Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 430 Betrayal
"I heard that the Left Third Army has rebelled. They have broken through Xuanhua Gate and gathered near the Wendi Temple. The Emperor is aware of this and is dispatching troops to quell the rebellion." Seeing her restless look, Physician Liu quickly advised her. "It's very chaotic outside right now. You are still seriously injured. It's best to stay here and not go anywhere."

Yan Ciwan desperately wanted to escape in the chaos, but she could barely stand. The only person beside her was an old, white-haired imperial physician. Her chances of successfully running out of the palace were virtually zero.

Suppressing her impulse, she pleaded, "Could you go and find out more? Why did Zuo Sanjun suddenly rebel?"

Physician Liu was also very curious about this matter. He agreed, "I'll go outside and take another look. You wait here for me to come back."

Be careful and watch your safety.

Although Physician Liu was old, he was still quite agile, and in the blink of an eye he disappeared.

As Yan Ciwan waited, she pondered. The Left Third Army was stationed near Chenhui Tower, responsible for protecting the western side of the palace. Logically, they should be the most loyal army to the emperor. How could they suddenly rebel?
This time, we waited for a long time, but we didn't see Physician Liu return.

Yan Ciwan couldn't help but feel anxious.

She endured the pain from her wound, gritted her teeth, stood up, and moved forward little by little while holding onto the wall. By the time she finally reached the vicinity of the door, she was covered in sweat and her face was deathly pale.

She reached out her trembling hand and slowly opened the door.

It was still dark outside, and the sky was still gray.

Just as Yan Ciwan stepped one foot over the threshold, she suddenly heard someone say something.

"Where are you going?"

She turned her head and looked in the direction of the sound, and saw Si Buping wearing silver armor.

Yan Ciwan leaned against the door frame, her voice trembling as she spoke, her body too weak.

"I heard that Zuo Sanjun has rebelled. Why?"

Si Buping walked up to her and said in a low voice, "Let's leave here first."

After saying that, he hoisted Yan Ciwan onto his shoulder and strode out.

Yan Ciwan's wounds were being torn open and she was in excruciating pain. She turned the silver ring and activated the mechanism, causing a small blade to pop out from the front of the ring.

She pointed the blade at the back of Si Buping's neck and asked warily, "Where are you taking me?"

As Si Buping walked, he said, "Just now, Lord Xiao summoned most of the officials from the Three Provinces and Six Ministries. He publicly announced the crimes of the current emperor in murdering Crown Prince Renxian, killing his brother to seize power, and persecuting loyal officials. He also produced a confession signed by the emperor himself."

Yan Ciwan had long anticipated this day, but she hadn't expected it to come so soon.

She asked, "Did you give that confession to Master Xiao?"

"Yes," Si Buping admitted readily.

He was very familiar with the Zichen Palace, so he deliberately avoided all the patrolling imperial guards and chose to take deserted paths.

Yan Ciwan realized he wanted to help her escape, so she put away the blade and continued to ask, "And then?"

"Lord Xiao must have been prepared. After producing his confession, he pushed Xiao Wang forward, having him, Jiang Qiuyu, and several senior officials testify that Xiao Wang was the orphan of Crown Prince Renxian." Si Buping's emotions were quite complex as he said this. He had been ordered to investigate the orphan of the Crown Prince for many years without success. He never expected that the real orphan of the Crown Prince, who seemed so far away, was actually Xiao's sixth son. He sincerely sighed, "Lord Xiao truly lives up to his name. He hid it so well. Although he was Crown Prince Renxian's teacher, he wasn't close to the prince. When Crown Prince Renxian was accused of treason, he never uttered a word in his defense. For so many years, he has remained neutral in court, never favoring any prince. It is precisely because of this that Emperor Wen trusted him, and even the current emperor has never doubted him."

Yan Ciwan's heart tightened: "Xiao Liu has also entered the palace?"

"He is with Xiao Gong, and most of the officials in the court have been turned by them. Even Zuo Sanjun has sided with them. The situation is very unfavorable for the Emperor."

It seems a major battle is about to take place in the palace. Yan Ciwan said anxiously, "Li Baizhou has taken my grandmother away, and Physician Liu is also missing. Can you help me find them?"

"I ran into Physician Liu on my way here. I have already sent someone to escort him out of the palace. As for your grandmother, she has been hidden by the Emperor, and I am still searching for her."

Upon learning that the old woman was still missing, Yan Ciwan hurriedly said, "Put me down. I need to find the old woman before I can leave this place."

“There will definitely be a major battle in the palace soon. It’s dangerous for you to stay here. While the Emperor is currently focused on dealing with the rebellion and doesn’t have time to worry about you, I need to get you out of the palace as soon as possible.”

Yan Ciwan was extremely anxious: "What about my grandmother?"

“In your current state, you can’t protect your grandmother even if you stay in the palace. You should leave first. I will continue to look for your grandmother and send her out of the palace as soon as I find her.”

Yan Ciwan knew that Si Buping's words made sense. She was now a useless person, and staying in the palace would not only be of no help, but might also become a burden. No matter how worried she was about her grandmother's safety, she could only endure it.

"stop!"

A sharp shout pulled Yan Ciwan back to reality, and at the same time, Si Buping also stopped in his tracks.

Not far in front of them stood nearly a hundred fully armed Imperial Guards.

Yan Ciwan immediately turned her head to look behind her and found that there were also many Imperial Guards behind her. The two of them were surrounded.

The leading Imperial Guard said, "Si Buping, the Emperor has long suspected your disloyalty and specifically ordered us to keep an eye on you. I never expected you would actually dare to betray the Emperor. Do you know what the consequences of betraying the Emperor are?"

Si Buping drew his sword from his waist, carrying Yan Ciwan on one arm and holding the sword in the other, and said coldly, "Stop talking nonsense and do it."

Seeing his arrogance, the Imperial Guards naturally showed no mercy and immediately swarmed him.

Si Buping was highly skilled in martial arts, and even though these Imperial Guards were well-trained, they were no match for him. After a bloody battle, many Imperial Guards lay scattered on the ground, and Si Buping himself was also covered in bruises. As for Yan Ciwan, whom he was carrying on his shoulder, only her skirt was stained with some blood.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the leader of the Imperial Guards had no choice but to use his trump card.

He took a piece of fabric from his pocket: "Look what this is?"

Yan Ciwan, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized that the fabric was exactly the same as the clothes the old woman was wearing. She hurriedly asked Si Buping to put her down and anxiously asked, "What did you do to my old woman?"

The guard unfolded the cloth, spilling out a handful of gray and white hair, and threatened, "This is hair cut from your old woman's head. If you move it again, next time we might cut off her head."

Yan Ciwan looked at the strands of hair scattered all over the ground and knew that Li Baizhou, that bastard, had ordered this to be done.

She was both angry and anxious, wishing she could tear Li Baizhou to pieces.

Si Buping knew he couldn't escape this time, so he put down his knife and let the Imperial Guards tie him up.