The empress disliked my achievements for overshadowing her own, so she turned her attention to the N

The next second, a few leaves fell from the lush trees.

In the blink of an eye, a man in black appeared in front of Chen Nan. The man was extremely calm, and there was not a trace of aura emanating from him.

"Your Highness has impressive skills, being able to pinpoint my location so accurately even with such a faint aura." The man in black looked at Chen Nan, his lips slightly parted.

Chen Nan smiled faintly: "Just some petty tricks."

"May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?" the man in black asked again.

"I need you to temporarily take command of the Imperial Guards. I'm taking Wu Xu with me; I don't have anyone else I can use right now," Chen Nan explained calmly.

"Your Highness wants to take Wu Xu away? Is there some unusual activity in the Great Qian Dynasty again?" The man in black was even more puzzled.

“No, it’s not just Daqian.” Chen Nan shook his head. “This time there’s also Xishu, and there’s also Canhe from Dongqin, and possibly Nantang, as well as the barbarian tribes.”

"So many countries are involved?" The man in black was taken aback. He was usually only responsible for the security of the royal palace and didn't know much about the other countries.

"What about Beiqian? This country shouldn't have gotten involved, right?"

Chen Nan sighed: "It's not certain yet; that's a possibility."

"However, Bei Qian usually only targets Da Qian and should not get involved in this turmoil."

The man in black touched the large tree in front of him and said helplessly, "In that case, I will send someone to temporarily command the Imperial Guards. Once my men are in place, Your Highness can take General Wu Xu away."

Suddenly, the man in black remembered something and asked, "By the way, the New Year is almost here. May I ask, Your Highness, will the Empress Dowager be able to wake up before the New Year?"

"I can only say that I will do my best. The Empress Dowager is currently in an illusion. I have been in that illusion before. She can only rely on her own willpower to get through it," Chen Nan said hesitantly.

To be honest, he wasn't sure if the Empress Dowager would wake up, or even if he had the ability to cure her.

The man in black noticed Chen Nan's hesitation, and his expression finally shifted, though it was a ruthless one: "If the Empress Dowager doesn't wake up within two months, I'll trouble Your Highness to go and be buried with her."

"Hmm?" Chen Nan raised an eyebrow: "You seem to be no match for me, do you?"

"Are you really that confident you can take me down?"

Chen Nan was somewhat surprised. He didn't understand where the man in black in front of him got the confidence to say such a thing.

The man in black sneered, "I know Your Highness's cultivation is not low, but Your Highness is not so naive as to think that the late Emperor left me as the only trump card for the Empress Dowager, is he?"

Chen Nan moved swiftly, leaving only a blur in his wake. When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of the man in black, his right hand gripping the man's neck.

He said coldly, "I hate being threatened the most. Don't try to provoke me with your eighth-grade martial arts cultivation."

"Don't tell me how many trump cards you have, I only trust myself!"

After issuing a warning, he finally put the man in black down: "This is just a warning. Don't think that I really dare not kill you."

After Chen Nan left, only the man in black remained, clutching his own neck and panting heavily, staring in shock at Chen Nan's departing figure.

He exclaimed in shock, "He... he really is a Grandmaster!"

Previously in the imperial court, Liu Banggua intimidated the entire court with his strength as a half-step grandmaster.

After Chen Nan made his move, there were rumors that he was a grandmaster. These rumors originated from Liu Banga.

He simply didn't believe that anyone could actually reach the level of a Grandmaster, and his decision to provoke Chen Nan was made after much deliberation.

Chen Nan made his move, but he regretted it somewhat, realizing he really shouldn't have acted so rashly.

However, since we've already offended them, there's not much to say.

He shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind and clapped his hands above his head.

The next second, another man in black appeared behind them, bowing his head and asking, "What are your orders, Lord Guard?"

The man in black said coldly, "Shadow One, you're considered a veteran among the Shadow Guards. Go change into the Imperial Guard's armor later. You'll be temporarily in charge of the Imperial Guard."

The latter swayed slightly; they had become accustomed to living in darkness, and it was somewhat abrupt to expose them to the light all of a sudden.

After waiting for a while without getting an answer, the shadow guard frowned, turned around and said, "What? You're not willing?"

Yingyi hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke: "No, I just wanted to know what to do if an emergency occurs..."

He wanted to ask whether, now that he was living in the light again, he should listen to Chen Nan or to Lord Wei.

The Guardian took a deep breath: "After we leave, do everything according to the Prince's instructions, but report everything to me."

The scene shifts, and Chen Nan, who has already reached the palace gate, sees Wu Xu, who is dutifully keeping to his post, smiles calmly, and walks up to ask, "How are you feeling?"

Wu Xu laughed bitterly, "When will Your Highness take me away? This guard job is too hard. I have to stand still all day. It's exhausting."

"Don't worry, someone will take over your work soon. Just come to the government office to find me then." Chen Nan laughed out loud.

"Really?" Wu Xu looked surprised. He didn't expect that Chen Nan would actually find someone to replace him when he just said it casually.

"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?"

Suddenly, Wu Xu whispered, "Your Highness, I've noticed that the Imperial Guards seem a bit off."

"Hmm? Is there something wrong with this?" Chen Nan asked curiously.

Wu Xu pointed around: "Sometimes I feel like there are always people watching me in the dark."

“If it weren’t for the fact that the palace walls are so high that no one can climb over them, I would have sent someone up to take a look.”

"Another thing is that sometimes people who are very familiar with you today can feel like complete strangers to your subordinates the next day."

"They all have the same face, but they give their subordinates a very unfamiliar feeling."

"You mean the same person, the same face, but you feel differently the next day?" Chen Nan asked in surprise.

He couldn't help but think of a type of facial mask, which should be called a disguise rather than a facial mask.

“Yes, that’s exactly it, which is why I found it strange,” Wu Xu said with certainty.

Chen Nan valued this point highly. Although Wu Xu's martial arts level was not high, he believed that the other party would not make up such things.

Chen Nan asked again, "Are you sure that no one outside the court officials has stepped out of the palace recently?"

Wu Xu didn't understand why he was suddenly asked this question, but he still answered affirmatively: "Your Highness, rest assured, I can be completely certain of this."

Chen Nan pondered, noting that the Imperial Physician had not appeared since he attacked Hongze.

Wu Xu's description of this point was very similar to the methods used in Eastern Qin, so he had to think about it more carefully.

After all, Liu Ban was a man from Western Shu, but his grandson knew things from Eastern Qin.

What if the Imperial Physician is also from Eastern Qin, and also knows the art of disguise?

Looking at it this way, it seems that nowhere in the entire palace is safe.

Hongming was in charge of the Imperial Medical Academy, and ordinary people couldn't get in without his permission.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager was still in a coma and could not play a crucial role in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

If the Empress Dowager does not wake up, then the young emperor will take over the Northern Wei dynasty in the future.

Chen Nan's eyes widened instantly. He realized that the most dangerous person right now was not the Empress Dowager, but the young Emperor.

With that thought in mind, he turned back once more and hurried toward the Imperial Hospital.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to instruct: "Be careful, no one is allowed to enter or leave the palace at will."