Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

"Ha, take my life? My brother, how dare you be so insolent before me!"

Xiao Chenlin rose from the dragon throne and drew the sword from his waist.

The sword has a long, narrow blade, a sharp edge like autumn frost, and a hilt inlaid with jade that shines brightly.

"Let me see if your swordsmanship has improved in the six months since you disappeared."

Xiao Yiheng remained silent, holding his chipped longsword horizontally in front of him.

They fought their way from the city gate to the Taiji Hall, battling for quite some time, and their physical strength was nearing its limit.

Xiao Chenlin charged forward, sword in hand!

"boom--"

The sound of metal clashing resounded throughout the main hall.

Xiao Chenlin's swordplay was fierce and ruthless, each strike imbued with intense rage.

Xiao Yiheng's swordsmanship is steady and sharp, a killing technique honed in the crucible of countless deaths.

The wind from the sword swept past, the candlelight flickered, and the shadows of the two men were cast on the palace pillars, twisted and grotesque.

"Clang! Clang! Clang—"

Swords clashed, sparks flew.

Xiao Yiheng was exhausted and retreated step by step.

His tiger's mouth was already cracked from the impact, and blood flowed down the hilt of the sword. With each move he took, his arm became more sore and numb.

Xiao Chenlin saw through it, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

The sword's momentum suddenly accelerated, like a torrential downpour.

A sword was thrust at his throat, but Xiao Yiheng barely dodged it by turning to the side. The blade grazed his neck, drawing out a bead of blood.

Immediately afterwards, a second sword swept across his waist and abdomen. He parried with his sword upright, but was knocked back by the impact.

Xiao Chenlin relentlessly pursued him, aiming straight for his face.

"Clang!"

Xiao Yiheng raised his sword to meet the attack head-on.

The longsword, its blade chipped, finally gave way and broke in two.

The broken sword spun and embedded itself in the palace pillar, vibrating and humming.

Xiao Chenlin's sword stopped three inches in front of Xiao Yiheng's throat.

The two were so close that they could hear each other breathing.

Sweat mixed with blood slid down Xiao Yiheng's forehead, dripping onto the gold bricks and blooming into dark red flowers.

Xiao Chenlin, however, maintained a steady breathing pattern and appeared completely at ease.

With just a little more force, the blade could have slit Xiao Yiheng's throat.

But Xiao Chenlin stopped abruptly, looking at him with amusement, like a cat toying with a mouse.

"I've always been curious: how did you survive the ambush I ordered the Northern Barbarians to carry out?"

Xiao Yiheng remained silent, staring coldly at him.

"Let me guess, someone saved you, right? Who was it?"

Xiao Chenlin spoke to himself, staring into Xiao Yiheng's eyes, trying to find clues within them.

"That person...you've seen him before."

Xiao Chenlin recalled that Xiao Yiheng had clearly been in contact with the Eldest Princess.

However, the Princess's residence was always under his surveillance. He knew everything about the people coming and going, the correspondence, and all her movements.

The princess had no chance of harboring a seriously wounded fugitive unless she hid him elsewhere.

If there's anything different, the eldest princess often goes to a manor on the outskirts of the capital. What was that manor called again?

He remembered, it was called Zhiyun Manor.

Because Lin Zhiyao specifically requested that person to serve in the palace, he even issued an imperial decree to go to Zhiyun Manor.

Now that I think about it, that person must have been...

"Willow, Oriole."

Xiao Chenlin read it out word by word.

If it weren't for her during the autumn hunt, Xiao Yiheng would have already fallen from his horse and been seriously injured, and there wouldn't be the city under siege today.

An overwhelming hatred gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.

"Oh, it was her."

He murmured, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"I should have killed her during the autumn hunt."

If Liu Wenying is killed, no one will remind that the saddle has been tampered with, and Xiao Yiheng will be seriously injured or even crippled, and will never pose a threat.

There will be no chance for Xiao Yiheng to come back alive, start a rebellion, and storm the Taiji Palace!

Everything, everything, is because of that person.

