Chapter 81

A sudden change!

The Dragonshadow Guards protecting Tu Shanjin immediately drew their blades to block the attack. Some of the Imperial Guards and Dragonshadow Guards stationed below also broke formation and gave chase in the direction from which the arrows had come!

A second volley of arrows flew through the air, denser than the first.

Tu Shanjin had been trained in martial arts from a young age, and this body had also undergone years of deliberate conditioning under his direction.

Although one arrow slipped through and shot toward his shoulder, Tu Shanjin twisted sharply to the side and dodged it.

The instant he turned to run back into the inner hall, his pupils contracted.

In the camp belonging to the neutral faction, a minister stood with a look of terror on his face. The guard beside him had already raised his arm, and a metal arrow shot from beneath his sleeve with deadly force, flying straight toward the minister’s heart!

The moment the arrow pierced Tu Shanjin’s chest, both the guard and the minister spat out a mouthful of black blood. It seemed the poison had taken their lives. They collapsed to the ground, utterly still.

Tu Shanjin staggered back and half-fell against the railing, his lips ashen.

Yun Yaoyao rose almost instinctively. Pushing aside the Dragonshadow Guard shielding her, she ran toward Tu Shanjin.

By the time she caught him in her arms, Yun Yaoyao’s mind had gone completely blank. The hand at her side trembled uncontrollably.

At that moment, her first thought was not fear that she might lose her body, but fear that the soul inhabiting it might die for good.

“You’ll be all right.” Yun Yaoyao’s voice trembled as well, though she did her best to hold Tu Shanjin tightly.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon his chest and froze.

Half of the short arrow had already sunk deep into his heart, and the blood steadily seeping from the wound was black.

The arrow was poisoned!

Tu Shanjin lay in Yun Yaoyao’s arms. Looking at her expression, he suddenly smiled.

The last time his heart had been wounded, she had been the one to stab him. This time, she was so terrified that she seemed to have lost her soul.

Fate and emotion were sometimes impossible to explain.

“D-don’t… worry.”

Tu Shanjin struggled to lift his hand. He wanted to touch her head and tell her not to be afraid. He had survived at least a dozen assassination attempts before. Each time, he had somehow managed to live.

“I…” The movement of his raised hand pulled at the wound in his chest, sending another wave of pain through him. Tu Shanjin endured it and finished the words meant to comfort her. “I have… a strong… will to live. I… won’t die.”

“I absolutely won’t let you die!” Yun Yaoyao shouted. A clear tear splashed onto his face.

The imperial physicians had already arrived and were treating Tu Shanjin’s wound.

Tushan Ze also hurried over, standing nearby with an anxious, worried expression.

But Tu Shanjin clearly saw the undisguised satisfaction in his eyes.

Tushan Ze was indeed feeling both pleased and vindicated.

Yun Yaoyao was surrounded by heavily armed guards. He had never expected the hidden archers to kill her.

It was merely unfortunate that he had lost one of his death servants and a trusted confidant, the minister who had defected to his faction not long ago. That minister had died without ever realizing that the entire scheme had been orchestrated by Tushan Ze.

Still, trading one of the people at Tu Shanjin’s side for them had been worth it!

A smile suddenly tugged at the corners of Tu Shanjin’s lips. He closed his eyes, bracing one hand against the railing behind him.

The next instant, he rose abruptly. His gaze turned fierce and icy as he lunged straight at Tushan Ze!

A tremendous force yanked Tushan Ze over, and the two men crashed into the railing of the viewing tower at the same time.

Under Tushan Ze’s bewildered gaze, Tu Shanjin roared, “It was you!”

“Not only did you collude with the Xiongnu, you also bribed officials and plotted to kill me today, so that His Majesty would be completely deprived of his good fortune!”

The people below were already in a panic. When they suddenly heard the railing of the tower bang loudly, they instinctively looked up—and witnessed the scene above.

Then, upon hearing such explosive news, they forgot to flee altogether.

