Ita Era

Chapter 155 One Day

Ding Shi beckoned Zhang San over, handed him two thousand taels of silver, whispered a few words in Zhang San's ear, and Zhang San accepted the silver and left.

The woman in red returned to the palace and chatted with Wang Meng for a while. Wang Meng gave his deputy a few instructions and then left the palace to go straight to the command post to find Ding Shi.

Wang Meng, dressed in armor, entered the command post. Ding Shi was sitting at a mahogany table in the front hall, drinking tea. Wang Meng sat down casually and placed his helmet on the table.

Ding Shi poured tea, then used his Force to push the teacup, sending it flying off the table and hitting Wang Meng in the chest.

Wang Meng looked down at the water stains on his chest: What the hell?

Ding Shi hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was practicing the 'pushing cups' technique." As he spoke, he pushed the teapot in front of Wang Meng.

Wang Meng didn't want to waste time arguing with him, so he poured himself some tea and asked, "Have you completed your mission?"

Ding nodded, without denying it.

Wang Meng asked, "Is the other one Su Su?"

Ding Shi said, "It should be. Is it good news or bad news for you?"

Wang Meng said, "Good news, there will be a palace banquet every night. I must ensure the safety of the palace banquet. Since the time for the dungeon has been reduced, I only need to be responsible for the safety of the palace banquet tonight and tomorrow night."

Ding Shi laughed: "Do you think I'd believe that?"

Wang Meng drank his tea, thought for a while, and said, "My task is to secretly meet with an NPC in order to proceed with the next step of the mission."

Ding asked curiously, "Who?"

Wang Meng said, "Consort Xian."

Ding Shi asked, "You met?"

Wang Meng drank tea cup after cup, pouring it for himself, and said, "No, the Empress has turned the harem upside down. The Imperial Guards are on guard every three steps and sentries every five steps. I can't find an opportunity. As the commander of the Imperial City Guard, it would be too conspicuous for me to enter the harem. But you are different. You are a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You can go to help the Empress, or go to the harem to do errands with the Emperor's permission."

Ding Shi said, "Wang Meng, someone has asked me to kill you."

Wang Meng remained expressionless and said, "Coincidentally, I was just about to invite my personal guards to dinner, and they are waiting near the command post."

Ding Shi said, "If we fight, whose head will Yu Yuan chop off?"

Wang Meng: "It won't be me."

Ding Shi asked, "Why?"

Wang Meng: "Yu Yuan must trust me and believe that my mission has no conflict of interest with him. Otherwise, even if he has a hundred imperial guards, he cannot stop the thousands of elite soldiers of the Imperial City Guard."

Ding Shi asked, "Aren't you curious about who ordered me to kill you?"

Wang Meng: "The Crown Prince wants the Emperor to ascend to heaven as soon as possible, and I am his biggest obstacle."

Ding Shi did not respond, but said, "I'm sorry, the tea is poisoned."

Wang Meng looked into Ding Shi's eyes, and after a long while, he picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp: "As the commander of the Imperial City Guard, I have the buff of being immune to all poisons and having an iron body. Killing me is more difficult than killing the emperor."

Ding Shi laughed and said, "I was just kidding. How could I possibly afford poison?" He then threw the cup he was holding out the door.

The moment the cup shattered, crossbow bolts fired by twenty Shenji Battalion soldiers came whistling from three directions and six sides, piercing through doors, wooden walls, and windows, and flying towards Wang Meng.

This is a foot crossbow, also called a foot-operated crossbow. As the name suggests, it is drawn by stepping on the string with your foot, and it is extremely powerful.

Wang Meng grabbed the helmet from the table and put it on, covering his face with his hands. Then came a series of clanging sounds as crossbow bolts struck Wang Meng's armor and were knocked away.

Then Wang Meng flew up.

Ding Shi swept his leg across Wang Meng's face and struck Wang Meng's arm, the immense force sending Wang Meng flying several meters away.

Wang Meng stood firmly, defending with his left hand and throwing a right jab at Ding Shi who was chasing after him. Ding Shi knew that Wang Meng's boxing level had reached the professional level, so he dared not confront him head-on and used a Muay Thai groin kick instead.

Wang Meng pressed down with his left hand to deliver a groin kick, and then threw a right hook punch at Ding Shi's abdomen. Ding Shi turned to the side and blocked it with his right arm, and the two of them took two steps back.

Wang Meng struck a pose, his feet moving nimbly: "Have you forgotten that you're missing an arm?"

