Xie Ming

The difference between civil and military officials is stark. Ma Shiying, who had been scheming and calculating, never expected that Xiao Lang would lead his troops into the palace and dare to draw his sword and brandish his blade inside the palace.

Panic and shock came too late. He failed to seize the crown prince with a knife and was stabbed in court. Minister Ma immediately lay dead before his bed. All his schemes and plans vanished with a single sword.

The ministers in the hall were too busy to react when he was so beheaded so inexplicably.

They were all so frightened that they were speechless and rooted to the spot, too afraid to move.

One force can overcome ten techniques; all old tricks and schemes are now obsolete.

Later, taking advantage of the situation, Xiao ordered the guards to take the cabinet ministers out of their quarters to look after them.

Xiao Yi did not remain in the palace for too long.

He took a deep breath, lifted his leg and strode forward, his eyes sharp and his expression complex, as he approached the Crown Prince Zhu Shaotan, who was lying on the bed.

At this critical juncture, all the high-ranking officials are like spilled water, utterly useless. Who can stop the person before us?

Just as Xiao Zhi's boots stepped onto the jade steps, Wang Zhixin, trembling with fear, suddenly mustered the courage to block him.

"Duke Jing, no, we must not act rashly, we must never act rashly!"

"This matter has nothing to do with Her Majesty or the Crown Prince, nothing at all!"

"The entire inner court was forced into this situation!"

"Jing, Duke Jing, remembering the late Emperor's past kindness, you..."

"Please listen to me."

Wang Zhixin, the Director of Ceremonial Affairs, wanted to avoid conflict and quickly distanced himself from the Southern Party's proposal.

Although this young man secretly relied on Ma Shiying, he was, after all, a eunuch. Without the Zhu family to rely on, he was like water without roots.

Now that his scheme has been exposed, he is again seeking to preserve his integrity and make a clean getaway.

However, at the very least, he had to ensure the safety of the Crown Prince.

So, this old servant, over fifty years old, in his final moments, had to risk his life one last time, trembling and shaking, blocking the way as he approached.

However, it was clear that Xiao Jingchuan didn't take the old man's attitude too seriously at this moment.

The man trembled, his legs shaking with fear. He could not stop in his tracks. He could only draw his sword, flick away the bloodstains with a whirlwind, and then clamp it between his elbow and arm.

He stabbed Ma Shiying's corpse once, as if no one was around, and then swiftly had Xiao sheath his blade.

Before he could even get a good look at the official, he shoved the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial aside with a flick of his wrist.

The movements may seem small, but their actual force should not be underestimated.

Especially since the king was old and had been frightened excessively, his body was too weak to withstand the shock.

Upon hearing this, he immediately stumbled and fell to the side.

This is like a mantis trying to stop a raging fire; it's a case of overestimating one's own strength.

"Duke Jingguo, you cannot, you mustn't."

"Hey!"

but!
Unable to defeat the king's heart, he left and was thrown far away.

Suddenly, Empress Chen Wanxuan, standing behind the old official, gritted her teeth and made a desperate attempt to fight back.

To protect the infant Zhu Shaotan, who was still pregnant, Chen Wanxuan risked her life as well. Taking advantage of the chaos, she lunged forward and bumped into Xiao Jiang's arms.

It was true that he could hardly shake Xiao Lang in the slightest, but as he staggered back, his eyes turned red, and in a frantic struggle, he actually managed to grab the waist sword in his hand and immediately drew it from its sheath.

Clang clang——

With a gleam in hand, one might desperately seek any remedy.

Chen Wanxuan's two slender white hands trembled uncontrollably, but she was forced into this situation and made up her mind. She immediately pressed the sword against Xiao Jingchuan's chest.

"what--"

"No, no, don't force me!"

This woman is weak and easily provoked to this point; she has no choice in the matter, so why bother?

Xiao Jingchuan's eyes were resolute, and at this moment, a murderous aura emanated from his body.

How could someone who has been through blood and fire on the battlefield be afraid of her?

He refused to retreat even a step, and not only did he not retreat, but Xiao Lang's pressing momentum did not diminish in the slightest.

Still one step, two steps
With the sword blade pressed against his chest armor, he neither retreated nor dodged, relentlessly continuing his ascent.

Seeing this scene, Chen Wanxuan became even more flustered.

It looked like the two opposing forces were locked in a fierce battle, and the tip of the blade had already pierced through the cotton armor by more than an inch.

