75 Blood and Gore (1/2)
When they reached the capital, it was to find the palace in total confusion and disarray.
Gu Sheng was facing a council of elders in the throne room who were demanding the release of vice general Sei Sei. This council was a remnant of the old emperor's court, made up of a bunch of doddering idiots who actually didn't hold that much power. The council's influence, however, was formidable, considering it has the ability to sway the emperor, who consider their input as a valuable check and balance countermeasure.
When An Ning entered the throne room, the council of elders led by a feeble Marquis threw her a glance of utter contempt.
An Ning took the seat next to the emperor and quietly surveyed the people in the room. Twelve old men from the council of elders, the Min brothers, and Du Lu, who refused to meet her eyes. An Ning smiled, nodding her head as if satisfied.
”What is this about?” she asked.
”Your majesty,” the feeble Marquis rudely cut in. ”I demand that the empress dowager explain herself about this matter. This is a disgrace to the honor of your majesty's late father. To execute the prime minister and the duke and now to imprison an innocent girl who've done more in the last five years to bring peace and honor to this nation, this is totally unacceptable behavior.”
”Oh? So what are you going to do about it then?” An Ning mocked.
”Your majesty, it's been six days now since vice general Sei Sei was arrested. We still don't know what for. In fact, we don't know a damn thing about the charge or charges. Yet her majesty the empress dowager continues to insist that vice general is guilty. Of what? Yuqui is not at war. Yet the vice general continues to rot in prison because of some manufactured crime which we don't know anything about,” Min Ling's voice was impassioned yet cold, his gaze shooting hatred as he looked daggers at An Ning. ”We demand redress, your majesty. Tell us what crime vice general Sei Sei has committed and if she has not committed any then to let her go.”
The emperor turned to An Ning, his face pale and questioning.
”Oh, didn't I tell you? I had the vice general executed before I left six days ago. As for her corpse, I don't know. I can draw you a map where we dumped pieces of it if you like.”
Her words, spoken casually and with a twinge of boredom at the end, dropped like a bomb in the silence of the suddenly tense room.
”You're lying!” Min Song gritted out, eyes glittering as he stabbed An Ning with a fierce glare. ”You don't have the guts to do something like that.”
An Ning leisurely looked at Yi Hai who, without a word, took out something from a small leather bag he was carrying. He brought the thing out then strolled forward and laid it at the feet of the dais where the emperor and the empress dowager sat on the dragon throne.
Everyone followed his movements automatically, their eyes slowly widening in shock as the full implication of the empress dowager's words were finally revealed in its full sickening horror. The head was totally devoid of blood. The eyes were open and staring. The lips caught in an ugly grimace as if the person being beheaded was caught in the act of surprise and fear. The once lovely hair was shorn off, exposing the ears and neck. Except for its deathly pallor, the face was completely smooth and the skin clear. Vice general Sei Sei died under the axeman's blade looking as beautiful as an angel. She might as well be a statue, bronze, lovely and movingly dead as a door nail.
The clash of swords erupted as fast as a shot. Min Ling and Min Song attacked the empress dowager at the same time, their faces grim, the attacks synchronized and deadly. The empress dowager quickly flicked her riding whip. The ends wrapped around the beam of a ceiling and pulled the empress dowager mid-air. The empress dowager grabbed the emperor by his collar and catapulted both of them where Yi Hai and his men were waiting.
”Protect him,” the empress dowager commanded then without looking back met the brothers' furious attacks with her sword.
”I'm going to kill you, you dirty whore,” Min Ling gritted furiously.
”Less talk, more kill, you little punk,” the empress dowager taunted with a laugh.
The two men circled her trim and tall figure like predators surrounding their prey. The brothers were master swordsmen who didn't give the empress dowager any room to dodge as they viciously pushed and hacked at her with their coordinated attacks. They were beyond demented with rage and anger. All reason and honor have left them. All they wanted at that very moment was to make An Ning bleed like a pig. Only with her dead body lying on the ground at their feet will their honor and reason return to them. But for now, revenge was the driving force that moved them and they will not be denied their prize.
