A servant came out to ushered Xiao Song inside the mansion. The Guo family mansion looked quite aloof today. It was as somber and the outside weather. Uneasiness seeped through his blood. Something unusual was awaiting for him inside of the mansion. Xiao Song didn't know what it was, but his instinct is rarely wrong.
As soon as he stepped inside the mansion's living room , throngs of familiar faces greeted him with with serious and grim expression.
"Father! What are you doing here!!" Xiao Song hurried toward his father. The sickly Duke of Shen rarely ventured out of their hometown. Not even for his wedding two years ago! But here he was! In the Guo family's mansion!
"Xiao Song, I am here because of this" he then held out a letter with royal stamp sealing it. Xiao Song recognized the stamp seal. It belonged to the late emperor!
He immediately took the letter and began open it carefully. Just like he expected, it was indeed letter from the late emperor dated few days before his departure from this world.
Xiao Song
If you are happen to read this letter, it means that my prediction was correct. Before I'm going to continue with my real intention writing down this letter to you, I would like to apologize to you in the first place for dragging the reluctant you into my family's mess.
Truth to be told, I admitted that I was a horrible emperor, and even worst of a father. Due to my own selfishness, I had been neglecting my children, especially my daughters including your wife.
Princess Liu Shi's existence only came to my knowledge after the death of her mother when she was just eight. Her mother was one of the many women that I forsaken their life due to my greed. The women who I dragged to the palace just to forgot them in matter of few months. I admitted that and ashamed of my past self.
From then on, I had been watching her every move. She was a child with incredible talent! But somehow, her mother's death had awaken a very sinister side of her. I believed that the eight year old child had been planning malicious revenge ever since she lost her dear mother.
I knew I was supposed to intervene her action, however, the guilt of being an absent father made me decided to let her revenge to be realized so that her quench for to avenge her could be satisfied. I was so naive to think it was a temporary phase in her rebellious life.
I ignore the disturbing signs that has been happening to my family. I thought it was the repercussion of me being a horrible human being. It was too late when I realized that she was on a bigger mission to ultimately destroy the royal family altogether.
* I tried to warn you when you first asked for her hand in marriage. However, upon seeing your sincerity, I thought receiving sincere love from you could change her. I was wrong.*
The death of my youngest prince was a telling sign that she was nowhere near over with her mission. Hence I knew that I was her last goal. Therefore, I spent my last few months prepping for another plan. I was a horrible emperor and I didn't want the empire to be put under the reign of another horrible ruler. I need to amend this! This is my final deed as the emperor of Tang Kingdom.
In this letter, I'd name you , Xiao Song, as the true heir to my throne. I have prepared the army and loyal officials to help you winning this battle. I hope you can be a good emperor that this nation deserved to has.
The confounded Xiao Song lifted his head after he had finished reading the letter. "What is this all about? Minister Guo? Xiao zhan? His eyes turned toward his younger brother who was clad in full armor battle.
"Father?" He then turned toward his father. His eyes was pleading for explanation However, the old man slowly lowered his head. Xiao Song was baffled. What kind of deadly conspiracy he was force to get into? He could not believed that his father was part of this scheming too. What iIn the world is happening?!
"Xiao Song!" the finance minister's voiced roared like a thunder. "You have read the letters and you know it was from the emperor based on the seal stamp! This is the late emperor's wish to have you installed as the king instead of the empress" He tried to explain.
"But I don't understand, why did the late emperor do this?"
" This old man knew that Your Highness had been doing your own investigation about the suspicious death involving the royal family members. The truth is, the late emperor knew about all of these for quite a long time. The empress had been harboring hatred toward the all her family members when her mother passed away alone in the inner palace. Not only the royal family, now, she was targeting the nobles and planning to decimate the families of high ranking officials as well. It saddened me to tell Your Highness, that the empress was on crazy move to destroy the pillars of this empires and she must be stopped! She is now nothing more than a bloodthirsty dictator who only had revenge in her head!" The finance minister tried to persuade him.
"Initially, the late emperor tried to prevent you from getting married to the princess three years ago. However, seeing how genuine your love for the princess on the day you went asking for her hand in marriage, he decided to allow the marriage thinking that your sincere love might changed the empress' twisted outlook on this world. However, the late youngest prince's death was a wake up call for him. He knew that nothing could change the empress. At that point she was beyond saving anymore." the minister took a break for a while to let Xiao Song processing all the information that he had been pouring on him.
"Spending his time with you for the past years made him realized that Your Highness had tremendous potential in becoming a good emperor to the empire. Hence, he secretly concocted a plan for a power transition form the empress' hand to yours!" He continued.
"No…" Xiao Song was at lost of words. This is too sudden for him to digest.
