Due to the snowfall, darkness fell earlier than usual.

When Xie Zheng led Fan Changyu into the study, the light was already dim. Only after lighting a lamp could they see the furnishings inside.

Xie Zheng took out a map from the bookshelf, unfolding it on the desk to show Fan Changyu: “The Li family failed in their plot against Wei Yan, instead falling into his trap. Their only recourse now is to control the entire capital and support the Crown Imperial Grandson’s succession for any chance of survival. The Wumen gate towers are no lower than the capital’s gates. If the Li family attempts a forceful attack, they won’t succeed quickly, but having established themselves in the capital for many years, it’s hard to say whether they have informants within the Imperial Guards.

Since Wei Yan has pushed the Li family this far, he must have prepared countermeasures. However, with me still in the capital, both the Li and Wei families will do everything possible to drag me into the conflict first, fearing I might reap the benefits of their struggle.”

As Fan Changyu listened to Xie Zheng analyze the current situation, her hand resting on the desk gripped tighter and tighter.

She raised her head and asked, “So the Li family moved against you first, ordering the Five Army Camp to surround the Xie residence?”

The corner of Xie Zheng’s lips lifted slightly, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes: “This is merely the opening act.”

Just then, the guard outside the door reported again: “Master, the Five Army Camp outside is demanding to search the residence, claiming someone saw a fugitive from the Court of Justice enter the Marquis’s mansion last night.”

Fan Changyu looked at Xie Zheng with worry in her eyes. Xie Zheng only replied to the guard, “Then tell the men from the Five Army Camp that if they dare to break down the gates of my Xie residence, they are welcome to enter and search.”

After the guard acknowledged the order and withdrew, Fan Changyu asked, “Did we leave traces behind?”

The candlelight danced in Xie Zheng’s eyes but revealed little warmth: “This is just Wei Yan’s scheme to drag me into the water. When you and I broke into the prison, leading the Li family to believe Wei Yan had freed the prisoners, Wei Yan must have already begun plotting. Last night, the Blood Shadow Riders captured the steward from the Sui residence, uncovered the Li family’s plot to kill the strategist who changed his testimony, and discovered the location where correspondence between the Li family and Qi Min was hidden. With such leverage in my hands, how could the Li family remain calm? Whether there are witnesses or not, they would find some pretext to surround the residence.”

Fan Changyu also understood that the Li family was determined to go all the way. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat as she said, “Qi Min knows Bao’er is still with us. Could the Court of Complaints also be surrounded?”

Xie Zheng nodded: “With the manpower of the Five Army Camp, surrounding the Court of Complaints would be trivial.”

Fan Changyu immediately frowned: “General Tang and Madam Zhao are still at the Court of Complaints…”

Xie Zheng raised his eyes to look at her: “That is precisely what I need you to do next.”

Fan Changyu’s expression immediately became more solemn.

Xie Zheng’s slender index finger pointed to the palace gates on the map: “The Five Army Camp is divided into five camps and seventy-two guards, with forces numbering no less than twenty thousand. Four of the camps might be used by the Li family, but the commander of the Left Army Camp, Shen Shen, is on good terms with me. The Shen family has also been loyal and upright officials for generations. Xie Thirteen will take my token to find him and have him prevent Wei Yan from deploying the Divine Machine Camp’s troops. However, we still need bait to divert the attention of both the Li family and Wei Yan. I’ve already given you the command token for the Blood Shadow Riders. When the time comes, lead all the Blood Shadow Riders from the residence back to the Court of Complaints and bring out Tang Peiyi and the others.”

Fan Changyu suddenly looked up: “If I take all the Blood Shadow Riders, what about you?”

Xie Zheng’s phoenix eyes swept toward the snowy window, showing a casualness that suggested he had been waiting for this day for a long time: “They won’t believe I’ve assigned all the Blood Shadow Riders to you; they’ll think I still have hidden forces in the capital.”

