Chapter 169

"Dog Emperor, write your abdication decree and I might spare your miserable life. Otherwise, I'll kill you right now."0

"Is that so?"0

The Xuanwu Emperor gently placed Noble Consort Rong on the carpet, letting her lean against a palace maid. He stood up and positioned himself in front of the assembled consorts, his back as solid and imposing as a mountain, tall and reassuring.0

His disheveled hair didn't make him look unkempt, but rather added a touch of rugged handsomeness. In the night, he appeared especially dashing.0

Particularly striking was the smile playing at his lips, carefree and unrestrained: "Well then, General Ye, why don't you try and see if you can kill me?"0

Even as a defeated dog, he dared to be so arrogant. Ye Gaoliang was infuriated that the emperor could still outmatch him in presence even in this situation.0

With a wave of his hand, he shouted angrily: "Whoever can cut off this dog emperor's head, I'll appoint him as Grand General of National Pacification, enjoying... ugh..."0

A three-pronged blade suddenly pierced through Ye Gaoliang's chest from behind.0

"Drip... drip... drip..."0

Bright red blood mixed with bits of flesh slowly... slowly began to fall faster, splattering onto the glossy black floor of Taihe Hall.0

Ye Gaoliang's eyes widened in disbelief as he collapsed, dying without ever seeing who had struck the blow.0

Amidst the shocked gasps of the crowd, the guards who had accompanied Ye Gaoliang and crowded into the hall all dropped to one knee: "We have fortunately not failed our mission, Your Majesty. The traitor Ye Gaoliang's closest followers have been eliminated. We await Your Majesty's further orders."0

Consort Ye tried to run, but where could she possibly escape to?0

Before she even reached the main doors of Taihe Hall, she was caught by guards and dragged back.0

As arrogant as she had been moments ago, she was now equally pathetic: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... I was wrong. I was... I was blinded by jealousy. I was jealous of Noble Consort Rong and that's why I did such a foolish thing. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of my deep love for you, please spare me!"0

She wept pitifully, but the Xuanwu Emperor's heart remained unmoved. He pulled out an opened letter from his sleeve: "Aren't you curious why the messenger you sent back with the letter never returned?"0

Because that young eunuch had already been thrown in prison and was being tortured for information.0

But Consort Ye had thought her father was about to stage a coup, so the eunuch must be at the general's mansion.0

The letter that had fallen to the ground was the very one Consort Ye had written to General Ye, telling him to start the uprising tonight.0

Empress Zhu had intercepted the first letter, so she was also aware of the plot.0

She took the box with the voodoo doll from an attendant's hands and removed the cloth strip inside: "Your Majesty, look, Consort Ye's handwriting matches this exactly."0

With her pregnant belly, no one dared use force to restrain her, allowing her to break free.0

Jiang Xinyue ran to the entrance, then turned back. She approached a Black Armor Army soldier and took a bloodstained sword from his hand: "I'll borrow this."0

Holding up her skirts, she charged out with the sword in hand.0

Shuang Jiang and Xi Que exchanged a glance. Jiang Chuan and Xiao Xuanzi immediately understood, rushing forward with a shout. The four of them collapsed in a heap like dominoes, blocking the doorway.0

They writhed and flailed about, clinging tightly to any Black Armor Army soldiers who approached, knowing the soldiers couldn't use force against them.0

In the end, it took several Black Armor Army soldiers working together to pull them apart.0

By the time they were ready to chase after Noble Consort Jiang, she had vanished.0

As Jiang Xinyue walked, she let down her hair and used her fingers to smear some blood from the sword on her face. She tore her clothes a bit to create the illusion of having been through a fierce battle. She walked a few steps, then rested, heading towards the palace halls where there were bloodstains and bodies.0

When she reached the palace walkway not far from Taihe Hall and saw people everywhere, she knew she had found the right place.0

She pinched her thigh hard, causing tears to flow naturally. After letting the wind blow on her face for a while without blinking, her eyes became bloodshot.0

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."0

Her heart-wrenching cries caused the imperial physician treating Consort Rong to jerk his hand, pressing a bit too hard.0

"Hiss—"0

Consort Rong sucked in a sharp breath of pain even in her unconscious state, indicating the wound must be very painful.0

The Xuanwu Emperor released her hand and stood up to listen: "Yue'er..."0

He had planned to go to Hexi Palace as soon as Consort Rong's wound was bandaged, but the physician said extracting the arrowhead would take some time.0

The impatient emperor thought he was hearing things due to his worry for Noble Consort Jiang.0

But as the woman's heartbroken cries drew nearer, the Xuanwu Emperor could no longer sit still. He rose and ran towards the entrance.0

Why was Yue'er so distraught? Could it be that their child...0

Where was the Black Armor Army?0

How had they let her come out alone?0