Joy of Life

Zhaixing Tower was two or three li to the southeast of the Royal Palace. At such a great distance and under the cover of the swirling wind and snow, no one noticed the slight movement far away. The white and expensive fur coat on Zhaixing Tower trembled slightly. The sparks by the barrel of the gun made a loud noise, but the speed of sound was far slower than the movement of the bullet.

At least in this moment, the people on the palace walls and in front of the corner tower were still quietly looking at the warriors waiting for death on the snow in front of the Palace. The Qing military elites spread in all directions did not have any sense that the god of death’s sickle was already cutting through the air and coming closer to their Emperor in a way completely unimaginable to anyone in this world.

From Zhaixing Tower to the palace walls, the ripple representing death would last for more than a second, enough for a person to blink a number of times. This time, the Emperor, whose narrowed eyes had been focused on the scene beneath the palace walls, did not notice the occasional flash of light two to three li away.

Thus, very little time was left for this Great Grandmaster to react. Of course, he sensed the sudden appearance of a fatal aura in the world, one that even he could not oppose. He only had time to blink his eyes before his face turned pale. The light in his eyes flashed as his body quickly retreated like a gust of smoke.

The Emperor was injured. He had burned through a great deal of his zhenqi. At this critical juncture, he exploded with an energy that humans could not have. In an instant, he vanished from where he stood and crashed like a wandering spirit into the corner tower.

Suddenly, a muffled whoosh rang out. The bullet, spinning at high speed and unable to make a somersault, scraped past the shoulder of the bright yellow figure and smashed an almost 2-foot large hole of unknown depth in the solid palace wall. Bricks and gravel left the main body and sprayed outward like a blooming flower.

Other than the Emperor, who retreated like a wisp of smoke, no one else up and down the palace walls had any reaction. No one had even realized something had happened. At that moment, the vicious flower blooming from the bricks was still in flight. The sharp edges of the stone shards seemed to maintain a calm condition in the air and mixed with the snowflakes around it, landing in the same place.

Did the Emperor dodge this shot? No. Regardless of what reason the assassin in the snow on Zhaixing Tower had, he paused for a moment right before he moved his finger. Thus, he made the seemingly fatal shot hit empty air. Immediately after, a second shot followed the first with a thunderous crack.

The sound of the first shot had just reached the square in front of the Royal Palace when the second shot arrived. Like smashing through tofu, the bullet punched a fist-sized hole in the wooden door and shot into the silent corner tower.

There had never been a certain shot, particularly when the target was an unfathomable Great Grandmaster. The sniping ground that the assassin in the snow on the roof of Zhaixing Tower had chosen was slightly far away because of the tight security around Jingdou. He could clearly calculate the time needed for the bullet to fly through the air. He never expected that such a shot would be able to kill the Emperor, but he knew that the Emperor would tremble all over to avoid the shot and would not hold back. The biological and psychological shock would certainly make the Emperor use all the skill he possessed.

And, that was speed. The assassin on Zhaixing Tower clearly calculated the positioning and speed of the Emperor’s dodge. He shifted his position in an instant. His finger squeezed for the second time with unusual steadiness and fired toward the position the Emperor rapidly retreated to. He had actually put all of his hope on this second shot.

For the assassin to be able to calculate so much in so little time and come to a conclusion about the Emperor’s decision, it was clear that this assassin knew the Emperor very well and also understood the Emperor’s knowledge and fear toward this gun, which others knew of as the chest.

Most importantly, the Zhaixing Tower assassin knew the speed a Great Grandmaster could exhibit at a moment of life and death. Thus, he was able to accurately calculate the Emperor’s final location from which it would be difficult for him to move again.

This was impossible to calculate and impossible to prove. No one, other than the Great Grandmasters, could truly force a Great Grandmaster to such extremes, much less understand a Great Grandmaster’s speed.

Unless, a Great Grandmaster had personally helped that assassin on Zhaixing Tower and personally trained him countless times.

