Gong Yin traveled through the night wind.

The route he took was the necessary path from the arena to the princess’s residence. Ge Lian’s mansion was very close to Ge Shao’s home, but Ge Lian’s residence showed no lights, clearly she had not yet returned.

She would not be coming back tonight.

Gong Yin did not linger either, continuing forward. As he walked, white shadows constantly flickered at street corners, roadsides, and under trees, silently accompanying him for a stretch.

“Lotus and Peony blocked a woman’s path on West Market Street, dragged her into a carriage, and soon turned around, heading west out of the city.”

Gong Yin nodded and said, “Grade B.”

“Why Grade B!” the messenger protested indignantly. “I clearly investigated very thoroughly!”

“Who was that woman? What happened after she entered the carriage? West of the city? Which location in the west? Where was she most likely taken? Did Lotus and Peony’s guards disperse or gather? Without any of this information, if it were Spider Web agents, forget Grade B – they’d request to withdraw themselves first.”

“How can those commoner children of Spider Web compare to our noble Dragon family…”

“Only the useful are noble. Meticulousness breeds survival. Want to bet whether the meticulous commoner Spider Web or the lazy noble Dragon family lives longer?”

“…”

The proud Dragon family disciples could not resist their cold family head and had to return to gather more detailed information, or else they would have to wash their companions’ underwear for a month when they got back.

Gong Yin’s method of training family disciples was simple: grade and score every task, implement elimination of the lowest performers. Those eliminated would not be killed or disabled, but would be exiled to a certain department for a period without a penny, returning to the team when their time was up.

The miserable state of those who returned would make all the self-important Dragon family disciples who knew nothing of worldly hardships tuck their tails between their legs and work diligently.

The Dragon family had been isolated too long, yet could no longer continue being isolated. Returning to the world of rivers and lakes required an adaptation period, and Gong Yin’s methods were the whip that spurred them to quickly integrate into the mortal world.

Wandering the martial world brought more dangers, but also more opportunities. Gong Yin did not expect to necessarily revive the Dragon family’s glory, but he hoped that if he could not live long, at least they could.

Reports kept coming in continuously.

“They should be heading toward the Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office.”

“There seems to have been a struggle inside the carriage.”

“Lotus and Peony wanted to kill and silence the witness. Following your instructions, we tripped one of the carriage horse’s legs. The carriage has now tilted to one side and stopped.”

When this message arrived, Gong Yin had already spotted the overturned carriage by the roadside. Ji Wen was leaping out, but seemed to be held back by someone behind her.

Gong Yin raised his hand and threw out the second bloodstained wall he carried.

“Boom!” The three-foot square wall crashed into the carriage roof, smashing through it as it fell. Fortunately, it was caught by the four corners and did not crush the two sisters’ heads, instead hanging dangerously above them.

Ge Lian and Ge Shao cried out in alarm, no longer caring about killing Ji Wen to silence her. Ji Wen scrambled and rolled to escape, and just as she rolled off the carriage, someone grabbed her and pulled her into the roadside bushes.

The person who grabbed her introduced himself concisely: “My surname is Long.” Then he said nothing more, as if feeling that mentioning this surname should be sufficient for the whole world to understand.

Ji Wen naturally did not understand, but this did not prevent her from smiling gratefully at him. He initially intended to ignore her, but suddenly remembered his family head’s admonition that when wandering the world, one must understand how to show goodwill, so he looked down kindly and suddenly noticed something: “Your belt is loose.” He kindly reached over to help Ji Wen fasten it.

Ji Wen looked down and blushed to her ears, instinctively slapping away that wandering hand. The Dragon family fellow was stunned and said, “Don’t need help? Then let’s return it to how it was.” He casually pulled, loosening Ji Wen’s belt again.

Ji Wen: “…”

Over there, when the Ge sisters’ carriage crashed to a stop, the guards rushed over to check. Suddenly a wind passed by, extinguishing all the lantern flames in the guards’ hands. For a moment, everyone was plunged into darkness and involuntarily collided with each other.

