I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

It was already afternoon when we returned to Yongshou Palace.

Qin Xiang and Chen Jin were both waiting.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief when Chen Yuan returned.

"How is it?" Qin Xiang asked.

"It's settled," Chen Yuan said. "The Azure Dragon Society has agreed to help. Also, Uncle Zhao is still alive and is recuperating at the Azure Dragon Society's place."

Chen Jin burst into tears of joy: "This is wonderful...this is wonderful..."

Qin Xiang's face lit up with joy, but she quickly became serious again: "News just came from the palace that the Emperor's condition... has worsened."

Chen Yuan's heart sank: "How serious is it?"

"He's unconscious. The imperial physicians say... they're afraid he won't make it through the winter," Qin Xiang said. "Cao Jixiang has sealed off the Qianqing Palace; no one is allowed in except for himself and a few trusted imperial physicians."

"This is going to..." Chen Jin's face turned pale.

"We need to control the emperor and control the information," Chen Yuan said. "Once the emperor dies, Cao Jixiang can forge an imperial edict and install a puppet ruler."

"So what do we do?"

Chen Yuan walked to the window and looked in the direction of Qianqing Palace.

The palace walls were high and heavy, obscuring the view inside, but one could sense that a storm was brewing.

"wait."

"Wait for Cao Jixiang to make his move. Meanwhile, we need to be prepared."

"What preparations?"

"Prepare for the worst."

Chen Yuan turned around and said, "Miss Qin, contact the Azure Dragon Society and tell them to be prepared to protect themselves should chaos break out in the capital. Chen Jin, go and pack your things. Pack up all the important documents, gold, and silver, and be ready to leave at any time."

"And what about you?" Chen Jin asked.

"I'm going to see His Highness," Chen Yuan said. "There are some things that need to be settled."

He walked out of the side hall and headed towards the rear hall.

The snow began to fall again, swirling and covering the palace, the streets, and the conspiracies hidden in the darkness.

But snow cannot cover up people's hearts.

It couldn't conceal the impending bloodshed and carnage.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, at the Duke of Cheng's residence.

Zhu Yong paced back and forth in the study like a trapped beast.

The tea on the table went cold and was heated again, then heated again and went cold again, but he didn't drink a drop.

The sky outside the window was overcast, with dark clouds hanging low as if they were about to collapse.

"Master, Chief Wang has arrived," the butler announced from outside the door.

Zhu Yong paused: "Let him in."

Wang Zhen pushed open the door and entered, dressed in casual clothes, a smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Lord Duke, my godfather sent me to ask you some questions—what's your decision?"

"What are you considering?" Zhu Yong feigned ignorance.

"No, Your Excellency!"

Wang Zhen sat down by himself, crossed his legs, and said, "At yesterday's court meeting, those censors impeached the Grand Princess, but you didn't say a word. Your godfather is very disappointed."

Zhu Yong's expression changed: "I...I was..."

"So you're afraid?" Wang Zhen sneered. "Afraid of the Grand Princess, or afraid of that tigress in your household?"

These words hit a nerve.

Zhu Yong whirled around: "Wang Zhen! Mind your place!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I misspoke."

Wang Zhen verbally admitted his mistake, but his demeanor became even more arrogant. "However, Duke, there's something I must remind you. In this situation, you think you can protect yourself? It's too late. Either stand with your godfather, or... hehe, if your deeds get out, forget about your title of Duke, you might not even be able to keep your head."

Zhu Yong's hands trembled inside his sleeves.

He knew what Wang Zhen was referring to—the embezzlement case involving the Grand Canal three years ago, in which he received 200,000 taels; the arms resale case last year, in which he received 150,000 taels; and... and the affairs of the Imperial Music Bureau.

"What exactly does Eunuch Cao want?" Zhu Yong asked with difficulty.

"Simple." Wang Zhen held up three fingers. "First, at tomorrow's court assembly, you will lead the impeachment of the Grand Princess, accusing her of 'being a hen crowing at dawn, disrupting the court.' Second, contact the old guard of the Beijing Garrison; if anything changes, immediately take control of the Nine Gates. Third..."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "The Emperor needs your presence."