…

…

Without even time to blink, fear suddenly took over the Emperor’s previously calm and cold state. Countless streams of Tyrannical zhenqi exploded out of his body in an instant. Pale-faced, his eyes narrowed slightly. With all his strength, he disappeared from where he stood and crashed into the long silent corner tower.

The Emperor, who had always been incomparably confident and powerful and never known fear, finally felt a sliver of fear, a sliver of fear toward death. Although he could not see what the aura that moved him so much was, he knew that the chest he feared the most had finally appeared.

A muffled explosion rang out through the walls of the Royal Palace. The second shot went through the wooden door of the corner tower and, following a straight and shape-less line, the killing bullet shot toward the chest of the trembling and wretched Emperor, who had just fled to the rear of the quiet room in the corner tower.

This shot was too incredible, to the point that it took into account all of the Emperor’s thoughts and actions. The Tyrannical zhenqi in the Emperor’s body had already exploded into a shapeless flow of air on the walls of the Royal Palace. His body was entirely empty. It was impossible for him to pull off another magical dodge. Even more terrifying, the second shot followed closely with no separation at all. When the Emperor sensed the soul-devouring aura moving toward him in a ripple-like motion, it was impossible for him to make any reaction.

However, even though the assassin on Zhaixing Tower calculated for everything, he was unable to account for the fact that the quiet room behind the Emperor was not actually quiet. Inside, there stood many people. A dozen silent, seemingly not breathing, people wore armor like spirits and held thick metal shields.

These people seemed to have stood in this quiet corner tower for countless years, never changing their positions and sealing off any possibility of anything firing into this room. During the Jingdou rebellion three years ago, the city was a bloodbath. Neither Fan Xian nor the Great Prince found anything strange about that room. Where had these armored, shield-wielding spirits been at that time?

Were these shield-bearers who looked like they had stood indifferently for countless years a final arrangement the Emperor had made to assuage the touch of fear in his heart? Was the sole mission of these shield-bearers, who had stood for countless years, to block for the Emperor from the fatal bullet fired from that chest?

How could these metal shields produced by the palace treasury stop the most powerful gunpowder weapon from that other world? This was the last dragon butchering knife, the last Emperor’s sword, the mistress of the palace treasury had left in this world. How could the other legacies she left behind stand against it?

No one was able to see clearly what happened in that instant. The shield-bearer standing to the Emperor’s left shook. The dust covering the metal shield held tightly in his hands shook. Immediately after, the Emperor behind the shield shook.

The shield-bearer fell with a crash. An opening appeared on the metal shield. It was as if a hammer of heavenly punishment descended from the sky and viciously struck the Emperor. The Emperor flew back violently, smashed through the rear wall of the room in the corner tower, and was knocked miserably into the icy snow covered ground.

Fresh blood flowed from the left side of the Emperor’s chest. The injuries he sustained in the Taiji Palace battle earlier were ripped open again by the powerful movements. The wound Thirteenth Wang sliced open on the right side of his chest and the injury Fan Xian’s fingertip sword qi opened up on his neck both begun to bleed again, turning this powerful ruler into a pitiful and bloody man.

The Emperor laid on the snowy ground panting for breath as his dark eyes focused and unfocused. The left side of his chest caved in slightly. It was difficult to see the true wound clearly through the puddle of blood. With the snowy ground beneath his head, he kept his eyes wide open and looked at the icy sky that flowed with snowy tears. His hands stretching out of his sleeves were clenched tightly together to stop himself sinking into darkness.

Boundless fear and anger surged into his mind. The chest had finally appeared. In this world, the Emperor had always thought that he understood the chest the best, even more so than Chen Pingping. Back then, Xiao Yezi had used this chest to silently kill kings and deliver King Cheng’s family onto the throne.

There was no one who did not fear the existence of such an item. Back then, the heir of King Cheng, the Crown Prince, was not afraid because this chest belonged to her. So, it belonged to him. But, after the Taiping Courtyard incident happened, the Emperor began to feel afraid. Every day and night, he felt afraid. He was afraid because he didn’t know when the chest would appear, from where there would suddenly be a burst of sparks that would steal his godly like hand from the air, taking revenge for its mistress.

