The capital of the Kingdom of Zhao looked calm on the surface, but it was a mess underneath.
Those with powerful backgrounds had already secretly fled with their families after receiving the news. They could only leave quietly, not daring to make a fuss. At this time, the Zhao Emperor and Hai Wuji were like starving beasts. Once they raised their butcher's knife, they wouldn't care what kind of backing they had in the imperial court.
As for the ordinary people who didn't receive the news in time, they still lived as usual even though they didn't have much to do. If something really happened, they wouldn't be able to change anything and had to continue living.
The eunuchs in the entire palace were unprecedentedly well-behaved. The maids and maids didn't dare to speak loudly and even walked quietly.
Those who passed by the Emperor in the past two days inexplicably caused the Emperor to yell and be dragged away to be beheaded. More than a dozen people were killed one after another. The bystanders were baffled, and the people who were killed were also baffled. They died in confusion and didn't know what they had done wrong.
Everyone in the palace was trembling with fear. Even the concubines in the harem were on tenterhooks all day.
Everyone knew the cause of the matter. Military affairs were important to the country, and war couldn't be started lightly. Today was the result of starting a war lightly. They shouldn't have attacked the Yan family so easily!
Although they knew it clearly, no one dared to mention it again. It was already the Emperor's reverse scale. Talking about it now would be courting death.
"Your Majesty, spare me, spare me, spare me …"
A horrifying cry for mercy came faintly, startling the Empress Dowager Shang Youlan who was serving tea in the room. She suddenly raised her head to look outside and then exchanged a look with the Empress who was sitting beside her.
The Empress's eyes were filled with uneasiness. She wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, she didn't say what was in her heart.
She didn't want to drink anymore. Shang Youlan put down her teacup and asked the Empress, "How many has it been in the past two days?"
The Empress said uneasily, "Mother, there should be fifteen or sixteen."
"Alas! The Emperor's mind is in a mess. He didn't listen to the advice of so many officials and insisted on doing things his own way. If he knew this would happen, he wouldn't have done it in the first place. "Shang Youlan sighed.
The Empress forced a smile. She was the only one in the palace who dared to say such words. No one else, including her, dared to say such words. Saying such words would be accusing the Emperor of doing wrong.
As they spoke, the two of them looked out the door and saw a white-haired old eunuch leading a few young eunuchs carrying trays into the garden. They did not know what they had brought.
The old eunuch was none other than Zhuge Chi, the Minister of the Imperial Household of the Kingdom of Zhao. Although he still held the title of Minister of the Imperial Household, he was actually old and had little energy. He had handed over all the real power to the younger eunuchs. He himself only walked around in front of a few important masters.
Seeing him, Shang Youlan seemed to have thought of something. She sighed and said, "This old thing is really slow. He has lived enough. Even if the sky falls down, he will still do what he has to do. He is always so calm." Then she shouted, "Old Zhuge, Old Zhuge!"
She shouted twice, but the old eunuch was probably too old to hear. Immediately, a palace maid ran over to talk to him. Only then did the old eunuch stagger over.
When he crossed the threshold, he lifted the hem of his robe and struggled to lift his legs. With his back hunched, he slowly came forward. His muddy old eyes looked at them before he slowly bowed and said, "This old servant greets Empress Dowager and Her Majesty the Empress."
Shang Youlan raised her chin towards the outside. "What's the fuss? What happened this time?"
Zhuge Chi said slowly, "It must be some blind servant who made a mistake and made His Majesty unhappy. It is all this old servant's fault. Empress Dowager, please punish me. "
Shang Youlan said, "You old thing, if you don't take punishment, you will probably die. I say, Old Zhuge, if I remember correctly, when Imperial Grandfather was in power, you were by his side, right? "
Zhuge Chi bowed. "At that time, this old servant was still a child and was recognized by His Majesty. I was grinding ink by His Majesty's side and this old servant was taught to read and write by His Majesty himself."
Shang Youlan: "Yes, I heard that before Grandfather Emperor passed away, he made you follow Father Emperor. You became the Chief Eunuch of the Palace under Father Emperor's care. Before Father Emperor passed away, he repeatedly exhorted in front of the late Emperor that the late Emperor must treat you well. When the late Emperor passed the throne to His Majesty, I saw it with my own eyes. The late Emperor also repeatedly told His Majesty to keep you by his side. Now that I think about it, you have already been through four dynasties. You are a senior statesman who is over a hundred years old. There is no one in this court who is older than you. "
Zhuge Chi said, "Empress Dowager, you praise me too much. This old servant is only a servant and has become muddle-headed. I am not worthy of being a senior statesman for four dynasties."
Shang Youlan shook her head. "I am not praising you. I just want to tell you that it is not that His Majesty does not care for old times, but that you are too old. That is why he has delegated some matters to his subordinates to handle. This is also out of consideration for you. If His Majesty has done anything wrong, please do not take it to heart."
Zhuge Chi bowed. "This old servant understands."
