In the wind and snow, the great gates of the Imperial Academy, which never opened after nightfall, slowly creaked open.

Students of the Imperial Academy in black scholar’s robes poured out like a tide.

They had originally planned to stage a sit-in protest or offer counsel, but upon opening the doors, they witnessed an entire street filled with burning, killing, and looting.

This street was near the imperial city yet at some distance from it, typically housing mid-level officials and wealthy merchants. Unlike the great clans, they lacked sufficient guards, yet they possessed wealth.

Thus they became the first targets of disaster.

The snow on the streets had already been trampled into slush by leather boots, and with fresh blood splattered upon it, had become sticky and muddy.

Leather boots strode heavily through the bloody mud, their soles picking up long streaks of blood plasma.

Everywhere lay broken gates, smashed utensils, fallen bodies, and lingering, wavering moans.

Dayan cavalry laughed wildly among the corpses and debris, stripping bloody necklaces, rings, and hairpins, stuffing them carelessly into their bosoms.

When they found nothing, they brandished wooden clubs, striking down again and again with savage force.

Dull sounds echoed through the long street scattered with remnant blood.

Like hell itself.

The Imperial Academy students had spent years buried in documents and scrolls. The most brutal scene they had ever witnessed was perhaps someone unlucky enough to break a leg while practicing horsemanship and archery.

How could they have ever seen such demonic rampage, flesh and bone turned to mud?

So they stood frozen at the end of the wind-swept long street, forgetting all movement.

Bang! A door was smashed open. A young girl, clothes disheveled, was dragged out by her hair. Her mother followed behind, crying and screaming, desperately trying to snatch the girl back, only to be kicked heavily away by a fur-lined boot.

The sound of ripping fabric rang out, and the girl let out an inhuman howl.

At the same moment, another howl arose.

A young student suddenly burst from the formation, randomly picking up a brick from the roadside and smashing it fiercely against the soldier’s head.

Crack! Like a melon splitting open.

The soldier swayed but surprisingly didn’t fall, turning to look at the student.

Blood covered his face, mixed with mud and snow flakes, making him look like a demon crawled up from hell.

Though he had always studied riding and archery, the student who had never harmed anyone couldn’t withstand such visual impact and froze.

Then he felt a coldness in his abdomen.

Like ice and snow kneaded into his belly.

He stared down in bewilderment, seeing a blade tip protruding from his stomach.

A sinister laugh sounded behind him as a tall soldier emerged, casually pushing forward while muttering unintelligibly, his expression vicious.

The student fell to his knees in the snow with a thud.

Hot blood gushed forth, melting the accumulated snow on the ground.

Someone shouted from the end of the long street, voice like clashing metal and iron.

“A group of academy students should focus on studying and serving the country properly! Don’t meddle in affairs that don’t concern you! Retreat immediately! Otherwise, this one serves as your warning!”

Everyone looked up, only then dimly seeing that at the end of the wind-swept long street, a dark mass—an army was positioned in formation.

A moment of silence.

Shortly after, the Imperial Academy students went mad.

The formation suddenly scattered as each person lunged forward, throwing themselves at those fierce and savage foreign cavalry.

Those prepared for a sit-in had no weapons, but it didn’t matter—they could ram with their heads, bite with their teeth, strangle with their hands.

The long street instantly descended into flesh-against-flesh collision.

The person commanding the formation at the end of the street let out an annoyed curse, looked up at the sky with a grim expression, and slowly raised his hand.

It was a gesture preparing for a charge.

Anyone who dared resist, regardless of who they were, would be killed on the spot.

His hand had just been raised.

Suddenly an arrow flew through the wind and snow, stirring up an even fiercer storm along its path, creating a sharp whistle in countless ears before exploding in front of those raised hands.

The hands suddenly disappeared.

The Second Master of the Xiao family leading this group cried out and fell from his horse.

Immediately a large patch of dark clouds descended from behind, and the unprepared cavalry fell from their horses one after another. They landed on the cold snowy ground, seeing bowl-sized hooves stomping down toward their heads.

Only now did they realize that if it were themselves being trampled under horses, it wouldn’t be pleasant at all.

On the long street, the students easily fell into chaotic and bitter fighting.

They had eloquent tongues but lacked tremendous arm strength, much less their opponents’ years of honed combat experience and will.

A young man slipped during the fighting and accidentally fell into the snow, immediately seeing blade light spinning toward him.

