At this moment, General Yao saw that the situation was hopeless and lamented in his heart. He looked at Huangfu Ting, who was fighting with Huangfu Xuan, while Nan Xu Cong retreated, his golden silk already being flung towards him!
General Yao used his longsword to block, while Beigong Minhao had already joined the fight between them!
Ma Ruyi kicked up a long sword, grabbed it, and stepped forward to help Huangfu Xuan.
The couple worked together and naturally forced Huangfu Ting to retreat repeatedly!
Everyone watched in astonishment. They hadn't expected Ma Ruyi's martial arts skills to be so high! Ma Rong and his son Ma Rui were also surprised.
My daughter's martial arts skills are so amazing! But her martial arts are not those of the Zhou Dynasty of the Great Xia Dynasty; they are very strange moves!
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Huangfu Ting immediately tried to escape by trickery, but Huangfu Xuan would not let him leave! Moreover, Huangfu Xuan was determined to seize the imperial edict. If the edict were to be leaked and not handled properly, the world would be in turmoil!
General Yao was no match for Bei Gongminhao and Nan Xuzong. He unleashed a deadly move, intending to take Nan Xuzong down with him. However, Nan Xuzong had already anticipated his move and shot a silver needle from his sleeve, striking General Yao squarely in the face! At that moment, Bei Gongminhao thrust out his longsword, piercing General Yao's heart!
In an instant, General Yao's pupils dilated, and he coughed up blood and died! A thin, long needle was stuck perfectly into his face!
Nan Xuzong looked at Beigong Minhao, who pursed his lips, a hint of reproach in his eyes, "You frightened her!"
Nan Xuzong's eyes darkened; he was right.
"Hmph!" Beigong Minhao snorted coldly and turned to stand in front of the ministers.
All the ministers and their families stared at the newcomer. What kind of person was this? Although his words were somewhat inexplicable, he dared to be so impolite to Nan Xuzong, and Nan Xuzong didn't even offer a word of rebuttal!
Beigong Minhao then took out a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to the approaching guard, saying, "Give them the antidote."
"Huangfu Ting!" Emperor Zhou shouted, and Ji Wushang helped him step forward. Taking advantage of a moment, Ji Wushang wiped the bloodstains from her body with a silk handkerchief. The bloodstains were utterly disgusting! It took her a long time to calm herself and barely manage to come back to her senses from the stench of blood.
Huangfu Ting stepped back and looked at the people around him. Empress Yao and General Yao were dead, and all the guards around him were kneeling on the ground, some dead and some surrendering.
In the entire hall, was he the only one who rebelled?
He looked at them in disbelief. "No, that's not how it is! This empire belongs to me! Father, you have already abdicated in favor of me. Do you still intend to rescind your decree?"
"At midnight today, I have already demoted you to a commoner. You are no longer my son! Guards, execute Huangfu Ting on the spot!" Emperor Zhou's face was cold and dark! Upon hearing this, the surrounding guards immediately drew their swords and stepped forward!
Huangfu Xuan glanced at Ma Ruyi and gestured for her to step back, so Ma Ruyi stepped back.
Nan Xuzong sighed as he looked at their scene.
Fathers and sons kill each other, brothers kill each other—nothing is more extreme in the royal family! Power, wealth, and beautiful women have always been the goals pursued by men.
But what's the point of chasing after them in the end? Their bodies are separated from their heads, trampled on, power and wealth vanish like smoke, and the beauty remains, only now she has found a new embrace!
Nan Xuzong shook his head and walked towards Ji Wushang.
Huangfu Ting looked at the people who came forward, and the one leading them was Huangfu Xuan, who had a fierce expression.
"You people are utterly rebellious! You are insane! I am the new emperor! How dare you come forward to capture and kill me? Where is justice?" Huangfu Ting was wounded by Huangfu Xuan and Ma Ruyi, bleeding profusely, and his expression was dazed, but he held on to his last breath. He pointed his long sword at the people who came forward, his face arrogant, "This is treason! It is utterly rebellious, and I will not let you go!"
Emperor Zhou closed his eyes as he listened. He pushed Ji Wushang away, and Ji Wushang was somewhat surprised, but then he heard Emperor Zhou shout, "Bow and arrow."
Ji Wushang was stunned.
A guard has already respectfully handed a bow and arrow to Emperor Zhou!
Although Emperor Zhou walked slowly, he still reached the high place. Everyone looked at Emperor Zhou, while some looked at Huangfu Ting, who was gathered there.
