Xie Shangjia regains his memory

The passage under the dry well was cold and damp, filled with a strong earthy smell and a stale atmosphere.

Shen Qianyue brought a team of carefully selected people with her. The torches in her hands made her profile appear bright and dark.

The crackling sounds of weapons and burning torches echoed in the deep and narrow passage.

The passage was more complicated than expected, with numerous forks and faint ancient carvings visible on the walls from time to time.

Relying on the map and ideas, Shen Qianyue continued to make choices and made a circuitous advance towards the rear of the estimated collapsed area of ​​the main channel.

The journey was unusually smooth, so smooth that it made people feel uneasy.

As Shen Qianyue's uneasiness grew, she suddenly stopped and raised her hand to signal.

The entire team stopped instantly, and all sounds ceased.

She listened carefully, and in the dead silence, she seemed to catch a very faint, intermittent sound of metal clashing... and... a vague human voice.

"Shh—" She signaled everyone to be quiet and focused more on her hearing.

The sound became clearer, as if it came from deep in a fork in the road ahead.

A soldier with excellent hearing suddenly exclaimed excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement: "It's the prince! The prince is still alive!"

These words were like a drop of water thrown into a frying pan, instantly causing a commotion in the tense team and almost bursting into cheers.

Shen Qianyue shouted harshly. Instead of relaxing, her hair stood on end and she felt an extremely ominous premonition.

"Silence! All on alert, weapons drawn, advance at a slow pace."

The team immediately returned to a solemn silence, with only the subtle friction sound of swords being unsheathed and heavy, tense breathing. They continued to move forward slowly, carefully rounding two bends.

The view ahead suddenly opened up. After a large bend, a large flickering firelight could be seen faintly, illuminating the entrance of the passage as bright as day.

Shen Qianyue took a deep breath, tightened the short blade in her hand, and made a gesture.

The scout held his breath, moved closer to the stone wall, and cautiously looked behind the bend.

After just one glance, the scout's face turned as pale as paper, his legs went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering. He couldn't even speak, but just pointed his finger ahead, his eyes filled with extreme fear.

He didn't need to say anything more. The next moment, everyone understood where his fear came from.

At the bend ahead where there was a glow of fire, footsteps sounded like muffled thunder.

A large number of imperial guards dressed in Ming Guang armor and holding sharp blades rushed out like a tide, instantly filling the gap in front. The cold armor and sharp weapons reflected a chilling light under the torches.

It's the Imperial Palace Guards! And a large number of them!

"Protect the military advisor!" One of the fastest-reacting generals beside Shen Qianyue roared and dragged the limp scout back.

At the same time, all the soldiers who followed Shen Qianyue in instantly shrank back, forming a tight defensive formation, with their swords pointed outward, protecting Shen Qianyue at the back.

Shen Qianyue's heart sank into an ice cellar in an instant.

Imperial Palace Guards? !

How did they get here? If the plan had already been leaked, what about Xie Zhiyun? Was he still alive?

Or... this is simply a trap to lure them into it.

The two groups suddenly met in this dark underground, with swords drawn and murderous intent in the air. The air was as solid as substance and could explode completely with just a spark.

However, at this critical moment, the surging imperial guards split to both sides like a tide, leaving a narrow passage.

Beneath their cold metal visors, their gazes seemed to be focused on the depths of the passage.

The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed as if water was dripping out.

Under everyone's gaze, a figure slowly and calmly walked out from the separated passage.

He was not wearing armor, but a dark purple civilian robe, which made him stand out in this murderous army formation.

The firelight illuminated his face.

The moment Shen Qianyue saw the face of the person coming, her pupils suddenly contracted to the extreme, and the blood color on her face instantly faded. She was even more shocked than when she saw the imperial guards just now.

The huge impact made her murmur almost subconsciously: "Husband..."

The moment the word came out of her mouth, she regretted it.

At this moment and in this place, in this situation, this name seems so inappropriate.

Xie Shangjia—perhaps at this moment he should be called the Xie Shangshu Sheng who had fully recovered his memory—heard this subtle murmur.

His gaze passed through the soldiers in tense confrontation and landed precisely on the face of Shen Qianyue who was protected behind. The corners of his lips seemed to bend slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Madam, you're calling me the wrong name. You should call me husband."

Shen Qianyue looked at the expression on his face and concluded that he had recovered his memory, and she felt mixed emotions for a moment.

It was hard to tell whether she was happy or disappointed, or whether she felt a sense of emptiness because of the complete disappearance of "Xie Shangjia", who had existed for a short time and relied on her wholeheartedly.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to suppress all the surging emotions, met his gaze with a cold and hard look, cut to the most crucial core, and asked in a clear voice.

"You want to stop me?"

These four words are not about the relationship between husband and wife, nor are they about past grudges, but rather the naked stance and choice at the moment.

All the soldiers held their breath, waiting for Xie Shangjia's answer.

The air in the underground palace seemed to solidify into a huge rock, pressing down on everyone's heart.

