Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 201 Dark Night

As night fell, Chang'an City was shrouded in an uneasy silence. Outside the palace wall, flames shot up into the sky, illuminating half of the night sky red. That was the direction of the Prime Minister's residence. Wu Tao's heart, like the flames, burned with anxiety and restlessness.

The Queen held her hand tightly, her voice trembling: "Tao'er, do you think...will the Emperor blame us?"

Wu Tao suppressed the grief in his heart and comforted her: "Don't worry, your Majesty, the Prime Minister's conspiracy will not succeed."

However, she herself knew that this was just self-deception. The Prime Minister escaped with unknown chips in his hand, which was undoubtedly a huge disaster for the Tang Dynasty.

What worried her even more was that Hu Bugui was seriously injured and unconscious. In order to escort her and the queen to break out, he alone resisted the siege of dozens of assassins and finally collapsed from exhaustion.

"Whoa--" The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. Wu Tao and the queen supported the miracle doctor and walked quickly into the palace.

In the Golden Palace, the emperor heard the news that the prime minister had escaped. He became furious and threw the memorial in his hand to the ground.

"Useless! A bunch of useless!" the emperor roared, "With so many people, they can't even catch a prime minister!"

Wu Tao knelt on the ground, lowered his head, and reported the whole story to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has a letter in his hand that seems to contain some secrets." Wu Tao recalled the scene at that time, "He also said... this is just the beginning."

The emperor's face became even gloomier. He suppressed his anger and asked, "Do you know the contents of the letter?"

Wu Tao shook her head: "I don't know, but judging from the Prime Minister's expression, the content of the letter is probably very important."

The emperor was silent for a moment, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes: "Pass on my decree, the prime minister is wanted nationwide, dead or alive, he must be arrested!"

"According to the order!"

After the imperial physician examined Hu Bugui, he said to Wu Tao with a serious expression: "The prince is seriously injured. I'm afraid..."

Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly. She grabbed the imperial physician's hand and asked anxiously, "What are you afraid of? You must save him, please!"

The imperial physician sighed and said, "I will do my best, but whether the prince can wake up depends on his own luck."

Wu Tao and the Queen stayed by Hu Bugui's bedside, awake all night. Outside the window, the night was dark, just like their mood at the moment, without a single ray of light.

"Your Majesty, what do you think...will the Prime Minister be detrimental to the Tang Dynasty?" Wu Tao broke the silence, with a slight tremor in her voice.

The queen held her hand, her eyes firm: "No matter what happens, we must face it bravely, for the sake of the Tang Dynasty and for Bugui."

Wu Tao nodded, but she felt even more uneasy. She had a vague feeling that a bigger storm was about to sweep over...

 Dark Night (Continued)

The news spread quickly throughout the world. The prime minister defected, the Tang Dynasty fell into crisis, and the people were in panic. Upon hearing this news, many heroes were filled with righteous indignation. Although they were far away from the world, they were also concerned about the people of the world.

"How dare you, old thief Prime Minister, do such a treasonous thing!" A white-haired old man threw the wine bowl in his hand heavily to the ground and said indignantly, "Although we are gangsters, we also know the meaning of loyalty and righteousness! I will gather my disciples and fight against that old thief!"

At one time, heroes from all walks of life responded, bringing their own weapons and unique skills, and gathered in the direction of Chang'an City. Although these chivalrous knights were numerous, most of them were scattered and lacked unified command and dispatch.

After Wu Tao and the Queen heard the news, a glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts. They knew that relying solely on the power of the court to fight against the prime minister's conspiracy would undoubtedly be like hitting a rock with an egg. The participation of these chivalrous men in the martial arts world might give them a glimmer of hope.

However, the flame of hope was ruthlessly extinguished by the cruel reality just as it was ignited. Hu Bugui was imprisoned and seriously injured, and was unable to command the battle. The secret held by the prime minister was like a sharp blade hanging over their heads, and no one knew when it would fall and devour them completely.

Wu Tao was extremely anxious. She rushed into the prison desperately, wanting to see Hu Bugui. In the dark and damp cell, Hu Bugui was lying on a pile of cold straw, his face pale and his breath weak. Wu Tao's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and she could hardly breathe.

