Chapter 231: A Deep Sea of Blood and Hatred

Jiu Yu immediately recognized the leader of the Imperial Guards—it was none other than the commander of the death warriors under his mother’s command, the very target he had been tailing today.

He suddenly stepped in front of Su Wan, blocking her. “Step back.”

Su Wan was stunned. She gazed at Jiu Yu’s slender figure, her expression turning somewhat complicated.

She did not miss the astonishment in his eyes when he saw the approaching figure. It was clear that he recognized the person before them, and judging by his stance, treating them as a formidable foe, they were certainly not an ally.

Miss Fan also sensed that something was amiss. She quickly moved to Jiu Yu’s side, joining him in shielding Su Wan.

Unable to hold back, she asked, “Miss Su, are the people in the Imperial Ancestral Hall safe?”

“They’re fine.” Su Wan was highly sensitive to smells, especially after the incident involving Dechuan. She had become exceedingly cautious about everything within the palace. Given Dechuan’s violent death, it was certain that a mastermind still lurked in the shadows.

She had no desire to become Xiliang’s Empress nor its Crown Princess. Despite the Empress Dowager and the Empress’s attempts to persuade her, they were ultimately forced to concede and formally appoint Wei Liuyin as the Crown Princess instead.

The Empress Dowager was willing to compromise, but with one condition—Su Wan must be included in the Wei family’s jade genealogy records.

Ji Xuan didn’t mind either way. Whether her surname was Ji or Wei, she was still his daughter.

Su Wan had even less objection. As long as her freedom wasn’t restricted, she was agreeable to anything.

Today was not just the day of appointing the Crown Princess, it was also the day she officially acknowledged her ancestry and returned to her lineage.

The Empress Dowager wanted to introduce her to the civil and military officials to show how much she valued her, so Su Wan had to attend the celebration.

As she entered the Imperial Ancestral Hall, she caught a faint scent of saltpeter. She subtly signaled to the Empress, urging her to conduct a thorough investigation of the hall.

To their shock, they discovered a large quantity of gunpowder buried beneath the altar.

The culprits hiding inside, realizing their plot had been exposed, attempted to send out a warning. Su Wan immediately advised the Empress to issue an order to seal the doors and eliminate the infiltrators.

To be able to orchestrate such a scheme in the Imperial Ancestral Hall showed the mastermind’s extraordinary capabilities. To avoid further complications, they decided to turn the situation to their advantage. Everyone hid in the secret passage while Su Wan detonated the gunpowder, luring the enemy out of hiding.

She glanced at the bodies lying on the ground, they were all enemies.

“Not a single scratch,” Su Wan repeated firmly.

Young Lady Fan let out a sigh of relief and shouted at the Imperial Guards, “Such a major incident happening in the Imperial Ancestral Hall is your failure! Why aren’t you investigating immediately to find out who’s behind this?”

The leader of the death warriors ignored Young Lady Fan, his gaze fixed intently on Jiu Yu. The veins on his hand bulged as it rested on his sword, betraying his inner turmoil. He had not expected that the young master was still alive. Suppressing his excitement, he rasped, “Young Master, come here quickly.”

“An Yi, stand down,” Jiu Yu said, remaining motionless. He tried to reason with him, “As her son, I should, from the perspective of filial piety, avenge my mother’s death. But things have come to this because she was in the wrong first. If not for her attempt to seize the throne, how would she have met such a tragic end?”

An Yi looked at Jiu Yu in shock, his expression one of betrayal. “Young Master, such a deep sea of blood and hatred must be avenged! Before your mother’s death, she commanded you to return and take revenge for her. Our master has searched for you all these years, fearing that you had not escaped the tiger’s jaws. Now that you’re back, don’t let our master down.”

An Yi’s gaze toward Su Wan was filled with intense killing intent.

However, with Jiu Yu standing in his way, An Yi hesitated to make a move.

Jiu Yu noticed the murderous intent in An Yi’s eyes and was about to say something further when another group of people arrived. The light of hope in his eyes flickered, only to extinguish completely when he saw who it was.

The newcomer’s face was marked with black lines resembling a spider web. Despite the distorted appearance, Jiu Yu could recognize the familiar features of the person.

His throat tightened, and with great difficulty, he uttered a single word: “Father.”