Prince Rui forced a laugh and asked, “May I ask why Your Majesty invited the Marquis of Changxing? Bringing heavy troops into the palace in the dead of night is indeed easy to misunderstand!”

The Empress sneered, “You, Prince Rui, whom I choose to invite—does that require your inquiry?”

Prince Rui was momentarily speechless.

A small man silently appeared beside Ye Xian—it was Song Si, whom Li Xianhuai had sent earlier. He was thin and short, having practiced bone-shrinking techniques in his early years, which made it convenient for him to move about anywhere. He whispered to Ye Xian, “Young Master, Guard Li has brought Minister Zhao to the Wu Gate.”

Ye Xian pressed his hand down slightly to indicate he understood.

At this moment, Zhao Yinchi’s arrival could only save his father. If he wanted to ensure Prince Rui couldn’t recover, he would have to make him commit a serious offense, so they could legitimately execute him.

Ye Xian looked at Prince Rui and said slowly, “Your Highness and the two commanders of the Divine Machine Camp lying in ambush outside the Supreme Hall, isn’t that even more suspicious? You claim my father is rebelling, but who the real rebel is, you know best. If my father truly intended rebellion, how could he bring merely two thousand men? Even one Divine Machine Camp could defeat them, not to mention the Imperial Bodyguards. A failed rebellion would only lead to destruction.”

Prince Rui, failing in his scheme and now being counterattacked by Ye Xian, was furious: “You, Ye Xian, don’t you dare make false accusations…”

As he spoke, his voice suddenly halted.

A wildly ambitious thought had emerged in Prince Rui’s mind!

Just as Ye Xian said, the Divine Machine Camp now obeyed him, and he was well-acquainted with the commanders of the Imperial Bodyguards and Palace Guards, he had his private army at East Ring Mountain. The Marquis of Changxing had brought only two thousand men. If the Divine Machine Camp and Imperial Bodyguards captured the Marquis now, and he then took control of the Empress and Crown Prince… who could stop him? The entire empire would have to listen to him then, and what would the Marquis of Changxing and Zhang Julin amount to?

With such a golden opportunity, why shouldn’t he seize the chance for rebellion, rather than helping that old thief Zhang Julin pave the way by eliminating the Marquis of Changxing?

Prince Rui inwardly blamed Xiao You, who had only thought about plotting against the Marquis’s household. How could he not have considered rebellion, despite being an advisor to Prince Cheng? Once he became Emperor, who could stand in his way?

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Prince Rui’s mouth: “The Young Master is right. How could the Marquis’s mere two thousand men defeat the Divine Machine Camp and Imperial Bodyguards?” He still had crossbow archers hidden in the ambush.

Hearing this, the two commanders of the Divine Machine Camp thought, “This is bad.” Helping him against the Marquis of Changxing was one thing, but helping him stage a coup was another matter entirely. How many usurpers without rightful claim had ever come to a good end? Unfortunately, they were now in the same boat as Prince Rui. Even if they didn’t help him today, once the Marquis returned, he wouldn’t spare them.

The Empress frowned upon hearing this: “What does Prince Rui mean by this?”

Prince Rui looked at the Empress dismissively and said coldly: “Why are you anxious? This subject will show you.”

He said quietly: “Both of you, now that the arrow is on the string, it must be released. Help me this once. After we succeed, I promise you the title of marquis!”

The two commanders of the Divine Machine Camp exchanged glances and then ordered their men to surround the Marquis of Changxing’s troops, including the Empress. Supporting Prince Rui, who had royal blood, at least gave them some justification. Might as well take the risk for wealth and glory!

The Empress was shocked. She hadn’t imagined Prince Rui would be so bold as to truly rebel!

She looked at Ye Xian in panic. Having been in a high position for so long, she lost her composure when faced with a crisis.

Ye Xian signaled her to remain calm and said to the person behind him: “Go open the Supreme Gate.”

As the two forces continued to fight, the Supreme Gate slowly opened in the somber atmosphere. Fine rain fell, and countless shadowy figures appeared in the night mist beyond the gate. It was Minister of War Zhao Yinchi sitting astride his horse, followed by countless soldiers from the Five Army Camp and Three Thousand Camp.

Zhao Yinchi said coldly: “Zhu Zaitian, you have great audacity, daring to collude with the Divine Machine Camp and Imperial Bodyguards in rebellion! Do you think our Five Army Camp and Three Thousand Camp don’t exist?”

As soon as he finished speaking, countless soldiers behind him immediately responded with mighty shouts, wave upon wave, creating an imposing momentum.

Seeing Zhao Yinchi arrive, Prince Rui’s face drastically changed.

At this moment… how did Zhao Yinchi bring people here?

When had he gathered the forces of the Five Army Camp and Three Thousand Camp?

Zhao Yinchi quickly dismounted, and his soldiers immediately poured through the Supreme Gate like a tide, surrounding the Divine Machine Camp and Imperial Bodyguards from both sides. The Divine Machine Camp and Iron Cavalry were still entangled in combat, and the Marquis of Changxing had already killed several Divine Machine Camp soldiers. With the Three Thousand Camp and Five Army Camps joining the battle, the situation immediately showed an overwhelming reversal. The Marquis of Changxing gave a cold look at Prince Rui standing among the Divine Machine Camp, and his long sword once again swung toward the Divine Machine Camp officials.

Zhao Yinchi knelt before the Empress and said solemnly: “This subject has come to rescue Your Majesty. You have been frightened!”

