Chapter 438

The dusk was heavy, both the end of spring and the end of the day.

Beneath the dusk, the wind howled, threading through streets and alleys, mingling with shouts, screams, the scrape of armor and weapons, footsteps, and the opening and closing of doors and windows, churning the northern half of Yanjing City into a single tumult.

Yanjing had not been without such chaos before; similar disturbances had occurred about fourteen years ago and twelve years ago.

Fourteen years ago, the Jin Emperor Taizu, Wanyan Aguda, personally led troops to breach the Juyong Pass, then directly brought the Second Prince Wolibu and his fierce general Loushi to converge on Yanjing. Upon hearing this news, Xiao Defei and Yelu Dashi hastily fled through the Gubeikou Pass. In this situation, Liu Yanzong, Zuo Qigong, and Yu Zhongwen—these great clans of Yanjing—on one hand saw off Xiao Defei and Yelu Dashi with courtesy, and on the other hand seized control of the city defenses overnight. By dawn, when Jin Emperor Taizu Wanyan Aguda arrived at the city walls, the Han leaders of Yanjing threw open the city gates and calmly surrendered.

In a daze, fourteen years had passed.

Looking back now, among the main figures in that great upheaval in Yanjing, Jin Emperor Taizu Aguda died of illness, the Second Prince Wolibu died of illness, the famous general Loushi died in battle, Xiao Defei was killed by Liao Emperor Tianzuo, Yelu Dashi fled west to establish a kingdom, Yu Zhongwen and Zuo Qigong were killed by the turncoat general Zhang Jue, and Liu Yanzong died of depression after being caught up in the internal strife between Nianhan and Aguda's factions.

Truly, things had changed and people were no longer the same.

As for the disturbance twelve years ago, the great clans of Yanyun were no longer present—at least not at center stage—because long before that, Liu Yanzong and Zuo Qigong had both strongly urged Aguda not to hand Yanjing over to the Zhao Song. After it was returned, these two, along with the great Confucian scholar Yu Zhongwen, simply abandoned their homes and followed the Jin, preferring to temporarily leave Yanjing, where their ancestors had lived for centuries, rather than become subjects of the south.

In fact, that disturbance was mainly instigated by Guo Yaoshi. Guo Yaoshi, commander of the Ever-Victorious Army, sensed the weakness and absurdity of the Great Song and also detected the war faction of the Jin state's intention to invade the south. So he resolved to surrender to the Jin. He kidnapped Lu Yihao, then the Fiscal Commissioner of Yanshan Circuit, bundled him into the army, and took him to the Jin state. Lu Yihao was not released until the Jingkang Incident, which he regarded as the greatest shame of his life.

And it was also at that time, when Guo Yaoshi led most of the Ever-Victorious Army in rebellion, that Liu Yan, the commander of the Yanzhou Battalion among the eight battalions of the Ever-Victorious Army, did not waver in the slightest. He insisted on staying with the Great Song with his own troops, and thus earned the name "Red Heart."

Now Lu Yihao and Liu Yan had returned in force. Guo Yaoshi, toyed with by Nianhan until he had nothing, did not go straight to death but instead lived in seclusion in Jinzhou. His son Guo Anguo was still the garrison commander of Pingzhou, remaining by his side. This could be considered another twist of fate among old acquaintances.

"What is happening outside?"

Inside a side hall of the palace complex in the southwest of Yanjing, the eighteen-year-old Jin ruler Wanyan Hela was earnestly discussing something with his teacher Han Fang. Relatively speaking, the Privy Councilor Qin Hui, seated on a chair very close by, was unable to participate the whole time, until Hela suddenly heard a commotion outside and could not help but ask.

There was no help for it—they were teacher and student from childhood. What was Qin Hui? Besides, the moment you entered, you said the Great Prince wanted Minister Han to go with you? Where did that leave the ruler's face?

"Your servant will go and see." Qin Hui did not hesitate in the slightest. He simply stood up and then hurried out the door with several guards, like a doorman.

Hela and Han Fang each glanced at Qin Huizhi's back, then continued their low-voiced conversation... There was no help for it either. Although these two were as close as father and son, teacher and student, they were not discussing personal matters at this moment. Han Fang had to consider the survival of the three great clans, and what he had to say was all agreed upon by the three families that afternoon. Hela, as the ruler, also had to consider the "foundation of the state."

