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A few days later, Guo Si was donning his armor, preparing to attend a banquet at Li Jue's residence. His wife hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, her expression filled with urgency and concern. "General, Li Jue is ruthless and cunning. If he has ill intentions, this banquet could spell disaster. I implore you to think twice!"
Guo Si waved his hand impatiently, a hint of mockery in his tone. "You, a woman, should not be so gullible! Li Jue and I share power in the court; how could he be so foolish as to harm me?"
His wife gritted her teeth, lowering her voice and speaking firmly. "You may dismiss my words as mere chatter, but do not forget that this is a perilous moment! You two are now equals in power; how could Li Jue tolerate your presence? I advise you to remain vigilant and not give him any opportunity."
Guo Si's anger flared, and he shouted, "Do you really doubt the bond of brotherhood between us?"
She looked at him coldly, her tone steady. "I do not doubt you, General; I doubt human nature! If you insist on attending the banquet, I will not stop you, but please remember that everything I do is for your safety."
With a cold snort, Guo Si pushed past her and left the house, leaving her standing there with a glint of determination in her eyes.
That night, Li Jue indeed sent over a lavish feast, replete with fine wines and delicacies that filled the air with enticing aromas. Guo Si gazed at the spread before him, feeling somewhat reassured. He lifted his cup to drink but was stopped by his wife.
"The food comes from outside; how can we consume it without scrutiny?" she said calmly, though her gaze held an undeniable firmness.
Guo Si frowned, about to scold her when she suddenly turned around and swiftly took a dish from the table. With poison hidden in her sleeve, she discreetly sprinkled it into the food without changing her expression. Then she held the dish up to Guo Si and said, "If you do not believe my words, you may taste it first."
Seeing his wife's calm demeanor made Guo Si uncertain as he asked, "What are you doing?"
"If you have no fear, let this dish pass your lips first; it will also ease my mind." After saying this, she placed the dish in front of their dog and gestured for it to eat.
Moments later, the dog suddenly whimpered a few times before convulsing and collapsing lifelessly on the ground. Guo Si was stunned, his face turning pale as he dropped his wine cup on the floor. "This... how is this possible?"
His wife let out a cold laugh as she removed the poisoned dish from the table. "If I had not been cautious, this poison would have already entered your stomach! Do you still trust Li Jue?"
Guo Si clenched his fists, his expression dark as he stared at the banquet before him, anger and dread swirling within him. He suddenly swept his hand across the table, knocking over the wine cups as liquid splashed everywhere. Through gritted teeth he muttered, "Li Jue... what a scheme!"
From that moment on, Guo Si harbored an additional layer of wariness towards Li Jue; their relationship grew increasingly distant and the rift between them deepened.
One day after court adjourned, Li Jue approached Guo Si with a broad smile as he prepared to return home. "Brother Guo," he said warmly, "why not come to my humble abode tonight? It has been too long since we last shared a drink together."
Guo Si was slightly taken aback, but seeing Li Jue's sincere attitude, he did not refuse and smiled, saying, "Since that's the case, I shall not impose."
That night, the Li Jue residence was brightly lit, with a banquet full of delicacies. Li Jue personally poured drinks and frequently urged him to drink, saying, "Brother Guo, you must drink until you're drunk. Come, let's have another toast!"
Guo Si took the cup with a smile, completely unaware of anything amiss, and downed the drink in one go. Before long, he began to show signs of intoxication, his steps becoming somewhat unsteady. Li Jue laughed and patted him on the shoulder, personally seeing him to the door. "Take care on your way home, Brother Guo. Let's gather again another day."
Stumbling back to his residence, Guo Si suddenly furrowed his brow as he crossed the threshold of the hall. He clutched his abdomen and his face turned pale in an instant. He collapsed into a chair, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. "Oh no... why does my stomach hurt so badly?"
His wife rushed forward to support him, her expression filled with panic. "Has the general been poisoned?" She quickly instructed a maid to fetch some foul-smelling concoction and held Guo Si's head back to force it into his mouth. Soon after, Guo Si leaned against the table and violently retched, expelling a large amount of filth as the pain in his abdomen gradually eased.
His wife's face was ashen as she tightly grasped Guo Si's hand, her voice filled with anger and concern. "General, this poison must have been administered by Li Jue! He harbors murderous intent against you; if we do not take precautions now, the consequences will be dire!"
