreme General can deter these petty villains now. One word from the Supreme General can settle the whole situation!"

Huyan Wei's gaze flickered.

Just then, sweat broke across Hao Qingqing's forehead.

She finally could no longer hold on. One hand clutched her swollen belly as she swayed, a muffled groan of pain escaping her.

The confrontation immediately dissolved into chaos.

Amid the turmoil engulfing the Qi capital, a baby girl was born...

...

Inside the imperial palace, Prince Yu—now Regent Hao Hong—paced anxiously through the hall.

A message had already been sent to Huyan Wuhen's side.

They were waiting for his reply and had no idea what position he would take.

Imperial Father Hao Yuntu refused to issue an edict to Huyan Wuhen.

He refused to formally tell the Supreme General that he had passed the throne to Hao Hong.

That left Hao Hong deeply uneasy.

What he had told the Sect Leaders of the Three Great Sects earlier—that his younger sister Hao Qingqing had married into the Huyan family and that this meant the Huyan clan would support him—had only been a signboard used to fool them. He had wanted to cook the raw rice into cooked rice first and leave the Three Great Sects mounted on a tiger from which they could no longer dismount.

But reality was nothing like what he had claimed.

The Huyan family had always deliberately kept its distance from him.

There had never been any secret dealings between them.

Their relationship could hardly even be called good.

Hao Hong knew perfectly well that Huyan Wuhen held military power in his hands. At this critical moment, the Supreme General's attitude could decide Hao Hong's life or death. If Huyan Wuhen refused to approve his accession, Hao Hong's end would be beyond redemption.

His foundations were not yet stable.

If the Three Great Sects could raise him up, they could also depose him.

The consequences of deceiving them could easily be imagined.

He understood every possible consequence.

But he had no choice except to take this gamble.

Had he not done so, the Three Great Sects would probably have immediately chosen someone else. The man now under house arrest would then have been Hao Hong himself. And as one of the strongest contenders for the throne, how could the new ruler possibly leave behind such a threat?

At this moment when his life hung in the balance, he was gambling.

Gambling with his life.

Gambling that once the raw rice had been cooked, Huyan Wuhen would have no choice but to consider the overall situation.

"Regent! Regent! Wonderful news! Wonderful news!"

A eunuch suddenly hurried in.

Hao Hong's spirits lifted. "What wonderful news?"

The eunuch wore a fawning smile. "The Princess! The Princess has given birth! The Princess who married into the Huyan family has borne them a daughter!"

Hao Hong stared blankly, then asked suspiciously, "Wasn't the due date still some time away? Why did she suddenly give birth early?"

The eunuch hesitated. "It seems that when the Huyan residence was surrounded, the Princess argued with the troops outside and disturbed the fetus. The child was therefore born prematurely."

"What?"

Hao Hong nearly had his soul frightened out of him.

What kind of moment was this?

His life depended on begging Huyan Wuhen for support. If the granddaughter of Huyan Wuhen came to harm because of Hao Hong's orders and Huyan Wuhen was enraged, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wonderful news?

What kind of damned wonderful news was this?

Still badly shaken, Hao Hong kicked the eunuch to the floor, then began kicking him again and again. "Dog slave! Who told you people to frighten the Princess?"

The eunuch howled miserably.

Only when Hao Hong was panting for breath did he stop.

After steadying himself, he asked, "How is the premature child?"

The eunuch crawled upright and knelt. His face was swollen and bruised, blood flowing from his mouth and nose. "We don't know the exact condition. The Huyan family refuses to let outsiders enter."

Hao Hong roared, "Then why haven't you asked the Three Great Sects to send cultivators over and examine her? If anything happens to this Regent's niece, I will have you executed by lingchi!"

At present, the cultivators normally stationed with the Huyan family had all been forcibly removed by the Three Great Sects.

They feared the Huyan family's influence in the military was too great and did not want to leave the clan any opportunity to coordinate secretly with the capital garrison.

The eunuch was so frightened that he scrambled away on hands and knees.

...

Slap!

The sound of the blow rang crisp and loud.

The Empress fell to the floor, clutching her cheek and crying.

Hao Yuntu stood supported by Bu Xun, breathing heavily.

He seemed to have aged enormously in a single night.

Even striking a woman now exhausted him.

The Empress crawled to his feet on her knees, wrapped both arms around his leg, raised her head, and sobbed. "Your Majesty, Hong'er didn't want to commit such a treasonous act either, but he had no choice! He didn't dare defy the Three Great Sects. Your Majesty, even if you won't think of Hong'er, you must think of the realm of Qi. Please issue an edict to the Supreme General!"

Some things could be seized.

The throne could be seized.

The imperial seals could be seized.

Even Bu Xun's control over the Office of Investigation had been stripped away in a single night.

But no one could force Hao Yuntu to issue an edict passing the throne.

Hao Yuntu would rather die than obey.

[End of Chapter 1391]