Nine Nights Owl Song

The third day of the third month in the nineteenth year of Yong'an.

Luoyang, the imperial city.

Crown Prince Xiao Jingrui has not slept for three days.

The lights in the study of the Crown Prince's palace stayed on all night, and his advisors came and went.

Before him lay a map of the imperial city's defenses, densely marked with the locations, shift change times, and troop numbers of each Imperial Guard camp.

He is waiting.

We'll make our move before Su Jiuge returns to the capital—she won't arrive until early March, so there's still time.

"Your Highness, the arrangements with the Imperial Guards have been made. The five generals of the Left Valiant Guard, Right Martial Guard, and Left and Right Gate Guards have all agreed to support you. Of the nine gates of the Imperial City, five are in your hands."

The crown prince looked at him, thinking about how much silver, land, and concubines those generals had taken from him in the past, and now it was time for them to pay back.

"What about Father?"

"His Majesty's guards have been replaced by His Highness's men. Gao Dequan has been sent away and will not appear in the Imperial Study today." The Crown Prince stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the courtyard of the East Palace, where moonlight shines on the withered yellow leaves.

He knew from a young age that he was the crown prince, the heir apparent, and the future emperor of the Great Liang.

But he waited for too many years; his father never died, never abdicated, and never allowed him to take power.

He couldn't wait any longer; he was thirty-six years old and didn't want to wait any longer.

The sixth prince has Su Jiuge, the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, the Dark Pavilion, the Thousand Machine Tower, and the support of 40,000 elite troops from the northern border.

If he doesn't act now, he'll have no chance once Lao Liu becomes powerful enough.

If his father hadn't died, he wouldn't have had the chance.

"Pass down the order: we will act at 1:00 AM." The Crown Prince turned around.

"Surround the capital city first, then enter the palace. Don't touch Father's bedchamber; spare his life. Sixth Prince—" He paused,

"Sixth Brother, kill him."

The third day of the third lunar month, at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). The Imperial City.

The Imperial Guards have rebelled.

The Left Valiant Guard, the Right Martial Guard, and the Left and Right Gate Guards—five battalions of imperial guards—simultaneously raised their troops and surged toward the imperial city from five directions.

Torches illuminated half the sky, and the sound of armor made the ground tremble slightly.

The imperial city's garrison was caught off guard—some were still sleeping, some had just changed shifts, and some had no idea what was happening.

Overnight, all five gates fell, and the rebel army poured into the imperial city.

When Emperor Yong'an was awakened, the rebel army had already surrounded his bedchamber.

He sat on the dragon bed, his aged face expressionless. Gao Dequan had been sent away, leaving only a few personal guards by his side, who drew their swords and stood guard at the palace gate.

The rebels outside the palace shouted:

"His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered His Majesty to abdicate! His Majesty must not be harmed!" Emperor Yong'an remained silent, clenching his fists.

He knew this day would come, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

Prince Zhao's Mansion.

When Xiao Yan received the news, he was in his study reviewing secret reports from the Thousand Machine Tower.

Bai Yu stumbled in.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has rebelled! Five battalions of the Imperial Guards have raised troops simultaneously, and the capital city is now surrounded. His Majesty is trapped in his bedchamber." Xiao Yan stood up.

Zhao Ying is not here, Su Jiuge is not here.

He couldn't wait any longer, he couldn't wait any longer.

Xiao Yan took the long sword he had never used from the wall, turned around and walked out of the study.

Bai Yu caught up. "Where are you going, Master?"

"Enter the palace." Xiao Yan did not stop walking.

Bai Yu's face turned deathly pale.

"The Crown Prince wants to kill you; going to the palace now is suicide!"

"Father is inside." Xiao Yan said without turning his head.

"I'll go even if it means dying."

Imperial City.

When Xiao Yan charged into the imperial city alone, the rebel army had already taken control of most of the palace gates.

He was blocked outside the Meridian Gate, surrounded by dozens of imperial guards.

Leading the group was the Left Valiant Guard General, whose eyes lit up when he saw Xiao Yan.

"Sixth Prince, the Crown Prince has ordered that no one be spared."

Xiao Yan drew his sword.

A flash of sword light appeared in the firelight, and three imperial guards fell to the ground simultaneously.

No one saw how he drew his sword—it was too fast, so fast that there wasn't even time to exclaim in surprise.

Xiao Yan's figure appeared like a ghost in the torchlight. The Left Guard General's blade missed its mark, and Xiao Yan's sword had already pierced his chest.

"The Realm of Embracing the Elixir—"

Someone shouted.

The rebels were in uproar. The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, a notorious wastrel in the court, possessed martial arts skills beyond the Transformation Realm; he was at the Core Formation Realm. He single-handedly carved a bloody path through the enemy ranks.

In front of Emperor Yong'an's bedchamber, Xiao Yan, covered in blood, held a sword. Rebel troops surged in from all directions, but he stood alone in front of the palace gate, refusing to budge an inch.

Inside the palace, Emperor Yong'an listened to the sounds of fighting outside, his hands trembling—not out of fear of death, but out of heartache.

