Chapter 121 Regicide!
Linjiang Palace.
The lights were just coming on, the light was as bright as day, the music of stringed instruments and drums lingered in the ears, and palace maids and dancers shuttled back and forth, offering wine in front.
The palace banquet has begun.
All the strange people, monks, nuns, Taoists, princes and nobles who were attending the banquet had arrived. They each sat at a table, chatting, drinking, and enjoying singing and dancing.
The Dragon Terrace, which faced south and sat north, was empty as the emperor had not yet arrived.
Yang Guang was a man of pleasure who had reached the level of a god. In recent years, his behavior had become more and more unbridled and absurd. There were no rules at all when he set up banquets.
Most of the guests were familiar with the "rules" of the imperial banquet. After three cups of cold wine, they began to behave unrestrainedly.
Many princes and ministers who seemed to be well-dressed and handsome actually picked up the beautiful palace maids who came to serve wine and food, flirted with them, touched them all over, and even bit them. All kinds of obscene things were performed openly at this imperial banquet.
A few guests who attended the banquet for the first time were initially unable to adapt to such a debauched scene; some were even dumbfounded and at a loss.
However, they were soon infected by the atmosphere on the scene and either actively or passively integrated into it, enjoying the joy of the imperial banquet.
A corner of the banquet hall.
Ni Kunju sat at the table, holding a wine bottle and drinking in small sips, indifferent to the absurd scenes at the banquet.
Kou Zhong, who was sitting next to him, was envious and spitting indignantly:
"The world is actually ruled by people like this? No wonder it has fallen to this state! The Great Sui Dynasty deserves to be destroyed!"
Xu Ziling whispered:
"It's just that the superiors set an example and the subordinates follow suit. First there is a tyrant emperor, then there are treacherous ministers. If the emperor himself is resolute and upright, and impartial, how can there be a place for treacherous villains in the court?"
Kou Zhong chuckled:
"Xiao Ling has good insight. He really has the talent to be a prime minister! From now on, one of us will be a general to wipe out the chaos, and the other will be a prime minister to govern the country. We will definitely restore peace to the world and let the people live and work in peace and contentment, and lead a good life!"
Xu Ziling glared at him unhappily:
"Pay attention to the occasion and stop talking nonsense here."
While speaking, he also glanced at Ni Kun secretly. Seeing that Ni Kun was drinking by himself and enjoying himself, and seemed indifferent to what Kou Zhong had just said, he breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, a deep male voice suddenly came over:
"Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, I was wondering why there was no news about you two all of a sudden. It turns out that you have found someone else and are now your disciple."
Accompanied by this deep male voice, a tall, burly, and handsome man, holding a wine glass, slowly walked to the table of Ni Kun and Kou Xu.
Upon seeing this person, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's eyes flashed with nervousness. Although they knew that this person would not dare to act recklessly here, they still couldn't help but tense their bodies, instinctively gathering their strength and taking a vigilant posture.
Ni Kun was not moved at all. He looked at the man calmly and smiled:
"Your Excellency?"
The man glanced at Kou Xu coldly, then his gaze fell on Ni Kun and he said indifferently:
"Zhao Wuji. I wonder who this gentleman is?"
Ni Kun said: "I am Ni Kun, a nobody."
He claimed to be a nobody, but Zhao Wuji would not take him seriously. The surnames of prominent families and some martial arts masters flashed through his mind quickly, but he had never heard of anyone with the surname Ni. For a moment, he was unsure about Ni Kun's background.
His face remained calm, and he said calmly:
"So it's Master Ni. I wonder which family or sect Master Ni is from?"
Ni Kun smiled:
"No home, no job, no sect, no school."
"Really?" Zhao Wuji snorted, "Mr. Ni, don't bully me. This Linjiang Palace banquet is not something that any unknown person can enter."
"Oh?" Ni Kun turned his glass and said leisurely, "That's not right. If nobody can come in, why is Mr. Zhao here?"
When Zhao Wuji heard him implying that he was a nobody, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.
However, he was scheming and did not show it. He just looked at Ni Kun deeply, and then glanced coldly at Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, and said:
"I hope that after the banquet, Master Ni will still dare to speak to me like this! I also hope that Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling will take care of their own affairs and not make mistakes!"
After saying that, he turned around and left, never to bother me again.
"What does this guy mean?" Kou Zhong looked puzzled.
Ni Kun smiled and said, “What he meant was that after the banquet, his identity might be different.”
Kou Zhong was still puzzled: "Why?"
Ni Kun smiled and said, "This person may be able to please the emperor and be given an official position, or even become a close minister to the emperor."
Xu Ziling frowned and said, "If this is true, won't there be trouble?"
