People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 533, I'm Illiterate

Black, three-edged arrows fell from mid-air, shooting towards Lao Ai's retainers like a swarm of locusts.

Seeing the sharp arrows coming towards them, the retainers at the front had no time to react. Before they could even raise their swords to defend themselves, the arrows pierced their chests.

"Ah~"

The first few dozen retainers let out a scream before collapsing to the ground.

Seeing the rain of arrows stop, those behind quickened their pace and rushed straight towards the palace gate. Their eyes were filled with killing intent, and they showed no fear in the face of the heavily armored soldiers, because they knew that only by fighting their way out could they find a way to survive.

"Kill! Charge!"

"kill!"

Hundreds of people rushed straight toward the palace gate, attempting to use their numerical advantage to forcefully break through the human wall formed by the armored soldiers led by Ren Xiao.

Dozens of assassins from the Luo Wang organization charged ahead, attempting to force their way out using their lightness skills.

Ren Xiao stood in the ranks, watching the retainers charging towards him like madmen. He sneered inwardly and raised his hand again. The archers behind him drew their bows and nocked arrows, the sharp arrows aimed at the charging retainers.

"shoot!"

“Swoosh~”

At a command, hundreds of archers released their bows, and the moment the arrows left the strings, they drew their bows again and fired another volley.

Training an archer, especially a skilled one, is not only time-consuming but also requires a great deal of resources. Therefore, every excellent archer is very valuable, but the Qin state was different.

The Qin army did not pursue absolute precision. As long as the archers could aim and draw their bows, that was enough. The wide-ranging rain of arrows was enough to make up for the lack of precision.

Even though the archers led by Ren Xiao were just some garrison soldiers left behind in Yongcheng and not professional archer formations, the rain of arrows formed by multiple volleys still caused a widespread attack.

Under the volley of hundreds of crossbowmen, a dense rain of arrows relentlessly blanketed Lao Ai's retainers.

The assassins from the Luo Wang organization at the forefront, seeing the rain of arrows coming their way, had no chance to defend themselves and were instantly riddled with arrows, falling straight to the ground.

Faced with the constant barrage of arrows, Lao Ai's retainers finally became frightened. They brandished their swords, trying to defend themselves while retreating, but their defenses were utterly useless against the overwhelming rain of arrows.

In just a short while, hundreds of retainers who rushed toward the gate of the central palace fell to the ground, their blood seeping out and staining the black floor tiles red.

"retreat!!"

Lao Ai's heart bled as he watched hundreds of his retainers die in a short time. His face was terribly gloomy, and he loudly stopped his retainers who were still about to charge.

The remaining retainers and servants stopped and gathered around Lao Ai, looking at him with panicked expressions, waiting for his next decision.

"My lord, what should we do next?" one of the retainers asked.

Lao Ai's face was gloomy. He did not answer his retainer's question, but instead scanned the remaining people, as if searching for someone.

"Where is Yan Ri? Where are the others?" Lao Ai asked in a deep voice.

The crowd looked at each other, searching for Yan Ri's figure, but among the more than a thousand people, there was no sign of Yan Ri, and even the assassins he brought with him were few and far between.

The unguarded palace gates, the sudden appearance of hundreds of fully armed soldiers, and the disappearance of Yan Ri.
Even if Lao Ai was incredibly stupid, he understood that today's betrayal was a trap. Ying Zheng had already made thorough preparations and was just waiting for him to lead his men into Qinian Palace to surround him. As for Yan Ri, whom he trusted, he was a complete spy.

"Yanri, I will definitely kill you!"

Lao Ai shouted angrily, then turned to look at Ying Zheng on the high platform and shouted again.

"kill!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Ai raised his long sword and charged towards the higher steps. He had nowhere to retreat and could only try to attack Ying Zheng.

"kill!!"

Without hesitation, the retainers followed Lao Ai and rushed up the steps.

Ying Zheng looked at Lao Ai, who was trying to fight to the death, but his expression remained indifferent, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Zhang Han turned around, raised his right hand, looked down at the rebel army charging towards him, and then suddenly lowered his hand once they were within range.

"Whoosh~"

The bowstring twanged like thunder, and the sharp arrows flew off the bowstring in an instant, killing most of the rebels who had just rushed up the steps. A large number of corpses rolled down and lay scattered on the steps below.

"retreat!"

Under the cover of his retainers, Lao Ai retreated backward, looking around anxiously.

"My lord, what should we do? Should we surrender?" a timid retainer asked tremblingly.

"Surrender? Surrender what! Xu San, this Marquis will never surrender. As long as I hold out until Ling Qi and Zhao Xie arrive, I will still be the final victor!"

Lao Ai grabbed the retainer by the collar and said angrily.

"Follow me and fight your way out!"

Lao Ai released the collar of the retainer, raised his sword and charged toward the palace gate again. The remaining retainers had no choice but to follow.

“Spare Lao Ai’s life.”

Ying Zheng glanced at Lao Ai, who was attempting a desperate last stand, and left a few words before heading towards the ancestral temple. This farcical rebellion should come to an end. Gai Nie glanced at Zhang Han and then followed Ying Zheng.

"promise!"