He closed his eyes.

But pain did not come.

A scream arose, but it wasn’t his.

He slowly opened his eyes, suddenly discovering the snow had stopped falling.

Then he realized it wasn’t that the snow had stopped, but that there was now an umbrella above his head.

The umbrella wasn’t large, yet it shielded this area from bloodshed and killing intent. Under the umbrella, someone coughed softly, his cloak trembling slightly, revealing a handsome face with a touch of romantic charm. He blinked, and frost settled on his eyelashes, yet amidst the continuous sounds of battle, he still smiled at the person under the umbrella.

The student stared blankly at this person.

He recognized him.

Among the scholars of the capital, few didn’t recognize him.

This was a famous figure in the capital, renowned for many years, once the most brilliant youth in the capital. Even the Crown Princess’s rise to prominence came after his.

He was second on the capital’s list of young masters, with no name ahead of him.

He was the Chief Minister’s most valued legitimate grandson.

He was the youngest academy director in the history of Great Qian.

He was the idol worshipped by countless scholars in the capital.

He was Rong Pu.

…

The clamor on the long street subsided.

Bodies still littered the ground, but this time more were rebels.

Rong Pu hadn’t brought many people, but they attacked from behind. Among those led by Second Master Xiao, the most ferocious Dayan people were unwilling to risk their lives for the Xiao family and quickly fled. The remaining were harvested by more than half in the first wave of arrows.

Rong Pu captured Second Master Xiao alive and threw him into a prison cart that had followed him. When Second Master Xiao entered, he was shocked to discover familiar faces inside.

Sixth Master Xiao, Seventh Master Xiao, Fourth Master Xiao—all were there.

All had been ordered to kidnap high officials but ended up captured.

The inner city actually wasn’t without resistance forces, but the incident was sudden—government offices were surrounded, high officials fled, the palace was besieged, Qi Ling led his subordinates to resist the capital garrison in the outer city to prevent them from approaching the imperial city, while Xia Houchun had to protect the royal family in the palace.

This left them leaderless.

Rong Pu’s arrival solved this problem very well.

He brought the best riders and archers from Leaping Carp Academy on a long journey into the city. After entering, he didn’t linger but gathered several Scorpion Camp squads maintaining order in the inner city after entering the inner city, leading them straight to the government office area around Changming Street.

Sure enough, he intercepted the Xiao family forces still searching for He Zi and others with extreme precision.

The Xiao family launched surprise attacks on important ministers’ residences, so Rong Pu launched surprise attacks to defeat the Xiao family piecemeal. He led his people through these residences like a comb, combing out a bunch of people.

Among all captured, except for the leading Xiao family members who were taken alive, all Dayan soldiers were killed on the spot.

To stop violence, only violence would suffice.

But he also didn’t linger to search, only acting along the way. His target had always been clear—he didn’t even go to the palace but headed straight for the Rong residence.

On the road, he also encountered Shen Mi leading students from Strategy Deer Academy. Without saying much, Shen Mi directly led his people to join Rong Pu’s forces.

Blood flowed through the long street, turning the snowy ground into bloody ground.

The dark mass of Imperial Academy students, led by Rong Pu, stepped over corpses and turned the street corner.

Not far ahead lay the Rong residence, with a large open area in front of the gates where two sedan chairs were currently stopped.

Xiao Liheng was climbing into a sedan chair when he suddenly stopped, then saw a large group of black-robed scholars emerge from the snowy ground.

Those people stopped in front of his guards, halting across a street, placing swords across their knees and sitting cross-legged in the snow.

Three thousand people gradually settled down, like a black tide spreading into the distance, blocking the entire street.

Xiao Liheng’s expression changed slightly, then he sneered coldly.

“What’s this, standing in snow unto death in remonstrance? Does this trick still work on me now?”

A figure slowly approached from behind the crowd, dressed in white robes and a white cloak, the entire person appearing quite frail, as if about to be swept away instantly by the winter wind.

Yet Xiao Liheng’s expression changed.

How could Rong Pu appear in the capital now?

Shouldn’t he be in Haiyou, overwhelmed dealing with various affairs of Leaping Carp Academy?

Recently he had sent many people to Haiyou and Leaping Carp Academy, creating all sorts of miscellaneous tasks for Rong Pu, determined to keep him under surveillance and trapped in Haiyou.

To gain Rong Luchuan’s support, this Crown Princess partisan Rong Pu absolutely had to be contained first.