"Master Han."

Seeing Qin Hui leave, Hela simply changed his address. "It's impossible to let the Imperial Uncle stay in Yanjing and fight a battle. That would be sending him to his death for nothing. The Fourth Uncle and Sixth Uncle won't do either... In my opinion, Master, and you, Zuo, Liu, and the others, even the entire three clans, why not all go out of the passes with us to take temporary shelter? Back then, the Prince of Yun (Liu Yanzong) chose to follow Emperor Taizu and leave Yanjing temporarily, didn't he?"

"It's different." Han Fang's face was also full of fatigue. "Back then, Prince Yun and the others knew they could return sooner or later, and they only left this city for Pingzhou or Dading Prefecture—all nearby places... In today's situation, not to mention leaving and never returning, even the journey to Huining Prefecture is something no one is willing to undertake... Besides, if that day really comes..."

"Your Majesty!"

Before Han Fang could finish, Qin Hui, who had just gone out with a few guards, hurried back and spoke startlingly from a distance. "Take cover quickly... A large force of mutinous soldiers has entered the palace!"

"Where did these mutinous soldiers come from?!" Hela, after all, was already eighteen. Upon hearing this, he was not panicked but rather somewhat angry. "Has Yanjing come to such a pass?"

"Exactly!" Han Fang, his scalp tingling, also quickly spoke, but with obvious panic. "Zuo and Liu would never send troops into the palace! Lord Qin, do not speak nonsense!"

"Would your servant lie about such a thing?" Qin Hui spread his hands helplessly in the side hall. "If Your Majesty does not believe me, just ask the guards... The mutinous troops have indeed entered the palace! And they are pouring in from multiple points in the east and north! Their numbers vary; the largest group is estimated at over a thousand men, and they are on their way into the palace."

Several trusted imperial guards did not contradict or interrupt, and the noise outside grew closer. Hela finally began to panic.

Han Fang's face also turned pale.

"Your Majesty, listen to your servant's words."

Qin Hui, breathing heavily, stepped forward to Hela and said, "Just now, Minister Han rebuked your servant, naturally thinking that the approaching mutinous troops are the new army led by the Yanjing great clans. They do indeed have that motive. But, if I may speak frankly, outside it may not necessarily be the Zuo and Liu families..."

Hela aside, Han Fang was slightly startled.

"And the danger lies precisely here. Right now, we don't know which side has brought troops in—it could even be multiple sides entering together..." Qin Hui's words were earnest. "Today, I won't speak of such incriminating theories as 'bearing a sharp blade, the murderous intent arises' or 'a rare commodity to hoard.' I will only say, 'A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall'... If it is the latter, if multiple sides start fighting in the palace, Your Majesty, with your precious person, what can you do? You must know that swords and spears have no eyes!"

Hela's face flushed red. For a moment, he wanted to rebuke the other and go out himself to stop the mutinous troops, but then he felt the other's words were extremely reasonable... The Grand Marshal Nianhan, who had stood against Emperor Taizu since the Taizu era, had died under a hail of random hammers in the Department of State Affairs that day, leaving a deep impression on this young ruler.

"Your Majesty."

Just as Hela was hesitating, Han Fang suddenly grabbed the sleeve of this newly-crowned ruler. "Lord Qin is right... Your Majesty should temporarily take shelter deep in the southwest of the palace. Allow your servant and the others to probe here. If the situation stabilizes and those who come are controllable, Your Majesty can come out then, it won't be too late."

Hela, hearing his teacher speak, felt somewhat calmer. He nodded, then grasped the other's hand: "In that case, I will go find the Empress first. Master, take care of yourself here as well."

After saying this, seeing Qin Hui, Hela stepped forward again and grasped Qin Huizhi's hand: "Lord Qin, you have worked hard too!"

Qin Hui and Han Fang each nodded, then moved aside in opposite directions, and together gestured to the armored soldiers standing in the hall. About eighty percent of the soldiers inside and outside the hall followed, hastily escorting Hela out through a side door and deeper into the palace.