The Ge sisters in the carriage reacted quickly, immediately drawing their swords and dodging apart. Ge Lian retreated too quickly and hit the carriage wall, feeling her body shake as if a slight breeze passed by, carrying a faint bone-chilling coolness.

She immediately turned alertly toward the window. The window had been half-open, with a bit of starlight and moonlight filtering in. There were no extra figures, only Ge Shao’s eyes across from her, suddenly burning bright as a wolf’s.

Ge Shao had also retreated to the other side of the carriage when something seemed to bounce on the ground and hit her toe. She instinctively bent down to feel for it, finding a round object with an uneven surface.

Ge Shao’s heart pounded wildly – the treasure box!

The collision and retreat had caused the treasure box to roll out from Ge Lian’s sleeve!

Ge Shao hesitated for an instant: pick it up or not?

If she picked it up, how could her sister not notice?

If she didn’t pick it up, how could she bear to miss such an opportunity?

Just moments ago, she had argued with her sister, unwilling to take such risks. The timing was too hasty, preparations insufficient. Acting rashly would be unlikely to succeed.

Most crucially, it was her sister who had obtained the treasure box. If they succeeded in the future, it would be her sister who controlled power. What did it have to do with her? Why should she risk execution to make wedding clothes for another?

But now, it was different.

The conflicted thoughts lasted only an instant. Her mind still hesitated, but her fingers had already automatically picked up the treasure box and tucked it into her sleeve.

Just this one action left her covered in cold sweat. She raised her head, her eyes shining brightly.

Ge Lian saw her eyes suddenly become ten thousand times more brilliant and instinctively felt her sleeve, touching the outline of a hard object, relaxing slightly.

She dared not take out the treasure box to examine it in front of Ge Shao, always feeling that she might pounce at any moment to snatch it.

The carriage had stopped shaking, and the guards had relit their lanterns and gathered around. Darkness retreated and light returned. Both women breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away their sweat, only then noticing the bloodstained wall.

The side with the blood characters faced Ge Lian directly. At first glance, she jumped in shock and called loudly, “Bring the lantern!”

The lantern was handed in. Ge Lian examined the wall up and down, gasped in cold shock, and murmured, “How ruthless.”

“What’s wrong?” Ge Shao saw the other wordless side and asked in puzzlement.

“Come over and look.”

Ge Shao also noticed the lotus flower beneath the blood characters. After thinking about it, she understood what was happening and exclaimed, “The Crown Prince left a clue? Did the King discover it? Who sent this wall? What does it mean?”

“Ge Heng could never have left such a clue!” Ge Lian declared decisively. “A dying person in that position – even if he could draw a lotus flower, the lines would inevitably be messy and hard to recognize. This lotus flower appears lightly carved but has clear petals, with even the gradual weakening of brush strength controlled exquisitely and precisely. The artistic skill is exceptional. Ge Heng was never good at drawing! Much less adding a grass radical next to it to solidify the evidence – this is a frame-up! A frame-up!”

Her voice was angry, clearly the first time she had encountered someone who could frame her in return, her eyes full of disbelief.

“A frame-up!” Ge Shao nodded repeatedly, thinking coldly in her heart.

As if you weren’t the murderer.

“Since the wall is here, that means the King doesn’t have it. The other party sent it to hint at negotiation – they want money, right?” Ge Shao speculated.

“Dream on.” Ge Lian snorted coldly. “This isn’t about negotiation – it’s a warning and threat. This wall can be faked once, it can be faked a second time! If I’m not mistaken, right now the King has an identical one!”

“Then what do we do?” Ge Shao was shocked and pale.

“Nothing to do!” Ge Lian gritted her teeth. “After all, it’s actually a good thing! We’ve already been forced to the cliff’s edge, no need to hesitate anymore. Let’s do it!”

