The quarter-hour was up.

Accompanied by Duan Yande’s unwilling cries, two stretchers were finally carried out. The stretchers bore vague human forms covered with white cloth stained with blood. On one stretcher, an exquisite box placed on the abdomen was particularly conspicuous.

Four guards set the stretchers on the ground and hurried back.

One of them was slightly slower, passing by Cui Shi’s side. Cui Shi laughed coldly and ran his finger across the man’s neck.

The guard stiffened and fell.

Cui Shi’s smile deepened.

Tong Rushi frowned.

He very much disliked this ally.

A great man could be ruthless without issue, but being perverted was disgusting.

The remaining three guards looked back with hatred and quickly ran back to Chongming Palace.

The shepherd boy immediately spotted that box and said curiously, “Oh, the old emperor’s imperial seal. Let me have a look first.”

He reached out to lift the lid.

Tong Rushi: “Wait—”

But it was too late.

The lid sprang open at the lightest touch, something inside immediately shooting out. Cold light flashed, and though the shepherd boy dodged quickly, he still cried out “Ouch!” and retreated clutching his hand, a bloody severed finger falling to the ground.

Ah Hei grinned and laughed, saying, “Serves you right for hitting a trap—”

Before she finished speaking, the sprung box suddenly pulled out a string, followed by a muffled “bang.”

Both stretchers exploded simultaneously, erupting in billowing white fluff filling the sky.

Those present were all masters, not without precaution, but seeing the shepherd boy injured, they instinctively thought the trap had been triggered. They hadn’t expected trap within trap—what the shepherd boy encountered was merely to lull them into complacency, while the subsequent chain explosion was the real killer.

The moment the stretchers moved, the masters had actually all retreated, but this exploding fluff wasn’t meant to injure anyone. The substance was white, light, and sticky, dispersing through heaven and earth when it exploded, mixing with the falling snow and impossible to distinguish. Moreover, the faster they retreated, the quicker the air currents surged, and the faster the fluff followed the currents. In the end, everyone had some of this fluff stuck to them.

Someone wanted to brush it off but was stopped by Cui Shi’s shout. Then everyone discovered the substance melted instantly.

Cui Shi: “Remove your outer robes, don’t brush it off!”

Everyone had to remove their outer robes in the freezing weather. Fortunately, they were all great masters and weren’t cold, but standing before the palace gates in short clothes and trousers, their imposing presence immediately weakened considerably.

Cui Shi examined them and said contemptuously, “Nothing too serious as poisons go. With me here, you needn’t worry.” He then gave everyone a pill to take.

Only Ah Hei hugged her stout arms, very displeased: “I’m a pure and virtuous woman. It’s so unseemly to dress like this.”

Cui Shi smiled apologetically, then turned and rolled his eyes.

Inside the hall, Tie Ci said regretfully to Chi Xue, “Unfortunately, most of the lethal mechanisms in Chongming Palace are immovable, and the movable ones are mostly explosive types. But explosions are useless against these masters—they can dodge instantly. What’s in this fake imperial seal box is Ba tribe poison silkworm thread, very difficult to completely remove, but slow-acting and not easily fatal. It can only reduce combat effectiveness and leave traces. I originally intended to use it only for tracking.”

She finished speaking and coughed hoarsely.

Chi Xue patted her back, saying softly, “Then if they still won’t come in…”

Tie Ci’s lips curled coldly.

They would come in.

Outside in the snow, Tong Rushi, having removed his cloak, ignored the others’ commotion and stared fixedly at the ground.

There lay a wooden strip that had exploded out from under the stretcher, with a line of words written on it.

“Coward, you don’t even dare come before me to take the imperial seal—do you think you deserve to covet this Great Qian realm?”

The writing was clear, bold and forceful, and actually bore the Crown Princess’s seal below.

Tong Rushi stared at these words, his eyes gradually lighting up like fire and flying clouds, with magma surging.

Ah Hei scampered over, tilted her head to look, and suddenly said, “The Crown Princess isn’t dead.”

Tong Rushi said nothing.

Ah Hei was quiet for a moment, then said, “I originally thought she was dead, and since we’re your people, it was fine to come with you to take over her house and property. But now that she’s not dead, meeting again would be awkward. Putting other things aside, my third ex-husband was found with her help. Ah, honestly, after having so many others later, that one was still the best…”

Tong Rushi: “Shut up.”

Ah Hei raised her eyebrows, crossed her arms, and said, “I’m cold. I’m a married woman and can’t be improperly dressed. I’m going to find some clothes to wear.” She then gathered her sleeves and shuffled away.

