The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 148 Drama
What is the grand drama? Wu Chengyu had already guessed it. Shi Miyuan probably wouldn't dare to risk the crime of deceiving the emperor by sending a stand-in to court. The somewhat perverted woman who appeared at the Shi residence that night was clearly there to protect Shi Miyuan, or rather, to kill someone specifically for him.

So, someone wants to kill Shi Miyuan here and now? Are those江湖草莽 (jianghu caomang, meaning roughnecks and outlaws) really that reckless? This is the gate of the imperial city. If there is any disturbance, a large number of imperial guards will rush out and surround Wu Chengyu with hundreds of soldiers fully armed to the teeth. Wu Chengyu will definitely run as far away as possible.

At most, he just wanted to get to know the people here and maybe follow them to find Shi Miyuan's hiding place.

At this moment, the fake Shi Miyuan had already stepped down from the sedan chair. He nodded slightly to the minor officials who were bowing to him, and was about to pass through the palace gate.

"Lord Shi, wait a moment." A high-ranking official, dressed in a purple robe, with a gold and jade belt and a seven-tassel crown, stepped forward and stopped Shi Miyuan.

The fake Shi Miyuan was slightly taken aback, but then recognized the man's identity: Li Feng, the current Vice Minister of War. He had just been promoted after Han Tuozhou's death and was considered part of Shi Miyuan's faction, as well as a high-ranking official of the third rank.

"Lord Li was a step too late today."

"Haha, Master Shi is right. Yesterday, I was drinking with friends on a pleasure boat on West Lake and got up a little late."

Speaking of which, I ran into your family's prodigy, Shi Chang, on the pleasure boat yesterday. He even came over and toasted me.

I rushed as fast as I could this morning, but I still almost got behind Shi Gong. I was very disrespectful to him; it was my fault.

Li Feng was originally a soldier. He was a commander in Han Tuozhou's Northern Expeditionary Army. He offended Han Tuozhou due to disagreements on military and political matters and had been suppressed for several years.

This man was also quite capable of leading troops and had achieved considerable military exploits. After Han Tuozhou was executed by Shi Miyuan through a forged imperial edict, Li Feng was promoted three times in a day and was quickly promoted by Shi Miyuan to the position of Vice Minister of War. He had always been extremely respectful and grateful to Shi Miyuan.

"It seems Lord Li has gained quite a bit of weight in the few days I've been away."

Li Feng was originally a military general, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. Now, dressed in the robes of a civil official, he looked quite bulky, especially today, when he appeared to have gained even more weight.

"Haha, these are peaceful days now, no war, just drinking. It's hard for me to lose weight, I'm ashamed."

"Lord Shi, the morning court session is about to begin. Perhaps we should enter the palace first? Please go ahead, Lord Shi."

"Lord Li, there's no need to be so polite. Since we've met, let's travel together."

The palace walls were two zhang thick, so the passageway where the palace gate was located was also two zhang deep.

The imposter Shi Miyuan went first, while Li Feng followed half a step behind, flattering Shi Miyuan to the extreme.

The fake Shi Miyuan slowly walked into the passage. He squinted at the other end of the passage. There was no one on the other side of the door. He could even see the main hall of the palace in the distance. But the air on the other side of the door seemed to be stagnant. He could vaguely see the air fluctuating. There were waves even though there was no wind.

He had only taken seven or eight steps, less than halfway through the passage, when he suddenly stopped.

Li Feng, standing behind him, was startled and almost bumped into the fake Shi Miyuan. "Lord Shi, why are you stopping?"

The fake Shi Miyuan shook his head and said, "This gate won't be easy to pass through today. The murderous aura is a bit too strong. Why don't you go ahead, Lord Li?"

Li Feng, who had been bowing his head the whole time, hadn't straightened his back since meeting Shi Miyuan. But upon hearing the other's words, his spine straightened even more, and the previous fawning in his eyes disappeared: "If Lord Shi can't walk any further, then this humble official will escort Lord Shi for a while."

