Elimination of inverse
Inside Princess Taiping's villa, Xiao Wan'er and Princess Taiping were playing chess. The outcome was clear in the blink of an eye, and Princess Taiping pondered for a moment before casually tossing the chess pieces onto the board.
"I admit defeat," she said, "The Immortal Master's chess skills are so amazing."
"Thank you." Xiao Wan'er smiled and put away the chess piece.
"You, there aren't many who dare to play chess with me these days," Princess Taiping said as she collected her chess pieces and discussed recent developments in the imperial court. "Did you know that the Emperor and Empress issued a joint decree last night, ordering Shangguan Wan'er to become Princess Anle's husband?"
"I didn't know it before, but now I know it after hearing what Your Highness has said." Xiao Wan'er moved quickly, having already gathered most of her chess pieces. "There's nothing wrong with this. Princess Anle truly needs your guidance."
While chatting and laughing, she had already cleaned up the chess pieces and sat down beside the chessboard with her hands folded.
"You don't understand," Princess Taiping said, still picking up chess pieces. "Anle has always wanted the emperor to depose the crown prince and make her the crown princess. Your Majesty asked Shangguan Wan'er to teach her. Could he have other ideas?"
How could Xiao Wan'er know such a thing?
"How can a mere captain like you guess what Your Majesty means? But if she truly has that ability, then being the Crown Princess wouldn't be a bad idea, right?"
After Xiao Wan'er finished speaking, she saw that Princess Taiping looked unhappy and felt strange.
"Your Highness, allow me to say something extremely treasonous. No matter which of your nephews or nieces ultimately ascends the throne, aren't you their aunt? As long as the flesh is still rotting in the pot of your Li family, Your Highness will always be the Princess of the Soul-Calming Taiping. If a princess truly becomes emperor, perhaps Your Highness will gain even greater power."
Princess Taiping looked at Xiao Wan'er seriously. The aura nurtured by power oppressed her, making her almost use magic to leave after a long silence.
Finally, Princess Taiping slowly said, "Captain Xiao is truly bold. But do you think Anle can shoulder the responsibility of being a Crown Princess?"
Obviously, she can't. But that doesn't mean others can.
"After all, your Highness's nephews and nieces haven't received a proper imperial education. So, don't consider whether it's possible now. It won't be too late to wait until they've been taught."
Xiao Wan'er's analysis barely convinced Princess Taiping, and at least she did not express her opposition openly afterwards.
But some people objected.
Xiao Wan'er attended classes on time every day except for days off. One day in June, she met the prince on her way out of the palace.
"Your humble servant greets the Crown Prince." She saluted the Crown Prince obediently, but he didn't call her up even after she had been in that posture for a long time.
Xiao Wan'er, barely able to contain herself, regained consciousness and saw a deeply gloomy face. The prince's complexion was so dark it looked like water dripping from it. His eyes, gazing at Xiao Wan'er, were sinister, filled with undisguised murderous intent. He stood silently for a moment longer, then left without letting Xiao Wan'er get up.
Only when she could no longer see his back did Xiao Wan'er stand up as if nothing had happened, shake her sleeves and leave.
As July arrived, Xiao Wan'er once again felt a sense of unease. Late at night, she took out her tortoise shell and locked herself in her room to divine. The next day, at dawn, she left the house with a pale face, not even having time to eat breakfast.
"Your Majesty, Captain Xiao of the Shenlong Guard requests to see you." The emperor had just gotten up early in the morning and hadn't even put on his clothes when a eunuch came over and reported to him with his head bowed.
The person helping the emperor dress quickly quickened his pace, and once he was dressed, he headed for the Purple Palace. When he arrived, Xiao Wan'er was already waiting inside.
"What wind brings Immortal Xiao here so early in the morning?" The emperor was in a good mood and joked with Xiao Wan'er.
But soon Xiao Wan'er's words made him stop laughing.
"I have been feeling a sense of foreboding lately. Last night I consulted the divination at home. It says that within the seventh month, someone in Chang'an will plot treason."
The emperor immediately sat up straight and said, "Please tell me more about this, Immortal."
"Your Majesty, I cannot explain specifically," Xiao Wan'er said helplessly. "This matter involves the fate of the nation, which is inherently difficult to divine. I have divined that someone will plot a rebellion within this month, and the location of the rebellion is in Chang'an City. I have put in a lot of effort."
She paused, lowered her head and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please make preparations early."
The emperor immediately sent for Empress Wei. After the empress entered the Purple Palace, Xiao Wan'er was ordered to tell her the divination results. Afterwards, the emperor and empress dismissed Xiao Wan'er and discussed the matter between themselves.
Xiao Wan'er waited quietly outside the hall for a full moment before a eunuch came out of the Zichen Hall.
"Sir Xiao, His Majesty and His Majesty invite you in."
Xiao Wan'er walked into the Purple Palace again. By this time, the Emperor and Empress had already made their decision. The Empress smiled and said to her, "Xiao Xianzhang, after consultation between His Majesty and me, we have decided that you will only be on duty in the mornings. You will remain in the palace the rest of the time until the rebellion is suppressed or the seventh month ends."
Xiao Wan'er immediately accepted the order.
Arriving at the government office, Xiao Wan'er acted as usual, except for informing Pei Yingguan of the matter. After teaching Princess Anle in the afternoon, she saw that she had not left, and her face fell.
"Captain Xiao, instead of returning to the government office to take up his duties, what is he doing staying in the palace?"
Xiao Wan'er smiled faintly, "Princess, by order of His Majesty and His Majesty, from today onwards, I will only be on duty in the mornings, and will remain in the palace the rest of the time."