Can.
But Xiao Jiang just won't retreat. What can be done?
The closer they got, the more nervous and fearful Chen Wanxuan became.

Just one more step and her face turned pale, her beauty vanished.

She was, after all, a weak woman; how could she withstand such a shocking ordeal?

"Xiao, Xiao Jingchuan, the Crown Prince is the only bloodline of the late Emperor." "You, you, what are you going to do?!"

A thousand sorrows and grievances welled up in her heart, and soon her fair wrist could no longer muster any strength. With a snap, the blood-stained tip of the sword fell to the ground; she could no longer withstand the blow.

Chen Wanxuan felt a splitting headache, her spirits scattered, and she fell to the side like a kite with a broken string.

Fortunately, it was the old eunuch Wang who protected his mistress, cushioning her fall and then helping the empress, who had collapsed to the ground, to her feet.

"Oh, Mother, Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Unable to bear looking at each other any longer, the two wept together in despair.

Flowing water, fallen flowers, spring gone
Xiao Zi did not move, but continued to rush towards the baby in Yu Zhen's arms, with no further obstacles in his way.

He gazed at Zhu Shaotan, who was less than two months old, his heart and eyes completely focused on him.

Approaching, stopping, reaching out a hand.

Yes, right now!

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew past my ear.

Snapped--

Yuzhen's eyes were bloodshot. She lashed out with her palm, her eyes filled with hatred, and two lines of clear tears trembled and slid down her cheeks.

Seeing that Xiao Wu didn't react to the slap, Yu Zhen bit her lip and took another risk.

With trembling fingers, she haphazardly pulled a hairpin from her hair, its sharp point poised to stab Xiao's neck.

At the critical moment, Bian Zaiting kept his eyes fixed on everything that was happening in front of the bed.

Seeing that the general was in danger, the boy could hardly hold back the dagger in his hand.

Fortunately, Xiao Jingchuan reacted quickly, stopping the fighting in Changting with one hand, and with his other hand, he grabbed Yu Zhenhao's wrist with steady and ruthless precision.

After a brief moment of stalemate, Xiao Lang finally looked away from the Crown Prince and gazed at Ding Yuzhen.

After that, without much effort, with just a little pressure, Yuzhen couldn't stand it and the hairpins in her hands clattered to the ground.

"Give me the baby!"

Xiao Lang remained expressionless, sparing with his words, and resolute in his speech.

Seeing her terrifying appearance, Yuzhen felt a deep connection with Zhu Shaotan and his son, and her tears flowed endlessly.

With a hint of resentment in her lips, she resolutely issued her final ultimatum.

"Xiao Jingchuan, my son has just turned one month old."

“If anything happens to him, Yuzhen will not live on alone.”

He relied on himself and adopted a resolute attitude.

However, no matter what, Xiao was still unwilling to let go.

Her son, resolute and brooking no argument, reached out again to take the infant from her arms.

"Please, I'm begging you."

Yuzhen had no other choice but to plead.

But it was no use. Xiao insisted on reaching into her arms.

A slightly stern look from her temporarily intimidated and shook Yuzhen's heart.

In a daze, she loosened her grip on his arm, and stared blankly as Xiao Jingchuan separated his son from her.

Snap, snap snap—

Crown Prince Zhu Shaotan held the whole thing in his hand and placed it in his arms. Xiao Jingchuan was stunned. He turned around and took three steps back to the front of the steps.

Everyone was focused on it, their eyes fixed on it.

But, unexpectedly, less than two months later, Zhu Shaotan suddenly burst into laughter from Xiao's arms!
Bizarre, absurd.
Ineffable, difficult to predict
Xiao Jingchuan looked down and saw that the infant in his arms was neither afraid nor timid. Instead, for the first time ever, the infant reached out a small fist and grabbed Xiao.

Everyone present held their breath as they watched this scene unfold.

Inside the vast palace, at this moment, there was not a single sound to disturb the peace.

Xiao Jingchuan's expression changed rapidly, as if time itself had shifted.

Faced with the present moment, he himself was also experiencing a surge of emotions, a mix of feelings.

坐！
Xiao Lang, holding the infant, squatted down on the jade steps.

For a long while, no one disturbed the peace.

Suddenly, Xiao took a deep breath, raised his eyebrows, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Announcing, the late Emperor has passed away!"

"By the late imperial edict, Crown Prince Zhu Shaotan shall succeed to the throne."

"Change the reign title to Shaotong!" (End of Chapter)