Film and Television: The Collector Who Rampages Across the Heavens

Chapter 89 The victor is king, the loser is villain.

"Kill one"

The sounds of battle cries filled the air outside the hunting palace, causing everyone inside to tense up and turn their gazes to the outside world.

The hunting palace was shrouded in a rain of arrows, with imperial guards being shot and killed from time to time. Siege engines were constantly ramming the city gates, and countless soldiers were climbing ladders to fight their way up to the towers.

Screams filled the air as both sides suffered heavy casualties.

The Imperial Guards and the Qingli Army have been locked in fierce battle ever since. The walls outside the Hunting Palace are piled high with corpses, and of the three thousand Imperial Guards, only a few hundred remain, all of them wounded.

Even the usually naive and foolish Prince Ji became nervous and paced back and forth in the hall.

"Hold the door shut! You absolutely must hold it shut!"

"Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet? It's been almost a day and a night."

The nobles and princes in the inner palace began to discuss among themselves, and Prince Ji even looked up at Emperor Liang.

The latter gritted his teeth inwardly, wondering if this rebellious son would just stand by and watch him die after obtaining the military seal.

Consort Jing could clearly guess his thoughts, and quickly comforted him from the side, "Your Majesty, Jing Dan will come, he will definitely come."

As she spoke, she looked at Mei Changsu behind the pillar, seemingly communicating with him through her eyes.

Mei Changsu nodded calmly on the surface, but he was also puzzled. Judging from the time, Jing Dan should have arrived with his troops by morning, but there was no movement. Could there be some other unexpected event?

Unfortunately, all routes to the Hunting Palace were blocked, so even if there were messages, they couldn't get in.

"Commander Meng, we've run out of stones and arrows!"

"Retreat to the inner city, and fight to the bitter end."

The conversation between the soldiers and Meng Zhi could be heard outside, and everyone inside the hall felt a chill run down their spines.

Upon hearing this, Prince Ji nearly collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet? Where is Prince Jing? When will he return?"

"This—this is the last line of defense for the Hunting Palace!"

Yan Que looked at the atmosphere in the room and immediately stood up and said coldly, "Of course not. Even if we break through the palace gate, there is still this hall gate. Even if the hall gate is broken, we still have our own bodies."

As long as there is a breath left, the battle is not lost.

After saying that, he looked at Emperor Liang: "Hasn't Your Majesty also fought in bloody battles?"

Emperor Liang knew this was not the time to lose heart. He drew his sword and addressed his assembled ministers, saying, "My lords, follow me to kill the enemy!"

The crowd exchanged glances, then bowed in unison: "Yes—"

'

With a deafening roar, the city gates of the hunting palace burst open, and countless Qingli soldiers surged in amidst a cacophony of battle cries, engaging in a fierce melee with the remaining Imperial Guards.

People died every moment, but the Imperial Guards, as the elite of the capital, fought bravely to the very end, even when outnumbered.

Meng Zhi, the top expert of the Great Liang, was also in a sorry state. He had killed countless enemy soldiers, but an endless stream of them continued to pour into the city gate.

The Imperial Guards visibly dwindled in number, and soon the battle cries outside the palace gradually subsided, as all the Imperial Guards had perished, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Meng Zhi, Zhen Ping, Yu Jin, and Fei Liu, Mei Changsu's personal bodyguard, were surrounded by thousands of enemy soldiers.

At that moment, a commotion erupted at the palace entrance. With the crisp sound of horses' hooves, Prince Yu, riding a tall horse and accompanied by several key generals of the Qingli Army, strode in triumphantly. "Surrender! Submit to me, and I may spare your lives."

Prince Yu wore a look of triumphant joy on his face, but his heart was clenching with anguish.

The entire 50,000 Qingli troops were held back by 3,000 Imperial Guards at the foot of Jiu'an Mountain for a day and a night, suffering tens of thousands of casualties. If the hunting palace had not been on the verge of collapse, the soldiers below would have rioted.

"Traitors and rebels should be punished by everyone."

Meng Zhi gasped for breath, coldly staring at Prince Yu: "If you want to get in, you'll have to step over my dead body first."

Yu Jin, Zhen Ping, and Fei Liu all wore the same expression; the people inside the hall were all those they needed to protect, and the only option was to fight to the death.

"Hmph, stubborn fools, kill them!"

The word "kill" had barely left Prince Yu's mouth when a tremendous whooshing sound came from the sky.

Before anyone could react, a huge fireball bursting with flames crashed down from the distant sky, slamming into the palace. Explosions erupted everywhere, and nearby soldiers screamed in agony.

This was just the first one; then came the second, the third—like a meteor shower falling.

If you stand on the palace wall and look out, you will see another large army appearing behind the Qingli army, with more than a dozen catapults launching fireballs that crash into the ground.

The Qingli army fought tirelessly for a full day and night, and their morale was already low. All the generals went into the hunting palace.

Without a commander, the Qingli Army and the Jicheng Army were defeated in a single encounter, their collapse occurring faster than a domino effect.

