“Madam Marquis, is that all that’s needed?” Seeing that Qiao Zhao had already withdrawn her hands, Wei Wuxie asked nervously.

Qiao Zhao looked deeply at Emperor Mingkang with his eyes tightly closed and nodded: “Yes, that’s sufficient.”

With Emperor Mingkang in such a condition, saving his life would be difficult, but merely stimulating the potential within his body to cause a final rally before death was not overly complex.

“Madam Marquis, when dusk arrives tomorrow, at what specific time should the needles be removed?”

Dusk was originally just a general period, and Wei Wuxie dared not be careless.

Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but frown: “That will depend on the specific circumstances at the time.”

Wei Wuxie bowed deeply to Qiao Zhao: “Then please, Marquis and Madam Marquis, stay here temporarily. This servant will keep your kindness deeply in his heart.”

Qiao Zhao smiled: “Factory Duke Wei need not be so formal. Since the Marquis brought me here, I will naturally give my all. After all, we cannot let rebellious traitors succeed.”

“Madam’s righteousness is admirable!”

“Then this Marquis will first take my wife to rest.”

Wei Wuxie immediately arranged for palace attendants to escort the two to their temporary lodgings.

Looking at the magnificently decorated room, Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but laugh: “I never thought I’d have the opportunity to stay in such a place.”

“Do you like it?” Shao Mingyuan asked with a smile.

Qiao Zhao gave him a reproachful glance: “Don’t let your imagination run wild. No matter how fine this place is, it can’t compare to sleeping comfortably in our residence.”

“Indeed. Not to mention us—even His Majesty sleeping here has never been truly peaceful.”

Shao Mingyuan embraced Qiao Zhao, gently stroking her hair: “I’ve dragged you into this again.”

Qiao Zhao leaned into the familiar embrace, feeling infinitely secure. She hugged the man’s waist and sighed: “We don’t live in some deep mountain forest. Standing at a position higher than most people in the world, isn’t it proper that we bear more storms than they do?”

“Even so, I should be the one bearing them.”

Qiao Zhao glanced at Shao Mingyuan: “I am your wife, not a dodder flower. Moreover, I believe you will protect me completely.”

Shao Mingyuan smiled: “At worst, we can still slip away and leave this place of trouble. Alright, let’s sleep. The more critical the moment, the more we need to maintain our energy.”

The two lay down fully clothed. After a while, Qiao Zhao asked: “Tingquan, when you mentioned leaving this place of trouble, did you mean leaving Great Liang?”

In this succession struggle, if Prince Mu emerged victorious, their desire for peaceful days would not be easily achieved. However, under Heaven, all land belongs to the sovereign—only by leaving Great Liang could they avoid being manipulated by Prince Mu again.

Shao Mingyuan took Qiao Zhao’s hand: “I’ve thought about it. Going south, we could go to sea. Going north, we could find a balanced place among Great Liang, Northern Qi, and Xijiang. If we truly let go of all this, there will always be a path for us. But it’s hard to leave one’s homeland—your parents and relatives are all here. Unless necessary, I don’t plan to take that step.”

A strange light flashed in Qiao Zhao’s eyes: “Both overseas and the northern territories have their advantages. As long as we’re together, anywhere would be the same. Grandfather has told me more than once: ‘Where the heart is at peace, there is home.'”

“Mm, let’s sleep.” Shao Mingyuan caressed her cheek.

Qiao Zhao nodded slightly and closed her eyes.

In the dim light, Shao Mingyuan raised his hand to look at it.

He had fought with sword and blade to earn everything he now had. Why should he flee his homeland like a homeless dog because of a ruler’s lack of benevolence, making his wife and children live in a completely foreign place?

On this point, Shao Mingyuan had not been completely honest with Qiao Zhao after all.

Zhaozhao was the granddaughter of the great scholar Qiao Zhuo. From childhood, she had been taught by Master Qiao, and the thoughts of loyalty to the sovereign, love of country, and propriety were already ingrained in her bones. Unless it came to the very last step, why should he reveal treasonous thoughts and cause her worry?

Light breathing came from beside him. Looking at his wife’s sleeping face, Shao Mingyuan smiled contentedly, quietly pressed a kiss to her lips, and only then fell asleep.

The two only slept until dawn was barely breaking before waking.

It wasn’t that they needed little sleep, but the sounds of killing outside shook the heavens. Even in the depths of the palace buildings, they could hear it.

The two got up, dressed, and washed. When a young eunuch with delicate features brought a sumptuous breakfast, Shao Mingyuan asked: “How are things outside?”

The young eunuch quickly lowered his head and said nervously: “This slave doesn’t know. If the Marquis wishes to know, he can ask our Factory Duke.”

“Let’s go see Factory Duke Wei.”

Wei Wuxie and Master Zhang had been keeping watch over Emperor Mingkang the entire time, with palace attendants continuously relaying news of the battle situation at the palace gates.

When Shao Mingyuan inquired, Wei Wuxie said with an ugly expression: “Our people have already lost nearly half. If we truly need to hold out until dusk, I’m afraid only two or three out of ten will survive…”

Hearing this, Shao Mingyuan’s expression remained unchanged: “Let me make this clear with you first—when the time comes for my wife to remove the silver needles from His Majesty, regardless of the battle situation, this Marquis will immediately take my wife and leave through the back door.”

“That’s only natural.” Wei Wuxie smiled bitterly.

Never mind that the Marquis Guanjun was eager to leave—even if he wasn’t, Wei Wuxie would have to find a way to send them away. Otherwise, what would it mean for people outside to see an adult man in His Majesty’s traveling palace?

“You should think about how to inform His Majesty of the situation in the shortest time possible once he awakens,” Shao Mingyuan reminded him.

Wei Wuxie and Master Zhang exchanged glances, their expressions grave: “This servant has already thought of that. When the time comes, Master Zhang will still need to step forward.”

Master Zhang nodded at Shao Mingyuan and gave him a knowing look.

Soon, it was midday.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky. Outside the palace gates, corpses were piled layer upon layer, fresh blood had soaked through the palace walls and ground, and the thick smell of blood was so overwhelming that people could barely breathe.

Those noble officials who had held out for a day and night were already swaying unsteadily, with several collapsing one after another. Yet with this succession battle ongoing, those still conscious couldn’t bring themselves to just leave.

“Chief Minister, why don’t you go rest for a while?” Seeing Xu Mingda’s pale face, a subordinate official advised.

“Foolish! How can one rest at such a time? Confirming whether His Majesty is safe is the most important matter!” Xu Mingda righteously scolded.

Sprayed by the Chief Minister’s spittle, the subordinate official hurriedly lowered his head and dared not advise further.

As the officials waited in fear and torment, the sun gradually began moving westward, and another seven or eight people collapsed one after another.

Seeing his side gaining the upper hand, with the palace gates that had been under fierce attack for a day and night beginning to crumble, Prince Mu looked at the deathly pale Prince Rui amid the flash of swords and shadows, unable to suppress an excited smile.

In the end, he had seized the initiative. This time, Heaven was on his side.

Then came a thunderous crash as the heavy palace gates collapsed with a roar. Palace attendants inside who couldn’t get away in time were crushed beneath the gates. Before they could struggle, countless people trampled over the gates and rushed through. Blood soon seeped out from the cracks where the gates met the ground.

“Factory Duke, the palace gates have been breached! Our people are desperately holding the front line, but we don’t know how much longer they can hold out—” a palace attendant rushed to report.

Wei Wuxie was covered in cold sweat when suddenly Master Zhang’s voice, filled with surprise and joy, rang out: “Your Majesty, you’re awake!”