"Bugui, how are you?" Wu Tao rushed to Hu Bugui, his voice choked with sobs.

Hu Bugui slowly opened his eyes and saw Wu Tao. He tried to force out a smile: "Tao'er, don't worry, I'm fine..."

"You still say you're fine!" Wu Tao couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and burst out, "Look at the way you look now, how can you look fine?"

Hu Bugui gently held Wu Tao's hand and said weakly, "Tao'er, don't cry... As long as the Prime Minister is not removed, there will never be peace in the Tang Dynasty... I... I can't protect you anymore..."

"No, you still have me, we'll face it together!" Wu Tao held Hu Bugui's hand tightly, his eyes firm.

"Tao'er, listen to me..." Hu Bugui coughed violently a few times, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, "I... I'm afraid I can't hold on for much longer... You... You must promise me that you will live well... For me... For the Tang Dynasty..."

"No, I don't want you to die!" Wu Tao shook her head desperately, tears blurring her vision.

Hu Bugui raised his hand with difficulty and gently stroked Wu Tao's cheek, his voice becoming weaker and weaker: "Promise me... to live..."

"No return! No return!" Wu Tao hugged Hu Bugui tightly, crying heartbreakingly.

Outside the prison, the night was as dark as ink, and the wind was biting cold. In the distance, there were faint shouts of killing, foreshadowing that a bigger storm was about to come.

The dark night enveloped the entire palace, and also the hearts of Wu Tao and the Queen. The news of Hu Bugui's serious injury was like a thunderbolt, completely shattering their newly ignited hopes. The feeling of despair spread in the air, so heavy that it made people breathless.

At this moment, a palace servant stumbled in, his face pale and his voice trembling: "Report...Report to Her Majesty the Queen, something bad has happened! Urgent news from the border!"

The queen suppressed her grief and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Tell me quickly!"

"The Prime Minister... The Prime Minister led his troops to raid the border, the city gates were lost, and the people... countless people were killed and injured..." The palace servant's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally almost turned into a whisper.

"What?!" The queen felt a black screen before her eyes and almost fainted. Wu Tao hurriedly supported her, and her heart was also cold. The prime minister actually chose to launch an attack at this time, clearly wanting to take advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty to break through the city in one fell swoop and completely destroy the Tang Dynasty!

"How dare he..." The queen gnashed her teeth, her eyes burning with anger, "How dare he harm the people like this and disregard the lives of all people in the world!"

Wu Tao clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, but she didn't feel any pain. She knew that now was not the time to be sad or angry, they had to come up with a plan as soon as possible, otherwise the Tang Dynasty would be finished!

"Empress, what should we do now?" Wu Tao forced himself to calm down and asked the queen.

The queen took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She looked at Wu Tao with trust and expectation in her eyes: "Tao'er, you are the person Hu Bugui trusts the most and the one who knows the prime minister best. What do you think we should do now?"

Wu Tao pondered for a moment, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes: "Empress, please stay in the palace and ensure Hu Bugui's safety. I will go to the border alone to find a way to fight against the Prime Minister!"

"You're going to the border alone?" The Queen looked at Wu Tao in surprise. "This is too dangerous! The Prime Minister has a large army under his command. How can you be his opponent if you go alone?"

"I have no other choice." Wu Tao's eyes were firm. "Hu Bugui was seriously injured for the Tang Dynasty. I can't watch the Tang Dynasty perish in front of him! I must find a way to fight against the Prime Minister, even if it costs my life!"

The queen wanted to persuade her again, but was stopped by Wu Tao's resolute eyes. She knew that Wu Tao had made up her mind and no one could change her decision.

"Tao'er, you must be careful!" The Queen held Wu Tao's hand tightly, her eyes full of worry and reluctance, "I'll wait for you to come back!"

"I will." Wu Tao gave the queen a firm look, turned and left the palace.

In the night, Wu Tao's figure looked particularly thin, but she walked with great determination. She knew that she was carrying the hope of the Tang Dynasty and the expectations of Hu Bugui, and she must not fall!

She spurred her horse and galloped northwards towards the border. Ahead, waiting for her were unknown dangers and challenges, but she was fearless because her heart was full of hope and love for Hu Bugui.