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The silver chopsticks flew through the air. When Zheng Guotai heard the sound of the wind, his neck muscles instantly tensed up, and he rushed to the left like an arrow. The hem of his python robe swept across the green bricks on the ground, and a sharp sound of breaking through the air came to his ears. The silver chopsticks flew past his earlobe, leaving warm blood marks.

With a dull "clang" sound, the silver chopsticks were deeply nailed into the golden pillar of Panlong. The tail of the chopsticks vibrated continuously and wood chips fell into the cracks of the blue bricks.

"Master Shi is very skilled."

Zheng Guotai stood up, his left hand still clasping Zhao Zhigao's neck. The wide sleeves of his python robe lifted up with his movements, revealing the python pattern embroidered in gold thread on his waist. With his right hand, he casually straightened his messed-up hair crown, and his fingertips stroked the jade ring: "It's a pity that the Thousand Days Drunk is good at suppressing the inner Qi. How long can you hold on?"

Shi Xing's knuckles turned white as he supported himself on the table, and cold sweat on his forehead slid down his jawline into his collar. A sharp pain like boiling water surged through the meridians of his right arm, and every breath felt like a steel needle stirring in his internal organs. He tried to stand up straight, and the muscles under his official robe twitched constantly due to the reverse flow of true qi: "Zheng Guotai, do you know that treason should be punished by the death of all nine generations of the family?"

Before he finished speaking, a sweet and fishy taste rose in his throat and a drop of blood rolled down the corner of his mouth.

"Huff~~"

The sound of footsteps outside the hall came closer and closer, and the orderly steps were like heavy hammers hitting the ground.

Three hundred brown-clad warriors rushed into the square, their scabbards colliding with their armors making tiny crackling sounds. The leading general raised his hand and took off his helmet, revealing a sinister face.

Zhang Weixian threw his helmet casually on the ground. The iron faceplate collided with the blue bricks, making a harsh sound. "Minister Shi, how are you?"

The sword at his waist was about to be pulled out half an inch when Zheng Guotai raised his hand to stop it.

"Report——"

The Jinyiwei's shouts tore through the stagnant air. The blood-soaked captain stumbled and pushed open the palace door, his knees hitting the blue bricks hard. Half of his armor was torn off, and the bloodstained handle of the Embroidered Spring Sword was still clenched in his hand: "Donghua Gate has been lost! The commander-in-chief...died for his country!"

Before he could finish his words, he fell forward and his forehead hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Hahaha~~"

Zheng Guotai laughed loudly upon seeing this, and his laughter echoed in the empty hall. He raised his hand and stroked the mutton-fat jade button on his waist: "Minister Shi, did you hear that? Now the entire Forbidden City belongs to me."

He let go of Zhao Zhigao, who staggered and held onto a pillar, coughing violently.

Shi Xing suddenly shook violently, and pressed his left hand tightly against his chest. The poison of the Thousand Days Drunk was raging in his meridians, and a black mist began to appear in front of his eyes. He groped for the edge of the table, and his knuckles scraped three bloody marks on the wooden surface. From the corner of his eye, he saw the death warriors behind Zhang Weixian begin to form a formation, and the sword lights glowed blue in the cold wind.

"Take him away."

Zheng Guotai raised his chin towards Zhang Weixian and said, "Wait until the new king ascends the throne, and then slowly prepare it."

Two assassins stepped forward to hold Shi Xing, but he suddenly threw them away. Shi Xing stumbled and crashed into the Panlong Golden Pillar. He grabbed the silver chopsticks nailed to the pillar with his right hand and pulled them hard. Amid the flying wood chips, he swung the silver chopsticks in a semi-arc, forming a defensive circle in front of him.

Zhang Weixian sneered, and drew the long sword from his waist three inches: "Death struggle."

Before he finished speaking, Shi Xing suddenly jumped up and aimed the silver chopsticks at Zheng Guotai's throat. Zheng Guotai reacted very quickly and leaned back to avoid it, but the collar of his python robe was cut by the silver chopsticks. At the critical moment, Zhang Weixian slashed with his long sword, and the back of the sword hit Shi Xing's shoulder heavily.