Shang Youlan said, "It is good that you understand. You know the situation outside. A straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. You have served four Emperors of the State of Zhao. It is only right that you die a good death. Go, leave from today onwards. Go wherever you want to go. Take advantage of the fact that ben gong can still order you around and still have someone send you off. Leave as soon as possible. "
Zhuge Chi said, "This old servant appreciates Empress Dowager's kindness. However, this old servant has grown up in this palace and does not wish to leave."
Shang Youlan said, "Old thing, I am not putting on a false front or testing you. Leave now while you can. If you are late, you will not be able to leave. Do not worry, others cannot leave without permission. You can. If anything happens, I will take responsibility. This is something I can bear. Don't go around saying your goodbyes and don't alarm anyone. Just leave like this in case the news gets out and someone comes looking for trouble with you. After all, you've stayed in the palace for so many years. Go find a quiet place and live the rest of your life in peace. "
Zhuge Chi shook his head. "Empress Dowager, this old servant is not being unreasonable. This old servant is old and muddle-headed. I cannot walk or sit. I have lived in the palace since I was young. At this age, I will not be able to survive."
Shang Youlan was silent. Slowly, she said, "If that is the case, then it is up to you. I can only say that I have done my best." She waved her sleeves, indicating that he should leave.
"Yes!" Zhuge Chi bowed and then bowed to the Empress before slowly leaving. The Empress also nodded in acknowledgment.
The setting sun was like blood. The majestic palace was bathed in a yellow glow.
As night approached, the lights in the palace began to light up.
In the middle of the night, more than a dozen figures descended from the sky.
"Who are you?" A loud shout was heard. A group of cultivators rushed into the sky to intercept them.
In the midst of the rumbling battle, three more people broke through the blockade. Taking advantage of the fact that there were no true experts in the palace, they were not afraid of the difficulty of escaping. They dared to charge directly into the brightly lit imperial study.
Boom! Debris flew everywhere and the roof was broken. Hai Wuji, who was in the imperial study, was shocked. Before he could react, someone grabbed him by the neck.
The palace guards and cultivators rushed to his rescue.
A loud shout came from the imperial study. "Stop! If anyone dares to move, I will take your emperor's life. Tell the people outside to stop immediately! "
The three people who had taken the emperor hostage were none other than the experts from the Cloud Breaker Sect who had been ordered to rob the palace. The three Supreme Elders of the Cloud Breaker Sect had personally led the group.
Naturally, they wanted the people outside to stop because the people they had brought with them were under attack.
Who knew that Huan Qing, who had arrived just in time and had also taken over the real power of Zhuge Chi, the Head of the Imperial Household, would ignore the emperor's life in the imperial study and give the order on the spot. "His Majesty is not inside. Kill!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Arrows broke through the door and windows. The people in the room were shocked and quickly hid behind the obstacles in the room.
The three of them did not expect that the other party would dare to attack without caring about the emperor's life after they had captured the emperor.
As the room was filled with the sounds of explosions, someone pulled Hai Wuji and said angrily, "Tell them to stop, or I will kill you!"
Hai Wuji said in a panic, "I am not His Majesty. I am His Majesty's substitute."
Someone immediately touched his face but did not find any disguise. He immediately said angrily, "Nonsense! You are the one in the portrait."
Hai Wuji hurriedly said, "I really am a substitute. Otherwise, why would they attack without caring about my life?"
"Since you are a fake, where is your real body?"
"I don't know. I really don't know."
"Then who knows?"
"How would I know?"
Since they could not get the truth out of him, they immediately tossed Hai Wuji out to test him. In the end, the people outside did not show any mercy. They shot Hai Wuji into a porcupine on the spot.
Only then did the three of them realize that the person they had captured was a fake. He was indeed a substitute.
Amid the rumbling sounds, the rubble and bricks in the imperial study were blasted into the air. The pillars that flew out were swept away, and the soldiers outside screamed in pain.
The three Cloud Tool Sect Elders took advantage of the chaos to charge out. Their giant astral hammers danced in the air. None of the cultivators who tried to stop them were a match for them, and the three of them killed their way out.
The assassins had not come blindly. They had a detailed and thorough plan. After failing to target Hai Wuji, they charged towards the Empress Dowager, intending to take Shang Youlan as a hostage.
However, the moment the three of them charged into the Empress Dowager's palace, something strange happened. A strong wind suddenly blew out all the lights in the palace. The place was immediately plunged into darkness, but a lone lantern appeared.
Under the eaves of the corridor, the Chief Steward of the Imperial Palace, Zhuge Chi, walked slowly with a lantern in his hand. Behind him were two blind eunuchs and two blind eunuchs.
When he saw someone, a Grand Elder of the Cloud Tool Sect immediately dashed forward, intending to capture him for questioning.
Whoosh! The lantern in Zhuge Chi's hand suddenly went out, and the area under the eaves was plunged into darkness.
The Grand Elder who had been trying to capture Zhuge Chi realized that he had missed. He could not move at all. Even when he used all his cultivation, he could not move an inch. When he realized that his neck was in someone else's hand, an unimaginable fear surged into his heart.
"This is not a place where you should be," Zhuge Chi said slowly. With a twist of his hand, he casually snapped the Grand Elder's neck.
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