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“Report—”
The high-pitched voice, tinged with panic, echoed from afar, as if announcing some ominous outcome on this night, “Your Majesty! It’s not good, not good, the imperial city has been breached!”
The entire court, civil and military officials alike, felt their legs go weak, their faces turning pale, expressions of despair written on their faces.
The sound of iron hooves and cries of agony filled the air.
The palace gates were trampled, and countless elite soldiers and cavalry charged into the palace, torches lighting up half the sky.
Eunuchs and palace maids scrambled in panic, casting a somber shadow over the usually quiet and luxurious court.
The civil and military officials, unable to escape, grew frantic like ants on a hot pan: “How did the city gates fall so quickly?”
“Didn’t Concubine Ying go to defend the gates?”
“Your Majesty!” A blood-soaked imperial guard stepped into the hall, kneeling on one knee, his face haggard and sorrowful, “Concubine Ying ordered the gates opened and went out to engage the enemy forces directly, but… but we were no match for them… The city has fallen…”
“What?” The ministers’ expressions changed dramatically, “How could Concubine Ying open the gates? With so many enemy troops, how could we possibly be their match?”
“What exactly was Concubine Ying trying to do?!”
Yan Yunshuo sat on the dragon throne, as if he hadn’t heard the question, staring fixedly at the pile of memorials on the imperial desk and the jade seal the chief eunuch had just presented, his face calm to the extreme, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
“Your Majesty, flee now!”
“Your Majesty!” The old minister knelt down, pleading bitterly, “If you don’t leave now, it will be too late!”
“Your Majesty!” The other officials followed suit, kneeling down and begging in unison, “Please, Your Majesty, leave at once!”
Outside, cries of fear and distress suddenly rang out: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”
“Father Emperor! Father Emperor!”
Yan Yunshuo snapped back to reality, listening to the cries of the concubines and children outside, he closed his eyes briefly, then looked indifferently at the civil and military officials kneeling before him, his voice cold and emotionless: “Leave? Where to? To live a life of wandering and hiding?”
The old minister said, “Your Majesty, as long as the green hills are there, there will be no lack of firewood—”
“I am the Emperor.” Yan Yunshuo coldly interrupted him, “If Nan Dynasty falls, what is the point of me living? If you fear death, you can go back now to pack your things and flee with your wives and children. If you manage to escape, it will be your skill, if not, you will have to accept your fate. I will not leave this place.”
“Your Majesty!”
The officials remained stiffly kneeling on the ground, wanting to escape, but hearing the sounds of battle and screams outside, they realized they had missed the best opportunity to flee.
Trying to escape now would most likely result in being hacked to death by random blades. Staying here with the Emperor might earn them a reputation for loyalty and courage.
The sounds of battle grew closer, and everyone’s faces turned as pale as snow.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” A concubine stumbled in, but as soon as her foot crossed the threshold, she let out a scream, “Ah!”
Blood spurted out, and her body collapsed limply.
Yan Yunshuo’s face turned pale, and he finally couldn’t help but stand up, clenching his fists tightly: “Today, I will fight them to the death! Those who are not afraid of death, follow me!”
He turned and drew the longsword from his personal guard’s waist, gritting his teeth as he charged towards the outside of the hall. However, just as he stepped down from the stone steps, a group of elite soldiers barged in.
“Where is the Emperor going?” Accompanied by a cold voice, a woman in military attire entered the hall, her cold and emotionless eyes locking onto Yan Yunshuo, the icy and merciless killing intent in her gaze making people shudder.
The elite soldiers swarmed in and quickly took control of the officials present.
Yan Yunshuo’s gaze, however, was fixed on the woman’s face.
She was beautiful, with a slender figure, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, still looking like an unmarried girl. However, her every move exuded a steady aura, and her entire being gave off a cold and formidable aura that made people fearful—a deathly aura that was completely at odds with her age.
Yan Yunshuo’s pupils contracted, and he felt an inexplicable chill.