Tong Rushi turned back in shock.

Tie Ci had actually made her first move by having someone kill Cui Shi.

This truly surprised him, but in an instant he understood.

Killing him was impossible, but among those remaining who should be dealt with, it was indeed the poison-expert and perverted Cui Shi.

Keeping this person would bring endless troubles.

And because Cui Shi was such a terrible person, no one was willing to extend a helping hand.

Killed cleanly and efficiently.

For a moment, both inside and outside the hall fell silent as death.

Suddenly the sound of horse hooves rang out as Xia Houchun arrived with a large group of guards. Before they could approach, the Fishing Elder turned around, his fishing rod cutting through a streak of flowing light. The accumulated snow on the ground rose with the wind, transforming into snow waves that crashed down on Xia Houchun and his men, startling horses and overturning riders. Xia Houchun and the Crown Princess’s Nine Guards were forcibly pushed back three zhang.

Tong Rushi’s cold voice came from within the courtyard, “Do not advance another step. Enter one person, I kill one person.”

Tie Ci glanced at Pingzong, and Pingzong shouted, “Commander Xia Hou, stand by in place!”

Xia Houchun also shouted, “Your Highness! Liaodong has sent troops approaching Yong Ping. Old Madam Rong privately opened the city gates, allowing capital garrison soldiers to enter! The Xiao clan escaped from prison, leading Dayan cavalry to assault government offices, capturing ministers and slaughtering innocent civilians in the streets! Di Yiwei has already rushed to the city gates to handle the situation, killed Old Madam Rong, closed the gates, and immediately rushed to Yong Ping!”

He explained everything clearly in just a few words. Inside, Tie Ci listened without any expression.

When the roof leaks, it always meets with rain through the night.

She said, “Commander Xia Hou, these are old friends from Lingquan Village.”

This answer was completely irrelevant to the question, but Xia Houchun sneered coldly.

He said, “When old friends come from afar, how can we not prepare rich gifts to receive them?”

With a wave of his hand, suddenly from the distant wind and snow came the sharp screams of a child.

Lady Sun’s face changed as she whirled around, “Egg!”

The child’s crying couldn’t be heard clearly, carried by the wind sometimes near and sometimes far. Lady Sun spun around and darted out, “Egg! Egg! Egg, where are you!”

Her figure disappeared in the blink of an eye into the snow-covered palace city, led who knows where by that child’s crying.

Tong Rushi’s face changed.

Among the people from Lingquan Village, Lady Sun held great prestige and status, and her strength was among the top. With her keeping watch outside, he had a way to retreat.

Who would have thought she’d be lured away by the sound of a child crying!

Without thinking that her beloved son was safely hidden in the capital – how could he be so easily captured?

Concern leads to chaos.

Tie Ci was despicable!

Ahead, the palace doors suddenly opened wide.

The gazes of Tong Rushi and the others unconsciously turned over.

Through the carved lattice screens, they could see deep within the great hall where Tie Ci sat high upon the throne, facing them from afar with a calm expression.

Though the hall was still in complete disarray, though her clothes were stained with blood, though her parents’ bodies lay in the inner hall, she still appeared noble and calm as before.

The way she looked at her enemies was like facing the vast prostrate subjects below the hall.

Tong Rushi suddenly felt somewhat dazed.

He remembered that bright and modest youth he first met at Wushe, the youth who startled the wind with an arrow on the training ground, the youth who turned the tide at Sanbai Embankment, the youth who confided in him on the newly built embankment.

The Crown Heir of Great Qian was his lifelong enemy. The throne beneath her should have been his by rights, yet even after years of planning to reach this point, facing her, he still felt a moment of heart palpitations.

Some people’s strength weathers through wind, frost, rain and snow without breaking.

The moment their gazes met was like seeing the firmament pressing down.

But Tie Ci wasn’t looking at him.

Her gaze fell on the Fishing Elder as she said, “When I was alone in Lingquan Village years ago, I received shelter from all of you and once said I wanted to invite you all to be guests at my home. Now you have come. Though the timing is somewhat poor, I must still fulfill my duties as host.”

After speaking, she waved her hand.

The guards retreated again, leaving the entire open space outside the hall to this group of experts.

The sound of water waves arose.

The Fishing Elder turned to look and actually saw a fish pond beside the courtyard, not far from the palace gate.

The fish pond remarkably hadn’t frozen over. At this moment, a flash of bright red suddenly leaped from the water surface with vigorous and lively movements.

In the ice and snow, everyone’s gaze was unconsciously drawn to that flash of red.

The Fishing Elder’s eyes immediately brightened.

Having loved fishing all his life, he knew all rare fish species like the back of his hand.

For instance, the one before his eyes was called “Blood Dragon,” one of the world’s rarest and most precious fish. Its entire body was fire red, round and blunt, extremely agile and incredibly strong. It normally lurked in deep sea coral reefs, and when captured would die together with its captor, thus worth more than gold.