For a moment, only four or five people remained, and it was uncertain whether they could hold out.

Seeing Hela disappear into the dusk, under the candlelight in the hall, Han Fang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He sat down and turned to Qin Hui: "Lord Qin, should we go to meet them proactively, or wait here?"

"Wait here. It's bright here." Qin Hui sighed in response. "At worst, when the mutinous troops arrive, we can go meet them and put on a show... Minister Han, if this really is the work of your Yanyun people, please be sure to protect me."

Han Fang's face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again, but he could only nod vaguely.

After all, at this point, he still didn't know which family the mutinous troops outside belonged to. But reasoning by common sense, it really was the Liu and Zuo families who had the most motive. It was possible that Liu Kuo, because his younger brother Liu E had died under unclear circumstances, had outwardly agreed with him to only take the armory, but privately harbored the evil intention of kidnapping the ruler.

Even the other seemingly stable great clans of Yanjing probably had ample motive... a rare commodity to hoard, after all.

It could only be said that Yanjing was too chaotic now, and had been pushed too hard by that Zhao Song ruler, to the point where all factions had their own demands, while also restraining and struggling with each other.

And so, Qin Hui and Han Fang sat together in the side hall. Not long after, a gust of late-spring wind swept into the hall, stirring the candle flames. Under the flickering light, the two finally stood up together—because that gust of wind had carried the sounds of armor and weapons from outside directly into the hall.

At that moment, they instinctively looked at each other, and could both detect the natural fear and tension in each other's eyes.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Enter the hall and look! Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"

A voice that seemed somewhat familiar followed immediately.

"It seems to be Marshal Talan!"

Qin Hui let out a long breath and actively stopped Han Fang. "I have an old acquaintance with Marshal Talan. I'll go out first! Minister Han can wait a moment."

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Qin." Hearing that it was Talan's voice, Han Fang also relaxed slightly, but clearly not as much as Qin Hui. So he immediately agreed. In fact, he even seemed a bit guilty. "Actually, today's events all started because of us. Lord Qin need not have been involved..."

"It's too late to say that now." Qin Huizhi shook his head as he walked outward, his words seemingly sincere.

As if echoing Qin Hui's words, footsteps and obvious shouts had already reached outside the hall. Qin Hui did not hesitate, actively quickening his pace forward and stepping out of the side hall.

Outside the hall, torchlight blazed. At the front were only seventy or eighty men, led by a fully armed Talan. The few guards in front of the side hall were clearly at a loss, and only seemed to find their anchor when they saw Qin Hui emerge.

"Lord Qin!"

Seeing the person who came out, Talan also seemed to find his anchor, immediately stepping forward.

"Marshal!"

Qin Hui also shouted loudly, then immediately stepped forward. Their two large hands clasped tightly together, and only then did they fully relax... Say what you will, at this moment, they truly were in the same boat. "Why have you come to the palace? From where? Are there others coming?"

Talan understood. He directly dragged the other into the shadows outside the hall and spoke in a low voice: "I only have two hundred men, and Yinshuke also has only a little over two hundred. According to the message from your residence, we took advantage of the chaos to quickly enter through the north and east gates of the palace. We only made a big show after finding old subordinates to open the gates... But that bastard Yinshuke was still playing tricks. By the time I got in, he was only making noise outside. It wasn't until the Heshilie tribe's troops moved that he called his old subordinates to open the gates and follow in... Now my men are in first. Yinshuke and your brother-in-law will be here soon. The Heshilie tribe has the most troops, a full thousand or more. Hong Chengzhi should be with him, still behind... They are about to enter the palace too."

"Then we must hurry." Qin Huizhi gripped the other's hand, trying to keep his voice low. "The ruler has gone to hide deep in the palace. He should be with the Empress. Easy to find... The man in the hall is Han Fang. This is a good opportunity... Kill him quickly, and tell the ruler it was the Great Prince's doing... As for the ruler, he should probably fall into the hands of Heshilie Taiyu, so that the Great Prince will truly have to think twice."

"Understood!"

Talan nodded deeply, but still hesitated. "Must we really shed blood? Once we act, there's no turning back!"

"Marshal."

