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

His guards rushed forward and engaged the assassins in a fierce battle.

The fighting was fierce and noisy, but Chen Yuan could see clearly that both sides were putting on an act; the swords clashed and clanged, but no blood was drawn.

"Commander Chen, be careful!"

Xu Huizu rushed to Chen Yuan's side without hesitation, shouting, "These thieves are definitely after you!"

Before he could finish speaking, the second group of people arrived.

This time it is true.

More than twenty men, dressed in various colors, climbed over the temple wall and entered. They were agile and ruthless.

They didn't put on an act; their blades drew blood, instantly felling three officials before charging straight at Chen Yuan!

A person who becomes the Duke of the country.

Chen Yuan drew his sword.

The Embroidered Spring Blade was drawn, its cold light flashing. The man at the front was knocked away by the blast, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into the incense burner and spitting out blood.

"Protect the imperial envoy!"

Han Cheng's voice came from outside.

A hundred sailors stormed into the temple and engaged the assassins in fierce combat. The real battle had begun.

Chen Yuan moved through the chaos of battle, his blade flashing like snow, and with each strike, a man fell.

He deliberately moved towards the direction of the Duke of Cheng—Zhu Yong was being protected by several servants as he retreated, his face as pale as paper.

"Duke Cheng!" Chen Yuan shouted as he deflected an incoming arrow with his sword, "Did you order these people to join you?!"

"Nonsense!" Zhu Yong's voice trembled. "I...I don't know anything about this!"

"Don't know?" Chen Yuan sneered, slashing down an assassin with a single stroke. He pulled a waist token from the corpse's arms, holding it high. "This is your Chengguo Duke's waist token! It even has a number on it—A-7! Want to check whose it is?!"

Zhu Yong was startled.

Just then, a third group of people appeared.

Not an assassin, but a soldier.

At least two hundred fully armed soldiers poured in from outside the temple, led by the eight garrison commanders who had colluded with the Duke of Cheng!

"By order of the Duke of Cheng, suppress the rebels!" a commander shouted. "Everyone lay down your weapons! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

Soldiers surrounded them, their swords and spears like a forest.

The situation reversed instantly.

Han Cheng's hundred sailors were surrounded, while the members of the Azure Dragon Society were kept outside.

Chen Yuan, Xu Huizu, and a group of officials were surrounded in front of the Dacheng Hall.

Xu Huizu's expression changed: "Zhu Yong! Do you want to rebel?!"

Zhu Yong, however, calmed down. He pushed aside the servants protecting him and stepped forward. "Xu Huizu, you're the one plotting a rebellion, aren't you? You arranged for assassins to kill the imperial envoy and then tried to frame me? Luckily, I was prepared and brought troops to protect you!"

He turned to Chen Yuan, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander Chen, you've been frightened. These assassins were all arranged by Xu Huizu, as I have confirmed. Now, please calm down, Commander Chen, and wait until I have captured this old scoundrel before reporting this to the court for credit!"

They turned black into white and reversed the roles of guest and host.

Chen Yuan looked at Zhu Yong and suddenly laughed: "Duke Cheng is quite the schemer. But how did you know I was prepared as well?"

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, countless figures appeared on the rooftops surrounding the Confucius Temple.

Large nets descended from the sky, covering the garrison soldiers.

At the same time, the sound of orderly footsteps and the pulling of bowstrings came from outside the temple walls—at least three hundred bows were aimed at the inside of the temple.

The Azure Dragon Society has finally made its move.

"Put down your weapons!" Master Zhou roared from the rooftop. "Those who resist will die!"

The soldiers panicked.

Although they outnumbered each other, they were trapped in nets and had arrows pointed at them, so they could not move.

The commanders tried to struggle, but were quickly subdued and pinned to the ground by the experts of the Azure Dragon Society.

Zhu Yong's face turned deathly pale: "You...you were prepared all along..."

"Of course." Chen Yuan sheathed his sword and walked up to him. "Duke Cheng, from the first day you arrived in Nanjing, I knew what you were planning. Colluding with the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction, contacting the garrison commanders, you wanted to stage a coup at Confucius Temple to seize power... Am I right?"

"What...what evidence do you have?!"

Chen Yuan took out the account book from his robes. "This is the record of your dealings with the remnants of the Prince of Han's faction. It has your signature on it. And..."

He then produced a stack of letters. "These are secret letters between you and those eight commanders, discussing how to control Nanjing and how to resist the imperial court. Should I read them aloud in public?"

Zhu Yong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Chen Yuan stopped looking at him and turned to Xu Huizu: "Duke of Wei, it's your turn now."

Xu Huizu's expression was complex: "Commander Chen is indeed...a hero emerges from among the young. I admire him."

"I dare not accept such praise," Chen Yuan said. "I only have a few questions I would like to ask the Duke of Wei."

"Excuse me."

"First, are you aware that your son, Xu Xianzong, is smuggling military supplies with the Japanese pirate leader Wang Zhi, with an annual transaction volume of 100,000 taels?"

Xu Huizu's expression changed: "This..."

"Secondly, last March, your son bought a batch of Japanese swords from Wang Zhi and then resold them to... remnants of the Prince of Han's faction. Are you aware of this?"

"Third," Chen Yuan stared at him, "On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Cao Jixiang went to Kunning Palace to see Empress Sun. That was your arrangement. Because you already knew Empress Sun was pregnant, and you wanted to use her to get rid of the Grand Princess, and then, as a meritorious official protecting the country, control the court. Am I right?"

These three sentences are like three knives, each one drawing blood.

Xu Huizu remained silent for a long time.

The wind blows through the temple, stirring up incense ash that swirls in the air.

The surroundings were eerily quiet; everyone was staring at him.

Finally, he laughed, a bitter laugh: "Chen Yuan, you're smarter than your father. If the King of Zhao had half your brains, he wouldn't have..."

He didn't finish speaking, but the meaning was clear.

"So you admit it all?" Chen Yuan asked.

"What difference does it make whether I admit it or not?" Xu Huizu said slowly. "The victor is king, the loser is villain; it's always been this way. I've lost, and I admit defeat. But Chen Yuan, do you think you've won? Empress Sun, Cao Jixiang, and... that hidden hand deep within—do you think you can defeat them?"

Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat: "What kind of mastermind?"

Xu Huizu shook his head: "I don't know either. But I can feel that there is a hand stirring all this up. Cao Jixiang's death, Empress Sun's pregnancy, the chaos in Nanjing... all of these are arrangements by that hand. Chen Yuan, you'd better watch yourself."

He turned to the guards he had brought and said, "Put down your weapons."

The guards looked at each other, and finally put down their knives.

Xu Huizu then looked at Chen Yuan: "I can go back to the capital with you to stand trial. But I have one condition—protect my son Xianzong's life. He is a scoundrel, but his crimes do not warrant death. I will take responsibility for the smuggling."

Chen Yuan looked at him. This old man, who once held immense power in Nanjing, was now hunched over, looking as if he had aged ten years overnight.

"Okay," Chen Yuan said. "As long as he cooperates with the investigation, I can guarantee his life."

"Thanks." Xu Huizu cupped his hands in thanks, then walked up to the Qinglong Society members, extended his hands, and said, "Tie them up."

Master Zhou looked at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan nodded.

The Duke of Wei was tied up.

The Duke of Cheng was also tied up.

All eight garrison commanders and more than thirty assassins were captured.

Inside the Confucius Temple, the stench of blood mingled with the smell of incense, permeating the air.

Chen Yuan walked to the front of the Dacheng Hall and bowed deeply to the statue of Confucius.

"Please forgive me, sage. I have defiled this sacred place; it is a sin."