Ding Shi retorted, "Aren't you a ninja? What's the point of punching?" Chakra can enhance the body, and there are also taijutsu techniques specifically for training the body. But compared to a body enhanced purely by Force, it's still not enough.

Ding Shi was at a disadvantage in two ways. First, he was missing an arm. Hands are like two doors; one relies entirely on the feet to fight. Without an arm, Ding Shi couldn't defend himself.

Secondly, Wang Meng's armor was no ordinary item; it could not only withstand the penetration of crossbow bolts but also deflect the force of Ding Shi's attack. Otherwise, for a ninja to engage in physical combat with pure primal force would be tantamount to suicide.

The two were still searching for each other's weaknesses when chaos erupted outside, with 30 elite Imperial City Guards facing off against 100 Imperial Guards. Ding Shi glanced outside, his temples throbbing.

Cheating, absolutely cheating.

The elite Imperial City Guards were all clad in armor, armed with shields and swords, and their ranks were clearly defined. In contrast, their own Imperial Guards were all dressed in plain clothes, a chaotic mess.

The two sides haven't actually started fighting yet; they're currently exchanging insults. The Imperial Guards, who have received their rewards, aren't intimidated, but they don't dare to actually engage either. The Imperial City Guards haven't received orders and haven't launched an attack either; instead, they're striking their shields with their swords, trying to ignite their fighting spirit.

"By imperial decree, Wang Meng, commander of the Imperial City Guard, and Ding Shi, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are summoned to an audience." The eunuch's voice was shrill and pierced everyone's ears.

The system displayed the lines that Ding Shi and Wang Meng were required to say: "Your subject obeys the imperial decree and shall immediately appear before you."

The eunuch said, "Please, gentlemen."

……

Inside the imperial study, four imperial guards stood in front and behind, each with a cold and sinister look in their eyes.

Emperor Yu Yuan scrutinized Ding Shi and Wang Meng below. He had obtained evidence of crimes committed by some Qi faction officials through his secret guards; these four officials had been imprisoned and were being interrogated. He hoped for a good outcome so that he could punish more Qi faction officials at the morning court the following day.

In Yu Yuan's eyes, Ding Shi and Wang Meng were his right-hand men; Ding Shi was responsible for gathering intelligence, and Wang Meng for protecting him. Yu Yuan also knew that, as emperor, there were bound to be people who wanted him dead.

It's hateful that he was tricked by the seemingly kind-hearted Su Su, not only losing his chance to become the third-ranked scholar, but also having the imperial physician Hua Shan killed.

Since he's already been executed, he might as well make the best of a bad situation and execute another one. Executing a minister requires evidence, but the commander and the general are his direct subordinates, so he can execute them at will.

Yu Yuan was certain that one of the two deserved to die, and the other didn't; he was currently unsure which one should be killed.

Yu Yuan trusts the Empress most, but with troubles erupting everywhere in the harem, Chu Yu is nearly exhausted. The Crown Prince is only seven years old; what can he do? Su Su has clearly achieved her goal. Therefore, the most dangerous people now are these two who haven't sealed their primal power.

Yu Yuan asked, "Why are you fighting?"

Ding Shi stammered in response, "Your Majesty, we were exchanging ideas."

Yu Yuan: "Sparring with the Divine Machine Battalion? General Wang Meng?"

Wang Meng: "It's a friendly exchange."

Yu Yuan: "Do you think I believe you?"

Ding Shi sighed helplessly, took out two thousand taels of silver notes, and said, "Your Majesty, General Wang Meng offered two thousand taels to bribe me to assassinate you. I refused, so he wanted to kill me to silence me."

Yu Yuan looked at Wang Meng, who replied, "I didn't." Wang the idiot.

Ding Shi retorted, "No? Then why did you go to the command headquarters to find me?"

Yu Yuan: "Yeah, what are you doing at the Command Center?"

Wang Meng: "Catching up with Lord Ding."

Yu Yuan asked, "Do you think I believe you?"

Wang Meng: "I'm telling the truth."

Yu Yuan shouted, "Guards!"

Eight imperial guards floated down from the pillar above, surrounding Yu Yuan and Ding Shi. Wang Meng said helplessly, "Your Majesty, my mission requires me to go to the inner palace to ask for his help. I didn't expect him to poison us and then arrange for the Divine Machine Battalion to intervene." Yu Yuan asked, "What are you going to the inner palace for?"

