"ah--!"

It was the panicked scream of Consort Yunrou as she grabbed Emperor Mingde and tried to run, but the entire Xirou Palace was surrounded, and they couldn't escape.

In the midst of my anxiety, my arm suddenly tightened, and I lost control of my body, swaying uncontrollably. A dull pain shot through my chest the next moment.

"Your Majesty..."

The imperial concubine slowly turned her head, looking incredulously at the emperor who had pulled her aside to shield her from the sword. She spat out a mouthful of blood, yet seemed to feel a sense of relief.

She was favored by the emperor her whole life, so it was only right that the emperor used her as a shield when disaster struck.

Before she died, the Imperial Concubine used her last strength to reach out and touch Emperor Mingde's face.

However, Shang Changge attacked again from behind with his sword, and Emperor Mingde pulled him aside to block another sword strike.

"bump--!"

With a thud, the Imperial Concubine was discarded by Emperor Mingde like a worn-out shoe, thrown onto the snow.

Snowflakes drifted down, landing on the corners of the Imperial Concubine's eyes where she had left warm, bloody tears, melting into snow water and mingling with her breath.

Emperor Mingde didn't even glance at the dead concubine, drawing his imperial sword to fight Shang Changge. After several rounds...

Emperor Mingde didn't know how he recognized Shang Changge, and the veins on his forehead bulged even more prominently with anger. He roared:

"Shang Changge!"

You dare to conspire with your brother to seize power, rebel, and even attempt to murder your father! You rebellious daughter!

Shang Changge scoffed, unfazed by Emperor Mingde's outburst, and retorted without hesitation:

"Didn't Father Emperor try to kill his daughter time and time again? We are father and daughter in the same boat, so why should Father Emperor be angry?"

Emperor Mingde: "You rebellious daughter, you rebellious daughter! All those years of my love and care for you have been wasted..."

Emperor Mingde continued to beat and curse, and Shang Changge, aside from her initial sarcastic remark, didn't respond to a single word.

Always remember that you are the villain in this book, and villains usually die from talking too much.

Therefore, Shang Changge firmly believes one thing.

As long as she doesn't talk too much while fighting, she won't die!

The fighting at Xirou Palace intensified.

The Imperial Guards are difficult to deal with, but the nine Shadow Generals surrounding the Emperor are even more difficult.

Both sides suffered numerous casualties, with corpses lying haphazardly in the snow, and more people continuing to fall.

The absence of imperial guards at the entrance of Xirou Palace does not mean that no one is entering.

Many of the people who came were Shang Changge's men, and they all came in through the secret passage of the palace.

It is unknown how many of the nine Emperor Shadows are still alive, but those who are still alive all want to go and protect the Emperor, as this is their mission in this world.

it is a pity,

None of them were able to get through smoothly; they were all entangled by the people brought by Shang Changge.

It's true that among the Imperial Shadows, there are those who can single-handedly defeat fifty Imperial Guards or even more.

However, the people brought by Shang Changge also include such talents, and there are quite a few of them.

For example, besides Xiao Ji, there are two familiar faces who often appear before the world: Deadly Soul Chaser.

All of Shang Changge's elite assassins, including those from the Underworld, were sent to follow him, not to mention the men of the beautiful younger brother.

The two sides were evenly matched, and the battle was fierce.

However,

As reinforcements continued to arrive from the secret passages of the palace, the outcome of the battle gradually became clear.

Meanwhile, on Emperor Mingde's side, after ten rounds, Emperor Mingde realized he was no match for his daughter and began to play the emotional card:

"Ge'er, although I feel guilty towards you, my love for you over the past twenty-odd years has been genuine and without any falsehood..."

Shang Changge rolled her eyes and didn't want to pay any attention. She raised her long sword to stab Emperor Mingde in the chest, but someone was faster than her.

“cen—!”

The spear pierced Emperor Mingde's chest, and Shang Changge was also lifted up and spun around in the air.