Shi Xing knelt on one knee, and the silver chopsticks fell to the ground. He gasped for breath, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth onto the blue bricks, leaving dark red marks on the ground.

Zheng Guotai straightened his collar, bent down to pick up the silver chopsticks and examined them: "What a waste of all this Kung Fu."

He casually threw the silver chopsticks into the air, and Zhang Weixian drew his sword. With a flash of sword light, the silver chopsticks broke into two pieces.

"take away."

Zheng Guotai turned and walked out of the hall, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping across the blood on the ground. Zhang Weixian waved his hand, and the assassins stepped forward to hold up Shi Xing.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

A black shadow flew down from the beam, bringing with it a gust of wind as it fell.

"clang!"

Luo Siyuan drew his embroidered spring sword the moment he landed, and the blade accurately blocked the Yanling sword of Deputy General Zhang Weixian. The sound of metal collision made the eardrums of everyone in the hall hurt. He used the force to spin around, and the sword light swept across the throats of the three dead men. Blood splattered on the Panlong Pillar, leaving three dark red marks on the vermilion lacquer surface.

"Escort!"

Luo Siyuan bit through the eagle bone whistle, and more than 20 musicians tore open their outer robes at the same time. Some people pulled out rapiers from their xiao, and some opened their pipa to eject crossbows. Before the front row of assassins could react, their throats were pierced by crossbows, and their bodies fell heavily on the blue bricks.

As Zheng Guotai stepped back, he stepped on a pool of blood, and the hem of his dragon robe was stained with blood. He reached out to hold the pillar, but the jade belt hook was cut off by a flying hidden weapon. With the sound of metal breaking, the mutton-fat jade buckle rolled to the ground, and he shouted sharply: "Zhang Weixian!"

Outside the palace, there was a sound of bowstrings. A three-edged arrowhead penetrated the window screen, and a Jinyiwei was shot in the chest, flying backwards and hitting a pillar. Shi Xing staggered and rolled to avoid the arrow, and grabbed Xu Zuo's body and pulled it in front of him. The dense arrows pierced into the body, and the old minister's Xiezhi patch was instantly filled with arrow feathers, and blood dripped down the hem of his clothes to the ground.

"go!"

Luo Siyuan grabbed Shi Xing by the collar, leaped out through the window.

Zheng Guotai roared: "Catch them!!"

...............

In the warm room of Kunning Palace, Emperor Wanli was taking a nap on a lacquered couch with dragon patterns.

Zhang Cheng was kneeling by the side, fanning himself, when he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from afar, the sound was like thunder rolling over the golden brick floor.

"His Majesty!"

Li Fang rushed in in a panic, with the brim of her hat tilted askew: "Zheng Guotai has rebelled! He has taken control of the Fengtian Palace and is heading this way..."

Emperor Wanli sat up suddenly, and the sun and moon patterns on his twelve-chapter imperial robe shook violently: "Where are the imperial guards?"

"They were all transferred to Xuanwu Gate for martial arts performance..."

Li Fang's face turned pale: "It was an imperial decree issued three days ago..."

The emperor's fingers trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground and shattered. He remembered the imperial edict that Concubine Zheng had begged for yesterday - the way she had dipped her slender jade fingers in cinnabar and drawn circles on his palm...

"Report——"

A young eunuch came crawling in: "The rebels have passed through the Qianqing Gate!"

Emperor Wanli suddenly started coughing violently, with blood seeping out from between his fingers. Zhang Cheng hurriedly brought a golden spittoon, but the emperor pushed it away.

"Change."

Emperor Wanli said hoarsely: "Bring me my armor."

When Zheng Guotai led his assassins into the warm room, he saw Emperor Wanli sitting on the dragon throne, wearing a golden winged hat and a golden chain mail handed down from the Yongle period. The sunlight shone through the glazed windows, casting strange spots of light on the swollen face.

"His Majesty……"

Zheng Guotai's momentum suddenly weakened by three points, and he knelt down unconsciously. Seeing this, the warriors behind him also put down their weapons.

Emperor Wanli slowly raised his right hand, and a dagger inlaid with gems slipped out from his sleeve. This was a treasure presented by the Persian envoy, and the blade was tempered with a deadly poison.