“Do it!” Contrary to Ge Lian’s expectations, this time Ge Shao agreed particularly readily, declaring decisively, “Not only must we do it, we must do it with lightning speed. To save time, you and I had better act separately. You go to the Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office, I’ll go to the Capital Guard. On the way, we’ll urgently send messages to our people, gather our forces, and directly surround the royal palace. Right now, half the military forces that can be mobilized in the capital are at the Eastern Palace, and most of the rest are in our hands. If not now, when?”

“On what grounds do we surround the royal palace?” Ge Lian narrowed her eyes.

“Naturally to eliminate the demon consort and save our lord.” Ge Shao was already confident, grinning, “Consort Li’s son is three years old, the King’s youngest child, much beloved by the King. It was fine when Ge Heng was alive, but now that Ge Heng is dead, it’s normal for this woman to have some ideas, isn’t it? This woman has been domineering in the palace – her good days should come to an end!” By the end, she was gritting her teeth, unable to hide the savage hatred on her face.

Ge Lian glanced at her and smiled lightly. Whether Consort Li was domineering was a matter of perspective. After all, she had never harmed Ge Shao’s interests before. It was just that though Ge Shao seemed righteous and magnanimous, often saying “I’ve always been most reasonable!”, she was actually violently jealous at heart and could never bear to see others do better than her.

“Excellent.” She said. “Time is pressing, acting separately is indeed better. But your safety…”

“I’ll take half of my guards.” Ge Shao said readily.

“Good.” Ge Lian gently grasped her hand. “Sister, be very careful.”

“Elder sister must also be extremely careful. That assassin just now had unclear intentions – you must be on guard.” Ge Shao also tightly grasped Ge Lian’s hand.

“Younger sister,” Ge Lian’s eyes were brimming with tears, her voice seeming to choke up, “they say opportunity and risk go hand in hand. Tonight the greater the opportunity, the greater the risk. I really cannot bear for you to face danger alone. If something should happen…”

“Elder sister…” Ge Shao was also moved to speechlessness, saying tremblingly, “For elder sister’s great cause, younger sister would go through fire and water, die ten thousand deaths without regret, only hoping that after elder sister successfully seizes the throne, you won’t forget to support your younger sister.”

“If I become king, you shall be my equal, so that on this land of Dahuang, there will be a few more queens who command wind and clouds.” Ge Lian’s face was full of sincerity as she forcefully squeezed Ge Shao’s hand. “Younger sister, be careful!”

“Elder sister, take care!” Ge Shao released her hand. The two looked at each other with mutual reluctance, then Ge Shao resolutely turned and got off the carriage, gathered her guards, donned her cloak, mounted a fast horse, and departed separately.

As soon as she mounted her horse, she couldn’t help but shudder all over. The muscles that had been tense throughout her body finally relaxed slightly. Only now did she feel this dark night’s cold wind whistling through her spine, her back ice-cold, not knowing when it had become soaked with sweat.

She quietly wiped the sweat from her forehead, muttering quietly, “So close… almost thought she was going to strike… fortunately she didn’t notice…”

Not daring to delay further, she raised her whip and spurred her horse, shouting fiercely, “Go!”

The steed reared up and leaped forward three zhang, her cloak billowing in the darkness like a blade cutting through space.

The night was quiet, the sound of hooves on the bluestone pavement crisp.

Ge Shao suddenly felt something was wrong.

For safety, the two sisters had forty to fifty guards. Taking her share should mean twenty people. A cavalry team of twenty people galloping together should make very loud hoofbeats, so why did the hoofbeats now sound so sparse? As if… as if there were only a few riders?

She instinctively looked back.

At first glance, her heart and soul were shattered.

The horses had indeed charged out, but only she herself and a few others. More guards remained at the original location – some hadn’t moved at all, some watched indifferently, and others were held at knifepoint by those beside them.

Meanwhile, Ge Lian’s guards had all drawn their bows and nocked arrows, aimed at her back.

Ge Shao reacted quickly and desperately raised her whip.

“Release!”

Her good sister’s voice from the carriage was calm yet resolute. But Ge Shao could no longer hear it, nor dare think about anything. She just pressed low on her horse and desperately whipped it.