Because of this fear, the Emperor rarely left the Palace after the Taiping Courtyard incident. Actually, as Fan Xian heard when he first entered Jingdou, the Emperor had pretty much never left the Palace again after that matter.

Although he had never seen the chest, he knew its terrifying use. He was like a turtle hiding in the lofty Royal Palace with the four walls of the Palace protecting him. It was impossible to find any building in Jingdou that could pass through these palace walls.

The Emperor’s subjects and officials all thought that the Emperor was busy with state affairs, which was why he remained locked deep in the Palace. Who would have thought he was afraid? Everyone thought the Emperor was generous and loving of his people and not willing to cause a disturbance, which was why he did not tour his kingdom. Who knew it was because he was afraid?

This situation continued until the fourth year of the Qing calendar. The Danzhou child finally entered the capital. Lao Wu truly seemed to have forgotten many things. No one connected him to the Taiping Courtyard incident. Only then did the Emperor gradually relax and would occasionally leave the Palace in disguise. Even so, he did not leave Jingdou. Who knew if the spark of revenge was waiting for him in the darkness of the endless Qing fields? For the Dong Mountain matter, the Emperor had no choice but to leave Jingdou. However, he summoned Fan Xian back to Danzhou, to his side, at the first opportunity. It seemed that he could only feel safe with this son by his side.

What a tragic life this was to speak of. The Emperor possessed vast territories and millions of subjects, yet he could not see or touch it. He seemed to have everything in the second half of his life. In reality, he was nothing more than a prisoner who locked himself in the Royal Palace.

The Emperor was not afraid of death. He was only afraid that he would not see his grand ambitions come to fruition before he died. There were not many people or things that could kill him in the world, other than the blind man and the chest. Thus, when Chen Pingping returned from Dazhou with unusual coldness and cold-bloodedness, the Emperor also felt a chill alongside his rage.

Just like this, the dust-covered shield-bearing warriors hid inside this corner tower in the Royal Palace. When the Emperor narrowed his eyes and put his hands behind his back as he watched the old dog die on the execution field in the autumn rain, these people had stood and waited silently behind him. However, the chest had not appeared that day.

The chest had now abruptly appeared. Sorrowfully, the Emperor discovered that he had still underestimated the terror of the chest. At least, he had underestimated the abilities of the person using the chest. He had not thought that aura of death would be able to accurately find his location under the protection of the corner tower and be able to easily break through the metal shields and, finally, land heartlessly on his body.

The pure white snow was dyed red by the blood flowing from the Emperor’s body. The people on the tower finally had a reaction. Although they still don’t know what happened, they at least knew that the situation had changed.

With a terrified expression, Eunuch Yao crawled to the Emperor’s side. His voice was so hoarse he could not say a single word. His entire body trembled as his hands clawed unconsciously at the wound on the Emperor’s chest. He pulled out some shattered metal pieces and flesh but was unable to find the weapon.

The Emperor’s body rose with his panting breaths. His slightly unfocused gaze looked at Eunuch Yao beside him. “I… won’t… die!”

These words were forced out by the Emperor through gritted teeth. Having suffered such heavy injuries, even the most ruthless words appeared tired and weak. The Emperor’s gaze went past Eunuch Yao’s face. He continued to stare fiercely at the snow falling from the heavens. In his heart, he cried out wretchedly, I am ordained by heaven! Who can kill me! I won’t die today because heaven will not let me die!

The assassin on Zhaixing Tower accounted for everything but the strength of this Great Grandmaster’s physical body. More accurately, he did not account for the fact that the Emperor, who looked at the world from up high, would be so terrified of death as to wear a breastplate under his dragon robe.

After the shot from the rifle traveled through the Jingdou air, it went through the metal shield. Although it did not go off course and accurately struck the Emperor’s chest, it was the end of a powerful shot. It only shattered a large area of the Emperor’s breast bone but did not tear through all the flesh it came into contact with and immediately blow away this Emperor’s life.

