With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

"Ming Mengqing, it's you! What are you all doing here? Are you trying to rebel?" Emperor Mingde pointed at the mother and son and ordered, "Guards! Seize them!"

"Hahaha..." Ming Mengqing suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face as she pointed at Emperor Mingde and cursed:

"Emperor Mingde, you killed my entire Ming family, and in the end you didn't even spare your own son. There is no one more vicious than you in this world."

"Ming family, what have you and the deposed Prince Rui done? You all know perfectly well. It's a capital offense. His Majesty has only imprisoned you, which is already a concession based on blood ties." The Prime Minister stepped forward to advise them.

"His Majesty is benevolent. If you leave now, he will surely not hold you accountable for your offense today."

"Prime Minister, do you really think we'll ever be able to leave after we've arrived here?" Ming Mengqing grinned maliciously.

"Your Majesty, let's be frank! As long as you abdicate the throne to Xun'er, we can still be a family, and husband and wife can still be loving and father and son can still be filial."

"So, you came prepared, intending to force me to abdicate and seize the throne?" Emperor Mingde sneered, his eyes filled with contempt.

"I really want to know what gives you the audacity to dare to openly try to seize my throne."

"What do you mean by usurping the throne? Father, don't put it so harshly. As long as you write an imperial edict to pass on the throne, everything will become perfectly reasonable."

Nangong Xun took out a bright yellow imperial edict from his bosom. "I have already drafted the contents. You just need to affix your imperial seal to it."

Emperor Mingde glanced at the imperial edict in his hand, then at the faces of the mother and son, and sneered, "What if I don't want to affix it?"

"Then I can only blame my unfilial son!" Nangong Xun shook his head helplessly, handing the imperial edict to the deputy commander. "Deputy commander, thank you for your trouble!"

"Yes." The deputy commander respectfully took the imperial edict and said to Emperor Mingde:

"Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, I will no longer hide it from you. The palace is now filled with Prince Rui's men."

There are 70,000 troops waiting outside the imperial city, and we have already taken control of all four city gates.

Inside the palace, the commander has been captured by us, and ten thousand imperial guards are now under my control.

"Of course, as long as you affix your imperial seal to this decree and hand over the jade seal, nothing will happen. His Highness Prince Rui will make you the Retired Emperor, allowing you to live out your days in peace."

"Alright!" Emperor Mingde nodded. "The imperial seal is right here on this platform. If you have the ability to take it, I will give you this dragon throne today."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Xun was overjoyed. "I knew Father would agree. Rest assured, I will honor you as the Retired Emperor and let you live out your days in the Summer Palace. The kingdom of Western Yan will be entrusted to my care."

The deputy commander frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Deputy Commander, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and get the imperial seal. Stamp this edict with your seal. Now that I am the emperor, I will appoint you as the Grand General Who Protects the Nation. From now on, you will share this peaceful and prosperous era with me." Nangong Xun urged him.

Upon hearing this, the deputy commander immediately walked up the steps.

They had planned everything perfectly; their people were everywhere, inside and outside the city and the palace.

The most troublesome person is Nangong Wu. With the Imperial Advisor around, she is doomed.

"How dare you?" Eunuch Hu pointed at them with his whisk and questioned them angrily, "This is treason, an act that cannot be tolerated by Heaven."

"Eunuch Hu, His Highness Prince Rui is His Majesty's eldest son, and his succession to the throne is perfectly legitimate..." Before the deputy commander could finish speaking, he suddenly heard a powerful whooshing sound behind him.

His expression changed drastically, and he instinctively dodged to avoid it.

"Clang..." A dagger pierced the step he had just stepped onto, sending sparks flying.

"Who is it?"

Nangong Xun turned his head and saw that the commander of the Imperial Guards was leading several Imperial Guards in, carrying two severed heads in his hands, with blood dripping all the way.

"It's me!" the commander's voice was cold and deep.

"You...you're still alive?"

Nangong Xun and the deputy commander's expressions changed, and more than a dozen men drew their swords.

"Men! Take them all down!" Nangong Xun shouted.

"Are you looking for these two people?" The commander threw the two severed heads he was holding at their feet.

"Ah..." Ming Mengqing was so shocked that she staggered back a few steps, her face drained of color.

Nangong Xun stared at the familiar faces of the victims, his expression contorting in pain. "You actually killed them!"

The commander sneered, "They're just two traitors. What difference would it make if I killed them?"

"Do you think that killing these two people will make me lose?" Nangong Xun took out a short flute, put it to his lips, and played three sharp notes.

The next moment, the sounds of fierce fighting erupted outside.

The deputy commander suddenly leaped onto the imperial platform, attempting to seize Emperor Mingde.

"Protect Father Emperor." Nangong Yi opened the fan in his hand and stopped the deputy commander.

However, he didn't even last one move against the deputy commander before being kicked away and crashing heavily onto the dragon throne.

"Bang!"

"Prince Li!" Emperor Mingde exclaimed, helping him up.

The deputy commander attacked again.

Eunuch Hu and several ministers stood in front of Emperor Mingde, their faces showing a willingness to die for him.

Just when they thought they were doomed, they felt no pain.

At the critical moment, several dark figures appeared, their long swords aimed directly at the deputy commander's face.

This is the emergence of the "Shadow Blade" secretly cultivated by Emperor Mingde.

But the deputy commander was also a top expert; he did a backflip to avoid the swords.

The men in black guarding Nangong Xun also made their move, unleashing countless shadowy figures.

Several shadow blades were swung to block the incoming projectiles, which then fell to the ground.

They looked down and saw that they were actually several small black snakes, which they had cut into pieces with their swords and were struggling and wriggling on the ground.

One of the Shadow Blades immediately recognized their origins: "Your Majesty, they are members of the Serpent Spirit Society!"

"Nangong Xun, you wicked wretch! To seize the throne, you colluded with these scoundrels to plot against me. How utterly despicable!"

Emperor Mingde was furious. Pointing at Nangong Xun, he ordered, "Seize them, regardless of their lives!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The commander and the imperial guards behind him drew their swords.

Seeing that the venomous snakes had not harmed Emperor Mingde, the members of the Snake Spirit Society scattered poisonous powder.

Shadowblade and the Imperial Guards were on guard and covered their mouths and noses in time.

"Your Highness, let's retreat and rendezvous with the Imperial Preceptor." Seeing that Shadow Blade was difficult to deal with, the deputy commander had no choice but to leave the main hall first.

Nangong Xun and his mother, protected by members of the Serpent Spirit Society, fought their way out of the council hall.

The commander and his men pressed forward relentlessly until they retreated outside the main hall.

Because the members of the Snake Spirit Society are skilled in poisons and witchcraft, they dare not get too close.

At this moment, the area outside the main hall had become a battlefield, with shouts of battle shaking the heavens.

Emperor Mingde also walked out of the main hall under the protection of Shadow Blade.

Among those fighting were Imperial Guards, men in black, and men dressed in Imperial Guard uniforms but with red ribbons tied around their arms.