Tong Rushi watched her retreating figure, his brow twitching.

He looked up at the towering Chongming Palace, coldness gradually enveloping his features.

“So what if I see you? Do you think I’m really afraid of you?” he said softly. “You’ll regret this.”

“You’ll eventually know that seeing me and learning the truth—that’s when you’ll truly have no face to show, and be beyond redemption.”

…

Di Yiwei spurred her horse in a mad gallop through the capital’s main streets.

Though she had always served in the military, she was a famous “lazy general”—except when fighting, she would always lie down rather than sit, sit rather than stand. For daily army inspections, she rode in a sedan chair.

Her subordinates hadn’t seen her ride a horse in years.

And ride like a madwoman at that.

But Di Yiwei knew she had to be fast, because although she had no troops at the city gates, she sent her men daily for routine inspections of all gates. Her elites were all quick to react, and rushing back to report meant the Shengdu garrison army had definitely entered the city recently—the main force might not have entered yet.

This meant that closing the city gates even a moment earlier could block more rebel troops outside.

The capital had high walls and strong fortifications; defending the city wouldn’t be difficult, and they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

So she ignored the rioting Xiao family and the troops entering the city, riding straight for the gates.

But today’s heavy snow was three feet deep, unswept since early morning, and even the best horse couldn’t go fast.

Di Yiwei surveyed the vast snowy road ahead and gripped her pipe tighter.

Suddenly she said, “Come, all of you shout with me.”

Her subordinates looked at her in bewilderment.

Di Yiwei took a breath and shouted loudly, “The Three Mad and Five Emperors are all fools!”

Everyone: “…”

Di Yiwei: “Shout!”

Everyone: “…The Three Mad and Five Emperors are all fools!”

Di Yiwei: “Completely deceived and led around by the nose!”

Everyone: “…Completely deceived and led around by the nose!”

Passersby on the street: …What are they doing? A folk opera?

People began whispering: “What’s going on? Have they gone mad?”

“Who are the Three Mad and Five Emperors anyway?”

“I think I’ve heard of them—they seem to be eight very powerful people from many years ago…”

“So powerful, yet how could they be manipulated and mocked in the streets?”

The shouting carried far into the distance.

Flowing light passed through the sky.

Duanmu suddenly stopped. Sang Ruo beside him, lacking his heaven-hearing ability, asked in surprise, “What is it?”

Duanmu: “Someone’s cursing us.”

Sang Ruo smiled, “So what? Haven’t we been cursed by plenty of people before? Let’s go, hurry and tend to our injuries.”

Duanmu had just turned around.

Di Yiwei: “…Sang Ruo is a pretty boy!”

Subordinates: “…Sang Ruo is a pretty boy!”

Di Yiwei: “Kept as a golden-housed beauty by an old hag—”

Passersby: “Ooh—”

Subordinates: “…Kept by an old hag…”

A figure flashed, and Duanmu appeared like a ghost. Before Di Yiwei could see him, she shouted loudly, “Take me to the city gates and I’ll stop singing! Otherwise, even if you kill me, the two hundred thousand sons of the Yongping army will forever spread tales of Sang Ruo’s golden house imprisonment!”

Duanmu’s jade-like face was about to crack, and he swept his sleeve.

In the next instant, Di Yiwei disappeared from her spot.

In the next instant, Duanmu appeared atop the capital’s city wall carrying Di Yiwei, his face even paler. As he set her down, he said coldly, “Say one more word about Sang Ruo and I’ll definitely kill you.”

Di Yiwei made a lip-sealing gesture.

Duanmu disappeared, and Di Yiwei turned around.

The city wall was bustling with activity. An old woman in a red cloak and soft armor was sternly giving orders: “Kill all these prisoners!”

Someone hesitated: “Madam, these people are our Great Qian soldiers…”

“Anyone who dares oppose me should be prepared to die,” Lady Rong said coldly. “I treat even Tie Ci this way, let alone them.”

No one around spoke.

“Killing my people, seizing my troops, deceiving my grandson into serving her, and now forcing the Chief Minister to retire. Even disposing of loyal dogs after the rabbits die isn’t done this way.” Lady Rong looked down at the endless stream of troops entering the city, her smile sinister. “Do they really think the Di family has no fighting spirit?”

At that moment, someone behind her said hoarsely, “Indeed.”

Lady Rong jumped in shock and turned around in horror.

At this moment, the city wall was filled with her trusted men—no one else could get up here.

Who was this?