He never expected to see a live one here.

The Fishing Elder’s fishing rod, almost beyond his control, immediately cast out.

His fishing rod seemed to possess magic power. Before human eyes could even catch its shadow, there was only a flash of cold light, and that precious Blood Dragon was already struggling frantically in the pond water.

Yet no matter how it struggled, it couldn’t break free.

The Fishing Elder was in high spirits, laughing heartily as he casually lifted.

A sheet of red glow passed through the air, water splashed up, and at the same time came a crisp explosive sound.

The sound was sharp and fierce, unlike any weapon in this world could produce.

A streak of black light shot out of the water following the trajectory of the swinging fish.

Words could hardly describe its speed.

Aunt Li, standing near the Fishing Elder and closer to the pond, heard the sound and knew trouble was coming. She turned and expelled breath while throwing a punch, fiercely striking the Fishing Elder’s ribs.

The Fishing Elder’s massive body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string.

In the next instant, the black light and blood red exploded one after another on the Fishing Elder’s arm. The Fishing Elder flipped three times in mid-air, crashed bloodily into the snow, and scraped out a blood trail a full zhang long.

Only now did Aunt Li completely turn around, blood droplets splashing from her fist where she’d been grazed and injured by the black light. Her punch’s remaining force continued unabated, thunderously smashing into the wall. With a rumbling crash, half the wall collapsed, and several Nine Guards who had been quietly trying to approach from behind the wall were sent flying three zhang, spitting blood as they crashed into the snow.

Before everyone’s shock had passed, suddenly Pingzong shouted loudly, “Blind man!” At the same time, she forcefully threw something!

One person in the crowd suddenly turned around.

He saw an object flying straight at his face.

He sneered coldly, drew out his red belt, and with a snap shook it in the wind, transforming it into a light curtain so tight that water couldn’t penetrate, blocking that small silver object.

The blind man’s cold sneer hadn’t yet faded when suddenly that object trembled, and with a snap, a beam of light shot straight into his eyes!

Snow-bright to the point that all things instantly became colorless, as if the sun had suddenly exploded into his eye sockets.

Already having very poor eyesight and thus choosing brightly colored weapons, the blind man screamed loudly, suddenly covering his eyes and retreating rapidly.

With a bang, that silver-white cylindrical object heavily struck his forehead, smashing his head bloody as he crashed to the ground.

“…”

Deathly silence.

Both sides had casualties in the blink of an eye.

But on Tong Rushi’s side, top-level experts were injured, while on Tie Ci’s side, it was only the Nine Guards who failed in their attempt to stealthily infiltrate.

Standing below the steps, Pingzong drew in a cold breath and quietly asked Tie Ci, “What kind of weapons were those?”

Really impressive.

She estimated that if it had been her turn just now, she couldn’t have dodged either.

Tie Ci said, “Bought at great expense from my master.”

“Do we have many such weapons in our hall?” Pingzong’s eyes lit up, feeling they were secure.

Tie Ci gently shook her head, “No, only these. Master said they were limited edition, not that many available.”

Pingzong made a regretful “oh” sound.

Tong Rushi’s face was iron-blue.

In the blink of an eye, he and his subordinates had suffered several casualties.

Tie Ci had been sitting there the entire time, looking down at the area before the hall, not even moving once.

For a moment, Tong Rushi didn’t dare advance another step.

Both sides were locked in a standoff before Chongming Palace with its accumulated snow and hanging eaves.

Tong Rushi’s eyes glanced toward the direction outside the palace, a trace of anxiety flashing in his gaze.

Why hadn’t the Xiao family gotten the court ministers under control and rushed over yet?

…

Palace Master carried He Zi on her back as they traveled through the snow toward the residences of the Six Ministries’ ministers.

He Zi’s expression was worried.

Most of Great Qian’s Grand Secretaries came from established families, having accumulated wealth through years of officialdom, with family retainers and soldiers in their residences. Even if attacked, they could temporarily protect themselves, and with preparation they’d basically be safe.

The nobles needn’t be mentioned.

But the Six Ministries’ ministers were mostly promoted in recent years, either from ordinary backgrounds or upright and clean, with not many servants or household guards in their residences. Once encountering cavalry, they could only be slaughtered at will.

The cabinet and nobles were most important, so he chose to warn them first, not knowing how many of the Six Ministries’ ministers had already been captured.

He first went to Minister Qi Ling’s residence. The Qi residence was brightly lit, but Qi Ling wasn’t home. Old Madam Qi was actually wearing leather armor, personally sitting before the residence gate. Behind her, the family retainers were also fully armored. Behind Old Madam Qi stood two signs – the left one read “My son is not home!” and the right one read “Come if you want to die!”

