Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 583: Sudden Upheaval (Part 2)

"Meng Sanbao, come here."

Meng Sanbao immediately stepped forward to receive the order.

Jiang Shaohua said in a deep voice, "Go to the Imperial Army Camp and send a message to General Liu’s trusted aide."

Liu Hengchang is a member of the Liu family. Though not from the main line, he still bears the surname Liu. Over the past few years, with the rise of the Nanyang Prince Mansion, Liu Hengchang has become more closely associated with the family. In the past two years, he has even brought several Liu family members into the Nanyang Guards Camp.

General Liu is not conspicuous among the military generals in Da Liang, yet he is quite shrewd and a wise man who knows how to adapt to changing circumstances. When Jiang Shaohua came of age, General Liu sent a generous gift. This year, at her wedding, the Liu family sent an even more substantial gift.

If she could meet General Liu in person, Jiang Shaohua had a seventy to eighty percent chance of convincing him to dispatch troops. Unfortunately, as one of Da Liang’s top military generals, General Liu is responsible for guarding the Emperor’s resting place and is trapped in the palace. She can only hope that General Liu has arranged some secure measures in the military camp.

Meng Sanbao cupped his hands in acceptance of the order and similarly gathered twenty people, quickly riding to the Imperial Army Camp.

Both the Heroic Guard Camp and the Imperial Army Camp are quite a distance away. A round trip takes even longer, and with time spent in hesitation and troop mobilization, reinforcements would not arrive for one or two days.

Now there is already fighting in the palace. By the time reinforcements arrive, blood might have already flooded within the palace.

She must find a way to enter the palace.

Jiang Shaohua quickly made a decision, sending someone to deliver a message to Song Yuan. When Song Yuan returned with his men, Jiang Shaohua said, "I must find a way to enter the palace."

"This palace gate is sealed off; we can’t get in. We must immediately find another palace gate."

The Da Liang Imperial Palace has four palace gates. The courtiers enter through the East Splendor Gate, while the entrance to the rear palace is through the Vermilion Bird Gate. There is also the Guangyang Gate for imperial access, which is tightly shut all year round. There’s another, the Chaoyang Gate, used by eunuchs and palace maids for entry and exit.

All four palace gates are heavily guarded. It is possible that one or two gate generals may be swayed to rebellion, but the possibility of all four simultaneously rebelling and plotting treason is slim.

Having resided in the palace for several months, Jiang Shaohua thought for a moment and said, "Let’s go to the Chaoyang Gate."

The Chaoyang Gate is the palace gate with the weakest and least number of guards.

Song Yuan and the others responded with orders, riding swiftly along with Jiang Shaohua.

As they passed by the Vermilion Bird Gate, they indeed found it sealed, with occasional cries of agony coming from within.

However, compared to the tumult at the East Splendor Gate, it was much quieter. This confirmed her earlier deduction that the rebel’s abilities were limited and not capable of controlling everything. Many in the palace’s Imperial Guard still remained loyal.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of horse hooves like pouring rain.

The trusted aides rode swiftly, gripping their weapons. Those anxious had already drawn the long knives from their waists, the blades screeching as they unsheathed, the sound jarring to the ears.

Chen Jinyu and Ma Yaosong barely kept up, the elderly Chief Historian Chen lagging behind. Cui Du, feeling ashamed, rode alongside Chief Historian Chen.

"Elder Changning," Chief Historian Chen turned his head, his voice carried by the wind, forced to raise his volume, barely managing to get the words to Cui Du’s ear: "Neither of us can fight; when the Commandery Princess rushes the Chaoyang Gate, let’s not hurry forward. We’ll wait outside the gate for now."

Cui Du knew there was no room for obstinacy and silently nodded in agreement.

Jiang Shaohua was restless, not sparing the warhorse beneath her. She whipped it hard, and with a long neigh, the warhorse galloped wildly.

The palace was indeed vast, and it took the group nearly half an hour on horseback, circumnavigating the endless palace walls. Finally, the Chaoyang Gate was within sight.

This location, situated in the northwest corner of the palace, is considered relatively remote. The gate was much smaller, but its height and thickness weren’t weaker than the East Splendor Gate. Moreover, the gate was also sealed.

From inside the gate, the faint sounds of battle cries and shouts of alarm could be heard.

Two crossbows were mounted on the palace wall, with more than a dozen archers poised to attack. Although it was far less impressive than the mobilization at the East Splendor Gate, forcing the gate open would be no easy task.

"Halt! Those who trespass through the palace gate will be killed without mercy."

A sharp yell echoed from the palace wall.

Soon after, a dozen rebels shouted in unison, "Halt! Those who trespass through the palace gate will be killed without mercy!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Jiang Shaohua stopped her horse a few hundred paces away, straining her eyes to see the sturdy men holding crossbows on the palace wall. The distance was too great to discern anything beyond vague shadows.

For some reason, this rebel gave her an eerily familiar feeling.

"Commandery Princess, what should we do now?" Chen Jinyu’s face was pale, panting heavily: "They have crossbows and arrows. Even if we risk charging through with our hundred men, there would definitely be casualties. The palace wall is so high; climbing it would be extremely difficult."

The facts were clear. Jiang Shaohua’s face was as calm as water. Just as she was about to order an assault, a sudden inspiration flashed through her mind: "I remember, there is a Bright Moon Gate nearby."

Chen Jinyu also recalled, "The Commandery Princess refers to the side door for transporting things?"

There are thousands of eunuchs and palace attendants, along with ten thousand Imperial Guards stationed in the palace. The Ministry of Internal Affairs must send large quantities of grain into the palace every day, while garbage and night soil amassed in the palace are sent out. Therefore, there is a side door nearby specifically for transportation. That Bright Moon Gate is much simpler than the usual palace gates.

Jiang Shaohua called Song Yuan over and whispered a few instructions. Song Yuan nodded slightly, leading a few dozen of the trusted aides away quietly.

Jiang Shaohua did not leave; instead, she advanced on horseback again.

Whoosh!

A bolt shot out from a crossbow, flying hundreds of meters and landing just ten steps in front of Jiang Shaohua.

The trusted aides’ faces changed in unison, exclaiming in alarm, "Commandery Princess!"

Cui Du was even more shaken, galloping to Jiang Shaohua’s side: "Commandery Princess, are you alright!"

Whoosh! Another bolt flew, aiming directly at Cui Du. However, it landed a few steps away, out of the crossbow’s range.

Jiang Shaohua flicked her long whip, catching the bolt and, with a mighty swing, sent it flying back. The speed and force of the return arrow were not weaker than the original crossbow shot.

The arrow fell to the ground outside the palace gate.

The sturdy men on the palace wall all turned pale.

They were all skilled archers, confident that they themselves had no such capability. Who were these people charging on horseback? The leading figure, slender, seemed to be a woman.

"It’s the Nanyang County Princess!" One of the rebels had a sudden realization, shouting, "It must be her!"

The rebels became enlightened.

A person’s reputation precedes them. Jiang Shaohua was a figure the people of Nanyang County revered, and she was equally famous in the Capital City.

The court officials felt their heads tingle when mentioning the Nanyang County Princess. Even these insurgents, having already become rebels, felt a chill in their hearts.

"We must stop her." The sturdy man’s face twisted viciously, turning his head to shout, "Someone, go to Zhaohai Palace and send a message. Tell the Princely Heir that the Nanyang County Princess Jiang Shaohua is right at the Chaoyang Gate. Find a way to call in reinforcements."