The deep autumn night carried a chill as a speeding carriage stopped before an inconspicuous courtyard.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and a tall, slender figure stepped out. He approached the door and knocked.
Soon, an aged voice came from within, "Who is it?"
The door creaked open. Upon seeing the young man outside, the old man inside was startled. "Prime Minister... Prime Minister?"
The young man nodded, his gaze clear and bright. "Lord Lin, please accompany me to the palace."
Lord Lin shook his head. "Prime Minister, I have retired from official life. The affairs of the court are no longer my concern. Please, go ahead!"
The young man simply looked at Lord Lin calmly and said slowly, "You do not wish to see the Regent's faction fall?"
Lord Lin paused, looking up at the young man, a flicker of clarity in his cloudy eyes. "Prime Minister, what... what were you just saying?"
The young man enunciated each word, "His Majesty invites you to preside over the trial of Xue Wenjie."
Lord Lin's gaze gradually cleared. He brushed some dust off his clothes and said, "This minister will go."
At this moment, in the Chaoyang Palace, half of the court officials had already sided with Xue Wenjie, leaving only a small number remaining.
Xue Wenjie laughed, his expression unusually joyful. "Xue Zining, look, even if you let them all hear, are they not just cowards afraid of death?"
The young woman shook her head. "Those who leave are not the best; those who stay are."
Yan Zhao, standing nearby, casually raised an eyebrow. These were words he had once spoken.
"There are still old ministers," a person said, walking slowly from outside. He wore rough hemp clothes, looking out of place among the richly dressed individuals.
Behind him followed a young man. Xue Wenjie's gaze chilled as he looked at the young man and sneered, "I thought Hua Yunjin, you wouldn't dare to show up?"
The young man looked up, his gaze icy. "How could this Prime Minister not come?"
The young woman's eyes widened upon seeing the young man. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to rest well? Will the rest be handled by me?"
The young man shook his head. "No, I want to see you with my own eyes."
The young woman was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Very well. Such a scene happens only once. Stand behind me."
This time, the young man did not refuse. As he passed Yan Zhao, his gaze lingered for a moment.
"Since you refuse to surrender, do not blame me for disregarding past sentiments. Guards, seize her!" Xue Wenjie waved his hand and shouted.
The Imperial Guards rushed forward, about to apprehend the young woman.
"Feng Ying, Feng Jiu..." the young woman stepped back and called out sternly.
Feng Ying and Feng Jiu licked their lips and looked at the young woman. "Your Majesty, may we unleash slaughter?"
The young woman looked at Xue Wenjie, her gaze chilling. "I command you to kill everyone except those behind me."
The officials behind Xue Wenjie trembled.
The young woman's gaze was colder than ever, a frigid chill in her voice, as cold as frost. "Rebellious ministers and traitors, I will not leave any alive."
Feng Ying and Feng Jiu's eyes lit up, their gazes stained with blood. They bowed. "Your subordinates obey."
Like a flash of light, people began to fall to the ground.
Some, in terror, tried to flee, but before they could reach the exit, they were cut down.
In an instant, blood stained every corner, and the stench of gore filled the air.
The officials behind the young woman shivered. It was true that Feng Yin's arrival meant rivers of blood.
Feng Ying and Feng Jiu had killed all but a fraction of the Imperial Guards.
Xue Wenjie's gaze was terrifyingly cold. "Xue Zining, are you not afraid of divine retribution for doing this?"
The young woman sneered. A sliver of ice flashed through her clear eyes. "If there is divine retribution, is it not for you? Usurping the throne, regicide—that is what deserves divine retribution."
If there was divine retribution, she would not have met such a tragic end in her past life, allowing these people to live so well.
She did not believe in fate; fate was in her own hands.
Therefore, her destiny was hers to command, not dictated by heaven.
Even if there was divine retribution, so be it. She would overturn this very world.
The young woman stood there, noble and aloof, unassailable.
At this moment, her long sword pointed at Xue Wenjie. She said coldly, "Now, I will execute you, you beast who killed his brother and usurped his sister-in-law."
Xue Wenjie heard this and laughed, a chilling darkness beneath his gaze. "Can you?"
Resilience flickered across the young woman's face. "I can."
As the words fell, a figure lunged towards Xue Wenjie.
Fast, incredibly fast.
Xue Wenjie was shocked. He hadn't seemed this fast before.
He met the blow, and it forced him to retreat repeatedly. Although he had expelled the poison earlier, he found himself struggling to resist.
The young woman's swordsmanship was unfamiliar to him—fierce and swift.
Soon, he was bleeding.
Looking at the bloodstains on his body, he sneered, "Xue Zining, you are one of the few who can wound this King, but this is where it ends."
Xue Wenjie suddenly unleashed his full power.
"This is..."
The young woman's gaze tightened. "Xue family swordplay."
Xue Wenjie sneered, "I thought that by mastering the Xue family swordplay, which no one had achieved in a hundred years, I would gain my father's appreciation. But I was wrong. No matter what I mastered, my father's favor was only for him."
"Therefore..."
He looked up, his eyes ferocious and sinister. "I do not need anyone's approval, because I can seize it myself. That is what truly belongs to me."
Suddenly, he charged forward. Xue Zining was momentarily stunned, and in that lapse of attention, blood was drawn.
The Xue family swordplay indeed lived up to its reputation.
With the next move, she focused all her attention to resist.
Xue Yunlan drew her sword, preparing to use this opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Xue Zining.
"Feng Yu, what are you doing?" Xue Yunlan looked at Feng Yu, who was blocking her, her gaze turning cold.
"County Princess, this is a battle between two individuals. Please do not interfere," Feng Yu said.
"What do you know? Move aside," Xue Yunlan said coldly.
"Feng Yu cannot move aside," Feng Yu stated, showing no intention of yielding.
"You..." Xue Yunlan's gaze chilled, and she lunged with her sword towards Feng Yu. Feng Yu dodged, evading Xue Yunlan's blade.
Xue Yunlan joined the fray. With Xue Yunlan's assistance, Xue Wenjie began to force Xue Zining back.
"A victory without honor," Xue Zining said coldly.
Xue Yunlan sneered, "There is no need for honor now, because it is either you die or we die."
Xue Zining's gaze turned sharp. "Since that is the case, I shall not hold back either."
"Feng Yu!" the young woman suddenly took a step back and shouted.
Xue Yunlan felt a shadow appear before her eyes. Immediately after, she felt something pierce her shoulder.
She stood there, looking at the person before her. This person was none other than the one she had yearned for day and night.
"You..." she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Feng Yu's eyes did not blink. His voice was ice-cold. "County Princess, you may stop now."
Xue Wenjie was also stunned. "Yunlan." He supported Xue Yunlan, looking at Feng Yu coldly. "What are you doing?"