Xie Ming

Xiao led his elite cavalry to storm the palace. The ministers in the hall had already lost; the tide had turned and there was no going back.

He brandished his sword, sharpened his fist, and pressed forward relentlessly with a furious expression. The hall was filled with a chilling aura, chilling everyone to the bone and leaving them utterly disheartened, with no chance of redemption.

"Xiao, Xiao Jingchuan, a traitorous scoundrel, a traitorous scoundrel!"

"Breaking through the city and storming the palace in the dead of night, how dare you do this without an imperial edict! This is a coup d'état and a coup attempt, and your entire family should be executed!"

Ma Shiying's trembling mouth forcefully bit him, but in reality, he was guilty and his mind was in a state of extreme tension, showing signs of madness.

"Ah!"

"Nine generations? Without an imperial edict?"

“My parents died long ago at Shanhaiguan Pass. I am the only one left, and my entire family is gone.”

"As for this edict..."

"Lord Ma!" Yu Jiao gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

"Minister Ma, have you forgotten?!"

"This morning, you sent a forged imperial edict, which was delivered over an urgent journey of eight hundred li, just to order me to return."

"How so?"

“I have delivered myself to your doorstep, yet you are all terrified like chicks.”

"Yesterday, the late emperor passed away, and it is only right that we honor his passing and announce it to the world."

"And you, all of you, holding important positions in the court, harbor treacherous intentions and neglect public duty for personal gain."

"In the dead of night, inside this palace, they've locked themselves in and are plotting how to harm me!"

After a brief pause in his stern words, he glanced at the assembled officials with disdain. It was not hard to see that upon hearing the words "the late emperor has passed away," the officials' expressions changed drastically, each harboring their own thoughts, and their expressions were quite intriguing.

However, it was clear that Xiao Jingchuan didn't have the time or inclination to argue with these weak and bookish people.

Without waiting for further explanation, he immediately began to reprimand them.

"Humph!"

“You all know that.”

"I am the Grand Marshal of the Army, personally appointed by the late Emperor, with a combined land and naval force of 100,000. I am currently engaged in a bloody battle with the northern enemy at the head of the Yangtze River to protect half of the Ming Dynasty's territory!"

"If you want to kill me, the Jurchen cavalry will be upon you in an instant!"

"May the entire Ming Dynasty rest in peace!"

"They dare to disregard the national mourning period."

"They lack the courage to fight and achieve merit, but they all show off their bravery by resorting to underhanded tricks behind the scenes!"

"If you want me dead, who among you is capable of repelling the enemy?!"

"you!"

"It's you!"

It's you again!

"They all look respectable, but in reality they are all heartless scoundrels and petty thieves!"

"How could my great Ming Dynasty have raised such a bunch of bastards!"

Xiao Lang's imposing manner and chilling aura intimidated the court officials, who all cowered and shrank back, daring not to act rashly.

"Ma Shiying!" The pursuit continued, closing in on the mastermind behind the incident.

"Aren't you going to kill me?"

"Come on, come on!"

"I'll see what you're really made of!"

"Come on, if you want to come along, I'll play with you all!"

As he uttered these words, Xiao Jingchuan, in a fit of rage, rubbed his fists together, his body agitated, and could no longer suppress his murderous intent.

He then aligned himself with the opponent's movements, clenched his right palm, and began to draw his sword.

Such actions were overwhelmingly intimidating. The sharp blades were ground down in their sheaths, producing a grinding sound that resembled the wailing of a demon demanding a life. Before the sword or axe could even strike, one would be terrified, their souls scattered by fear.

At this moment, following a pair of fiery, bloodthirsty eyes, Ma Shiying, not far away, appeared even more frenzied and horrified.

Others trembled, pushed to their limits, and suddenly!
His expression instantly turned ferocious!

Seeing that the situation had been exposed, there was no way to turn back.

Suddenly, the man screamed and roared.

"Ten thousand imperial guards are stationed in the city; you brat, don't be so arrogant!"

"Our success or failure hinges on this! My ministers, follow me and strike down the treacherous officials in the palace!" "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Ma Shiying was completely hysterical. He roared these words and fanned himself with his sleeves, trying to incite the cabinet members in the hall to take action.