"His Highness has decreed that anyone who lays down their weapons will be spared death!"

As the cavalry of Jicheng Army charged and fought, they also shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, some of the soldiers who were still resisting put down their weapons, starting with the first one and then countless others.

Meanwhile, Prince Yu and Xu Anmo, among others, were greatly alarmed. The former saw Meng Zhi's joyful face, drew his sword from his waist, and commanded his personal guards.

"We haven't lost yet, we still have a chance. As long as we keep Father Emperor and Consort Jing under our control, Xiao Jingdan won't dare to do anything to me."

"Your Highness is right, brothers, kill them all!"

Xu Anmo personally led his troops into battle, and given the current situation, he had no choice but to remain uninvolved.

"Don't even think about it! Stop them!"

Meng Zhi and his men then engaged in a final battle with Prince Yu's personal guards, and the frenzy that followed was often the most brutal.

After the battle outside the hunting palace ended, a large number of Qingli soldiers laid down their weapons and were captured. Thousands of elite soldiers stormed into the hunting palace, only to find corpses scattered all over the ground.

Even those few who were still standing were all injured.

Meng Zhi coughed up blood, propped himself up with his sword, looked at the soldiers with delight, and asked, "Where is His Highness Prince Jing?"

But the soldiers' faces were quite cold. Several of them held steel grappling tools and surrounded Meng Zhi, clearly intending to arrest him as a prisoner.

"You—how dare you! What are you doing?"

Meng Zhi tried to resist, but two tall, burly soldiers attacked him, one striking his face and the other choking him from behind.

Another adjutant drew his sharp sword and said coldly, "Commander, I advise you to cooperate—"

Looking at the expressions on the soldiers' faces, Meng Zhi's heart sank into an abyss.

He desperately wanted to fight back, but a day and a night of fighting had exhausted all his strength, leaving him with no chance to retaliate.

He could only watch silently as these people bound his hands and surrounded his waist with spiked traps.

The legs felt incredibly heavy, and it took a lot of effort to even move one's feet.

Fei Liu on the other side received the same treatment. He tried to resist, but the soldiers around him immediately aimed their crossbows at him.

Yu Jin quickly said, "Fei Liu, don't do it—listen to them."

He could tell that these soldiers had clearly received orders that anyone who dared to resist would be killed without exception.

The wounded Prince Yu seemed to understand, letting out a bitter laugh: "When the crane and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Very well, very well—"

"Father, you probably never expected this."

Seeing that everyone was bound, the adjutant nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.

The soldiers kicked open the palace doors like wolves and tigers and rushed inside.

"Ah—what are you doing!"

"How dare you! Who let you in?"

"How dare you! Do you know who I am? — Ugh!"

Meng Zhi and his entourage were staggered as soldiers pushed them into the inner palace. The princes and ministers fell silent. Emperor Liang sat on the throne with a livid face, flanked by armored soldiers with swords at their sides, as cold and stern as statues. The whole place was filled with a chilling atmosphere.

Even the most clueless person would know at this point that something big is about to happen!

Sure enough, as the sound of military boots hitting the ground rang out, a group of people entered from outside the hall. Prince Jing was among them, but to everyone's surprise, his hands were also bound and his face was somber.

"This farce is finally over."

Su Li's hearty laughter rang out as he stepped across the threshold in full military attire, surrounded by the palace's top guards and elite armored soldiers.

"Ling—Prince Ling, weren't you recuperating in Jinling?"

Su Li looked at Uncle Ji, who was speaking, but before he could speak, Emperor Liang on the throne shouted, "I think your claim of illness is a pretense, your true intention is rebellion! You rebellious son—do you want to end up like Prince Yu?!"

"Who said that? I came to quell the rebellion, but during the process, Father Emperor was seriously injured and could no longer manage state affairs, so you had to pass the throne to me. Hmm—you should reside in the Taihe Palace and enjoy your old age." Su Li said with a smile.

But Emperor Liang was furious upon hearing this and slammed his fist on the table: "Wishful thinking! I will never issue an edict!"

He never imagined he would have so many rebellious sons who would launch one rebellion after another. He hated them to death!

"It's alright, Father. If you won't write it, I'll have someone else do. An edict is just a formality; as long as the imperial seal is there, it's fine."

Su Li glanced at the princes and ministers on either side and said directly, "Which of you agrees with my ascension to the throne—"

The nobles on both sides looked at each other in bewilderment, but no one spoke.

"Nobody here? In that case, after I ascend the throne, everyone present will be stripped of their titles and reduced to commoners."

Su Li's words immediately caused a commotion in the room. After some hesitation, someone spoke up: "Your Highness, I support your ascension to the throne."

"I—I support it too."

Emperor Liang, trembling with rage, pointed at those people and cried, "You spineless bastards!"

He hated it. If he had known he had so many rebellious sons, he would have ordered them all to be killed.

"Alright, let's talk about something else."