Zhang Han bowed to Ying Zheng's retreating figure and said this, only straightening up after Ying Zheng entered the ancestral temple.

"By order of the King, spare Lao Ai, and kill everyone else!"

Zhang Han drew his sword, pointed it at the rebel army below, and said coldly.

"kill!"

The moment the order was given, hundreds of Qin soldiers did not hesitate for a moment. Their eyes flashed with scarlet killing intent as they charged down the steps, wielding long spears or sharp swords.

Seeing Qin Ruishi launch his attack, Ren Xiao, standing at the palace gate, had a glint in his eyes and drew his sword, shouting loudly.

"kill!"

The shield bearers in front raised their shields, while the armored soldiers behind them charged towards the rebels with their spears. Ren Xiao, wielding a sharp sword, led the charge.

Two black torrents rushed toward the rebels in the middle, and the two sides clashed in a short time.

Shouts of battle rose from all sides, the sounds of clashing weapons filled the air, and screams of agony echoed everywhere.

Lao Ai was protected by a dozen retainers in the middle of the battlefield. His face was full of panic. Looking at the chaotic battlefield, his legs began to go weak. Although he had killed people before, the impact of a battlefield with hundreds of people fighting each other still completely terrified him.

"Hold on, hold on, as long as Ling Qi and Zhao Xie arrive."

Lao Ai kept muttering to himself, letting his retainers lead him around.

. . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, in the Lishan camp.

Ling Qi, whom Lao Ai had placed his hopes on, was unaware that his master's rebellion had failed. At this moment, he was holding the Empress Dowager's edict and striding into the main tent with more than twenty guards.

"The Empress Dowager issues an edict, which Meng Wu receives."

Ling Qi raised the imperial edict in his hand, looked at Meng Wu sitting in the main seat, and shouted loudly.

"Grand Master, what is the Empress Dowager's decree?"

Meng Wu, clad in armor, glanced indifferently at Ling Qi, stood up from his seat, and bowed.

"The Empress Dowager has decreed that I take command of the 50,000 soldiers in the Lishan camp. This is the imperial edict."

Ling Qi opened the imperial edict with an arrogant expression and loudly read it aloud.

Meng Wu silently watched Ling Qi. He had received Ying Zheng's secret edict the day before and naturally knew what Ling Qi had come for.

However, due to the imperial edict in the other party's possession, Meng Wu could only take action after it was read aloud. Although the edict was useless, it was issued by Zhao Ji after all and bore the seal of the King of Qin, thus possessing legitimate authority.

Outside the tent, Wang Ben and Li Xin, along with dozens of elite soldiers, had already reached the main tent. Listening to the commotion inside, the two exchanged a glance and awaited Meng Wu's orders.

"Just hand over the tiger tally to me."

After reading the imperial edict, Ling Qi reached out his hand to Meng Wu and said...

"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept this edict from the Empress Dowager," Meng Wu said coldly.

“Meng Wu, are you going to disobey the imperial edict? The edict in my hand is the Empress Dowager’s decree, and it bears the seal of the Prince of Qin. Are you trying to rebel by openly defying the edict?” Ling Qi said coldly, his expression darkening.

Upon seeing this, the guards beside Qi instantly drew their swords and pointed them at Meng Wu.

"Disobey the imperial decree? I, Meng Wu, would certainly not dare, but I have the King's edict in my hand, which states that anyone who attempts to seize military power today with this edict is a forger and I am ordered to arrest them on the spot!"

Meng Wu took out Ying Zheng's secret edict from his bosom and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Ling Qi was stunned for a moment, looking at the edict in Meng Wu's hand with some confusion, but he quickly reacted and pointed at Meng Wu, saying...
"Meng Wu, the King has not yet assumed personal rule, and the seal of the King of Qin is still in the hands of the Empress Dowager. Where did you get this edict? You have forged an edict and are plotting a rebellion. Seize him!"

"Who dares? The whole world knows that today is the day of His Majesty's coming-of-age ceremony. Noon has passed and His Majesty has already completed the ceremony. His Majesty's decree is the only royal decree of Qin!"

Meng Wu took a step back, and just as he was about to say something more, Wang Ben and Li Xin, along with dozens of fierce soldiers, suddenly rushed in from outside the tent.

"General, why waste your breath talking to him! Take them down!"

Seeing Meng Wu's indecisiveness, Li Xin gave the order directly, and dozens of fierce soldiers charged towards Ling Qi and his guards without hesitation.

Ling Qi and his guards were also startled by the sudden appearance of Li Xin and Wang Ben. Before they could recover from their shock, dozens of fierce soldiers rushed forward and captured them in no time, giving the guards no chance to fight back.

"Meng Wu, are you trying to rebel? I have the Empress Dowager's edict, which bears the seal of the Prince of Qin."

Ling Qi was pinned down by two burly men, struggling and shouting, waving the imperial edict in his hand, trying to use the seal of the King of Qin to exert pressure.

Before Ling Qi could finish speaking, Li Xin punched him in the stomach, causing Ling Qi's eyes to bulge and him to spit out a mouthful of bitter water.

"What imperial edict? I'm a military officer, I can't read! Tie these people up and keep a close watch on them," Li Xin said nonchalantly.

(End of this chapter)