Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Hu Bugui kicked the door open, but the scene in front of him surprised him: the emperor was not in the room!

Before he could react, a sharp alarm sounded through the night sky, breaking the tranquility of the palace. Then, countless torches lit up, illuminating the originally dark palace as bright as day.

"Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!" Hu Bugui said to himself and ran out pulling Wu Tao.

However, it was too late.

A large number of soldiers armed with swords emerged from each exit of the palace. They were wearing uniform black armor and had stern faces. It was obvious that they came prepared.

"Quick, catch the rebels and kill them without mercy!" the leading official shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hu Bugui protected Wu Tao, fighting and retreating. His swordsmanship was sharp and his moves were deadly, but the enemy had more people and they kept coming forward and soon surrounded him.

Wu Tao hid behind Hu Bugui, feeling extremely anxious. Although she didn't know martial arts, she knew that the situation was extremely critical.

"What should we do? Are we really going to die here today?" Wu Tao grabbed Hu Bugui's sleeve tightly, his voice trembling.

Hu Bugui did not speak, but waved his sword even harder, his eyes were firm, without the slightest fear. He knew that in today's battle, it would be either you or me, there would be absolutely no third possibility.

Amidst the flashing swords and shadows, Hu Bugui's physical strength gradually ran out, and beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead. On the other hand, the soldiers, like tireless machines, attacked more and more fiercely.

Wu Tao was extremely anxious, but she had no idea what to do. She knew that she would only become a burden to Hu Bugui, so she could only try not to distract him.

At this moment, a soldier seized the opportunity and swung his knife at Hu Bugui. Hu Bugui was unable to dodge and was about to be stabbed. Wu Tao rushed forward without thinking.

"No!" Hu Bugui's eyes were red with anger, but he was powerless to stop it.

It happened so quickly that a feather arrow flew through the air and accurately hit the soldier's wrist. The blade deviated from its direction and only left a shallow bloody mark on Hu Bugui's arm.

Immediately afterwards, shouts of killing came from all directions, and a group of soldiers in silver armor quickly joined the battle like gods descending from the sky.

"It's the Royal Guards! We are saved!" Wu Tao shouted in surprise.

The leader was none other than the court official who had had secret talks with Hu Bugui outside the imperial study. Holding a long sword and with a sharp gaze, he commanded the imperial guards to engage in a desperate fight with the black-clad soldiers.

The situation reversed in an instant, and Hu Bugui's pressure suddenly decreased. He took the opportunity to pull Wu Tao to break out.

"Hurry up!" Hu Bugui pulled Wu Tao and shuttled through the swords and shadows.

The two stumbled all the way and finally escaped from the encirclement. However, when they looked back, they found that the emperor had been taken away by the black-clad soldiers.

Hu Bugui grabbed Wu Tao, and with a tap of his toes, the two flew onto the roof. The night was dark, submerging their figures in darkness. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the empty streets, and the sound of the pursuers was getting closer and closer.

They climbed over the wall of a secluded courtyard and hid in a woodshed. Hu Bugui closed the door with his backhand and protected Wu Tao behind him. His chest rose and fell violently, obviously consuming a lot of energy.

"We...are we going to escape like this?" Wu Tao panted, her tone full of worry and self-blame, "What should we do, Your Majesty? It's all my fault. I've implicated you."

Hu Bugui held her hand and comforted her softly, "It's not your fault. It's my fault that I didn't protect you well." His voice was low and hoarse, revealing a hint of fatigue.

Wu Tao shook her head, her eyes reddened, "But what should we do now? If the emperor falls into their hands, I'm afraid he will be in great danger."

"No, the emperor is blessed by heaven." Although Hu Bugui said this, he knew in his heart that things were far from simple. Those people were scheming, and this operation must have been carefully planned. It would be extremely difficult to rescue the emperor.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death." Wu Tao bit her lip, thinking quickly about countermeasures in her mind, "Those people may be numerous and powerful, but they may not be united internally. We can take advantage of their contradictions and divide their forces."

Hu Bugui's eyes lit up, and he looked at Wu Tao with admiration, "You are right, I was negligent. Tell me what you think."

Wu Tao took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "I noticed that although those men in black obeyed the command of that official, there was a hint of disdain and disobedience in their eyes. If I am not mistaken, they should be from different forces and have only temporarily united to deal with the emperor. As long as we find their weaknesses, we can defeat them one by one."

Hu Bugui agreed with Wu Tao's plan, and the two decided to start by gathering information. They acted separately. Wu Tao, relying on his familiarity with the streets and alleys of the capital, mingled in teahouses and taverns, trying to find clues from rumors in the market. Hu Bugui used his former connections to secretly contact some reliable old subordinates, hoping to get some inside information.

However, after a few days, their investigation made no progress. Those opposition officials seemed to have been prepared and strengthened their vigilance. They stayed at home and rarely went out. The mansions were heavily guarded, leaving almost no opportunity for them to take advantage of. Most of the rumors Wu Tao heard were groundless and difficult to distinguish between true and false, which did not help her and Hu Bugui's plan at all.

That evening, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui met in a hidden teahouse outside the city to exchange the news they had gathered in the past few days. The two sat opposite each other, brows drooping, and the tea in front of them seemed to have lost its flavor.

Wu Tao sighed and put down the crude tea bowl in his hand. "There is no progress at all. Those people are like turtles hiding their heads. I can't find any flaws at all."

Hu Bugui's brows were furrowed, his eyes full of worry. "I contacted several old subordinates, but they couldn't get any useful information. It seems that our opponents are well prepared this time, so we should not underestimate them."

"Are we just going to watch His Majesty fall into their hands and be unable to do anything about it?" Wu Tao frowned, with a hint of unwillingness in her tone.

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, trying to give her some strength, "Taotao, don't worry, we will definitely find a way."

"But time waits for no one!" Wu Tao was anxious. "Your Majesty has been under house arrest for so long, and I don't know what the situation is. What if..."

She didn't say anything more, but Hu Bugui understood what she had left to say. If the emperor met with an accident, the entire Tang Dynasty would fall into chaos. And he and Wu Tao, as the central figures in this storm, could not escape the connection.

"There must be a way, there must be a way..." Hu Bugui murmured to himself, as if he was convincing himself, or as if he was comforting Wu Tao.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid horse hooves broke the silence of the teahouse. The two looked up and saw a soldier covered in blood riding a fast horse, galloping towards them.

"Oh no! It's a secret code from the palace!" Hu Bugui's face changed and he stood up suddenly.

Before Wu Tao could react, the soldier had already rushed in front of them, dismounted from his horse, knelt on one knee, and said in a hurried and anxious tone, "Your Highness, this is bad! Something happened in the palace!"