He stood on Xiao Lin's shoulder and poked the man's cheek, saying, "Your Majesty, would you like to wear women's clothes?"
Xiao Lin glanced at him: "Why didn't you ask General Zhao if he wanted to wear a skirt?"
Zhao Lin scratched his head and chuckled, "Actually, if His Majesty doesn't want to wear it, I can do it for him."
Yu Tang and the other man glanced at Zhao Lin's burly figure, their expressions freezing in unison.
Xiao Lin composed himself and asked Yu Tang, "Would the general like to see me dressed as a woman?"
Yu Tang nodded vigorously.
After ordering, he felt that being so excited was not appropriate, so he explained, "Your Majesty is so handsome that you would be extremely beautiful whether dressed as a man or a woman."
Xiao Lin's lips curled up; he was successfully pleased by those words.
"Alright, then I will wear this dress for the sake of the general."
A short while later, a carriage slowly made its way to the city gate.
The soldiers guarding the city here include men from both princes.
After all, they had already guessed to some extent that Xiao Lin might have left the palace.
If we could catch Xiao Lin now, pretend we don't know him, treat him like a commoner, fabricate a crime against him, and kill him on the spot, we could eliminate Xiao Lin in one fell swoop.
The soldiers were conducting a routine inspection of the carriage. They lifted the curtain and saw a young girl wearing a snow-white shawl and a pink silk skirt. She was coughing softly with a handkerchief in her hand. The lower half of her face was hidden under a veil, and her peach blossom eyes were glistening with tears. She was holding onto the seat and looked delicate and pitiful.
"Brother Bing, my young lady has a cough and has come to Beijing for medical treatment."
Zhao Lin bowed, adopting a fawning posture, and showed the soldiers the documents for entering the city.
"Cough?" The soldier looked over and met Xiao Lin's gaze, immediately blushing deeply.
"That's really pitiful." Perhaps because his initial impression was too good, the soldier only glanced at the document and said, "Alright, go in. Remember to find a good doctor, don't get scammed."
"Yes, yes, I understand." Zhao Lin nodded hurriedly, got into the carriage, and drove the horse away from the city gate.
Yu Tang and Xiao Lin, both inside the carriage, breathed a sigh of relief.
With the danger averted, Yu Tang teased Xiao Lin, "I never expected Your Majesty to be so skilled at dressing up as a girl. With just one glance, I doubt anyone could resist being captivated."
Xiao Lin held Yu Tang up to him, gazing at the tiny figure with his watery eyes, and asked, "Is the general tempted?"
“Of course I’m tempted,” Yu Tang replied. “The thought of such a wonderful emperor being given to me at such a bargain makes me laugh in my dreams every night.”
His words made Xiao Lin's smile deepen.
He reached out and gently tapped the little man's chest with his finger.
"I've noticed that since the general became Yu Ling, he always likes to say these sweet words to coax me."
Yu Tang took the opportunity to hug his fingers, gave them a kiss, and said, "Now that we're married, I don't mind saying more sweet nothings to Your Majesty."
Xiao Lin was completely charmed by him.
He thought to himself, "Once I get back to the palace, I'll store up more blood, feed his generals, and then devour them!"
The carriage sped up, and as it approached the palace, Xiao Lin changed back into his own clothes, tucked Yu Tang into his arms, and asked Zhao Lin to distract the people in front of the palace gate.
Then, following the low wall on the outside, he used his lightness skill to slip inside.
As they approached the bedchamber, guards were already waiting there to meet them.
Xiao Lin quickly changed back into his everyday clothes, dusted himself off, and walked towards the Mingzheng Hall.
At this moment, the air in the Mingzheng Hall was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Liu An and Qiao Yu, representing the civil and military officials, stood to the side, watching King Li ascend the steps to the dragon throne, their eyes filled with anxiety.
Minister of Revenue Liu An couldn't help but remind him, "Your Highness Prince Li, that's His Majesty's seat. Why don't you wait down there with us?"
"Your Majesty? You mean my sixth brother?" King Li sneered, "What qualifications does he have to sit in this position?"
"Just because he defended the northern border, does that give him the right to rebel, kill his father, and seize the throne?"
"As for achievements, I have also defended seven cities in the south for several years and repelled foreign enemies many times. How am I inferior to him?"
"Moreover, I have the imperial edict drafted by my father, which states that I am to be the crown prince! What business is it of his, the sixth prince?"
Liu An narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "The southern cities are rich, and so much of the wealth has ended up in King Li's pocket."
Moreover, those foreign enemies were at most small, insignificant ethnic groups, so how could they compare to the hundreds of thousands of troops that came to fight in the Northern Frontier?
Moreover, as a veteran minister who had watched these princes grow up, he knew that Prince Li was simply a carbon copy of Emperor Xiao Sheng, only knowing how to exploit the people and enjoy himself, doing nothing of substance, and far inferior to the Sixth Prince.
Even knowing these principles, he could not openly contradict the prince now.
All we can say is: "Now that the late emperor has passed away, it is difficult to determine whether the imperial edict is genuine or not. Moreover, His Highness the Sixth Prince is deeply loved by the people and was able to enter the capital without bloodshed. This is a fact that all the court officials have witnessed. We hope that Prince Li will be cautious in his words and actions."
"Are you questioning whether the Emperor's decree is fake?" Upon hearing this, Prince Ye's expression immediately changed, and he drew his sword, his face contorted with rage, and lunged at Liu An: "I think you've been blinded by that traitor, you deserve to die!"
Liu An was terrified that Prince Ye would actually dare to make a move, and his old face turned pale with fright.
