"You of the Xue Family, don't spout nonsense here. Not long ago, the Emperor said that he would appoint me as the Crown Prince after the Mid-Autumn Festival," said Nan Qi.
As Nan Qi finished speaking, two ministers who supported him also spoke up.
"The Emperor did indeed say those words. We were present at the time, so it's certainly not fabricated."
At the same time, Nan Rui had already instructed the private soldiers he brought with him to be prepared to take action at any moment.
As for the Xue Prime Minister's side, it was no exception. With the Emperor's whereabouts unknown in the palace, it was impossible to extract the information about the Imperial Seal from him.
Having been in control of the court for a long time, they feared any changes and the Xue Prime Minister could only go all out to seize power.
Since he had made his choice, the two princes could not be spared.
Almost simultaneously with Nan Rui, the Xue Prime Minister gestured to the troops behind him, signaling them to prepare for battle.
Upon seeing the Xue Prime Minister, Mo Jiuye immediately recalled the vile deeds he had committed against the Mo Family, and his fury burned uncontrollably.
He Zhiran felt the same way and gently pushed Mo Jiuye's arm.
"Husband, let's deal with this man today."
Their position was elevated, and the distance from the Xue Prime Minister was quite far, at least five hundred meters away.
At such a distance, the best weapon to ensure a kill with one shot would be a sniper rifle.
He Zhiran had just taken out a sniper rifle from her spatial dimension when Mo Jiuye took it from her.
"Ruan Ruan, let me do it."
He Zhiran could sense that Mo Jiuye's tone lacked any warmth at the moment, even giving off a chilling feeling, indicating his deep hatred for the Xue Prime Minister.
Originally, He Zhiran didn't intend to let Mo Jiuye take the shot since she was more skilled with sniper rifles.
After all, such an assassination attempt would only have one opportunity, whether in modern or ancient times.
Furthermore, the noise from a sniper rifle would be loud, and after firing, it would undoubtedly attract everyone's attention toward their direction.
Therefore, whether the assassination of the Xue Prime Minister succeeded or not, He Zhiran planned to hide with Mo Jiuye in her spatial dimension after the attempt until it was safer to come out.
"Husband, you..." She was about to question his capability, but Mo Jiuye gave her a resolute look before she could finish.
"The treacherous Xue has an unforgivable feud with my Mo Family. I must be the one to take his life."
Moreover, in Mo Jiuye's heart, his wife was a delicate young lady from a noble family, unsuitable for such violent tasks.
Of course, the blame for her previous experiences lay solely on his inability as a husband.
Thinking about the Xue Family's actions against the Mo Family, He Zhiran realized that Mo Jiuye would not be satisfied if he didn't take the shot himself.
"Alright, don't be nervous. Use the scope to aim precisely before firing."
However, He Zhiran had underestimated Mo Jiuye's enthusiasm for these weapons.
In the past, whenever he played with the sniper rifle in the spatial dimension, he would often aim at something using the scope and pretend to pull the trigger.
As her words fell, Mo Jiuye had already aimed the sniper rifle's scope at the Xue Prime Minister's forehead.
A deafening gunshot rang out, unsurprisingly attracting everyone's attention.
Of course, that attention quickly shifted from the source of the sound to the Xue Prime Minister with a bloody hole in his forehead.
Before anyone could discover them, He Zhiran pulled Mo Jiuye into the spatial dimension.
The Xue Prime Minister's sudden death caused chaos at the palace gates.
Nan Yu immediately guessed that Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were responsible for this. Silently thanking them, he said to Nan Qi and Nan Rui, "With the Xue Prime Minister dead, it's a perfect opportunity to attack the palace."
There could not have been only the few thousand men the Xue Prime Minister brought out from the palace, as the Empress would also need many people to help her search for the Emperor's whereabouts.
Both Nan Qi and Nan Rui were aware of this.
Considering the disadvantageous situation, Nan Qi knew Nan Yu's words made sense, but he still didn't dare to attack recklessly.
Nan Rui, however, didn't hesitate. Nan Yu had not concealed his identity from him and had also informed him about the order from Emperor Shunwu to mobilize troops into the city.
Therefore, in Nan Rui's mind, they had a strong advantage in this operation.
Moreover, Mo Jiuye had already signaled Nan Yu, and the army of twenty thousand men would arrive soon.
Without any hesitation, Nan Rui ordered his men to charge into the palace.
After much hesitation, seeing the usually timid Nan Rui taking action, Nan Qi feared being mocked for inaction if he continued to observe. Thus, he reluctantly ordered his subordinates to join the battle.
The Xue Prime Minister's sudden death briefly threw his subordinates into panic.
However, they were quickly brought back to their senses by the enemies' battle cries.
A few generals who had defected to the Xue Prime Minister's side were rapidly weighing their options. Although the Xue Prime Minister was dead, the Empress and the Fourth Prince were still present.
They had witnessed everything the Empress's faction had done these past few days.
Furthermore, there were still considerable forces inside the palace, and the mere two or three thousand men brought by the two princes were insignificant.
After exchanging glances, these generals gestured to their subordinates to charge forward.
"Kill them all, avenge the Prime Minister!"
The news of the Xue Prime Minister's death soon reached the Empress, but instead of concern, she displayed an ominous smile upon learning of her father's demise.
At that moment, a figure emerged from behind the screen.
If Mo Jiuye saw this person, he would undoubtedly be greatly surprised.
For this person was none other than the Xue Prime Minister himself.
The one Mo Jiuye had shot in the forehead with his sniper rifle was merely a scapegoat brought by the Xue Prime Minister.
It could only be said that the Xue Prime Minister was truly cunning and calculating.
He anticipated that after controlling the Emperor, many would suspect his involvement, and if anyone investigated the Emperor's whereabouts and traced it back to him, his life would be in danger.
Therefore, the person who confronted Nan Yu and his brothers at the city gates today was his decoy.
In this way, the old fox temporarily preserved his own life.
Upon seeing the Xue Prime Minister emerge, the Empress asked, "Father, it seems they've truly developed murderous intentions towards you. What should our next step be?"
"Since things have reached this point, we have no way back. As long as we take down Nan Qi and Nan Rui, we won't have any restraints in our future actions," the Xue Prime Minister said with a grim expression, already treating Nan Qi and Nan Rui as dead men.
The Empress didn't consider Nan Qi and Nan Rui a threat, but she was never careless in her actions.
With the Xue Prime Minister's instructions, she immediately ordered all palace soldiers to temporarily halt their search for Emperor Shunwu's whereabouts. Leaving behind a portion to ensure her and the Xue Prime Minister's safety, she sent the rest to reinforce the palace gates.
The Xue Prime Minister had brought more men to the palace gates than Nan Rui and Nan Qi. After some fighting, Nan Rui and Nan Qi's side was clearly at a disadvantage.
Then, the reinforcements sent by the Empress arrived, and the situation immediately turned against Nan Qi, prompting him to consider retreat.
And he indeed did so.
"My men, withdraw with me," Nan Qi ordered.
At that moment, Nan Qi's only thought was that the tide had turned, but if he still had men under his command, he could at least protect his own life.
As Nan Qi's men prepared to retreat, Nan Yu became frantic.
"Stand your ground! If you leave now, everything we've done today will be in vain."
"Nan Yu, have you lost your mind? With such an obvious disadvantage, are you expecting us to stay and wait for death?" Nan Qi said to Nan Yu with an attitude he had never used before, despite generally respecting him.
At this point, how could Nan Yu possibly let him take people and leave?
Just as he was about to say something to persuade Nan Qi to stay with his people, the sound of hurried footsteps could already be heard in the distance.
