On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

The fat man squatted down in front of Zhang Yong and stared at him for a long time.

"Old Zhang, oh Old Zhang."

Zhang Yong remained silent.

The fat man stood up, took two steps in front of him with his hands behind his back, then walked back and suddenly raised his hand—

*Slap!* A slap landed on Zhang Yong's face.

Zhang Yong was knocked to the side by the blow, and blood immediately spurted from the corner of his mouth, splashing onto the boots of the Shenji Battalion soldiers next to him.

"Fatty trusts you because you seem like a tough guy! Let the battering ram brothers slowly ram you; what will happen if they hurt you?"

"You fucking turn around and shout 'kill'?"

Zhang Yong spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, without looking at the fat man or offering any explanation.

The fat man straightened up and shook his head: "You worthless brat, how dare you lie to your Fatty Master! Don't you know that what Fatty Master hates most is being deceived!"

Zhang Yong finally raised his head: "Fatty, you can do whatever you want with me. Since I've made this decision, I don't intend to leave alive."

The fat man snorted.

"Hmph, kill you? " He shoved his hands into his sleeves. "I'm not that stupid. Killing you today, you won't remember anything tomorrow, how satisfying would that be? I'm not going to give you that kind of satisfaction."

Zhang Yong frowned.

The fat man squatted down to look him in the eye, a smile Zhang Yong had never seen before on his face.

It makes you feel cold all over.

"Old Zhang, I heard you have a beautiful wife."

Zhang Yong's expression changed.

"And a younger sister, I hear she's quite pretty too." The fat man scratched his chin. "I bet you're in your mid-thirties, right? No kids yet, your family line is about to end."

Zhang Yong's lips began to tremble.

The fat man moved even closer, almost touching his ear, and spoke in such a low voice that only the two of them could hear it.

"Don't worry, I'll keep this incense burning for you." With that, the fat man stood up, threw his head back, and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha!"

Laughter echoed through the city gate and carried far away.

Zhang Yong felt all the blood rush to his face, and the veins on his neck bulged out.

He struggled against the rope and lunged forward, but was held down firmly by two Shenji Battalion soldiers.

"Wang Chongyu! You shameless bastard! Come at me if you dare! What kind of man are you to lay a hand on my wife's sister!"

The fat man had already turned and walked away, but upon hearing this, he turned back and glanced at him.

"Oh, getting impatient?"

Zhang Yong's eyes were red-rimmed, and his teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding together: "Kill me or do whatever you want! But don't touch my family!"

The fat man ignored him and waved his hand: "Take him away."

Two soldiers lifted Zhang Yong and dragged him inside.

The latter cursed as he was being dragged, hurling insults at the fat man's ancestors for an entire street without stopping.

The fat man walked over to the big mule, climbed on top of it, and patted its neck.

The messenger beside him asked in a low voice, "Fatty, are you really going to find Zhang Yong...?"

The fat man glared at him: "Did Lu Dehao kick your brain? Who the hell would I take a fancy to and use such methods? That's not my style!"

The messenger immediately shut up.

The fat man rode his mule toward the palace. After a few steps, he turned back and glanced at the direction in which Zhang Yong had been dragged away.

"But then again, Old Zhang is definitely a tough guy."

He muttered something to himself, then burped, pulled a sesame seed cake from his pocket, took a bite, and mumbled a curse.

"Damn it, it's cold."

......

Lin Yi stood waiting at the Jinshui Bridgehead.

Qiangzi stood by with a lantern, and although it was already broad daylight, the palace corridors were still shrouded in shadow.

The fat man rode over on his mule, shouting from afar, "Brother! Zhang Yong's been taken care of. He's tied up and locked up in the side hall."

Lin Yi nodded.

"He's been cursing me like that all the way here." The fat man rolled off his clothes, dusting himself off. "But it's okay, I'm not going to stoop to his level."

"How did you treat him?"

"Hehe, I just teased him a bit, saying I was going to find his wife and sister."

Lin Yi gave him a cold look.

The fat man quickly waved his hand: "Just kidding, just kidding, I'm not that kind of person."

Lin Yi ignored him and turned to look in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"What's the situation in the palace right now?"

Qiangzi stepped forward: "Your Highness, all four gates are now under the control of the Shenji Battalion. Over 2,800 Imperial Guards have disarmed and are currently crouching in the open space outside the Meridian Gate. Zhang Yong's deputy general has already surrendered and handed over the Imperial Guards' roster."