Seeing Princess Anle's face turn pale, Xiao Wan'er left the training ground in a very good mood.
After a few days of peace and tranquility, at a small evening banquet in the palace, Princess Anle confronted Xiao Wan'er, "Captain Xiao keeps saying there's going to be a rebellion in July, but Chang'an City is clearly peaceful. What do you want to say now, Captain Xiao?"
"Anle, don't be rude!" Before Xiao Wan'er could say anything, the queen shouted at her.
Princess Anle threw down her chopsticks in anger and walked away, leaving the queen to help her out with an embarrassed look on her face.
"My little girl is spoiled, I hope the Immortal can forgive me."
Despite this, Xiao Wan'er could sense Empress Wei's doubts. She waved her hand, dismissing them, and continued to eat. As she was almost finished, she seemed to sense something, put down her chopsticks, and channeled her immense spiritual power over the entire city of Chang'an.
"The Crown Prince, General Li Qianli of the Left Imperial Guard, General Li Duozuo of the Left Feathered Guard, General Li Sichong of the Right Feathered Guard, Li Chengkuang, Dugu Xizhi, Shazha Zhongyi, along with the Left and Right Feathered Guards and a thousand cavalrymen, totaling approximately three hundred men," she reported her observations to the Empress. "Go and invite His Majesty down."
"Did you hear that?" Empress Wei ordered the palace maids around her, who were already stunned by the sudden news. "Hurry and invite His Majesty, Princess Anle, and Shangguan Zhaorong over here!"
She then ordered her trusted female officials, "Pass on this imperial decree to summon General Liu Jingren of the Left Imperial Guards to lead his troops to protect the emperor!"
"It seems Your Majesty has a plan," Xiao Wan'er said after seeing her respond, "and I should go where I am supposed to go."
"Go." Empress Wei let her go.
Xiao Wan'er walked all the way to Xuanwu Gate. From her perspective, which covered the entire Chang'an City, Wu Sansi's mansion had turned into a sea of fire, and Wu Sansi, Wu Chongxun and his son, as well as their confidants, had all lost their lives.
The rebels then split into two groups. Xiao Wan'er acted decisively and flew to the Suzhang Gate at top speed. When Li Qianli and his men arrived at the Suzhang Gate, Xiao Wan'er had already been waiting for them for a long time, her sword in hand.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, Prince Cheng, but this road is blocked." Even at this critical moment, Xiao Wan'er remained relaxed. "We can't get through anyway. How about Your Highness, Prince Cheng, give me some face and withdraw your troops?"
King Cheng remained silent, merely tilting his head to look around. With a single glance, his lieutenant produced a formation disk. Xiao Wan'er sensed something was amiss. With a single spell, she killed the lieutenant, but the formation disk also fell to the ground with his death, becoming a formation itself.
The formation covered the entire territory of Suzhang Sect, and Xiao Wan'er could no longer sense any spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
"I didn't expect King Cheng to have such a skill," Xiao Wan'er said, unsheathing her sword. "Unfortunately, this alone isn't enough to defeat me!"
As she spoke, she actually rushed forward, knife in hand, and charged into the enemy's ranks. Before Li Qianli's men could react, someone in the team screamed and then fell to the ground, apparently dead.
Li Qianli finally reacted.
"Go! Whoever kills Xiao Wan'er will receive a reward of 100 taels and a promotion of two ranks!"
Whether they were generals or soldiers, upon hearing the reward, they all rushed towards Xiao Wan'er with weapons in hand.
Xiao Wan'er drifted like a leaf on the waves. The flashes of enemy swords and sabers were like waves, trying to knock her over, but she dodged them each time. She weaved through the crowd, each swing of her sword slashing down an enemy. Before long, half of Li Qianli's men were dead.
"Retreat!" Li Qianli wanted to lead his men to retreat, but by then most of his men were in a panic and unable to withdraw in an orderly manner. He gritted his teeth, finally made up his mind, and shouted, "Archers! Release!"
The lone archer lurking nearby unleashed a volley of three arrows. Xiao Wan'er cut off one arrow, and an enemy soldier was struck by it. Another arrow swished past Xiao Wan'er as she dodged.
Xiao Wan'er only felt a burning pain. She raised her left arm and saw that it had been scratched.
The archer raised his hand and three more arrows flew out. Xiao Wan'er cut down two of them while twisting and turning. Seeing that she had no time to dodge the third arrow, a figure fell from the sky, split the arrow in half, and then swung the sword. The long sword was like a dragon and went straight to the archer's face, taking his life directly.
"Senior Brother?" Xiao Wan'er saw who was coming.
Pei Yingguan didn't answer. He casually pulled out a sword from the pile of corpses and plunged into the crowd, slaughtering all the people Li Qianli brought with him. Xiao Wan'er, holding the knife, walked towards Li Qianli, and every step sounded a death knell in his heart.
Li Qianli's mental defenses completely collapsed. He roared and rushed towards Xiao Wan'er, weapon raised. Xiao Wan'er nimbly dodged to the side and slashed down with her sword. Within a few moves, the outcome was decided.
"It's over," Xiao Wan'er said to Pei Yingguan, looking at the corpses on the ground, "Let's go to Xuanwu Gate."
Without taking a break, the two rushed to Xuanwu Gate. When they arrived at Xuanwu Gate, they happened to see the emperor inciting a thousand knights to rebel.
"You are all my guards, why are you rebelling? If you surrender and kill Li Duozuo and others, you will be rich and powerful forever."
After the emperor finished speaking, many officers really turned against him on the spot and pointed their weapons at the main culprit of the treason.
Xiao Wan'er turned to Pei Yingguan and said, "It seems we are no longer needed here."
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