Xiao Mingrou wanted to vomit. She had already passed the early pregnancy stage with severe reactions, but she still wanted to vomit. Because she had never seen killing before. When coming here, she had mentally prepared herself, but when she truly saw it, just one glance left her dazed. Blades thrust into flesh, swords severing heads, hacking off hands and feet, without mercy, without compassion—as if the opponents were mere vegetable leaves. She knew that the Empress’s rebellion must be stopped, but these soldiers weren’t necessarily willing followers. Most were simply obeying their superiors’ orders, losing their lives innocently.
Standing on the high gate tower, the smell of blood still assailed her nostrils, causing her to involuntarily turn her head, lean against the wall, and retch. However, having not eaten properly for days, she couldn’t vomit anything out.
“I told you not to come.” Mo Zi watched as the palace maids stepped forward to pat her gently, then turned her gaze back to the Golden Throne Hall.
“You… aren’t you afraid?” Xiao Mingrou sat down weakly, lacking the courage to look a second time.
“I’m afraid, but I’m more afraid for my husband’s life and safety.” Mo Zi’s heart had never been cold, but she had learned to control it and to take life. “Only if I’m strong can he fight the enemy with peace of mind. War kills many people, and many of them are innocent, acting against their will, but we have no choice. Down there, there are no good or bad people, guilty or innocent—only two kinds of people. Enemies, or our own people. If you don’t kill them, they’ll kill you, because they have no choice either. We can only choose not to be the ones who start wars. When facing people like Empress Wang and the King of Daqiu, we must be fearless.”
Hearing this, Xiao Mingrou greatly admired her and wanted to stand up, but her legs were weak.
“Don’t force yourself. Our victory is already in sight—His Majesty will be fine.” Below, the situation had been controlled by Xiao Wei, Xu Jiu, and the others. The experts protecting the main players had all engaged—the true outcome would be decided at this very moment.
Because of the distance, Mo Zi could only see general outlines. She found the Emperor and Yuan Cheng from their clothing, along with the Empress and other stationary figures, but among those fighting furiously, she couldn’t distinguish who was who at all.
“Zan Jin, tell me what’s happening. What’s the situation?” Her eyesight wasn’t good, but someone else’s was.
“Seems like Elder Lei is taking the lead, but the opponent’s skills aren’t weak either.” Zan Jin only said these two sentences before becoming absorbed in watching himself.
Mo Zi couldn’t complain and squinted to rely on herself. Hazily, she saw someone knocked down the stone steps, and one side seemed to immediately collapse. The Empress suddenly rushed toward the Emperor, then suddenly fell.
“Ah!” She couldn’t help but cry out.
The Empress fell in a pool of blood.
After Lei Ting defeated the Northern Region Divine Sect’s leader and kicked him down the steps, morale soared on the Emperor’s side. With one concentrated effort, they captured those who should be captured and killed those who should be killed.
It was at this moment that the Empress pulled a dagger from her sleeve and rushed toward the Emperor. She had already lost, but she wouldn’t be captured alive. This completely hopeless action only sought a quick death.
From poisoning the Emperor to seizing the palace, only a few days had passed. She thought she was fast enough, and had the King of Daqiu’s support, but never expected that Yuan Cheng and Mo Zi had already seen through her schemes and even set up an inescapable net one step ahead of her.
Destroying the Crown Prince stemmed from a woman’s jealousy. She couldn’t bear sons. This meant that when the Emperor died in the future, she might lose everything, while other consorts could lord over her. She couldn’t bear it. Since childhood, she had been the Wang family’s most outstanding daughter. Her father doted on her younger sister Wanlian, even preparing the Crown Princess position for Wanlian. So she used all her cunning to destroy Wanlian’s reputation. Once a woman lost her reputation, she naturally couldn’t become Crown Princess, and then that position would be hers. She accompanied Wanlian out and encouraged Wanlian not to wear a face veil, to attract some rakes and playboys. Sure enough, Wanlian and a man surnamed Min caught each other’s eye. Though the Min clan was wealthy, their status was far below the Wang family—this made her very pleased. Then she secretly exposed this matter. Her father was furious with Wanlian and no longer allowed Wanlian to go out. So she instigated and secretly let Wanlian out, and Wanlian eloped with someone, never returning. And she replaced Wanlian, becoming Crown Princess and eventually Empress of the nation.
