This outcome was well within Wei Tingyu's expectations. An Emperor who relied on poison and threats to families to control the Zhu Yiwei was lucky if he wasn't bitten back once these people were freed from their shackles.
"Ren Xin!" The An Emperor, Li Shun, was furious, his eyes bulging. The Zhu Yiwei was an organization the An imperial family had cultivated for generations, and now it was crumbling in his hands. His shoulders trembled, a mix of fear and rage.
"What's wrong?" Ren Ruyi sneered, giving the Emperor a sideways glance. "You hate the Zhu Yiwei for being 'dirty' when you use them, but now you're reluctant to let them go?"
"Hmph!" Ren Ruyi had hit a sore spot. Li Shun could only snort, unable to speak.
"Ren Xin! Do not harm His Majesty!" Just then, the Duke of Chu, knowing the time was right, stepped forward and shouted. "Release the Emperor at once!"
At that moment, all the ministers of An were in a state of shock and confusion. Even Prime Minister Wang Donglai, who had spoken first, was still processing what had happened. The Duke of Chu's intervention was a beacon of hope for them.
"What's this?" Ren Ruyi smiled upon seeing the Duke of Chu. The planned performance had reached this point. "A ruler so unjust, yet the Duke of Chu would remain blindly loyal to him?"
"Though His Majesty may have a thousand faults, he is still the ruler of An!" The Duke of Chu's lines were pre-rehearsed. "If harm befalls the Emperor, other nations will surely take advantage! An would be leaderless, and its people would suffer once more!"
At his words, the ministers finally came to their senses. It was true. Even if they hated the An Emperor, they couldn't stand by and watch the nation descend into chaos. They, the ministers and nobles, would be the first to suffer from the collapse of the state. It was rare for the Duke of Chu to be so considerate! The ministers were all impressed, and their opinion of the usually quiet noble rose.
"Yes, yes! The Duke of Chu is right! Ren Xin, don't be rash!"
"Please release His Majesty! We all understand your grievances now!"
"The Zhu Yiwei are scattered. What more do you want? As long as you don't harm the Emperor, just say it!"
The ministers echoed the Duke of Chu's words. Their priority was to save the An Emperor. Forcing him to abdicate could be a later matter. If the Emperor died now, the An Kingdom would be in an uproar. Their political system was a transition from nomadic to agrarian life, so it wouldn't be surprising if the more remote tribes rebelled. The Emperor's own tribe, the Central Shazhou, was the most powerful. They would surely march on the capital to seek revenge, and their actions might be even more brutal than those of an invading army.
"Don't worry! I wouldn't let you die." Ren Ruyi sneered, looking at the An Emperor. The brief moment of heroism he had displayed was gone. His eyes were fixed on the blade at his throat, and his lips trembled. He was clearly afraid of death.
Without another word, Ren Ruyi struck the An Emperor's back with a palm, sending him tumbling off the tower. With two quick leaps, she landed on the rooftop of the tower and disappeared into the night. The Zhu Yiwei on the tower, though not actively hindering her, did nothing to stop her either. They watched as Ren Ruyi slipped away effortlessly.
At this moment, the ministers and Deng Hui were more concerned about the An Emperor, who was plummeting to the ground. "Your Majesty!" The Duke of Chu, who was prepared, rushed forward, feigning an attempt to catch the Emperor.
But he was too far. Just as the Emperor's face was about to hit the ground, his body suddenly stopped mid-air. When Ren Ruyi had struck him, she had also attached a strong silk thread to his back. It was this thread that saved the Emperor's life.
Deng Hui flew down from the tower, cut the thread with his sword, and caught the Emperor. Only then did the old man, Li Shun, regain his composure. He looked at the officials before him, feeling utterly humiliated.
"Your Majesty!" Deng Hui, who had just saved him, stepped forward quietly, waiting for praise and a reward.
But the Emperor turned to him, his eyes filled with rage. Before Deng Hui could react, the Emperor punched him in the chest.
"What were you doing?!" The infuriated Emperor glared at Deng Hui, who had rolled twice on the ground. His eyes looked like they would pop out of their sockets. The ministers were speechless. You don't know martial arts. Do you really think Deng Hui would be knocked down by your punch? The old man had completely lost his sense of propriety. If not for Deng Hui, you'd be hanging from the city gate like a puppet right now, a true disgrace!
"This servant deserves to die!" Deng Hui felt wronged, but he immediately knelt to beg for forgiveness.
"Go! Bring Ren Xin back at once! Or I will take your life!" The An Emperor didn't care about Deng Hui's feelings. "I will also desecrate your family's graves for three generations!"
At the Emperor's words, Deng Hui's eyes hardened. The ministers nearby lowered their heads, silent. As Deng Hui and the few remaining loyal Zhu Yiwei subordinates left, the Emperor's rage turned to the rest of the officials.
"Wang Donglai!" the Emperor roared.
"Your servant greets Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Wang Donglai had never seen the Emperor like this. He trembling ran forward and knelt.
"Today's events were the work of a villain!" The Emperor glared at Wang Donglai. "You know what you must say when you return?"
"This servant... obeys!" Wang Donglai was stunned, then nodded, his voice trembling. He knelt on the ground. The ministers all looked on with contempt. The An Emperor was going to use his power to alter history once again. But this only proved that Ren Ruyi's words were true.
"Proclaim the Emperor's decree!" Wang Donglai turned to the ministers. "Today's events were the work of a villain! No historian is to record this! Those who disobey will be beheaded!"