Flee! Flee! Flee!

Behind her were the pursuing messengers of death, soul-snatching demons – her seemingly gentle but supremely clever sister who had never lost to her!

Burning with anxiety, her heart filled with deep bitterness. She knew in her heart that at such close distance, on such a narrow road, with her back completely exposed, she could never escape her sister’s powerful crossbows. In a moment, she would die riddled with arrows like a porcupine…

This was the consequence of underestimating the enemy and greed…

She only regretted not killing Ge Lian, that bitch, in the carriage earlier!

“Swoosh!”

Fierce wind sounds like countless steel cables pierced through the air, reaching her from all directions in an instant. The next moment would be torn skin and flying flesh…

Suddenly, a white shadow seemed to flash before her eyes.

Then her body was suddenly spinning and flying upward, tumbling through the air. Light and shadow swirled chaotically, heaven and earth inverted. In the moment she flipped over, she clearly saw her horse also flying backward simultaneously, its massive body spinning in the air, blocking many arrows for her.

Just as her heart leaped with joy, she suddenly felt someone grab her back and thrust her forward forcefully.

“Chi chi” several sounds, piercing pain to the bone.

Ge Shao cried out softly and crashed to the ground. The treasure box in her bosom fell out, rolling far away. Several arrow wounds on her body gushed blood.

She opened her eyes in bewilderment, not understanding why that person had saved her only to push her into the arrow rain.

She vaguely heard Ge Lian’s voice laughing behind her: “Little sister, I told you to be careful, but you just wouldn’t listen. Tell me, you volunteered to help me subdue the army – why didn’t you ask for the Crown Prince’s seal to stamp a document as proof?”

Ge Shao’s heart grew cold.

Haste leads to mistakes.

Or rather, she should have realized that with her status, it would be impossible for her to mobilize troops. If she truly wanted to help Ge Lian, she should have at least asked for a transfer order stamped with the Crown Prince’s seal.

But at that time, having secretly obtained the treasure box, she feared Ge Lian would discover it. How could she dare ask Ge Lian to take out the treasure box for stamping?

She vaguely felt that all of this had actually been arranged by someone. From the moment the treasure box rolled to her feet, all subsequent reactions and changes had been calculated.

No, from the moment that bloodstained wall fell, they had gone from vague inclination and hesitation to being forced onto this risky path of seizing power. Now they had accomplished nothing, yet she had already lost half her life.

What a terrifying opponent this was!

Even more terrifying was that even knowing they had seen the trap, they still had to grit their teeth and continue down this path.

This was the open conspiracy most favored and used by those in power. The cold feeling in Ge Shao’s heart grew layer upon layer… This enemy in the shadows was not one they could possibly match!

A white shadow drifted before her eyes, one hand behind his back, moving with the wind like a cloud, a snowflake, calmly and unhurriedly passing through the darkness.

She knew this person was the one who had caused the sisters to turn against each other and forced them onto the path of rebellion. Yet she could only watch helplessly, powerless to resist.

Tonight, she was not the only one powerless. With this person present, Ge Lian’s rebellion, the King’s life or death, Luoyun’s fate, the severity of the royal family’s collapse – all might be decided by his single thought.

Ge Shao felt cold all over. The loss of blood took away her vitality. She knew her life and death were also precisely controlled by the other party. He had saved her from vital spots but pushed her to receive three arrows. Though the three arrows weren’t in vital areas, they struck extremely painful points on the human body. The blood flowed slowly but was difficult to clot. She would eventually bleed to death, but had time to struggle.

This person understood human weakness and knew the body’s key points. He gave her time to turn and bite Ge Lian, but didn’t intend to spare her life.

This cold yet precise nature.

This god-like man.

Ge Shao, bleeding, struggled to get up. Yes, even like this, she still had to rise, just as that person had calculated – to sabotage this affair, to take revenge.