Lin Yi hummed in agreement.

"What about the special forces battalion?"

"Zhao Dongqing's side has also been evacuated. All the eunuchs and palace maids in the Hall of Mental Cultivation are under their supervision, and there have been no casualties."

The fat man chimed in, "Brother, Zhao Dongqing and his gang are fucking fast! I was still banging on the door outside, and they'd already taken over the Yangxin Hall. If these kids ever amount to anything, I'll have to take a backseat."

Lin Yi's lips twitched slightly, which could be considered a smile.

"Alright, you stay here and keep watch. I'll go inside and arrange the defenses."

"Alright."

Lin Yi asked Qiangzi to call Yue Nan.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Yue Nan came from the direction of the Meridian Gate. He was still wearing the armor of the Divine Machine Battalion, with his helmet tucked under his arm. His face was covered in dust, and it was unclear where he had gotten it from.

"Your Highness."

"sit."

The two sat down on the stone railing by the Jinshui Bridge.

Lin Yi said, "Immediately transfer all five thousand members of the Divine Machine Battalion to the palace."

Yue Nan was taken aback.

"All of them?"

"Yes, they're divided into three groups, working in three shifts, each group has over 1,600 people, working day and night."

Yue Nan didn't speak immediately; she first did some mental calculations.

Five thousand people were divided into three classes, with more than sixteen hundred in each class.

The palace is only so big; if more than 1,600 people were spread out, it would be absolutely airtight.

"Understood."

Lin Yi continued, "All city gates, palace gates, and hall gates will be manned by guards, with all sentries replaced by the Divine Machine Battalion. Patrol routes will be replanned, with shifts changing every half hour, covering all palace walls and alleyways. Without a royal token, no one may enter or leave the palace. This includes eunuchs and palace maids; anyone returning from shopping or delivering messages must register at the gate."

"yes."

"Furthermore, all eunuchs and palace maids must be registered. Their names, origins, years of entry into the palace, and which palace they serve in must all be thoroughly investigated. Those with unclear or ambiguous origins must be expelled from the palace."

Yue Nan looked up and said, "Your Highness, this is no small task. There are at least two thousand eunuchs and maids in the palace, and we have to check them one by one..."

"Then investigate slowly. Start with the people in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the inner palace, and then investigate the other places later."

"yes."

Lin Yi thought for a moment, then added, "Those Imperial Guards who are willing to stay will be assigned to the Divine Machine Battalion as menial laborers, only responsible for sweeping, boiling water, and moving things. Those who don't want to stay, get out immediately."

Yue Nan didn't say anything more, and clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

Lin Yi glanced back at the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Nangong Xiong was still sitting inside, seemingly lost in thought or cursing, but it didn't matter.

From today onwards, the roles of offense and defense have reversed!

Oh no, it seems like it's always been just me...

"Go and do it."

"yes!"

Yue Nan turned and jogged away.

They were very efficient; in less than half a day, the 5,000-strong Shenji Battalion began to spread out in various places.

Lin Yi stood on the Jinshui Bridge and watched for a while.

The soldiers in black armor walked in twos and threes in different directions.

Some went to take over the palace gates, some went to replace the patrol sentries, and others carried command flags toward the Imperial Garden.

The entire palace was like a machine with its old parts removed and new parts replaced, and it started turning again.

The fat man had somehow slipped up behind him, chewing something in his mouth.

"Brother, are you hungry? I have two meat pies left."

"I'm not hungry."

"Oh." The fat man stuffed the meat pie into his mouth.

The two stood at the bridgehead, watching every word and action in the palace.

In the distance, a lowly Imperial Guard soldier stood weeping by the wall, while two members of the Divine Machine Battalion were registering names nearby.

The fat man muttered, "These Imperial Guards are really pitiful. They were doing a good job standing guard and drinking tea, and suddenly they're laid off."

Lin Yi did not respond.

Pitiful? There are plenty of pitiful people.

In this world, no one is ever pitied; only whoever wields the strongest weapon has the final say.

If the Imperial Guards were truly capable, it would have been the Divine Machine Battalion that was driven out today.

"Let's go in and take a look."

"What are you looking at?"

"Let's see what this palace is really like."