Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 392 Wolf Guard
The night wind howled across the palace towers...

Xue Sui led Xiao Zhao, riding alone at great speed through the dark streets and alleys.

Horse hooves pounded on the empty bluestone slabs. Shops and houses had their doors and windows tightly shut, and the place was deathly silent. Occasionally, small patrols of soldiers would glance suspiciously in the direction of the imperial city, as if sensing something amiss in the palace, and hesitate to proceed...

The shouts of battle came intermittently...

The distant firelight dyed the low-hanging night sky above the palace a deep orange-red.

"Girl, look!" Xiao Zhao suddenly tightened the reins, and with a whoosh, she stopped the galloping horse. Her body, like a taut bowstring, abruptly stopped at the alley entrance.

Xue Sui reined in his horse almost simultaneously.

The immense inertia caused her body to lurch forward, swaying on the saddle before she could regain her balance.

At the alleyway ahead, a group of riders stood silently, completely blocking the road.

The horses snorted uneasily, their horseshoes striking the bluestone, a silent killing intent spreading through the air...

"Who goes there?" Xiao Zhao shouted sharply, her hand already on the short blade at her waist.

The lead rider slowly stepped forward.

The night breeze lifted his cloak, revealing a dashing and handsome face—

It is Yao Guang.

His tightly pursed lips curled up slightly, and his usually charming eyes, which never smiled, were now devoid of any frivolity.

"Peace, that's me."

Xue Sui's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

"Seventh Senior Brother? Why are you stopping me here?"

"This road is blocked." Yao Guang's voice was tinged with laughter, yet calm and deep. "Tonight, the palace has become a battlefield, where swords have no eyes... My senior brother is worried about your safety and sent me to stop you. I must not let you get into danger..."

Xue Sui leaned forward slightly, his cool eyes beneath the hood fixed on him, sharp and resolute in the dim light.

"Seventh Senior Brother, do you know what happened in the palace?"

"Xiao Dang led his private army in rebellion, stormed into the Zichen Palace, and is currently fighting with the Crown Prince's personal guards." Yao Guang forced a stiff smile, as if she were coaxing a disobedient child.

“It’s precisely because it’s a den of dragons and tigers that we’re afraid you’ll rashly barge in. My eldest brother said that if anything happens to you, he won’t be able to explain it to His Highness the Crown Prince…”

To whom does she need to explain her actions?

Why did Tian Shu have to explain things to Li Zhao?
When did these two form an alliance, becoming even closer than she was?
"Don't worry." Xue Sui gripped the cold wolf bone talisman in his sleeve and said solemnly, "I am not acting rashly. I know what I'm doing."

She spoke slowly and clearly.

The smile on Yao Guang's face vanished completely, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Little Thirteen, are you really going to put yourself in such danger?"

"Of course." Xue Sui raised her chin slightly, met his gaze through the gauze curtain, and smiled gently.

"My birth mother lies in the Eastern Palace. In the Zichen Palace, the Emperor of Great Liang is still on his sickbed. My personal feelings and old grudges are all tied to this place, and I have no choice but to retreat."

As she said this, she tightened her grip on the reins and looked at him coldly.

"If Seventh Senior Brother is mindful of our shared sect, please make way..."

She sat upright on her horse, her back ramrod straight, exuding an aura of imposing authority that brooked no resistance…

That wasn't the familiar junior sister from Yaoguang, but the old imperial envoy from the mausoleum, who bore heavy responsibilities and possessed profound wisdom.

Yao Guang's hand gripping the reins tightened and loosened repeatedly.

He was struggling internally...

The alleyway was completely silent.

The sounds of fighting that could be faintly heard from within the palace walls seemed to have intensified even further...

After a moment, Yao Guang let out a long sigh, helplessly tugged at the reins, and stepped aside to make way, his tone a mixture of compromise and worry.

“Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll go with you. Niu Ben, the commander of Anfu Gate, is an old acquaintance of mine; he can help us out…”

Xue Sui nodded and said no more. He sat up straight, spurred his horse, and shouted, "Let's go!"

