The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 138 Li Chengqian: My son is so filial!

Meanwhile, Li Xiang, Liu Zhi, and Qiu Xinggong, the Right General of the Golden Guard, were bypassing the fire and rushing to the western mansion where Li Chengqian was being held in confinement.

Meanwhile, Zheng Huai'an had already gathered his armored soldiers and arrived outside the mansion. He saw that there were indeed still people inside.

That was indeed the case. He ordered people to set fires nearby, intending only to alert the enemy and lure away the Right Guard Army guarding the area.

The intention was not to burn Li Chengqian to death directly; the chosen arson point was a nearby residence that would not easily spread to this area.

The deposed Crown Prince Li Chengqian was imprisoned here by imperial decree. If it weren't for an extremely urgent situation, how could the guards of the Right Army Command have risked defying the imperial decree so early on and evacuated Li Chengqian's family from this residence?

I was fooled by that scoundrel Li Xiang! I wasted so much time!

"Disobedient brat!" Zheng Huai'an was so angry that he vented all his anger on the mansion in front of him.

"Quickly! Charge in!"

"We must kill that cripple, Li Chengqian!"

As the order was given, the elite soldiers of the Prince of Wei's mansion, clad in gleaming heavy armor, broke through the broken bricks and stormed in, their long swords slashing wildly, their cold light raging!

The Right Guard of the Imperial Guard stationed at the villa consisted of only a few dozen men. Most of their forces had been diverted due to the fires on the outskirts, leaving the area sparsely guarded. The remaining soldiers were only wearing leather armor and carrying swords.

The clanging of blades slicing through armor plates was followed by the screams of soldiers. The Imperial Guards fought desperately, raising their swords to resist, but their blades struck the gleaming armor plates, only scattering sparks; they couldn't penetrate the enemy's heavy armor defenses at all!

They were also elite, but the disparity in equipment meant they had no means to threaten the armored soldiers.

Before long, the guards were routed, with wounded and dead bodies littering the courtyard. The remaining soldiers were forced to retreat step by step, all the way to the last courtyard in the backyard.

In the backyard, the lights under the eaves were dim, and the night wind carried the chill of the smoke into the courtyard.

Li Chengqian, dressed in plain clothes, was slightly hunched over, his old right leg aching, as he held his wife, Su, and young son, Li Jue, tightly in his arms.

Su's face was ashen, her whole body trembling. She clutched Li Chengqian's sleeve tightly, her eyes red but she dared not cry out. Young Li Jue was buried in his mother's arms, trembling with fear and sobbing softly.

In front of the courtyard, the remaining soldiers were still fighting a bloody battle. Behind them, high walls had blocked their retreat, and the entire backyard had become a death trap.

A blood-soaked Imperial Guard captain, his arm wounded by a knife, stumbled towards Li Chengqian, his voice hoarse: "Your Highness! The west wall is low; I risked my life to help you climb over it! Please leave quickly!"

Li Chengqian looked down at his crippled right leg, his expression indifferent.

He shook his head sadly, his eyes filled with dejection and lifelessness, all traces of the arrogance and sharpness of the former Crown Prince gone. His voice was hoarse and dry: "Escape?"

"With this crippled leg, I can barely walk, let alone climb over the wall. How can I escape?"

"Besides—I'm not going to run away."

"I'm not running away anymore."

He looked at his trembling wife and his sobbing young son, but his mind kept replaying the words his eldest son, Li Xiang, had spoken to him that night.

"Death can be heavier than Mount Tai, or lighter than a feather. If you do not resist, you will surely die!"

Must die————

There was a time when he felt his life was more precious than Mount Tai. There was a time when he felt that as long as he didn't have the title of crown prince, he could at least ensure the safety of his family.

but----,

"Without power, I can't protect anything."

"I couldn't protect my closest friends, I couldn't protect my subordinates, and now, I can't even protect my wife and young children—"

Hearing the soldiers approaching from outside the courtyard, the sounds of battle growing ever closer, Li Chengqian knew his death was imminent. He tightened his arms, holding his wife and children even closer.

Outside the courtyard, Zheng Huai'an brandished his blood-stained sword, his eyes flashing with murderous intent as he stared at the last courtyard, where only a handful of people remained.

The Imperial Guards, all bearing injuries.

As a general in the personal guard of Prince Wei, Li Tai, he recognized Li Chengqian's appearance. Seeing Li Chengqian behind the courtyard gate, Zheng Huai'an's eyes revealed a bloodthirsty and excited light.

"I am Zheng Huai'an, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard under His Highness Prince Wei!"

