The Lin family and Di Mingye were the first to find the Jiang clan. They pretended to be the youngest daughter of the Jiang family and won the clan's support.
With the backing of the Jiang clan, Di Mingye's army became even more powerful. The imperial troops were steadily losing ground. From the moment they set out to their journey back towards the capital, they had captured most of the southern cities and were steadily advancing towards the capital.
The ministers in the court seemed to sense the approaching storm. In the past few days, they had been speaking even more cautiously, fearing that the emperor might be displeased and wipe out their entire families.
After all, they had served in the same court as General Di. As long as they surrendered, they could try their best to protect their families. However, the emperor had no such option. The moment the enemy troops entered the city would be his death.
Chu Zhi looked at the current battle situation with a gloomy face and his temper became even more irritable.
"Where is the army of the Prince of Qin?"
A minister bowed and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I managed to persuade them a few days ago. They are now stationed outside the city gate, waiting for your order to solve your concerns."
On one hand, there was the former great general who had defended the capital for many years and knew the layout of the imperial palace better than his own home. On the other hand, there were the remaining troops of the Prince of Qin who had the intention of rebellion. He had just killed the Prince of Qin. Would these people truly submit to him?
Now he was truly besieged on all sides. Some ministers had already requested to retire and were preparing to flee, but he couldn't. As long as he sat on this throne for a day, he had to make decisions for them.
"Fine. Send the army of the Prince of Qin to fight Di Mingye. Tell them that if they win, I will personally hold a victory banquet for them!"
The official took the order and left. Chu Zhi slumped back into his seat, waiting quietly for the news from the front line.
A black robe covered Chu Zhiyan completely, only revealing a pair of angry eyes. After a few days of treatment, most of his injuries had healed. However, whenever the cold night came, he couldn't stop coughing. He wondered if it was the after - effect of the stab from Di Lanmo.
He heard that the Lin family had obtained the Phoenix Seal Order. However, despite sending out countless people to search, he only found his mother's destroyed grave. There were several corpses beside it, gnawed by wolves beyond recognition. He could only secretly pray that Mo'er wasn't among them.
Lin Qing entered the tent and saw his master sitting there in a daze again. Without even thinking, he knew that his master must be thinking about the missing princess. It was said that in order to save the prince, the princess had stabbed the prince right in front of the Lin family. That stab was extremely precise. If it had been just a bit off, the prince would have died on the spot.
A woman with such courage piqued his curiosity.
He walked closer to the charcoal fire, rubbed his hands and said, "My lord, stop thinking about the princess. Now that we've successfully defeated Di Mingye's army, all we have to do is wait for the emperor to open the city gate. Then we can seize the throne in one fell swoop."
Chu Zhiyan stared at the dancing flames, his face expressionless.
"It's not as simple as you think. No matter how well you perform, with Chu Zhi's suspicious nature, he will still think you're disloyal. It's very likely that he has already poisoned the food at this victory banquet, just waiting for you to walk into the trap."
Lin Qing shrugged, "Di Mingye may make a comeback at any time. The emperor doesn't dare to kill us. Moreover, I heard that at this banquet, the emperor will pass the throne to the third prince in front of all the ministers."
Chu Zhiyan snapped the twig in his hand, "Chu Xiuqi, a heartless villain, doesn't deserve it!"
He looked at Lin Qing and said, "Anyway, be careful. Prepare antidotes in advance. Don't touch any of the food at the banquet. Di Mingye won't let such a good opportunity slip by."
The emperor held a grand banquet in the imperial palace. Chu Xiuqi sat dejectedly in the position of the crown prince. It seemed like just yesterday he was teasing his uncle with Mo'er. In the blink of an eye, Mo'er had stabbed his uncle, General Di had betrayed them, Mo'er was missing, and he was sitting here inexplicably as the crown prince.
The emperor raised his glass and drank with everyone, "Thank you, all the generals, for stepping forward in the country's moment of crisis. As the emperor, I am very grateful to you all. This banquet is for you. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."
At his order, the generals drank recklessly and flirted with the singing girls at the party. They seemed to have forgotten about everything else.
Chu Zhi looked at them coldly. A bunch of brutes. Just as annoying as their master.
As a great hero, Lin Qing wanted to stand up and offer a toast. However, he staggered a few steps after standing up and suddenly fell to the ground with a thud. One by one, the other soldiers fell to the ground where they stood.
Chu Zhi wiped his hands, his eyes full of disdain. Ridiculous. How could he allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed?
The ministers couldn't help but feel sad for the fallen. Today, the emperor could kill the generals who had defended the city for him at the front line whenever he wanted. One day, it might be their turn. However, on the surface, they still had to congratulate him on achieving his goal.
"Old man Chu Zhi, die!"
Suddenly, a female voice sounded. Hidden guards emerged from all around and aimed directly at Chu Zhi.
Dressed in red, the Lin family woman walked onto the scene with a flamboyant gait. The Jiang family members behind her respectfully followed her lead.
"Hahaha, Chu Zhi, didn't expect me to show up? I have to thank your good general. If it weren't for him revealing the layout of the capital, how could I have invaded so smoothly?"
At her order, the hidden guards started to slaughter. The smell of blood in the hall quickly thickened.
"Lin family, or should I say, Princess Shangguan, do you think you've won?"
Di Lanmo was dressed in a maid's outfit. There was a scar on her face that ran from the corner of her eye to her lips. Under the candlelight, it was extremely terrifying. After she fainted, she was rescued by a farmer's family. The farmer's daughter didn't want to enter the palace, so she took her place. During this time, she returned to the general's mansion and discovered the identity of the Lin family.
The Lin family woman glared at her hatefully and shouted, "Quick, kill her!"
"I'd like to see who dares!" Chu Zhiyan emerged from the darkness and walked in front of Di Lanmo to protect her as he always did.
Di Lanmo saw that he was unharmed and her nose twitched. She almost shed tears. She took out the real Phoenix Seal Order and said, "I'm the real member of the Jiang family. I hope my uncles won't help the evildoers."
With the defection of the Jiang family and the help of Chu Zhiyan, the Lin family was defeated and all of them were beheaded. Chu Zhi was betrayed by everyone. He used the third prince as a hostage and asked the two of them to let him go. The queen killed the emperor in order to protect her son.
Thus, the struggle in the imperial palace came to an end.
Chu Zhiyan ascended the throne smoothly. The Jiang family went into seclusion again. Chu Xiuqi was imprisoned in the dungeon, waiting to be beheaded.
The new emperor's ascension to the throne should have been a joyous occasion, but the court officials met to stop him from making Di Lanmo the queen.
In order not to make things difficult for him, Di Lanmo left alone. Chu Zhiyan stayed in the cold imperial palace. A month later, he visited Chu Xiuqi, and the two reconciled.
Chu Zhiyan saw through the feuds of the royal family. After leaving the crown and the imperial seal to Chu Xiuqi, he went to look for Di Lanmo.