Having said that, Tu Shanjin did not even wait for Tushan Ze to shove him away. His last shred of strength gave out; he closed his eyes and collapsed backward.

Yun Yaoyao caught him, her heart aching with a complicated bitterness.

Even in this state, he had not forgotten to smear Tushan Ze before the people and strengthen the leverage against him.

But with this accusation, not only would the rumors unfavorable to Tushan Ze be thoroughly confirmed—

She could also use this weakness to pressure him.

The imperial physicians, already on edge, suffered for it. After stabilizing Tu Shanjin once more, they began a desperate struggle with the King of Hell for his life.

Yun Yaoyao took a deep breath. She stopped looking at Tu Shanjin and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, her composure had returned. A fierce, murderous glint filled her eyes as she issued her orders.

“Imperial Physician Shan, whatever the cost, you must save his life!”

Then Yun Yaoyao turned to Tushan Ze, killing intent surging in her gaze.

“Guards, seize Tushan Ze and throw him into the imperial prison!”

Members of Prince Ze’s faction immediately rushed forward to remonstrate.

“Your Majesty, this matter is merely Consort Miao’s one-sided accusation. Would it not be too hasty to imprison Prince Ze?”

“Your Majesty, the culprit who attempted to murder Consort Miao is obvious—it was Deputy Director Li. He and the guards have already taken their own lives out of guilt. We cannot falsely accuse others at will!”

“To wrong Prince Ze for the sake of a mere Consort Miao—are you not afraid of chilling the hearts of—”

Yun Yaoyao took two strides toward them and looked down at them. Her gaze was terrifyingly cold and indifferent, like blades scraping against bone.

“I will investigate the identity of the culprit myself. The sovereign is the sovereign, and ministers are ministers. It is not your place to question my decisions.”

“Consort Miao is my good fortune, the one who shares my bed. The Imperial Preceptor has said that she is tied to the fate of all Yan Chi.”

“Whoever dares harm her, I will kill.”

“Even if it is your master, Tushan Ze, I will still kill him without mercy!”

Her blunt declaration frightened them into retreating again and again. The crushing pressure she exuded left cold sweat running down their backs, and even made them feel phantom pain across their bodies.

For a moment, it seemed as though the monarch of old had returned—the decisive, bloodstained ruler, ruthless in slaughter and impossible to read...

Late that night, in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yun Yaoyao’s exhaustion could not be concealed.

Ever since returning to the palace that day, she had remained at Tu Shanjin’s side.

Wave after wave of imperial physicians had treated him, joined by renowned healers summoned from outside the palace.

They all said the arrow had missed his heart by less than an inch. Yet the arrowhead had been poisoned. Only after exhausting every possible method had the physicians managed to neutralize the poison and barely preserve his life.

Whether he could pull through would depend entirely on fate.

Threads of bitterness and pain spread from her heart, coursing through her entire body.

The living could hurt so much. How much more pain must Tu Shanjin have endured from that arrow?

But this was no time to indulge in sorrow.

Yun Yaoyao pressed a hand over her heart and adjusted her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, her composure had returned.

“Everyone, I want to kill Tushan Ze first.”

“The Du family is still watching us like a tiger waiting to pounce. This will undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties and dangers. Are you all willing to move forward with me?”

Zhou Siren, Lin Qingti, and Di Shunzhi all wore resolute expressions.

“As I have said before, no matter how difficult the road ahead may be, I swear that I will follow Your Majesty to the death!”

Yun Yaoyao was not surprised by their attitude. She then turned to Ning Shouli. “General Ning, this matter is of enormous importance and involves far too many people. You can still withdraw now.”

Ning Shouli respectfully cupped his hands. “Since I have stepped behind Your Majesty today in full view of everyone, I have already decided to follow Your Majesty from this day forward. I will never regret it!”

Moved, Yun Yaoyao told him about the plan she had devised to bring Ning Shoujiang back.

