Chapter 365: Let Him Rest Properly

Su Yanci's eyes held far too much expectation.

Wan Tang looked away, a cold arc curling at the corner of her mouth: "Leave? Why should this palace leave?"

She only stared at the familiar figure on the edge of the city wall, her gaze growing ever more resolute.

A sentence drifted out, though no one knew from whose mouth it came.

Qing, whose trace could not be found, said: "There has long been no way back."

A muffled, orderly tremor rose from the ground, moving from afar to near.

The rioting crowd had not yet dispersed, and at the city‑gate directions on both sides of the Imperial City, the sudden clang of iron armor and the beat of hooves rang out!

The Mo Family Army and General Xu surged into the city in orderly fashion.

They advanced in silence, an intangible aura of solemn killing sweeping the street like a tangible tide in an instant.

Those rioting below the city voluntarily yielded the broad road.

The army's vanguard drove straight in, halting abruptly only before the palace gate.

"Mo Family's? Xu Family's?" Chu Yunzheng saw this, panic flashing in his eyes.

Instinctively he turned his head, terror‑stricken as he looked at Wan Tang.

Wan Tang still stood there, towering and unmoving.

Scanning the distance, she said firmly: "I, of the Mo Family, am loyal to the sovereign and serve the nation; the Emperor may rest assured."

"Whether Mo Family or Xu Family, they are of the same line. They cannot bear the charge of treason!"

Chu Yunzheng's eyes still held disbelief.

The leading general dismounted, knelt on one knee before Chu Yunzheng on the palace wall, his voice resonant: "We are late in rescuing Your Majesty! We have startled the Emperor!"

Chu Yunzheng first froze, then burst into a near‑mad laugh: "Hahaha! So you came for me."

"Good! As long as you're here! As long as you're here!"

Now that these two great armies have arrived, who dares to act rashly?

He abruptly halted his laughter, turning to look at Wan Tang and Su Yanci, still standing side by side at the wall's edge.

He roared sharply: "Su Yanci! Won't you now hand this wretched woman over to me!?"

Su Yanci's body did not move, not even her gaze shifted a fraction.

Chu Yunzheng's smugness froze; he stared intently at Su Yanci: "You… you are also her subordinate?!"

Su Yanci remained silent.

Wan Tang stepped forward slowly, speaking softly: "Chu Yunzheng, the Mo Family has no rebels, but do you think the army below the city is still your own force?"

"The Mo Family is loyal to the Fengqi Kingdom, not to you, Chu Yunzheng!"

Chu Yunzheng's pupils contracted sharply, the color draining from his face, and he began to look anxiously toward the grim army formation below the city.

Indeed, he had never issued any order.

The scene before him was also beyond his expectation.

Wan Tang stepped a step closer, her voice icy: "You coveted the throne, framing the Mo Family with the Xiao Family, wasn't that your idea?"

"You think that killing Empress Dowager Xiao will settle this, I will keep it firmly in my heart."

"And also, how exactly did Xiao Chuan die!" At this point, Wan Tang's eyes burned with fury.

"I never wanted this; it was you who forced me, step by step, to see you as an opponent. I originally only wanted to survive in the palace, to finish the rest of my life. But Xiao Chuan was my own younger brother—how could you lay a hand on him?"

"Because you felt you could not control him?"

"Wretched woman, I shall kill you!" Chu Yunzheng bellowed low.

What he wanted was not a tirade of accusations; he suddenly drew the sword at his waist and thrust it at Wan Tang!

The blade's flash appeared, and Su Yanci, who had been standing still, moved.

He drew his own sword, precisely parrying Chu Yunzheng's lethal strike.

"Clang!"

The two swords clashed, sparks scattering in all directions.

Chu Yunzheng sneered: "Su Yanci, from childhood to now, your swordsmanship has always been far inferior to mine."

"You betray me; I will send you all on the road together!" His assault grew ever more fierce.

However, Su Yanci's sword technique suddenly changed, no longer defensive as before, becoming treacherously unpredictable.

A flash of blade instantly snapped the tendon of Chu Yunzheng's sword‑holding hand.