At this point, he lifted the corner of his lips slightly and looked at Fan Changyu: “When falsehood appears as truth and truth as falsehood, who would dare to gamble everything on an uncertain outcome?”

Fan Changyu was still concerned: “Even if the Li family only has troops from four main camps, that’s still over fifteen thousand men. How will you deal with them?”

Xie Zheng simply said, “Both the Li and Wei families are holding back reserves. They won’t commit all their forces against me in a life-or-death battle. But even in the worst case, if it comes down to a fight to the death, the few hundred Xie family soldiers I brought into the capital will make them pay dearly.”

As Fan Changyu slowly processed his words, she suddenly asked: “Why are your men going to block the Divine Machine Camp’s troops instead of the Li family’s men?”

Xie Zheng raised his hand and gently touched Fan Changyu’s cheek: “The Imperial Guards directly report to the young Emperor. Wei Yan is now in the same boat as the young Emperor, so the Imperial Guards will certainly be at his disposal. With the addition of the elite Three Thousand Camp, he can hold the palace city for a short time and maintain a stalemate with the Li family. But with the Divine Machine Camp’s cannons and devices, no matter how numerous the Five Army Camp troops are, they will eventually be nothing but dismembered flesh under the artillery fire.”

He paused at this point: “By sending Shen Shen, rather than merely blocking the Divine Machine Camp, it’s more accurate to say that various forces will be competing for the Divine Machine Camp’s weapons. Do you understand?”

Fan Changyu finally grasped the importance of this strategic deployment. She said, “Then after rescuing General Tang, I’ll temporarily hand over all available forces in the capital to General Tang’s command, and I’ll personally go to the Western Garden. If General Shen fails to stop the Divine Machine Camp’s men, I’ll stop them!”

The Divine Machine Camp’s weapons were stockpiled in the Western Garden outside the palace city.

Xie Zheng stared at her for a long while. Fan Changyu frowned: “Don’t you believe I can stop them?”

Xie Zheng forcefully pulled her into his embrace: “If you can’t stop them, then don’t. Just come back to me alive.”

Fan Changyu looked up: “Those aren’t the words you should be saying to a general.”

Xie Zheng lowered his head slightly, his loose hair casting a faint shadow over his eyelids, hiding the softness concealed in his deep, cold eyes: “You are a general to thousands of people, but you are also my wife. I’m instructing my wife.”

Even knowing the urgency of the current situation, Fan Changyu’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing his words. She pressed her lips together and stared at him intently.

She said, “I’m leaving.”

Just as she reached the door, she suddenly turned back, strode forward, and forcefully grabbed his collar, pulling him down to firmly kiss his lips. Then, lowering her long eyelashes like folding fans, she said in a muffled voice: “I know what you’re planning to do.”

With that, she opened the door and strode away.

Xie Zheng stood in place, watching her retreating figure as she walked away with large strides. The depths of his pitch-black eyes brewed profound, obscure emotions: “If she suffers even the slightest harm, none of you need bother returning.”

A shadow seemed to swiftly depart from the room.

With the Blood Shadow Riders—each worth a hundred men—clearing the way, the contingent from the Five Army Camp surrounding the Xie residence posed no real threat. Fan Changyu quickly led her forces through an opening and rode directly toward the Court of Complaints.

Being the New Year, most shops along the street were closed tight—either because the proprietors had gone home for the holiday or because the imposing presence of soldiers coming and going had frightened the shopkeepers into closing. Ordinary households along the street also had their doors firmly shut.

With Fan Changyu’s group forming such a large moving target, a portion of the Five Army Camp soldiers surrounding the Xie residence split off to pursue them. Meanwhile, scouts riding in the opposite direction successfully escaped notice.

The main gate of the Court of Complaints had already been broken open. A commander, hand on the sword at his waist, stood in the courtyard, shouting gruffly: “Search everywhere! If you find any male child, kill without question!”

