On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Sun Fu jogged all the way to Xuanwu Gate.

He was old, and it was winter, so he was out of breath running and was covered in sweat when he reached the city gate.

The city gates were still closed, but through the cracks they could still see the dark, armored formations outside.

Zhang Yong stood in the city gate and saw Sun Fu arrive, so he quickly went to greet him.

"Eunuch Sun, what did His Majesty say?"

Sun Fu waved his hand, catching his breath before speaking: "His Majesty said he is willing to reconcile. Let this old servant go out and ask the Regent for his conditions. Open the door."

"Yes." Zhang Yong hesitated for a moment, but still waved for someone to open the side door a crack.

Sun Fu squeezed out sideways.

The scene outside was even more frightening than he had imagined; a thousand armored soldiers stood in neat rows, their spears pointing to the sky.

The crossbows were fully drawn, and the siege rams were aimed at the center of the city gate.

Sun Fu swallowed hard and took small, quick steps forward.

The fat man was still riding on the mule when he saw Sun Fu come out, and he grinned.

"Hey, Old Sun! Long time no see! Why are you running so fast, you old bones? Be careful not to strain your back."

Sun Fu forced a smile and cupped his hands in greeting: "Master Fatty, this old servant has come to deliver a message on His Majesty's orders. His Majesty has said that he is willing to reconcile with the Regent. The Regent may state his conditions as they may."

After hearing this, the fat man curled his lip.

"Old Sun, let me tell you the truth, we're not here to negotiate today."

Sun Fu's heart skipped a beat.

The fat man dismounted from his mule and walked up to him: "Today, I, Fatty, am here on the orders of my lord to take over the defense of the palace. From today onwards, the Xuanwu Gate, Donghua Gate, Xihua Gate, and Wu Gate will all be under the control of the Shenji Battalion. The Imperial Guards are to be disbanded and go back to their original duties."

Sun Fu's expression changed.

Take over the city's defenses.

This isn't negotiating terms; this is a notification.

"Um... Fatty, could you possibly make an exception for this? His Majesty is, after all, the Son of Heaven. If the defense of the palace is entrusted to outsiders..."

The fat man interrupted him, his eyes glaring. "Nonsense! Am I an outsider, or is my elder brother an outsider? Old Sun, what you're saying is unpleasant. My elder brother is the Regent; half the world belongs to him. Entrusting the palace and city defenses to him is perfectly legitimate, understand?"

"This..." Sun Fu didn't dare to say anything more.

The fat man took another step forward: "Old Sun, let me tell you something. My older brother said there's no room for negotiation on this. Go back and tell the emperor not to be stubborn. You saw what happened last time when we smashed the city gate; I've brought even more weapons today than last time."

Sun Fu glanced at the crossbows and catapults behind the fat man and had already made his judgment.

Lin Yi is determined this time.

If they don't give it to me, I'll beat them.

Moreover, given the Shenji Battalion's combat strength, it would only take them a short while to break through.

Sun Fu weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

As for the emperor... to be honest, he had already given up hope.

Nangong Xiong is now just an empty shell, with no soldiers, no money, and no food. His only hope is the army of the Zhao family in Jiangnan three months from now.

Moreover, it's possible that Nangong Xiong and the Zhao family conspired to anger Lin Yi.

Since things can't be changed, let's just go with the flow.

He had at least saved Consort Hui's life, so Lin Yi wouldn't kill him.

"Master Fatty, this old servant will go back to report immediately, but there is something I would like to say to you."

"explain."

"As for His Majesty, this old servant will do his best to persuade him. But Zhang Yong is a stubborn man, and he may not be willing to hand over the reins. If a fight breaks out... this old servant hopes that Your Highness will show mercy and not harm His Majesty's life."

The fat man snorted: "Hmph, if my brother wanted to kill him, he would have done it long ago. Why wait until today? Don't worry, as long as he behaves himself and doesn't cause any trouble, I guarantee I won't lay a finger on him."

Sun Fu nodded and turned to walk back.

......

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Nangong Xiong was sitting on the dragon throne, waiting for news.

He was indeed the emperor after his awakening, and he was much more composed than before.

Footsteps sounded, and Sun Fu entered.

Nangong Xiong asked, "What did he say? What were his conditions?"