In the desolated garden earlier, the Emperor had mockingly scolded Fan Xian when he had taken out a metal sheet from his clothes and said that small tricks could not accomplish great things. Who would have thought that, in the end, the Emperor would rely on these small tricks to, fortunately, escape with his life?

All those who do great things are cautious. No matter how extreme the caution, it was all necessary. It was necessary to cherish life, no matter how difficult and boring. Speaking from this matter, the Emperor and Fan Xian were two very similar and shameless people.

“Zhaixing Tower.” The Emperor’s scattered gaze focused on the gray dome above him. He knew the person using the chest could not be Lao Wu. If it was him, he would probably have killed his way into the Royal Palace already. He sighed, and said, “Kill everyone.”

…

…

The Emperor was abruptly met with an assassination and had fallen unconscious. His life and death were uncertain. This was a lightning-like change. The shock made all of officials and generals on the palace walls feel numb. No one knew what they should do. Countless people up and down the palace walls surrounded the warriors who had still not escaped. If this second wave of arrows were sent out, everyone would probably die, including the still unconscious Fan Xian.

The imperial doctors were already coming from the Imperial Academy of Medicine. Gong Dian, pale-faced, had already rushed to the Emperor’s side and taken out the medication he carried. He was trying to stop the bleeding, but it did not seem very effective.

Eunuch Yao still firmly remembered the Emperor’s final instruction before he fainted. Trembling, he wound around the corner tower and carefully moved closer to the side of the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army. In a hoarse voice, he announced the Emperor’s final order to kill everyone.

Eunuch Yao stood hunched over on the palace walls and appeared particularly funny, but he was truly terrified. He knew how powerful the Emperor was. Yet, such a powerful ruler had been injured so severely by an unseen assassin. How could he not be afraid? He was even worried that, in the next moment, he would be torn into chunks of flesh by an unseen line in the air.

What happened next made Eunuch Yao’s pupils shrink fiercely. He laid on the ground, once again proving his terror.

There was a muffled thud. The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army was standing coldly on the palace walls and about to wave the flags and give orders for the soldiers up and down the walls to release a rain of arrows. However, his arm had just moved when his entire head suddenly disappeared.

Just like a ghost story in broad daylight, the head of the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army suddenly exploded like a ripe watermelon or a filled skein on water. It exploded without reason, turning into a puddle of blood and bone on the palace walls, scattering all over the sky.

Even more horrifying, after the head of the Deputy Commander exploded, it seemed that his body did not know that its body had already become mush flying through the air. The right arm continued to rise. It then dropped down decrepitly. It looked like a puppet with its strings cut as it came crashing down.

Wretched cries rang out on the palace walls. Such a hair-raising scene had abruptly taken place in front of countless officials and soldiers. How could they not be frightened and scared? Everyone trembled and searched desperately with their eyes on the palace walls, beneath the palace walls, among their peers, and even amidst the empty sky filled with only falling snow.

Of course, they didn’t find anything. They had no idea what had happened. They only knew that the Deputy Commander’s head had suddenly exploded.

How could these elites of the Qing military think of the fact that the assassin was many li away? They shouted fruitlessly and searched angrily. The fruitless searching gradually turned into terror. Was this kind of invisible assassin and unstoppable killing something that mortals could oppose?

Boundless terror began to spread across the walls of the palace. All of the soldiers searched helplessly. Some people were about to break under this silent pressure. The arrows aimed at the group beneath the palace walls unconsciously relaxed a little.

Discipline within the Qing military was very strict. It would not fall apart because of the Deputy Commander’s tragic death. On the battlefield and during rebellions, soldiers of the Qing military had seen countless strange situations and tragic deaths. However, this god-like strike now made it impossible for those who saw it to not think in strange directions.

Another general roared bravely, wanting to soothe the emotions of the imperial soldier. At the same time, he sent an order to attack. His roar only continued for a few moments before it stopped abruptly because the killing intent that terrified the soldiers on the palace walls struck again. A hole was blown through the chest of this general. His intestines turned into a puddle of blood. He didn’t even make a sound before he crashed down.

With this, the atmosphere of terror could no longer be suppressed. The situation on the palace walls dissolved into chaos.

