After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

A thunderclap struck, instantly illuminating the entire room.

The sounds of fighting continued outside the door. Fang Xiaoran took out her sword, glanced at Gu Yuqing beside her, and said indifferently, "Stay here."

After saying that, she stormed out of the door.

The long sword in his hand flashed like lightning in the night rain, leaving only a series of cold glints. Then, several people fell to the ground, and scarlet blood gushed from their necks.

Looking at the person lying on the ground, Fang Xiaoran's eyes darkened slightly.

The fact that there were only rebels and no poisoners indicates that the strategy of not engaging in battle was effective.

As long as no poisonous people break in, she only needs to protect herself and stall him for a while. Reinforcements will arrive. Chu Qi has already reported to her what happened at the inner palace gate.

She wasn't surprised at all; the Second Prince had no way out, and perhaps only by taking a gamble could he have a chance.

Unfortunately, he was outmaneuvered from the very beginning.

At the same time, Wei Mingyue and Xie Changge rushed out of the courtyard, cutting down enemies along the way. Then the two split up, with Xie Changge going to rescue the emperor and Wei Mingyue going to protect herself and rescue people in other courtyards.

She and Fang Xiaoran lived in the closest villa to each other, so she came here first. But as soon as she entered, she saw a pile of corpses on the ground, while Fang Xiaoran was standing under the corridor, gazing at the heavy rain, lost in thought.

Wei Mingyue had always known that Fang Xiaoran was strong, but she didn't expect her to be this strong. Those rebels must have just arrived, but they were all killed as soon as they reached the door. Even she couldn't have done that.

“I was worried you’d be surrounded, but it seems I was overthinking it.” Wei Mingyue looked at Fang Xiaoran and sighed softly, then quickly came to her side. “These rebels are clearly after us women. The others must be in danger too. Let’s go and help them.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoran had no objection and nodded slightly, "Okay."

As she spoke, she turned to Chu Qi and Chu San, who were standing to the side, and said, "You two guard this place and do not let anyone in."

"Yes."

The night rain raged, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the thick smell of blood in the air was washed away by the rain.

Along the way, they had killed countless rebel soldiers and seen many women affected. If they hadn't arrived in time to rescue them, who knows what the consequences would have been? Wei Mingyue's expression was extremely solemn.

"This rain came at a very bad time; otherwise, we could have walked much faster."

"Perhaps it's thanks to this rain that the losses were minimized. If we had used fire, our situation would have been much more critical," Fang Xiaoran said. Of course, the most important reason was that the heavy rain allowed the antidote in the formation to work better.

However, she was still not entirely at ease and decided to go and check it out. Although she had already returned on the fourth day to report, it was still not a good solution to have so many poisoners trapped in one place.

So she said to Wei Mingyue, "Let's split up; it'll be more efficient that way."

Fang Xiaoran casually handed a short blade as thin as a cicada's wing to Wei Mingyue, "Take this short blade with you. It is coated with a deadly poison and can kill silently. Use it carefully."

After the two separated, Fang Xiaoran rushed towards the outskirts of the palace. There were many rebels on the way, but these people claimed to be rescuing the emperor, yet they were ruthless in their attacks.

It's clear that these are all Prince Duan's men; they appear to be quelling the rebellion, but in reality, they are plotting a rebellion.

In the rain, Fang Xiaoran's blue robe was already soaked through, clinging wetly to her body. She raised her hand to brush away the stray hairs that were stuck to her forehead, her fingertips still carrying the bloody scent of the battle.

She was incredibly fast, maintaining her speed even in the rainy night. The rebels couldn't stop her at all; if she wanted to, they wouldn't even be able to detect her presence.

Fang Xiaoran had no choice but to reveal herself in order to save people.

"Thank you for saving me, Princess. I don't know what happened to my husband..." The Countess was still in shock, trembling in the cupboard. Witnessing Fang Xiaoran kill the rebels did not calm her down. Instead, she became more and more fearful and worried.

"I don't know." Fang Xiaoran shook her head slightly. "I didn't see the master along the way. Perhaps he has been rescued by the Imperial Guards."

Upon hearing this, the Countess's face grew even paler. Her fingers gripped the hem of her dress tightly, her knuckles turning blue. She forced herself to stand up, but her legs gave way, and she slumped back down, her voice trembling, "Then, what should we do now..."

