From cute to empress

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Princess Zhao exclaimed, and rushed over desperately, knocking me to the ground.

A streak of black light brushed my cheek, and a few strands of hair fell to the ground. I looked up, startled, only to see the shadowy figure brandishing a longsword. Each strike carried a fierce, murderous aura, and the surrounding imperial guards were unable to get close.

"Youcai!" I called out loudly, and saw Zhen Youcai holding a spear, rushing towards the black shadow like a flash of lightning. The two of them fought in a group, and the sound of weapons colliding was like thunder, deafening.

I forced myself to calm down. Now wasn't the time to be afraid. I had to pull myself together and lead everyone to defeat the enemy before me! I stood up, drew the Emperor's Sword, and joined the battle.

"Soldiers, follow me and kill!" I raised the Emperor's Sword, roared, and rushed towards the enemy first.

My swordsmanship was taught by Zhen Youcai himself. While not as exquisite as his, it's still as good as any man's. I wielded the Emperor's Sword, each stroke brimming with murderous intensity, slashing every approaching enemy.

Seeing me fight bravely, the imperial guards' morale soared. With their weapons raised high, they charged forward like a tiger descending a mountain, unstoppable. The rebels, believing victory was certain, were caught off guard by our tenacity. Their morale collapsed, and they retreated in retreat.

"Want to run? Not that easy!" Zhen Youcai sneered, and the spear in his hand pierced straight into the back of the black shadow like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

The black shadow felt the murderous aura behind him and quickly turned around to resist, but Zhen Youcai's attack was like a storm, making him overwhelmed.

"Waste!" Seeing this, the national teacher cursed and joined the battle.

However, the Imperial Master's presence didn't change the situation; instead, it made their situation even more dangerous. Zhen Youcai and I worked in perfect harmony, one attacking, the other defending, trapping them both firmly.

"Empress, they want to escape!" Princess Zhao said anxiously, pointing at two figures climbing the city wall not far away.

I sneered, having anticipated their move. "Thinking of escaping? Dream on! Pass the order to close the city gates. Not a single one is allowed to escape!"

"According to the order!"

The city gates slowly closed, trapping the rebel leader and the imperial advisor inside. Seeing no hope of escape, they displayed expressions of despair.

I slowly walked up to them and looked at their miserable appearance without any sympathy in my heart.

"You lose." I said coldly.

"The victor will be the king and the loser will be the bandit. You can kill me or chop me up, it's all at your discretion!" said the rebel leader gritting his teeth.

I shook my head, my eyes scanning the entire battlefield, looking at the soldiers lying in a pool of blood, my heart filled with mixed feelings.

"Today, I swear to heaven..." I took a deep breath, raised the Emperor's Sword high, and uttered a resounding, resounding voice across the battlefield. "Today's chaos is caused by greed and betrayal! I swear in the name of the Empress that I will severely punish the traitors and comfort the souls of the soldiers who died for their country! I, Niu Mengmeng, swear to ensure that the people of Dayan are free from war and live a peaceful and prosperous life!"

My voice echoed across the battlefield. The previously demoralized Imperial Guards, upon hearing my oath, saw a rekindled fire of hope in their eyes. They raised their weapons high and shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Great Yan will prevail!"

The people also recovered from their panic. They looked at me, the young monarch, with eyes full of expectation and trust. I understood that my oath was not only a promise to the dead soldiers, but also a promise to all the people of Dayan.

"My Lady, be careful!" Princess Zhao suddenly exclaimed. Before I could react, I felt a powerful force knock me to the ground. I looked up and saw the Imperial Master holding a gleaming dagger in his hand, stabbing at me!

"Bitch, go to hell!" The national teacher's face was ferocious and his eyes were full of madness.

"Don't hurt my master!" Zhen Youcai roared, and the spear in his hand turned into a silver light and went straight to the face of the national teacher.

The Imperial Master snorted coldly, and with a flash of his body, he disappeared from the spot out of thin air.

"A mere trifle!" Zhen Youcai sneered. He formed seals with his hands and muttered something. A powerful airflow surged out of his body and instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.