The people blocking the alley entrance silently parted to both sides.

Xue Sui took the lead, rushing into the dark alley like a flash of lightning in the night, swift and decisive. "Wait for me..."

Yao Guang followed closely behind, and Xiao Zhao gritted her teeth and kept up.

"girl……"
-
The black lacquered gate of the post station was tightly closed.

Xue Sui reined in his horse at the side gate, quickly scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that no one was watching, whispered his orders.

"Xiao Zhao, knock on the door."

Xiao Zhao should have dismounted.

I tapped the heavy door panel three times with my fingers.

Two short and one long, with a clear rhythm...

The door creaked open, revealing a crack in the silence.

A burly Siz guard's wary face was half-hidden in the shadows behind the door crack.

"What brings you here so late at night? The inn is already closed to guests..."

He spoke in broken Dalian dialect, full of vigilance and imposing manner.

Upon seeing the wolf bone talisman with its menacing fangs in Xiao Zhao's hand, his expression changed drastically. He quickly opened the door, looked around, and bowed his head.

"The young lady has finally arrived. The Siz Wolf Guards have been waiting for a long time, fully prepared."

Xue Sui nodded and slipped inside.

The guard led the way.

After passing through the quiet corridor, we saw Alimu in the training ground deep inside the inn.

He was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a curved sword at his waist, and a group of dark-skinned Siz Wolf Guards stood neatly behind him.

They had all changed into soft armor in the style of the Liang Imperial Guards, and stood in formation under the moonlight. Their faces were covered with black veils, revealing only their hawk-like eyes. They were tall and strong, with a restrained killing intent.

"Wolf Guards, heed my command!" Alimu's voice was crisp and authoritative.

"Treacherous officials have wreaked havoc, and the pearl has been tarnished. The Sixth Princess, acting on the orders of the High Priest with the Wolf Bone Talisman, has entered the palace to quell the rebellion and restore order to the world. You, as descendants of the Azure Wolf, must obey the Sixth Princess's commands, slay the villains, and protect the Princess and the Sixth Princess..."

"Roar—We obey your command—"

Dozens of wolf guards roared in unison, their chests resonating.

Amidst the surging murderous aura, they all turned around in unison, placed their right hands on their chests, and bowed deeply in Xue Sui's direction.

"Where the Wolf Fang lies, we will never retreat. Please give your instructions, young lady!"

Xue Sui flicked his wrist, and the short sword was drawn with a clang, its tip pointing directly towards the imperial city. The sound was resolute, clear, and full of power.

"Come with me to the palace. Punish the traitors and cleanse the court of corrupt officials."

"Understood!" the wolf guards responded in unison.

The group filed out, like shadows blending into the night, and followed them through the deserted streets and alleys, all the way to Anfu Gate. Under the cover of darkness, they silently slipped into the palace...
-
The area in front of the Zichen Palace was truly like a battlefield.

The Crown Prince's personal guards fought valiantly, their armor soaked in blood. A defensive line composed of guards and halberds was torn apart by the Xiao family's elite soldiers, only to reassemble amidst screams of agony.

Chen Tu's left arm was slashed, the wound so deep that the bone was visible.

He gritted his teeth, wrapped the cloth tightly, and cleaved the oncoming assassins with his sword.

"Defend the Zichen Palace, obey the Crown Prince's orders, and serve His Majesty to the death!"

Fresh blood dripped from his fingertips, a truly horrifying sight...

Seeing that he couldn't break through after a long attack, Xiao Wenyuan's face was even darker than the night.

"The Crown Prince has deceived the Emperor, an act against all reason and law. Loyal ministers and righteous men, follow me into battle, rescue His Majesty, and quell the rebellion..."

The sounds of fighting created a chaotic scene.

At that moment, torches suddenly surged forth like a long dragon along the passageway in front of the palace not far away, and the heavy footsteps and the clanging of armor blended together...

Another group of imperial guards arrived.

They brandished gleaming longswords and gradually surrounded the Zichen Palace...

(End of this chapter)