Ni Kun shook his head: "It's not a problem. Whether Zhao Wuji wins the emperor's favor, gets an official position, or has other plans, it doesn't matter. How could I, Ni Kun, be afraid of trouble?"
As he was speaking, a loud whip sound came from the Dragon Platform, and an internal martial arts master shouted in a deep voice:
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The noisy banquet hall suddenly became quiet.
The guests , who had been in a state of unruly behavior , hurriedly stopped what they were doing, straightened their clothes, sat upright, and waited for the emperor to arrive.
Ni Kun also narrowed his eyes and stared at the Dragon Platform.
Soon, Yang Guang arrived on the Dragon Platform, surrounded by the empress, imperial concubine, royal family members, eunuchs, and female officials.
All the guests also stood up and bowed to welcome the emperor.
This is a banquet, there is no need to pay homage, a simple bow will be enough.
Yang Guang was also quite "easy-going". He waved his hand casually and said something to an old eunuch behind him. The old eunuch then raised his voice and said:
"The emperor has ordered that all guests do not need to be polite, just drink and feast to your heart's content."
So some "regular customers" expressed their thanks, then sat back down without any hesitation and resumed their previous dissolute behavior.
Some "strangers" felt a little uncomfortable seeing the emperor in front of them.
It can be seen that those princes and ministers of high status were not bound by etiquette. The emperor was sitting on the high platform with his arms around him, touching his concubines all over. He turned a blind eye to all the unruly behavior below, and gradually relaxed and enjoyed himself.
Seeing this, Kou Zhong spat in a low voice:
"As expected, what goes around comes around! How could such a man become the emperor? I can do the same!"
Xu Ziling said seriously:
"No, Xiaozhong, you can't do that. You've been living a hard life, and you can never compare to Yang Guang in squandering money. Even if a hundred treacherous officials bewitched you, you would not be willing to squander money like Yang Guang."
Kou Zhong thought about it carefully and nodded in agreement: "That's right."
Ni Kun smiled but didn't say much. He just looked at Yang Guang from a distance, secretly observing his temperament.
Historical records record that Yang Guang had a "beautiful appearance" and was extremely handsome.
Even though he has been addicted to alcohol and sex and let himself go for many years, his figure is out of shape, his skin is pale, he has dark bags under his eyes and his eyes are dazed, but you can still see some of the unrestrained charm of his youth.
Although his appearance was not bad, Ni Kun looked at him from all angles and couldn't see anything extraordinary about him.
Ni Kun had also seen many masters and strong men, and even looked at the golden-armored man who was suspected to be the Gold Saint from a distance.
With his keen eyesight, there are now very few people who can completely conceal their aura in front of him without revealing any clues.
But he just couldn't find anything unusual in Yang Guang.
No matter how you look at it, the man on the Dragon Platform, who is surrounded by beauties on both sides, has one hand tucked into the chest of his concubine, and is being fed wine mouth-to-mouth by her, is just a foolish king who has indulged in alcohol and sex and is almost ruined.
"So what is Yang Guang's situation?"
Just as he was wondering, the Imperial Censor Pei Yun left his seat and said:
"Your Majesty, there are many extraordinary people at the banquet today. Why don't you let them show off their skills to help cheer us up?"
Yang Guang was indeed interested, and he turned his head to talk to the old eunuch standing beside him. The old eunuch then raised his voice and said:
"The emperor has issued an order to approve Pei Qing's request and order all the extraordinary people to perform! If there are those with superb skills, the emperor will not hesitate to reward them. Gold, pearls, beauties, land, mansions, and even official positions and titles can all be granted!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the "exotic people" who came to the banquet suddenly became excited, their eyes lit up, and they were ready to come forward to perform.
However, the princes and ministers who should have advised the emperor to dissuade him were all laughing and waiting to watch the fun. No one spoke out to advise him - official positions and titles should be obtained by military merit or civil governance. How could they be obtained by special skills?
Unfortunately, those who can still hang around Yang Guang are all treacherous villains.
He was not a treacherous person originally, but because of the general environment, he had no choice but to follow the crowd.
Otherwise, if you offend the emperor, you will either be driven away or killed. In any case, you will not have a good ending.
At this time, a "strange man" had already volunteered to go before the emperor and perform.
Ni Kun glanced at it casually, shook his head and said, "It's just a circus."
The first person to come forward to perform was a shirtless burly man. His performance was "swallowing a knife". He stuffed a three-foot-long ring-handled knife into his mouth and swallowed it until only the handle was left. At first glance, it looked somewhat novel. Some princes and ministers who had never seen such folk variety shows were amazed and applauded. However, knowledgeable people were dismissive.
