Hearing Xie Yanlai speak this way, the Imperial Guards’ expressions showed shock and their faces turned even paler, but no one voiced any objections.

If it weren’t for Xie Yanlai, they would all be corpses by now.

The incident had happened very suddenly. They had been at the city gate for shift change, and facing the Imperial Guards walking toward them, they were just about to step forward as was customary when Xie Yanlai suddenly stopped them.

“Who’s leading the shift today?” Xie Yanlai demanded sharply.

The Imperial Guards over there were clearly startled, then scolded, “Why are you asking so many questions!”

As soon as their words fell, Xie Yanlai shouted: “Traitors, accept your death!”

With these words, his hand pressed on his long saber.

The Imperial Guards were startled. What was Xie Yanlai doing?

Getting into arguments with others and coming to blows was common enough, especially these past few days. Previously, although they looked down on Xie Yanlai, they were wary of him being a son of the Xie family, so everyone was polite on the surface. But ever since Xie Yanlai was publicly whipped by his family on the street, everyone’s attitude toward him became undisguised contempt.

They even sneered at him to his face.

Xie Yanlai’s injuries hadn’t healed, yet he remained combative. These past two days he’d gotten into shoving matches with people almost daily.

But drawing a blade was different—that meant taking a life! When the villagers of Handan Commandery’s mountain village lost their lives, young master Xie could remain completely unscathed, but if an Imperial City Guard was killed, that wasn’t something the Xie family head could settle with just a beating and scolding.

Although they didn’t particularly like Xie Yanlai either, if someone died everyone would be in trouble. The Imperial Guards hurried forward to restrain Xie Yanlai, but before they could extend their hands, they saw the Imperial Guards coming for shift change on the opposite side rattling and clanging as they all drew their sabers—

The Imperial Guards froze. It shouldn’t have come to this, right? Why was everyone so impulsive tonight? Xie Yanlai hadn’t even drawn his saber yet, and the other side had already drawn theirs?

They too were going all out?

This side froze, and the Imperial Guards on that side also seemed to freeze. The atmosphere became somewhat eerie.

“You—” The Imperial Guards beside Xie Yanlai also began to sense something was wrong. They didn’t advance further but asked instead.

But before he finished his question, the Imperial Guards opposite realized they were exposed and simply stopped pretending.

“Kill them,” the leader shouted.

The slaughter began just like that.

The casualties were still severe. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, half the Imperial Guards had become enemies.

Because of Xie Yanlai’s intervention and his bluff, the other side was exposed early, giving them a chance to retreat and raise the alarm. They ultimately succeeded in retreating back to the city tower.

Standing on the tall city tower, they could see that the entire capital had descended into slaughter, with firelight everywhere.

What was happening? How had it suddenly come to this?

“The Crown Prince—has something really happened to him?” one Imperial Guard murmured.

Earlier during the fighting, the other side had shouted many terrifying things, such as the Crown Prince was dead, the Yang and Xie families had rebelled, the Third Prince was punishing treachery and eliminating evil, protecting His Majesty, surrender immediately or all would be traitors—

Those jumbled words that followed, they all lived in the capital and could dismiss, but the key point was the beginning: the Crown Prince was dead.

Everyone knew there were undercurrents surging between the Crown Prince and Third Prince, but they truly hadn’t thought the Third Prince would actually make a move, that the Crown Prince would actually die.

The people’s expressions were somewhat dazed.

“I don’t know,” Xie Yanlai said, glancing at the people around him. “Do you want to surrender now?”

If the Crown Prince was dead, only the Third Prince remained, and in the future the Third Prince would be—

The Imperial Guards’ expressions became somewhat complicated.

“Kill me, this Xie family son, and it could even count as a merit,” Xie Yanlai continued, his gaze sweeping around.

Under the illumination of torches, the youth covered in blood and gripping a saber radiated murderous intent. Seeing his gaze, everyone involuntarily looked away.

Earlier, it wasn’t that no one had thought this way. Some had even tried it, sneaking up behind Xie Yanlai to attack him while he was engaged in battle, but Xie Yanlai had killed them with a backhand strike.