She could not tolerate dying miserably while Ge Lian successfully usurped the throne and enjoyed lifelong glory.

Step by step calculated by others, yet having to step by step walk the path others had calculated.

She spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva in hatred.

Behind her, hoofbeats thundered and horses neighed. An unshot horse, startled, charged past her. Ge Shao knew this was the other party’s arrangement.

She gritted her teeth and leaped up, actually managing to climb onto the horse’s back. She lay on the horse frantically whipping it. The crackling sounds echoed as the horse went mad and disappeared into the darkness, leaving a trail of blood staining the night red.

Ge Lian ordered pursuit, but the horse Ge Shao had been riding earlier lay dead in the road, blocking the path of the other riders. Watching Ge Shao escape into the distance, Ge Lian bit her teeth deep into her lip.

She also knew something was wrong.

She also knew someone was manipulating things.

But like Ge Shao, having reached this point, she could not help but continue.

“No need to pursue!” She went forward to pick up the treasure box, put it away, and shouted curtly, “Immediately head for the Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office!”

The carriage was destroyed, so she also abandoned it for a horse, crouching low as the night’s great wind howled past her ears.

The Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office could mobilize ten thousand troops, the Capital Guard could mobilize ten thousand troops. Before dawn when the city gates opened, twenty thousand troops would be enough to surround the royal city and kill Ge Shen!

Along the way, she watched for anyone following but found no trace. This was not the time for hesitation. Ahead, the Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office came into view, with night watch lights still dimly burning. She stared at that cluster of lights, gritted her teeth, and suddenly drew her dagger, stabbing herself in the shoulder.

“Princess!” The guards behind cried out in alarm.

She had already stumbled off her horse, disheveled, her shoulder stained with blood, and rushed frantically toward the office, shouting as she ran, “Terrible! The Crown Prince has been assassinated! Consort Li has launched a palace coup, holding the King hostage, forcing him to depose the Crown Prince and abdicate! The Crown Prince ordered me with his princely command to come and mobilize the Five Cities Military force to loyally serve and rescue the King! Where is the commander! Immediately mobilize troops!”

…

Ge Shao’s blood dripped continuously all the way to the royal city plaza.

At Dingtian Gate in the plaza, where officials gathered for morning court, a solitary figure now stood holding a wall section, his face full of anxiety, sighing deeply.

Justice Minister Liu Yuan had rushed to the royal palace, determined to report his major discovery to prevent a great disaster in Luoyun. But tonight, because the Queen and others were detained in the royal palace, the King had ordered all nine gates locked for security, strictly forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. Unless it was urgent military intelligence, no matter could disturb the King. So Liu Yuan hugged that critically important “evidence” but was blocked outside the palace gates.

Watching time pass bit by bit, Liu Yuan could neither enter nor leave. His heart kept pounding. After many years as a veteran court official, he had an intuitive sensitivity to crises. He sensed something would happen tonight and must see the King immediately!

But no matter how he pleaded and begged, the guards at the gate firmly refused to announce him. Liu Yuan was in distress when he suddenly heard hoofbeats behind him. Turning around, he saw a single rider racing toward him.

Running horses in the royal city plaza was forbidden to all except royal children. Liu Yuan was alarmed and then relieved, then alarmed again – something had indeed happened!

He rushed forward and saw the rider fall from the horse. In the moonlight, a face covered in bloodstains – it was Princess Ge Shao.

Ge Shao’s face was pale as gold paper, teeth clenched tight, clearly having lost too much blood. After another bout of riding, she was near complete exhaustion. Seeing the palace gate in sight, she could no longer support herself.

Liu Yuan quickly tore off his sleeves to hastily bandage her wounds and found energy-restoring pills from his person to feed her haphazardly. The number of arrows on Ge Shao’s body made him shudder, yet none had hit vital spots. This made the old criminal law expert Liu Yuan secretly speculate – such wounds were obviously intentional, but what was really going on?

Ge Shao slowly regained consciousness. Not bothering with pleasantries with Liu Yuan, she only struggled to say, “Help me enter the palace! Great change is coming!”

