"Someone has...brought into...the palace."

After saying that, the guard's head lolled to the side and he breathed his last.

Empress Wu, Gao Hongyuan, and Wu Xiong all changed their expressions upon hearing this.

Wu Xiong rushed out of the main hall with his sword in hand and looked towards the square in front of the hall.

Then it was seen that troops had broken into the imperial city from all directions.

The army at the East Gate carried a large banner with the character "巫" (witch) written on it!

The Wu family army?!

Impossible. The Wu family army ceased to exist long after Wu Yue's death. How could it still exist now?

When Wu Yue killed his father-in-law, the verdict was so swift. This was not only due to Lu Hong's deliberate actions, but also because Empress Dowager Wu was involved.

Wu Yue fell, and his Wu Family Army was disrupted and merged into other forces. Where did the Wu Family Army go? How come it has reappeared today?!

The South Gate is where Lu Junjie's Lu Family Army is located.

Ximen is from the Chixiao Army!

The Chixiao Army was led by Ji Wangxiao, the grandson of the Duke of Xian.

North Gate!

When Wu Xiong saw the army at the north gate, his face turned pale.

Xiao Family Army!

The Xiao Family Army of the Great Chu!

Upon closer inspection, Wu Xiong spotted a familiar figure among the troops at the East Gate.

Wuyue Mountain!!!

Wasn't he dead?!

What's going on here?

The troops at the four gates clashed with the men brought by Wu Xiong, as well as the city's garrison and imperial guards.

At that moment, a group of people walked towards the Golden Palace.

Wu Xiong squinted and looked at the person, who was backlit, so he couldn't make out their appearance for a moment.

The newcomers moved quickly, and Wu Xiong stared intently at them, gripping his sword tightly.

The person walked closer and closer until they finally stood in front of Wu Xiong.

Faced with Wu Xiong's incredulous gaze, Tao Rong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, smiled and bowed to Wu Xiong, saying, "Greetings, General Wu."

Wu Xiong sensed that Tao Rong's smile was full of sarcasm, which gave him an ominous feeling.

What's going on here?!

Wasn't Tao Rong killed by Wu Yue?

Tao Rong was followed by his son, Tao Zhengyu.

After Tao Rong finished his greetings, without waiting for Wu Xiong's reaction, he strode into the main hall under the escort of the guards.

Upon seeing Tao Rong appear, the once noisy hall instantly fell silent, and everyone wore expressions of disbelief.

Su Ruojin and Xiao Yanchu had never met Tao Rong before and didn't know who he was. Seeing this, Lu Hong whispered an explanation in their ears.

After hearing Lu Hong's explanation, Su Ruojin showed no surprise and a smile appeared on her lips. Just as she thought.

Xiao Yanchu secretly gave Su Ruojin a thumbs up.

Ah Jin had already noticed something amiss with Wu Yue's killing of Tao Rong. After meeting with Lu Hong, she learned the truth behind it and became even more aware that there must be something fishy going on.

At that time, the fingertips of the three fingers of the body of "Wu Yue" that was beheaded were covered with calluses. Such calluses could only grow from the constant training of a habitual thief to improve his thieving skills.

A general who holds a weapon all year round can only have calluses on the base of his palm. Because of this, Su Ruojin had doubts about the identity of the beheaded man, which was confirmed today.

However, these were all part of Lu Hong's plan, and Su Ruojin didn't want to get too involved.