The border was guarded by Meng Yuxiu's soldiers, so how could they have broken through so quickly?

The ministers, who were urgently summoned to the palace by imperial decree, were filled with anxiety and their doubts deepened.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his desk piled high with memorials. He rested his right hand on his forehead, his face showing exhaustion, and the dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time. "My dear ministers," he said, "do you have any good ideas on this matter?"

The Minister of Rites looked at Xiao Lingshou, but Xiao Lingshou did not look at him. The Minister hesitated and said, "The barbarians are coming with great force. If we do not deal with them as soon as possible, our country's territory may fall into enemy hands."

The emperor said impatiently, "Do I need you to tell me this? I'm asking you, who is more suitable to send to the border war?"

"Not General Meng?"

It's unclear which minister said it, but the emperor's expression immediately changed.

“Sending him there is probably not a good idea,” Xiao Lingshou said slowly, breaking the tense atmosphere. “My father was in danger on his wedding day. He married the princess of the Three Pages Sect. The Three Pages Sect had just attempted to assassinate my father a few days ago. If we send him there, we don’t know if he will take the opportunity to turn against us.”

"That's right." The emperor said sternly, "He absolutely cannot be the one sent to the border!"

It wasn't him?

The Minister of War stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, “Your Majesty, my son has been appointed a General of the Vanguard. He once single-handedly conquered a tribe in the northern border. Now that the barbarians are invading, my son is willing to go to the border to quell the rebellion!”

After thinking it over carefully, the emperor nodded and said, "I grant your permission."

Three days later, all the generals who led troops went to the border to provide support, except for Meng Yuxiu, for whom the emperor made no statement, as if he had forgotten about him.

Meng Yuxiu remained calm and practiced martial arts under the tree, waiting for his opportunity.

With the border matter settled, the emperor's biggest concern was the Three Gates, who were lurking in the capital, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He ordered his guards to apprehend them as soon as possible, and the guards dared not disobey, leading troops to the Yellow Crane Tower. But this time was different.

The Yellow Crane Tower, known as the largest restaurant in Beijing and usually bustling with customers, now had its doors and windows tightly shut. As they walked along, they saw only unattended stalls and not a single person in sight.

The guards suspected this was a stronghold of the Three-Page Gate, and with a gesture, everyone went on alert.

"Push the door open!"

His subordinate stepped forward and pushed the door. After two attempts, it didn't budge. He pushed hard, and the two doors slammed against the wall, triggering a mechanism inside the building. With a "click," a volley of crossbows fired, and the person who opened the door was caught off guard and riddled with crossbow bolts.

Those standing behind were not spared; some died, some were wounded, and blood flowed everywhere.

Twenty-seven people, half gone in an instant!

"What's going on?" The guard asked in alarm, looking up sharply into the main hall of the building.

"Kill them! Get justice!"

A loud shout came from inside the building, and the people who had grabbed hoes, carrying poles and other tools rushed out, blocked the guards who were trying to escape, and beat them to death with the carrying poles!

These people have all lost their families or been tortured, and they harbor deep hatred for the current emperor. They want to skin them alive, drink their blood, and eat their flesh!

They didn't notice that someone crawled out from between their legs.

"What did you say?!" The emperor threw the memorial onto the table in disbelief. "They incited a rebellion and massacred our soldiers?"

The guard knelt on the ground: "I led men to the Yellow Crane Tower to arrest the rebels, but they had prepared traps beforehand. There were more than twenty of them, but I risked my life to break through and report the news to His Majesty!"

"If they planned this, how did you manage to break through?"

The emperor's tone was calm, yet it carried an air of impending storm. The guard, oblivious to this, hesitated, wondering whether he should tell the truth—that he had escaped.

"Your subordinate..."

The emperor sneered, his killing intent surging: "So you really are a member of the Three Pages Sect, trying to take advantage of this opportunity to get close to me and kill me! Guards, drag him out and beat him to death with clubs!"

"Your Majesty, I am absolutely not a member of the Three Pages Sect! I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

The guards appeared and dragged the person who begged for mercy away.

"Guards! Convey my imperial edict! Send the Minister of War with troops to suppress this rebellion. Anyone who dares to resist, kill him!"

The steward received the imperial edict, bowed respectfully, and withdrew. He encountered Xiao Lingshou at the palace gate. Xiao Lingshou looked at him questioningly, and the steward shook his head slightly before leaving.

Deep within the palace, the Imperial Household Department had tied a guard to a wooden bench, and two men on either side of him were striking him heavily with crimson wooden boards, eliciting cries of pain.

Hearing the palace servants plead for mercy, they trembled uncontrollably and dared not even breathe.

Xiao Lingshou listened for a while, then turned and left.

The current emperor has lost his composure and is nothing short of a tyrant. His lifetime of kindness and benevolence is now seen by the people as nothing more than a complete hypocrite.

"He's insane!"

Upon hearing about the changes in the palace, Chang Lili almost burned her hand. She quickly dipped the piece of iron into cold water. With a sizzling sound and a puff of blue smoke, she took it out and examined it. It was a snow-white blade.

Mengxin clapped her hands in delight: "It would be best if it went even crazier, then we'd have a legitimate reason to be together!"

"Too."

Chang Lili muttered something, then buried herself in her work, forging the weapon in her hands. Aunt Lu had been urging her to hurry up lately.

The public outrage in the capital was not a recent phenomenon; it was built up from countless deaths and injuries, and even the surrounding towns were affected, with innocent people dying tragically.

The more the emperor ordered suppression, the more fiercely the people resisted, and they gathered together with high morale!

A woman, holding her child, cried out, "My husband was just a bit of a drinker and did some odd jobs, but that tyrant accused him of colluding with the Three Doors and had him executed on the spot! Without the pillar of our family, how are we, a widow and orphan, supposed to survive!"

“My brother was the same. He only said a few words to his lover, and he found an excuse to kill him. That damned tyrant!”

One after another, people recounted their tragic fates. Even a richly dressed merchant said, "My poor son! I sent him to watch over the business, and he ended up dead without a complete corpse! This tyrannical ruler must die! I'm willing to provide financial assistance to help you!"

Chu Moyu mingled among the group, observing their heartbroken expressions, and at the opportune moment, uttered some outrageous words.

"When the Yun Kingdom destroyed the Da Shun Kingdom, tens of thousands of people died tragically. What are we compared to them? Now that a tyrant is blocking our way, he is neither benevolent nor righteous. Why should we need this emperor? Why not cooperate with the Three Pages Sect to overthrow the Yun Kingdom!"

The people were stunned and discussed among themselves with complicated expressions. One of them said, "If it weren't for the Three Pages Gate, we wouldn't have ended up like this."

Chu Moyu said, "The Three Pages Sect is just like you, a bunch of people whose families have been destroyed. You want revenge, but you expect the Three Pages Sect to swallow their anger? You should know that you are all untrained people. Cooperating with the Three Pages Sect will give you a greater chance of survival!"

Chu Moyu appealed to their emotions and reasoned with them, and some of the Da Shun people hidden among the common people began to persuade them, and the people's expressions began to waver.

Xiao Lingshou strode into the emperor's bedchamber, with guards protecting him. Through the curtains, he reported the latest developments: "Father, I have received news that some people have risen up in rebellion, using the pretext of eliminating tyranny to completely turn against our dynasty. Public anger can no longer be suppressed. I believe..."

"No need for further words!" The emperor flung his sleeve. "These mere rioters, just kill them!"

"Father Emperor—"

The emperor glared at him and shouted, "Step back!"

Xiao Lingshou frowned, left helplessly, and planned to try other approaches.