The tranquility of this final night was something Song Chaoyu would never forget in her lifetime.
What awaited them next was a storm of blood and violence.
—
By the time they reached the outer gates of the capital, the area outside the city was deserted.
On the vast official road, only their two voices could be heard, which felt exceedingly strange.
However, Song Chaoyu wasn't worried, for she knew that soon, people would see them.
As expected, before Song Chaoyu had even pushed Mu Changxi's wheelchair to the city gates, a troop of people rushed towards them from ahead.
Judging by their attire, they were likely the capital guards currently stationed in the city.
Their small team of fifteen instantly surrounded Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi.
The captain wore a helmet, his expression unreadable.
He stepped forward, blocking Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi, "Who goes there? The capital city gates are closed, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed entry!"
"You scoundrel!"
Mu Changxi, seated in his wooden wheelchair, tapped the armrest with his finger and spoke sternly to the guard, "Do you not know who this Prince is?!"
When the man saw the wheelchair, he had already made a guess.
However, Mu Hansu had already given orders that if anyone found Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu, they were to be immediately brought back to the capital for him to deal with.
Who in the capital didn't know that Mu Hansu considered Mu Changxi a thorn in his side?
Therefore, the captain never expected that Mu Changxi would bring Song Chaoyu to "walk into a trap."
"Your Highness Prince Chang?"
The captain's voice held a hint of disbelief, "You... you've returned?"
"Yes, this Prince has returned."
Mu Changxi sneered, then glanced at Song Chaoyu before saying to the captain, "I heard Mu Hansu raised an army in rebellion, and it seems it's true. You have quite the audacity!"
"Heh—"
Though the captain was intimidated by Mu Changxi's presence, he remembered that the capital was now Mu Hansu's domain, so he wasn't overly afraid of Mu Changxi. Instead, he let out a cold laugh, "At this point, Your Highness Prince Chang, are you still saying such things? Guards! Seize these two and send them to His Highness Prince Ning!"
Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi were already intending to enter the city, so they offered no resistance.
Seeing their calm demeanor, the captain, though puzzled, still sneered at them, "I didn't expect you two to walk into a trap. His Highness Prince Ning has been waiting for you for a long time!"
But Mu Changxi looked back and simply smiled at Song Chaoyu, "Let's go, let's go see Prince Ning."
—
Since the two of them did not struggle, the guards' restraint was not excessive.
Song Chaoyu's hands were merely tied behind her back, as were Mu Changxi's.
They were escorted into the city, finally getting a glimpse of the capital's current state.
All four gates of the capital had been breached by Mu Hansu's forces.
The vast capital's houses had their doors and windows tightly shut. Even in broad daylight, it was as quiet as if devoid of all life.
Simultaneously, soldiers of the city guard, who had been won over by Mu Hansu, patrolled the capital with constant vigilance.
In several places within the capital, plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, indicating fires.
As Song Chaoyu looked, she noticed that some of the fires were in the areas where high officials' residences were clustered.
She felt a pang of worry: she wondered how the Song family was faring.
But as they headed towards the imperial palace, Song Chaoyu had no time to ponder these matters further.
The closer they got to the palace, the more Song Chaoyu could hear the sounds of fighting coming from the direction of the palace.
It seemed the Crown Prince and the Emperor's forces were still fiercely resisting Mu Hansu's men.
However, it was clear that Mu Hansu was well-prepared, and his men were almost always on the winning side.
The Emperor had now retreated with the Crown Prince to the last defense at the gate of the Guande Hall.
If even this last stronghold couldn't hold, then the entire imperial city would truly fall into Mu Hansu's grasp.
—
Mu Hansu had likely heard that someone had captured Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu.
So, after the two of them entered the first gate of the palace city, they saw Mu Hansu, clad in armor and stained with blood, approaching from a distance.
"Heh!"
Seeing that it was indeed Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu, Mu Hansu's eyes gleamed with a cruel light, "They said they captured Prince Chang and his consort, and I didn't believe them. Now that I see you two, I know they weren't lying to me!"
Mu Hansu daring to call himself "朕" (zhen, the imperial "I") now showed that his ambition could no longer be contained.
Mu Changxi looked up at Mu Hansu, showing no fear, "I didn't expect you to dare to attempt a palace coup. Where is Father Emperor? And the Crown Prince?"
"Ha!"
Mu Hansu strode forward, grabbed Mu Changxi's wooden wheelchair, and stared intently at him, "You ask about the situation of your Prince Chang's manor first, and not about Father Emperor and the Crown Prince? Your loyalty to the Crown Prince is truly enviable!"
"That's because I know the Prince Chang's manor will be fine."
Looking at Mu Hansu's expression and the way he mentioned the Prince Chang's manor, Mu Changxi was certain of the manor's current situation, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought up the Prince Chang's manor so readily. Perhaps before we returned, you might have already hung the heads of the people from the Prince Chang's manor on this city gate!"
Indeed, Song Chaoyu also believed that Mu Hansu was capable of such an act.
Mu Hansu, having had his words proven true, suddenly changed his expression.
Then, with a slight movement, Mu Changxi's wheelchair spun around on the spot.
Mu Hansu's eyes held a cruelty that seemed to command life and death, "Consider yourselves lucky that the people of your Prince Chang's manor escaped quickly! Mu Changxi, you were guarding against me from the very beginning, weren't you?"
Even after being spun around by Mu Hansu, Mu Changxi's eyes remained devoid of any other emotion.
He remained composed, "Your ambition was too obvious. If I hadn't guarded against you, I wouldn't have brought Ah Yu and myself back to walk into a trap, would I?"
Mu Hansu knew that their voluntary return to the capital, with only the two of them, was too strange.
So Mu Hansu narrowed his eyes and ordered those around him, "Speed up the assault on Guande Hall! I fear Mu Changxi's men have already gone to seek reinforcements. We must take control here immediately and not give them any more breathing room!"
"Yes!"
His subordinates received the order and began to mobilize more troops.
Mu Hansu's gaze shifted from Mu Changxi's face to Song Chaoyu's, "Consort Chang, Sister Song. To return with Mu Changxi, you truly have great courage! I underestimated you; you are far stronger than your sister!"