The night was deep, and the moonlight was hazy.
Torches blazed fiercely on the city walls of the capital, illuminating a small patch of land.
This place should only have guards on night duty, but tonight it's unusually "lively".
Hundreds of women and children were pushed onto the city wall, surrounded by fierce-looking henchmen or followers.
The only saving grace was that they weren't tied up.
Come to think of it, they're all women, powerless and helpless, how could they possibly resist the burly, fierce, and ruthless men around them?
Outside the city, squads of soldiers were gathering, carrying torches, bows and arrows, ropes, ladders and other equipment, and were closing in on the tall city.
"The Silver-Armored Army? They've really arrived!"
"This must be the biggest trump card the Xie family left behind!"
"It's a pity, everyone has weaknesses, even the mighty Silver Armor Army!"
In the center of the city gate tower, illuminated by torches, Cui Erlang looked triumphantly at the silver-armored army assembled below.
He raised his hand, and two soldiers brought over a woman in her early twenties.
The woman had delicate features, but her eyes were resolute.
When walking, his steps were slightly unsteady, as if one of his legs had been injured.
"This must be Jinzhi, the former commander of the Women's Army. I heard you were once Empress Xie's maid?"
"What a pity! Instead of serving her master properly and dutifully, she ran off to practice swordsmanship."
"As a result, on the way back to Beijing, you helped the Xie family act as bait, putting yourself in danger several times, and even losing a leg."
"By the way, I heard your husband is Zhou Ying, the deputy general of the Silver Armor Army?"
"Jinzhi, guess which of those people down there is your husband?"
Cui Erlang harbored resentment towards Helian Jue and his wife, and extended that resentment to their trusted subordinates as well.
His gaze toward Jinzhi was laced with venom.
The other women were not bound, but Jinzhi was tightly bound with hemp rope as thick as a thumb.
"Cui Erlang, despite your noble birth, you have chosen to debase yourself by associating with a bunch of outlaws."
"Why not be a proper noble young master, instead of becoming a traitorous rebel?"
"I feel so sorry for Prime Minister Cui. His lifelong reputation and the Cui family's centuries-old honor are all going to be ruined by you!"
"I wonder if a disgrace like you would have the face to meet your ancestors in the afterlife if you died!"
Jinzhi was a servant of the Xie family and had been by Xie Yuan's side since childhood.
Especially after Xie Yuan arrived, Jinzhi learned a lot from this "transformed" master.
When Xie Yuan experimented with new methods of training troops in Lingnan, his maids Ruyi and Jinzhi were among the first to participate.
Subsequently, Xie Yuan formed a women's army, and Jinzhi became one of the leaders of the women's army due to her seniority, ability, and loyalty.
When she returned to Beijing last year, she led her female soldiers in a swaggering procession, drawing all of Xie Yuan's firepower away!
It was during the journey back to Beijing that Jinzhi was seriously injured in several battles, and one of her legs was left crippled.
Xie Yuan dispatched all the imperial physicians and tried every possible method to save her leg, though she still walked with a slight limp.
Jinzhi was not too desperate. After serving as a female soldier for several years, going to the battlefield and killing the enemy, she was no longer the noble servant she once was.
She was a warrior, and before each battle, she was prepared to die on the battlefield.
Not dying on the battlefield, but retiring with only minor injuries, is already a very good ending for her.
Furthermore, the Empress was not the kind of person who would discard a soldier once the birds were gone; she had a complete set of measures in place to settle retired or wounded soldiers and their families.
As Xie Yuan's confidante, Jinzhi not only married her comrade-in-arms from the battlefield after retiring, but also became the manager of the textile bureau.
Even without the female soldiers, she remained one of the Empress's most trusted and capable people.
That satisfied Jinzhi.
Although she was a woman and a slave, she possessed the spirit and determination to "die for a friend who understands her."
During the day, the forces in the shadows began to stir.
When Jinzhi was working at the Textile Bureau, someone poisoned her in the kitchen.
Everyone in the textile bureau was drugged and rendered unconscious.
When he woke up again, he was already imprisoned.
Then, they were taken to the city wall.
Even though she was about to become a hostage to threaten the Silver Armor Army, Jinzhi showed no panic or fear whatsoever. She even managed to sneer and berate Cui Erlang.
"Nonsense! You're talking nonsense! I'm not an unfilial descendant of the Cui family!"
"I did all this for the Cui family!"
"The father and son, Helian Gui and Helian Jue, have been weakening the aristocratic families. Helian Jue is more cunning and ruthless than Helian Gui."
"Haha, pruning the branches little by little, from last year to this year, how many families have been sent to Chang'an to build the new city by Helian Jue?"
"If this trend continues, Helian Jue's scissors will eventually fall on the heads of the Cui family!"
"I'm doing this to prepare for the future; I'm doing this for the sake of the entire family!"
Cui Erlang wasn't entirely answering Jinzhi's question.
He was more like convincing himself.
He was born into a prominent family, and from the moment he was born, he was a cut above the rest.
It's just that he was born too late. If he had been born a hundred or two hundred years earlier, a scion of a noble family like him wouldn't even be considered a threat by the royal family.
Unfortunately, times have changed, and the once-powerful families have gradually declined.
Despite being a direct descendant of the Cui family, Cui Erlang's official career was so unsuccessful.
He first served as a lowly and dishonorable imperial guard, and now he's mingled with a bunch of rabble.
"Willingly debase yourself? Haha, if you could, who wouldn't want to remain noble?"
Cui Erlang himself was also full of grievances.
During this period, the plan went very smoothly, and a complete overhaul seemed imminent.
However, the shame of his depravity tormented Cui Erlang day and night, like a maggot clinging to his bone.
He was unwilling to accept it, he felt wronged!
At this moment, being openly mocked by a prisoner of lowly origin, the joy of impending success combined with the humiliation of self-degradation completely erupted.
"Let me tell you, my current state is entirely thanks to Helian Jue and Cui Hong!"
"Cui Hong! Minister Cui! He holds a high position and wields great power. He's so impressive and powerful, but in reality, he's just a fence-sitter!"
"The former Turkic prince, now the Yellow Sect, do you really think Minister Cui has no connection whatsoever?"
Cui Erlang seemed to have gone mad, and even began to turn his anger towards his own father.
Jinzhi's eyes gleamed. Very good, it seems that this time she can bring down Cui Hong, the prime minister!
He shouldn't let someone else take the blame like he did last time.
The Sage and the Empress have almost finished pruning the minor and collateral branches of the aristocratic families, so it's time to make a move on the first-class aristocratic families such as Cui, Zheng, Li, and Wang!
"Alright, Jinzhi, Commander Jin, don't think I don't know you're stalling for time. Let me tell you, it's no use!"
After a brief outburst of madness, Cui Erlang returned to "normal." He smiled at Jinzhi and said in a deep voice, "We are determined to take the capital."
"The Silver Armor Army must surrender!"
"Alright, let's get started!"
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