Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

With lightning speed, Xiao Renxiong leaped forward, knocking Lin Wantang to the ground. His long sword was also pointed directly at her face. "How dare you! This vixen is ruining things! Your Majesty, allow me to finish her off first!"

"slow!"

Shen Huai'an blurted out instinctively, but Wei Wujiu seized the brief moment and issued the order from the other side: "Capture Shen Huai'an alive! As for the rest, kill them without mercy!"

The moment the words were spoken, the generals received the order and charged towards the Imperial Guards in a fierce battle.

Shen Huai'an was extremely anxious and immediately roared, "Imperial Guards, Northern Camp, listen to my command! Kill them all! Whoever kills the traitor Wei Wujiu will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households!"

The deathly silence that followed the sound was extinguished by the clanging of weapons, and in the next instant, the shouts of battle shook the heavens!

Arrows rained down from both sides, and the clash of swords and spears instantly created a deadly web.

Suzaku Avenue instantly transformed into a living hell, a bloodbath, where both sides fought to the death like mortal enemies, their eyes bloodshot with rage.

Among the officials, factions also split, with civil officials retreating and military officers decisively joining the Imperial Guards, while those who favored Wei Wujiu were largely aligned.

Wei Wujiu's brows furrowed even deeper, his heavy eyes sweeping over the wounded and injured soldiers. His furious fingers were already gripping his longsword tightly. Seizing the opportunity, he dodged the stray arrows, drew his sword, and aimed straight at Shen Huai'an!

Clang!

A sudden short sword strike was deflected in time to block Wei Wujiu's sudden attack with a long sword.

A figure in cyan robes followed closely behind, arriving gracefully with a whisk as white as snow and carrying a sharp gust of wind. The moment the figure landed, the whisk in its hand swept towards Wei Wujiu's face!

The person who came was none other than Qingchenzi, who was disguised as a Taoist priest, and Liu Yuniang.

"Daoist Master!" Wei Wujiu swung his sword to defend, the iron blades clashing, a powerful energy flowing through them, so formidable that it chilled the heart.

Liu Yuniang's voice, equally amiable, rang with a smile: "It is indeed I, Lord Wei. Forgive me."

She spoke politely, but her attacks were exceptionally swift and ruthless, each move deadly. She attacked relentlessly, and after a few rounds, Wei Wujiu was shocked to discover that her skill was in no way inferior to his own!

Liu Yuniang smiled at him absentmindedly: "You've been underestimating me, haven't you?"

Wei Wujiu's face was gloomy. He didn't have time to waste words with her. His eyes scanned Lin Wantang, looking for an opportunity to take advantage of the chaos...

late!

After Shen Huai'an narrowly escaped death, he was immediately protected by the Imperial Guards. Taking advantage of the chaos, he grabbed Lin Wantang, knocked her unconscious, handed her over to an Imperial Guard, and fled in panic.

Wei Wujiu tried to scan the area again, but was entangled in a fight with Liu Yuniang, who was close by. The two were highly skilled, their figures flashing and so fast that it was dazzling.

Although Liu Yuniang was a woman and considered herself a Taoist priestess, the martial arts she had learned were sinister and her moves were tricky. Wei Wujiu's swordsmanship was fierce and domineering, containing a murderous aura. For a time, the two fought to a standstill, and it was difficult to determine who was better.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shen Huai'an fled to the palace in a hurry, escorted by a few servants and Xiao Renxiong.

"Retreat into the palace and seal all palace gates!"

As soon as Shen Huai'an gave the order, the Imperial Guards immediately cut the chains on the palace bridge. The remaining Imperial Guards were still fighting, but they also fled into the palace to escape.

"I'm not fighting you anymore! See you later!" Seeing that Shen Huai'an was free, Liu Yuniang immediately made two feints, then suddenly withdrew and disappeared in a flash.

