blood splatter

Inside the Changchun Immortal Pavilion, the flickering candlelight illuminated the lifeless Emperor Yongxi lying on the dragon couch, as well as the solemn faces of the people in front of the couch.

Ignoring the suffocating aura of death, Xu Xianyue quickly stepped forward, placing her fingertips on the emperor's already cold wrist, and then quickly examined his pupils and lips. Lin Qingyan immediately began to examine the remaining medicines, incense, and other items in the hall.

"Your Majesty's lips are cyanotic, and your nails are faintly blue-black. Even after treatment, there's still a faint lingering scent of bitter almonds..." Xu Xianyue's voice was cold and rapid, "It's Qianji poison, mixed with a small amount of Gelsemium elegans to speed up the onset and cover up the traces."

Lin Qingyan also picked up a little residue from the medicine dregs, sniffed it, and his face suddenly changed: "Yes! It is Qianji! When this poison takes effect, it is extremely painful and will make the body curl up like a bow... The word "Ni" that His Majesty said before his death, I'm afraid it refers to..."

He is the regicide and traitor!

The two people completed their diagnoses almost at the same time and their conclusions were consistent!

Upon hearing this, Princess Huixi's eyes instantly erupted with deep hatred and a hint of hidden excitement. She turned abruptly and sternly addressed her trusted maid, "Did you hear that?! Father was poisoned! By the Queen Mother and the Third Prince, this ruthless and ambitious mother and son! This is on the record! Everyone who heard this is a witness!"

"Yes!" The palace maid responded with a trembling voice and quickly took out the paper and pen that had been prepared long ago to take notes.

"Hurry! Find the will!" Princess Huixi urged, her eyes eagerly scanning the area around the dragon bed.

Xu Xianyue didn't rush to look for the will. Her eyes fell on the emperor's slightly curled fingers, and something clicked in her mind. She stepped forward and gently pried open the emperor's clenched fist. In his palm, tightly clenched was a small, crumpled, bright yellow piece of silk!

On the fragment, a vague word "chuan" can be vaguely seen, as well as a familiar vermilion mark belonging to the emperor's private seal!

It was a fragment of the imperial edict of succession! Did His Majesty actually tear it up at the last moment?!

Xu Xianyue's heart was pounding! What could this mean? Was His Majesty dissatisfied with the successor? Or... had he never had time to write a complete edict?

As her thoughts raced—

"Bang!!"

The tightly closed door of Changchun Xianguan was violently thrown open from the outside! Wood chips flew everywhere!

Dozens of elite guards from the Third Prince's Palace, armed with sharp blades and clad in iron armor, led by a ferocious-looking general, rushed in with murderous intent! The leading general's eyes were fierce, fixed on Xu Xianyue and Princess Huixi:

"By order of the Empress Dowager and the new Emperor! Princess Huixi has colluded with a demon woman to desecrate the Holy Body with evil intentions! Kill her without mercy!"

“Protect the Princess and Miss Xu!” Jingzhe shouted fiercely, leading several secret guards to rush forward and engage in a fierce battle with the rebels who rushed in! The flash of swords and sabers instantly filled the entire bedroom!

"Stop them! Find the complete will for me!" Princess Huixi was shocked and angry. She screamed as she retreated under the protection of palace maids.

Xu Xianyue, however, remained remarkably calm. She quickly tucked the bright yellow fragment into her sleeve, her gaze sweeping across the chaotic battle. The rebels were numerous, and while Jingzhe and the others were brave, they were no match for their opponents, and they were on the verge of being forced into a desperate situation!

Don't fight hard!

Her eyes instantly locked onto the rebel general who was giving the orders! As the saying goes, to capture the thief, you must first capture the leader!

Xu Xianyue's eyes flashed with coldness, and with a flick of her wrist, several silver needles as thin as ox hair and soaked in anesthetics were already clamped between her fingers! This was something she had specially prepared recently for self-defense!

Just as the general swung his sword at a secret guard, leaving an open door wide open—

“Shhhhh!”