"My dear..." The emperor's voice was as soft as a dream: "Come here and receive your reward."

Zheng Guotai's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He was too familiar with this tone. Last year, an imperial censor impeached the Zheng family for occupying the people's land, and the emperor also gently gave them a cup of poisoned wine...

"Boom!"

The carved door of the warm room suddenly burst! Concubine Zheng rushed in holding Zhu Changxun, followed by more than 20 guards wearing flying fish uniforms and carrying swords. She changed into military uniforms on purpose today, but she still wore the phoenix hairpin with kingfisher feathers in her hair.

"Your Majesty is frightened."

Concubine Zheng stuffed the child into the emperor's arms, turned around and drew out a guard's embroidered spring sword: "I am late in protecting the emperor."

Emperor Wanli's expression suddenly became vivid, and he stroked his young son's face with trembling hands, only to see a flash of cold light in Zhu Changxun's sleeves - the child was actually holding a small gold-inlaid dagger!

"Xun'er, be good..."

Concubine Zheng gently guided: "Show the dagger to father..."

"My beloved..."

As soon as Wanli finished speaking, Concubine Zheng suddenly clasped his wrist tightly, her nails digging deep into the emperor's swollen flesh. Wanli wanted to pull his hand away, but found that this usually weak concubine was surprisingly strong at this moment.

"Don't move, Your Majesty."

Concubine Zheng's voice was very soft, but she pushed Zhu Changxun forward half a step with her right hand: "Xun'er, raise the dagger higher."

The five-year-old Zhu Changxun stood on tiptoe, with the tip of the gold-plated dagger pointed at the throat of Emperor Wanli. The child's hands were steady, but his eyes were calm beyond his age. Emperor Wanli noticed that the four small characters "Fu Shou Kang Ning" were engraved on the handle of the dagger - these were the words he had written last year.

Emperor Wanli's expression changed: "You...Xun'er, put it down!"

Zhang Cheng rushed over to stop Concubine Zheng, but was kicked in the knee by Concubine Zheng's guard. The old eunuch fell to his knees, his forehead hit the armrest of the dragon throne, and blood immediately covered his right eye.

Covering his eyes, Zhang Cheng stared at the guard, hating him secretly in his heart. If he hadn't sent Qiu Chengyun out, how could they be so presumptuous today!
"My beloved...what does this mean?"

Emperor Wanli's voice trembled, and his underwear under the chain mail was soaked with cold sweat. He tried to look at the other eunuchs in the palace for help, but found that everyone had their heads bowed.

Concubine Zheng pulled out a roll of yellow silk from her sleeve and slowly unfolded it: "Your Majesty, please use your seal."

After the Wanli Emperor saw the contents clearly, his Adam's apple rolled violently. This was an abdication edict, the handwriting imitated his own, only the imperial seal was missing. In the edict, Zhu Changxun was described as "intelligent, benevolent and filial", while his eldest son Zhu Changluo was described as "perverse in temperament, unable to handle the heavy responsibility".

"I...I need to think about it..."

Concubine Zheng suddenly grabbed the emperor's right thumb and pressed it hard towards the end of the edict. As Emperor Wanli struggled, his nails scratched three cracks on the yellow silk.

Zhu Changxun's dagger immediately moved forward half an inch, and the tip of the knife pierced the skin on the emperor's neck, oozing out a drop of blood.

"Use the seal!"

Concubine Zheng shouted and winked at the guards, and two strong men immediately dragged over the eunuch Tian Yi, who was tied up like a dumpling. The old eunuch had a hemp seed stuffed in his mouth and his right knuckles had been smashed.

Emperor Wanli's pupils contracted violently. He saw the gilded key hanging on Tian Yi's waist - the key to the sandalwood box that held the imperial seal. Concubine Zheng followed his gaze and sneered:
"If your majesty does not agree, I will have to let Xun'er get the key myself."

Zhu Changxun heard this and moved the dagger downwards, pointing it at Tian Yi's eyes. The child's hand did not tremble at all.

Suddenly, there was a rapid sound of clappers outside the palace. Zheng Guotai's personal soldiers shouted outside the door:

"My Queen! Shi Xing has broken through the Jingyun Gate!"