…

…

Naturally, the disturbance on the palace walls had reached the foot of the walls. The soldiers sealing off all escape by imperial order did not know what had happened. The archers aiming at the people in the snow waiting to die felt their hands grow sore, yet there was still no order to fire. The generals furrowed their brows even more. They were worried about what happened on the palace walls for things to become so chaotic.

If this was a usual battle, if the Royal Palace was a simple battlefield, then no one would stupidly wait for the Emperor’s order to fire. However, it was not like any other day. The tens of thousands of arrows were pointed at Sir Fan junior.

Everyone knew what killing Fan Xian meant. Everyone also knew that there were favoritism, resentment, affection, and hate between Sir Fan junior and the Emperor. Without the Emperor’s explicit orders, no one would impetuously fire. At this time, the generals at the foot of the palace walls did not know that the Emperor was heavily injured and unconscious, with his life hanging in the balance.

This strange silence did not continue for a long time. Generals must have their own reactions when faced with a tense situation. Even just outside the palace, the Qing generals had their own authority to take action. Hidden behind the archers, General Shi Fei furrowed his brows and looked at the center of the snowy ground. He noticed that the surrounded assassins seemed to have sensed the disturbance on the palace walls and began to have the courage and intention to break through the siege.

In the end, Shi Fei was the incredible figure who could single-handedly deal with Yan Xiaoyi’s subordinates, the Northern Expedition Camp. From somewhere, blood rushed to his heart. He did not directly give the order to attack. Instead, he had his deputy beside him give the order. For one, an unnamed terror made him make this choice. Additionally, Shi Fei was like all the other civil and martial officials in the Qing Kingdom. He never ever wanted Fan Xian to die directly at his hands.

This thought directly saved Shi Fei’s life. The deputy beside him had just raised the command flag in his hand when he fell to the ground. It was not because he did not sit steadily on his horse or some other reason. Following the body of the deputy, his horse beneath him also fell into the snow. Countless rivulets of blood stained the white snow red.

Shi Fei’s pupils shrank as he looked at the blood and flesh of his deputy with a slightly pale face. He knew that if he had given the order earlier, then he would have already died. Who could block this kind of shapeless, insubstantial, and unpredictable attacks?

Shi Fei also now knew the reason for the disturbance on the palace walls. But, was the Emperor still alive?

…

…

After the chaos, the palace walls returned to its quiet peacefulness and a death-like stillness. The discipline of the Qing military was indeed the best in the world. Under the terrifying threat of that heavenly strike, who dared to move? All of the soldiers’ faces were pale to the point of turning green. They were waiting for the Emperor’s order, but the Emperor never appeared on the palace walls again.

Another gunshot sliced through the quiet of the square in front of the Royal Palace. When a straw-hat wearing Ascetic Monk tried to use his courage to lead the silent soldiers in a charge, he was accurately shot into the snowy ground. He didn’t even twitch at all before he turned into a dead body.

A death-like silence. Another gunshot. Another death-like silence. Another gunshot.

After four rounds, four new bodies were in the snow. The sound of the gun fell silent. It was as if it would not sound again. Everyone on the palace walls understood that this top assassin, who could kill at a distance, was warning everyone in the Qing court to not try to make any impetuous movements. Anyone who dared to move on this white snowy ground would become one of his targets.

A sound, a death, a body lying in the snow. There were no accidents. This kind of cold and silent announcement froze everyone’s heart. This was one person challenging a kingdom.

…

…

The death-like silence dragged on and on. Even the horses grew restless and kicked their hooves, sending up showers of white snow. The warriors surrounded in the snow also seemed unwilling to touch the Qing military’s tightly stretched nerves and did not choose to force their way through at this moment.

No one knew what those muffled sounds ringing through Jingdou’s snowing skies were or how those people died.

In full armor, Ye Zhong sat coldly on his horse. He led enough elite riders to ensure two charges and the deaths of the warriors, but he also didn’t move. Although he could hear that the muffled sounds came from behind him with his ninth-level strength, he faintly felt that the omnipresent assassin could not cover the entire field. It was still a problem of finding a gap. If the riders charged over, presumably, the assassin would not be able to stop him.