How had he shaken off those miscellaneous duties and surveillance, and even brought so many people back to the capital day and night?

How had he sensed that the capital was about to erupt in chaos?

Though countless questions arose, it was no longer time for asking.

Rong Pu stopped before the crowd, his gaze falling on the other sedan chair, saying: “This trick naturally has no effect on Master Xiao, but it should work on Grandfather?”

This was a question.

Rong Luchuan had already seated himself in the sedan chair, but the curtain wasn’t lowered.

Hearing this, he showed no reaction.

The surrounding snow light dimly illuminated the sedan chair’s interior. He wore bright court robes, only his steel-carved countenance hidden in darkness.

He didn’t answer. Rong Pu didn’t mind either, turning to look at the black tide behind him, sighing as he said: “From the first year of Shun’an until now, it has been twenty-two years since we’ve seen a student movement.”

He turned back to smile at the two men, saying: “Congratulations. Chief Minister and Master Xiao have earned this special honor. Your great names will forever be recorded in the annals of history.”

Xiao Liheng sneered coldly: “Always talking about the annals of history—don’t you know that history has always been written by the victors?”

Rong Luchuan was silent for a while, then slowly said: “Rong Pu, returning home on a snowy night, was it just to bring people to stand here and mock your grandfather?”

Rong Pu said quietly: “And to collect Grandmother’s bones.”

The sedan chair seemed to tremble slightly.

Xiao Liheng laughed: “What a cold-hearted descendant. Among the hundreds of main and branch family members of my Xiao clan, truly none can compare.”

Rong Pu’s smile remained unchanged: “And also, in consideration of once serving together in court, to find a burial place for the hundreds of main and branch family members of the Xiao clan.”

Xiao Liheng said: “Just with these students behind you?”

“Do you know what cavalry is behind me? Do you know that with one charge order from me, your ridiculous sit-in demonstration petition will be covered in blood? Or do you think that with your three-inch tongue, spouting a few words randomly, you can make me and all my family and guards tremble and bow down immediately?”

Xiao Liheng laughed harshly, his laughter sinister. “Youthful passion is good, but too much passion isn’t so good. Rong Pu, you’re at least a person of stature. No matter who becomes emperor, they could accommodate talent like you. Yet you insist on seeking death for a woman. Should I call you clever or foolish?”

“Fools see all beings as fools. Master Xiao, as you please.” Rong Pu looked toward Rong Luchuan. “Three thousand students, the first student movement in twenty years, not to stop rebel ministers and traitors, but to ask Grandfather to observe, think more, act less.”

Xiao Liheng said: “Using a student movement and reputation to stop your grandfather now—it’s too late! Once the city gates open, they can never be closed again!”

“The opening of the city gates was Grandmother’s sin, and she has already paid with her life. If my Rong family truly must take action, we should first settle accounts with whoever instigated her to open the city gates.”

“Even if you want to settle accounts with someone, you must first consider whether your Rong family has the ability to settle accounts if it cannot survive?”

“I block you, kill you, and that’s merit. Merit and fault offset each other—it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Xiao Liheng scoffed, his eyes glancing at a tall man beside him.

That man’s shoulders tensed slightly.

Rong Pu’s gaze swept over and immediately waved his hand.

A prison cart rumbled forward with several people inside.

“Father!”

“Uncle!”

Xiao Liheng’s expression changed.

After a long moment, he gritted his teeth: “Useless.”

He cursed inwardly.

This consumptive from the Rong family was so quick to seize opportunities!

He had wanted his subordinates to control the Rong family members as hostages, not expecting Rong Pu to already have hostages from his family and immediately produce them.

Rong Pu said indifferently: “Please have Master Xiao and your relatives move away from my grandfather.”

Xiao Liheng gritted his teeth and signaled everyone to retreat three steps.

“Farther away. Southeast direction would be best.”

Southeast was exactly Rong Pu’s direction, the direction where the student movement blocked the road.

Xiao Liheng suddenly stopped.

He stared at Rong Pu, his eyes sinister and fierce.

After a long moment, he sneered coldly: “How dare a young upstart underestimate the heroes of the world!”

Before his words finished, Rong Pu suddenly felt an ominous premonition. At the same time, he heard a buzzing sound in the air.

Toward the direction of the prison cart.

He was currently standing in front of the prison cart. Hearing this sound, it was already too late to dodge.