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the fake Shi Miyuan's waist with both hands and shouted, "Shi Miyuan has entered the palace!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of long spears suddenly appeared on the other side of the door, sharp as lightning, all pointing at Shi Miyuan.

Li Feng tried his best to lift Shi Miyuan and throw him over, hoping the spears would pierce Shi Miyuan's heart instantly. But no matter how hard he tried, Shi Miyuan remained standing upright on the ground, head tilted, looking at Li Feng with a mocking gaze, as if to say, "Try harder, I can do it."

Apart from Li Feng's muffled groans, the game was completely deadlocked.

The imperial guards behind the gate reacted first, with one shouting, "Execute the traitor Shi and cleanse the court of corrupt officials!"

A large contingent of imperial guards, some wielding spears and others brandishing sabers, charged out from the other side of the gate.

The fake Shi Miyuan remained calm and unhurried. He reached out and struck Li Feng in the chest, slamming him against the wall. Then, he used his lightness skill to retreat and reappeared outside the palace.

That large contingent of imperial guards, numbering over a hundred, fully armored, filed out of the palace gates.

At the same time, the servants and guards who had escorted the officials to court and were waiting on both sides of the palace gate also drew their swords and surrounded the fake Shi Miyuan from both sides, shouting "Purge the court of corrupt officials!"

Only the guards brought by the fake Shi Miyuan rushed forward to protect him.

Li Feng, who had been sent flying, struggled to crawl out of the passage. His clothes on his chest were ripped apart by the fake Shi Miyuan's palm strike, revealing his full armor. A clear palm print was now visible on the breastplate on his chest.

"You are not Shi Miyuan. Shi Miyuan does not know this kind of martial arts. Who are you?"

The fake Shi Miyuan reached out and tore off a leather mask from his face, revealing his true face. Now his features were less stiff, but the murderous aura on his face could no longer be concealed.

When this person's true appearance was revealed, Li Feng was shocked, and even the imperial guards hesitated to advance for a moment.

Wu Chengyu, who had been watching the so-called grand drama, now understood that this drama had nothing to do with those江湖草莽 (jianghu caomang, meaning rough and unruly people) and was simply a political struggle within the imperial court. Those pro-war factions, suppressed by Shi Miyuan, wanted to fight like cornered beasts, making a final desperate gamble.

In their view, as long as Shi Miyuan is killed, the pro-peace faction will be leaderless and will inevitably fall into infighting, thus giving the pro-war faction another chance to regain control of the government.

It was nothing more than a poorly executed, plagiarized version of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and one that was destined to fail.

Wu Chengyu turned to look at the woman and asked, "Who is this person impersonating Shi Miyuan?"

A poppy-like smile appeared on the woman's pale face: "Zhao Ju, the commander of the Imperial Guards, a member of the imperial family, and also the top expert of the Imperial Guards."

These people are truly pitiful. Zhao Ju's personal intervention signifies that the Emperor is taking action this time to completely eliminate these remnants of Han Tuozhou's faction.

"And you? You're also an imperial guard? This Zhao Ju's martial arts skills are definitely below yours."

“I am a palace servant, and I am not the same kind of person as these stinky guards. If it weren’t for His Majesty’s order, I would not have left the palace to kill for that Shi Miyuan.”

Wu Chengyu's attention returned to the gates of the Imperial City. When Zhao Ju revealed his true face, the faces of the Imperial Guards changed drastically. It was clear that everyone understood what Zhao Ju's actions represented. These imperial guards and members of the royal family rarely participated in factional struggles.

"Why aren't you making a move?" Zhao Ju shouted. The imperial guards who were rushing towards him, as well as the assassins who were lying in ambush at the palace gate, immediately split into two groups. The brothers who had just fought side by side with a common enemy suddenly drew their swords against each other. Caught off guard, these people were immediately cut down to the ground.

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(End of this chapter)