Kou Zhong laughed and said, "This is the trick of street performing. The trick is all in the knife. Give me the same knife and I can perform it too."
Yang Guang on the Dragon Terrace had no interest in this either. He just took a look and went back to drinking.
Next, more "strange people" came on stage. Some performed fire-breathing, some threw and caught flying knives, and some fished out coins from a frying pan with their bare hands. They were all normal martial arts moves.
Yang Guang quickly lost interest and lazily leaned in his concubine's arms, just drinking.
When the Imperial Censor Pei Yun saw that the groundwork had been laid, he stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I have found a strange man named Zhao Wuji who can summon the goddesses to dance for me. Please watch him."
Yang Guang then cheered up a little, sat up straight and looked down.
Zhao Wuji also stepped out from the crowd and came before the emperor. He kowtowed respectfully to Yang Guang, then took out an ingot of gold, held it in his palm, and rubbed it gently. Then, strands of golden sand overflowed from between his fingers and fell to the ground, outlining the outline of a woman.
Then a light breeze blew, and the outline of the woman drawn by the golden sand slowly rose from the ground, transforming into a woman clad in a light gauze dress, revealing her beautiful legs and arms, with a hazy halo on her face. Her true appearance could not be seen clearly, but she gave people a strange charm.
This move immediately caused the guests at the banquet to exclaim in surprise, and they all stretched their necks to take a closer look.
Yang Guang was also startled. He supported himself on the table with his hands, leaned forward, and looked closely.
Seeing that the emperor and the guests were all stunned by this move, Zhao Wuji raised the corners of his mouth slightly, pinched his fingers together, pointed at the woman, and the woman began to dance gracefully, with a charm like a celestial being.
The guests were dumbfounded and exclaimed. Yang Guang was also surprised and stared at the beauty intently.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were also stunned and said in a stammering voice:
"What kind of magic is this? How can a living person appear out of nowhere?"
"I knew Zhao Wuji was capable of this kind of magic, but I didn't expect him to have this skill. That woman looks like a real person..."
Ni Kun frowned, a little surprised for a moment:
"Illusion? No, how can an ordinary illusion deceive so many people at the same time? Among them, there are many martial arts masters who will not be easily deceived by illusions. I will not be easily deceived by illusions either... Could it be a ghost?"
If it was a ghost, that would make sense.
While trying to figure out Zhao Wuji's methods, the dancing "goddess" suddenly put her hands together, pulled them outward, and a sharp dagger appeared out of thin air in her palms.
Seeing the sword, the guards and eunuchs around Yang Guang suddenly became nervous and stood in front of Yang Guang.
But Yang Guang's eyes lit up, and he impatiently pushed the guards and eunuchs away, staring at the dagger floating in front of the chest of the "Goddess" without blinking.
Zhao Wuji changed his hand gestures, and the "goddess" threw the dagger, which flew in the air, agile and winding like a snake.
The guests were shocked and said:
"Sword Immortal! This goddess is actually a sword immortal!"
"The art of flying swords! I thought the so-called art of flying swords was mostly false rumors, but I didn't expect to see a flying sword with my own eyes today!"
"Who is this Zhao Wuji? Why can he summon the Sword Fairy?"
As the guests were discussing in amazement, Yang Guang looked at the dagger flying in the air, a trace of confusion flashed across his eyes, and he murmured: "I will ride the sword on the wind to eliminate demons between heaven and earth..."
While reciting, he raised his hand hesitantly and pointed at the dagger from a distance.
The dagger did not change and continued to fly back and forth under the control of the "goddess".
Yang Guang's eyes were dazed again. He suddenly patted his head and whispered incoherently:
"Who am I? Who am I?"
Seeing this, Empress Xiao asked with concern, "Your Majesty, do you have a headache? How about not drinking tonight?"
"I'm fine." Yang Guang shook his head, picked up the wine glass again, drank it all, and said, "Fill it up!"
He continued to watch the "goddess" playing with the flying sword in a trance.
Zhao Wuji saw that Yang Guang was in a daze, and that the guards and even eunuchs around the Dragon Platform were gradually attracted by the strange charm of the "Goddess of Heaven". They gradually relaxed and were no longer as vigilant as before. Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and he made a gesture and pointed.
With one finger, the "goddess" suddenly rose into the air, her gauze skirt fluttering as her body and sword merged into one, transforming into a bright flash of lightning that flashed in the sky, leaving behind a dazzling white light mark.
The end of the light mark pointed directly at Yang Guang!
This sudden change happened too quickly, and the guests at the banquet, the eunuch guards, the concubines and the royal family were all unable to react.
Not to mention Yang Guang, who was drunk and dazed, and his martial arts had long been abandoned, so how could he react?
