Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 653

Chapter 653: Resurrection

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Mingzhu immediately understood what Yuwen Chu meant.

He was subtly telling her to speak openly with him because he had accepted her and loved her wholeheartedly. Naturally, he would consider her and their child’s well-being first, relegating other matters to secondary importance. But she felt she wasn’t ready to share everything yet, so she softly said, “I understand.”

Time was tight, and this was not the moment for detailed explanations. Yuwen Chu bid her farewell, “I have many things to attend to. I’ll leave you here. Please convey my regards to them.”

“I will.” Mingzhu withdrew her hand from his and whispered, “I must go. Take care, Your Highness.”

“Mm.” Yuwen Chu stood outside the palace gates, watching Mingzhu’s carriage leave before turning back. Suddenly, He Zhengtu approached in a hurry, speaking softly, “Your Highness, some of the palace servants who were recently gathered for burial have suddenly come back to life!”

Could this era really be trending towards soul borrowing? Yuwen Chu was slightly surprised, then mocked himself. He had been so rattled by Jiang Shanshan. Who knew if that madwoman’s words were true? Such absurd things were unheard of. She might have said those things just to sow discord and exact revenge on them. He composed himself and asked, “What’s the situation? Explain in detail.”

He Zhengtu spoke quietly, “The first batch of deceased palace servants was supposed to be buried first. Due to a shortage of manpower, they were stored overnight in the Jade Palace near the side gate. When we had the chance to arrange their burial, two or three suddenly came back to life.”

To find out what was happening, Yuwen Chu decided to see for himself. He turned and walked briskly, “Lead the way!”

The Jade Palace, long uninhabited, was remote and cold. It now felt even colder with the many corpses of palace servants who had died in the chaos. The resurrected ones were isolated in a side hall. Many people stood around nervously, occasionally whispering, clearly terrified.

Seeing this scene, Yuwen Chu couldn’t help but think of the potential fallout if Jiang Shanshan’s outrageous claims spread. Mingzhu and Zhuang Zhuang would live under a dark shadow their entire lives. He would not allow such rumors to spread. Anyone speaking such nonsense would be dealt with severely.

The leader of the guards at the Jade Palace saluted Yuwen Chu loudly and then sternly scolded the murmuring people, “Clear the way! His Highness Ying Wang is here.”

Someone whispered, “We have nothing to fear with His Highness here. He is protected by nine golden dragons.”

This successfully diverted the crowd’s attention, and someone asked, “Who said that? I’ve never heard it before.”

The person replied vividly, “Of course, you haven’t heard it, but we’ve known for a long time. Why did the late Emperor fear and target him so much? Because of this! It was kept under wraps…” He continued to ramble on.

Yuwen Chu reached the hall’s entrance and commanded, “Open the door!”

The heavy doors opened, releasing an unpleasant odor. Yuwen Chu squinted and looked inside, seeing the hall packed with corpses. At the deepest part, three people were huddled together against the wall, trembling with fear.

“Who are you?” Yuwen Chu stood outside the hall door and called out loudly without entering.

Upon hearing his voice, the figures inside slowly raised their heads. One of them cried out hoarsely and rushed towards him, “Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother, you’re finally here!”

Yuwen Chu squinted to see more clearly and gasped. The person in the blood-stained palace attire was Huayang Wangfei! The other two with her were likely her maidservants.

Yuwen Chu hurried in with his men to help Huayang Wangfei out. “Why didn’t you tell them who you were?”

Huayang Wangfei cried bitterly, “I kept telling them who I was, but no one would listen. They just locked us up here.”

The commander of the guards at the Jade Palace was a bit embarrassed and explained in a low voice, “In the chaos, the Wangfei’s voice was hoarse and unrecognizable, and her appearance was hard to discern, so no one took it seriously. Moreover, we feared they might be rebels and didn’t dare release them easily.”

“Quickly fetch some hot water and clean clothes,” Yuwen Chu ordered without blaming the commander. His caution was understandable and he had reported it promptly.

Huayang Wangfei, already terrified by the sight of so many corpses, had barely held on until Yuwen Chu arrived. Now she could no longer stand and stumbled to the ground. As Yuwen Chu bent to help her, someone shouted, “Your Highness, be careful!”

Several corpses suddenly sprang up, arms raised, firing hidden arrows at Yuwen Chu. Huayang Wangfei screamed and fainted. Yuwen Chu felt a chill, thinking he couldn’t escape, but two people lunged at him, shielding him with their bodies. The arrows hit them with dull thuds.

The commander of the guards quickly drew his sword and shouted, “Kill the rebels! Hack them to pieces!” His men surged forward, swiftly subduing the attackers. All but one, who was kept alive for questioning, were brutally killed.

Yuwen Chu sat up, and with a heavy heart, gently laid down the two people who had just saved him. One was He Zhentu, and the other was Jing Song. He Zhentu wasn’t as agile as Jing Song, so he arrived a step later. Consequently, he ended up shielding both Jing Song and Yuwen Chu by lying on top of them. Understandably, he took the brunt of the arrows, while Jing Song only got hit twice, suffering relatively minor injuries. 

Knowing he wouldn’t survive, He Zhentu, with a mouth full of blood, smiled and whispered, “It’s an honor for an old servant like me to die for Your Highness. I failed to stop the traitor earlier, which led to the Wangfei being captured. I’ve been uneasy about it ever since. Now, I can finally make amends and put my mind at ease.” 

Yuwen Chu quickly interrupted him, “Don’t say any more. I’ll get someone to treat you right away. You’ll get better.” 

He Zhentu shook his head. “It’s too late. It’s a pity I won’t be able to see Your Highness ascend to greatness.” His voice grew fainter, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

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