It was a day of blazing sunshine.
From the moment Jiu Yue woke up, her eyelids had been twitching uncontrollably. A couple of slaps did nothing to stop them—they kept right on jumping.
She rolled out of bed and rushed straight into Prince Ping’s courtyard, only to find Mei Wuchang waiting for her instead of the prince himself.
"...Why are you still here?" Jiu Yue asked, startled.
Mei Wuchang averted his gaze, hesitating before answering, "His Highness gave orders. We’re to wait for the signal."
Jiu Yue froze. "What signal?"
Mei Wuchang replied, "Once General Xiao Chi enters the palace, we’re to bring reinforcements to assist."
The two exchanged glances, both realizing what this meant.
Jiu Yue sat down abruptly, unsure whether it was lingering drowsiness or something else, but her mind felt foggy... She had been waiting for this day, yet now that it had arrived, time seemed to have flown by too quickly.
"What’s today’s date?" she murmured.
Mei Wuchang answered, "The first day of the eighth month."
So it was already August.
Jiu Yue closed her eyes briefly, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear it. She pressed a hand to her chest.
"Why did His Highness give you the orders and not me?" she suddenly demanded, turning to Mei Wuchang.
The man replied earnestly, "His Highness said that if you didn’t want to go, you didn’t have to. You could wait here in the residence until he came for you."
Jiu Yue fell silent.
Mei Wuchang added cautiously, "His Highness... really does care for you now."
Jiu Yue: "..."
Her lips twitched, but she didn’t respond to that. Instead, she pressed for details about their forces.
Once she understood Prince Ping’s arrangements, she steadied herself and turned to Mei Wuchang with a final instruction: "Once you lead the men in, remember to run."
Prince Ping’s faction had to be eradicated—root and branch.
With that, she hurried back to her room to gather her gear... especially the dagger she had gotten from the mute girl.
Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the blade, whether from excitement or something else.
Finally.
The day had come!
Fully armed, Jiu Yue left the residence and happened upon Xiao Chi’s personal guards lingering in the main street.
She stealthily grabbed the last soldier in line and demanded in a low voice, "Where’s General Xiao Chi?"
The man stared at her in shock but didn’t dare lie. "The general has already entered the palace to see His Majesty."
"How long ago?"
"Nearly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
No sooner had he spoken than the palace gates ahead swung open. The screams of eunuchs and palace maids reached Jiu Yue’s ears.
"Rebels! It’s the rebels!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Protect His Majesty! Into the palace!" The guards, as if prepared, raised their weapons and surged toward the gates.
Before Jiu Yue could react, a furious voice barked beside her, "I’ve seen you before! You’re one of Prince Ping’s people! Seize her!"
Jiu Yue: "..."
Perfect.
So Xiao Chi had given warnings.
Since they were allies, she couldn’t kill them.
With two or three hundred guards blocking the palace gates, Jiu Yue simply fought her way through the encirclement and sprinted forward.
The palace was already in chaos. Wounded eunuchs and maids littered the paths—proof that Prince Ping’s influence had infiltrated even the imperial guards.
Jiu Yue gritted her teeth. As she ran, her vision blurred with flashes of green, so intense it nearly blinded her.
Enemies lunged at her from all sides, blades flashing. She couldn’t tell friend from foe, dodging as best she could.
When she finally reached the Golden Hall, she found the court officials trapped inside, surrounded by guards.
The civil officials shielded the emperor behind them, while the military officials stood unarmed at the front. Below the steps, a bloody battle raged—all between palace guards.
Xiao Chi’s forces arrived swiftly, but Prince Ping’s men were right behind them.
Spotting this, Prince Ping allowed himself a triumphant smile.
The emperor had already descended from his throne, his eyes filled with bitter disappointment as he glared at Prince Ping.
"Qi Xiuyuan, what is the meaning of this?" he demanded, barely containing his fury.
Prince Ping swept his gaze over the officials before settling on Sima Qing beside the emperor.
"Your Majesty must forgive me. The situation is dire, and I had no choice but to take drastic measures."
Such lofty words.
The emperor laughed coldly. "And what dire situation justifies disregarding imperial authority and staging a coup?!"
Prince Ping narrowed his eyes, his ambition laid bare.
"Your Majesty, treacherous ministers manipulate the court, and the people suffer!" he declared. "Cleansing the court of corruption cannot wait!"
"What a grand excuse for ‘cleansing the court’..." Sima Qing couldn’t help but applaud.
"Prince Ping makes a compelling case. But aren’t you being a bit hasty? I won’t live past the fifth of this month—just a few more days. Was all this really necessary?"
He turned to the emperor with a smirk. "Thankfully, Your Majesty was wise enough to ask for his reasons. Had he not claimed to be purging traitors for Your Majesty’s sake, I might have mistaken this for a rebellion."
"Uncle, your tongue remains as sharp as ever," Prince Ping replied calmly, unruffled. He addressed the officials. "The crimes of the regent are well known to all. I need not list them."
"Now, the choice is yours." He studied them with leisurely confidence. "Those who stand with the regent will share his fate—though I will be merciful enough to grant you whole corpses."
Sima Qing coughed lightly before turning to face the officials as well.
"Gentlemen, follow your hearts. Though I wouldn’t mind company on the road to the underworld."
The officials were caught in an impossible position.
Outside, the sounds of battle grew louder. Even the imperial consorts had been dragged into the chaos. The ministers wiped sweat from their brows and began making their choices.
Prince Ping’s faction naturally sided with him.
The rest either stood frozen in fear or, with righteous indignation, moved behind Sima Qing.
Among them was the elderly Lord Shen.
"Even if the regent has committed atrocities, you cannot storm the palace! This is rebellion! Treason!" Lord Shen, who had lost two teeth in his last scuffle with Sima Qing, spoke without hesitation. "Prince Ping, turn back before it’s too late!"
Prince Ping’s smile faded slightly as he regarded Lord Shen with indifference.
"I never expected you to be the first to defend my uncle... No matter. You don’t have many years left anyway. If you’re so eager to die, I’ll oblige you now."
With that, he snatched a sword from a nearby guard and swung it at Lord Shen without hesitation.
"Lord Shen—!" Some officials shut their eyes in horror.
But no scream came.
Prince Ping paused, displeased to find Xiao Chi blocking his strike.
"General Xiao, what do you mean by this?"