A subtle sound of breaking through the air was heard! Several silver rays of light, at extremely tricky angles, went straight to the general's throat, eyes, and other vital points!

The general was alert, and subconsciously turned his head to dodge when he heard the wind, but he was still a step too slow! A silver needle accurately pierced the acupoint on the side of his neck!

"Ugh!" His movements suddenly stopped, half of his body was instantly paralyzed, and the steel knife in his hand fell to the ground with a clang!

Jingzhe seized this split-second opportunity, and the short blade in his hand slashed across his throat in an instant like a poisonous snake coming out of a hole!

Blood splattered!

The main general was killed and the rebel offensive was immediately disrupted!

"Retreat! Protect the eldest princess and Miss Xu from the back hall first!" Jingzhe made a prompt decision and led the crowd to retreat while fighting.

However, just as they retreated to the rear hall door, they heard even more intense footsteps and shouts of killing outside! Another group of people had already arrived, blocking the way!

It turned out to be the remnants of the Crown Prince's faction! They got the news from somewhere and actually wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to break into the Changchun Immortal Pavilion and fight for the so-called "last will"!

For a moment, inside and outside the Changchun Immortal Pavilion, the three factions of the Third Prince, the Crown Prince, and Prince Jing (hidden guards), along with Princess Huixi, who was intent on taking advantage of the situation, were engaged in a chaotic battle! The sound of swords clashing, shouts of killing, and screams were endless. Blood stained the white marble floor red. The once solemn and majestic imperial palace was now transformed into a Shura field!

Xu Xianyue was tightly guarded by Jingzhe and several secret guards. Her cold eyes froze as she watched the frantic and chaotic scene unfold before her. This was the struggle for power, naked and bloody.

In the melee, a stray arrow grazed Princess Huixi's hair, frightening her so much that she turned pale and screamed. Lin Qingyan quickly pulled her behind a golden pillar with a coiled dragon pattern for shelter.

In this moment of extreme chaos——

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar came from the direction of Chengtian Gate! Even the ground beneath our feet shook slightly!

Then, like a tsunami, came the overwhelming shouts of killing and the sound of horse hooves! The sound was getting closer and closer, carrying with it an unmatched momentum like a torrent of steel!

"It's the border troops! The black-armored cavalry from the north! His Royal Highness Prince Jing's black-armored cavalry has entered the city!!" On the palace wall, the surviving defenders screamed in despair and terror!

Xie Wuqi’s reinforcements have finally arrived!

He did not attack the palace by force, but took advantage of the secret lines he had laid out before and the chaos he had created, and cooperated inside and outside to quietly open the Anding Gate on the other side of the capital, and let in his most elite 3,000 black-armored cavalry!

Iron hooves trampled through the long streets, like a black wave of death, sweeping towards the imperial city! Wherever they passed, the ragtag group of the Third Prince and the Crown Prince, who were caught in the melee, were torn apart as easily as paper!

The battle situation in the palace was reversed in an instant!

Hearing the sound of iron hooves that symbolized destruction and victory, the morale of the rebels and the remnants of the prince's troops in Changchun Xianguan suddenly collapsed, and despair appeared on their faces!

"Reinforcements have arrived! Those who surrender will not be killed!" Jingzhe seized the opportunity, gathered all his internal strength, and shouted loudly!

Those who resisted stubbornly lost their fighting spirit in an instant and surrendered one after another.

The chaos gradually subsided.

Xu Xianyue stood amidst the devastation and bloodshed, watching the approaching torrent of black armor outside the hall, like a moving mountain, and breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her hand, looked at the bright yellow fragment in her sleeve, then gazed at the already cold body on the dragon couch, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

This palace coup, triggered by poisoned wine, was finally put to a temporary end with even more violent force.

However, she knew that the real trouble had just begun.

The reckoning of the crime of regicide, the authenticity of the imperial edict of succession, Princess Huixi's ambitions, the Queen Mother's ultimate fate, and... the man who had just led his cavalry through the capital and seized control of the situation with absolute force...

All this indicates that the storm is not over, but has entered another more subtle and dangerous stage.

The palace is deep, but the blood is still wet.