Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, strings and bamboo instruments began playing once more as palace maids carried platters of delicacies through the banquet.
The crushing defeat of the Central Plains delegation had allowed the officials and nobles of Great Yuan to hold their heads high. The atmosphere in the hall was at its liveliest.
Amid the laughter and merriment, however, the mood at the head of the military officials’ table was cold enough to freeze water.
The solid-gold wine cup in Lin Zhenxiong’s hand had been squeezed out of shape.
Its sharp metal edge pierced his palm, yet he seemed not to feel the pain. Bright red blood mingled with the clear wine and dripped through his fingers onto the table.
His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the trusted assassin disguised as a eunuch before him.
“Say that again…”
His voice was hoarse and despairing, forced through clenched teeth.
“The ten carts of black gunpowder and several thousand jin of refined iron from Blackwind Stronghold… are all gone?”
The trusted assassin was trembling like a leaf. He repeatedly knocked his head against the floor, not daring to raise it.
“R-Reporting, my lord… they’re empty. Completely empty!”
“When this subordinate took men to investigate, not even a single wooden barrel used to store the gunpowder remained.”
“And the Blood Drippers’ top assassins… there’s been no sign of them alive, nor any trace of their corpses!”
Boom.
Lin Zhenxiong felt a roar explode inside his head. His vision went black in waves.
Gone!
Everything was gone!
That was the military equipment for his rebellion—equipment he had drained his family’s wealth to obtain, even forcing his niece to extort money from the imperial harem just to scrape together!
The black gunpowder was what gave him the confidence to blow up the Hall of Supreme Harmony and wipe out the entire imperial family of Great Yuan.
The refined iron was the peerless material he planned to use to arm the army outside the city.
Now, not even scraps remained. It had all turned to smoke!
Lin Zhenxiong’s chest heaved violently, his breathing heavy, like a beast driven into a corner.
Who had done this?
Could the old emperor have noticed something?
Impossible!
He had acted with such secrecy. How could everything have been wiped out in one stroke?
But at this point, there was no meaning in pursuing the culprit.
His plot had been exposed.
There was no turning back now.
The one hundred thousand troops outside the city had already assembled.
If he did not act tonight, tomorrow would be the day his entire Lin clan was sentenced to execution!
Lin Zhenxiong abruptly raised his head and cast a venomous look toward the high platform.
Upon the pure-steel dragon throne, Su Zhen held a wine cup and watched the dancing in the center of the hall with a broad smile.
To Lin Zhenxiong, that smile was filled with mockery and provocation.
Su Zhen… You think that by cutting off my weapons, you can do anything to me?
Lin Zhenxiong roared inwardly.
The muscles on his face twitched with fury.
“Since you’ve forced me into this, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Driven into a corner, Lin Zhenxiong decided to reveal another hidden trump card concealed within the palace!
His gaze passed over the hall and landed on the broad square outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Several days earlier, under the pretext of adding entertainment to the emperor’s birthday celebration, he had forcibly added a troupe to the palace’s program.
A folk lion-dance troupe called A Hundred Lions Pay Their Respects.
On the surface, the troupe consisted of five hundred brawny acrobats. They wore festive lion-dance costumes and carried imposing lion heads, all in hopes of bringing good fortune.
In reality, all five hundred men were heavily armed elite infantry secretly raised by Lin Zhenxiong!
Every lion dancer was a powerful, fearless soldier.
Beneath their loose, heavy lion-dance costumes lay indestructible full-body armor forged from refined steel!
The lion heads in their hands were also made of solid iron, concealing deadly mechanisms and hidden blades.
This was Lin Zhenxiong’s true trump card!
Originally, he had planned to wait until the black gunpowder outside the city exploded and the Hall of Supreme Harmony descended into chaos before sending these five hundred armored soldiers charging in to clean up the survivors.
But now the gunpowder was gone, his outside support had been severed, and circumstances had overtaken his plans.
He had no choice but to stake everything on a single throw!
When the song and dance ended, Lin Zhenxiong took a deep breath and suppressed the panic in his heart.
He rose to his feet and strode to the center of the hall.
“Your Majesty!”
Lin Zhenxiong cupped his hands. His booming voice overpowered the music filling the hall.
“Today is the joyous Mid-Autumn Festival, and Great Yuan has also triumphed over the Central Plains, bringing glory to our nation. Truly, we have two celebrations in one!”
“Your old servant specially sought out a folk lion-dance troupe called A Hundred Lions Pay Their Respects, hoping they might perform for Your Majesty and add to the festivities.”
Su Zhen looked down from his throne, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
That old fox. His weapons have already been seized by my precious daughter, yet he can still smile?
Looks like he still has another move up his sleeve.
“The Grand General has gone to such trouble. Let them enter.”
“Wait!”
Lin Zhenxiong raised his head, his gaze wild.
“Your Majesty, the essence of A Hundred Lions Pay Their Respects lies in absorbing the dragon’s aura.”
“Your old servant humbly begs Your Majesty’s permission to allow these five hundred auspicious lions to dance all the way into the Hall of Supreme Harmony along the red carpet before the hall!”
“They must perform close to the dragon throne. Only then can they display the mighty imperial prestige of Great Yuan’s true dragon emperor!”
The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the hall changed.
Perform close to the dragon throne?
Five hundred burly men charging right up to the emperor?
