Chapter 233: Next, Please.

Xiao Yang had a clear destination: the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

What was normally an hour’s walk took her nearly two, since she was dragging a person and had been waylaid midway.

The Emperor had made no special effort to conceal the day’s events. With countless eyes watching the Imperial Palace, the news had leaked out before the gates were sealed.

Those outside the palace couldn’t get in, so they could only order their embedded spies to find a way to protect Xiao Mo at all costs.

Most of those taking action within the palace were men left behind by the late Emperor. They had been suppressed into silence by the Empress Dowager. Later, Xiao Yang came to power, but she was the Empress Dowager’s child—and a woman.

They had to bow their heads because she was the late Emperor’s child and capable enough to seize power, but they never submitted in their hearts. They simply had no better option at the time.

Xiao Mo’s appearance shattered this already fragile balance. In their hearts, they still favored a man on the throne.

To them, Xiao Mo was the rightful heir to the throne.

They were already plotting how to make the Empress return the throne to Xiao Mo. They never expected her to suddenly try to kill him—and to have already killed Yang Xiu.

Now, they had to abandon all their plans. They had to save Xiao Mo’s life.

Prince Jing and Xiao Lv guarded one palace gate, while Grand Tutor Xu and Xiao Hong guarded another.

When the officials rushed over and saw their path blocked, they grew frantic.

"Her Majesty means to kill Xiao Mo! Why aren’t you stopping her, Your Highness?"

"Xiao Mo is the late Emperor’s only bloodline! As the late Emperor’s only brother, are you going to stand by and watch his line be extinguished, Your Highness?"

"How can you be so reckless alongside Her Majesty? Do you wish to destroy the Xiao Family’s empire?"

"Your Highness, why are you indulging Her Majesty like this? Do you have some ulterior motive?"

At first, Prince Jing tried to explain calmly, but their accusations grew more and more outrageous until he finally exploded.

"Son of a bitch! Have you motherfuckers forgotten who gave you your current positions? Have you forgotten how Her Majesty secured her throne?"

"Her Majesty is wise and brilliant! She has brought prosperity and peace to the nation—she is the best damn emperor we could ask for! And just because this Xiao Mo pops up out of nowhere with a dick between his legs, you dare defy Her Majesty for his sake? This is treason! You all deserve to have your nine generations exterminated!"

Prince Jing was so furious he looked ready to draw his blade. But it was Xiao Lv who slowly unsheathed his sword, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd. "The Xiao Royal Family will not acknowledge some bastard who crawled out of the woodwork. Even if he is of the late Emperor’s blood, he cannot supersede Her Majesty."

"Today, Xiao Mo committed gross insubordination, disrespected Her Majesty, and conspired with Palace Attendant Yang Xiu and others to defy a sacred edict. His crimes are worthy of a thousand deaths."

With that, he slowly stepped aside. "If any of you have thought it through and still wish to stop her, I will not stand in your way."

Prince Jing’s eyes bulged. ’What does he mean, he won’t stand in their way? How can he not stop them?’

One man, puffing out his chest, stepped forward to lead the charge. But as his foot crossed the threshold of the palace gate, Xiao Lv’s sword flashed down, and he was killed instantly.

Before the body could even hit the ground, a guard was already dragging it aside to bleed out.

The path was now clear, completely unobstructed. Xiao Lv stood to the side, sword in hand, as if to say, ’Next.’

Prince Jing raised a hand to close his gaping jaw. ’Now that’s more like it.’

Then, with a very "amiable" smile, he turned to the others, his voice dripping with false courtesy. "My son is a good lad, really, but he has a bit of a temper. Perhaps he was a little heavy-handed just now. I do hope you’ll all be magnanimous and forgive him!"

The crowd slowly backed away. ’Forgive him? We’d be dead!’

’No wonder the Empress values Xiao Lv so highly, giving him power rivaling a Regent King. It turns out their brutality is a family trait.’

Things were comparatively more civil at the other gate. Grand Tutor Xu was simply pulling rank by virtue of his age and engaging the officials in a debate.

He declared that anyone who could win the argument against him would be allowed to pass.

Grand Tutor Xu was seventy-two years old. He had spent a lifetime studying, and in his eyes, these men were nothing more than grandchildren.

It was a battle on an entirely different level. With his words alone, Grand Tutor Xu debated them all into such shame that they retreated in defeat.

Xiao Hong, finding no use for his martial prowess, simply took out a notebook and wrote furiously, recording the names, titles, and every treasonous word uttered by the dissenters.

He wrote as if he were the Judge of the underworld filling the Book of Life and Death. When he was done, he would present it to Her Majesty. Then, it would be like King Yama calling the roll, randomly selecting a few "lucky" individuals.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yang finally reached the entrance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, dragging the nearly unconscious Xiao Mo behind her.

"Nearly" unconscious because he had already passed out and woken up several times, and was on the verge of fainting once more.

A group of people was waiting at the entrance to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The group was comprised of Palace Attendants and officials, but without exception, they all shared the surname Xiao. They enjoyed special status and were responsible for the cleaning and management of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, as well as guarding it and the Imperial Mausoleum.

Watching the Emperor approach while dragging a man, they bowed in unison.

Xiao Yang was genuinely tired after the long trek. Leaning on her sword like a crutch, she asked, "What, are you going to stop Us too?"

Less than ten meters behind the Emperor, Li Wei cut an assassin who had suddenly lunged clean in half at the waist.

The eldest steward at the head of the group gave a slight shake of his head, then stepped back, clearing the path.

Xiao Yang hoisted Xiao Mo up and continued inside. Just then, someone shouted, "Emperor, take one more step and I’ll kill Xu Xingchen!"

At these words, Xiao Yang actually stopped. She turned her head and saw, by a nearby railing, Xu Xingchen held hostage by a guard. The man had a blade to his throat, attempting to threaten the Emperor.

Seeing that Xiao Yang had stopped to look, the guard’s confidence surged. "Xiao Mo is the late Emperor’s eldest son! Your Majesty cannot kill him wantonly! I implore Your Majesty to show mercy and preserve the late Emperor’s line!"

Xiao Yang’s gaze darkened. "Such loyalty to the late Emperor. Aren’t you afraid that even if We spare him, We will kill you?"

The man looked as if he were ready to die. "This servant is willing to atone for my offense with my life."

Xiao Yang gave a scornful laugh. "For the late Emperor to have such loyal death-sworn retainers... he truly could die without regrets."

Her gaze slid over to Xu Xingchen. Before she could say a word, he suddenly looked up and smiled at her. The next instant, he wrenched his hands free.

The man who had just been speaking so passionately slowly crumpled to the ground.

There was a gash on his waist and another over his heart. Not much blood was shed, but he was already dead.

Of all the people to kidnap, he had to choose Xu Xingchen.

Xu Xingchen’s martial arts skills had been poor, which was why he had been kidnapped, tortured, and nearly killed before.

He’d almost died once because of his weakness, and he was determined not to let it happen a second time. Thus, he had been secretly training in martial arts for a long time.

He was young and a genius, and his skills improved daily. By now, while he might not be on par with the likes of Xiao Lan, he wasn’t far behind. He just had never revealed his progress.

What’s more, he understood human anatomy far better than Xiao Lan and the others, and he knew exactly where to strike for the quickest kill.

In that moment, he executed the counter-kill with ease. His face held no fear or hatred, only a placid sense of pleasure. If the situation hadn’t been so inappropriate, he would have run to the Emperor to ask for praise and a reward.

He snatched the guard’s weapon and hurried toward the Emperor, but she had already dragged her quarry across the threshold and into the Imperial Ancestral Temple.