Wei Wujiu had no time to chase after her; he led his troops in pursuit. But as he watched the palace bridge collapse and the heavy, high palace gates close, his eyes flashed with a chilling light. He raised his voice and ordered, "Surround the palace! Not a single fly is allowed to escape!"

"yes!"

The battle resulted in heavy casualties. Unlike the battles against barbarian tribes, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, despite its notorious reputation, had many close ties with the Imperial Guards in the capital. It was absurd for brothers to turn against each other and for fratricide to occur!

Wei Wujiu did not rush into a direct attack. Instead, he set up camp outside the palace, detained and captured many imperial guards, and invited renowned doctors from the capital to treat and heal them. Among them were wounded soldiers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Northern Camp.

With the palace gates locked and the resistance inside proving stubborn, only a dozen or so officials managed to sneak into the palace amidst the chaos. The rest of the officials discussed the matter amongst themselves, each expressing their own opinions. In the end, everyone ran to the residence that the emperor and Consort Ning had temporarily requisitioned.

However, the emperor's anger was so intense that he fell seriously ill and remained unconscious for a long time.

Consort Ning was completely disoriented and panicked, only wanting to go to the palace to see the Second Prince. In this critical moment, she didn't expect to help her son fight for the throne; she accepted that fate had no other choice. She only wanted to be reunited with her son and live peacefully.

"His Highness the Second Prince is alright. Consort Ning, please calm down and focus on serving His Majesty." The old ministers offered her a few words of advice, and out of courtesy, they all withdrew.

But everyone knew perfectly well that Shen Huai'an's retreat into the palace with the remaining Imperial Guards and a portion of the Northern Camp's forces wasn't just about reckless resistance; it was about waiting for reinforcements from his elite Southern Border Army!

Are the princes in danger of losing their lives in the palace? The ministers had no idea, but thinking of what Shen Hu had done back then, they were only just finding out today. They were afraid that Shen Huai'an would follow in his father's footsteps and become ruthless towards his own family.

The civil and military officials pondered the matter, each with their own concerns. Some of them were already on good terms with Wei Wujiu, and even if they didn't know his true identity before, they naturally wanted to support him to the throne. Who wouldn't want to enjoy the honor of being a benefactor in the rise of a new emperor?

Most people, however, remained skeptical and undecided about taking sides. If they had to choose a side, it was out of a subconscious desire to support and assist Shen Huai'an, since he was the eldest son of the Shen family and should rightfully succeed to the throne. But considering the coup launched by Shen Huai'an, everyone looked at each other, unable to offer any comment.

Many ministers remained ambiguous in their stance and temporarily avoided Wei Wujiu. Even his confidants, Li Jinzhi and Zhang Qian, kept their distance.

Wei Wujiu saw this but didn't pay it any mind. After resting for a while, he had Jiang Fulu invite several relatives and old princes into the Mozhai Study.

Without saying anything, he waved for Zhang Qian to properly present the Imperial Seal of the State, which he was keeping, to the princes.

In the candlelight, the jade seal gleamed with a warm yet majestic luster, and was engraved with the eight large characters: "By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous."

"This...this seems to be real..." The old Prince Gong carefully held the jade seal, his old eyes blinking and rubbing his brow repeatedly as he turned it over. When he saw a tiny scratch or chip on the lower left corner of the seal, his eyes widened in astonishment: "It's real! This is the real thing!"

He didn't know where the dents came from, and the historical records didn't go into detail. But the scratches were caused by his father's mischievousness when he was young. He took advantage of his father's favor and secretly scratched and played with the imperial seal. He was severely punished for it. Prince Gong had heard his father talk about it a lot when he was young.

"My lords, you may not trust Grand Tutor Zhou, but you should have faith in the Imperial Seal of the State, passed down from our ancestors, shouldn't you?"

Wei Wujiu, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke, rising again to respectfully bow to the assembled princes and kowtow: "According to seniority, I, Shen Chengji, should address you all as Imperial Uncle..."