“Everything on the Xiongnu side is proceeding smoothly. If nothing unexpected happens, once the half-month deadline arrives six days from now, General Ning will be able to return safely to Yan Chi.”

Upon hearing this, tears clouded Ning Shouli’s aged eyes.

He knew all too well how difficult it would be for Shoujiang to return to Yan Chi. In his heart, he had already prepared himself for the worst, ready to receive the devastating news that Shoujiang had died at the hands of the Xiongnu.

Yet he had never expected that the promise His Majesty had made that day had not been a casual reassurance. She had truly put it into action, planning and scheming for his sake!

Ning Shouli dropped to one knee. His voice was choked with emotion, yet firm and resolute.

“Your Majesty, I thank you on Shoujiang’s behalf!”

“Thank you for trusting him, and for extending a helping hand to him!”

“I swear that I will follow Your Majesty to the death!”

The others nearby were moved as well. They had expected this reaction from Ning Shouli.

Wasn’t their own unwavering loyalty to His Majesty also because she kept her promises, genuinely considered the needs of her ministers, and held the people of the realm in her heart?

“Very well.”

Yun Yaoyao helped Ning Shouli to his feet. “Let us continue discussing how to deal with Prince Ze.”

The group carefully analyzed Prince Ze’s forces, as well as the current state of the imperial court, piece by piece, using the intelligence they had gathered.

Zhou Siren said, “We have to deal with Prince Ze while guarding against the Du family, who are watching us like a tiger waiting to pounce. This will indeed be difficult.”

At the thought of the burdens he would have to shoulder in the future, Zhou Siren felt his asshole begin to ache faintly again.

Ning Shouli nodded. “We do not know whether the rumors that Prince Ze sold military intelligence in exchange for a Xiongnu cavalry unit are true. If they are, we must locate that cavalry unit and wipe it out completely.”

Lin Qingti fell into thought. “Prince Ze is no longer capable of fathering children, so Du Guanliu certainly will not continue working with him. His Majesty has now shown the Du family that she intends to deal with them, while also gathering her forces to deal with Prince Ze first. Du Guanliu will be more than happy to watch Your Majesty and Prince Ze exhaust one another so that he can reap the benefits as the third party. He will still make a move…”

“Wait.” Yun Yaoyao interrupted their discussion. “When did I ever say that we would not join forces with the Du family?”

“Your Majesty, you intend to ally with the Du family?”

Yun Yaoyao nodded, a trace of cold intent flashing through her eyes. “But not by recruiting them. We will… borrow their knife to kill!”

Yun Yaoyao had never intended to recruit the Du family.

The original novel had included an episode in which Prince Ze—who at the time was still the sterilized, overpowered male protagonist—managed to win Du Guanliu over.

One winter, bitter cold descended upon Yan Chi, and snow fell for seven days and seven nights without letup. Tushan Ze and Du Guanliu devised a vicious scheme: they intercepted the relief grain, coal, and winter clothing dispatched by the imperial court.

Not content with that, they also seized grain, coal, and winter clothing from the people, then sold them at exorbitant prices, profiting from the disaster.

They even spread rumors that the tyrant was indulging himself in the palace, surrounded by wine and lavish feasts.

During those seven days, countless commoners froze or starved to death. The streets were no longer home to a single wandering beggar—only frozen corpses remained.

The tragedy directly sparked a popular uprising.

Seizing the opportunity, Tushan Ze raised the banner of a righteous army, usurped the throne, and not only took the imperial seat but also won the support of the people.

As for men like Du Guanliu, Yun Yaoyao had no chance of winning them over.

Yun Yaoyao shared her preliminary ideas with several others, and the ministers each offered their own suggestions. Together, they worked out a rough strategy.

The ministers all clapped their hands in satisfaction.

Only Ning Shouli wore a complicated expression. His deeply wrinkled old eyes glanced at the stern and forbidding Emperor, and he muttered inwardly:

The Emperor looks so dignified and upright. How did she come up with a plan this devious—and shameless…?