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

Just at this critical moment, the gates of the Zichen Palace suddenly opened from the inside out, and a figure in bright yellow slowly stepped out.

Emperor Zhao stood with his hands behind his back on the high steps, his dragon robe fluttering in the night wind. Behind him, Consort Hui stood with her hands folded, her face calm and elegant, showing no sign of fear.

Consort Hui had known this day would come, so she remained calm. What she cared about was whether the eldest prince could succeed and whether he was trustworthy. If she pushed him to the throne and he supported his birth mother, not only would her efforts be in vain, but she would also be in danger.

But if you don't gamble, you won't get anything.

Upon seeing Emperor Zhao appear, Prince Duan's heart suddenly trembled. He had an indelible fear of this elder brother. He had already been confident of victory, but seeing Emperor Zhao so calm and fearless, Prince Duan began to feel uneasy.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released; he had no way out.

So Prince Duan raised his hand and threw a blood-stained cloth bag forward.

The cloth bundle rolled forward on the rain-soaked bluestone pavement until the rain washed it open, revealing a bloody head.

This head belongs to the Second Prince, Zhao Xi.

Upon seeing the head, Consort Hui turned pale and instinctively covered her lips with her hands, her eyes filled with astonishment.

In the rain, the head's face appeared exceptionally pale under the lightning.

The Second Prince Zhao Xi's eyes were still wide open, as if he still had the disbelief of dying. Rain washed away the bloodstains on his face, which meandered into thin, light red streams on the bluestone slab.

“Your Majesty, this rebellious traitor has been beheaded by your humble servant, and the rebel army in the palace has also been brought under control.”

Prince Duan's voice echoed in the rainy night, carrying a deliberate sense of sorrow and loyalty.

He dismounted and approached the Zichen Palace step by step, saying, "Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me."

Despite saying that, he did not stop. His personal guards followed suit and advanced in an orderly fashion. The imperial guards drew their long swords in unison, the cold light reflecting off the rain, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

With each step Prince Duan took, the soles of his boots rolled over the winding trail of blood on the bluestone slabs, splashing up tiny scarlet droplets. A smile played on his lips, but his eyes held a sinister glint, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, closing in step by step.

Emperor Zhao stood with his hands behind his back on the high steps, his dragon robe fluttering in the wind, but his face remained calm. He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing directly at Prince Duan: "Since you are guilty, why do you not kneel down!"

Prince Duan chuckled lightly, his fingers rubbing the hilt of his sword, a hint of coldness in his eyes. "Once I have dealt with all the rebels, I will apologize to Your Majesty."

"The rebels are already under your control, so what rebels are here?" Emperor Zhao narrowed his eyes, his expression remaining calm.

Prince Duan pointed his sword at Grand Eunuch Li, who was standing beside Emperor Zhao, and said in an icy voice, "This man falsely conveyed the imperial edict and released Zhao Xi, which caused this turmoil. Today, your subject will purge the court of corrupt officials and restore peace to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Li turned deathly pale and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! This old servant is innocent!"

Emperor Zhao's eyes were deep and indifferent. He glanced at Eunuch Li, then looked up at Prince Duan. His voice was calm but extremely cold. "I will handle this matter myself. Prince Duan, you have overstepped your bounds."

“Your Majesty has been deceived by this man. Today, I will risk my honor and my life to kill him.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Duan quickened his pace, and his personal guards were already close by. Seeing this, the Imperial Guards immediately protected Emperor Zhao and Consort Hui behind them, and the atmosphere became tense, with swords drawn and the two sides facing each other.

As the battle between the two sides was about to erupt, Fang Xiaoran, who had already arrived at the Zichen Palace and was hiding in the shadows, witnessed everything.

She was worried about the poisoner, so she made a special trip to the Zichen Palace, but she did not find the poisoner there. Obviously, Prince Duan was unaware of this. He was convinced that he had the victory in his grasp. As long as he took down Emperor Zhao, he could replace him.

The eldest prince has not yet shown himself, presumably waiting for the right moment; the crucial moment has not yet arrived.

Of course, Fang Xiaoran came mainly to see if Zhao Jin would make a move, as it was at this time in her previous life that she gained Emperor Zhao's trust.

Now, implicated by Consort Ning, he has been avoiding the limelight and rarely makes public appearances. It remains to be seen whether this time will be the same as in his previous life.

As she pondered, the two sides clashed, the sounds of battle deafening. Fang Xiaoran's eyes darkened as she stared intently at Emperor Zhao.

She harbored resentment towards Emperor Zhao, but he could not be harmed now.

She will step in if a real crisis occurs.

"The two sides are not even in the same league." At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly appeared in her ear.

Fang Xiaoran was startled and suddenly turned her head. In the darkness, a pair of clear eyes were looking at her with a smile.

She lowered her voice and asked softly, "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried, so I specially asked Little Stone to bring me to see this. I never expected to see this scene with my own eyes. It was truly worth the trip." Gu Yuqing smiled, his eyes shining like starlight.

Seeing how casually he spoke, Fang Xiaoran frowned. "This is no joke."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuqing's eyes became more serious, and he said calmly, "I know."

Fang Xiaoran turned her head away, ignoring the person. "If there is any danger, I will take action, but I will not have time to look after you. Take care of yourself."

