Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

"Father-in-law, are all your people here?" Lin Ruoshui asked.

The Duke of Dingguo said, "Twenty thousand Imperial Guards have surrounded the palace. Chu Xiao, you have no chance of escape today."

Commander Xiao Zhan of the Imperial Guard said, "Put down your weapons now, or don't blame me for being cold-blooded and ruthless."

Xiao Zhan waved his hand, and the soldiers on the wall straightened up, their bows and arrows pointing at Lin Ruoshui and the others.

"You have less than a hundred bodyguards now, while we have twenty thousand. Why are you fighting like a cornered beast?" Xiao Zhan said sarcastically.

Lin Ruoshui said in a panic, "Xuanyuan Yu, I'm so scared!"

Xuanyuan Yu didn't expect that Lin Ruoshui could still joke so calmly at such a dangerous moment.

"Will you surrender or not? I'll count to three, two, one. If you still don't surrender, then I'll send you on your way!" Xiao Zhan said arrogantly.

Lin Ruoshui, taking an unconventional approach, directly shouted, "One!" After shouting, Lin Ruoshui leaped into the air and threw a severed head at the Duke of Dingguo.

Duke Dingguo instinctively caught it, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was the head of the imperial physician Wang who had treated him. The head had its eyes tightly closed and was covered in blood; it had only recently died. Duke Dingguo was so frightened that he threw the head to the ground.

Imperial Physician Wang was a man of the Duke of Dingguo, a traitor who had infiltrated the palace. Lin Ruoshui had already seen through him and hadn't made a move against him, waiting for that old scoundrel, the Duke of Dingguo, to fall into his trap.

At the same moment, upon hearing the command "One," a red battle group imbued with the aura of iron and blood flew through the air. Wherever they went, no one survived. In just a few breaths, the heads of five hundred Imperial Guard archers fell to the ground.

Lin Ruoshui was drawn to this Red Army regiment. What kind of people could lead such soldiers?

Lin Ruoshui turned to look at Xuan Yuanyu and once again showed an expression of admiration.

Xuanyuan Yu looked at his elite troops with admiration; this thousand-man battle group could withstand ten thousand soldiers.

Suddenly, two middle-aged men appeared; they were none other than the Poisonous Elders, who threw an unknown white powder at Lin Ruoshui.

Lin Ruoshui instinctively covered her face. Just then, someone grabbed her waist and brought her in front of the Duke of Dingguo. The person kicked Lin Ruoshui in the knee, and Lin Ruoshui fell heavily to her knees with a thud.

Because everything happened in an instant, Lin Ruoshui knelt on the ground, her forehead covered in cold sweat from the pain.

"Who is it? They're so fast! It hurts like hell!" Lin Ruoshui thought to herself, her eyes scanning her surroundings.

The Duke of Dingguo burst into laughter. He looked at Lin Ruoshui kneeling before him and said, "Chu Xiao, you didn't expect this day to come, did you?"

Lin Ruoshui said, "Old fool, it's still uncertain who will win today."

Lin Ruoshui quickly drew the dagger from her waist and threw it at the Duke of Dingguo.

The Duke of Dingguo was shocked. A short, sharp metallic clang rang out. The beardless Poison Elder of the Poisonous Elders made his move and knocked Lin Ruoshui's dagger away with a hidden weapon.

Xiao Zhan drew his long sword and held it horizontally against Lin Ruoshui's neck and shoulder.

Xuanyuan Yu shouted, "No!"

Everyone looked at Xuanyuan Yu.

Before Lin Ruoshui was captured, her bodyguards also inhaled the white powder and were poisoned by the two elders of Yan. Xuan Yuanyu was also poisoned, but he suppressed it with his internal energy and it did not take effect for the time being.

Xiao Zhan looked at Xuan Yuan Yu and burst into laughter. After laughing enough, he said, "I've heard that the Prince of Chu and the Emperor have a close relationship. I wonder if the rumors are true? Let's give it a try."

Xuanyuan Yu's eyes were bloodshot as he asked, "What do you want?"

Xiao Zhan said, "Stab yourself 10 times, then cut off your right hand and make your soldiers surrender."

