He then issued an edict ordering the Military Command to immediately dispatch 100,000 troops to surround Huiyue Manor and kill them without mercy.

The court was indignant; everyone was truly baffled as to what Empress Xie was trying to do.

Xie Anfeng's eyes were red and swollen from crying. He knelt down and pleaded with Emperor Hui and Zhou Shaoyu, saying, "Your Highness is disregarding your personal safety. I know it's for the people, for... But the Empress is clearly targeting Your Highness. Your Highness must not go. If Zhaozhao knew, she wouldn't agree to Your Highness going either."

Zhou Shaoyu wasn't stupid. He insisted on going there at great risk, but only for the sake of the Xie family and Zhaozhao. If he could persuade Empress Xie to surrender, the Xie family could still survive. If Empress Xie insisted on rebelling, then the entire Xie family would have no way out.

If he kills the entire Xie family, how can he face Xie Zhaozhao?

Zhou Shaoyu would rather take the risk than create a rift between himself and Xie Zhaozhao.

How could Xie Anfeng ask him to go?

Zhou Shaoyu, facing a discerning person, did not deny it, but pleaded with Emperor Hui: "Father, I will go with the army. If we can talk, we will talk. If we cannot talk, I will return to the palace immediately."

Emperor Hui was extremely worried, but how could an emperor be cowardly and irresponsible? He could only instruct Leng Luo and the others to ensure Zhou Shaoyu's safety.

The 100,000 soldiers of the Military Command were assembled ten miles outside the city.

Not long after Zhou Shaoyu left the palace, he saw Ren Jialin riding towards him on the Imperial Street.

Ren Jialin, with a more than ten brothers, bowed to Zhou Shaoyu by the roadside and said, "I will escort Your Highness for a while."

"You're too kind, Master Ren." Zhou Shaoyu clasped his hands in a fist salute. "This journey is fraught with danger; you really don't need to go."

"If you're too embarrassed, how about I switch horses with you? Or lend you my cloak to keep warm?" Ren Jialin was a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), and he was not concerned with trivial matters.

Zhou Shaoyu didn't stand on ceremony and immediately swapped horses with him, taking off his winter cloak and tossing it to Ren Jialin.

Ren Jialin happily put on his cloak, mounted his prized horse, and rode alongside him out of the city.

Dozens of horses, billowing dust, obscuring human faces.

Less than ten miles outside the city, a deafening sound of something breaking through the air could be heard.

Countless arrows shot towards Zhou Shaoyu and his group from all directions.