To everyone's surprise, Gu Yuqing casually replied, "Don't worry about me."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the battle outside the Zichen Palace reached a fever pitch. The Imperial Guards, though seemingly few in number, were like an impregnable fortress, preventing even the Prince Duan's personal troops from breaching their defenses.

How could a mere hundred people possess such abilities?

The Prince of Duan was puzzled, and his unease grew stronger.

We can't delay any longer. Once their fighting spirit is exhausted, there will be no chance of success.

Seeing this, Prince Duan had no choice but to fight with all his might. He pointed his sword at the sky and roared, "His Majesty is in danger. For the sake of the Shang Kingdom and the Zhao family's empire, we will fight to the death today! Fire!"

The archers in the rear were already prepared, their longbows drawn taut, arrows nocked, waiting for the Prince of Duan to give the order.

"Not good!" Fang Xiaoran's gaze turned cold. The hundred or so Imperial Guards were well-trained and could fight against a hundred men, but they were ultimately outnumbered. Prince Duan's forces were numerous and had already surrounded the area. Once they fired arrows, they might not be able to withstand the barrage of arrows from all directions.

What is the eldest prince waiting for? If he doesn't act now, it may be too late.

Fang Xiaoran gripped the short blade tightly, already preparing to set off.

Just then, several piercing long whistles ripped through the sky, and a series of icy arrows shot from behind, piercing through Prince Duan's archers who were caught off guard.

The rain of arrows was like a waterfall, and in an instant, thousands of archers were wiped out.

Fang Xiaoran looked up suddenly and saw that the palace walls were now filled with archers in black armor, their arrows gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light in the rain.

The leader was dressed in a dark black python robe and held a longbow, the bowstring still vibrating.

This man was none other than the eldest prince, Zhao Heng.

He's finally here.

However, Zhao Jin did not appear, presumably because he would not take action this time. After all, he did not have the trust of Emperor Zhao, and taking action this time would easily arouse suspicion.

"I will never allow you to harm my father in the slightest." Zhao Heng's voice was icy, and his eyes were filled with coldness.

Prince Duan's expression changed drastically, and before he could react, the second wave of arrows arrived.

Amidst screams of agony, a gap was torn in the Prince Duan's encirclement, and then a mighty cavalry charge in, led by Marquis Gu and his son.

This surprised Fang Xiaoran, but it also proved that these two were on the side of the First Prince and would inevitably become opponents of Zhao Jin in the future, which was somewhat similar to the entanglement in her previous life.

The sounds of battle were deafening. In the rainy night, the cold light of swords flashed and arrows flew. In an instant, Governor Li was cut down by Gu Yuming, while Prince Duan was also pierced through the left shoulder by Gu Hou's sword and fell into the blood. He looked in horror at Emperor Zhao, who stood on the stone steps looking down at him.

"You... you knew I would do this all along?" Prince Duan's eyes were filled with despair. He had gambled everything, leaving himself no way out, but he never expected to lose so miserably.

Emperor Zhao slowly descended the stone steps, his dragon boots splashing through the blood, creating dark red ripples. He bent down and picked up the longsword that Prince Duan had dropped; the blade gleamed coldly in the rain.

"I not only knew you would rebel," Emperor Zhao said, pointing his longsword at Prince Duan, then lowering the blade to lightly touch Prince Duan's heart, "I also know that you recruited soldiers from below and created poisonous human figures."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was incredibly authoritative, and Fang Xiaoran heard it clearly.

So Emperor Zhao knew about Prince Duan's creation of the poisoned man? Was the disappearance of that poisoned man related to him?

Did he know these things in his past life?

If that's the case, then Emperor Zhao is truly extraordinary, even terrifying.

Upon hearing these words, Prince Duan's face turned extremely ugly. He raised his head in terror, staring at Emperor Zhao's cold and stern face, and laughed desperately, "Hahahaha, I've never been as good as you, never..."

As he spoke, Prince Duan suddenly gripped his longsword and thrust it fiercely into his own heart!

"Pfft-"

The sound of a sword piercing flesh was exceptionally clear in the rainy night. Blood trickled from the corner of Prince Duan's mouth, yet his laughter grew even more manic.

"Today, I have been defeated, but in the future, you may not fare any better!"

After laughing a few times, Prince Duan breathed his last and collapsed in the rain.

Looking at his younger brother, Emperor Zhao closed his eyes with a complicated expression. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the icy longsword was aimed at Zhao Heng, who was charging towards him.

With the sword tip just inches from his heart, Zhao Heng's expression changed drastically. He dared not take another step forward and suddenly knelt down on the ground.

"Father, I am late in coming to your rescue..."

Emperor Zhao's sword tip remained motionless, rainwater slid down the blade and dripped onto Zhao Heng's python robe, spreading out a dark water stain.

Throughout history, the hearts of emperors have been the most unpredictable; even fathers and sons cannot escape suspicion.

Zhao Heng's heart trembled, but his face remained calm. His eyes were filled with grievance and confusion, but he said nothing. He simply closed his eyes bitterly, appearing resigned to his fate.

Consort Hui's heart was in her throat, but she dared not plead for mercy, fearing it would implicate her.

"You are very good..." Emperor Zhao sheathed his sword and spoke calmly, his voice without any inflection, yet it made the eldest prince tremble.