"Ah!" Chu Yunzheng cried miserably, his long sword slipping from his hand to the ground; he clutched his blood‑soaked wrist, staring at Su Yanci in disbelief.

Su Yanci stood sword‑in‑hand, his gaze calm and unruffled: "You are the ruler, I am the subject. It was never that we could not defeat you, but that we could not win."

Wan Tang looked coldly at the collapsed Chu Yunzheng on the ground, saying lightly: "Do not kill him."

"And do not let him, let him live well."

Su Yanci understood, sheathed her sword, and stepped toward the now helpless Chu Yunzheng.

With the other's terrified gaze upon them, they suddenly lifted their foot and kicked hard into Chu Yunzheng's chest.

Chu Yunzheng let out a muffled groan, his body like a kite with its string cut, tumbling clumsily down the high palace‑wall steps, colliding all the way, finally collapsing on the cold ground.

Chu Yunzheng lay dead on the ground, the palace wall shrouded in utter silence.

Su Yanci turned sideways and bowed to Wan Tang: "Your Highness, the moment has arrived."

Wan Tang inhaled deeply, quickly tidying her slightly disheveled Phoenix Robe and hair.

When she lifted her head again toward the city below, her face bore a perfectly balanced mix of panic and sorrow.

She hurried to the wall's edge, bent down to look at the unconscious Chu Yunzheng below, her voice trembling: "Emperor, what's wrong with you, Emperor!"

Civil and military officials rushed up onto the palace wall, and upon seeing the scene, none were not shocked.

The imperial physician stepped forward to take the pulse, trembling as he reported: "The Emperor has fainted and will not awaken; his dragon body is worrisome!"

Several senior ministers, led by Qi Qi, exchanged a glance and all knelt before Wan Tang.

Their words were earnest, even desperate: "Empress, the nation cannot be without a ruler for even a day."

"Now the Emperor is comatose, disasters blaze like fire, the people's hearts are unsettled; if no one takes charge of the overall situation, the world will descend into chaos in an instant!"

"We, the ministers, earnestly petition the Empress: for the sake of Fengqi's realm, for the countless common folk, temporarily assume the court affairs and stabilize the overall situation!"

Wan Tang's eyes were teary, but her gaze gradually became resolute.

She straightened her back, turned, faced the tens of thousands of people and troops below The City, and her voice rang clear: "All ministers, stand down."

"At this time of crisis, I have an undeniable duty!"

She no longer hesitated; a series of commands were issued clearly and decisively, echoing throughout the palace walls inside and out:

"Mo Family Army, hear the order! Immediately allocate personnel to assist the authorities, go to each disaster refugee gathering point to erect temporary shelters, maintain order, distribute winter clothing and basic medicines, and ensure no one freezes or starves to death."

"Qi Er!"

Qi Er immediately stepped forward and bowed; though he bore wounds, his eyes shone unusually bright.

"Immediately mobilize every available channel, regardless of cost, to gather grain! I authorize you to open my private treasury, fully support it! Ensure that every disaster‑stricken citizen can have a full meal!"

"Transmit my imperial decree: the authorities shall immediately establish 'Replace Relief with Labor' points in each disaster zone."

"The physically robust may join in clearing ruins, building waterworks, repairing official roads and relay stations, with daily wages paid, exchanging their labor for grain and silver to support their families."

"Women, children, the elderly and the weak may also take part in mending, weaving and other light tasks, likewise receiving compensation."

"I do not want refugees; I want Fengqi's people who can stand up again with their own hands!"

The crowd below The City, originally restless, gradually calmed, and many people's eyes reignited with light.

Wan Tang stood atop the wall, her Phoenix Robe fluttering in the wind.

Wan Tang turned to look at the Chief Judge of the Imperial Medical Academy kneeling beside her, her tone gentle:

"The Emperor's dragon body is now entrusted to the Imperial Medical Institute."

She leaned down slightly, her voice lowered further, each word clear as falling ice:

"I command you to treat him well."

"I hope that the Emperor can henceforth rest completely, never again need to labor over state affairs."

She slowly straightened, her tone returning to calm: "Let him never be able to get out of bed, nor speak a word. Understand?"