"Li Chengqian, your time has come!"

He pointed his sword at Li Chengqian, wanting to see the former crown prince's surprised expression, his fearful expression, his kneeling and begging for mercy, and to enjoy the thrill of humiliating his enemy as the victor.

Then, he vented his anger at being fooled by his son.

However, Li Chengqian merely glanced at Zheng Huai'an before turning his head away indifferently again.

He had guessed it all along; the one coming was definitely his nemesis's younger brother, Li Tai.

He always knew that his nemesis, his younger brother, wasn't really a dutiful son. It was perfectly normal for him to want to rebel, just like him.

Therefore, he was not surprised at all, and even somewhat looked forward to seeing how his father would react after he saw that Li Tai had also rebelled.

"Fortunately—Elephant isn't here. Elephant won't have to die in such a place with me."

Li Chengqian suddenly thought.

"If I die, that person might feel even more indebted to Xiang'er, and perhaps, he could even secure a bright future for Xiang'er?"

As his death approached, he was surprised to find that the last thought that surfaced in his mind was this.

An eldest son born out of wedlock, a son he had never paid attention to before, had somehow come to occupy such an important place in his heart.

Enraged by Li Chengqian's disregard, Zheng Huai'an took a step forward, his face contorted with rage.

"On the verge of death—"

suddenly--!

A powerful and deafening bugle call suddenly resounded through the night sky!

"General Qiu Xinggong of the Right Golden Guard is here!"

"The government troops have entered the city; you rebels are to surrender!"

Zheng Huai'an froze instantly, his movement to draw the knife abruptly halted, and his blood nearly froze.

Then, outside the courtyard, the sound of horses' hooves clashing with the clang of halberds rang out.

The sounds of clashing weapons grew closer and closer, their approach incredibly swift. Clearly, the Imperial Guards had launched a surprise attack, catching the soldiers inside the tent completely off guard.

"—Kill! Quickly kill the deposed Crown Prince Li Chengqian!"

Zheng Huai'an said hurriedly, his voice almost splitting into two.

However, the remaining imperial guards protecting Li Chengqian were greatly encouraged when they heard that the Jinwu Guard had come to their aid.

Everyone used their last ounce of strength, frantically trying to stop Zheng Huai'an and his group.

When weapons proved useless, they pounced on people, knocking them down, digging with their fingers, punching their faces, biting them—they used every means at their disposal, acting like madmen!

Although the Imperial Guards of the Imperial Guards were elite troops, they were actually elite troops kept in the Prince of Wei's residence.

Where had they ever seen such a desperate display of the most elite Imperial Guards? For a moment, they were overwhelmed by their momentum and blocked at the door, unable to advance an inch!

"You wicked scoundrel! You still dare to resist!"

A general with a long, flowing beard led several Imperial Guards soldiers in and stormed in. Seeing a group of leather-armored Imperial Guards locked in combat with Zheng Huai'an and his men, he was enraged.

Zheng Huai'an recognized the man as Qiu Xinggong and wanted to step forward to eliminate the bandit leader. However, Qiu Xinggong strode forward, parrying and flicking with his double hammers, sending Zheng Huai'an's weapon flying far away.

Then another hammer blow struck Zheng Huai'an in the chest. Zheng Huai'an felt as if his internal organs had been shattered, and he collapsed to the ground, spitting out blood.

"Kill! Quickly quell the chaos!" Qiu Xinggong casually put away his twin hammers. In the courtyard, the battle was nearing its end.

The sounds of slaughter gradually subsided, and blood-stained swords fell to the ground one after another. The heavily armored soldiers of the Prince of Wei's mansion were either dead or captured, and the deadly situation that had just overwhelmed the entire courtyard collapsed in an instant.

The night wind carried away the smoke of battle, and the lights under the corridor shone brightly again, illuminating the bloodstains on the ground and the exhausted soldiers.

Li Chengqian's tense body suddenly relaxed, and the arms that had been tightly gripping his wife and children trembled slightly. He looked up, past the soldiers scattered on the ground, and towards the entrance of the courtyard.

As the smoke cleared, the boy's clothes were covered in ash and dust, his sideburns were disheveled, and the hem of his clothes was still covered in black ash from the fire. He walked quickly past the ranks of Jinwu soldiers, stepping over the blood-stained bluestone ground, and headed towards the backyard.

That figure was so familiar to him.

Despite being short, she was so determined.

Just like that day, when the gates of the Right Army Commander's Mansion were slammed shut, this figure said that he would go to the emperor to seek justice for him.

"Elephant!"

Li Chengqian's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.