Yan Empire, the third year of Emperor Yan Wan's Reign.
The full moon, hanging alone in the night sky above the capital city, was obscured by a blanket of black smoke, casting a hazy glow over the otherwise bright moon and twinkling stars. Below this peaceful night sky, a sea of crimson flames raged on, accompanied by the horrid screams of people. The entire atmosphere resembled the depths of a purgatory, with no respite from the chaos and destruction.
A soldier wearing heavy steel armor was rushing up the defense tower, his footsteps faltering. Reaching the top of the tower, he spotted a middle-aged man also clad in armor, immediately kneeling on one knee, the soldier reported, "we won't be able to hold on for much longer."
The middle-aged man did not reply immediately. Instead, he turned his attention to the view below the defense tower, and what greeted his vision was a sea of flames. Black smoke billowed up into the night sky, resembling a raging dragon. The entire capital was in chaos.
"General Wen will reach the capital in a few hours with reinforcements. Until then we should protect the Palace at any cost. Summoned the Deputy General Gu here for me", said the middle-aged man without moving his gaze away from the capital city which now looked like a purgatory.
"Yes, General," the soldier acknowledged before leaving the tower.
After a few minutes, a strong and tall, handsome young man arrived at the tower. "General, your subordinate is here and ready to receive your commands," he said.
"Gu Feng, I want you to take your troops and tightly surround the palace. No one is to enter without authorization. Do you understand?" General Xiao ordered.
"Yes, General," Deputy General Gu replied in a hoarse voice, lifting his head to look at General Xiao as if he wanted to say something.
"Go now!" General Xiao shouted, cutting off any further conversation.
Deputy General Gu bowed his head to conceal his red eyes before turning away to leave. But before he descended the tower, he turned back to General Xiao and asked, "And what about you?"
"I am going inside the palace. Nothing must happen to the Son of Heaven," General Xiao replied resolutely. With that, he stomped his foot and, utilizing his lightness skill, quickly left the defense tower and landed on a nearby roof before heading towards the palace wall.
Deputy General Gu watched the disappearing back of General Xiao, and without delay, he hurried down the tower. He knew that they are in a dire situation and he couldn't waste time. With General Xiao who went to act as a human shield for the emperor, he cannot let him down.
General Xiao swiftly landed on the Palace walls.
"Who!"
"There is an intruder, guards "
Shouted the palace guards.
"it's me," said, General Xiao.
At the same time, the captain of the imperial guards emerged from behind. "Don't worry, it's General Xiao of the Black Eagle Cavalry," he said, recognizing General Xiao.
"Captain He, where is the Emperor?" General Xiao asked, getting straight to the point without any formalities.
Captain He didn't mind the lack of formalities, given the dire situation. However, he didn't know how to answer General Xiao's question. It was as if there was a lump in his throat, and he couldn't utter a word.
Noticing Captain He's unusual expression, General Xiao furrowed his brows.
"Captain He, What happened? Tell me", shouted General Xiao with his eyes fixed on Captain He.
Shaking his head, Captain He took a deep breath and said, "It's the Empress"
General Xiao's heartbeat quickened, the Empress was his beloved daughter.
"The Empress is currently in labor and the Emperor is outside her chamber," said Captain He. As soon as he said that, he only felt a gush of wind pass by and noticed that General Xiao was nowhere to be seen. He only heard General Xiao say, "Tell the Captain of Artillery troops to tighten the palace defense by another layer"
General Xiao hurried towards the Phoenix Palace where the Empress was. Within a few breaths, he arrived at the gate. The palace guards recognized General Xiao and immediately bowed, making way for him.
Outside the chamber, the Emperor was sitting on pins and needles. When he noticed the movement, he turned his head and saw General Xiao rushing in. He gave a bitter smile, looking at his father-in-law.
"Your servant pays respect to Your Majesty," General Xiao bowed.
The Emperor waved his hand signaling not to bother with formalities. "You heard about the Empress!"
"Forgive this humble servant but may I ask Your Majesty what is the Empress's current situation right now"
"All the imperial physicians are inside, it still unknown whether the Empress is out of danger or not", said the Emperor with his eyes fixed on the closed door.
"Your Majesty, If I am not mistaken, the Empress should not have gone into labor this month but it should be next month. Did someone try to harm the Empress", asked General Xiao?
The Emperor shook his head lamenting spring and autumn. "it's all my fault, the Empress was poisoned. One of the palace maids had been secretly adding safflower in her daily decoction. It is already a miracle that the baby still managed to survive"
Outside the Palace gate.
"open the palace gates, it's no use defending it. We are already inside the capital and my men had taken full control over it", shouted a tall and robust man sitting on a horse. Beside him, a middle-aged man arrogantly looked at the imperial guards and soldiers. A troop of thousand soldiers was standing behind them.
"If you all surrender now, I will make sure you live a good life with no regrets after the second Prince took over the throne", said the middle-aged man.
"General Li, Second Prince, since both of you decided to rebel, let me tell you one thing if you want to enter the palace you have to step on my corpse first", shouted Deputy General Gu.
"Since you refuse to drink the proffered wine, don't blame me when you go down the yellow river", said General Li as he charged forward.
Soon, an intense fight broke out at the palace gate.
Phoenix Palace.
"Your Majesty, General, it's a Prince", a wet nurse came out of the Empress chamber holding a small baby wrapped in a soft white cloth.
The Emperor took the baby in his arms. "How is the Empress?" The Emperor and General Xiao both asked at the same time.
Just as the wet nurse was about to open her mouth, there was a commotion outside the Phoenix Palace. General Xiao, took a swift glance at the baby in the Emperor's arms and then towards the closed door and said, "Your majesty, quickly go. I will stall for time"
After saying that, General Xiao brandished his sword and rushed out without waiting for the Emperor to reply. In a distant sky he saw a signal flare, and said under his breath, 'The reinforcement is here, hang on Your majesty, Yue'er and my grandson'
__________
The author has something to say:
English is not my first language, so I apologize in advance for any errors you may find in the beginning chapters. I have taken on the responsibility of both writing and editing, which can be quite time-consuming. However, I have made an effort to edit the later chapters, and you will notice an improvement in the quality of the writing.
If you enjoy this novel, I would greatly appreciate your support through voting with power stones, golden tickets, and gifts. Additionally, I kindly request that you leave an honest review and share it with your friends and family.