"Very well, very well Liu Wenying! Tomorrow I will tear her apart by five horses, crush her bones inch by inch, and feed her flesh and blood to the wild dogs!"

The last trace of warmth in Xiao Yiheng's eyes vanished.

He charged forward, meeting the sharp sword that was poised at his throat.

The sword tip avoided the throat and pierced the flesh of the shoulder, causing blood to gush out.

Xiao Chenlin was stunned. He didn't expect Xiao Yiheng to rush in so recklessly, and his hand holding the sword unconsciously loosened.

With that moment of loosening, Xiao Yiheng gripped the sword with his left hand, letting the blade cut his palm, and blood dripped down the spine of the sword.

His right hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers forming a claw, gripping Xiao Chenlin's wrist that was holding the sword, and twisting it fiercely at an extremely tricky angle.

"Crack!" The wrist bone shattered in an instant.

Xiao Chenlin groaned, and the sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clang.

He staggered backward, clutching his broken right wrist with his left hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Xiao Yiheng did not bend down to pick up the broken sword from the ground, but held it in his hand.

"Who did you just say you wanted to tear apart by five horses?"

Xiao Yiheng approached step by step, his body covered in blood as if he had come from hell.

Xiao Chenlin retreated to the edge of the imperial steps, leaning against the dragon throne.

Fear finally showed on his face, but his imperial dignity forced him to force a cold smile.

"What? Feeling sorry for me? Let me tell you, wait until I—"

Before he could finish speaking, the broken sword sliced ​​through the air.

Xiao Chenlin hurriedly picked up the sword from the ground with his left hand to parry, but his sword broke in the process.

The sword slipped from his hand and embedded itself in the back of the dragon throne. The powerful impact shattered the pearl on the hilt, sending jade fragments flying everywhere.

Xiao Yiheng's broken sword stopped at Xiao Chenlin's neck.

The blade pressed into the flesh, and blood slowly seeped out.

You lost.

Xiao Chenlin's eyes widened, his breathing became rapid, and he suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter was manic, twisted, and filled with a sense of utter despair and malice.

He hissed, "I lost? Xiao Yiheng, you think you won? Let me tell you, three days ago, I secretly sent the entire Wei army's deployment map, along with the grain storage locations and troop deployments, to the Northern Barbarians!"

Xiao Yiheng's gaze suddenly sharpened, a murderous intent surging within him.

Xiao Chenlin laughed until his whole body trembled. "Judging by the time, the Northern Di cavalry will receive it by tomorrow, or at the latest the day after."

"At that time, they will swarm the border like locusts, burning, killing, and looting. The throne that I cannot inherit, you will not get either!"

"The kingdom you are about to sit upon is riddled with holes, ready to be swallowed up by the Northern Barbarians at any moment!"

Xiao Yiheng pressed his sword down a little deeper, and the blood gushed out even faster.

"You're insane! Those are the people of Great Wei! They are your subjects!"

Xiao Chenlin spat out a mouthful of blood, "Subjects? Mere ants!"

"I don't care! Xiao Yiheng, even if you ascend the throne, you will face the destruction of the country! You will be nailed to the history books, becoming the last emperor of the Great Wei, infamous for eternity!"

Xiao Yiheng's hands were trembling, and his overwhelming anger was almost burning away his reason.

But he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Recall the secret letter. Now, immediately, I will spare your life."

Xiao Chenlin seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "Recall? Xiao Yiheng, you're as naive as your mother—"

He suddenly stopped, looking quite intrigued.

"Speaking of your mother, Consort Yu, do you really believe she accidentally fell into a well and drowned while suffering from madness?"

Xiao Yiheng froze. "What do you mean?"

"You were young that year, and after I bullied you, you went to Ninglu Lake, right? Consort Yu knew you were her son all along, and she often met you by the lake but did not recognize you."

"One day, I was really bored, so I lied to her and said that you came to see her, but fell into the well in her palace."

She believed it, ran over like a madwoman, and knelt by the well, calling your name.

I gently pushed her from behind.

…………