Shang Changge: ...

She knew it was Xiao Ji without even having to guess.

Shang Changge had her back to Xiao Ji, so before she saw Xiao Ji's face, she saw Shang Changze, who had appeared at Xirou Palace with a large number of soldiers.

The siblings looked at each other.

One trembled at the sight of her sister, whose night clothes were soaked in blood; the other was Shang Changge.

Seeing his handsome younger brother running towards him, he knew that the plot to force the emperor to abdicate was now secure, and that the charge of treason was firmly established.

...

...

He failed to frame Shang Rui as planned, nor did he manage to kill the old emperor himself.

Shang Changge felt as if he had a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat; he loosened his grip, tossed aside his longsword and dagger, and closed his eyes.

She clung limply to Xiao Ji's arm, looking utterly dejected.

but,

Xiao Ji and Shang Changze misunderstood each other.

Xiao Ji's tall and burly figure froze, and Shang Changze's voice cracked as he called out "Sister!"

Shang Changge: "!"

Startled, the dejected Shang Changge was caught off guard and before she could react to what had happened, she was suddenly swept up in a princess carry instead of being held in one arm.

Their eyes met.

Shang Changge: "What... happened?"

With another spin, the princess carry changed to another position.

Xiao Ji hugged her too tightly. Shang Changge was a little dazed and had some difficulty breathing, but she didn't struggle and let Xiao Ji hug her.

A face veiled in black rested on General Xiao's broad shoulder, meeting the gaze of his beautiful younger brother, who was being escorted by a large force of soldiers as he rushed over.

Realizing his mistake belatedly, he coughed awkwardly and began to explain:

"I was just a little... tired, yes, tired."

"It's just a rest. I'm not dead, I'm not injured, and I'm not seriously hurt."

The word "injured" jolted Xiao Ji awake. He loosened his grip and held Shang Changge carefully, his deep voice barely managing to remain steady:

"Are you really not injured?"

Shang Changze, who breathed a sigh of relief, also had the same question, since Shang Changge's blood-stained clothes were really hard to believe.

Shang Changze: "I would like to trouble General Xiao to take my sister to the Empress Dowager's palace first, so that the palace physicians can examine her injuries."

Xiao Ji did not refuse: "Very well, if Your Highness needs me again later, please send someone to the Empress's palace."

Shang Changze nodded, and Xiao Ji carried Shang Changge away.

The heavy troops brought by Shang Changze automatically parted to make way for the two of them, but Qingyao was stopped when she tried to follow.

It was only after Shang Changze spoke up that Qingyao was able to leave Xirou Palace and catch up with the general who had taken her princess away.

The snow stopped at some point, and with a single order from Shang Changze, all those belonging to Emperor Mingde in Xirou Palace were executed.

Suddenly, the stench of blood in the snowy night grew even stronger.

Like Shang Changge, Crown Prince Shang Changze's magnificent robes were almost entirely stained red with blood. After his personal guards confirmed that Emperor Mingde had died,

He stepped forward, knelt down beside Emperor Mingde, and, as a son, fulfilled his final filial duty by reaching out to close Emperor Mingde's eyes.

"Father, may you rest in peace."

A brief sentence devoid of emotional fluctuation is colder than a snowy night in the dead of winter.

Meanwhile, on Xiao Ji and Shang Changge's side, Shang Changge, enduring the pain from her numerous wounds, both large and small, that were healing, asked Xiao Ji:

Why didn't you let me kill him with my own hands?

"He" here refers to the old emperor.

She could sense that Xiao Ji was deliberately preventing her from killing Emperor Mingde.

Princess Xiao Ji, holding Shang Changge, tightened her arms around the woman's waist slightly upon hearing this, and softly replied:

"I don't want you to bear the stigma of patricide."

“This time I imposed my will on you without your consent. I apologize, please don’t be angry.”