More critically, having rarely come up to the city wall, wanting to experience the feeling of occupying a high position, she disliked being surrounded by crowds and had sent her guard troops to execute the prisoners.

At this moment, no one was by her side.

Then she saw half an armored skirt and a pair of small, dust-covered military boots.

In this world, at this moment, besides herself, there were only two other female generals who could openly wear iron armor. One of them was still in the deep palace.

Lady Rong turned and her dragon-headed walking stick struck out viciously.

Halfway through the strike, the dragon head’s mouth opened and a point of cold light shot toward the person behind her.

But Di Yiwei was faster.

The pipe at her lips trembled and also shot out a point of cold light. That cold light struck straight into the light from the dragon-headed stick, forcibly deflecting that starlight. Then with a “whoosh,” Lady Rong’s body shuddered.

A small hole appeared between her brows, with a point of cold light glinting inside.

Di Yiwei blew a puff of smoke in her face.

Only then did she say, “Right, do they really think the Di family has no fighting spirit?”

Then she kicked Lady Rong’s corpse off the city wall.

The corpse first struck the heads of the entering soldiers, causing cries of alarm below as soldiers scattered to avoid it.

The corpse hit the ground heavily.

Someone cried out, “It’s Lady Rong!”

But the one who opened the city gates died beneath them. Everyone was shocked and uncertain. An officer immediately raised his hand, stopping the entry, and looked up at the city wall.

A face appeared over the city wall. The Shengdu garrison’s deputy general exclaimed in shock, “Commander Di!”

Di Yiwei stood atop the high wall, her back to the shocked and uncertain Rong family guards, sneering down at those below: “Come on, come in.”

The Shengdu garrison deputy general’s heart immediately began pounding.

Di Yiwei had appeared, and as soon as she appeared, Lady Rong died. Seeing Di Yiwei’s fearless expression, clearly the situation atop the city wall was already controlled by Di Yiwei’s people.

Wouldn’t entering the city now be suicide?

Thinking this, the deputy general urgently commanded, “Retreat first! Withdraw from the drawbridge! Wait for signals from inside the city!”

The troops about to enter immediately began retreating.

Only then did Di Yiwei turn around, facing those bewildered Rong family guards alone. She unhurriedly took a puff of smoke and said, “Uncle Jiang.”

Opposite her, the Rong family’s lead old guard was stunned for a moment, then bowed bitterly: “Young Miss.”

“Put down your weapons. Stop creating sins,” Di Yiwei said. “The primary culprit has been executed. You’re merely followers. If you rein in at the precipice now, I still have a chance to plead with the Crown Princess to spare your lives.”

“Don’t make things difficult for me.”

“We Di family people live with loyalty and righteousness our whole lives. Don’t let your integrity fail you in old age.”

The old guard was silent for a long while, then threw down his weapon: “I obey Young Miss’s command.”

The Rong family guards retreated, and the city wall defenders immediately picked up weapons and bound them first.

Di Yiwei said, “Why aren’t you closing the city gates? From now on, the entire capital is under martial law. Without royal decree, no one may enter or leave!”

A group of soldiers ran down from the city. Moments later, trembling sounds echoed as the drawbridge was raised and the city gates closed.

Di Yiwei looked down at the slowly retreating Shengdu garrison, estimating their numbers. Those who had entered should be less than half—around fifty thousand.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She had brought twenty thousand elite troops—ten thousand outside the city, who should still be rushing here after last night’s sudden events.

Ten thousand were inside the city, scattered throughout to maintain stability in the capital.

Currently, there were ten thousand official troops from the Five Armies Commander-in-Chief’s Office in the city, ten thousand guards from the White Marsh and Crown Princess’s Nine Guards in the palace, and nearly twenty thousand from the Three Great Camps responsible for defending the city.

In terms of numbers, it was roughly even.

The problem was being caught off guard—the enemy had already entered the city and might burn, kill, and plunder civilians, causing panic.

And with tens of thousands of troops in the city unable to form defensive lines in time, once the rebel army scattered to massacre the city, the situation would be irreversible.

Worse still, Da Yan had suddenly broken through Prince Changle’s defenses and penetrated deep into the Central Plains. Once Yuzhou fell, the capital would be almost exposed to cavalry hooves. With Da Yan warhorses’ speed, they could reach the capital in two days and nights.

And because Yongping was besieged and Liaodong had deployed troops, the Nine Border generals were all tied down, and with southern routes cut off, any reinforcements for the capital would have to take detours.

In just one short night, the capital had fallen into its most critical moment in twenty years!