Following the sound, Nan Yu looked towards the direction of the palace gates, where countless soldiers in uniform attire were rushing.
From their attire and approximate numbers, Nan Yu could already confirm that this was the military force summoned by that token.
Now that the main force had arrived, Nan Qi's meager thousand troops were no longer significant.
"Since the Prince of Qi wishes to leave, I won't stop you, but I'll remind you that you will pay the price for your actions at this moment."
When he initially sought out Madam Fei to testify, it was indeed as Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran had speculated - he had used Nan Qi's life as a bargaining chip with Madam Fei.
He had originally intended that once he regained his status, he would plead for Nan Qi's life before Emperor Shunwu.
Then he would give him some silver to live the rest of his life without worry.
However, this Nan Qi truly was an ungrateful wretch, and Nan Yu felt that it would not be worth the effort to put any thought into such a person's future.
Since that was the case, whether Nan Qi lived or died would be up to his own fate.
Hearing Nan Yu's earlier words, Nan Qi had thought he approved of his departure, but after listening to what came after, he was utterly perplexed.
"What do you mean by these words, sir? Do you wish to die here?"
Nan Yu had already lost interest in beating around the bush with him, not even sparing him a glance.
He quickly approached Nan Rui's side and whispered, "Hold on for a while longer, brother."
With that said, he ran towards the direction of the reinforcements.
Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran entered the space primarily to temporarily evade the attention that would be drawn by the gunshot sounds.
After failing to find them, those people's focus would quickly shift to the Prime Minister Xue.
Therefore, the two did not stay inside the space for long before emerging.
Their main purpose for coming out was to give the token to Nan Yu.
After all, this military force only recognized the token, not individuals, so for Nan Yu to control them, he had to possess the token.
By chance, as the two had just exited the space, they saw Nan Yu running towards the direction of the main force.
At this point, they did not need to worry about exposure, as the streets were already devoid of people.
He Zhiran waited in the distance while Mo Jiuye swiftly approached Nan Yu, slipping the token into his hand as they passed each other.
By the time Nan Yu realized what had happened, Mo Jiuye's figure had already disappeared.
Not long after Nan Yu received the token, the main force charged forward, and he raised the token to command those soldiers to advance towards the palace.
Meanwhile, Mo Jiuye took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the palace with He Zhiran, heading straight for the Empress' Fengxi Palace.
The Empress was one of the greatest enemies of the Mo family, but apart from her actions against the Mo family, her more severe crime was disrupting the imperial court, which required a strict investigation by the court.
Thus, the two decided to let her live a few more days until the Empress' crimes were fully determined before personally taking her life.
The Empress had dispatched many people to the palace gates to assist, so the guards at the Fengxi Palace were relatively more lax compared to a few days prior.
He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye leapt over the palace walls and hid in an unnoticed area, without alerting anyone.
Their purpose for coming this time was to observe what actions the Empress, in her final throes, would take upon learning of Prime Minister Xue's death.
It must be said, to be the Empress of a nation, her composure when faced with such events was unmatched by ordinary women.
The Empress sat on a phoenix chair, her expression gloomy as her fingers tapped the tea table beside her in a pensive manner.
Seated before her was the true Prime Minister Xue, appearing as self-assured as ever, as if everything was under his control.
The palace maids stood obediently on both sides, heads bowed so low they could no longer lower them, not daring to breathe loudly.
As the Empress remained deep in thought, someone rushed in frantically with a message.
"Reporting to the Empress, we are unsure where they summoned such a large reinforcement, but they have already killed their way into the palace."
The Empress rose to her feet abruptly. "What did you say? Tell your Empress again."
Prime Minister Xue also wore an expression of disbelief as he stared at the messenger.
The messenger dared not raise his head, merely glancing at the Empress' fierce gaze, startled into a stumble. Nevertheless, he mustered the courage to repeat his previous words.
As the messenger's voice faded, the teacup the Empress had raised came crashing down onto his head.
The messenger clutched his forehead, not daring to even breathe heavily.
Next, the Empress shouted towards the door, "Everyone, follow your Empress, I must see what tricks those two useless Princes have up their sleeves to dare bring troops to slaughter their way into the palace."
Prime Minister Xue did not object, refusing to believe that the mere private soldiers those two Princes could muster would amount to anything significant.
Soon, a force of at least two thousand gathered around the Fengxi Palace.
Witnessing Prime Minister Xue calmly seated there, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were utterly astonished.
Truly an old fox, he had even arranged for a decoy to take the brunt of the disaster on his behalf.
But so what? In the end, he could not escape death.
The two no longer wished to act immediately, for Mo Jiuye felt it was too merciful to simply blow the decoy's head off with a single shot.
Now, the better approach was for him to endure the court's harsh interrogation and torture, while Mo Jiuye would also propose to Nan Yu that they personally interrogate the old fox according to their own methods.
By then, they would undoubtedly make him wish for death...
As the Empress' forces had just assembled, Nan Yu also led the main army to slaughter their way over, their first target being the Empress' Fengxi Palace.
Upon seeing the leader, the Empress was momentarily taken aback, as Nan Yu's appearance seemed vaguely familiar.
"Just who are you?"
Although Nan Yu's identity had been acknowledged by Emperor Shunwu, it had yet to be made public, so he did not intend to reveal it for the time being.
"My identity is unimportant. What matters is that you will soon become a prisoner."
Having said that, he had no desire to waste further words with the Empress. Any remaining discussions could wait until she was thrown into the dungeon.
Nan Yu raised the token once more. "Soldiers, heed my command. Seize the treacherous Empress."
The Empress refused to surrender meekly. "All of you, attack. Capture these rebels, and your Empress shall reward you."
The clash between the two sides was imminent.
Observing the Empress gathering her forces to engage, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran also assessed the number of people she could utilize.
These troops were no match for Nan Yu's main force, so the two chose not to spectate the battle, instead taking advantage of the chaos to inspect the Empress' bedchamber.
The Empress' bedchamber was opulent, housing many valuable items.
He Zhiran did not hesitate, storing every valuable item they came across into the space.
The two eventually found themselves in the rear courtyard of the Fengxi Palace, some distance away from the battle, where even ordinary people would struggle to hear the commotion.
They noticed two palace maids cursing as they headed towards a room in the corner.
Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran exchanged a glance before following them.
After the two maids entered the room, Mo Jiuye carefully made a small opening in the window paper to peer inside.
Inside the room stood a large iron cage, within which sat a disheveled young boy.
One of the maids took out a whip from her waist and lashed it against the iron cage.
"As long as you obediently follow the Empress' orders, the throne of the Da Shun Empire will be yours. Otherwise..."
The whip struck the cage once more, yet the child within showed no reaction.
Seeing this scene, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran both thought of the same person, the fourth prince who was adopted by the empress.
