Even through the mask, the disdain in Young Master Shen's eyes was extremely obvious.
"I'll be straight with you. From the very beginning, I knew you'd resort to those dirty tricks you used fourteen years ago. So, I secretly transferred a third of the troops in the capital and its suburbs early on. With my other forces and... another ally, my men can easily take on your measly troops. They're not even enough for one strike from my men."
"I naturally took precautions against the poisonous smoke made with the help of my Shen family. Moreover, you've run out of it, haven't you?"
"I'm set on taking Dayin."
After saying that, he waved his hand lightly, about to give the order to attack.
"Wait!"
The Holy Master on the side couldn't help but shout. He said gloomily,
"We're partners. Why go to such extremes? Moreover, the young master's grandfather is still resting with me..."
"He can just keep resting then."
The Holy Master, who had intended to use Shen Zhai to blackmail Young Master Shen, was left speechless.
Sure enough, the Shen family is ruthless!
The Holy Master murmured silently, unable to tell if it was praise or criticism. But he said,
"What I mean is, the prime minister can be our guest in Ying Country, and so can the young master. After all, compared to the throne of Dayin, I want..."
The Holy Master pointed at Yun Xi, who was trembling slightly beside him with his skeletal finger, and continued,
"Her."
"The young master may ascend the throne today, but he may not be able to hold it steady. If Young Master Shen can fulfill my wish and let us go, Ying Country will surely be the greatest help for the young master to stabilize the court. What do you say?"
It was indeed an alluring offer.
He had to admit that he was quite tempted.
After all, his uprising today was an act of treason. Having obtained the throne through improper means, he could be condemned by the people.
If he had the support of Ying Country, things would surely be much easier.
But...
Young Master Shen's eyes turned cold.
What if he obtained the throne rightfully!
The smile gradually spreading under the mask went unnoticed by others. He waved his hand and calmly uttered a single word:
"Kill."
The Holy Master and the others all changed their expressions. As soon as he said "kill," the silver needle hidden weapons as thin as cow hair in his hand flew out with a "bang."
He himself quickly dismounted from his horse, shouting for Shan Hou to cover their retreat. He quickly grabbed Yun Xi and rushed towards the palace hall where Yi Yuan and the others were trapped.
The Holy Master wasn't going there to seek death.
He did this precisely because only within Yi Yuan's territory could he survive.
There was no other reason. It was because Young Master Shen wanted to usurp the throne. And now, he no longer had the capital to take Dayin. Yi Yuan and the others would surely focus on dealing with the Shen family first and wouldn't have the energy to deal with the scattered forces of Ying Country for the time being.
Moreover, he had Yun Xi as his amulet.
So, only by reaching Yi Yuan's territory would he have a chance to retreat unscathed.
Zongzheng Fengyi quickly understood the Holy Master's intention and followed closely.
Yun Xi was like a rag doll, being pulled around. Her whole body couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Finally, everyone had gathered.
The real war was just beginning...
As the Holy Master had expected, Yi Yuan and Yun Qi didn't pay attention to them for the time being. Without the threat of the poisonous smoke, they immediately confronted the Shen family's soldiers as soon as they stepped out of the palace hall.
The battle between the two sides was extremely fierce.
But Yun Qi was injured, and Yi Yuan had inhaled some of the poisonous smoke. He was also worried about Emperor Zhaohuan and Yun Xi, fearing that something else might happen to them. Distracted, they were gradually driven back. Soon, they were forced back by Young Master Shen's sword and crashed into the palace hall with a "bang," unable to get up.
Yun Xi was so frightened that she shouted, "A Yuan!" She rushed forward without hesitation but was mercilessly pulled back by the Holy Master, who had been keeping an eye on her.
The festive palace hall was already covered in blood and in a mess.
Several timid maids and eunuchs had already fainted from fear.
The remaining few guards and a handful of maids and eunuchs surrounded Emperor Zhaohuan and Empress Cao Shu in the middle, taking a protective stance.
As for Concubine Shen and Yi Zhen outside the circle, no one cared about them anymore.
Young Master Shen entered the hall with his sword in hand. After a simple scan of the environment, he slowly walked up to Yi Yuan.
Everyone's hearts were in their throats. They held their breaths and stared intently at the two of them.
The huge palace hall was completely silent, except for the sounds of fighting outside.
But Young Master Shen just stared at Yi Yuan for a moment and then simply turned around and walked towards Emperor Zhaohuan, who was surrounded in the corner.
The guards tensed up. They tightened their grips on their scabbards, ready for a fierce battle.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
"A Yue."
Young Master Shen, who was halfway there, froze.
But he didn't turn back. He pretended not to hear and stubbornly walked forward.
Yi Yuan, who had stood up at some point, couldn't help but sigh. In an instant, he was behind Young Master Shen. He pointed the tip of his sword at the heart and said,
"Stop. Don't go any further. We've been good friends for years. I don't want you to end up dying by my hand."
Even through the clothes and armor, he could feel the cold chill coming from the sword.
Young Master Shen finally stopped. He raised his hand and took off the golden mask on his face.
It was unexpectedly Xie Huaiyue!
Slowly turning to look at Yi Yuan, a hint of complexity flashed in Xie Huaiyue's eyes. He said,
"When did you figure it out?"
Yi Yuan didn't loosen his grip on the sword. His answer was as calm as when he usually talked to Xie Huaiyue:
"Some time ago."
"You made too many mistakes, especially after Xiaoxi was kidnapped by the Holy Master. You chose the location for the capture, and you were very familiar with Xiaoxi's plan. And the fact that the Holy Master and the others were able to pass through the city gate inspection and take Xiaoxi away silently in such a short time made me start to suspect."
"You were always by my side but never had any contact with Xiaoxi. Because you knew Xiaoxi was Man Ping and were afraid she'd read your true thoughts. And only you could use the affairs of the Supreme Court to help the Holy Master easily cover up their tracks. Not to mention that all the suspects we caught were sent to your hands."
As if thinking of something, Yi Yuan's voice gradually became solemn, tinged with a hint of sadness:
"Once I started to suspect, all the things I investigated about my elder brother before couldn't stand up to scrutiny."
"From the assassination my elder brother encountered the day before he secretly returned to the capital from Lin'an, to those fake account books of Yan Yifan, including framing me for killing Yan Yifan and Shen Bianhuai, as well as the deaths of Pan Li and Huang Liu... Every single one of these things was related to you."
"You went to great lengths to stop me from investigating the truth about my elder brother's death. You even pushed Shen Bianhuai out as a scapegoat and returned the huge amount of embezzled military funds. You just didn't want me to continue investigating and wanted me to believe that my elder brother was killed because he discovered something wrong with the military funds, thus covering up the fact that you secretly raised troops, stored food, and manufactured weapons with the intention of rebelling!"
"Then why did you keep investigating!?"
Xie Huaiyue seemed to be enraged. There was no longer the calmness in his tone from before:
"I gave you a chance. I even allowed Shen Zhou to look for the Wu'ai Fruit to detoxify you. And this time, I only let Shen Zhou set up a trap to keep you in prison."
"Don't you understand that I didn't want to kill you? But why, why are you so stubborn?"