Wang Meng: "Something's up."

Yu Yuan asked, "What is it?"

Wang Meng: "This is my mission."

Yu Yuan leaned back on the dragon throne, thought for a while, and said, "I can give you a chance to go to the inner palace. However, I need evidence of the crimes committed by the Qi family's cronies. One of your deputy generals is Qi He, the second son of Qi Xiang's third son. He commands a hundred Imperial City Guard soldiers, including many descendants of nobles."

Wang Meng replied, "The Noble Camp is a special unit that receives the sons of nobles. Those who enter the camp can obtain the rank of captain. They are not responsible for the security of the imperial city and are an independent unit outside the city."

Ding Shi couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Qi He is bribing nobles with the intention of rebellion. He deserves to die a thousand deaths and his family should be exterminated!"

Yu Yuan's eyes lit up: "That's exactly what I wanted. How do I do it?"

Ding Shi said, "In the second round, didn't we clone the Tiger Tally? We stuffed the forged Tiger Tally, the troop mobilization order written by Prime Minister Qi, and the forged imperial edict into Qihe's camp. Wang Meng, as the commander, went to inspect the camp and accidentally discovered this set of things."

Yu Yuan pointed at Ding Shi and said, "You really are good." The 21st century is lacking in people who can spout such nonsense.

Ding Shi smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." That stingy old man just won't give me any money.

Wang Meng refused, saying, "I won't do it."

Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes: "Why?"

Wang Meng: "Beyond my duties, framing others, and there's no benefit in it." Three reasons.

Yu Yuan: "I can let you go to the harem to see anyone you want."

Wang Meng: "If I do it, I'll die."

Yu Yuan: "Why?"

Wang Meng: "Neither Qi Xiang nor you will let me live. Once the matter comes to light, my testimony and evidence will be questioned, and I will most likely have to resign and be suspended from my duties to cooperate with the investigation. Before Qi He has even confessed, Your Majesty may silence me, leaving no way to verify the facts."

Yu Yuan persuaded him, "I am the emperor. Your death for me is an honor for your entire clan."

Wang Meng: "There are several people in the Imperial City Guard who are related to the Qi family. I can send people to monitor their every move. They will report back every two hours. Yu Yuan, killing me will not do you any good. The new commander of the Imperial City Guard may become your enemy."

Ding, the troublemaker, said, "Your Majesty can hire me. I'll work part-time and only take one salary."

Wang Meng gritted his teeth in hatred. Not only were they framing him and setting him up, but they were also trying to block his path to survival.

The eunuch reported, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived."

Yu Yuan said, "Let me think about it first. You all go back first, and we'll talk about it at the palace banquet tonight."

The two took their leave, passing by the Crown Prince as he entered the hall. The Crown Prince remarked with displeasure, "Didn't you say hello?"

Ding Shi immediately knelt down and hugged the legs of the red-robed prince: "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Get out of my way, you're bullying a child." The woman in red was tripped by Ding Shi and fell to the ground.

Ding Shi hurriedly pulled Hongyi up and whispered in her ear, "You can't kill her."

The woman in red nodded slightly, indicating that she already knew about it.

Yu Yuan and Wang Meng both saw the two whispering to each other, but they pretended not to see it. Who doesn't have secrets these days?
The man in red slipped a crumpled piece of paper into Ding Shi's hand: "His family. Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Ding Shi and Wang Meng left the imperial study. Ding Shi took out a crumpled piece of paper, opened it, and glanced at it. It was an address—Wang Meng's address.

Heh, let's see how tough you are. Tonight, I'll bring my brothers and weapons to chop you up.

Wang Meng caught a glimpse of Ding Shi's wicked smile out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat. No one knew this second son better than him; he wouldn't let him off the hook.

There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days; I need to finish my task as soon as possible. Tonight's palace banquet is the best opportunity.

As the sun sets, lanterns are hung everywhere in the palace. Ministers of the fourth rank and above, along with their families, ride horses or sit in sedan chairs to wait at the palace gates. Once the gates open, they enter in an orderly fashion according to their rank and proceed to the banquet hall.

The concubines of the rank of imperial concubine or above sat on either side of Yu Yuan, while Empress Chu Yu sat on Yu Yuan's right.

Chu Yu looked utterly dejected.

The filthy methods in the imperial harem are endless. In the afternoon, I met a concubine in the Imperial Garden, and then I was taken to the Department of Cautious Punishment for questioning. The reason was that my maid had offended the concubine, causing the concubine to miscarry.