Wiping away the cold sweat from his lips, Guo Si's eyes blazed with fury as he slammed his fist onto the table. "What a treacherous Li Jue! I share governance of state affairs with him, yet he dares to lay such poison upon me! If I do not strike first, I will surely die at his hands in the future!"
He immediately ordered a mobilization of troops and gathered armor and weapons in preparation for an attack.
***
However, Guo Si's actions had already been detected by Li Jue's spies. Upon receiving the news, Li Jue flew into a rage, shattering the wine cup in his hand as he bellowed, "Guo Si dares to rebel against me! He is courting death!"
Li Jue promptly summoned his subordinates, assembled his troops, and personally led them straight to Guo Si's mansion. Clad in armor and mounted on horseback, he commanded with a cold glint in his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Today we shall eliminate this man and eradicate future troubles!"
The two armies met within the city; blades clashed and flames erupted. The streets echoed with cries of battle as swords clanged together while residents fled in panic, plunging the city into chaos. Guo Si's forces attempted to hold their ground, but Li Jue's assault was fierce; their enmity finally erupted into bloody combat amidst cries of despair throughout the city.
As night deepened, the sounds of slaughter continued unabated in Luoyang City while chaos reigned within the palace grounds. Li Jue's nephew Li Xian was ordered to surround the palace with troops; soldiers wielding torches illuminated the blood-red gates before them.
"Hurry! Bring out the Emperor and the Empress!" Li Xian shouted sharply as soldiers stormed into the palace and dragged out Han Xian Di and Consort Fu from their inner chambers where they were still packing their belongings.
Two simple horse-drawn carriages awaited outside the palace gates—one carrying Emperor Xian and the other Consort Fu. Jia Xu and Zuo Ling stood by with swords drawn, their expressions icy as they oversaw the procession. The palace attendants and maids were thrown into disarray, their cries merging into a chorus of despair as countless people were forced to follow behind on foot.
"Move quickly! Don't dawdle!" A soldier swung his sword to drive them forward while the attendants stumbled along closely behind, terrified of being left behind.
As the royal carriage approached the rear gate, a sudden cacophony of battle cries erupted from all directions, and Guo Si's army surged like a tide. Arrows rained down, striking among the palace attendants, whose screams filled the air. The maidens shrieked in terror, fleeing in all directions, many collapsing to the ground, blood flowing freely.
"Protect the carriage!" Li Xian shouted, wielding his spear to fend off several approaching enemies. The armored guards surrounding the emperor and empress formed a tight circle, preventing anyone from getting close.
In the chaos of battle, Li Jue's personal guards rushed in from the rear, quickly joining the fray. He bellowed, "Annihilate Guo Si's traitors!" His guards charged into the enemy ranks like tigers descending a mountain, immediately suppressing Guo Si's forces. Blood splattered everywhere as shouts echoed loudly; Guo Si's army was forced to retreat temporarily, leaving behind a field strewn with corpses and broken weapons.
Seizing the brief lull in the fighting, the royal carriage hurriedly exited the city under the protection of soldiers, heading towards Li Jue's camp. The carriage jolted violently as Emperor Xian gripped the curtain tightly, his face pale. Consort Fu huddled in a corner, tears brimming in her eyes as she trembled uncontrollably.
***
When Guo Si learned that Li Jue had taken the emperor hostage, his fury ignited. He led his troops into the palace, which was already deserted; only a few trembling maids and attendants remained in the corners. Guo Si sneered coldly, "Since the emperor is not here, let’s take everything from this palace!"
His soldiers surged in, forcibly dragging away the maidens and concubines amidst shoving and chaos back to their camp. The treasures of gold and silver within the palace were looted clean. Torches were thrown into the palace, and flames quickly engulfed the grand structure, black smoke billowing into the sky.
The next morning, Guo Si received a report from his scouts: "Li Jue has taken the emperor into his camp." His eyes widened with rage as he slammed his hand on the table and declared, "This thief has stolen my achievement; how can I let this go unpunished!"
He immediately summoned his troops and assembled his armored soldiers for an assault on Li Jue's camp. The two armies clashed fiercely before the encampment, swords and spears clashing as blood stained the battlefield.
Inside the camp, Emperor Xian and Consort Fu huddled together behind a curtain, listening to the sounds of battle outside with fear etched on their faces. Consort Fu wept bitterly, "Your Majesty, if this war does not cease, we may not escape unharmed..."
Emperor Xian's face was ashen as he trembled while holding Consort Fu's hand; despair and sorrow filled his eyes. He whispered softly, "I am powerless to bring peace to this realm and even more powerless to protect you..."
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