Qin Gui smiled bitterly. "Even if we could turn back, is there another path? At this point, we must drag everyone else down with us so there's no turning back for anyone—only then do we have a sliver of hope... Go quickly!"

Talan took a deep breath, then turned to leave.

But just then, Qin Gui suddenly grabbed him again, and in the shadows whispered as quietly as he could: "Also... after you kill him, can you find a way to send his head to Liu Kui? If not Liu Kui, then to the Han manor, the Zuo manor, or even any local powerful clan that has troops!"

Talan turned back in a daze, but only for a moment before nodding again. He left Qin Hui alone in the shadows and headed toward the side hall.

In a moment, amid the wind, Talan put on his old marshal's bearing, called the few palace guards aside, berated them loudly, and asked about the monarch's whereabouts. At the same time, several dozen armored soldiers, led by a lame family retainer, surged into the hall.

"How dare you bring weapons and armor into the hall without authorization?"

Han Fang was both shocked and angry, and at the same time had a belated realization. "Where is Minister Qin? I want to see him!"

Hearing this, the lame Jurchen officer, who was seven or eight paces away, stopped directly. Then, to the other's astonishment, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. With a single shot, he pinned the imperial tutor to his grand master's chair through the chest.

A heavy Jurchen arrow hitting a vital spot at such close range meant certain death, but not instant. The chest pain was unbearable, and since it struck the lung and likely damaged the windpipe, his screams were labored and low.

Fortunately, the lame family retainer had clear orders. Without hesitation after the shot, he drew his blade and stepped forward. Two armored soldiers held the man down, and with a single swing, he cut off the other's head.

The muffled screams that had filled the entire side hall ceased instantly, replaced by blood flowing like a stream.

Poor Han Fang, a famous minister of his generation, never lived to see his student take personal rule or rise to the rank of Grand Councilor as in another timeline. He died directly under a heavy Jurchen arrow at the age of fifty-four.

And just as Talan had thought, this man's death was not a pity, nor was the manner of it—but it made the already completely mutual suspicion in Yanjing utterly unmanageable.

In the twilight and wind, Yinshu arrived, followed closely by troops from the Heshilie tribe, one of the six great traditional Jurchen tribes. When Heshilie Taiyu heard that Han Fang had been directly executed by the "Great Prince" and his head taken, and that the monarch's whereabouts were unknown, he didn't need Hong Ya's prompting. He gritted his teeth and ordered a full search for the monarch, not even bothering to look at the headless corpse.

At this point, who wasn't riding a tiger and unable to dismount?

However, when over a thousand troops surged into the imperial city, with dim torchlight, it was inevitable that some would take the opportunity to molest palace maids and plunder treasures and goods.

As for Talan and Yinshu, both former marshals who had commanded armies, they knew their current strength was insufficient, and that the monarch could only be effectively controlled by the Heshilie tribe. So they took advantage of the remaining two Hezha Meng'an troops being dispatched by the Great Prince, leaving the palace guards leaderless and scattered, to gather forces and expand their strength.

The two understood each other without words. One went from east to west, the other from north to south, following the palace walls, gathering people continuously.

This threw the entire palace into chaos, the commotion impossible to hide. And with the palace in chaos, plus military conflict already beginning in the north, and various troops guarding streets and intersections throughout the central area... it was safe to say the entire city of Yanjing was in an uproar.

"What does that bastard Heshilie Taiyu think he's doing?!"

In the Great Prince's mansion, the Great Prince Wanyan Woben, who had been berating Zuo Yuan, received the news and was almost shocked and furious. "What does the Heshilie tribe think it's doing?!"

"Father!"

Just as the Prince of Liao was raging, two people stepped forward together, one of them being Wanyan Digunai. "Don't hesitate any longer! With people's hearts unsettled, harsh measures are needed. The Heshilie tribe saw our indecisiveness and that's why they committed such treason!"

At this point, Digunai paused briefly before continuing: "Father should quickly send troops to recapture the monarch! At the same time, please allow me to go and invite Sixth Uncle here on your behalf!"