The next moment, a metallic clang was heard. Qiao Yu, who was beside him, decisively drew his sword and blocked Ye Wang's long sword.
The tall, handsome young man gripped his longsword firmly, his face cold and stern. He spoke slowly and deliberately: “Your Highness, Lord Liu is a high-ranking official of the second rank. Even if he were to be executed, he would still need to undergo three trials and be convicted by the Inspectorate. How can you just order him to be executed?”
"And what are you?" King Ye's scheme had been exposed, and he had lost the opportunity to kill Liu An. His expression was extremely unfriendly. Seeing Qiao Yu's simple clothes and worn-out armor, he sneered, "A piece of trash from the Northern Border?"
"Isn't the legitimate general of the Northern Border a member of the Yu family? Why isn't Yu Tang here? Did he flee when he saw the army pressing in, or did he accidentally die on the battlefield like his father?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yu's previously expressionless face instantly turned furious, his composure vanished, and he gritted his teeth as if he wanted to kill Prince Ye on the spot.
However, before he could make a move, a long sword pierced straight through and, amidst the gasps of the crowd, struck Prince Ye in the shoulder!
The force of the impact knocked King Ye to the ground, where he screamed and clutched his wound, looking in the direction from which the sword had come.
Seeing the man walk up in a few steps, she kicked him in the chest, stomping his body, which he had just managed to straighten up, down heavily!
Under the watchful eyes of numerous ministers and soldiers, Xiao Lin coldly asked Prince Ye.
"Fifth Brother, can you tell your younger brother how much shit you ate to make your mouth smell so bad?"
Chapter 9
The villain is resurrected for the fourth time (09)
After saying this, Xiao Lin moved his riding boots up and stomped hard on Ye Wang's mouth!
"A filthy coward like you has no right to talk about the soldiers of the North who died on the battlefield!"
"Without this princely status, you're nothing!"
"Once they get to the battlefield, they'll probably be so scared they'll wet their pants and kneel down begging for mercy from the foreign dogs!"
"In any case, he's just a good-for-nothing who collects his salary and wallows in gold, silver, and beautiful women."
Even if I kill you right now, it will be what you deserve!
"Sixth Brother, have you gone mad?!" Prince Li, who was already standing next to the dragon throne, was shocked by what he saw.
He never expected Xiao Lin to be so ruthless towards Prince Ye!
And this happened in front of so many officials!
King Li gave a signal to the soldiers who had come with him, and they immediately surrounded him and blocked his way.
This gave him more confidence, and he stood beside the dragon throne, coldly questioning Xiao Lin.
"You killed your father, do you intend to kill your own brothers as well? Who gave you the audacity?!"
"You murdered your father and your own family! Aren't you afraid of being infamous for eternity?!"
But Xiao Lin clearly had no time to listen to his nonsense.
He pressed down on the sword embedded in Prince Ye's body, and with a sudden downward thrust, pierced straight through!
"Ahhhh—"
Ye Wang screamed in agony, his whole body trembling with pain. Blood gushed from his wounds, soaking through his cotton clothes and spreading out beneath him.
"Xiao Lin!" Prince Li almost roared.
He shouted to his soldiers, "Protect Fifth Brother! Take down this traitor!"
"Let's see who dares to lay a hand on His Majesty!" Zhao Lin strode into the Mingzheng Hall, and his Northern Border Army soldiers drew their swords and stood in front of Xiao Lin!
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense and hostile.
Xiao Lin looked at Prince Ye at his feet and seemed to see his childhood self in this vast palace, where his two older brothers had eunuchs hold down his shoulders and brand the words "lowly dog" on his body with a branding iron.
"Xiao, Lin...you bastard..." Ye Wang's face was contorted with pain as he gritted his teeth and said, "If I had known, my third brother and I should have killed you back then. How could we have allowed such a lowly thing like you to live until now! You even dare to step on our heads! You've really given us face!"
"Let me tell you, just for what you've done to me today, the people of Xiao Kingdom could drown you with a single spit! So what if you become emperor? Your rule is illegitimate, and you'll be condemned by the world until your death!"
"If you know what's good for you, you should release me and support Third Brother as Emperor. Only then might we consider sparing your dog's life!"
"Ridiculous..." Xiao Lin was amused by his words and burst out laughing.
"Who gave you the brain to think that you can scare me into handing over the throne just by spouting a few nonsensical words with your stinking mouth?"
"Third Brother, Fifth Brother." He raised his eyes and met the gaze of Prince Li beside the dragon throne, and said, "You all call me a traitor, but have you ever seen anyone who can reason with a traitor?"
"Parricide and murder of relatives?" Xiao Lin was beautiful, and her smile was especially attractive, but it only made everyone present feel a chill.
"To be infamous for eternity?"
Do you think I would care?
Although he was laughing, his voice was extremely heavy and cold.
“I’m telling you, I don’t care about anyone’s opinion.”
"Regardless of how historians record my rebellion, and regardless of how future generations condemn me as a tyrant who murdered his father and relatives, I will only do what I want to do, what I should do, and what I can do!"
"And what I want to do now is to become the emperor of this Xiao Kingdom!"
To revive this corrupt and empty dynasty! To ensure that the soldiers who died on the battlefield are not disheartened! To ensure that the people who have lost their sons, husbands, and fathers are not disheartened!
"If anyone dares to stop us, what about Father? What about my brothers? What about the court officials? Just kill them!"
He pulled the longsword from Ye Wang's shoulder, and without giving the man a chance to speak, he plunged the blood-dripping sword tip into the man's throat amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd. Blood spurted out, staining his robe red.
Then he picked up his longsword and pointed it at King Li.
"Third Brother, it's your turn next."