"What?" The ministers were shocked. Some historians furrowed their brows.
"But this..." One of them stepped forward to protest, but the Duke of Chu grabbed his arm. The young official was brave and naive, but the Duke of Chu didn't want him to die for his duty. After all, it was the darkest hour before the dawn for An. Dying now would be a waste.
Because of his recent actions, the Duke of Chu's status had risen significantly in the ministers' eyes, surpassing even the Prime Minister. Seeing him shake his head, the young historian could only suppress his anger.
"Your Majesty!" Just then, a group of palace guards arrived, many of them injured.
"Yang Xingyuan... perished in the fire!" When they reported this, the Emperor grew even more furious. He had imprisoned the Wu Emperor, Yang Xingyuan, to extort gold from Wu. And now he was burned to death in a fire?! Not only had he created a mortal enemy in Wu, but he also lost his chance at the gold!
"What good are you?! What happened?" The enraged Emperor kicked the guard in front of him and demanded answers.
"Two highly skilled martial artists came. We thought they were here to save the Wu Emperor..."
"Who would have thought... they would use the gunpowder we had prepared to start a massive fire at the base of the tower..."
"Then they even stopped us from putting out the fire until it reached the top of the tower! It was impossible for anyone to survive..."
"What?" The Emperor was stunned. They went to Yong'an Tower not to save the Wu Emperor, but to kill him? Did this mean they weren't from the Wu envoy team?
"Right! What about the Wu King? Arrest him!"
"And that Marquis from the Central Plains! He must be involved in this as well!"
"Arrest them all!"
The An Emperor, Li Shun, was losing his mind. He was already paranoid, and now he had no idea who he could trust. His mind raced, but he couldn't make sense of the situation. He now even distrusted his own palace guards.
"Quick! Tell my eldest son! Tell him to bring the men and arrest them for me!" He could only think of his son as someone he could trust, so he gave the order loudly. But all the ministers knew his eldest son had been dead for many days. Seeing the Emperor give such an order, they all looked horrified. It was clear that the An Emperor had gone mad. A mad emperor who was also suspicious and bloodthirsty... The ministers all felt a chill run down their spines.
"Where is my horn? My horn?!" The Emperor's madness was just beginning. He shouted, his eyes wide. A palace guard officer immediately obeyed, turning and running into the palace. He was going to get the Emperor's horn. The ministers were even more terrified. The An imperial family was from the largest nomadic tribe, the Central Shazhou. The horn was used to summon his tribesmen to the capital for protection. He clearly didn't trust anyone present. What would happen when those nomadic barbarians entered the prosperous city of Andu? The ministers had a grim idea, but no one dared to stop the Emperor.
"Are you deaf?!" Li Shun turned and saw the kneeling eunuchs hadn't gone to deliver the order to his eldest son. He kicked them twice, sending them sprawling.
"Your Majesty, forgive me!" The eunuch was wronged. How could he deliver an order to a dead man? "But the eldest prince..." he began, but dared not finish. But the Emperor had already understood. The rage in his eyes flickered, replaced by confusion, then shock, and finally, sorrow. He had finally remembered that his eldest son was dead.
Just then, the sound of the horn echoed from the palace, and the answering calls continued into the distance, toward the Central Shazhou. It was a signal fire, but made of sound. The Central Shazhou would soon receive the Emperor's summons and march on Andu.
"My eldest son... is dead! My second son... I... banished!" The Emperor slowly turned and walked back into the palace, his back a lonely figure. "Don't follow me... don't follow me..."
But his despair didn't move any of the ministers. The Emperor they had known was completely gone. Now, he was just a vile, shameless man who had usurped his position. This was his own doing. Moreover, the Central Shazhou tribes were coming. The ministers' main concern was whether their own families would survive the coming catastrophe.
...
The next day, the entire city of Andu was locked down, even during the day. The palace guards had taken over the city's defense, patrolling the streets all day for "spies and villains." Their patrols were completely useless, only succeeding in terrifying the citizens into staying indoors.
The Wu envoy team had long since disappeared. Wei Tingyu had already sent Yang Ying out of the city two days ago, so she wouldn't be caught. As for Wei Tingyu and Ren Ruyi, they were still in the city, but with the palace guards' meager skills, they couldn't possibly be caught, or even found.
...
"Ah... a fine capital city, now so desolate."
"This is still good. Who knows what it will be like when the Central Shazhou tribes arrive?"
"I think His Majesty has truly gone mad. Why else would he make such a decision?"
"Quiet! Quiet! Someone might hear you, and you'll be beheaded before the Central Shazhou even get here!"
"This is worse than death! We stood from dawn until dusk, and His Majesty never appeared. A whole day wasted!"
Outside the palace gates, a group of weary ministers slowly walked away, complaining about the desolate streets. Andu was in a state of disarray. Everyone was simply waiting for the city to fall.
"They're here! They're here!" Just as the ministers were about to disperse, the An Emperor suddenly burst out of the palace on a fast horse, shouting as he galloped toward the city gate! The ministers scattered, many of them stumbling to avoid his horse's hooves. The Emperor, as if there were no one else there, only cared about riding forward, his eyes bloodshot with excitement.
"They're here? Who's here?" The ministers stared at each other in confusion as the Emperor and his entourage rode away.
"Could it be... the Central Shazhou tribes have arrived?" one of the ministers suddenly realized, and everyone shuddered. Based on the time, the Central Shazhou wasn't far from Andu. A day and a night of travel would be enough.