vstars Chapter 799: Chaos, Enter!
Chapter 799: Chaos, Enter!
"Dong, dong, dong..."
Morning bell and evening drum.
The morning bell was originally meant to ring nine times, but this time, it kept ringing as if without end.
"The new Emperor ascends the throne!"
The street vendors glanced in the direction of the Imperial Palace and whispered.
The ascension of the new Emperor signifies the end of one era and the beginning of another.
In truth, for the commonfolk, whoever becomes Emperor, what does it have to do with them?
As long as they can eat their fill, wear warmth, and live happily with their families, that is enough.
If an Emperor leaves the people destitute and hungry, dying on the streets, then that dynasty will gradually head towards its demise.
Today, the Daliang Country is flourishing, its people living and working in peace, Liangjing City dances in prosperity—this is the era of peace and prosperity!
So, when the decree for the new Emperor’s ascension was issued, the commonfolk merely said "Oh," and went about their business without any reaction.
At most, it stirred a small wave in circles of scholars, but that wave vanished as quickly as it was swept into the vast ocean.
"Selling steamed bread! Fresh and hot steamed bread!"
"Sugar figures, who wants to eat sugar figures, so delicious, sweet!"
Three men walked along the wide Hongmeng Street, surrounded by bustling crowds and shops, and as they reached a steamed bread stall, the old vendor greeted them with a hopeful expression.
The three happened to be hungry and each bought one to eat.
Next to them was a hot soup vendor, and they went over to buy some hot soup to eat with the bread.
"The so-called ascension ceremony, surely it’s not just the ascension ceremony? There’s probably a Heaven and Earth Net long planted inside, just waiting for us to walk in!"
Broken Jade wiped his chin and glanced toward the Imperial Palace.
Li Qingmu remained expressionless, his gaze indifferent as he ate the steamed bread in his hand.
He knew his mother, Rong Si, too well; she must have arranged countless formations, waiting for him to return. Once detained, what awaits would be Purgatory!
Yet, regardless of whether it’s Purgatory, he has to walk this path!
Without getting rid of You Su, he and Yue’er cannot peacefully return to Dazhou!
"Dong, dong, dong..."
The bell continued, like a Demon Sound, relentlessly striking at the soul, making one’s pores expand, hair stand on end, with a feeling as if a deity were about to descend to the human world.
"It’s been eighty-one rings already, probably after another while, the bell will stop, and then it will be the succession ceremony!"
Zhe Feng had been counting, now it was eighty-one rings, no, the eighty-second had just sounded.
Li Qingmu squinted slightly: "Is it just us few?"
He thought Tianxing Pavilion should have arrangements, though he hadn’t asked Zhe Feng or Broken Jade—Broken Jade was unreliable, but Zhe Feng was okay. If he’s so calm, there must be a backup plan.
Zhe Feng smiled lightly: "Rest assured, Tianxing Pavilion has been plotting to eliminate this traitor for who knows how long. This time, with the help of the ascension ceremony and you, we’ll definitely take him down in one fell swoop!"
Broken Jade suddenly said: "Li Qingmu, confirm again, can you truly defeat him?"
This question Broken Jade had asked him countless times on the way, in fact, even in the underground chamber in the cave.
It was simply a sign of nervousness, lacking a sense of security.
Li Qingmu seemed very calm, even patient: "Cannot defeat, but can break his martial arts."
"Good, then it’s secure!"
He secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Zhe Feng was speechless, Broken Jade was well-known for being timid at Tianxing Pavilion, who would have thought Ba would be so fearful. It’s unclear why Master Yuheng favored him, taking him as a closed-door disciple.
There’s definitely a catch here!
"Let’s go!"
Li Qingmu abruptly stood and headed straight towards the palace gate.
Zhe Feng and Broken Jade followed on both sides, exchanging glances with a vendor selling sugar figures as they passed by.
This person was placed among the commonfolk by Tianxing Pavilion as a pawn; normally, he was just a simple stall vendor assistant. But once they received orders from above, they would be activated and then carry out various commands.
"Charge the South Palace Gate!"
Zhe Feng mouthed the command.
The vendor nodded slightly, indicating he understood, then shouted again, but seeing no customers, he closed his stall.
He could have packed up directly, but doing so would be less suspicious.
The vendor returned with his cart to a regular house where many other vendors lived.
Since today was a special day, someone from above was definitely going to contact them, so most didn’t go out to sell but stayed home to rest.
A few were gathered playing dice when the door was suddenly kicked open; the sugar figure vendor rushed in: "The order has arrived, charge the South Palace Gate!"
He delivered the command without hesitation and immediately went inside to pack tools because charging the South Palace Gate couldn’t be done barehanded; equipment is necessary.
Then, the others immediately put down their work and went to gather their gear.
They had swords, spears, staffs; everything was available. One even had a heavy wolf tooth club—such a blow would dent the palace gate.
Of course, relying just on them wouldn’t work; how could a few street vendors charge the South Palace Gate? It wasn’t about overreaching; it was a matter of legitimacy!
Soon, a unified sound came from outside.
"Foreign powers govern, the nation is doomed, expel monsters, restore the Imperial Family!"
These words came from young men dressed in blue robes, all uniformly scholars.
Some Emperors liked to rule "with letters rather than swords," indicating that sometimes the power of scholars is formidable—they create and guide public opinion, ultimately using it to crush opponents.
So, when they cried out that letting foreign surnames reign is the end of Daliang’s existence, the commonfolk thought, hey, maybe things are like this?
Gradually, the commonfolk would be led astray, believing Rong Si’s actions reflected incompetence and failure.
"Let’s go!"
The vendors didn’t need words; they signaled with a glance, knowing what to do.
They carried various tools and merged into the group of scholars.
People tend to conform, liking to follow the crowd, so when they saw people doing something on the street, others joined.
Some who initially didn’t want to join would be persuaded by those beside them into joining.
So the team grew stronger, larger, and the people increased.
Finally, the South Palace Gate was reached!
"What are you doing? Stop right there! This is the South Palace Gate, forcibly breaking in is treason punishable by family extermination; stop, all of you stop!"
The guards outside the South Palace Gate saw the tide of commonfolk coming and first sternly reprimanded them, warning them severely, but it had no effect. As the lead scholars shouted commands, the assault intensified, forcing the guards to retreat.