Tang Peiyi and He Xiujun, along with other officers, emerged upon hearing the commotion. Seeing that those who had broken in were men from the Five Army Camp, they didn’t rashly confront them directly. Tang Peiyi clasped his hands and asked: “May I ask, General, why you’ve suddenly deployed troops to the Court of Complaints?”

Though this commander was several ranks below Tang Peiyi, he merely smiled coldly: “The Three Courts joint investigation has traced the rebel mother and son who escaped from the Court of Justice to be hiding in the Court of Complaints. This general has come by order to search the premises.”

Tang Peiyi, straightforward by nature, already showed displeasure at the man’s contemptuous attitude. He Xiujun, meticulous and observant, immediately said: “Since you’ve come by order to search, may the General please show us the search warrant to avoid misunderstandings and preserve harmony.”

Unable to produce a search warrant, the commander only said: “Once we have the human evidence, you can all go to the Court of Justice to see the search warrant!”

He Xiujun exchanged glances with Tang Peiyi and Zheng Wenchang, all understanding the situation clearly.

He Xiujun smiled amiably: “What the General says is peculiar. Since we were summoned to the capital, except when called by His Majesty, we haven’t left this Court of Complaints. How could fugitives from the Court of Justice be hidden here? There must be some misunderstanding. It’s cold and windy—let your men search while you come inside with us to warm yourself by the fire and have some tea to ward off the chill.”

As he spoke, he moved forward to take the commander’s elbow.

The commander’s eyes flickered slightly. Just as he was about to refuse, He Xiujun suddenly attacked, grabbing his arm and twisting it backward, then tripping his foot, causing the commander to fall to his knees with his arm pinned behind him.

Zheng Wenchang, equally coordinated, drew the sword from his waist and pressed it against the commander’s throat, shouting at the soldiers trying to approach: “Stand back!”

The commander realized he had been careless and gritted his teeth, looking at Tang Peiyi: “If you let me find and take the person, we can all part peacefully. But if you insist on wading into these troubled waters, you won’t escape so easily.”

Tang Peiyi stared at him for a long while before simply saying: “Bind him!”

Immediately, guards approached with ropes and secured him tightly.

Tang Peiyi, He Xiujun, and Zheng Wenchang shared quarters, so Tang Peiyi knew very well whether they were harboring any male child. Fan Changyu, being a female general, resided in a separate courtyard. Tang Peiyi wasn’t certain whether Fan Changyu had broken someone out of prison or if these officials were just using any pretext to arrest Yu Bao’er.

The group held the commander captive as they made their way to Fan Changyu’s courtyard. The soldiers who had been searching everywhere were intimidated by their commander’s capture and dared not act further. They merely pointed their weapons at Tang Peiyi’s group, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Upon reaching Fan Changyu’s courtyard, they saw Xie Five holding a sword in one hand while protecting an elderly couple behind him.

With only one hand available to wield his weapon and having to protect two elderly people, he was clearly at a disadvantage. There was blood on his body, and the doors to several side rooms in the courtyard stood wide open, apparently having been broken into and searched by the soldiers.

Tang Peiyi immediately shouted: “Stop!”

The soldiers surrounding Xie Five, seeing their commander captured, exchanged glances and gradually eased their assault.

Tang Peiyi gave He Xiujun a look, and He Xiujun immediately led two guards forward to help the elderly Zhao couple. He supported Xie Five and asked in a low voice: “Where is the young master?”

Xie Five answered: “The General secretly took him away.”

Receiving this answer, He Xiujun couldn’t help but feel relieved. He turned to question the Five Army Camp commander: “We are temporarily residing in this Court of Complaints by imperial order. You search without authorization—I’d like to see who will be in the right when we report to the Court of Justice!”

The commander still insisted: “The rebel’s son who broke out of the Court of Justice is hidden in the Court of Complaints. You are harboring rebels—could it be that you also harbor rebellious hearts?”

Tang Peiyi’s expression had become quite grim.

After He Xiujun gave him an inconspicuous nod, Tang Peiyi understood that Yu Bao’er was no longer present. He immediately patted the face of the bound commander and smiled coldly: “Then let your men search. If they find nothing, you’ll leave a hand and a foot here.”

