Countless black-clothed people surged into the great hall.

At the same time, the Imperial Guards had all arrived, and both sides engaged in brutal combat.

Many innocent eunuchs and palace maids were killed with a single blade. Many officials either died or were injured. The marble floor was covered entirely in blood.

The Emperor and Crown Prince were protected in the very center by dozens of Imperial Guards. Li Jingshu trembled as she hid behind the Emperor. The outer ring consisted of military officials from the court. Chu Yi wielded a blade, his eyes already bloodshot from killing, his body covered in splattered blood.

The Empress was beside them, also protected by a group of Imperial Guards.

She looked toward the eastern sky. By logic, her people should have already taken control of the four main gates. Why was there still no signal?

But she believed there would be no failure.

She had arranged one thousand death warriors to assassinate the Emperor, while another four thousand death warriors attacked from outside the imperial city. Controlling the four main gates was equivalent to controlling the entire palace.

As for the Imperial Guards, more than half had long been bought off by her. The other half posed no threat.

Though the military camps stationed outside the city had many people, she had sent them much strong liquor early that morning in the name of the Emperor’s birthday banquet. Those guards had long been drunk.

The only thing she feared was the eight thousand elite troops under Chu Yi’s command who had suppressed bandits. However, a few days ago, she had created some chaos in Jizhou, and those eight thousand elite troops had been dispatched there.

She had calculated everything. There could be no mishaps whatsoever.

The Empress believed in herself immensely.

However, she waited and waited until the death warriors were nearly all killed before she realized something was wrong.

How could there be so many Imperial Guards in the palace?

Why had no news come from outside the palace?

Which part of the plan had gone wrong?

“Your Highness, someone started a fire at the east gate—it’s been controlled!”

“Your Highness, someone made a move at the west gate—the head has been taken!”

“Your Highness…”

Many Imperial Guards came to report.

The Empress’s pupils constricted sharply. These weren’t Imperial Guards—they were clearly Chu Yi’s soldiers!

In other words, all her plans had been anticipated by Chu Yi. He had deliberately let her believe those eight thousand elite troops had gone to Jizhou, when in reality they were hidden within the palace!

Chu Yi hid even deeper than Chu Mo!

Chu Yi was the most difficult person to deal with!

But she had realized this too late!

“Your Majesty…”

Nanny Yin supported the Empress’s swaying figure.

The Empress looked at the situation in the great hall, her heart slowly sinking into despair.

The Emperor wouldn’t die. The ones who would die were her, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince’s children!

But the Crown Prince knew nothing…

“What should we do, Your Majesty…” Nanny Yin’s voice also carried despair. “This old servant is willing to take all the blame. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself…”

The Empress shook her head.

Assassinating the Sacred Sovereign, forcing a palace coup to seize the throne—how could a mere nanny accomplish such things?

If she wanted to preserve the Crown Prince, there was only one method now.

She looked toward the great hall. The situation was very clear, which was why Chu Yi was leading a group searching for lurking assassins in the shadows outside the great hall to prevent ambush.

Right now was the time!

“Save His Majesty!”

The Empress suddenly shouted loudly.

The death warriors who had been scattered suddenly assembled in an orderly fashion, rushing toward the Emperor’s direction without fear of death.

The military officials beside the Emperor were all somewhat exhausted and found it difficult to resist, retreating repeatedly.

“Erlang, I’m scared…”

Li Jingshu hid behind the Emperor, her face pale with fright, her steps stumbling.

The Emperor protected her, consoling: “Just a mob of rabble, nothing to fear. Don’t be afraid—we’ll be safe very soon.”

His words had barely fallen when the lead black-clothed person suddenly broke through the encirclement, his long sword pointing directly at the Emperor’s brow.

The Emperor’s personal guard immediately used his long blade to block.

He was very confident he could block this strike.

To him, this was really no problem at all.

However, before his long blade could reach them, he saw a woman’s figure rush from the side, charging straight toward the long sword.

With a squelching sound.

It was the sound of a sharp weapon piercing through flesh and blood.

The Emperor’s pupils constricted violently, disbelieving: “…Empress?”

“Your Majesty… it’s good you’re unharmed.” The Empress’s lips held a smile as she slowly fell. “This consort hasn’t… lived in vain.”

“Empress!” The Emperor reached out to catch her falling body, sitting on the ground in the process. “How could you… how could you…”

He and the Empress had married young, husband and wife for thirty years. On the surface they seemed respectful toward each other, but in reality, he hadn’t shared a bed with the Empress all year round. He only symbolically visited Kunning Palace on the fifteenth of each month without staying overnight. In his view, there had long been no marital affection between him and the Empress.

He had never dreamed that at this life-or-death moment, it would be the Empress who stood before him.

The person he loved hid behind him.

The person he had hurt stood before him.

“Someone come! Quickly, someone! Imperial Physician!”

The Emperor roared with some breakdown.

However, in such circumstances, how could an imperial physician come?

He saw the Empress slowly close her eyes, and great panic rose in his heart.

At this moment, a voice sounded behind him—Li Jingshu crying out in terror: “Your Majesty, be careful!”

From somewhere another black-clothed person had appeared.

Li Jingshu, who had been hiding behind the Emperor, quickly released him upon seeing this and fled into the flower bushes.

That black-clothed person’s blade came straight toward the Emperor’s face.

“Imperial Uncle!”

A thin figure blocked the Emperor’s front.

The Emperor was once again incredulous.

Standing before him was actually Chu Rui, whom he had always been wary of.

Because of his great birthday, Chu Rui, who had long become a commoner, had specially entered the palace to present a birthday gift to him.

The black-clothed person’s blade pierced Chu Rui’s body, then withdrew and went toward the Emperor.

“Bold madman!”

Chu Yi’s spear pierced through the black-clothed person’s body, saving the Emperor.

With this black-clothed person’s death, the rest saw the general situation was lost and bit off their own tongues one after another.

Thus, all the black-clothed people died in the great hall.

The great hall suffered countless casualties—palace maids and eunuchs, imperial consorts and noble ladies, officials and guards… blood flowed like rivers.

The Emperor was uninjured but had suffered fright, his voice revealing weakness: “Quickly arrange for imperial physicians to save people, quickly save them!”

Those alive immediately handled the aftermath—treating the sick and injured, carrying away corpses, cleaning the great hall…

Though the Emperor was extremely exhausted, he had no mind to rest and arranged for the Imperial Guards and the Court of Judicial Review to thoroughly investigate.

Under such circumstances, the efficiency of these people was quite high. That very night, they delivered the investigated information to the Emperor’s desk.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, most of the Imperial Guards in the palace were bought off—it was the Empress!”

“That group of death warriors had been raised for over twenty years. There are traces showing they had dealings with people from the Gongsun family!”

“Your Majesty, the one who arranged the assassination was extremely likely the Empress!”

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately opposed by the Crown Prince’s faction.

“This is utter nonsense! The Empress risked her life to protect His Majesty and has already died. How can you throw dirty water on a dead person!”

“Their Majesties have deep marital affection. The Empress absolutely could not have done such a thing!”

The Crown Prince’s face was covered in tears: “Father Emperor, Mother Empress cannot have died in vain like this. Consort Fang and the child in her belly also died. Please, Father Emperor, you must investigate clearly who was responsible and avenge Mother Empress and the child…”