HLnovel Chapter 892 Lost so quickly
Chapter 892 Lost so quickly
The cold touch on his neck made the Third Prince's face stiffen.
He subconsciously murmured, "No, impossible, this is impossible. I brought eight thousand imperial guards into the palace. There are only two thousand imperial guards stationed in the palace. Even if you had three heads and six arms, you couldn't possibly have stormed into the Hall of Diligent Governance..."
The Third Prince simply couldn't believe how such a sudden change had happened.
Half of the troops in the East and West Camps have already surrendered to him, and the Imperial Guards in the city have also been bought off by him. The Imperial City Guard is short of troops, and the only force that can come to his aid is the city defense camp in the south, but the city defense camp is far away.
He was confident that once he stormed the palace and forced his father to abdicate, even if the city's defenses sent reinforcements, it would take at least two days. By then, the die would be cast; he would be the new emperor. And with the Northern Expedition in full swing, even if his father wanted to maintain the overall situation, he wouldn't allow the capital to descend into chaos.
He is the new emperor, a foregone conclusion.
But why, why is it that less than an hour has passed since he entered the palace, and he hasn't even seen his father for half an hour? In such a short time, it's impossible for the city defense battalion's support to arrive in time.
Yes, impossible, there's no way there will be reinforcements.
The Third Prince gradually calmed down from his initial shock and tried to negotiate with Sheng Junyi: "Sheng Junyi, you and I are old acquaintances. If you are willing to submit to me, I will definitely return the title of Duke's Mansion to you after I ascend the throne. At that time, your elder brother and your father will all be at your disposal."
"Should I handle this?" Sheng Junyi asked.
The Third Prince believed he was sincere enough to move Sheng Junyi: "Yes, it's all up to you. Junyi, didn't you think highly of me before? Now we're just one step away from achieving our goal. How about it? Let's join forces and accomplish something great. I'll grant you a dukedom title, hereditary and permanent."
Sheng Junyi scoffed, "A duke's title, hereditary and perpetual?"
"Your Highness has quite the arrogance."
Seeing that Sheng Junyi was still not taking the bait, the Third Prince had to resort to force when the soft approach failed: "Sheng Junyi, reinforcements can't arrive in such a short time. No matter how powerful you are, you can't stop the eight thousand imperial guards I'm bringing into the palace. I will still be the winner in the end. If we cooperate, everyone will be happy. If you remain stubborn, you will end up with nothing."
"Your lawsuit against your father is known throughout the land. You will no longer be eligible for the imperial examinations, and your father will not give you any important position. Your future is ruined. Do you want to live a mediocre life as a commoner? You are skilled in both academics and martial arts. Are you content with this outcome? Why not cooperate with me and achieve success and fame?"
At this point, the emperor's already unpleasant expression turned even more grim. "You unfilial son!"
"Am I wrong?" The Third Prince continued to tempt Sheng Junyi: "You see, Sheng Junyi, only I can give you fame and fortune. My father won't give you any, nor will my self-proclaimed upright second brother. You are now disgraced and your future is ruined. These self-proclaimed gentlemen won't give you any important positions just to shut up those pedantic scholars. I'm different. I'm not as hypocritical as them!"
"But Third Prince, the most hypocritical person is clearly you." Sheng Junyi held a sword to his neck, his voice very close, "Have you forgotten? How did you use women back then?"
"You used Sheng Yunzhu to pave your own way for personal gain, and you used Xue Wanning to try and kill my elder brother," Sheng Junyi said coldly. "If you hadn't targeted my elder brother, I could still stand by your side. But you, hypocritical and greedy, were completely manipulated by the Crown Prince, yet you thought you were the one sitting back and fishing from behind. You probably don't know that the Crown Prince and Sheng Yunzhu have long been working together. Everything you did was controlled by the Crown Prince. You were just a pawn he used to stir up trouble. It's a pity you didn't know this until his death."
"You should be grateful for your good fortune. It was your mother and the Xiao family who paved the way for you, giving you so many self-righteous illusions."
Sheng Junyi pressed down on the Third Prince's shoulder, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
"The traitor has been captured. Your Majesty, please make your decision," Sheng Junyi said respectfully.
"No, no, no," the Third Prince retorted unwillingly, "Nonsense, you're talking nonsense! Hahahaha! You're trying to fool me. You're all fish on the chopping block now. The area outside the Hall of Diligent Governance is full of my people. You can't escape at all!"
"It seems that Your Highness hasn't grasped one crucial point," Sheng Junyi kindly reminded him. "To catch the thief, you must first catch the king. If you die, guess who the Imperial Guards outside will listen to?"
The Third Prince's eyes widened suddenly.
He had long known that Sheng Junyi was skilled in martial arts. When he was still dating Sheng Yunzhu, Sheng Yunzhu greatly admired her second brother, even more so than Sheng Junyao. Yet, she both loved and feared him, as if Sheng Junyi were some kind of evil spirit. She even shamelessly told him not to provoke Sheng Junyi, that he was a madman.
Later, when Sheng Junyi, that madman, personally threw Sheng Yunzhu into the Duke of Zheng's mansion and made her look like a ghost, she came to beg him for help. At night, she had nightmares and kept calling out Sheng Junyi's name.
This man now had a sword at his neck.
They really will kill him.
The Third Prince's shoulders slumped down, and cold sweat poured from his forehead.
"It seems that His Highness the Third Prince has figured it out," Sheng Junyi said calmly.
At this moment, Lu Wei entered the main hall together with Shen Kuo, the commander of the Imperial City Guard. "Your Majesty," Lu Wei said, "the traitor has been executed. Please make your decision."
It was only then that the Third Prince finally realized that his grand coup had ended so quickly.
"Tie up this rebellious son!" the emperor ordered in a deep voice.