"I order you to put it down... *thud*!" Before Huangfu Ting could finish speaking, an arrow pierced straight into his heart!
The people around were surprised and all looked at the archer!
Emperor Zhou's face was cold and stern. He looked at Huangfu Ting, whose long sword was raised in mid-air, pointing at Emperor Zhou. Huangfu Ting moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, his eyes filled with resentment, hatred, anger, and sorrow...
In an instant, Huangfu Ting collapsed to the ground, staring at the sky with his eyes wide open in death!
Originally, it was the son who killed his father; now, it is the father who kills the son. How long will the struggle within the royal family last?
No one dared to move; they all waited for Emperor Zhou to speak.
Emperor Zhou threw down his bow and arrows and slowly walked towards Huangfu Ting's corpse. The people around him automatically made way for him. He stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the imperial edict that Huangfu Ting was clutching tightly.
Emperor Zhou glanced at the imperial edict, and without saying a word, he used all his strength to tear it in two!
In an instant, Ji Wushang knelt down.
Upon seeing this, everyone around knelt down before Emperor Zhou.
The hall immediately fell silent.
Emperor Zhou glanced at the corpses of the guards, Empress Yao, General Yao, and Huangfu Ting lying on the ground, and coldly said, "Execute the rebels, leave no one alive. The corpses of Empress Yao, General Yao, and Huangfu Ting are torn to pieces and fed to the dogs. Their heads are cut off and displayed above the gates of the imperial city for three days. Proclaim to the world that the rebels have been annihilated and peace has been restored! Crown Prince Huangfu Xuan is fully responsible for this matter!"
"Yes." Huangfu Xuan bowed his head.
If he could be so ruthless to his own son, it's not hard to imagine what means he used to ascend the throne! Rumor has it that Emperor Zhou was the fifth among the princes!
Emperor Zhou looked at Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong kneeling on the ground, "Ji Wushang has rendered meritorious service in saving the Emperor and killing the rebel leader, and deserves a reward. I hereby order Huangfu Zong that he shall never divorce his wife, and Ji Wushang shall forever be the Princess Consort of the Zong Prince!"
"Thank you, Father Emperor!"
"He will be granted another ten thousand taels of gold and nine bushels of jade."
"Thank you for the reward, Father Emperor!" Ji Wushang kowtowed in gratitude.
"Huangfu Zong, Huangfu Xuan, Ma Ruyi!"
“Your subject is here.” The three responded.
“You will all be rewarded for what you have done today.”
"Thank you, Father Emperor." The three kowtowed in gratitude.
Emperor Zhou looked at them, and finally his gaze fell on Bei Gong Minhao. Everyone then paid more attention to this white-robed young man.
Moreover, this person seems to have a very good relationship with Nan Xuzong?
"Who are you?" Emperor Zhou looked at Bei Gongminhao with a wary and unfriendly gaze.
Bei Gongminhao's eyes flickered, and he bowed to Emperor Zhou, "This humble subject's surname is Bei, and his given name is Wuyin."
The shell is silent.
Legend has it that the most beautiful and moving music is made by blowing on seashells. But if even seashells lose their sound, what in the world is worth remembering?
Ji Wushang looked at him, feeling a sense of familiarity, yet also a profound sense of distance.
"Where do you live, and what kind of reward do you desire?" Emperor Zhou's question carried a hint of probing, yet it was undeniably chilling!
"This humble subject does not seek any reward; please leave!" Bei Gongminhao kowtowed. "This humble subject is a distant cousin of the Fourth Prince and dares not act presumptuously."
"That's good, I grant you permission to leave!" Since you are Huangfu Zong's man and have requested to resign, there's no need to make things difficult for now. If you pose any threat to the imperial power, I will eliminate you!
Nan Xuzong stepped forward and said, "Brother Bei was invited by your son, please don't take it to heart, Father."
"Hmm." Emperor Zhou nodded. "You may all rise! Continue the palace banquet in the side hall!" With that, he waved his sleeves and walked out.
Huangfu Xuan stood up and immediately ordered the guards to clean up everything here, while also instructing them to help the minister calm his nerves and escort him to a side hall.
Nan Xuzong sighed. He looked at Ji Wushang, then at Beigong Minhao, and finally walked up to Beigong Minhao. "Wuyin."
Bei Gongminhao smiled and said, "Congratulations to Your Highness the Crown Prince, and congratulations to the Fourth Prince as well. I'll take my leave now!"