A servant suddenly appeared on the door, and ran straight to Xiao Zhan. He whispered something into Xiao Zhan's ear. His younger brother's eyes darkened while he was listening to the servant.
"Brother!" he called for Xiao Song.
"The empress had already knew that you have sneaked out of the palace. She had sent soldiers stationed all over the capital to look out for you!"
"Nonsense! She would have known that I have no where to go other than this place! Why would she station soldiers in the capital instead of coming to arrest me…." A horrifying thought resurfaced on his brain.
She was not sending the soldiers to capture him. Instead, she was sending a subtle message to him!
' Surrender or I'll destroyed the people in the capital'
That's it! That was the message. Xiao Song could not believed this. His legs went limb and he was staggering due to unforeseen shock.
He slowly walked to the nearest chair while trying all his might to compose himself .
"You understand now Xiao Song" his father who had been keeping himself quite since from the beginning, began to speak.
"The emperor sent me his last letter before he passed away. He said he entrusted the entire empire to you. Destroyed the last remaining member of the royal and reclaimed the throne as her new leader" he mumbled the words slowly under his breath.
"...." Xiao Song was at lost of words. This is too much of a burden for him to take. Xiao Song did not have a grand ambition as to be an emperor.
"Brother, hurry !! Made your decision already! We need to get going by tonight or we're not going to win this war!!" Xiao Zhan persuaded him.
Reaching this point, loosing would mean death to everyone in this mansion. His father! And his brother! He could not let the perish because of his indecisiveness.
Xiao Song closed his eyes and clenched his fist. After a while, he opened his eyes and said.
"I accepted this position. But if you want me to lead this uprising, we would not go full blown on the street. Wold you agreed with my new plan instead?"
"Of course!" Xiao Zhan excitedly replied.
*****************
Xiao Song's plan was rather a subtle approach to be compared with the initial plan concocted by the finance minister. It was much more suitable with his pacifist characteristic.
The Finance minister initially disagreed with Xiao Song.
"We should made our attack full blown and aggressive to assert our power, or otherwise people would not felt pressed to accept us" he argued.
"No. I refused to destroyed the late emperor's legacy. Either we do it my way or you could replace my place with someone else" Xiao Song was determined to not let himself being dragged by anyone else.
The minister had no other option other that following Xiao Song's instruction.
The movement started off in the middle of the night. Xiao Song proposed for them to usurped into the palace in the middle of the night to avoid spilling the blood of innocent civilian.
First and foremost, Xiao Song sent out his army clad in civilians' clothes to crippled the soldiers that were stationed in every nook and cronies of the capital. Next, he sent the remaining soldiers to every corner of the palace in small groups.
He decided that it was the best for them to attack the palace from every different direction. That way, it would make plan of seizing the palace to be more efficient and less violent.
He forbid his men from pillaging and rampaging the palace if there was no necessity to do that. Those who surrendered without fight should be left alive. Especially the palace's servants.
He would used these servants' life to be exchanged with the chief of royal guard's loyalty. He knew that the royal guard chief was a kind hearted man who cared about the life and welfare of his staff. He would not let hundreds of life to be snubbed for an erratic leader.
Once they had attained the chief royal guard 's cooperation, all of other guard would follow him and this means that there will be no more obstacle for them to get to the empress' place.
His plan proved to be successful as they managed to seize the whole palace in short amount of time. Now, there were moving toward the royal court as his informant said that was where the empress and two loyal servants waiting for the them.
As they have arrived in front of the royal court, Xiao Song decided that only a few people that he trust were allowed to accompany him inside ; namely the finance minister and his brother.
As soon as he stepped inside the court, they could see almost nothing as no candle was lighted in the court. The glimmer of moonlight from outside help them to spot the silhouette of the empress that was sitting on the throne quietly.
It was too dim for him to see her face, but she was wearing her official dragon robe. She was alone without neither of her two loyal servants by her side.
'This is weird' He thought
"Someone! Light all the candle!" Xiao Song instructed. As soon as the candles were lighted by Xiao Zhan, they found that that it was not the empress sitting on the throne . His guts was right. He found it to be suspicious that Gao Wang was no where to be seen in the royal court. That man would not leave by the empress side.
It seems like his wife and Gao Wang had escaped and placed her loyal maid -Meng- on the throne instead.
Xiao Song slowly climbed the stair to get to the woman. He wield his rarely used sword and put them right at her neck. The maid , however, remained unfazed. She had a serene look on her face. A face of someone who had accepted that she was going to die on that night.
"So, where are they?" He asked.
"They're gone. It was a long time ago. Your Highness wouldn't even get to capture them. They might have left the capital when Your Highness start seizing the palace"
"Tell me. Where are they going and I will spare your life"