Chapter 1500: Heaven and Earth Perfectly Matched

The Second Prince's face twitched. This Duan Tianchou was a complete neurotic and pervert, whom even he found unbearable. However, it had to be said that he was an incredibly sharp blade; if used well, he would be any enemy's nightmare.

At this moment, the soldiers under Hei Chi Fei's command finally realized what had happened, and a commotion immediately erupted.

They scattered and fled in all directions. Even when a few trusted generals from the Hei Chi family tried their best to stop them, it was futile. In the end, they simply ran along with everyone else.

However, the Second Prince would never allow them to escape. His soldiers quickly drew powerful crossbows and unleashed a volley of arrows, killing those who had run the furthest ahead. Then, at the opportune moment, they called for surrender, and the remaining people immediately laid down their weapons.

After executing all the direct subordinates loyal to the Crown Prince, incorporating the rest was simple.

As for determining who were the Crown Prince's die-hard loyalists and direct subordinates, it was a simple matter: they were made to expose and report each other. This not only shattered any possibility of unity among them but also sowed seeds of hatred, ensuring they could never return to their former ways.

Such was human nature.

The group continued towards the imperial palace. Not far from the palace, they encountered another contingent heading in the same direction.

The Second Prince recognized the leaders of the opposing group: Grand Counselor Wu Fa and Prince Anyi, Wu Pei.

Wu Fa and Wu Pei also saw the Second Prince, and were utterly astonished. They both blurted out the same words as Hei Chi Fei: "How could it be you!"

After dealing with the Fourth Prince, they had suddenly noticed the unusual commotion at the imperial palace. After a brief consideration, they decided to check on the palace first.

In their view, the Crown Prince's forces were more than sufficient to handle the Second Prince. It was more likely that something had gone wrong at the palace. If the Second Prince or some other ambitious individual were to attack here and seize the Crown Prince's stronghold, it would become a much bigger problem. Therefore, they decided to come and offer support here first.

To their surprise, they encountered the Second Prince's main force here.

"Why couldn't it be me?" Hearing the same words again, the Second Prince showed no sign of weariness; instead, he seemed to relish the moment.

This Wu Fa had always been at odds with him. In recent years, he had often tripped him up in court, leading to the Emperor's punishment on several occasions. With such an excellent opportunity today, he naturally wanted to savor the sight of Wu Fa's panic, vexation, fear, and pleading disgrace.

"Are you waiting for them?" The Second Prince once again ordered his subordinates to bring out the bodies of the Crown Prince and his followers.

As expected, a commotion erupted in the opposing ranks, with many turning pale and fearful.

Wu Fa and Wu Pei also turned ashen. Wu Pei immediately went limp, while Wu Fa remained slightly calmer. He did not flee like Hei Chi Fei, but stayed put, his gaze sweeping over the Second Prince's side, finally resting on the two individuals beside him.

"Lou Chen, Xue Han? So it was you two who relayed the information. No wonder the Crown Prince failed." Wu Fa's voice was filled with resentment.

Lou Chen and Xue Han were both palace eunuchs, holding the rank of Zhong Changshi (Attendant Official). They could be considered confidential secretaries to the Demon Emperor. Technically, Wu Fa was their superior, but as Wu Fa was an external minister and they were internal palace attendants, his control over them was often not absolute. Xue Han's expression was somewhat unnatural, while Lou Chen directly sneered: "As the saying goes, 'A good bird chooses its tree to perch, and a capable minister chooses his lord to serve.' You treated us like dogs, so naturally, I returned the favor in kind. The Second Prince treated us as national scholars, and we, in turn, repay him as national scholars. This is only right and proper."

Wu Fa burst into laughter. "Two eunuchs aspiring to be national scholars, what a joke!"

Lou Chen and Xue Han's faces immediately flushed crimson. They shrieked angrily, "You dog, may you die a terrible death!"

Wu Fa's expression darkened, and he said chillingly, "What's the point of just cursing? Shall we have a duel?"

"You're like a cornered beast now, do you even qualify to challenge us?" the two Zhong Changshi retorted.

"You're asking for death!" Wu Fa roared in anger and lunged directly at the two of them.

The two eunuchs' expressions changed, and they instinctively recoiled. Although neither of them was as powerful as Wu Fa individually, together they were not without the ability to put up a fight.

But now that victory was assured, why would they risk a duel with him? They were already envisioning days of power and glory at court. Their lives were precious; how could they gamble them against a life as worthless as his?

As the two eunuchs retreated, there was some disarray in the Second Prince's ranks. After all, Wu Fa's target was those two eunuchs, and the others had no desire to take a blow for them.

Just then, Wu Fa's figure suddenly swerved ninety degrees and charged directly at the Second Prince.