Upon hearing this, the commander looked around, not seeing Fan Changyu, and shouted: “Has the rebel offspring already been taken away by the Cloud Banner General?”

Just then, urgent and chaotic hoofbeats sounded outside the Court of Complaints, followed by the clash of weapons.

Tang Peiyi and the others took the commander to the front courtyard. Just as they passed through the hanging flower gate, they saw a soldier at the main entrance kicked violently, flying horizontally down the stone steps and crashing into a flower bed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Fan Changyu entered, wearing tight-fitting battle clothes with a long sword on her back. Seeing that Tang Peiyi and the others had captured the commander of these soldiers, she let out a faint sigh of relief and called out: “General Tang!”

Tang Peiyi, looking through the main gate at the Blood Shadow Riders battling the soldiers outside, hurriedly asked: “Niece Changyu, what’s happening?”

Fan Changyu parried an attacking soldier with a backhand strike and said concisely: “The Li family is revolting!”

Tang Peiyi and He Xiujun’s faces changed color at her words.

Fan Changyu had no time to wipe away the blood splattered on her face during the fight. She quickly stepped forward and looked at Tang Peiyi: “The Great Yin dynasty is about to change. Let’s see what General Tang intends to do.”

Tang Peiyi’s rugged face rarely showed such gravity. After about a breath’s time, he looked at Fan Changyu: “What does the Marquis plan to do?”

Blood from a wound at Fan Changyu’s temple during the fighting trickled down to her jaw. Her gaze was cold yet resolute: “The one on the dragon throne is an unvirtuous, foolish ruler. The one the Li family wants to support, though a descendant of Crown Prince Chengde, lived as the Prince of Changxin’s eldest son in the Sui family for seventeen years. It was he who conspired with the Li family to plot against Wei Yan. The siege of Lucheng and the death of Grand Secretary He all arose from this. If this person ascends the throne, he will certainly not be benevolent.”

Only today did Tang Peiyi and the others learn of these hidden truths. After their initial shock, anger rose in their faces.

So the poisonous scheme to empty Chongzhou and redirect the siege to Lucheng was conceived by the Li family and the Crown Imperial Grandson?

Tang Peiyi looked at Fan Changyu: “Isn’t the child you’ve been keeping by your side a descendant of Crown Prince Chengde?”

Fan Changyu said, “That child is the son of the Crown Imperial Grandson.”

He Xiujun glanced at the Five Army Camp commander he was restraining, a cold smile appearing on his usually gentle face: “So the Five Army Camp suddenly surrounded the Court of Complaints because the Crown Imperial Grandson ordered the child’s death?”

Fan Changyu nodded gravely.

Before Tang Peiyi could respond, He Xiujun—harboring deep hatred toward the Crown Imperial Grandson due to his father’s death—was the first to stand with Fan Changyu: “I will follow the Marquis in supporting the Imperial Great-Grandson!”

Tang Peiyi looked at He Xiujun.

As the oldest and most steady among the young officers, He Xiujun bowed to Tang Peiyi and said:

“This humble officer’s action is not impulsive vengeance for my father’s death. The Crown Imperial Grandson, while contending for the throne, lacks a heart that cares for the people. Like the Li family, he sought to build a great crime against Wei Yan using the lives of countless soldiers. Publicly, he lacks the benevolence of an emperor. Privately, in his struggle for the throne, he could even bring himself to kill his only son—even wolves and jackals aren’t so cruel. If the empire falls into such hands, how would it differ from when Wei Yan controlled the court? And what face would we have to show the soldiers who died outside Lucheng’s walls?”

Zheng Wenchang immediately also stood by Fan Changyu’s side, followed by two or three other Jizhou generals who had entered the capital.

The devastating battle at Lucheng remained a great thorn in the hearts of these Jizhou generals.