Almost everyone present, including the Great Prince Wanyan Woben, was momentarily stunned. But after the shock, they had nothing to say—the Sixth Prince, Eluguan, like the deceased Second Prince, had the Heshilie tribe as his maternal clan. Moreover, the Sixth Prince was the reigning prince appointed by the southern authority, naturally opposed to the Great Prince here, who had been sentenced to death.

As for Digunai's intention, it was obvious—to investigate whether Eluguan was involved. If he was directly involved, that was one thing; if not, he should be controlled first to prevent the Heshilie from using him.

"Minister Wulinda, what do you have to say?" After a long while, the Great Prince himself broke the silence, calling out to the Minister of Rites Wulinda Zanmo, who had stepped forward together with Digunai.

"Your Highness!" Wulinda Zanmo, still unable to hide his fatigue, replied sincerely. "Ever since that condition was sent back from the Song emperor, everyone in Yanjing has been suspicious of each other, making it hard to resolve amicably. Now the situation has spiraled completely out of control... But I still want to remind Your Highness that Heshilie Taiyu and the Sixth Prince are both in awkward positions... We should suppress what needs suppressing and clean up what needs cleaning up, but we should always understand in our hearts that everyone has their own difficulties... We can't just watch this as a trap to sow discord and still play into outsiders' hands."

"I understand!" The Great Prince Woben nodded with effort, but like the other, he couldn't hide his fatigue. "I understand..."

"Father!"

Digunai was momentarily furious. "At a time like this, do we still need to talk about this? No matter what, first control the situation and suppress the unrest!"

"That's your uncle!" Wanyan Woben replied with effort, then looked at the other person who had been standing before him. "Left Deputy Commander... I'll give you one last chance. Go with my son to the armory to see General Elubu and persuade Vice Minister Liu to surrender. If he surrenders, I won't pursue the matter of your three families! Digunai, go with the Left Deputy Commander to see General Elubu. Tell him that if Liu Kui is willing to surrender, fine; if not, finish it quickly and withdraw immediately! Then come with me to the palace."

Digunai and Zuo Yuan both wanted to speak at once, but the Great Prince didn't give them the chance. He turned back to Wulinda Zanmo: "Wulinda, since you say that, go to the palace. First ask about the monarch's safety, then ask Heshilie Taiyu what exactly he means by this. I'll prepare the troops and come over shortly... Oh, and ask about Minister Qin's whereabouts while you're at it."

Wulinda Zanmo immediately bowed his head, and Digunai also bowed helplessly.

As for Zuo Yuan, he was momentarily furious: "Great Prince! We only occupied the armory and came specially to beg for your mercy. The Heshilie tribe has outright seized the palace and kidnapped the monarch... Yet you Jurchens are so generous among yourselves, but want to 'finish quickly' with us... With behavior like this today, even if we survive the Yanjing crisis, aren't you afraid that once we leave the passes, the Bohai and Xi people in this courtyard today will harden their hearts and annihilate you on the road?!"

The Great Prince wanted to say he had been magnanimous to both sides, but the words died in his throat. He felt it was pointless, because he truly put the Wanyan clan first, the Jurchens second, and did not consider the Han people of Yan lands as anything crucial.

So he simply raised his hand to urge the other to leave.

However, Zuo Yuan stood there, crying and laughing, refusing to move.

Seeing this, Digunai frowned and tugged at him. After two or three attempts with no success, he flew into a rage, suddenly drew his blade, and swung it fiercely at the other's neck... But he was young and lacked strength. Though it was a surprise attack, he only cut from the shoulder to the side of the neck, leaving the man half-dead, rolling on the ground and screaming.

In the chaos, everyone was caught off guard, and they all looked at the Great Prince under the torchlight.

The Great Prince felt utterly drained and could only wave at Pucha Huzhan to one side.

Pucha Huzhan sighed, stepped forward to grab Wanyan Digunai, who was about to finish the job himself, while several armored soldiers stepped in, held Zuo Yuan down, and ended it with a single clean stroke.

Dead was dead.

In truth, many had guessed tonight wouldn't end well. Perhaps people had already died in the north and the palace. But things happened so fast, and a death appeared before their eyes so quickly—especially that of a "great figure" who theoretically could have maintained dignity anywhere—it left everyone present feeling somewhat unsettled.

