"Who goes there?!"
Four guards shielded Xue Shen in the middle, watching warily as the men in black gradually surrounded them.
The man in black didn't speak, but drew his long sword and attacked decisively.
Seeing that something was wrong, the guard was about to call for help when clusters of bright fireworks roared into the sky and then exploded, completely drowning out the guard's cries for help and the sounds of fighting.
More than a dozen masked men surrounded Xue Shen and his group of five. At first, Xue Shen was able to gain the upper hand, but as time went on, he gradually showed signs of fatigue, and the situation began to turn around.
Yelü Nanxian watched from the shadows and sneered, "He's quite the romantic. I didn't expect Shen Youying's death to have such a big impact on him. He looks the same as before, but his body has become much weaker."
She was initially worried that she wasn't entirely confident that a dozen or so assassins could handle Xue Shenshang, so to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, she kept her distance and didn't show herself.
But after observing the battle for a while, she completely lost her worries and, wanting to end it quickly, simply covered her face and joined the battle.
Xue Shen had been dealing with these assassins for so long, waiting for this moment.
Although these assassins were masked, their long-standing martial arts skills could not be hidden from him—these assassins were clearly Northern Rong people.
The Northern Rong people lying in ambush in the capital were none other than Yelü Nanxian.
The biggest fish has taken the bait, so Xue Shen no longer deliberately entangles himself with the assassin.
He gave his guard a look, no longer concealing his strength, and drew his sword to meet Yelü Nanxian, each move a deadly strike.
Yelü Nanxian originally thought that Xue Shen was exhausted and unable to continue, but after engaging in direct combat, she discovered that Xue Shen was deliberately hiding his strength and pretending to be weak to take advantage of the enemy.
After exchanging a couple of blows with him, Yelü Nanxian immediately realized that something was amiss; Xue Shen had clearly come prepared.
She stopped bothering Xue Shen and immediately prepared to leave.
But Xue Shen had waited for her for so long, so naturally he couldn't let her leave so easily.
Fireworks exploded in the sky again, and before anyone knew it, another group of people had appeared in front of this secluded alley. They were all dressed in the clothes of ordinary people, but Zhou Shen exuded a chilling killing intent, clearly indicating that they were the Imperial Guards who had been lying in ambush here long ago.
Seeing this, Yelü Nanxian gritted her teeth in anger: "You knew all along."
Xue Shen did not answer, and easily subdued her after two moves, while the assassins brought by Yelü Nanxian were also captured by the Imperial Guards.
He looked down at Yelü Nanxian and said to the commander of the Imperial Guards, "Take him away!"
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Yelü Nanxian felt both angry and embarrassed.
If it weren't for Xue Shen's interference, she would still be the most valued princess of the Northern Rong King, and wouldn't have had to resort to a marriage alliance with the Tibetans. She wouldn't have needed to risk her life to infiltrate the Great Wei with her confidants and go through all sorts of trouble to carry out the assassination.
She glared at Xue Shen resentfully, gritted her teeth, and deliberately said, "I heard your wife died in childbirth? How come you don't seem sad at all? You even have the mood to travel around."
She thought that given how much Xue Shen cared about Shen Youying, these words would sting him.
Even if it couldn't enrage Xue Shen, it could at least cause him immense heartache. Only by thinking this way could Yelü Nanxian find some peace of mind.
But to everyone's surprise, Xue Shen laughed when he heard her words, looking at her as if she were a clown performing a one-man show.
Yelü Nanxian was enraged by his smile, and frowned as she looked at him: "Men are indeed all heartless and ungrateful. Your wife has only been dead for a short time, yet you don't seem to feel the slightest bit sad when you mention her now?"
"I wonder if Shen Youying's spirit in the underworld would regret marrying you if it knew."
Xue Shen scoffed, his expression dismissive as he swept his gaze over her: "Who told you the Empress is gone?"
Yelü Nanxian was startled and suddenly realized something. He was so shocked that his eyes widened, and his eyeballs almost jumped out of their sockets.
She finally realized where Xue Shen's composure from the beginning to the present came from: "Shen Youying isn't dead? This was all a setup by you!"
Xue Shen looked down at him, his lips curving into a wider smile: "You've finally realized it."
"You think your little tricks can get away with anything?"
His contemptuous tone enraged Yelü Nanxian, but she quickly realized her predicament, and with a dejected and resentful tone, she asked, "When did you find out?"
Xue Shen was too lazy to waste any more words with her: "You'll know when the time is right."
After saying this, he ordered the Imperial Guards to escort Yelü Nanxian and the others away from the alley.
Wang Deshun, who had been ordered to go out and buy sky lanterns, returned with a horse and said to Xue Shen, "Your Majesty, everything has been arranged. Shall we return to the capital immediately?"
Xue Shen glanced at the bustling crowd in the square and nodded: "If we go back and finish things quickly, we might still be able to bring Zhaozhao to release the sky lanterns on the third day."
*
Xue Shen led his men back to the capital overnight. When they arrived at the palace, it was still late at night. Without any delay, Xue Shen dispatched his troops to arrest people from house to house according to the list.
Wang Yuanguang and others were still dreaming of their daughter rising to a high social status when the Imperial Guards knocked on their door.
Before the gatekeeper could react, he was seized by the Imperial Guards. The remaining Imperial Guards surged into the mansion like a flood, forcibly taking away Wang Yuanguang and the others who were still asleep.
Wang Yuanguang was still unaware of the events that had transpired at Qingshui Manor. When the menacing Imperial Guards forcibly dragged him out, he still maintained the air of a prime minister and rebuked them, "What are you doing? Trespassing on an official's residence, do you have no respect for the law?"
Upon hearing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards gave him a cold laugh and showed him Xue Shen's edict: "His Majesty was assassinated at Qingshui Manor. We were merely ordered to apprehend him. Prime Minister Wang had better cooperate, otherwise I will have to resort to some extreme measures."
Upon hearing him mention Qingshui Manor, Wang Yuanguang's heart skipped a beat, and his voice became shrill: "His Majesty was assassinated at Qingshui Manor? How could that be?"
The Imperial Guard Commander glanced at him sideways: "Prime Minister Wang's words make it sound like he knows something?"
Wang Yuanguang snapped out of his daze and shook his head repeatedly in denial: "How could I know that His Majesty was assassinated? If I had known, I would have risked my life to stop His Majesty!"
The Imperial Guard commander gave a noncommittal snort and shouted, "Take the man back and move on to the next place."
"Hurry up, there are still several more to go!"
Hearing this, Wang Yuanguang's unease grew. He tried to talk to the imperial guards escorting him: "Your Majesty was assassinated. Were you injured? We knew nothing about the assassination attempt on Your Majesty. Why are the imperial guards here to arrest you in the middle of the night?"
The Imperial Guard glanced at him, but kept his mouth shut like a clam, revealing not a single word.
*
The commotion caused by the Imperial Guards arresting people alarmed the entire capital.
Officials and nobles who received the news sent their servants to inquire among themselves, but none of them could find out what had happened that had angered His Majesty so much that he sent the Imperial Guards to arrest people in the dead of night.
Amidst everyone's anxiety, the night passed.
Seven families in the capital were taken away overnight, including high-ranking officials and nobles such as Prime Minister Wang Yuanguang and Marquis of Guangyang.
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