Nan Xuzong grabbed Beigong Minhao's hand and said, "Why don't you stay and have a drink?" He still had many questions for him to ask.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but no need. I need to hurry back to the mountains; they're waiting for me to harvest the crops!" Bei Gongminhao chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Ji Wushang stepped forward, looked up at Bei Gongminhao, and bowed, "Thank you for your righteous rescue, Young Master Bei."
"How dare Wuyin accept the courtesy of the Fourth Imperial Consort? Please rise, please rise." Beigong Minhao's gaze fell on Ji Wushang, momentarily lost in thought, but then immediately shifted, and he turned his head away.
Nan Xuzong stepped forward to wipe the bloodstains on Ji Wushang's clothes with a silk handkerchief, but Ji Wushang dodged him slightly. "I'll go change my clothes right away." Whenever she saw the blood so close to her, her heart would race with panic!
Nan Xuzong looked at the panic in her eyes and placed his hand on her waist. "Let's go to Rongguang Palace first."
"Tell the Crown Prince first," Ji Wushang reminded him.
Beigong Minhao had already turned and slowly walked away, his figure both dashing and tinged with a hint of loneliness. He knew he should have left, not stayed.
Now that the rebellion has been quelled, only the King of the Western Regions remains. Perhaps to avoid the impending disaster, I should go and search for Yiyun Upper City again.
However, Yiyun Shangcheng once said that he and Yiyun Shangcheng were no longer brothers in this life.
And then there's his younger brother, Beigong Jueshi, who always worries him.
Bei Gongminhao's thin lips curled up as he walked out of the palace alone. Behind him, there was no prosperity, no noise, only silence.
When Nan Xuzong led Ji Wushang out of the Zhengyuan Hall, Ji Wushang turned around but could no longer find the figure of the man named Bei Wuyin.
Perhaps it was just a passing breeze, or perhaps it was all just a dream.
Nan Xuzong sensed her reaction and hugged her. "Don't worry, I will thank him."
“Hmm.” Ji Wushang smiled. “It’s just that I feel like he’s all alone.”
"Don't overthink it. He usually stays in the mountains. It wasn't easy for me to send someone to call him out this time," Nan Xuzong said with a smile.
Ji Wushang nodded. He then looked up slightly at Consort Ning, who was standing there. Consort Ning looked terrified, her hands trembling, and she stumbled towards the side hall.
Ji Wushang's cold eyes darkened slightly as he and Nan Xuzong returned to Rongguang Palace, which was originally theirs.
When they arrived at the side hall, it was already bustling with noise, as if the incident at noon was just an interlude, played out and then gone.
Ji Wushang took a deep breath; the clothes she was wearing were newly made. Nan Xuzong walked beside her, "Still feeling a little uncomfortable?"
"I think I've gained weight." Ji Wushang said with a slightly embarrassed expression, then looked at his waist. Maybe the clothes were just too small?
Nan Xuzong shook his head. "Fat? I could almost wrap my hand around her waist. How can you say she's fat? Or is she pregnant?" Nan Xuzong calmly took Ji Wushang's wrist and gently checked her pulse, but there was no sign of pregnancy. However, her heart was still beating very fast because of the fight earlier.
"It's alright. I'll take you to the fabric shop later and have some clothes made to your measurements, so you won't have to worry about whether they're too big or too small." Nan Xuzong took her hand and smiled.
"Hmm." Ji Wushang felt that it made sense, and Nan Xuzong had already helped her sit down at the table.
The seats had already been changed.
Huangfu Xuan and Ma Ruyi were already seated at the head of the table on the right, while Emperor Zhou and Consort Ning remained on their high seats.
Nan Xuzong and Ji Wushang were right opposite Huangfu Xuan and Ma Ruyi.
Huangfu Yu was nowhere to be seen. No one noticed him.
Emperor Zhou glanced at the crowd and sighed. What should he do with Huangfu Yu? Huangfu Jing had already returned to his palace, while Huangfu Lan remained in the hall.
The palace banquet gradually moved into its proper rhythm, with dancers coming forward to perform and ministers offering their congratulations to Huangfu Xuan. Some ministers even deliberately brought their daughters to toast Nan Xuzong.
Nan Xuzong placed one hand on Ji Wushang's waist and raised his wine glass with the other, returning the toast without any politeness or expression.
His expression clearly said, "Don't bother trying to force women onto me, Nan Xuzong. I already have Ji Wushang, and that's enough!" In the words of his speech to Emperor Zhou, "I, Nan Xuzong, am not interested in any other woman besides Ji Wushang!"