The fighting on all sides stopped instantly.

Cui Xun swiftly reached for the edge of the cliff, the hem of his clothes slipping from his grasp. He stared at the figure plunging into the boundless sea of ​​clouds, his expression slightly stunned.

He only wanted to save her, but he didn't expect her to slip, and his palm strike sent her straight off the cliff.

"Princess."

Xiao Yan darted to the edge of the cliff and saw that the fog below was thick and bottomless. He immediately took out a rope and, along with the other guards, grabbed the rope and jumped off the cliff.

"My husband."

Sima Yao hurried over and grabbed Cui Xun's sleeve.

Cui Xun snapped out of his daze, glanced silently at the bottom of the cliff, and then looked at her sideways.

"Weren't you going back to Chaodong to handle your father-in-law's funeral? Why are you here?"

His Majesty died, and the capital was in chaos. Yan Beimo actually wanted to ascend the throne and become emperor. He was ordered to return to the capital to handle some business, but before he even entered the capital, he heard that his princess had been kidnapped and was asking him for help.

Why kill Jinling?

Sima Yao's eyes reddened, and she tugged at his sleeve, saying aggrievedly, "You know that my eldest brother sided with the Marquis of Yan, but after our father died, my second brother seized the throne, and the entire Chaodong was thrown into chaos."

"My elder brother and I came to the capital to escape, and killing Jinling was also Yan Hou's idea."

Cui Xun has been king for many years; how could he be fooled by a few words from her?

He flicked his sleeves and turned to head down the cliff.

"I have no intention of being enemies with Yan Beimo, much less with the Yan family. Your Highness should consider this carefully."

"Is my husband going to abandon me?"

Sima Yao quickly jogged after him, grabbed his forearm, and looked at him pitifully.

Cui Xun pursed his lips, paused, then grabbed Sima Yao's hand and gave instructions to the rear.

"Send men to search for and kill those guards from earlier, eliminate them completely, and clean up all traces left here."

"yes."

In no time, the surroundings fell silent, and a biting wind swept across the cliffs, raging and gloomy.

An hour later, the area below the cliff erupted in activity again, with flames gathering in their direction.

It was Qilin who led the way and caught up with them.

He emerged from the dense forest, carefully observing his surroundings, while his bodyguards searched the area with knives in hand.

“There are traces of ropes sliding down here.”

Upon hearing the night hawk's cry, Qilin immediately went to the edge of the cliff to look. He frowned when he saw the rope marks hidden in the jungle.

"Go down and look for it."

Everyone grabbed ropes and went down the cliff.

Night had fallen, and the moat was stained with blood. The troops from the southern desert were blocked at the Qu Nan River and were ambushed by the troops led by Wang Hezhan. They suffered heavy losses and fled in panic back to the southern desert border.

Upon hearing this news, Helian Ye's expression changed instantly. When he learned that Chu Changning had escaped, he was furious and led his troops away.

With the Central Plains in chaos, the Yan family had long harbored resentment towards Helian Ye because of Yan Shike's affair. Yan Beimo ordered a manhunt, and the aristocratic families' troops quickly intercepted him at Fuguan Pass, bringing the battle to a head.

Before Yan Beimo could even sound the retreat, he received a message from Qilin via carrier pigeon. His expression changed drastically, and he left the battlefield, heading straight for the cliff.

In the vast night sky, an eagle soars high, its loud cry piercing the air.

When he arrived with his men, he saw a group of people on the cliff.

"Where is Madam?"

Everyone immediately knelt down. Qilin's back trembled slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "We found the lady's hairpin and several corpses at the bottom of the cliff. The lady may have fallen into the deep river."

Yan Bei Mo was furious and kicked Qilin in the shoulder. The force was so great that Qilin rolled backward, spitting out blood, but dared not say anything and quickly knelt down.

Everyone kept their heads pressed tightly to the ground, not daring to breathe.

Yan Beimo strode to the edge of the cliff, looked at the misty abyss, and blood suddenly spilled from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away casually, and before anyone could react, he jumped off the cliff.

Qilin quickly stood up and waved for everyone to follow him down.

Below the cliff was a raging river, its banks bare and devoid of any thorns or brambles.

A fierce, biting wind howled, and in the middle of the empty cliff, a ribbon of emerald green fluttered in the wind.

Throughout the night, countless soldiers on warships searched the river, moving downstream, while waves of professional body retrievers went up and down the river.

At dawn, light appeared on the horizon, the fog dissipated, and the first rays of sunlight shone on the river. Dozens of warships stood facing the wind, and soldiers gradually emerged from the riverbed, finding nothing.

Yan Beimo, dressed in a white robe, stood on the ship. The white sable fur on his hood whistled wildly across his face in the fierce wind, and he was eerily calm.

Behind him stood a large number of Northern Army soldiers.

"Your subordinate has found out that the people chasing the lady were from Chaodong, and Princess Nanping has come to the capital."

"You mean, it was Sima Yao who did it."

Xuan Yao said in a deep voice, "Yes, our men discovered that the Prince of Qinghe had ambushed 10,000 troops at the foot of the mountain."

Where have they gone now?

"The Prince of Qinghe has left the capital with the Princess of Nanping. A large number of troops have not yet left, and more than 8,000 soldiers have been captured in the military camp."

Yan Beimo said calmly, "Kill them all."

Everyone was startled upon hearing this, exchanged glances, and dared not speak.

"Send a message to Cui Linyuan by carrier pigeon, and tell him that I want the heads of Prince Qinghe and his wife."

Xuan Yao was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized what he meant and replied respectfully, "Yes."

No one dared to say a word, and everyone was filled with apprehension.

Zhong Yuan stepped forward and spoke, "My lord has conducted such a large-scale search, yet he has not found the lady's body. I believe that the lady may not have fallen into the river at all."

"Now the infighting among the eight princes has caused chaos in the Central Plains and the Jin Dynasty is falling apart. My lord's most urgent task is to return to the palace, declare himself emperor, and stabilize the situation."

The Central Plains were in turmoil, the various states were fragmented and engaged in wars of division. With the death of the new emperor, the south was also thrown into turmoil, and the regimes of the north and south split.

In times of chaos, heroes and villains emerge in great numbers.

The Central Plains needs an emperor who can quell the chaos of war across the land.

Yan Beimo stood quietly against the wind. Hearing Zhong Yuan's words, he said indifferently, "Send more manpower. If you can't find them, bring your head to me."

Zhong Yuan fell silent upon hearing this nonsensical statement.

Qilin immediately ordered troops to be dispatched to continue the search.

The dead of winter that year was undoubtedly the most chaotic period since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty. The princes plotted rebellion and usurped the throne, forced the new emperor to commit suicide, and were imprisoned in the capital by the Marquis of Yan.

However, the new emperor's body was missing, making it impossible to hold a funeral. The former prime minister, in alliance with rebels, stormed the capital and attacked the powerful families. Troops from the Western Regions and the southern desert took advantage of the situation and invaded, leading to a complete uprising in the Central Plains.

The Marquis of Yan led his troops to meet the enemy, but fell off a cliff and fell into a coma.

The rebels of the previous dynasty were stirring up trouble, and the troops of the powerful families had gathered in the capital. However, within a few days, the Northern Army had surrounded them. On the surface, the capital was calm, but underneath, a storm was brewing.

When Wang Hezhan led his troops back to the capital, he heard the news that Chu Changning had fallen off a cliff and his fate was unknown, and that Yan Beimo was in a coma.

He cursed a few times and hurried towards the palace.

The entire palace had just experienced a coup, and the pungent smell of blood permeated the surroundings, with a faint stench of blood lingering in the air.