However, after sitting in the Empress’s seat for a long time, with the consorts under her control—making whoever she wanted bear sons bear sons, making whoever’s child she wanted gone disappear—she began to lose interest. The Emperor respected and loved her, but didn’t love her exclusively. Sometimes she even felt the Emperor didn’t regard her as a woman, but as his assistant. She didn’t care. Until the Crown Prince’s mother, that lowly palace maid appeared. Her jealousy as a woman nearly drove her mad, and only then did she realize the Emperor could love a woman like an ordinary man. Killing the palace maid was simple, but the Emperor grieved for a long time. She resolved to slowly kill this child too. She adopted him, elevated him to Crown Prince, and day by day watched him transform from clever and bright to a wastrel obsessed with eating, drinking, and pleasure—she couldn’t have been more delighted. She began to think, since this Crown Prince would die sooner or later anyway, why shouldn’t she emulate Wu Zetian and become an empress who had absolute authority?
The plan began like that. Prince Su hadn’t colluded with her—she didn’t know he wanted to rebel, and he didn’t know she hoped the Emperor would die quickly. She was also glad Prince Su made the first move, distracting the loyalist officials and exhausting the Emperor’s energy.
“Empress, why have you done this?”
The pain in her chest made Empress Wang barely able to open her eyes. She looked with difficulty at this man who had never loved her. In the last moment of her life, Wanlian’s laughter echoed in her mind—
“Sister, I’ve fallen in love with him. I want to go with him. No matter where, as long as he’s there, I’ll be happy.”
Are you happy, Wanlian? Thinking this, the Empress closed her eyes.
The Emperor crouched down, silently shedding tears.
Yuan Cheng stepped forward and shouted loudly, “The Empress is dead! Surrender your weapons now!”
The rebel army surrendered one after another. Wang He and the others dejectedly knelt on the ground.
The next day, Mo Zi woke to find no one beside her—Yuan Cheng had remained in the palace all night.
Though the palace seizure had been quelled, there were many follow-up matters to handle. The Emperor was deeply shaken, dispirited, and his health truly wasn’t well. He needed Yuan Cheng’s clever mind, so he refused to let him go.
Xiao Yi pushed the door open. “The King of Daqiu has fled.”
Mo Zi had just woken and spoke rather slowly. “He had no choice but to flee. What about Consort Ying?”
“Not one left behind—they all fled.” Xiao Yi had a question though. “Your husband is so smart, why didn’t he think to have someone watch him?”
“The will was there but not the strength. Wu Yanqie has expert masters surrounding him like clouds. Do you think he really sent his most formidable people to be used by Empress Wang? To guard him would require a batch of strong troops. Given last night’s situation, we simply couldn’t spare them. Xiao Wei and Wei Jia had only a few thousand elite troops and personal guards under their command. Xu Jiu had many people, but untrained—mostly fierce and ruthless. At the time, they swarmed in chaotic fighting, which made my heart hang in suspense. In terms of numbers, we actually had no advantage. First, Xiao Wei and the others fought many with few, creating an illusion that we were very strong. Second, telling our people that thirty thousand more were coming as reinforcements sparked their courage and strength.” Yesterday’s battle was actually very dangerous. Perhaps it was her and Yuan Cheng’s mindset—maybe one day when they truly encountered something they couldn’t overcome, even having their heads chopped off by enemies would be met with composure.
Xiao Yi stood there dumbfounded. “Then… when Senior Brother said thirty thousand were coming, was he… lying to me?” She had fought even more vigorously upon hearing that.