Once, twice, three times—no one dared try it anymore.

They had always known this Xie family son was violent and fierce, but today they truly witnessed just how fierce he was.

“I advise everyone not to do this,” Xie Yanlai said. “First, I don’t want to die, so killing me won’t be that easy. Second, even if you kill me, you won’t have a good ending.”

Won’t have a good ending? The Imperial Guards raised their heads again, exchanging glances, somewhat puzzled.

The youth leaped up onto the battlement, his back to everyone, twirling his saber in his hand.

“Don’t forget, everyone’s identity is Imperial Guard—Guards who protect the Imperial City and forbidden palace for His Majesty. If the Emperor hasn’t given the word and you defect to someone else, letting them into the city, what good ending can you have?” he said, turning his head slightly to look at everyone. Under the torchlight, his phoenix eyes sneered coldly. “The Emperor won’t spare you, and the future ruler won’t employ people like you either.”

Everyone’s expressions shifted. They were the guards closest to imperial power, so naturally they knew best the nature of those in high positions.

“Yanlai is right!” One Imperial Guard stepped forward and declared loudly, “We are Imperial City Guards. Our duty is to guard the Imperial City. No matter who it is, even if it’s the Crown Prince, if they dare lead troops to invade, they’re traitors. Without His Majesty’s command, we will defend the Imperial City to the death.”

Following his shout, more Imperial Guards stepped forward, voicing their agreement one after another.

“Yanlai is right.” “Stop thinking about getting Yanlai killed—think about who’s trying to get us killed instead.”

For a moment, morale surged like a rainbow, sweeping away their earlier confusion. Everyone looked at the youth with the saber standing on the battlement.

“Yanlai, we’ll all listen to you.”

Xie Yanlai paid no attention to the clamor behind him, gripping his saber as he watched outside the city wall. “No need to listen to me. Everyone just fulfill your duties faithfully—that’s enough. As for the outcome, we do our best and leave the rest to fate.”

The Imperial Guard who had led the earlier declaration waved his hand: “Fulfill our duties faithfully—even if we die, our families won’t be implicated. Everyone spread out and guard the city walls well.”

The Imperial Guards responded in unison and dispersed without hesitation.

Only a few Imperial Guards remained here, and they called out to Xie Yanlai again.

“Yanlai, don’t worry. Things have come to this point—everyone’s fighting desperately now. No one will think about trading you for merit anymore.”

Someone else said fiercely: “If anyone dares to do that, I’ll be the first to cut him down. You saved my life, Yanlai. If you hadn’t taken that blade for me, I’d already be meeting the King of Hell.”

Regarding such declarations of loyalty, Xie Yanlai remained unmoved, saying indifferently: “We’ve already fought this far—might as well hold out for a result.”

The men nodded. One said: “Yanlai, earlier there was news that a group of people seemed to come out from the inner palace.”

Xie Yanlai looked toward the inner palace. The lanterns seemed to flicker, yet it also seemed pitch black—nothing could be seen clearly.

“Did they come this way?” he asked.

That Imperial Guard shook his head: “No, don’t know what they’re doing.” He couldn’t help stepping forward. “Yanlai, should we go take a look and ask?”

Xie Yanlai sneered: “No need. They don’t care, so we don’t care either. Let’s all just wait like this.”

The Imperial Guards agreed.

Xie Yanlai said nothing more. Wait then—he didn’t care not only about the current situation, but about the outcome as well.

No matter what the outcome, he had no good ending.

If the Third Prince won, the Xie family was finished, and he was finished too. If Xie Yanfang won, he would still be just a dog in the Xie family household.

Xie Yanlai withdrew his gaze to look outside the city. The slaughter and chaotic fighting outside continued. How was that girl?

She had been determined to leave the capital, yet never managed to fulfill this wish, and now was caught up in this chaos.

Was she hating him now, blaming him for not sending her letter earlier, for not letting her father take her away?

Thinking of this, Xie Yanlai couldn’t help but smile slightly, his hanging hand tightening its grip on the saber.

Chu Zhao, you’d better stay alive. If she could survive this time, he would immediately send her letter for her.

If—if he too survived this time.