Xie Shangjia looked at her quietly, looking at her back that remained straight even in desperate situation and her eyes that refused to give up. The firelight danced in his deep eyes, making it impossible to see his true emotions.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice still steady, yet with an unquestionable power.

"What else?" he asked, his tone unable to tell whether he was happy or angry. "Madam, what do you think I should do?"

Behind him, from deep within the passage where Shen Qianyue and his men had come from, came the heavy and orderly sounds of armor colliding and footsteps, and a large group of soldiers emerged, looking somewhat disheveled, their armor covered in dust and even blood.

The leader was a tall man with a stern face. He was none other than the King Dingwu, Xie Zhiyun, who was supposed to be buried deep in the underground palace.

He actually escaped and arrived here with some men!

The situation became clear in an instant.

In front of Xie Shangjia was a collapsed underground palace with no way out. The only exit was through Shen Qianyue and the hundred soldiers she brought with her. It would have been easy to break through these hundred people.

But now that Shen Qianyue's reinforcements have arrived, Xie Shangjia has no chance of breaking through and is completely blocked in this dead end.

Inside the underground palace, the tense atmosphere of the confrontation between the two sides was almost solidified into substance.

Shen Qianyue and Xie Zhiyun's eyes met briefly.

Xie Zhiyun's eyes shot towards Xie Shangjia on the other side like lightning. At just one glance, he could tell there was a difference. That look, that aura, were definitely not something that Xie Shangjia, who only had memories of being eighteen years old, could possess.

"Heh, it seems my good nephew has remembered everything."

While signaling Shen Qianyue to step back, he raised his voice to Xie Shangjia, his voice echoing in the underground palace, full of temptation and provocation.

"Shang Jia, the emperor and I are both your uncles, and we are connected by blood. Now that the situation is clear, why don't you follow me? You will definitely have to follow the emperor. What's the point of being a mere favorite? Being a favorite of two dynasties is real ability, isn't it?"

Xie Shangjia's gaze passed over him and stared at Shen Qianyue, who was half-protected by him. He suddenly clapped his hands, and his laughter was full of cold sarcasm and suppressed anger.

"Uncle, you're really good at this. You even conspired with my wife, who I married officially. As your nephew... I really admire you!"

He emphasized the word "admiration" very much, which was full of irony.

Shen Qianyue's mind raced. King Dingwu was a man of deep affection, but things were different now.

This is the moment that determines the ownership of imperial power and the survival of the country. Not to mention that the person blocking the way is his nephew, even if it is his own son, for the sake of the overall situation, Xie Zhiyun will never show mercy.

We can't let Xie Zhiyun take action. Once he gives the order to kill, there will be no turning back.

Shen Qianyue clenched the hem of her clothes, her fingertips almost digging into her palms. She looked past Xie Zhiyun, who had everything under control, and shouted sternly.

"Ling Yi! Why don't you do it now!"

This shout was earth-shattering.

Almost in the instant when no one could react, Ling Yi, who had been silently guarding Xie Shangjia like a shadow, moved.

“Clang——”

The sharp blade at his waist flashed as fast as lightning as it was unsheathed. The cold blade pressed against the side of Xie Shangjia's neck accurately and decisively. The movement was clean and neat, without any hesitation.

"My lord." Ling Yi's voice was calm, forming an eerie contrast with the murderous sword in his hand. "Please hand over the tiger talisman."

All this happened too quickly and too unexpectedly. The imperial guards were suddenly in an uproar, all pointing their swords at Ling Yi, but they were too cautious to act rashly.

Xie Shangjia, whose neck was held by a sharp blade, was startled for a moment before speaking, "Alright! Ling Yi, you're very kind. You've followed me since you were thirteen. I consider you my brother and confidant. Now, are you going to betray me?"

Ling Yi did not avoid his gaze, his hands were as steady as a rock, and he did not explain. He just repeated the words as if this was his only mission that he had to complete: "Lord, hand over the tiger talisman."

There was a brief moment of dead silence.

Xie Shangjia's eyes met Shen Qianyue's from a distance for a moment.

He raised his hand and slowly untied the black iron token from his waist. He held the token high and swept it over the astonished imperial guards. His voice came out clearly and calmly, echoing in the ears of every soldier who held his breath.

"Here is the tiger talisman, Imperial Guards, listen to your orders!"

All the imperial guards subconsciously straightened their backs.

Xie Shangjia spoke each word with great force: "Follow Prince Dingwu—destroy the imperial city and purge the imperial court!

Once the order was given, the situation changed drastically.

Without hesitation, he threw the tiger talisman, which represented supreme military power, at Xie Zhiyun.

The knife in Ling Yi's hand was still firmly pressed against his neck, without moving at all, as if what he threw was not a military token, but an insignificant stone.

"Uncle, please."

Xie Zhiyun steadily caught the tiger talisman thrown at him, weighed it casually twice, and swept his sharp eyes over Xie Shangjia, who was held hostage by a sharp blade but remained calm.

Finally, the sharp gaze like an eagle fell heavily on Shen Qianyue.

"Leave."