Zhu Yong felt a chill run down his spine: "His Majesty is...refusing to see anyone now."

That's why we need you to go.

"As a Duke and a member of the imperial family, it is perfectly legitimate for you to visit the Emperor. Once you enter the Qianqing Palace, deliver what needs to be delivered and convey what needs to be conveyed, your godfather will take care of the rest."

"You...you want to..."

"My lord."

Wang Zhen stood up, walked to Zhu Yong's side, and said in a voice as sharp as a viper's hiss, "The victor is king, the loser is villain; it has always been this way. If you hesitate now, you'll be next when the Grand Princess falls."

After saying that, he patted Zhu Yong on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Zhu Yong slumped into a chair, his underwear soaked with cold sweat.

He knew what Cao Jixiang was going to do—it was regicide, it was treason, it was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family!

But did he have a choice?

There was no other choice.

Just as he was in despair, the study door was pushed open again.

Zhu Yong thought it was Wang Zhen returning and was about to get angry when he looked up and froze.

His wife, Madam Zhang, entered.

Ms. Zhang was in her forties and well-maintained, but the sharpness in her eyes and brows was undeniable.

She wore plain clothes and only had a single jade hairpin in her hair, yet she exuded more presence than someone adorned with jewels.

"Madam...?" Zhu Yong stammered.

"Wang Zhen just arrived?" Zhang asked coldly.

How did you know...?

"How would I know?"

Madam Zhang walked to the table, picked up the cup of iced tea, smelled it, and then put it down. "What in this mansion can escape my notice? Tell me, what has Cao Jixiang asked you to do this time?"

Zhu Yong opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Seeing his pathetic state, Zhang was furious: "Zhu Yong, Zhu Yong, you were quite a man when you married me. How come you're getting worse and worse? Colluding with the eunuch faction, aren't you afraid your ancestors will rise from their graves and curse you?"

"I...I had no choice..." Zhu Yong said with a mournful face, "Cao Jixiang has dirt on me..."

"Handbook?" Zhang sneered. "Who doesn't have some handbook? Has Cao Jixiang not been guilty of corruption and bribery? Hasn't the Eastern Depot been guilty of countless murders? If it really gets out, let's see who dies first!"

"But he's the Grand Master of Ceremonial, a favorite of the Emperor..."

Zhang's voice grew even colder, "You know the Emperor's current situation better than I do. Cao Jixiang is desperate, trying to drag everyone down with him! Following him is suicide!"

Zhu Yong was so humiliated by the scolding that he couldn't lift his head, but a sliver of hope still lingered in his heart: "But... what if Cao Jixiang wins? The Grand Princess is, after all, a woman. If something happens to the Emperor, the Crown Prince is still young..."

"So you're going to gamble?" Zhang stared at him. "Using the lives of the entire Zhu family to gamble with the conscience of a eunuch? Zhu Yong, let me tell you, even if Cao Jixiang wins, you won't have a good ending. 'The rabbit is killed after the hunt, the hunting dog is cooked; the birds are gone after the bow is put away,' don't you understand this principle?"

Zhu Yong fell silent.

Madam Zhang sighed, her tone softening slightly: "My lord, I know you've had a tough time these past years. The Duke's mansion may seem prestigious, but it's actually constrained at every turn. But think about it, how did my Zhang family decline? Wasn't it because we chose the wrong side? My father, the Duke of Yingguo, was loyal and brave his whole life, and what was his end? Do you want to follow in his footsteps?"

Zhu Yong shuddered at the mention of his father-in-law.

Zhang Fu, Duke of Ying, was a famous general during the Yongle reign, renowned for his military exploits.

Because he chose the wrong side at the end of the Yongle reign and supported the Prince of Han, he was stripped of his title and dismissed from office after Emperor Renzong ascended the throne, and died in depression.

The Zhang family never recovered from that setback.

"Madam..." Zhu Yong's voice was hoarse, "Then tell me... what should I do?"

Zhang took a letter out of her sleeve: "Take a look at this."