Liu Yuan said anxiously, “The King has ordered that tonight the palace gates absolutely cannot be opened.”

Ge Shao ignored him and only said, “Just go!”

Liu Yuan helped her to the palace gate. Ge Shao called out to those inside, “San De, I must report a great matter concerning Consort Li, related to her and the little prince’s life and death. I must report to her personally. Open the gate!”

Behind the gate, silence. After a moment, it slowly opened a crack.

Liu Yuan was dumbfounded – a court minister had less power to control palace security than a harem consort.

Ge Shao entered the palace gate and said, “I’m going to the inner palace where you cannot go. Wait here.”

“Princess!” Liu Yuan saw her figure disappear into the palace gate and quickly grabbed her sleeve. “Tell me, what exactly has happened!”

“Ge Lian is about to rebel!” Ge Shao gritted her teeth and pulled away his hand. “She’s already mobilizing troops. The army will surround the royal city any moment. If you’re smart, flee quickly!”

“Ah!” Liu Yuan was thunderstruck and released his grip.

The palace gate slammed shut with a boom.

Liu Yuan stood bewildered in place for a long while. The plaza was empty and desolate, filled with cold moonlight. It was still a cold night now, but in just a moment, would this moonlight be washed away by blood?

Liu Yuan shivered violently.

Life and death hung by a thread. How to save the King? How to save Luoyun?

His gaze suddenly fell on the bell tower in the distance.

The bell tower stood five zhang high with only one bronze bell. This bell rang only three times a year: New Year’s Day, Lantern Festival, and Spring Equinox. Beyond that, it could only be rung when the King died or ascended the throne, or when the nation had urgent military orders.

Only the King or the Grand Minister with royal command could climb the tower to ring it. Those who climbed without orders faced death.

Those who climbed without orders would also face attacks from crossbow mechanisms in the corner towers on all four sides of the bell tower. The last person to climb without orders was a famous light-skills master from Luoyun who, while fleeing after stealing from the royal palace, mistakenly entered the bell tower. His swallow-like floating light skills had crossed the royal city’s flying eaves and evaded a thousand arrows, but could not fly past the bell tower, ultimately becoming a porcupine hanging high on the tower.

Since then, no one dared approach the bell tower.

Liu Yuan gazed at the bell tower in the moonlight, hearing the faint sounds of clashing weapons and armor in the wind. He thought of the citizens still sleeping soundly this night, of the King exhausted, of the palace guards mostly gone to the Eastern Palace, of this night’s tranquility perhaps being the final tranquility. In a moment, those who slept peacefully would die in their beds, those who slumbered deeply would sleep eternally, and Luoyun with its white robes like clouds and flowers filling the city would perhaps become history.

A sigh escaped him, tears streaming down his aged face.

Then he wiped his tears, straightened his robes, and walked toward the bell tower through the moonlight scattered like water on the ground.

…

In the most magnificent “Cloud Deep Palace” of Luoyun’s royal palace lived the favored Consort Li.

As the consort who had borne the King a son in his old age, she enjoyed the special privilege of keeping her son by her side. The three-year-old boy was much beloved by the King, so much so that treasonous thoughts often flashed through Consort Li’s mind.

Tonight she had been somewhat uneasy because those treasonous thoughts lingered in her mind.

A favored consort’s information was always well-informed. Having trusted confidants at the palace gate meant having informants in the Eastern Palace and among the guards. She had vaguely heard that something had happened at the Eastern Palace – the Crown Prince was dead.

This news shocked her but filled her with tremendous joy – if the Crown Prince was dead, and the other princes were exiled to various commanderies and not allowed to return, the only one left by the King’s side was her young son…

Just as her heart grew agitated with these thoughts, she suddenly heard chaotic footsteps. A trusted palace servant hurried over to tell her she had a visitor.

A “visitor” at this hour would definitely not be an ordinary visitor. She went out to meet them with a wildly pounding heart, only to be frightened into falling onto her throne by the visitor’s blood-stained, savage appearance.