As they thrust and parried and continued to attack, it dawned on them that although An Ning was weaker, her stamina was that of a warrior already seasoned in countless battles. Her steps never faltered, her breath never fogged, her grip on her sword remained steady and true. And her eyes, those deep black eyes, seemed to see through their defenses like she was already familiar with all their moves, like she was only waiting for an opening to deal the final blow.
That opening the empress dowager was waiting for happened when Min Song changed his sword hand from his left to his right. That small window of opportunity was enough and the empress dowager took it. Quick as a rattlesnake, she pulled the gun out from the copy cat ring and fired, straight at Min Ling's skull who gaped foolishly at her before falling to the ground dead and totally vanquished.
Min Song watched his brother crumple to the ground. He didn't even feel the blade when it reached his own chest. All he felt was a tiny prick as he staggered to his knees totally drenched in his own blood. The blood gurgled like a tiny gasp on his open throat as his eyes dimmed and his body crumpled weightless to the ground. Min Song was near death when the empress dowager twisted her sword and the thin blade cleanly and accurately separated his head from his shoulders.
The severed head rolled and stopped at the feet of the doddering council member like a piece of mashed watermelon. The Marquis looked at it aghast, his sunken eyes meeting the empress dowager's sneer with fear and a hidden plea. The sword went down and hacked the Marquis' body into two.
An Ning stared at the cowering council members and gave her verdict:
”Take them out and execute them.”
She then turned around and walked towards the silent and staring figure of Du Lu.
”Do you know where you made your mistake?” she asked leisurely, finally stopping in front of him.
”Where?” he asked, smiling.
”You lost your wits and ordered the witch found and executed. Of course, Min Song was forced to ignore it. Execute his own sister? That would be sororicide, right?”
”I wouldn't know. The word's too big for me to understand its meaning.”
An Ning laughed.
”Don't get me wrong. I'm really sorry to have pulled you into this messy affair, Du Lu. It wasn't my fault but I still feel sorry about it.”
”Who's fault was it then? Richard's?”
An Ning shrugged.
”Everything is Richard's fault. He played us like a god and this is the result.”
”Are you going to kill me?”
”Kill you? Why?”
”Because I betrayed you. I betrayed your cause,” Du Lu smiled charmingly.
”You didn't betray me. I always knew you were a rat and a coward. As I said, your only mistake was overplaying your hand which spooked your fellow co-conspirators. It wasn't time yet. And Sei Sei's arrest frightened them.”
Du Lu didn't say anything.An Ning smiled.
”As I said, I always knew you were a rat so it didn't come as a surprise anymore. In fact, I understand where you're coming from.”
”What do you mean?”
”You came to this place and your soul put into the body of a famous general who recently died in battle. You pretended to be him like you always did when you're playing a part in one of your movies. But the reality was too much. It was not make believe but the real shit. Worse, those two shit-faced brothers started to suspect you.
”You fought a battle that the real General Chen would have won even when he's asleep but you lost and lost badly at that. You showed your fear, probably behaved like your normal self and ran away to hide and when they confronted you, you caved.”
”I didn't cave. I merely explained to them that I was an actor and I didn't know what happened but I seemed to have become this awesome General Chen they worshiped,” Du Lu tried to explain.
”Min Ling and Min Song went there to assassinate you originally but when you confessed and explained what happened,” An Ning smiled, ”they changed their minds and decided to use you instead. Then that thing with the tank happened and you heard about it. Immediately, you thought of me. Who else can whip out a thing like that except dear old pal ex-wife of my best friend, An Ning?”
”It was an accident. They told me about it and my tongue slipped. Then I had no choice but to tell them about you.”
”You told them about your past relationship to me and my ex-husband. Of course, they were delighted. Their sister just assassinated the emperor on his wedding night and now they get to do it again on his widow, who should have died when they pulled the same trick on her six months ago.”
”An Ning...”
”I only have one question which has been bugging me and I need an answer now.”