Barely a moment after the thought surfaced, the battle was upon them.
Song Qing'an's mithril-grey armor glinted with flecks of light under the flames, stained with the blood of Ye Tingyan's private soldiers, a testament to the path he had cut through the palace gates.
At this moment, Ye Tingyan was horrified to discover that his command not only consisted of troops drawn from the border garrisons but also Ye Tinglan's personal guards, who should have been annihilated by the Ning brothers!
The relentless onslaught sent a tremor of panic through Ye Tingyan, his face already paling.
But the most shocking revelation was yet to come. As he frantically raised his eyes, amidst the chaos, he saw a flash of imperial yellow!
The Emperor, who was supposed to be lying cold in the inner chambers, was now before them, intact. Save for a lingering lack of color, he appeared almost like any ordinary man.
Beside him, supporting him with a raised hand, was Jiang Rumao, who had slipped away amidst the confusion earlier.
The situation collapsed, the world turned upside down in an instant.
Stunned by the immense shock, Ye Tingyan froze, his eyes fixed on the two figures, unable to utter another word.
As they stepped forward, the crowd parted to the sides. Song Qing'an, leading the way, merely paused for a moment before bowing his head.
"Your servant arrives late to protect Your Majesty, please forgive me."
The Emperor waved his hand, showing no blame. "Minister Song, rise."
Then, he turned his gaze to Ye Tingyan, his expression stern, his voice booming like a great bell.
"You unfilial son! I was not mistaken about you; you have always harbored wolfish ambitions!"
Among his sons, Ye Tingyan was not the most outstanding, but he was diligent and earnest, earning his father's trust. As a father, he had seen the ambition in Ye Tingyan's eyes.
Being born into royalty was not inherently a bad thing. He had believed that with proper guidance, Ye Tingyan could be cultivated into a fine talent. However, he had not expected Ye Tingyan to harbor such resentment for his own lineage, leading him down a crooked path of harming siblings and plotting regicide.
Such a son, he could never tolerate!
His gaze returned to Ye Tingyan, his brow furrowed, a flicker of pain appearing on his face.
"I am deeply disappointed in you!"
After a moment of disorientation, Ye Tingyan had also recovered from his shock.
He raised his eyes, meeting the Emperor's gaze, his expression growing increasingly mocking.
"Father, your plan was truly brilliant."
He understood it all now!
From the sudden illness at the imperial banquet to the Qin family's downfall, Ye Tinglan's command of the imperial guards, Jiang Rumao's feigned defection, and even the lethal medicinal soup he had ordered Jiang Rumao to prepare tonight...
All of it had been orchestrated under the Emperor's command.
Their father had gone to great lengths to eliminate his sons, each with their own ambitions, and to dismantle their influence in the court without shaking the foundations of the dynasty.
To achieve this, he had acted subtly, meticulously planning for three years, even stepping onto the stage himself to enact this grand drama.
Ye Tinglan, whom they had always considered their primary obstacle, was merely a piece in this intricate plan, a pawn in the Emperor's hand.
All of them were on the chessboard, including the "stroke-afflicted" Empress Dowager, the deceased Ye Tingyu and Ning Fengzhi, and even the King of Dingnan and Yun Shu who had already returned to Dingzhou!
Ye Tingyan shivered.
He had thought his own pursuit of power was ruthless enough, but compared to the Emperor's machinations today, he finally understood the true meaning of "a ruler's heartlessness."
From the very beginning, he had been led into a trap, and pitifully, until just recently, he had been congratulating himself for it.
This journey, he had lost completely.
While he was lost in thought, Song Qing'an had already led his men to open the hall doors.
With the Emperor's personal presence, his private soldiers had long since been terrified and offered no resistance whatsoever.
The officials inside the hall soon emerged, their expressions clearly indicating that the scene before them had exceeded their expectations. Upon seeing the Emperor, they all immediately knelt.
The Prime Minister, leading the officials, bowed deeply to the Emperor and then kowtowed.
"Your humble subjects greet Your Majesty's return to the court, may Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"
This pronouncement, grand and imposing, immediately underscored the Emperor's supreme authority.
The close confidants who had supported Ye Tingyan behind him, seeing this, could only show expressions of extreme dismay, yet they too were forced to kowtow.
The Emperor's demeanor remained regal as his gaze swept over the officials behind them, and he raised his hand.
"All my esteemed ministers, rise."
The events of this night had been personally orchestrated by him, so there was no need for further questioning.
After rising, the officials automatically divided to the sides, their loyalties clear at a glance.
The Emperor's gaze, after sweeping over Ye Tingyan, suddenly fixed on the group of officials to the side, his expression turning icy.
"You traitors!"
With just these words, those individuals seemed to be struck with terror and immediately knelt again.
"Your... Your Majesty, forgive us, we are guilty, please spare us!"
"Rebellious ministers and wicked subjects, deserving of death! If I spare you, who will spare me!"
Just moments ago, in the grand hall, these very people had been shouting, "The nation cannot be without a ruler for a day," vehemently pushing for Ye Tingyan's ascension.
And now, they knelt before him begging for mercy, a truly laughable sight!
The Emperor's eyes coldly swept over them, and he issued his command.
"As we have shared a bond of ruler and subject, I do not wish to make things difficult for you. Since you are so loyal to the Second Prince, choose between the silken noose or poisoned wine, and join him in death before this very hall!"
Among those sentenced to death were not only veteran officials but also those who had been highly regarded. Yet, the Emperor gave his orders without the slightest hesitation.
If he treated them so, he would certainly show no leniency to Ye Tingyan, the instigator.
Deeply aware of a ruler's heartlessness, no one dared to provoke him further and could only kowtow in supplication.
"We subjects know our guilt and dare not beg for Your Majesty's forgiveness, but the Second Prince is, after all, of royal blood. For the sake of our Jing Dynasty, its land and society, and the continuation of the ancestral temple, we implore Your Majesty to spare the Second Prince's life!"
The Emperor, upon hearing this, became even more enraged. "You need not rush to plead for this rebellious son. This villain has committed countless evils and possesses no filial piety or brotherhood. His death is indeed fortunate for our Jing Dynasty."
"Administer the wine!"
A cup of poisoned wine ended his life.
The events of this night were now a foregone conclusion. Knowing that the Emperor, for the sake of royal dignity, had chosen a more respectable form of death for himself, Ye Tingyan did not hesitate. He took the wine cup and drank it down in one gulp.
As the wine cup hit the floor, he raised his slightly blurred eyes and gazed dotingly at the Emperor.
"Father, if there is a next life, this son wishes not to be born into a royal family, to experience those things from childhood..."
His words were cut short, his voice trailing off as he collapsed.
Knowing that his childhood experiences were his deep-seated sorrow, a complex mixture of emotions welled up in the Emperor's heart.
His gaze lingered on Ye Tingyan's corpse for a moment, then he spoke again.
"Order someone to come and collect the body."