Xiao Yan's sword moved slower and slower, while the number of rebels increased.

He killed a hundred, and there were still two hundred left;

Two hundred were killed, and three hundred remain.

The internal energy of someone at the Core Formation Realm is not inexhaustible.

His tiger's mouth was cracked from the shock, the blade of the sword was chipped, and his arm was so sore that he couldn't lift it.

He could not retreat; behind him stood his father, the emperor.

He promised Su Jiuge—"If you're not here, I'll take care of it." He can handle it.

When Su Jiuge arrived, the imperial city was already in complete chaos.

The team traveled day and night from the southern border.

She abandoned the group, taking only Zhao Ying, Shen Qing, and Qian Shaoqing with her and went ahead.

They changed five horses and ran for a day and a night, fearing that the crown prince might be pushed to the limit and take action.

The moment she rushed into the imperial city, she saw corpses strewn all over the ground, heard the sounds of fighting coming from the direction of the imperial bedchamber, and heard Xiao Yan shouting.

It wasn't a cry of pain, it was a cry of "Come on!"

He had never shouted like that in his entire life; he had always pretended to be useless, but today he didn't have to pretend anymore.

Su Jiuge drew her sword.

Zhao Ying held her short blade, Shen Qing drew her longsword, and Qian Shaoqing drew his cold iron saber for the first time.

Four men charged in from behind the rebels.

Su Jiuge charged to the front, her straight sword transforming into light—not just one beam, but countless beams, each strike deadly.

Zhao Ying's short blade was designed to target vital points, Shen Qing's swordsmanship was as fast as lightning, and Qian Shaoqing's cold iron knife drew blood with every strike.

They tore a hole in the rebels' rear.

Su Jiuge saw Xiao Yan.

He stood on the steps in front of the sleeping quarters, covered in blood, clutching the longsword with its blunt blade. He leaned against a pillar, barely able to stand.

Her eyes were burning.

She stormed up to him.

"Xiao Yan".

Xiao Yan raised his head.

Looking at her, I suddenly smiled.

"You're back."

Su Jiuge looked at him, his body covered in blood, the blade of his sword chipped, and his hand cracked from the shock.

"Yes, it's here."

Xiao Yan leaned on her to steady himself.

"It's good that you're here." His voice was very soft, so soft that only she could hear it.

Su Jiuge supported him with one hand and held a straight knife in the other, watching the surging rebel army.

"Zhao Ying".

Zhao Ying attacked from the side.

"exist."

"Protect him." Zhao Ying stood in front of Xiao Yan.

Su Jiuge turned and charged into the most densely populated area of ​​the rebel army.

Its daybreak.

Emperor Yong'an walked out of his sleeping quarters and stood on the steps.

"Stop!" The rebels halted.

The emperor himself gave the order that continuing the fighting would be considered a rebellion.

Some threw down their knives, some knelt down, and some began to run away.

The crown prince was bound hand and foot and brought before Emperor Yong'an.

He knelt on the ground with his head down.

Emperor Yong'an looked at him for a long time.

"Why?" the prince asked softly.

"I've waited for many years. I've waited for you to abdicate, for you to die, for me to become emperor myself. I can't wait any longer."

Emperor Yong'an closed his eyes.

He turned around, his voice hoarse.

"Take the Crown Prince away and lock him up in the Imperial Clan Court."

Xiao Yan sat on the steps, and Su Jiuge squatted in front of him, bandaging the wound on his hand.

She bent her head and bandaged the wound very gently.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't get hurt?"

Xiao Yan looked at her. "You're not injured."

"You're covered in blood."

"It's not mine."

Su Jiuge looked up at him.

His eyes were bloodshot, his lips were chapped, and his face was covered in blood.

She reached out and wiped the blood off his face.

Xiao Yan looked at her, and the two stared at each other for a long time.

"Xiao Yan," Su Jiuge called to him.

"Um."

"From now on, you're not allowed to shoulder everything alone."

Xiao Yan nodded.

"it is good."

On the third day of the third lunar month, the crown prince's attempt to force the emperor to abdicate failed.

Emperor Yong'an ordered the Crown Prince to be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. The Crown Prince's supporters were all rounded up.

The court of Daliang was finally quiet.

Emperor Yong'an leaned back on his dragon throne, looking at the empty hall.

The three sons—the eldest was imprisoned, the second had passed away, leaving only the sixth son.

He picked up a vermilion pen and drafted an imperial edict.

On the third day of the third month of the nineteenth year of Yong'an, the crown prince's attempt to force the emperor to abdicate failed.

The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, was rewarded for saving the emperor and was named crown prince.

Su Jiuge stood beside Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan looked at Su Jiuge.

"I've become the Crown Prince." Su Jiuge looked at him.

"I know." Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time.

"Would you like to be the Crown Princess?"

Su Jiuge looked at him.

When he said this, there was no calculation or weighing of options in his eyes, only the look of someone who had waited a long time and finally had the chance to speak.

Su Jiuge said:

"Haven't I always been?" Xiao Yan's eyes reddened as he grasped her hand.

Su Jiuge did not pull it back.