But, Ye Zhong just sat silently and steadily on his horse. The Emperor’s life and death was uncertain and. He held the highest position on the field, yet he refused to say anything, just like how he had been in the Qing court all these years. He never revealed anything, but no one dared to underestimate him.

The reason Ye Zhong did not move was simple. It was not because the Emperor had not given an order. It was because he knew what those life-stealing items that seemed to fly in from nowhere were and what the muffled sounds were.

It was the chest. The chest had finally reappeared. Ye Zhong shuttered his eyes slightly, not caring about the hot gazes of the generals beside him like he was asleep. In reality, shocking waves were surging in his heart.

When the Taiping Courtyard matter erupted back then, he had been transferred by the Emperor to Dingzhou as backup. It was clear that the Emperor did not trust where he stood between him and Ye Qingmei. Remembering the past, Ye Qingmei had fought against the still young Ye Zhong when she first entered Jingdou. Ye Zhong knew the people back then too well. Although he never expressed any opinions, it did not mean he didn’t know about the matter of the chest, Taiping Courtyard, and why Chen Pingping betrayed the Emperor.

Many images and people flashed through Ye Zhong’s mind. He also felt somewhat tired. In the end, his gaze became clear and landed on the body of the young man in the snow, reminding him of the young man’s mother who had carried that chest, the young lady who had refused his inspection at the city gate.

In this matter, Ye Zhong felt that the Emperor was wrong. Thus, he remained silent. Before there was an order, he would not move.

…

…

How long could a death-like silence last? How long would this wind and snow go on for before they stopped? A young man wearing light yellow robes climbed step by step up the walls of the Royal Palace. He stood by the walls and looked calmly down at Fan Xian in the snow.

The imperial soldiers on the palace walls had grown chaotic. Most of the people had their heads bowed unconsciously, hiding from death that possibly came from the heavens. Thus, this youth in light yellow robes standing on the palace wall appeared very tall and brave.

“According to Qing law, if the Emperor is unconscious and unable to oversee matters, do I not automatically become regent?” The Third Prince, Li Chengping, asked with his fists clenched tightly within his sleeves.

Eunuch Yao’s face was pale. His eyes darted wildly as he replied in a trembling voice, “But, the Emperor just fainted. It hasn’t been more than seven days.”

“Can the situation at hand wait? Do you want to watch the generals of the Qing Kingdom be struck down by heaven?” Li Chengping turned his head and looked ruthlessly at Eunuch Yao.

Eunuch Yao’s heart froze as he said, “Your Highness, these are state affairs. I should not interfere. I’m afraid that after the Emperor wakes…”

“There is nothing to be afraid of, disperse everyone.” The icy coldness in Li Chengping’s eyes grew colder and colder. The chill in Eunuch Yao’s heart grew deeper and deeper. Although the Third Prince had become a gentle prince these years under Fan Xian’s tutelage, Eunuch Yao knew what a ruthless character this prince was in the past. Once he was pushed too far and remembered this resentment, how would he live in the future?

Besides, the territory of the Qing Kingdom would eventually be handed to the Third Prince. If the Emperor could not be saved, it would be the Third Prince on the throne.

“Wait for them to leave the square before giving chase. There’ll be some explanation for my father. What point is there in being in a stalemate here?” Li Chengping narrowed his eyes and looked at his brother and teacher in the snow, not revealing anything he shouldn’t.

…

…

In the snow on Zhaixing Tower, the metal tube under the white and expensive fur coat rang out endlessly, tearing through the air, and collecting the lives far away in the Royal Palace. These sounds were very loud. Although the recoil had been reduced a great deal, the snow on the roof of Zhaixing Tower still slid around from the shaking. However, the noise traveled very far and disturbed the people in the streets and homes around the area.

The bailiffs of the Jingdou government had long noticed the strangeness of this place. However, Zhaixing Tower was a forbidden area by the court. Although it had been deserted for many years, no one was allowed to go in and check without paperwork. Additionally, it was still the beginning of the month and the New Year was still being celebrated. The bailiffs thought to themselves that perhaps a child from some family was inside setting off firecrackers, although the sound of these firecrackers was rather loud.

