Xianglan and Cuiping at the door didn't move. Their gazes toward Zhui'er grew increasingly sinister, and they grinned, letting out low, beastly roars.

"You two should leave quickly, you can't stay here any longer." Zhui'er slipped off the bed, turned around and pulled two bundles from under the bed towards the two people at the door: "These are the things that Sui'er and I packed for you this morning, there's enough silver inside for you... Ah!"

Before Zhui'er could finish speaking, Xianglan lunged at her and bit her neck.

A piercing, agonizing scream shattered the tranquility of the night, stirring up a wave of panic.

The lights suddenly came on, and the place was filled with the noise of people.

Upon hearing the news, Jiang Zhenning, the chief eunuch by the Empress's side, rushed over and saw Xianglan and Cuiping, who had become walking corpses, pinning Zhuier to the ground and biting her frantically. Even when the guards who rushed over slashed and stabbed them, they seemed to feel no pain at all.

Zhui'er struggled and screamed desperately, blood spurting out, and soon she stopped breathing.

Xianglan and Cuiping then released Zhui'er, whose body, shattered and mangled, wobbled as she got up.

Even though the guards had undergone rigorous training, their instructors had never shown them such bizarre scenes during their training!

Who can walk after being hacked to pieces, with their intestines ripped out and their heart pierced?!

Was he turned into a puppet?

Jiang Zhenning had heard of a secret technique in the martial arts world that could turn the dead into puppets.

Seeing that none of the guards around him dared to step forward, he snatched a long sword from the guard closest to him, leaped into the room, kicked Xianglan and Cuiping aside one by one, and then stabbed Sui'er, who was still screaming incessantly, to death with a single sword stroke.

When Xianglan and Cuiping saw that Sui'er was dead, they seemed to sense something was wrong. They roared and turned to flee outside, wanting to find the other masterminds who had harmed them.

Jiang Zhenning chased after them and saw that they were fleeing in the direction of the Empress's main courtyard. He hurriedly shouted angrily, "Why don't you stop them? If you offend Her Majesty the Empress, you won't be able to bear the consequences even if you have ten heads!"

The stunned guards then realized what was happening and surrounded Xianglan and Cuiping.

Empress Chen Ziyun was awakened by the noise in the backyard. She put on her clothes and got up, only to see Jiang Zhenning, who had not held a sword for a long time, waiting in the front hall with a bloodstained sword and covered in blood. She was momentarily dazed.

It's been such a long time since I've seen him like this.

"What happened?" Chen Ziyun quickly dismissed the strange feeling in her heart, sat down gracefully, and exuded a cool and aloof demeanor.

"Xianglan and Cuiping seem to have been made into puppets, very powerful puppets. Even after their heads were taken, they weren't completely dead." Jiang Zhenning's voice was filled with deep fear, clearly shocked by what happened tonight.

Chen Ziyun understands Jiang Zhenning; even he said so, so the person who made the move must be quite capable.

"Such a capable and extraordinary person is actually by the side of the Ninth Prince," Chen Ziyun murmured, her fear of Shang Xiye deepening.

"Over the years, the Ninth Prince has fought in many countries, so naturally he has had the opportunity to come into contact with all sorts of people. Back then, the Southern Li Kingdom's National Preceptor's Gu techniques were astonishing, and he was still subdued in one fell swoop, and even brought Qin Weiyang back with him..."

"Are you blaming me for intervening at this time?" Chen Ziyun interrupted Jiang Zhenning angrily. "I only have one younger sister, Ziying. How could I allow a bandit to humiliate me like this? I also don't believe that the Ninth Prince would openly oppose me and the Duke's Mansion for the sake of a mere bandit!"

Jiang Zhenning glanced quickly at the person on the phoenix throne with a complex and lingering look in his eyes, then lowered his head in restraint.

The past is vivid and irretrievable, but he still cannot extinguish that feeling in his heart, even though she is no longer his Yun'er.