Only Ni Kun sensed something was wrong before Zhao Wuji took action.
However, on the one hand, he did not care about Yang Guang's life or death, and on the other hand, he also wanted to confirm what kind of person Yang Guang was and what the "Drunken Sword Immortal" was, so he did not try to stop it.
Then, just as everyone's eyes flashed, the snow-white light had already pierced through Yang Guang's chest, passed through his heart, and came out through his back.
Yang Guang fell limply on the Dragon Platform without saying a word. Blood gushed out from his chest and back like a fountain, soaking through his dragon robe in an instant.
This emperor who enjoyed all the happiness in the world died silently.
When he died, his eyes were still dazed and his face was drunk.
The queen and concubines sitting beside him had their faces splattered with blood. They looked shocked and their eyes were blank, as if they were in a dream.
The princes, ministers, sorcerers, and even the eunuch guards all looked dazed and could not believe what they saw.
As for Pei Yun, who introduced Zhao Wuji, his hands and feet were cold, and he fell to the ground trembling. He was stunned for a while, pointed at Zhao Wuji with trembling fingers, and shouted hoarsely:
"You bastard! You, you are Yu Wenzhi's man!"
Zhao Wuji laughed:
"I'm sorry, Doctor Pei. I have indeed become a disciple of General Yuwen! I pretended to serve Doctor Pei just to borrow his power to get close to the tyrant emperor!"
Pei Yun was born into the Hedong Pei family. He was of the same clan as the evil king Pei Ju and Li Yuan's strategist Pei Ji, and was also a "famous minister" of the Pei family.
This person was very good at guessing his superiors' intentions. Seeing that Yang Guang did not want to hear bad news, he only reported good news and even forged good news to make Yang Guang very happy. He helped Yang Guang create a lot of excuses to indulge in the illusion of "peace in the world" and let himself go.
Pei Yun took advantage of Yang Guang's favor to form a large group of followers and exclude dissidents. He could be said to be a powerful official in Jiangdu who had the final say.
But what bothered him was that he never had the opportunity to get involved in military power.
He originally wanted to take the opportunity to introduce Zhao Wuji, who was proficient in special arts and had high martial arts skills, to the Xiaoguo Army to share the military power between Sima Dekan and Yu Wenhuaji. Unexpectedly, he ended up inviting a wolf into the house and brought in a wolf that killed the king.
Pei Yun was shocked and angry at the same time. His eyes were red and bloodshot. He struggled to get up and pounced on Zhao Wuji with his teeth and claws bared: "Kill you, the traitor who killed the king!"
Zhao Wuji smiled contemptuously, and his figure flashed, passing by Pei Yun like teleporting. As he passed by, he casually reached out his hand and plucked Pei Yun's head off like picking a melon:
"Zhao did not commit regicide. I was merely following General Yuwen's orders to kill a cruel tyrant for the sake of the people of the world.
"As for you, Doctor Pei, who only tries to figure out the emperor's intentions and rejects those who are different from you, you are also a traitor to the country who General Yuwen wants to get rid of as soon as possible!"
After saying that, he shook his hand and shot out a ball of fire, which exploded in the night sky and turned into a huge and dazzling firework.
It was not until this moment that everyone finally reacted.
Looking at Yang Guang's corpse lying on the Dragon Platform, and then looking at Pei Yun's head being held by Zhao Wuji, all kinds of screams, howls, sobs and wails burst out at the same time.
Some people collapsed to the ground, some ran and shouted, some stumbled and turned around like headless flies, and some were furious and pointed at Zhao Wuji and cursed...
There were also guards and eunuchs who were still loyal to Yang Guang. They were furious and drew their swords, roaring and rushing towards Zhao Wuji.
Among the guests, some "strange people" suddenly got angry, took out the short-bladed daggers that they had brought into the palace somehow, and hacked and killed the princes and ministers, shouting:
"The justice of heaven is clear, kill the tyrant! Punish the traitors and eliminate the evil, and clean up the world!"
But they are a group of followers of the Tianli Sect.
Regardless of whether it is a cult or not, the slogan must be lofty and impressive.
Just like the regicide Zao Wou-Ki, every word he said just now was full of righteousness and power.
Who could have imagined that such a righteous and handsome "hero" was actually a real devil who would use innocent babies as blood sacrifices during cult rituals?
The banquet was in chaos.
But soon, a greater commotion suppressed the shouts from the audience.
There were the rumbling sounds of war drums, the clattering of iron hooves, the clanging of armor, the clashing of swords, and the screams of killing...
All kinds of sounds of killing were faintly heard from outside Linjiang Palace, and were rapidly advancing towards the night banquet site at an astonishing speed.