Su Li looked at Mei Changsu at the very back of the crowd, deliberately trying to hide himself like a nobody, but how could he let this opportunity slip by?

"Mr. Su, please come to the center of the main hall."

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu had a bad feeling, but he had no trump cards left, so he had no choice but to step forward in front of everyone.

"Father, do you know who he is?"

These words caused Consort Jing, Yan Que, Meng Zhi, and the others to change their expressions. Emperor Liang coldly snorted, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"His name isn't Su Zhe, nor is it Mei Changsu—it's Lin Shu, the son of Lin Xie, the commander of the Chiyan Army!"

Su Li spoke those words one by one, and it was like a thunderclap that exploded in everyone's ears.

Emperor Liang suddenly stood up and stared intently at Mei Changsu.

"Lin Shu is one of the only survivors of Meiling. Consort Jing, Marquis Yan, and Commander Meng all know this. You can ask them if you don't believe me."

Su Li's words made Emperor Liang instinctively look at Consort Jing, who bit her lip and remained silent.

Meng Zhi also lowered his head, and Yan Que's lips moved slightly before he sighed deeply.

Prince Jing excitedly approached Mei Changsu, exclaiming, "Xiao Shu, are you really Xiao Shu?!"

Mei Changsu gave a wry smile and glanced helplessly at everyone.

Emperor Liang suddenly laughed, a loud laugh that was almost deafening.

"How wonderful! I never imagined that the person I trusted most had been deceiving me all along."

Emperor Liang also ascended the throne from the position of prince. He understood the plans of so many people plotting something with just one glance.

Emperor Liang seemed to age considerably in an instant. He looked at Su Li and patted his seat: "Jing Lin, this is what you want, right? I'll give it to you—you just need to do one thing for me."

"Kill Lin Shu?" Su Li asked.

"That's right, kill him, kill this traitorous son."

"Treason? Who is plotting treason?"

Mei Changsu glared at Emperor Liang with hatred, strode forward, and questioned, "Is it Prince Qi, or Lin Xie, or those tens of thousands of Chiyan Army soldiers?"

In the twenty-sixth year of Jingyun, Your Majesty was still a prince when you were framed and faced execution. It was your classmate Lin Xie who risked his life to find evidence and present it to the late emperor, thus saving Your Majesty's life.

In the twenty-ninth year of Jingyun, the Rebellion of the Five Princes ravaged the capital. At that time, Lin Xie was merely a commander of a patrol battalion. He personally led 300 men...

The cavalry charged into the Imperial Guard camp and ultimately ensured His Majesty's ascension to the throne.

Ten years after the founding of the dynasty, the western border has fallen.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Emperor Liang roared.

"Your Majesty, are you afraid that if I continue, I will expose this secret?"

Mei Changsu looked around at everyone and said, "Your Majesty dared to swear an oath before the late Emperor and our ancestors that you were certain that Prince Qi and Lin Xie truly intended to rebel. Do you dare to do the same?!"

"Rebellion—traitorous officials and villains."

Emperor Liang was so angry he could hardly breathe. He wanted to draw his sword, but the soldiers had already confiscated all his weapons when they came in.

He could only look at Su Li: "Jing Lin, didn't you want my throne? Kill him for me, and I'll pass it on to you."

"No!" Consort Jing cried out instinctively. Meng Zhi and Fei Liu tried to go over to protect Mei Changsu, but they were firmly bound by the soldiers on both sides and could not move.

The soldiers glanced at Su Li, and seeing that he gave no orders, they continued to keep their hands on their weapons and wait silently by his side.

"Is Your Majesty enraged? You can cover up the truth, destroy the evidence, and kill everyone who investigates this case, but you can't silence the gossip of the people."

Mei Changsu was unsure of his fate after today, so he decided to let go of any regrets and freely recount everything he had carried for so many years.

"Shut up, shut up, you traitorous minister—"

Emperor Liang roared in exasperation. After a long while, he looked at Mei Changsu and sneered, "Even if what you say is true, so what? Everything you've planned for years has been destroyed by Jing Lin. You're nothing but a fish on a chopping board now. What can you do?"

Mei Changsu smiled and looked at Su Li: "Your Majesty is right. My wishes and plans over the years have all been for Prince Qi, the Lin family, and the tens of millions of Chiyan Army soldiers."

Unfortunately, he was one step off and ultimately failed.

"uncertain!"

Su Li spoke up, immediately drawing everyone's attention to himself. He smiled and said, "If Mr. Su is willing to give everything, I can announce the truth about the Crimson Flame Army case to the world after I ascend the throne."

And you can regain your identity as Lin Shu and continue the Lin family bloodline.

"Really? Eighth Brother, are you telling the truth?!"

Before Mei Changsu could speak, Prince Jing looked at Su Li with excitement.

"It's true. The Crimson Flame Army has disappeared from Daliang for several years. Apart from a few people, who else remembers them?"

Su Li chuckled and said, "Restoring the reputation of the Crimson Flame Army and the Lin family is nothing more than an imperial edict—"

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