She had nowhere else to go, and only by following Fang Xiaoran could she have a glimmer of hope.

“I will take you to the West Wing Garden. Wei Mingyue and the others are there.” Fang Xiaoran spoke calmly, and before the Countess could answer, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed her, and swept her away into the rain.

Wei Mingyue was, after all, a member of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, and the guards around her were all skilled in martial arts. With the addition of other people, the group was able to protect themselves by guarding the West Wing Garden together.

Therefore, Fang Xiaoran would usually send the people she rescued along the way to the West Wing Garden.

Fang Xiaoran led the Countess through the rain, and in a few leaps, they landed under the eaves of the West Wing Garden.

Before the Countess could express her gratitude, Fang Xiaoran had already taken to the air and disappeared into the rainy night.

At this moment, Wei Mingyue, dressed in red and carrying a short blade, walked over. After seeing the Countess, she ordered her men to take her into the room. She inquired about the situation on the way and frowned. "It seems that there are more rebels than we thought. If reinforcements don't arrive soon, we may not be able to hold out for long."

"Madam Rongguo, you must save us..." The countess trembled as she grabbed Wei Mingyue's sleeve, her eyes filled with fear and worry. The others who were rescued were also uneasy.

Wei Mingyue looked down at the Countess's fingers, which were tightly gripping her sleeve. Her meticulously manicured nails were broken, and blood was seeping out. She gently patted the back of the Countess's hand, with just the right amount of force to make the Countess let go.

"Don't worry, everyone." Her voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire hall. "Reinforcements will come."

Meanwhile, Fang Xiaoran had arrived at the outer perimeter of the palace, but unexpectedly found that there was not a single poisoner in the array she had set up. It was quiet here, and there were no rebel soldiers stationed there.

Where are all those poisoned people? I clearly reported on the fourth day of the lunar new year that the poisoned people were trapped here. The antidote had been working to its fullest potential thanks to the rain. Logically, they should be stuck and confused by now.

Why is there no one here?

Did someone take them away, or did they leave on their own?

No, this formation can not only trap poisonous people, but ordinary people will also be affected if they enter.

The reason she set up the formation here was that she was certain that Prince Duan would not send the poisoners to lead the attack, but would instead allow them to slowly infiltrate and gradually erode the Imperial Guards.

The current situation was beyond her expectations. Although she had sent people to keep an eye on things, there had been changes in the palace, so Fang Xiaoran recalled them. Some went to help Wei Mingyue, some stayed at the Bamboo Shadow Villa, and some remained in the mansion.

This time, she did not deploy all her manpower. Firstly, she did not want to be too conspicuous and avoid being discovered. Secondly, she believed that these were things that had happened in her previous life and that she was confident in handling them. However, the disappearance of the poisoner made her feel vaguely uneasy.

Could they have already broken into the palace?

But she didn't see a single poisoner along the way, so this shouldn't have happened.

Where did these poisoners go...?

A thunderclap struck, and with a loud "whoosh," the Zichen Palace was instantly illuminated.

Outside the palace gate, a group of people on horseback were galloping in. Their hooves shattered the raindrops on the ground, and through the spray, one could vaguely see the leader wearing black armor and a long sword at his waist. His face was cold and stern, and he exuded a murderous aura.

This man was none other than Prince Duan. He looked at the imperial guards stationed outside the Zichen Palace and raised his voice, shouting, "Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me!"

Prince Duan's voice pierced through the rain and echoed outside the Zichen Palace. Behind him stood a formidable iron cavalry, their swords drawn, their cold light reflecting off the raindrops, exuding a chilling killing intent.

The gates of the Zichen Palace remained tightly shut, offering no response. Only the imperial guards standing at the entrance displayed fierce expressions, ready to fight to the death.

Seeing this, Prince Duan narrowed his eyes, his face becoming extremely serious, and he shouted sternly, "His Majesty has been coerced. Today, I, your humble brother, will risk my life to rescue His Majesty! Gentlemen, charge in with me and rescue His Majesty!"

"Rescue His Majesty! Rescue His Majesty!!"

The guards behind him shouted in unison, their voices booming.

Prince Duan brandished his longsword and charged towards the palace gate first.