The Empress forced a smile: “You’ve come at the right time…” Throughout her life, everything had gone smoothly, and she had truly been frightened just now.

Ye Xian glanced at the Divine Machine Camp members still resisting stubbornly and said to Zhao Yinchi: “…Prince Rui’s collusion with the Divine Machine Camp to rebel is truly condemnable. Sir, you must not show mercy and should eliminate them.”

His tone was very gentle.

Zhao Yinchi immediately cupped his hands and said: “Young Master, rest assured, not one will escape!”

Prince Rui roared angrily: “Ye Xian, it must be you! You…” Before he could finish, he was struck in the back by the Marquis of Changxing’s sword as he broke through the encirclement. Prince Rui wasn’t wearing armor, and this blow pierced his chest. Prince Rui stared in disbelief at the silver sword tip protruding from his chest.

The Marquis of Changxing withdrew his sword, and Prince Rui fell to the ground, blood gradually spreading. His wide-open eyes would never close again.

Seeing Prince Rui fall, the two commanders became frightened. They had acted on impulse, hoping to rebel, but now that Prince Rui was dead… what could they do? The Divine Machine Camp soldiers also began to retreat, their every move revealing vulnerabilities, and they were soon captured by the Iron Cavalry. The rest were cornered by the Three Thousand Camp and Five Army Camp, with no strength to resist further.

Capture the leader to defeat the gang. Killing Prince Rui meant weakening their morale.

Seeing that the battle was decided, the Marquis of Changxing sheathed his sword and walked toward his son.

He wore a slight smile on his face, with fresh blood still on his armor.

Ye Xian rarely saw such an approving smile on his father’s face, as he was always very stern with him.

The Marquis of Changxing wanted to give his son an embrace, or perhaps a word of praise, but before he could get close, he saw Ye Xian’s face change dramatically, seemingly shouting something loudly that he couldn’t hear clearly. Then he felt a coldness in his chest. Looking down, he discovered an arrowhead.

Before he could reach Ye Xian, he staggered back a step, his legs giving way first, and then his entire body collapsed with a thud.

The surrounding Iron Cavalry soldiers immediately rushed forward to lift the Marquis, their voices in chaos.

Seeing the Marquis shot by an arrow, the Empress turned pale. Who had fired the arrow from hiding… when everything had seemed resolved? She hurriedly called to a nearby eunuch: “Quickly, summon the Imperial Physicians!”

The eunuch acknowledged and ran toward the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Zhao Yinchi came forward to direct soldiers to carry the Marquis onto the terrace to shelter from the rain, and then to remove his heavy armor.

Raindrops fell, and Ye Xian’s face was covered with rainwater, looking extremely pale. He slowly walked toward the Marquis, biting his lip, his hands trembling.

The Marquis’s eyes were tightly closed, and the soldiers helping remove his armor had blood all over their hands. Ye Xian stared at the arrowhead. His father was wearing heavy armor; an ordinary arrow couldn’t have penetrated it!

It was one of his custom-made arrowheads… with a small seal script of the character “Ye” on the shaft. Li Xianhuai, who had rushed over, also saw it and his expression became very grim. The Marquis had been shot… by an arrow belonging to the Young Master!

If this got out, it would cause endless speculation!

He whispered: “Young Master, now we can’t pull out the arrow. If others see it, you might not be able to explain yourself… Who could be so vicious!”

Who else could it be? Ye Xian knew very well—besides Xiao You, who else could be so meticulous? He had anticipated numerous possibilities: if the Marquis was successfully killed by the Divine Machine Camp commanders, things would go smoothly. If the Divine Machine Camp couldn’t defeat the Marquis, he had a backup plan, arranging for someone to ambush him with Ye Xian’s crossbow. The Marquis dying from Ye Xian’s arrow… his scheme was truly one poison more deadly than the next!

Ye Xian looked around and said grimly: “Seal off the Supreme Gate and Ningshou Gate, no one is allowed to leave!… There’s a traitor in the Marquis of Changxing’s household. Whoever captures him will be heavily rewarded!”

The Iron Cavalry immediately closed the Supreme Gate and Ningshou Gate. Others went into the Supreme Hall to bring out lanterns and torches. The commanders of the Five Army Camp and Three Thousand Camp promptly ordered their soldiers to search the Sumeru pedestal and the east and west wing rooms, capturing many hidden crossbow archers.

Li Xianhuai couldn’t help but admire Ye Xian. By immediately pointing out the existence of a traitor and ordering their capture, he had cleared himself of suspicion. If he had waited until later to explain, it would have seemed like a cover-up. Being forthright like this, no one would doubt him.

The Imperial Physicians soon arrived, and the Marquis of Changxing was carried into the Supreme Hall for treatment, his fate uncertain.

Li Xianhuai wanted to say something to Ye Xian but saw him staring into the night, lips tightly pressed, his face showing an unprecedented calmness and coldness.

He hesitated, then swallowed the words of praise he was about to offer.

Xiao You was awakened in the middle of the night by the commotion outside. Wearing a Taoist robe, he walked out of his chamber door to find Liu Zhou had returned. The servant boy guarding outside the chamber was curled up under the corridor, sound asleep.

Liu Zhou held a slender-necked celadon wine bottle, smiling as he said to Xiao You: “I see that Master Xiao also can’t sleep soundly, so I specially brought back a bottle of yellow rice wine from Mingzhao Ward. I’ve also brought sliced cooked beef and roast goose. Let me join you for a few cups.”