The scene was littered with corpses and filled with the stench of blood.

Beirong, the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's Sleeping Room.

"Your Majesty, the Princess of Southern Qi has surrounded the capital with her troops, and the 50,000 Yun people who were imprisoned at the bottom of the cliff have also followed..."

"What?"

The retired emperor's expression changed drastically at that moment. "Where are those people who were guarding them?"

“They’re all dead.”

The person who came said.

The Emperor Emeritus stiffened, a look of utter dejection flashing in his eyes. Then, he slumped back down, muttering to himself in disbelief, "They actually found it! They actually found it! So well hidden! I'd never heard Yuwen Yao mention it before. I thought he didn't know..." As if remembering something, a hint of joy crept onto the Emperor Emeritus's face. He looked at the eunuch who had come to report, "Has anything changed about Nan Lingqin?"

"Your Majesty, no, and most of them are carrying corpses. These corpses are piled up at the city gate, and they're talking about revenge. Every word they utter reveals how they've been controlled by Your Majesty for so many years. Now, the hearts of the people of the capital... I believe it won't be long before the whole world knows, knows..."

The newcomer's voice trembled.

Hearing the stammering voice of the newcomer, Yuwen Shu slammed his hand on the table, veins bulging, and shouted, "What do you know, you damned dog slave? What exactly do you want to say?"

The man trembled with fear and immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty... not to mention others, even our own city gate guards are saying that Your Majesty... has betrayed your promise, harmed meritorious officials, killed the general's wife from back then, and hid 50,000 soldiers, leaving the world to yearn for them. Clearly, you have ulterior motives, wanting to throw the world into chaos and destroy people's hearts..."

As soon as the man finished speaking, he lowered his head and dared not look up at the emperor again.

Yuwen Shu trembled with rage, his eyes like swords.

"Yuwen Yao is the emperor of Bei Rong, and he really is that ruthless."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has not appeared yet. It seems that you are just letting these rumors spread."

The person who came spoke even softer.

"You bastard, you bastard."

Yuwen Shu kept slamming his fist on the table, his eyes bloodshot with anger. "He actually pulled this trick on me, so quickly, so unexpectedly."

"Your Majesty, we have not yet reached a dead end."

Just then, the Holy Maiden walked over and stood beside the Emperor Emeritus.

The Emperor Emeritus suddenly looked at her, his eyes lighting up. "Yes, I still have Yuwen Shi and Yu Guang Qingyue. They don't want to die, and... haha, yes, yes, you're right."

Yuwen Shu was immediately delighted.

The eunuch beside him kept his head down, not daring to utter a sound, but he knew in his heart that the opinions of the masses were the hardest thing to quell.

...

The Crown Prince's Residence.

Even though the gate was already filled with kneeling officials, waiting for the newly enthroned emperor, whose ruthless methods had silenced any dissent, to take charge, Emperor Yuwen Yao remained completely silent for half a day.

Amidst the turmoil of the world and the siege of the city by countless generals, he seemed to have evaded everything.

"Please return, gentlemen. His Majesty has said that they will not attack the city. Everything will be settled tonight, and you will not suffer any harm."

Tingfeng came out and, amidst the expectant gazes of the ministers, conveyed Yuwen Yao's decree: "His Majesty also said that General Xie, as a general of the country, regardless of the reason or whether he has betrayed the country, is guilty of treason for leaving like this. Therefore, if he reappears in the future, he will be executed without mercy."

"Then, the Guards of Listening Wind, then, what these people are saying about the Emperor Emeritus, this..."

Some ministers still found it hard to believe that the Northern Emperor, whom they had always been loyal to, had committed so many heinous acts.

The path to imperial power is inevitably paved with bloodshed and countless corpses; this is undeniable, regardless of the dynasty. Just like the hidden bloodshed within the grand mansions of the powerful, only no one speaks of it. And now…

The Emperor has gone too far, suppressing meritorious officials. Not to mention the officials, even the common people who were once deeply proud of General Zongzheng Shao's wife will likely rebel if they are not appeased.

Tingfeng and Tingyu stood to the side, observing the expressions of the officials. They exchanged a deep glance, their eyes filled with unspoken thoughts. What they didn't say was what was about to happen. What would these officials think if they knew that the Emperor of Beirong, whom they had once pledged allegiance to, and the Beirong royal family, were such a corrupt and hellish place?

The city gates were tightly closed.

Nan Lingqin led 50,000 Yun Clan members to surround the city. In front of them, ten thousand corpses lay scattered on the ground.

These were the very people who had once watched over them from beneath that cliff, and were now being slaughtered by them.

Xu Yiran stood beside Nan Lingqin, the moonlight casting a cold halo around her face, as if she were covered in a layer of coolness, making people want to warm her and get closer, yet they felt a thousand miles away.

"Are we just going to wait like this?"

Nan Fenghuang, who had already arrived with his troops, stepped forward and inquired about Nan Lingqin's situation.

“Yes,” Nan Lingqin said, “I want to see just how low the Northern Rong royal family can go.”

Nan Fenghuang fell silent for a moment, glancing at Xu Yiran and the cold-blooded iron will of the tens of thousands of soldiers behind her, before regaining her composure.

An hour later, Yuwen Yao, who had been staying in the Crown Prince's residence for a long time, finally went out. As soon as he left, the news that was enough to drive the Yuwen royal family to the brink of despair spread throughout the capital.

Suddenly, storms arose, and the heavens swallowed the moon.

Your Majesty, the royal family of Bei Rong is so despicable. The retired emperor, in order to live a long life and seek the secret of immortality, not only slaughtered the wife of the general's family back then, but also, for many years, has been working with the Holy Maiden to kidnap people for experiments, using blood to nourish blood in a vain attempt to achieve a breakthrough.

The officials were furious, the people were shocked, and then they were filled with grief, because among them were relatives who had disappeared without a trace and whose whereabouts remained unknown to this day.

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