It turned out he knew that given their past grievances, the Second Prince would never spare him. Therefore, from the beginning, he had abandoned any thought of escaping or begging for mercy. He decided to try to "catch the ringleader first" to see if there was any chance of survival.

However, there was no trace of panic on the Second Prince's face. Instead, a mocking smile played on his lips.

Wu Fa's heart sank, filled with surprise and uncertainty. Could it be that the other party had already anticipated his plan?

But with the arrow already on the bowstring, it had to be loosed.

Immediately after, he saw a slender black sword. Then he saw his own back.

"My back?"

Then his vision turned to a bloody red, and he lost all consciousness.

Watching Duan Tianchou's excited gleam as he licked the fresh blood from his sword, the Second Prince frowned. Despite using a thin sword, the man wielded it like a great saber, beheading people every time and never leaving anyone alive.

He had originally intended to capture Wu Fa alive and torture him slowly. Watching his former adversary writhing in agony at his feet would have been a most satisfying experience. Unfortunately, Duan Tianchou had claimed that pleasure for himself, leaving the Second Prince none.

Seeing Wu Fa die like that, Prince Anyi, Wu Pei, the other leader from the Crown Prince's faction, felt his legs give way. He immediately collapsed to his knees with a thud, saying, "I was merely coerced by the Crown Prince before; I am willing to pledge allegiance to the Second Prince!"

The Second Prince nodded with satisfaction. This was a time when he needed people, so the more who pledged loyalty, the better. Once he had complete control of the royal court, he could slowly eliminate the dissenters.

With Wu Pei's surrender, the other Golden Crow Guards also defected. The Second Prince easily incorporated them. Looking at his ever-growing army, the Second Prince felt a surge of heroic pride. Although his forces had suffered heavy losses in the previous confrontation with the Crown Prince, absorbing so many surrendered soldiers had not only recouped his strength but actually increased it. It seemed he truly was the Son of Destiny.

They soon arrived at the gates of the imperial palace. The expected chaos was nowhere to be found. Instead, the palace gates were tightly shut, and the soldiers guarding them were heavily armed, their defenses showing no weak points.

Seeing this, the Second Prince frowned, a hint of unease rising in his heart.

Having just surrendered, Wu Pei wanted to prove his worth to his new master. So he volunteered, saying, "Many of these guards at the palace gates are my subordinates or old acquaintances. I will go and make them open the gates."

As one of the five grand commanders of the Golden Crow Guards, he certainly had the authority to say this.

The Second Prince nodded slightly. A peaceful resolution was always preferable, as attacking the imperial palace would not look good.

However, as soon as Wu Pei approached the palace gates and spoke a few words, he was met with a volley of arrows. Had he not been quick on his feet, he would likely have been shot into a pincushion on the spot.

While pulling arrows from his backside, he explained to the Second Prince with a pained expression, "These guys are acting strangely; they usually obey me. Shall I try again?"

The Second Prince shoved him aside and signaled his men to push out the bodies of the Crown Prince and his followers. His subordinates then shouted, "The Crown Prince has been executed! There's no need for futile resistance. Our Second Prince is magnanimous; he will forgive past transgressions and reward you all generously once he ascends the throne!"

At that moment, a cold voice came from above the palace gate: "The old Demon Emperor passed his throne to the Young Prince before his death. Is the Second Prince trying to commit treason?"

"Passed the throne to the Young Prince?" The Second Prince was slightly taken aback, then he burst into laughter. "Who is playing such a joke?"

Others under his command also erupted in laughter. The Young Prince was still so young; it had only been a short time since he was weaned. How could he possibly become the Demon Emperor?

"How dare you!" A furious roar, imbued with supreme deterrent power, spread outwards, instantly quelling the laughter of the thousands of soldiers. Many even felt a sense of dread, daring not to joke around any longer.

The Second Prince's expression changed, and he stared intently at a figure on the palace gate. His top experts also gravely looked up. With such skill, this person was clearly no ordinary individual.

"Oh, aren't you... Zu An?" The Second Prince was somewhat surprised. Because of his enmity with the Crown Prince and his scandalous affair with Queen Medusa, he was quite a notorious figure in the royal court. Even though he had changed his name, it was impossible to hide from the intelligence networks of these top figures.

"And the Young Demon Empress!" Many keen-eyed individuals spotted the Young Demon Empress, clad in phoenix robes. She was noble and beautiful, possessing an unexplainable, captivating allure against the backdrop of the imperial palace and the flickering firelight.

The Second Prince's brow furrowed. This young, beautiful stepmother held a forbidden allure for him. However, as she was his father's woman, he only dared to entertain such thoughts occasionally in private.

But now she stood somewhat demurely beside Zu An, making them seem like a match made in heaven. This caused a surge of illicit desire to rise within him.

Rage value from the Second Prince +288 +288 +288...