His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

Chu Tianxiong was in a painful dilemma, unable to make a decision.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the cell.

A messenger eunuch, accompanied by several imperial guards, rushed in, his shrill voice echoing through the prison: "Chu Tianxiong, the Emperor has decreed that you be summoned to the Imperial Study immediately!"

Chu Tianxiong was startled and suddenly looked up at the eunuch who had given the order.

Where were Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu now?

He gave a self-deprecating sneer.

If something truly serious hadn't happened on the border, would the Emperor have summoned him for an audience?

I fear that he and Zhixia will both die quietly in this dark and hopeless prison.

The Imperial Study.

Upon seeing Chu Tianxiong and Wen Zhixia being brought in, the emperor immediately rose from behind his desk, strode forward, and personally helped Chu Tianxiong up as he was about to bow, his face filled with concern and apology.

"Minister Chu, you've suffered! I only learned today that Prime Minister Ning, with his audacity, dared to secretly detain you in the imperial prison behind my back!"

The emperor's tone was somber and filled with anger: "This kind of treacherous minister, who disregarded the law and deceived his superiors, should have been punished by heaven and killed by assassins. I would have torn him to pieces to give Minister Chu and Military Advisor Wen an explanation."

He spoke earnestly, placing all the blame on the deceased Prime Minister Ning, completely unaware that he was a benevolent ruler who had been deceived.

Chu Tianxiong lowered his eyes, listening to these extremely hypocritical words, and the last bit of hesitation in his heart turned into cold mockery.

"Thank you for your wise judgment, Your Majesty." His voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be investigating further, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief and then got to the point.

His face showed worry: "Minister Chu, the border is in dire straits. Youdu City has suddenly dispatched troops with overwhelming force. The border garrison is leaderless and urgently needs you to return to take charge."

"I hereby order you and Military Advisor Wen to depart immediately and return to the border at all costs. You must repel the invading enemy and protect our territory!"

Chu Tianxiong raised his head and looked at the emperor's anxious yet calculating face, and he understood everything perfectly.

He cupped his hands and replied in a deep voice, "Your subject obeys the decree."

His tone was respectful, as if he were still the same loyal border general.

The emperor was overjoyed and immediately bestowed upon them military tallies and tokens, offering words of encouragement before urging them to depart as soon as possible.

Once outside the palace gates and out of the sight of the imperial guards, Chu Tianxiong's submissive expression vanished completely, leaving only solemnity and determination.

Having been by his side for many years, Wen Zhixia knew his thoughts without having to ask many questions.

This time, the general finally chose the right path.

The two left the city and soon encountered Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu.

The city is still under martial law, yet they were able to leave so easily, which proves that they are no ordinary people.

Being targeted by such people might not necessarily be a bad thing for the Iron River Kingdom.

Upon seeing them, Chu Tianxiong took out his personal keepsake from his pocket and handed it to Feng Xingyu.

"I choose the second path."

He looked sincerely at Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu: "I cannot let my soldiers die in vain for such a king."

"Here is also a letter I wrote myself. I know you can deliver messages much faster than I can, so I'll give it to you together. Just pass it on to Vice General Wang. Zhixia and I will also head back immediately to join them."

"General Chu is indeed a man of great principle."

Feng Xingyu put the token and the letter away together: "It is a blessing for the people of Tiehe Kingdom to have you."

Chu Tianxiong gave a self-deprecating smile, but did not dwell on the topic. He simply said, "Xiaxia told me that your surname is Feng. Since I have decided to cooperate with you, there is something I must remind you of."

"you say."

"Even if the border city is breached, it won't be easy for you to take over the entire Iron River Kingdom. Besides me, the Iron River Kingdom has many powerful generals like Jiang. Unless... you disregard casualties."

"Thanks for reminding me."

After Chu Tianxiong finished speaking, seeing that Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu didn't react much, he sighed inwardly that he had really overthought things.

Given their methods, they must still have other tricks up their sleeves.

Chu Tianxiong looked at Wen Zhixia: "Zhixia, let's go."

Wen Zhixia nodded, but couldn't help looking at Mo Sangyu and Feng Xingyu: "Sister Mo, Brother Feng, aren't you... coming with us?"

"We still have some things to resolve."

Mo Sangyu smiled at her and said, "You go ahead. We'll see each other again soon."

"oh."

"By the way, I have a Mr. Gu in my family who has always admired you. I think when you meet him this time... you will like him too."

"what?"

Wen Zhixia was slightly taken aback. Before she could ask any questions, Chu Tianxiong pulled her up.

Time is of the essence and there is no room for delay.

The two mounted the fast horses that had been prepared beforehand, took one last look at the majestic palace walls, spurred their horses, and galloped away towards the outside of the city.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance.

Feng Xingyu looked at Mo Sangyu: "What do you want to do next? Your husband... will follow your wife's orders."

Mo Sangyu: "...It's very simple. As soon as the emperor dies, the capital will be in chaos. When they are fighting fiercely for power, our army will naturally be able to advance smoothly."

"Um."

Feng Xingyu leaned closer to her, gently flicked her nose, and said in a doting tone, "Whose wife is this? So clever. Oh, so she's mine."

"..."

Mo Sangyu felt a throbbing sensation in her temples.