"Break!" Zhen Youcai shouted, and the figure of the national teacher appeared again. His face was pale, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. It was obvious that he was seriously injured in the previous confrontation.

"Do you think you can trap me like this? I am..." Before the Imperial Master could finish his words, Zhen Youcai flashed in front of him, and the spear in his hand stabbed into his chest mercilessly...

"How dare you! Don't hurt the National Master!" A loud shout suddenly came from the crowd, and a figure rushed out like lightning and stood in front of the National Master.

I looked closely and saw that the man was wearing coarse linen clothes, but his righteousness could not be concealed. He was Zhao Tiezhu, the leader who had previously led an uprising among the people and was later persuaded by me to return to the court and was deeply loved by the people.

"General Zhao, what do you mean? Are you going to conspire with this traitor to rebel?" I asked sternly, suppressing my anger.

Zhao Tiezhu knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, although the Imperial Preceptor made a mistake, his crime does not deserve death! Please reconsider!"

I sneered inwardly. This Imperial Master was so calculating that he even managed to win over Zhao Tiezhu. Just as I was about to speak, I heard a commotion in the crowd.

"Your Majesty! The people have spontaneously organized themselves and brought food and water to the Imperial Guards!"

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw the city gate slowly opening. Countless people pushed carts loaded with food and supplies into the city. Some of them were very old, some were still children, but everyone's face was filled with determination and hope.

"Your Majesty, we are willing to live and die with Dayan!" The people shouted in unison, their voices shaking the earth.

I was deeply moved, and a warm feeling welled up in my heart. With such support from the people, why should I retreat?

I took a deep breath and said loudly, "The evidence is irrefutable that the Imperial Preceptor is colluding with the rebels and plotting rebellion! What he did today was simply to try to escape and sow discord! General Zhao, don't let him fool you!"

After saying this, I raised aloft the jade pendant I'd been clutching. This jade pendant was a personal belonging of the Imperial Master, and I'd accidentally discovered a hidden secret within it: a secret letter containing detailed evidence of his collusion with the rebel leader.

"This..." Zhao Tiezhu looked at the jade pendant in my hand and his face suddenly turned pale.

Seeing that the truth had been revealed, the Imperial Master no longer pretended. He looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, his eyes filled with viciousness and cruelty: "The victor is the king and the loser is the bandit. Today is the day you die!"

After saying that, he suddenly took out a black ball from his arms and held it high.

"Oh no! That's..." Zhen Youcai's face changed drastically, and he cried out in shock. However, before he could finish his words, the black sphere burst into a dazzling light, shrouding the entire world in a vast expanse of white...

After the bright light faded, the world fell into a dead silence. I strained to open my eyes, but what I saw horrified me. The once majestic palace was now reduced to ruins, with flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing from the shattered walls.

"Youcai!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, desperately rushing towards where Zhen Youcai was. He was pinned under a huge rock, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, and his face was horribly pale.

"Mengmeng, don't come over..." He stretched out his hand weakly, trying to stop me from getting closer, "Be careful..."

I pushed the boulder away with all my might and pulled him out of the rubble. His injuries were more serious than I had imagined. I hurriedly tore off the hem of my skirt and tried to bandage his wound, but he held my hand tightly.

"It's useless..." He shook his head with difficulty, his eyes filled with despair, "We were all wrong... We all underestimated them..."

"No, no, we still have a chance..." I tried desperately to convince myself and him, but his words were like a huge rock, weighing heavily on my heart.

"Look..." He used up his last bit of strength and pointed in the direction of the palace.

I followed his gaze and saw that the once magnificent palace was now shrouded in a huge black shadow. The shadow exuded a creepy and terrifying aura, as if a demon from the abyss of hell had opened its bloody mouth, wanting to devour everything in the world.

"What is that..." I muttered to myself, my voice filled with fear.

"That's... their last trump card..." Zhen Youcai closed his eyes weakly, but a bitter smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "It seems... we still have to..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, and finally disappeared in the wind. I hugged his gradually cooling body tightly, tears blurring my eyes, and my heart filled with grief and despair.

At this moment, a cold voice came from the huge black shadow: "Niu Mengmeng, do you think you have won? Now, the game has just begun..."