Tang Peiyi sighed deeply and looked at Fan Changyu: “I don’t know if I’ll regret today’s decision in the future, but neither the one supported by Wei Yan nor the one the Li family wishes to protect deserves that dragon throne. Whether this endeavor succeeds or fails, I, Tang Peiyi, will follow the Marquis to change the heaven for Great Yin!”

Only after Tang Peiyi nodded did Fan Changyu feel her heart settle firmly.

With Tang Peiyi’s assistance, Xie Zheng’s chances of stabilizing the capital tonight had increased by thirty percent!

Outside the Court of Complaints, the Blood Shadow Riders were still battling with the Five Army Camp soldiers. A bloody head was thrown out from the main entrance of the Court, rolling several times on the ground tiles before stopping.

The glaive in Fan Changyu’s hand still dripped fresh blood. Under the flickering lights, her eyes revealed the ferocity of a tiger descending from the mountains. Her cold, clear voice tore through the clamor of the winter night: “Zhou Tong, Assistant Commissioner of the Right Wing Army, is dead. If you surrender now, tonight’s crimes can be forgiven!”

The Five Army Camp forces stationed in the capital were divided into five camps: Central Army, Left and Right Wing Armies, and Left and Right Scout Armies, with the Central Army Camp being the largest.

The soldiers who had been fighting fiercely stopped when they saw the bloody head.

Tang Peiyi then announced, “This general will assist the Marquis of Wu’an in arresting the traitors. If you do not surrender, all who surrounded the Court of Complaints tonight will be charged with treason.”

Without their commanding officer, and hearing these threatening words, the Right Wing Army force that had come to surround the Court of Complaints became fearful. After looking around anxiously, they all laid down their weapons.

Seeing that the situation at the Court of Complaints had stabilized, Fan Changyu immediately turned to Tang Peiyi: “General Tang, I leave this to you.”

Tang Peiyi asked: “Won’t you come with us to the palace?”

Fan Changyu mounted her horse, the cold wind lifting the loose strands of hair that had fallen over her forehead during the fighting: “I’m going to stop the Divine Machine Camp from reinforcing the palace city.”

With just that one sentence, Tang Peiyi understood Fan Changyu’s intention.

He said: “Then take more men with you!”

As he spoke, he assigned several more men to Fan Changyu, including Zheng Wenchang.

Fan Changyu didn’t refuse. Sitting astride her horse, she saluted Tang Peiyi: “Thank you, General!”

Fan Changyu led Zheng Wenchang and the others, along with the Blood Shadow Riders, toward the Western Garden.

After watching them ride away, Tang Peiyi shouted to the surrendered Right Wing Army: “All of you, follow me to ‘rescue the Emperor’!”

Twilight deepened, and the snow and wind intensified. The lantern covers hanging from the corridor eaves had accumulated a thin layer of snow.

The dim light beneath the eaves cast swaying bamboo shadows onto the illuminated windows of the side room, where two indistinct figures could be seen sitting on either side of a low table, engaged in a game of Go.

One figure was thin and ethereal, with sparse hair tied into a small bun at the back of his head, secured with a long hairpin. From time to time, he would stroke the equally sparse long beard hanging from his chin.

The other figure was muscular and strong, sitting upright as a pine tree on a rush cushion, placing stones with a decisive, commanding air.

Both men resembled mountains—one with the elegant tranquility of flowing water over high peaks, the other with the majestic grandeur of Mount Song.

As the old, thin fingers placed another white stone on the board, Grand Tutor Tao looked at the man across from him and sighed faintly: “Yi Gui, in this game, you’ve walked into a dead end.”

“Gui” refers to a jade ceremonial object. “Yi Gui” was Wei Yan’s courtesy name.

In the entire court, only the elderly man with the weathered face sitting opposite him dared to call him by this name now.

The wind was strong outside, making the bamboo shadows sway. Wei Yan put the black stone in his hand back into the bowl and simply said: “Not necessarily. Perhaps by dawn, there will be a way out of this predicament.”