At the same time, he did not hesitate at all. With a swift movement, he turned over and pounced on the two empresses on the bed, especially on the crown prince Zhu Shaotan in their arms.

Seeing the thief suddenly launch an attack, Xiao's heart sank, and he thought to himself that something terrible was about to happen.

This bastard is so cunning in his final act of resistance.

Inciting the ministers to attack was ineffective; after all, who among those who could stand in this hall was a brave but foolish fool?

Even so, in the instant Xiao hesitated, that fellow seized the moment and darted two steps to the bedside.

Xiao Li stared in astonishment, unable to hold back any longer, and abruptly drew his sword from his hand.

Just as Ma Shiying was about to seize the Crown Prince amidst the chaos, Xiao Zuo reacted swiftly and decisively.

Immediately, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, his long sword hovered high, and at the critical moment, he unleashed a powerful strike, splitting Mount Hua in two, and then tossed the sword out.

A cold glint and a strong wind swirled and flew forward.

Having fought countless battles, how could Xiao Jingchuan possibly fall for such despicable tactics?!

whoosh-

puff--

Without further ado or unnecessary words, Xiao hurled his sword, which flew straight through Ma Shiying.

The sword in court was merciless, ruthless, and icy; in a single instant, it pierced through and plunged deep into the man's spine.

This move was incredibly powerful; the blade tip pierced right through his chest!

Blood splattered five steps away.

Ma Shiying was completely caught off guard and finished the job with just one sword strike.

His face flushed red with thievery, his steps felt like lead, and he could only turn back with fear and difficulty. With a look of utter resentment, he breathed his last and lay dead on the spot.

"what--"

The death of Minister Ma was quite sudden, and the cabinet ministers in the palace were stunned and frozen in fear.

Xiao Lang stared intently at Ma Shiying, who lay dead on the ground with his eyes wide open, and was slightly taken aback.

But a sudden, sharp cry pulled him back to reality.

The one who screamed hysterically was none other than Empress Chen Wanxuan, who was on Yezheng's bed.

At this moment, her body and face were splattered with blood. She watched helplessly as Ma Shiying's sharp blade pierced her chest and she died in front of her. Overwhelmed with shock, she screamed in agony, gasped for breath, and her face turned red, showing signs of fainting.

As a result, Yuzhen was so frightened that she dared not move, while the prince in her arms was so frightened that he started crying and howling again.

obeisance!

No one in the hall dared to utter a word.

A moment later, Xiao Jingchuan suddenly shouted again.

"Someone come here!" Jian called out.

Hidden in the shadows of the palace gate, Gu Changting heard the call and beckoned to the guards on either side, who quickly stepped forward and clasped their fists to stand behind the general.

"Your subordinate is here!" came the resounding declaration.

"Drag Ma Shiying's body out of the hall."

"The remaining cabinet members and officials, please return to your chambers and wait here. Please serve them well!"

Xiao Jingchuan spoke with a fierce tone, each word deliberate and uttered with utter disgust and disdain.

Listen carefully to the implication; Changting naturally understood the meaning of house arrest and detention, and without hesitation, four or five soldiers responded in unison.

The matter was already settled, so there was no point in holding back anymore. They simply stepped forward forcefully and drove the remaining cabinet ministers out of the hall.

Just now, Ma Shiying was killed in shock, and his body was dragged roughly before our eyes. All the officials in the hall trembled as if they were being sieved, completely stunned and their arrogance and spirit were completely extinguished.

When they were driven out, no one resisted anymore.

It truly is like that saying: when a scholar meets a soldier, no matter how eloquent and resolute you were before, it will be a defeat.

But a weak person is still a weak person. When the blade is pointed at them, they are like lambs to the slaughter, losing all their sharpness and pride.

Doesn't this seem like another kind of irony?
It happened in a short while.

A bloodstain remained on the blue brick of the main hall, and the noisy discussions that had just subsided were no longer heard.

Before anyone could catch their breath, Xiao Yi saw that it was a cabinet minister being driven away and dragged out, so he didn't hold back for long.

The man then raised his leg, his eyes sharp and resolute, his expression complex, and stepped towards Crown Prince Zhu Shaotan in Yu Zhen's arms. (End of this chapter)