Just as Zuo Yuan was being casually killed amid the escalating situation, Heshilie Taiyu, Wanyan Yinshu, Wanyan Talan, Qin Gui, Hong Ya, and others had found the eighteen-year-old monarch, along with the fifteen-year-old Empress Peiman... With timely guidance from Qin Gui, Wanyan Talan had gathered his troops, quickly located this place, and led Heshilie Taiyu there.

"Where is Master Han?"

After almost everyone had bowed together, Hela gathered his courage and asked seriously.

Everyone exchanged glances. How could Talan have brought the attending guards? The others vaguely guessed or had asked, but had no evidence. Besides, at this point, everyone who had entered the palace seemed to have an unspoken understanding, so no one answered for a moment.

"Minister Qin! Where is Master Han?" Standing on the steps of the central palace beside the torch, Hela called out directly.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences." Qin Gui knelt and bowed on the spot. "Minister Han is dead!"

Hela couldn't believe it: "Wasn't he just talking with me and you a moment ago? And why kill only Minister Han, not you?"

"Your Majesty."

Talan suddenly spoke up as well. "I saw it with my own eyes. His head was taken... It should have been sent to the Prince of Liao to report the completion of the mission. Minister Qin was sent by the Prince of Liao to find Han Fang. Perhaps it was precisely because Minister Qin couldn't accomplish his mission with Han Fang that he brought about this deadly disaster."

Hela's mind went blank.

"Your Majesty." Qin Gui also replied with effort. "This may not have been personally ordered by the Prince of Liao... When I came, the one who strongly advocated eliminating all unstable elements was the Prince of Liao's eldest son, Digunai, not the Prince of Liao himself. Otherwise, how could I have ended up like this? So it truly may not have been the Prince of Liao's personal order..."

Under the firelight, Hela's expression shifted between uncertainty and anger.

"Your Majesty."

At this moment, with a push from Hong Ya behind him, Heshilie Taiyu, who had long been riding a tiger, also stepped forward and bowed. "This is precisely why we have come... We are not rebels. It's just that the Great Prince's side has been acting too aggressively. To protect ourselves, we can only come to Your Majesty's side... Of course, we are also genuinely worried that someone might start a rebellion that would implicate Your Majesty, so we have come to protect you."

Hela looked at the torches filling the courtyard, listening to the ceaseless commotion from the outer palace city, and spoke with difficulty: "You want me to protect you? And how do you plan to protect me? Though I am young, I know that once chaos erupts at night and lives are lost, no one can control where the blades fall."

"Your Majesty," under the pressing gazes of Talan and Taiyu, Yinshuke finally stepped forward, cupped his hands, and offered advice. "The palace city is too large. With barely a thousand of us, plus the palace guards, that's only two thousand men... Once a conflict breaks out, we won't be able to hold it, and as Your Majesty said, blades have no eyes... So why not move Your Majesty to the Imperial Secretariat? That place has high outer walls and a smaller area, making it easier to defend. There's also a main hall inside, convenient for housing the palace women. More importantly, the Imperial Secretariat is centrally located, making it easy to issue edicts in all directions."

Hela hesitated, clearly stunned by the news of Han Fang's death. This was a good thing, and it prompted several people to prepare to speak up and urge him again.

"I won't go!"

However, just as the ruler Hela was about to be swayed, his fifteen-year-old Empress Peiman suddenly raised her eyebrows and voiced her opposition without hesitation. "What do you mean, blades have no eyes? If we just seal off the central palace, would the Prince of Liao dare to kill the ruler and me? Or are you saying that if the ruler doesn't go, you'll resort to coercion? If we're talking about blades having no eyes, the road from the palace to the Imperial Secretariat is the most dangerous... At this moment, we should first send someone to the Prince of Liao's residence to inquire about Master Han's matter."

Upon hearing this, Hela instinctively nodded: "The Empress is right!"

And everyone present, starting with Qin Hui, looked at each other in bewilderment, momentarily at a loss for words.

This speechlessness wasn't because they had no arguments to refute the Empress, but because none of them were prepared for the Empress suddenly stepping forward. Besides, what could words do against a fifteen-year-old girl?

And how old was this ruler, already listening to his wife?