In the end, it was the internal court that reacted quicker. Before the Emperor fainted, he had spoken the name of Zhaixing Tower with unusual coldness. The aces of the internal court quietly left the Royal Palace and headed to the left of the Royal Palace along the imperial river. Going through the woods, they reached the east side of Jingdou as quickly as possible.

Even separated by two streets, the loud noises from Zhaixing Tower reached them. These internal court aces gathered their focus and forced down the nervousness in their hearts as they split in four directions and approached. They believed that since the terrifying assassin was still on Zhaixing Tower, he would not be able to escape from their encirclement.

When the aces of the internal court charged bravely into the courtyard of Zhaixing Tower and finally reached the roof, they did not find anyone. There was only a clear imprint in the thick snow on the rooftop. Other than this mark, it was completely empty. It was as if no one had ever come. It was so quiet that it made one’s heart feel weak.

Snowflakes fell endlessly. The aces of the internal court carefully checked the mark left in the snow on the rooftop, but they discovered that the terrifying assassin had not left any clues. Although the mark was clear, it had been cleaned up. It was even impossible to see the shape of the person’s body.

An internal court guard stood guard at the entrance of an alley around Zhaixing Tower. His face was slightly pale. He cautiously watched the few pedestrians. Suddenly, he saw a servant-like person approaching him. His heart thudded loudly.

The servant was a youth. What made this internal court guard suspicious was the thick fur he had wrapped around him. Although the fur looked tattered and not worth much, it fully enveloped the green clothing within. However, it was flipped at the hem, revealing the other side of the fur.

It was pure as snow. It was a very expensive piece of fur. Whose servant would be able to afford such an expensive item?

The guard’s pupils narrowed. He stepped in front of the servant immediately and called for his companions. Unexpectedly, he felt his eyesight swim. Immediately afterward, everything beneath his chin felt numb. This ace of the internal court leaned against the wall of the alley and immediately died. His body was incomparably frozen and did not fall.

The servant rubbed his fingertip and removed the slender needle stuck in his chin. Wrapping the thick fur tightly around him, as if afraid of the cold, he walked out of the alley and quickly disappeared into the wind and snow in Jingdou.

…

…

In Jingdou, the wind and snow was turbulent, so was the disturbance. Yet, not many people knew what happened in front of the tightly guarded Royal Palace. The dazed Imperial Censors of the Imperial Censorate had long been forcefully escorted back to their manors the previous night. The leaders of various departments had also been informed by the Overwatch Council and forcefully kept in their manors. Even Scholar Hu could not get near the Royal Palace.

Such oppressive tension and ripples did not take long to spread to the street in the south of Jingdou. Countless noble families lived on this street. Everyone’s fearful and suspicious gazes were focused on one family: the Fan manor.

The Fan manor was as usual. There was no panic, sorrow, or tension. Those meant to boil water, boiled water. Those meant to prepare food, prepared food. The results of Fan Xian’s negotiation with the Emperor in the Palace was clearly not reflected in the manor. The mistress of the manor, Lin Wan’er, did not take her family and leave the capital to return to Danzhou during this short period of time with the Emperor’s implicit consent. She continued to remain in the manor in a somewhat terrifying silence. She sat in the Flower Hall and waited for the return of her man. If he didn’t come back, what purpose was there in her leaving Jingdou?

“Why is Ruoruo still not up?” Lin Wan’er smiled warmly, but there was a faint sorrow in her smile. She looked at Sisi, who was feeding a child, and asked, “Did you call her?”

As she spoke, the young lady of the Fan family, who had just been released from the Royal Palace last night, walked in slowly from outside the hall. She was as clean as usual with the usual coldness between her brows. The shoes on her feet were stained with a drop of snow. She looked at her sister-in-law and smiled. She then sat down by the table. Picking up her chopsticks, her hand holding the chopsticks was steady and did not tremble at all.