Sun Fu knelt down and kowtowed, then raised his face: "Your Majesty... Lin Yi is not here to negotiate."

"What do you mean?"

"Wang Chongyu said that he was ordered by the Regent to take over the defense of the palace, and all four gates were handed over to the Shenji Battalion, and the Imperial Guards were disbanded on the spot."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then Nangong Xiong became anxious: "Take over the city defenses? Does Lin Yi want to lock me in a cage?"

Sun Fu kept his head down and didn't say anything.

Nangong Xiong took two steps in the hall, then suddenly turned around and shouted sternly, "I won't hand it over! I absolutely refuse to hand it over! Let him fight if he wants! I don't believe he would actually dare to murder the emperor!"

Sun Fu raised his head: "Your Majesty, please reconsider..."

"Send word to Zhang Yong!" Nangong Xiong interrupted him, "Defend Xuanwu Gate to the death! Not a single step back!"

"Yes." The little eunuch went to relay the message.

Sun Fu knelt on the ground, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he swallowed his words back.

In fact, whether this battle is fought or not, the outcome will be the same.

The emperor was just being stubborn.

On the other side, Zhang Yong received the imperial decree and stood in the city gate for a long while, stunned.

Stubbornly.

He looked down at the sword at his waist, then at the faces of the young soldiers on the city wall.

Three thousand Imperial Guards.

Although it sounds like a lot, out of these three thousand people, less than five hundred are truly capable veterans.

The remaining 2,500 people were mostly scions of prominent families in the capital, who were just there to coast along and put on a show at the palace gates during festivals.

Send these guys to fight the Divine Machine Battalion?

Zhang Yong gave a wry smile.

What kind of unit is the Divine Machine Battalion? They are battle-hardened elites who followed the Lin family back from the northern desert; each and every one of them crawled out of piles of corpses.

During the last battle at Xuanwu Gate, the Shenji Battalion only sent 800 men, yet they frightened his 3,000 Imperial Guards so much that they dared not show their faces.

This time, however, there were a thousand men, and they also brought several crossbows and catapults.

How do I fight this?

Zhang Yong walked up to the city wall and stood behind the battlements, looking out.

The Shenji Battalion's formation remained completely still, like a black iron plate nailed there.

On the city wall, the Imperial Guard soldiers were also looking out.

Zhang Yong glanced at their faces; some were pale, some were pale, and some were so frightened that their legs were trembling.

"Stand still, all of you!" Zhang Yong shouted sternly.

Nobody moved.

But no one stood up straight.

Lieutenant General Zhang Yong leaned closer: "Commander, the brothers are scared. Everyone remembers what happened last time. One trebuchet and the city wall collapsed, killing dozens of people. This time..."

"Shut up."

The lieutenant dared not say anything more and stepped aside.

Zhang Yong has always been a royalist, and that has never changed.

Because the Zhang family had been eating royal food and receiving royal stipends for generations, and since his grandfather's generation, they had been guarding the Nangong family.

Ask him to surrender to Lin Yi? He couldn't do it.

But to send three thousand men to their deaths... Zhang Yong closed his eyes.

At this moment, Sun Fu climbed up from below the city wall.

"Commander Zhang."

Zhang Yong turned to look at him: "Eunuch Sun, I have received His Majesty's decree: hold the line to the death."

Sun Fu nodded, then leaned closer: "Commander Zhang, this old servant has something I'd like to say to you."

"Please speak, sir."

Do you think you can hold out?

Zhang Yong fell silent.

Sun Fu continued, "This old servant just returned from outside and spoke with Wang Chongyu. He said that if the gate doesn't open after an incense stick's time, it will open by itself. Commander Zhang, look at those eight-ox crossbows and catapults outside, and then look at these soldiers on our city walls..."

Zhang Yong's lips pressed into a thin line: "Does my father-in-law mean I should open the door?"

"This old servant wouldn't dare. What this old servant only wants to say is, if a real fight breaks out, it will be our own people who die. Which of those scions of noble families doesn't have parents backing them up? Is it worth dying here?"

Zhang Yong remained silent.

"And think about it, even if you manage to hold out today, what about tomorrow? The day after? Lin Yi has the Longevity Army, the Divine Machine Battalion, and even 300,000 troops from the Northern Frontier. If he's determined to come in, what will you use to stop him?"