Before the residence gate, Sixth Master Xiao of the Xiao family led a large group of guards, patrolling but not daring to enter.

He Zi was amazed.

He knew Old Madam Qi wasn’t a tigress from a military family. She came from nobility, learned martial arts from her husband after marriage, and had been to battlefields. She and Old Madam Rong were plastic best friends who had competed their whole lives.

Old Madam Qi was different from Old Madam Rong who loved to compete in everything. She practiced martial arts but didn’t love them, yet wasn’t afraid of them either. When her son became Governor-General, she retired to the rear courtyard, spending half her life raising flowers and fish there.

But on this windy, snowy night, with enemies entering the residence, she could immediately rise and sit before the residence gate, even the maid beside her carrying twin guns.

He Zi looked at Sixth Master Xiao’s expression, chuckled once, and turned away reassured.

Ahead was Criminal Ministry Minister Jiang’s residence. Cavalry had broken into the front courtyard, but the rear courtyard remained dark and quiet. Palace Master danced wildly on the main courtyard’s windows, but no one came out to look. Only after kicking open a window did they discover the main courtyard was actually empty.

On such a snowy day, where had everyone gone?

War Ministry Minister Zhang’s residence was the same. People were noisily searching for someone in his residence, but the household servants claimed to know nothing when questioned.

The Works Ministry Minister’s house was also like this.

Even the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court wasn’t in his residence. Where could that old man go at his age?

The Personnel Ministry Minister was under the Rong family’s wing, and the Rites Ministry Minister had close relations with the Xiao clan, so He Zi didn’t go there directly.

Finally there was the Finance Ministry Minister of the Gu family. The ministers mostly lived together in connected buildings. Turning past the back door of the Chief Judge’s house led to Minister Gu’s front gate.

Minister Gu’s residence was obviously a key target. When He Zi arrived, he could see torch light from far away. Fierce-looking Dayan cavalry under Xiao Bixing’s leadership broke through the gates and headed straight for the inner courtyard.

After a while they charged back out, and from their furious expressions, they’d obviously come up empty-handed too.

He Zi, watching from afar in the trees, was confused for a moment.

On a snowy night, everyone wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t home – what, did they all dream that the Xiao family had escaped from prison?

Suddenly he saw several riders coming through the snow, moving swiftly and rapidly. The riders wore white cloaks with white flags on their shoulders. Only when galloping did the wind lift a corner of their cloaks, revealing the fire-red armor beneath.

He Zi’s heart shook.

These were Blood Riders on duty in the palace!

The Blood Riders and Scorpion Camp remaining in the capital had been incorporated into the White Marsh Guards protecting the palace, all holding positions of squad leader and above in middle management. They wouldn’t be deployed for ordinary messenger duties.

And white robes with white flags… He Zi suddenly turned to look toward the imperial palace.

Though he’d anticipated trouble in the palace, actually having it confirmed still made He Zi’s heart clench tight with difficulty breathing.

Who was it?

His Majesty, or… the Crown Princess?

No matter which one, it would be a bolt from the blue, a weight Great Qian couldn’t bear.

Palace Master suddenly said by his ear, “There are people underground.”

He Zi was startled and turned to look below. Palace Master pointed toward the position of the reverse-facing rooms near the back gate.

Below, Xiao Bixing was obviously not as rash as the other Xiao family children. He began searching carefully and ordered his subordinates to look for secret passages.

Palace Master sucked in air by He Zi’s ear like she had a toothache, saying, “…Among this group there’s an expert at finding tunnels…”

“That guy’s getting impatient, he’s killed someone…”

“Oh no, they’re about to find the mechanism opening…”

He Zi was disturbed and annoyed by her real-time commentary, grabbed her sleeve, and said, “Please!”

“Hmm?”

“Help me lure this group away.”

“Can’t just work without pay.”

He Zi felt in his sleeve pocket, then stopped awkwardly after a while.

Who remembers to bring money when going out in the middle of the night?

“Otherwise singing the Eighteen Touches will do.”

He Zi stiffened.

Would his lifetime reputation be thrown away tonight?

Opposite him, Palace Master blinked expectantly, with no possibility of developing a conscience.

“Getting closer and closer,” she reminded.

He Zi said with difficulty, “May I sing you a folk tune? Years ago… I sang it for my wife.”

Palace Master suddenly stopped talking.

He Zi’s folk tune was sung tremblingly. Afraid of being discovered, he suppressed his voice until it changed pitch and didn’t sound good at all.

So the current Grand Tutor, the literary champion of his generation, when he sang, was still terrible.

Aunt had bad taste.

Palace Master couldn’t bear it anymore and interrupted the ear-piercing sound, standing up, “I’m going.”

Before her voice faded, she had already disappeared.

He Zi looked at the darkness and firelight below, gently humming the song to completion.

He hadn’t sung this tune for twenty years.