“It wasn’t your senior brother lying to you—they were also deceived.” Only a few people knew the secret. Once they called for help, the Empress would know. If she didn’t seize the palace, they couldn’t expose this group, so Yuan Cheng decided to take the risk.
To put it more clearly, from sending the fresh fish to the Empress’s final palace seizure, everything had proceeded step by step according to the design of Yuan Cheng, Xiao Yong, Su Lan, and the others. The Empress thought it was a natural progression, but what she couldn’t imagine was that someone with Yuan Cheng’s political acumen would absolutely never send food to the Emperor and then give people the opportunity to frame him. Under this design, the palace seizure was hasty and imperfect. Even with equivalent military strength, as long as the Emperor’s side applied good tactics, they could still prevail.
Unfortunately, the Empress would never know. She was freed, but how great a disaster the Wang clan would face, how many people would have their futures destroyed, their lives ruined—none of this concerned her anymore.
“You’re truly wicked.” Xiao Yi pouted. “No wonder Junior Brother said to do more and speak less in front of you.”
“Don’t say ‘you people, you people’—I’m also one of those who does more.” Strategies and schemes weren’t her forte; she rarely participated in offering opinions.
“Husband and wife are of one heart.” Xiao Yi smiled. “Let’s eat breakfast. Your husband sent someone with a message saying he can’t return for a while. He also said the capital won’t be peaceful these next few days, so you should go out as little as possible. If you really must go out, bring enough people.”
Is he worried about remnant factions? Mo Zi sighed. “Xiao Yi, I can stay indoors. Help me inquire about the Wang family’s situation, and also about Chen Niang.”
Xiao Yi shrugged and tilted her head, indicating she had no problem with that.
That day, word of the Empress’s palace seizure spread throughout every street and alley of the capital. The Metropolitan Protectorate and Nanya Guards had become the Empress’s minions and naturally couldn’t be used anymore. Geng Wo led the Left Guards to continue protecting the palace, while Xu Jiu was appointed Commander of the Light Cavalry in this crisis, leading his boat gang brothers to guard the city until the Xiao family army truly arrived.
The Wang family was very quiet. The homes of the various officials who participated in the palace seizure were also very quiet, because the imperial decree hadn’t been issued. Wang He, Li Ren, and the others were reportedly very compliant, answering whatever they were asked, having already confessed all their crimes. Among them, the Wang family had the most charges—collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, smuggling for profit, conspiring to murder the Crown Prince, bribing the Imperial Medical Academy to cut off the imperial bloodline. Each charge warranted execution of the entire clan.
“Such a large mansion, yet it’s like there are no living people—deathly silent.” Xiao Yi returned to describe. “Chen Niang still lives in the lotus pond cottage. She says Wang Ting had absolutely no idea the Empress and his uncles would seize the palace and stage a coup. His father has been serving as an official in the provinces all along and probably didn’t know about such things either.”
“Wang Ting may truly not have known, but his father—at least his mother and the first branch’s Lady Shan were very close with the Empress.” Mo Zi snorted lightly, then continued, “However, given the Empress’s personality, wanting to become empress wouldn’t be something she’d tell everyone. How many people in the Wang family were involved depends on what Wang He says, and how much evidence can be confiscated.”
Not long after Mo Zi finished speaking, the great confiscation began, with Xiao Wei, Wei Jia, and Zhong An each leading three groups of Qianniu Guards. The Wang family bore the brunt. They confiscated tens of millions in silver notes, antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and treasures whose value couldn’t be immediately estimated. Most importantly, they found letters between Wang He and Daqiu, and ledgers of smuggled goods. This implicated the Empress, Wang He himself, Wang Ting’s father, and two other main branches. Spreading outward, even collateral branches couldn’t escape. The final count of those implicated included nearly three hundred people surnamed Wang, men, women, old and young.