Although the Censorate dared not interrogate him, they arrested all the palace maids and eunuchs around him. Only when he lost his temper did they manage to save four of his personal maids and one chief eunuch.

When the results came out, he felt like dying. It turned out that it really was one of his own palace maids who had deliberately pushed the concubine down. Not only did he lose his performance bonus, but he also got blamed for it. Luckily, the emperor was Yu Yuan; if it were the real emperor, he certainly wouldn't have fared well.

Hua Shan's soul floated silently in the air. No one was as miserable as her. To this day, she still didn't know why Yu Yuan had killed her. She was clearly just a royal physician dedicated to saving lives.

Wang Meng patrolled outside the palace banquet hall. There were guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps, and the imperial kitchen also had people watching over it. Wang Meng turned a corner and saw a young palace maid hiding in the darkness. Just as he was about to ask her a question, the young palace maid spoke first: "Commander Wang, Her Majesty asked me to tell you that we will meet in the side hall in fifteen minutes."

Wang Meng: "Which empress?"

The palace maid said, "You'll find out." Then she disappeared into the darkness.

Fifteen minutes later, Wang Meng met Consort Xian behind a screen in the side hall. As soon as Consort Xian saw Wang Meng, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly: "My love, I've missed you so much."

Wang Meng was completely bewildered. Fortunately, the system worked its magic, and a story appeared, beginning with you recognizing the beauty in your arms.

They were childhood sweethearts. Wang Meng went to the border to join the army, and after repeatedly achieving military merits, he returned to the capital and became the commander of the Imperial City Guard. Little did Wang Meng know that after he left, his childhood sweetheart went to the inner palace and became Consort Xian.

Less than a week after Wang Meng left, Consort Xian found an injured man in the wild; this man was Yu Yuan. After Yu Yuan recovered, he disregarded Consort Xian's objections, forcibly took her as his concubine, and brought her back to the capital.

Consort Xian only recently learned that the commander of the Imperial City Guard was her childhood friend, so she tried to meet with Wang Meng.

It turned out to be the case.

Consort Xian said in a low voice, "My lord, the crown prince is your son."

Wang Meng nearly knelt down.

Consort Xian, oblivious to anything amiss, continued, "Although my son is now the Crown Prince, he not only fails to win His Majesty's favor, but His Majesty has also promised to appoint a Noble Consort and soon make her son the Crown Prince. The only solution now is to kill him."

Consort Xian looked up at Wang Meng: "My lord, you will help me and my son, won't you?"

A stunningly beautiful woman created by AI, with tears in her eyes and a pleading expression—which man wouldn't be moved?

Consort Xian added, "Now that the Emperor is dead, we can be together every day."

You have two mission objectives: 1. Kill the Emperor and survive the incident. 2. Betray Consort Xian and survive the incident.

Everyone knows which choice to make. Betraying Consort Xian, and the Emperor won't execute you? He raised your child for seven years; it's a 100% capital offense. As for whether the Crown Prince belongs to the Emperor or Wang Meng, that's irrelevant now. Wang Meng is in a precarious position; he has no way out but to commit regicide. Option one: after regicide, will the Crown Prince execute him?

Wang Meng answered decisively, "I will kill the emperor." At worst, he'd kill the crown prince too. The imperial forces were in his hands; aside from Ding the Flea, who could still cause some trouble, the others were no match for him. Yes, the first one would be sentenced to Ding Shi by dismemberment, the kind that inflicts 3600 cuts.

Consort Xian smiled shyly, wrapped her arms around Wang Meng's waist, nestled in his embrace, her face full of happiness.

Meanwhile, outside the main hall, Ding Shi handed Zhang San a note and two thousand taels of silver: "This is a small courtyard in the west of the city. Take your brothers and lie in ambush nearby, but don't alert him. Wait until he takes off his armor tonight before we take him out. Have Li Si prepare some kerosene; if we can't kill him by killing him, we'll burn him alive."

Zhang San took the note: "Understood, I'll go and gather the brothers right away."

As soon as Zhang San left, Su Su, holding a handful of lamb skewers, approached Ding Shi and asked, "What are you doing? I'm so bored, want me to join you?"

Ding Shi reached out and snatched all the lamb skewers, then ran away.

Su Su stared at her empty hands, and after a long while exclaimed in shock, "What an animal! He even steals snacks from such an innocent little girl!"

(End of this chapter)