The Empress remarried, and I retaliated by wiping out the court.

Two days passed quickly.

Before dawn, the entire capital city of Yujing was already shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

The palace's four gates were tightly closed, and armored soldiers stood guard on the palace walls.

In the imperial study, Ye Wudao had not slept all night. Cao Ji strode in, knelt down, and prostrated himself.

"Your Majesty, scouts outside the palace report that all three battalions of the Imperial Guards have assembled and are approaching the palace! At their marching speed, they will be at the palace gates in less than an hour!"

Ye Wudao put down his teacup, his eyes chillingly cold: "You've finally arrived."

He reached into a hidden compartment on the table and slowly took out a thick register, handing it to Cao Ji.

"Take this and clean it up!"

Cao Ji took it with both hands, and as soon as he turned to the first page, his expression suddenly changed.

The further he turned, the more rapid his breathing became, and cold sweat gradually seeped from his forehead.

"This...how is this possible?"

The roster was filled with names of suspicious individuals from the Eastern Depot and various departments of the Imperial City.

From the chief of criminal justice, the garrison commander, to the centurion, the head constable, and the constable...

Even several of his trusted confidants who had followed him for over a decade were among those listed.

Next to their names, the names of those they secretly pledged allegiance to were also recorded in detail.

Some people sought refuge with the Regent's Palace.

Someone was passing on a message for the Li family.

Some people maintain contact with the eight great families.

Some of them were even spies planted by the Four Kings...

Cao Ji became increasingly alarmed as he looked at the document, and his hands trembled slightly involuntarily.

Many of these people were promoted by him and were usually loyal. Who would have thought that they had secretly defected to others!

thump!

Cao Ji's forehead hit the ground hard, his voice hoarse.

"This old servant failed in his duty; Your Majesty, please punish me!"

Ye Wudao merely glanced at him indifferently.

"Now is not the time to plead guilty. You have one hour. On this list, it is better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

"After the killings, immediately appoint trusted individuals on the spot; there must be no mistakes!"

Cao Ji's eyes reddened as he kowtowed deeply.

"Official—I obey the order!"

He got up, turned around and left.

The moment he stepped out of the imperial study, all the respect on his face vanished, replaced by a chilling aura of menace.

He abruptly waved his sleeve: "Eastern Depot, listen to my command! All commanders, centurions, and foremen, assemble at the drill ground immediately! Anyone who disobeys—will be executed on the spot!"

……

In an instant.

The entire palace was filled with an atmosphere of panic and fear.

Squads of Eastern Depot agents, wielding long swords with black sheaths, sped out from various palace gates.

Some people had just woken up from their sleep, some were on duty at the palace gates, and some hadn't even had time to react before a series of kill orders were delivered to them.

"Arrest them by imperial decree!"

"Rebels!"

"Kill without mercy!"

In a short time.

The imperial city was brightly lit, but rivers of blood flowed...

……

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Guard camp, three elite units had already formed ranks.

Since the founding of the Great Yan Dynasty, in order to prevent any unforeseen events, the military forces deployed in the capital region, though not numerous, consisted of the elite of the elite.

Although the combined strength of the Imperial Guards, Dragon Guards, and Shence Guards was only 30,000, each of them was fully armored and their uniforms were novel.

Although their numbers are small, in terms of combat power, no army in the entire Great Yan can rival them.

Every soldier here is an elite selected from the border troops, the prefectural troops, and the guards of various prefectures.

Everyone can draw a three-stone bow and is proficient in archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship.

They don't guard the borders, they only guard the imperial city.

therefore.

The Imperial Guards also had another name—the Emperor's Sword.

But right now, this sword of the emperor is aimed at the current emperor—Ye Wudao!

Since the late emperor was killed in a coup, this imperial guard has been firmly under Xiao Linyuan's control.

In the center of the drill ground.

Xiao Linyuan, dressed in a black and gold python robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the high platform, with a group of imperial guard generals, including Jiang Xishan, Sun Yuanlang, and Xu Kenong, standing beside him.

Xiao Linyuan spoke slowly.

"Gentlemen, I already have an inside agent within the palace who will open the city gates for me. At that time, there will be no need to attack the city; my men will personally welcome you into the palace!"

Upon hearing this, the generals were invigorated.

Xiao Linyuan continued:

"Sun Yuanlang!"

Sun Yuanlang immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You will lead eight thousand Imperial Guards, march straight in through the Xuanwu Gate, seize control of the palace gates immediately, block all escape routes, and ensure that no one leaves the palace!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Xu Kenong!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You will lead ten thousand Dragon Guards into the palace through the Xihua Gate, and march straight to the Eastern Depot's headquarters. Leave no Eastern Depot agent alive! If anyone dares to resist, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes, sir!"

Xiao Linyuan turned his gaze to Zuo Zongnan.

"You will personally lead twelve thousand Shence Guards, bypassing the Imperial Garden, and storm into the Imperial Study from the Qianqing Palace. I want Ye Wudao dead!"

Zuo Zongnan clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"This subordinate obeys!"

Xiao Linyuan nodded slightly.

The entire deployment was carried out in an orderly manner, with each troop group arranged clearly.

But from beginning to end, he ignored Jiang Xishan, the commander of the Imperial Guards.

This person was promoted by Ye Wudao, but fearing there might be a trap, he cannot be given important responsibilities.

"Jiang Xishan, you will stay by my side."

"yes!"

Xiao Linyuan glanced around at his generals one last time and slowly raised his right hand.

"Gentlemen, it is three-quarters past midnight."

"The inside man should open the door."

"Within one hour, I want to see Ye Wudao kneeling before me!"

"Yes, sir!"

The 30,000 Imperial Guards roared in unison, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

…………

The people of Yujing City had long since closed their doors and windows, and the streets were deserted. Only a crack was quietly left in the window, with pairs of eyes peeking out.

"My God... the entire Imperial Guard has been mobilized..."

"Are they going to attack the palace?"

"The Great Yan Dynasty is about to change..."

The sand and stones on the Xuanwu Gate city wall trembled, indicating that a large army was approaching.

Ye Wudao, dressed in a black dragon robe, stood atop the city wall with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.

Behind him, two thousand guards from the Eastern Depot were already lined up.

Everyone held a knife, their expressions solemn.

Compared to the endless, dark mass of imperial guards outside the city, they appeared pitifully small.

Cao Ji walked over quickly, his voice trembling slightly:

"Your Majesty...should we retreat?"

"The Eastern Depot, at most, has only two thousand guards. Even if they are all fearless, they are no match for the thirty thousand Imperial Guards."

"As for Commander Mo, he hasn't shown up yet, most likely choosing to stand by and watch."

Cao Ji watched the approaching army, his voice growing softer and softer.

"Where there's life, there's hope."

"Your Majesty, please withdraw!"

Ye Wudao did not answer, but slowly walked to the front of the battlements.

The cold wind howled, and the dragon robe billowed.

Beneath my feet lies the majestic imperial city.

Before me stood the iron cavalry of the Imperial Guards.

Ye Wudao slowly raised his head and looked into the distance.

"The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."

"If I back down today, tomorrow the imperial power will be completely reduced to a puppet."

"Therefore—I will not retreat!"

Ye Wudao slowly drew the Emperor's Sword from his waist.

The sword was drawn, its cold light flashing.

Cao Ji's body trembled violently as he stared at Ye Wudao's tall and straight back, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

With two thousand against thirty thousand, the forces are mismatched, and this battle is simply unwinnable!

Even if the opponent has a numerical disadvantage, we can wear them down and kill them!

The man in front of you is either a fool or a madman who can manipulate everyone at will!

This battle is destined to go down in history!