Concubine Zheng's face suddenly changed. She snatched the dagger from Zhu Changxun's hand and put it to Emperor Wanli's throat: "Hurry up and decide! Do you want to seal the throne, or let Xun'er take the throne now?"

Emperor Wanli's lips trembled as he swept his eyes across the hall. Zhang Cheng lay on the ground vomiting blood, Tian Yi fainted, and the rest of the eunuchs stood there like puppets.

"Bring...bring the imperial seal..."

The emperor finally collapsed on the dragon throne. Concubine Zheng immediately let go of the dagger and pulled the key from Tian Yi's waist. She didn't notice that when Emperor Wanli said this, his left hand was quietly turning a jade ring to the inside of his palm.

...............

Shi Xing held the goose-feather knife horizontally in his mouth and grasped the edge of the gutter with both hands. The arrow wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, and the warm blood flowed through the gap in the armor to his wrist.

The seven rebels patrolling below had their backs to him, with a two-inch gap between their helmets and neck guards. A horn sounded in the distance, and the moment the rebel closest to him turned his head, Shi Xing jumped down from the eaves.

His knee smashed heavily into the back of the rebel's neck, and the crisp sound of the bones breaking was particularly clear in the silence. Shi Xing simultaneously drew out his goose-feather knife and swept across, slicing the second man's throat with the sharp blade, and blood splattered on the palace wall. When the remaining five turned around, Shi Xing had already kicked up the spear on the ground, and the tip of the spear pierced the third man's chest.

The fourth man hurriedly raised his crossbow, and Shi Xing threw the waist knife he had just seized. The rotating blade split the opponent's clavicle, and the uncontrolled crossbow arrow shot diagonally into his companion's eye socket. The fifth man swung his knife, Shi Xing dodged sideways, and with a backhand knife, he opened his abdominal armor, and his intestines slid out through the gap.

Finally, two people turned around and tried to escape. Shi Xing threw a spear and nailed one of them to the palace wall. The other person just shouted "enemy attack" and was hit in the face by the window that suddenly opened. Luo Siyuan leaned out of the window and stabbed the rebel's temple with his embroidered spring knife.

"The arsenal is occupied."

Luo Siyuan's face was covered in soot, and the right sleeve of his Feiyu uniform was charred black: "Minister Yang led people to guard the library, but the fire has spread to the History Museum."

Shi Xing wiped the blood off his face and asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

"The warm room is full of Zheng family members."

Luo Siyuan took out half of a military token and said, "We met the personal soldiers of the Duke of Ying on the road. They were blocked in the Wuying Palace..."

Shi Xing suddenly covered Luo Siyuan's mouth. A team of armored soldiers came running from the corner, and the leading general roared loudly: "Search every corner! Shi Xing must die before sunset!"

When the footsteps faded away, Shi Xing tore off the rebel uniform and wrapped the Yanling knife: "You take people to Wenyuan Pavilion to put out the fire, and I will go to the warm pavilion."

"Only you?"

Shi Xing untied his bloodstained wristband, revealing a small porcelain bottle in his secret pocket: "The 'Thunder Fire Powder' given to me by Minister Yang is enough to blow open the side window of the warm room."

After a pause, he looked at Luo Siyuan: "If I fail...you know who to look for."

Luo Siyuan nodded solemnly and rushed towards the smoke-filled Wenyuan Pavilion with three of his subordinates.

Shi Xing hurried along the shadows. When he passed by Wenhua Palace, he heard Zheng Guotai roaring in the palace: "...We must get the imperial edict before dark!"

This was followed by the sound of breaking porcelain.

With a sudden thought, Shi Xing turned around, went around the back of the hall, cut all the reins in the stable, and whipped the horses' buttocks with the back of the knife.

The frightened warhorse neighed and rushed to the front yard, causing chaos. While the guards were chasing the horses, Shi Xing climbed into the kitchen behind the warm room. Two cooks were boiling medicine, and the pungent smell of cinnabar floated from the medicine pot.

Shi Xing silently twisted the two men's necks and stuffed the bodies into the firewood pile. Through the gap in the food delivery port, he saw Concubine Zheng pressing Emperor Wanli's hand on the imperial edict, and Zhu Changxun standing beside him with a knife. (End of this chapter)