บท 21: Rebellion
บรรณาธิการ: EndlessFantasy Translation
She muttered under her breath, "Be good, my son. Father is ending the battle soon. Once the rebellion is quashed, he'll return to spend time with you.
"You have to be a man soon, my son, then you'll be able to relieve his burden. See all the monotonous, daily tasks he has to do, it's so taxing he didn't even have time to spend with you.
"He's fighting gloriously on the battlefield now. He promised that he'd return right after he defeats the rebels."
Wu Ning looked at his mother and knew that she didn't want to accept reality. Yet, it wasn't safe if they remained.
Thus, Wu Ning's tiny hand gently flicked and a burst of energy flew out, heading straight for the doors.
Crack!
The door latch snapped, and the people outside quickly rushed in, wanting to take the imperial consort and the little prince away.
The imperial consort struggled violently, reluctant to leave. One of the guards said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'll seek atonement for my misgivings when we get to safety."
As he spoke, he hit the imperial consort in the back of her head with his hand. The imperial consort instantly passed out. He then carried the imperial consort on his back and hurried to the back of the palace, followed closely by a palace maid who was carrying the little prince.
Before they came, the emperor had ordered for the imperial consort and her son to escape via a secret tunnel, if the situation turned awry. The secret tunnel was located right in the imperial consort's living quarters.
Following what the emperor told them, they pushed the cabinet away, and immediately the entrance to the secret passage appeared. They hurried in. With the rebels closing in, there wasn't much time left.
The last person to leave returned the cabinet to its original position as to not reveal their positions. This would help buy some crucial time for their escape.
It took them around four hours to reach the end of the passage. There were plenty of junctions and crossroads in the passage, all to confuse any incoming enemies and slow their pursuit.
Following the map given by the emperor, they reached the end of the passage soon enough. They opened the hatch and a guard hurriedly exited to check if the coast was clear. He realized they were now on the other side of the city walls and there was no sight of rebels.
The guard hurriedly pulled the rest through the exit. Although the rebels were confused at first, it wouldn't be long until they realized the disappearance of the imperial consort and the little prince. Then, a mass search would commence.
Therefore, it was of importance that the imperial consort and the little prince were hidden in a safe location. Their mission was to take care of the imperial consort and the little prince and ensure their safety.
Over at the Imperial Palace, it wasn't long before the rebels discovered the secret passage. The leader of the rebels, King Yan, immediately ordered his men to start their pursuit. They were ordered to capture the imperial consort and the little prince, dead or alive.
There were many rebel soldiers. Even with the numerous dead-ends, crossroads, and junctions in the secret passage, they manage to find the exit soon.
The imperial consort woke up not long after exiting the secret passage. The guard knelt in front of her. "I've hurt you, Your Highness. Please punish me as you wish!"
The imperial consort slowly shook her head. "I don't blame you. I was momentarily blinded by my passion. Fortunately, you were there to rescue us, otherwise, I'd be guilty of killing off the last bloodline of the emperor. How can I ever face His Majesty again?"
"It was only because you loved His Majesty and decided against leaving. However, with the kingdom in chaos, please take care of yourself and his little highness too." The guard comforted.
The imperial consort nodded and they immediately resumed their escape.
Their pursuers followed the trail left behind by the refugees and caught onto them not long after.
The imperial consort and her people were forced to the edge of the cliff. As the rebels pressed on, they had nowhere else to go.
Wu Ning was carried by the imperial consort in her arms. With a twinkle of his eye, two attacks of God-Slaying Technique came crashing down on the rebels.
Their souls were hit by the attack and they rolled around, wailing in agony. It wasn't long before their voices faded. The guard went forward to check on the rebels only to find corpses lying around on the ground.
The imperial consort thought that it was God's blessing and quickly knelt, thanking God for His miracle. The rest of the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards followed suit, thanking God for saving their lives.
Under Wu Ning's protection, they fled to a remote village and settled down.
When the guard went out to purchase supplies, he heard that the Imperial City was invaded by the rebels. The emperor, together with his men, tried to defend the city in vain. He killed himself the moment the gates came crashing down.
The imperial consort cried for days when she heard the news. However, looking at Wu Ning lying in the cradle, she decided then and there that she would be strong and give her son all the guidance he'd need so that he'd one day take back what was lost.
A few years passed in the blink of an eye. In the morning, Wu Ning trained with the guard, following his movements while the imperial consort taught him to read at night.
That morning, while Wu Ning was busy practicing with the guard, the imperial consort entered to see her son hard at work. She smiled in contentment.
All these years, Wu Ning was an obedient kid. He was hard working and never angered the imperial consort. Not only that, he woke up early every day to train, to everyone else's contentment.
Everyone imagined that one day, the little prince would lead them back to the Imperial City.
Looking at the little prince practicing his moves, they knew that the time would come soon.
Time flew by. Seven years later, Wu Ning was already ten years old. Under the guidance of the imperial consort, he became an educated boy. With the training given by the guard, his martial arts skills improved tremendously.
On the day of Wu Ning's tenth birthday, the imperial consort called everyone over and cooked up a feast. After living the life of the commoner for years, the imperial consort was no longer the exquisite royal she used to be.
Now, she was proficient in farming, growing vegetables, washing clothes, and cooking. In the past, when she was in the imperial palace, she had dozens of palace maids and eunuchs at her beck and call. The moment she left the Imperial City, her identity as the imperial consort was no longer existent.
Although former palace maids and eunuchs lived with her, the imperial consort lived like a commoner, just like everybody else.
She worked with everybody else, beginning her day at the crack of dawn. As with everybody's wishes, her only hope was to properly educate the little prince—the last descendant of the former emperor.
Everyone gathered around the table, enjoying the feast. The imperial consort sat among them as if she was no different than the others. One wouldn't know that she was a royal and lived a lavish life once.
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