With no other choice, Heshilie and the others had to grit their teeth and 'send out envoys,' then turn back to repeatedly try to persuade him.

But as they feared, the young Empress Peiman, in a fit of childish stubbornness, absolutely refused to budge. Hela, under her insistence, regained a bit of clarity and prepared to wait for a reply from his uncle and adoptive father... After all, there was still a solid foundation of trust between the ruler and the Grand Prince, the Prince of Liao.

After much fussing, they still couldn't succeed, to the point where Qin Hui, Hong Ya, and Zheng Xiunian, who had arrived with Yinshuke, along with Talan, who was already stained with blood, took the opportunity to discuss in secret, nearly goading Heshilie into burning all bridges.

But before they could act, it truly rained on a leaky roof. In the chaos, an officer from the Heshilie tribe came directly into the central palace courtyard and, in front of the ruler and empress, informed the earnest Heshilie Taiyu of a piece of news—the Minister of Rites, Wulindazhanmo, had come to see His Majesty on the orders of the Prince of Liao.

And it got even worse.

It must be understood that the Heshilie tribe had no specific objective from the start; they had only come because Hong Ya urged them. Naturally, there were no private words or discipline among them. And with Wulindazhanmo's official position and his status as the leader of the Wulinda tribe, as long as he didn't bring troops, who would stop him? Who would dare?

That's right, without even thinking, it was clear that Wulindazhanmo would appear in the central palace courtyard any moment now, and it was too late to stop him.

"Minister Qin, if they ask about Han Fang, what should I say?"

Talan, who had hurried down from the steps, was starting to panic.

"Just insist that the Grand Prince did it, but the head probably hasn't been delivered yet." Qin Huizhi could only say this.

And sure enough, no sooner had the two finished their collusion than the utterly exhausted Wulindazhanmo appeared within their field of vision.

"Minister Wulinda."

Seeing another reliable minister arrive, Hela was overjoyed, but then he remembered Han Fang, his expression turning solemn on the steps as he called out from a distance. "Do you know about Minister Han's matter?"

Wulindazhanmo came before the throne without a word, first cupping his hands slightly, then raising his head to look around, his gaze sweeping over Heshilie Taiyu, Wanyan Talan, Wanyan Yinshuke on either side of the steps, and Qin Hui, Hong Ya, and the others in the shadows, before cupping his hands again:

"Your Majesty! I am not clear about Minister Han's matter, but right now, at the armory, General Elubu has come to blows with Vice Minister Liu Ke, and Vice Left Administrator Zuo Yuan has been cut down in public by Digunai..."

Everyone was dumbfounded. Hela's figure even swayed slightly, and Empress Peiman was so startled she hid behind Hela.

"In short, Your Majesty, the chaos tonight can no longer be stopped, and there are definitely those fishing in troubled waters." The exhausted Wulinda spoke with effort. "But fortunately, neither side has the audacity to openly make a move against Your Majesty. So, in my opinion, staying in this leaky palace city with the Empress will only be detrimental. Why not move to the Imperial Secretariat? It's easy to defend and hard to attack. We can endure the night there and talk later."

"Heaven truly helps..."

In the twilight, taking advantage of a sudden strange wind and the still-noisy commotion outside the central palace courtyard, Qin Hui, his back drenched in cold sweat, couldn't help but bite out a few words, then quickly swallowed them back, and seriously watched the completely flustered ruler and his wife.

"Heaven helps, my ass. It's clearly the way of the situation—once chaos erupts, everything falls apart." Hong Ya, further behind, heard those words but lacked Qin Huizhi's restraint, letting out a cold laugh. "Think carefully, besides being slightly weaker in strength, what real difference is there between the Wulinda clan and the Heshilie clan? Just because a brother died, you're going to gamble your entire family and clan? Maybe they're even hoping His Majesty will show mercy and return the corpse... Tonight's affair, there's a fifty percent chance of success!"

PS: Thanks to the new alliance leader, Brother Gong Zixiao, this is the 226th alliance leader for this book.

And then I sacrifice one... uh... "Immortal Fox"... uh... you know what I mean.

Finally, a correction: I misread the map... The current Yanjing palace city should be in the southwest of the city. The previous chapter has been corrected.