That was far too improper!
The commander responsible for the emperor’s protection sensed that something was wrong.
While patrolling outside the hall, he had already found the lion-dance troupe suspicious.
Although those men were dressed as lion dancers, their footsteps were unnaturally heavy. Every step landed on the paving stones with a dull, thunderous thud.
That was not the weight ordinary acrobats should have!
Moreover, their eyes concealed a murderous intent so intense it was almost tangible.
“Your Majesty, you must not!”
The commander of the Imperial Guard dropped to one knee and shouted his objection.
“These five hundred men are of unknown origin, and all are exceptionally strong and heavily built.”
“If they are allowed to approach the dragon throne and anything should startle or threaten Your Majesty, the consequences would be disastrous!”
“I humbly request that Your Majesty allow the lion-dance troupe to perform only at the edge of the square. They must not set foot on the red carpet leading into the Hall of Supreme Harmony!”
Lin Zhenxiong flew into a rage.
He pointed at the commander’s nose and roared, “Insolence! What does a brute like you know?”
“A Hundred Lions Pay Their Respects is an auspicious omen! The closer they are to the dragon throne, the more prosperous Great Yuan’s destiny will become!”
“You obstruct it at every turn and seek to damage our nation’s fortune. What are your intentions?”
“Could it be that Commander, you wish to curse His Majesty and curse Great Yuan itself?!”
With such a massive accusation crashing down upon him, the commander of the Imperial Guard immediately broke into a cold sweat. He was left utterly speechless.
The civil officials in the hall also began whispering among themselves.
Su Zhen sat upon the dragon throne, his expression turning cold.
Very good, Lin Zhenxiong.
You’re already facing death, yet you still dare to act so arrogantly before me!
Do you truly think I dare not execute you here and now?
Su Zhen’s hand moved toward the Longquan Sword at his waist.
The moment he drew it, the Dragon Guards hidden in the shadows would immediately hack Lin Zhenxiong to death.
Even with one hundred thousand troops outside the city, he would first use this traitor’s head to raise the banner today!
Just as Su Zhen was about to explode—
At this critical moment, Su Yaoyao, who had just finished settling the Frost Jade Stone in the weapons workshop of the Cold Palace, slipped quietly back into the hall.
The little girl was nimble and agile as she climbed back onto her little golden seat.
She glanced at the brazen Lin Zhenxiong in the center of the hall.
Then she looked toward the lion-dance troupe outside in the square, where the men had already formed up.
Su Yaoyao’s eyes lit up at once.
Her excited thoughts exploded inside Su Zhen’s mind.
[Wow! Heavy infantry attempting an indoor assassination?]
[This old geezer really is a genius!]
[Five hundred iron cans wearing full armor, and they still have to walk down the red carpet and get right up beside the dragon throne?]
Su Yaoyao rubbed her hands together frantically in her mind, so excited she nearly started dancing.
[Wonderful! I was just worrying about this earlier!]
【If an ordinary person steps on the field magic I just developed, it might not conduct electricity very well.】
【But if it’s a heavily armored infantryman wearing dozens of pounds of pure iron armor… the spectacle is going to be absolutely glorious!】
Su Yaoyao laughed wildly to herself as she secretly pulled a small metal remote control from her sleeve.
【Come on, come on! Let the storm rage even harder!】
【This is the perfect chance to test my super-strength nano lubricant and microcurrent electrostatic panels!】
【A cure for every kind of insolence!】
Hearing that barrage of thoughts, Su Zhen’s hand stopped on the hilt of his sword.
All the fury and killing intent in his chest vanished without a trace.
Field magic?
Nano lubricant?
Although he couldn’t understand these strange terms, Su Zhen knew one thing for certain: they were definitely another devious trick devised by his darling daughter.
Since his precious daughter wanted to have some fun, he absolutely had to play along!
Su Zhen took a deep breath and released the hilt of his sword.
The gloom on his face vanished, replaced by the kind, genial smile of a loving father.
“Commander, stand down. Do not be disrespectful.”
Su Zhen waved a large hand, his tone surprisingly magnanimous.
“The Grand General is only acting out of concern for the fate of Great Abyss. His loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon.”
The Imperial Guard Commander froze, unable to believe his ears.
Lin Zhenxiong, meanwhile, was secretly delighted. He cursed Su Zhen as a fool who knew nothing but indulging in pleasure.
“Transmit My decree!”
Su Zhen pointed toward the red carpet outside the great hall and announced in a booming voice:
“Approved! Let the five hundred auspicious lions enter the hall and perform at once!”
“Not only must they walk along the red carpet, they must come as close to Me as possible. Don’t hold back!”
Lin Zhenxiong was ecstatic, a bloodthirsty, savage glint flashing in his eyes.
Su Zhen, you brought this upon yourself!
Once the five hundred heavily armored death soldiers got close, even if you were a Grandmaster, you would still be hacked into mincemeat today!
Triumphantly, Lin Zhenxiong turned around, preparing to give the order outside the hall.
His mind was filled with visions of a successful rebellion, and even his steps grew lighter.
However, he failed to notice that Su Yaoyao, seated on a small golden throne beside the imperial throne, had quietly signaled to Crown Prince Su Jin below.
The siblings exchanged a knowing, almost benevolent-looking glance.
They were ready to add a little something extra to that dazzling red carpet.
