My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 194, Recollection Part 2.17 – Kidnapping

The guards, disguised as palace servants, suddenly rushed out from the corner.

The weapon, with its clear target, mercilessly slashed through the air, followed by several screams and splattering blood.

No one could believe how things had suddenly turned out this way.

Keep in mind, there are still many concubines and princes in this palace. Does Emperor Xuande not even care about their lives?!

Some ministers were about to kneel down and beg for mercy when a flash of cold light appeared, and their heads rolled to the ground.

In an instant, the sounds of shattered cups and saucers, chaotic footsteps, and wails rose and fell, never ceasing.

However, this is not simply indiscriminate slaughter.

Because in addition to the prime minister, several other cautious ministers also brought their personal guards with them.

Immediately, the guards inside the palace were entangled by this group of personal guards, and the two sides fought fiercely.

"Yu'er! Come here quickly!"

Amidst the clash of weapons, a shout could be faintly heard.

Fu Tingyu looked in the direction of the sound and finally spotted Consort Chen surrounded by palace servants amidst the chaos.

Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were filled with panic and worry. If she hadn't been held back by the palace servants, she probably would have rushed over to protect Fu Tingyu immediately.

But at this moment, all she could do was wave her hands repeatedly, hoping that Fu Tingyu would hurry over to her side.

Seeing that the fighting had not yet reached this place, Fu Tingyu immediately ran towards Consort Chen.

However, before he could run a few steps, he suddenly felt a tremendous force coming from his back.

In a dizzying moment, Consort Chen let out a startled cry.

Fu Tingyu felt his vision go black, followed by a sharp pain in his buttocks, as if he had been slammed to the ground.

When they came to their senses again, they found themselves in front of the Fifth Prince, who was surrounded by his personal guards.

A warning bell rang in Fu Tingyu's heart.

The Fifth Prince was no longer the spirited young man he had been before.

His face was contorted in a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with hatred and resentment, and he was glaring at Emperor Xuande with gritted teeth.

After all, being suddenly plunged from heaven to hell is an unacceptable fall for anyone.

Seeing Fu Tingyu being thrown in by the guards, the Fifth Prince slowly turned his gaze to him, smiled sinisterly, and said, "Seventh Brother, where are you going?"

"This place is dangerous. It would be better to stay here and let your brother protect you."

As he spoke, a sinister smile crept onto his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face.

Seeing his expression, Fu Tingyu could easily understand that this guy wanted to use him as a hostage!

So he subconsciously tried to get up, but the Fifth Prince was clearly a step faster and kicked Fu Tingyu without any mercy.

The latter groaned and fell to the ground again.

Seeing Fu Tingyu's disheveled appearance, the Fifth Prince couldn't help but feel a surge of pleasure.

"Seventh brother, I advise you to stay here obediently, otherwise, I can't guarantee that I won't do anything bad to you."

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Fu Tingyu's cheek hard.

Fu Tingyu was forced to raise his head by being pinched, his face squished together, and he could only mumble, "Fifth brother, calm down, we're all brothers, what can't we talk about properly?"

Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince merely sneered at him, "Seventh Brother, do you think you still have the right to speak to me properly?"

Seeing the person in front of him on the verge of madness, Fu Tingyu immediately decided to reason with him and appeal to his emotions.

"Alas, Fifth Brother, given Father's current mental state, what use do you think it is to take me hostage?"

"We might end up being executed here together by Father."

Upon hearing this, both men involuntarily turned their gazes toward Emperor Xuande.

Amidst the chaos of battle, only he and the Imperial Advisor were surrounded by a thick wall of people.

Even if other concubines or princes wanted to seek protection, they would be ruthlessly turned away.

Whether they were concubines who had once been deeply favored by the emperor or his own flesh and blood, Emperor Xuande cared nothing for them and turned a blind eye to their lives and safety.

The Fifth Prince's gaze slowly fell on the Empress lying on the ground, and a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

The pressure on his hands loosened slightly.

Seeing this, Fu Tingyu immediately pressed his advantage, saying, "It's you today, but it might be my turn tomorrow!"

"So we should actually be on the same side!"

Fifth Prince: "..."

Seeing how sincere Fu Tingyu was, the Fifth Prince's expression softened slightly.

He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "So you mean..."

Fu Tingyu said earnestly, "So, Your Majesty, for our safety, why don't you go and capture the Imperial Preceptor as a hostage?"

Fifth Prince: "..."

Is this a problem I don't want to address?

the other side--

As the prime minister watched as the besieged ministers were killed one by one, and his own guards fell one after another, he knew that he could not escape this calamity.

He suddenly drew his personal guard's sword and charged towards Emperor Xuande.

Although he was indeed skilled, he quickly cut down several guards who were blocking Emperor Xuande's way.

But being of advanced age, he was not very agile and only managed to dodge a few moves from the guards before being slashed by a sword and falling to the ground.

He struggled to sit up, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Emperor Xuande. "Your Majesty, what have we done wrong?! I have been loyal to the end, why are you treating me like this?!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuande glanced at him casually, then stood up and slowly walked to the Empress's side.

At this moment, the empress was convulsing and twisted into a ball. The shimmering pearl hairpins on her head broke in the struggle and scattered all over the ground.

Emperor Xuande looked down at her and saw that her eyes were rolled back and blood was flowing out of her seven orifices, making her look terrifying.

He was immediately disgusted and kicked the Empress.

"Hmph, so loyal? Do you all think I'm a fool? Don't think I don't know what you've been doing behind my back!"

"Poisoning me, using me to amass wealth, plotting a rebellion... Do you think I've wronged you for all of this?!"

The prime minister lay on the ground, listening to Emperor Xuande's resounding curses, and instantly understood everything.

He immediately glared at the calm and collected Imperial Advisor, gritting his teeth and shouting, "It's...it's you!"

"You—"

Before he could finish speaking, he was slashed from behind with a sword, instantly decapitating him and splattering blood everywhere.

With the Prime Minister's death, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Debris was everywhere, and blood was everywhere.

The palace gates were opened, and the guards outside rushed in.

Emperor Xuande stood in the pool of blood, looked up again, and looked at the Fifth Prince.