The palace doors closed tightly, and Consort Li had a private nighttime conversation with her visitor. After a moment, a scream came from within the palace.

After another moment, Consort Li opened the palace doors, having already changed into traveling clothes. She said hurriedly, “Bring the prince to my palace and order everyone to remain alert and provide strict protection. The rest of you, accompany me to the King’s sleeping chamber.”

“Yes.”

But Consort Li was turned away at the King’s bedchamber door.

Ge Shen was a very cautious person. His caution showed in his measured approach to everything, even with his most favored consort.

So after nightfall, without his summons, even his most beloved consort was not allowed to set foot in his bedchamber. Just as his favored consorts, after serving him in bed, always had to leave and could never spend the night with him.

This was said to be because a certain generation’s Luoyun ruler had been killed by his own favored consort in the middle of the night, and Ge Shen took this as a warning.

Moreover, with the Crown Prince dead today, Ge Shen naturally had his own plans. For the short term, he did not intend to see Consort Li.

Consort Li dared not force her way in, nor make a scene at this time. She actually feared seeing the King somewhat. According to Ge Shao’s account, Ge Lian had stolen the Crown Prince’s seal and was about to rebel, using the pretext of the favored consort’s political interference and holding the King hostage to justify loyally serving and rescuing the King. She also feared that if she forced her way into the King’s bedchamber now, it would instead become evidence of ulterior motives. After all, Ge Shen was a suspicious person – he might well eliminate her as a potential threat first.

She also dared not immediately shout about Ge Lian’s rebellion. The matter was too serious, and those sisters were notoriously cunning. What if it was a trick?

But doing nothing was also impossible. Ge Lian might not necessarily dare kill the King, but killing her, this “seductive and politically meddling” consort, would be done without hesitation.

Consort Li paced anxiously around the palace when she suddenly found herself near a palace building not far from the King’s bedchamber. Looking up, she couldn’t help but freeze.

Wasn’t this the bedchamber of the deceased Queen? A high-walled compound, an especially secure building that had been sealed for years – why was it showing lights again?

And clearly, there were especially many guards outside this palace compound. What was imprisoned inside? She could vaguely hear noisy sounds.

At this moment, a patrol of guards approached. Their leader was a fellow townsman who had become a palace guard captain with her help. Seeing her, he quickly came over to pay respects.

“Those few inside are really difficult to serve – can’t be too gentle, can’t be too harsh.” The captain, when Consort Li inquired, looked grave and whispered, “It’s the Queen and her followers. Legend has it she killed the Crown Prince. The King sent troops to surround them, but they couldn’t really fight. Now supposedly the Queen voluntarily became a hostage and sent her people to search for the truth. They were staying peacefully – that Queen was really composed, even calling for card games – when suddenly they started making a fuss, demanding a physician in the middle of the night, saying someone was ill. Who from the Imperial Medical Bureau would make house calls at night without the King’s order? They’re very dissatisfied over there, looking murderous and ready to cause trouble. Ah, that Young Marshal Pei truly has a murderous aura – even with his martial arts suppressed, his gaze is still chilling…”

Listening to this, Consort Li was stunned, finally remembering the legendary masters around the Queen.

Though she had many informants in the palace, she could not network with generals and guards under the King’s nose. Now that great change was imminent, she had no one to protect her, causing her great anxiety.

Hearing news of these people now, she couldn’t help but have an idea.

Tonight, the Queen and her world-renowned followers were here. Could this be a variable in Luoyun’s palace coup?

Could she possibly find an opportunity to save herself from this situation?

As she thought, she unconsciously lifted her skirts and walked a few steps toward that palace door. She was a favored consort in the palace and had access to all palaces except the King’s bedchamber. The guards all recognized her and quickly stepped aside.

Consort Li’s thoughts were in turmoil as she slowly climbed the steps.

Suddenly chaos erupted inside, with rapid footsteps swirling like a whirlwind.