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

"What the Crown Prince says is absolutely right! Without the people, what kind of ruler is there? What kind of empire is there?" Prime Minister Xi, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and bowed to Bei Chenyan, saying:

"We implore Your Highness to open the city gates immediately and allow the people outside to enter the city."

With Prime Minister Xi taking the lead, most officials echoed his sentiments.

"We implore Your Highness to open the city gates immediately and allow the people outside to enter the city."

"You..." Empress Wan pointed at the officials filling the hall, and finally at Bei Chenyan, "Crown Prince, the Wan family is your maternal grandfather's family. Without them, you wouldn't be where you are today. If you have any conscience, release Ji Tong immediately and send people to help capture the thief."

"Absolutely no release!" Bei Chenyan, unwilling to say another word to Empress Wan, ordered again, "Ji Tong mobilized troops without authorization; his crime is unforgivable! Drag him outside the South Palace Gate and execute him!"

"Take him away," Commander Deng said without hesitation, ordering his men to drag Ji Tong away while he followed.

"Stop!" Empress Wan was furious. Her own men stopped the imperial guards. "Eunuch Chu, stop them!"

"Look!" Eunuch Chu suddenly flashed forward, his figure swiftly blocking the imperial guards, and pointed with his whisk.

"Commander Deng, please release them!"

Bei Chenyan looked at Eunuch Chu, his eyes narrowing slightly.

I knew this eunuch had some martial arts skills, but today, when he revealed this skill to save Ji Tong, I realized he was a top-notch master.

"This..." Commander Deng was somewhat embarrassed!

If we fight with Eunuch Chu, we will offend Empress Wan; if we release the person, we will disobey the Crown Prince.

"Eunuch Chu, do you intend to disobey the Crown Prince's orders?"

With a forced smile, Eunuch Chu said, "Her Majesty the Empress said that Commander Ji's crime does not warrant death. Please, Lord Deng, leave him here."

"How dare you!" Commander Deng was about to rebuke him when a figure flashed past him and the sword at his waist was drawn with a "whoosh".

"Pfft~~" Warm liquid sprayed onto his face, and he instinctively closed his eyes.

Immediately, a scream rang out in the hall.

"what!"

Commander Deng wiped his face, opened his eyes, and was immediately shocked.

Seeing a bloody gash on Eunuch Chu's neck, with blood spurting out, he widened his eyes, pointed at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead vomited a mouthful of blood and fell straight backward.

The person who drew his sword and killed him was none other than Crown Prince Bei Chen Yan.

A chill ran down my spine.

I never expected the Crown Prince's martial arts skills to be so high. If I wanted to take his life, I'm afraid I'd be a corpse now, just like Eunuch Chu.

"Eunuch Chu!" Empress Wan suddenly shrieked, "Bei Chenyan, how dare you?"

Bei Chenyan ignored her, returned the sword to Commander Deng, and coldly ordered, "If anyone tries to stop us again, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes!" Commander Deng now felt emboldened and dragged Ji Tong out.

If the Crown Prince dares to kill even those close to the Empress, then he need not fear the Wan family any longer.

"Bei Chenyan, you...you..." Empress Wan's chest heaved with anger, feeling that this son was even more ruthless than the emperor.

"Wei Yang," Bei Chenyan called out.

Wei Yang stepped forward and said, "Your subordinate is here."

Bei Chenyan took out one of his tokens and gave it to him, saying, "Go out of the palace and convey my order to open the four city gates so that the people waiting outside the city can enter."

"Yes, sir!" Wei Yang took the token with both hands and left in a hurry.

Wan Wenting looked at Eunuch Chu's corpse, his eyes flashing with a complex light.

It seems this crown prince is going to be deposed.

The officials in the hall were all silent, terrified by the Crown Prince's ruthless methods. He was the Empress's most trusted person!

"Bei Chenyan, you are utterly unfilial! You will be condemned by the whole world!" Empress Wan was furious.

The fact that she and the prince, whom the Wan family had carefully nurtured, had become a dagger aimed at her was simply unacceptable to her.

"When you called the common people lowly, the Wan family had already become the sinners of the world!" Bei Chenyan said coldly, and took a step forward.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned," Cao Li said before following Bei Chenyan.

As for ministers who have a memorial to submit, they should go to Prime Minister Xi.

******************

Outside the main gate of the Shi family mansion.

When the servant who came to open the door saw the two people who had come back to life, he was so frightened that he turned around and ran back into the mansion.

"A ghost..."

Li Shuang couldn't help but laugh, "Miss, we scared them!"

"This is nothing," Nangong Wu sneered, stepping into the Shi residence. "The real shock will come when they raid the house later."

"This is going to be interesting!"

The two walked towards the backyard of the Shi residence. Everyone they encountered along the way was so frightened that they turned and ran away, as if they had really encountered a ghost.

"Why are you running?" Li Shuang leaped up and caught up with a servant, grabbing him by the back of his collar. "Go tell your master that my young lady has returned and that he should spit out everything from the Fan family."

"Yes, yes..." The servant's face turned pale.

"Go quickly." As soon as Li Shuang let go of his hand, the servant scrambled away.

"Miss, where are we going now?"

Nangong Wu looked towards the direction of Caimei Courtyard, where thick smoke was still rising, indicating that the courtyard had been reduced to ruins.

"The Rainbow Plum Courtyard is gone, so let's go to the main hall in the front courtyard and wait there! I'm sure those people will be here soon."

When Bei Chenyan returned from court, he told her that Shi Shengqing had asked for leave that day and had not gone to court.

Hearing that she returned unharmed, I wonder how angry Shi Shengqing and Wan Shuhua will be.

They arrived at the main hall, and Nangong Wu sat in the main seat. "Li Shuang, please sit down! Standing is tiring."

"Yes." Li Shuang sat down in the lower seat to her left.

"Miss, I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince beheaded the Commander of the Imperial City Guard. That Ji fellow was from the Wan family, and he's Empress Wan's cousin!"

It seems that Bei Chenyan is about to have a falling out with the Empress.

"The Wan family, like the Ming family, supports Bei Chenyan and only wants to use him as a puppet of the Wan family," Nangong Wu said calmly.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard outside.

"They're here!" Li Shuang looked towards the door.

Soon, Shi Shengqing appeared at the door, and upon seeing the living Nangong Wu, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

They worked all night and thought they could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but the person was not dead!

Nangong Wu looked up at him. "Shi Shengqing, are you disappointed to see that I'm still alive?"

"You wicked girl!" Shi Shengqing gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with a hatred that seemed to want to devour her alive. "What happened last night, did you do it?"

He's figured it out now!

This wicked girl didn't die; it must have been her who stole from the Shi family's storeroom, Wan Shuhua's private treasury, and the things in his secret room.

He underestimated this wretched girl; she was practically his nemesis.

"What did I do?" Nangong Wu stood up, walked up to him, her eyes full of mockery. "Are you saying you set fire to me to burn me to death, but didn't know I had already left before dark? This isn't my fault, it's because the people you raised were too useless."