This man is becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

At once……

I don't know what to say.

The two returned to the palace.

When the night was deep and quiet, the emperor returned to his bedchamber and found that there were two more people in his bedchamber!

"Someone come here!"

The emperor's expression changed drastically, and he immediately turned to pull open the door of his bedchamber: "Protect the Emperor!"

However, his voice couldn't get through at all.

The eunuchs and guards standing watch outside the door seemed to be in another world, remaining completely still.

The emperor's heart sank. He reached out to push the door, but only touched an invisible wall.

What is this?

He recalled that the people from the imperial prison had reported that this situation had occurred at the gates of the imperial prison on the night that Prime Minister Ning was assassinated.

Cold sweat instantly soaked the emperor's inner robe.

He forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and slowly turned around to face the two uninvited guests in the bedchamber.

Who are you?

He straightened his back, adopting an imperial air: "What brings you to my bedchamber in the dead of night?"

Feng Xingyu sat on the imperial desk, his head bowed, casually flipping through the folded pages.

Looking at these civil and military officials, one can see what they submit every day.

Mo Sangyu sat on a chair backwards, his arms casually and lazily leaning against the back of the chair.

"Who are we...?"

Mo Sangyu looked at the emperor, smiling innocently: "Your Majesty, shouldn't you have already guessed it?"

She tilted her head: "As for why we're here, Your Majesty, why don't you guess? If you guess correctly, there's a prize."

The emperor's heart clenched.

These two must be the two assassins who shot and killed Prime Minister Ning in the street!

Not content with killing Prime Minister Ning, they even dared to sneak into the palace and find his bedchamber!

These two people's methods are too mysterious and unpredictable. He is now like meat on a chopping board, completely at their mercy.

"What do you want?"

The emperor forcibly suppressed his fear and spoke again, trying to take the initiative: "What did you seek by infiltrating the palace? Gold and silver treasures? Power and status? I can give you anything."

His gaze was fixed on Mo Sangyu, then he glanced at Feng Xingyu, who hadn't spoken and was just casually flipping through his memorials, and his mind raced with calculations.

"If you seek wealth, you may take as much as you wish from my private treasury; if you seek an official position..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "As long as you are willing to serve me, high-ranking official positions, generous salaries, and even being ennobled and appointed prime ministers will not be difficult to obtain."

Mo Sangyu chuckled, as if she had heard an extremely funny joke.

"His Majesty."

Her voice was light and cheerful, tinged with undisguised mockery: "Do you think that we killed your prime minister and then appeared before you like this just to bargain for a minor official position?"

After she finished speaking, she stood up, and the chair she was sitting on made a slight scraping sound.

She paced slowly toward the emperor, each step seeming to tread on his taut nerves.

"That's what we want."

Mo Sangyu stopped a few steps away from the emperor, leaned slightly forward, her smile still harmless, but her eyes were as cold as frost: "Didn't you already guess that?"

The emperor's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively stepped back, only to find his back pressed against an invisible wall, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

"You...you want to kill the emperor?!"

His voice finally trembled uncontrollably, and the last two words, "kill the emperor," almost cracked.

Feng Xingyu finally put down the memorial in his hand, got off the imperial desk, and slowly walked to Mo Sangyu's side.

He looked at the emperor, his gaze behind the mask calm and unwavering, yet it sent chills down one's spine more deeply than Mo Sangyu's smiling eyes.

You guessed right.

Feng Xingyu spoke casually, merely stating a trivial matter: "Unfortunately, there's no prize."

Those who are near ink become black.

Spending a lot of time with Mo Sangyu, Feng Xingyu was gradually influenced by her way of doing things.

The emperor's face was ashen, his lips trembled, and he tried to say something, but found that he couldn't even make a sound.

Extreme fear gripped him, making him stiff and unable to move.

He's the emperor!

He is the Emperor!

How could you die so easily in your heart!

Mo Sangyu stretched out her hand, and a wisp of dark blue spiritual energy slithered out from her fingertips like a serpent, lightly wrapping around the emperor's neck.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Her voice was soft: "It will be quick, much quicker than your Prime Minister Ning..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint blue light flickered.

The emperor's eyes widened suddenly, and a hissing sound escaped his throat.

His face was filled with disbelief, his body slowly went limp, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed, solidifying into a deathly gray.

The emperor of the Iron River Kingdom died silently in his most secure palace at the hands of two mysterious assassins.

"Done."

Mo Sangyu withdrew her spiritual power and turned to Feng Xingyu: "Now, it's time to watch the show."

Feng Xingyu nodded and put his arm around her waist: "Let's go, Madam. The capital is about to become lively."

The two figures swayed, like ink stains merging into water, appearing and disappearing without a trace, leaving only the gradually cooling body in the dragon robe on the ground.

As they left, the barrier that had blocked out the sound dissipated.

After a moment, the eunuch on duty outside the door finally noticed the unusual silence and tentatively called out in a soft voice, "Your Majesty? Would Your Majesty like more tea?"

no respond.

Feeling uneasy, the eunuch mustered his courage and gently pushed open a crack in the door.

The next moment, a terrified scream pierced the silent night sky above the palace.

"His Majesty!!!"