Xuanyuan Yu did not hesitate and agreed: "Okay, I agree. Release the Emperor."

Lin Ruoshui was shocked. She never expected that Xuanyuan Yu would not hesitate at all to save her.

Lin Ruoshui's eyes reddened, and she shouted, "Xuanyuan Yu, don't fall for their trick! Even if you stab me a hundred times, they still won't let me go. Don't be so foolish."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Zhan grabbed Lin Ruoshui's neck tightly, preventing her from speaking again.

Xuanyuan Yu was enraged; no one was allowed to touch his woman. He unleashed a torrent of internal energy, causing the surrounding air to ripple, and shouted, "Let go, or I'll kill you instantly!"

Xiao Zhan's internal organs were damaged by Xuan Yuan Yu's internal force.

Lin Ruoshui quickly broke free of her restraints. Seeing that Lin Ruoshui was trying to escape, the two old men, Poison Yan and his companion, attacked her together. Poison Old Man struck Lin Ruoshui on the back with a palm, and Lin Ruoshui spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lin Ruoshui turned around and saw the same two poisonous insects again. How annoying! Luckily, she was prepared.

Lin Ruoshui pulled out a large bag of powder from her bosom, turned around instantly, and sprinkled it all over the two old men, Poison Yan and his wife.

Xuanyuan Yu flashed to Lin Ruoshui's side, put his arm around her waist, and struck the white powder with his palm, sending it further and over a wider area.

Lin Ruoshui shouted, "Brothers, get soaked!"

The guard took out a water pouch from his robes and used his internal energy to spray water at the two elders, Poison Yama and his companion.

Lin Ruoshui, feeling utterly weak, slumped in Xuan Yuan Yu's arms and said to him, "If even a single drop of water gets on them, they're doomed."

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yu took out a water pouch from his bosom and sprinkled it into the sky. He used his powerful internal force to break the water column into countless droplets, which then rushed towards the two elders, Poison Yan, with the force of breaking through the wind.

A drop of water landed on the old poison master's face. The old poison master felt an itch on his face, and when he wiped it with his right hand, the skin on his face fell off. The old poison master was shocked.

Visibly, his face and right hand began to corrode. Seeing this, Elder Yan cut off Elder Du's right hand to save him, but there was no way to remove the poison from his face.

The old poisoner curled up in pain and rolled on the ground. Before long, he raised his head and saw that his face had been corroded away and his bones had begun to erode. In less than a quarter of an hour, he turned into a pool of blood.

When Old Man Yan saw his brother die tragically, his heart was torn apart, and tears streamed down his face, yet he was helpless.

Not only him, but everyone present who was hit by Lin Ruoshui's poison powder or water droplets was like Poison Old Man.

The scene was so horrific that ordinary people couldn't bear to look at it. The surrounding Imperial Guards trembled with fear; the first soldier threw down his weapon and fled, followed by the rest who scattered in all directions.

Xiao Zhan beheaded a deserter with his sword and ordered, "Whoever tries to escape, this is their fate."

The soldiers stopped moving, but morale had collapsed.

Xuanyuan Yu embraced Lin Ruoshui and said with his inner strength, "Dingguo Company's Tu Yu has committed treason and deserves to die. You all aided and abetted the evildoer and should be executed along with your entire family according to the law. If you lay down your weapons now, you will not be prosecuted. If you remain obstinate, all those who rebel and their families will be executed."

Lin Ruoshui continued, and Xuan Yuanyu amplified her voice with his internal energy, making it clear to everyone: "Since my ascension to the throne, I have devoted myself to the country and the people. Today, the people of Chishui Kingdom are well-fed and clothed, living in peace and prosperity. I believe I have done a good job in governing this country. If the country were to change hands, there would surely be widespread suffering and displacement of the people. Is this what you soldiers want to see? Did you put on your armor and take up your weapons to rebel? To bring shame upon your ancestors and cause your parents, wives, and children to die tragically with you? You are disloyal to the country and unfilial to your fathers. This is what you are doing now. If you are willing to obey my orders, make amends, and take up your weapons to capture the Duke of Dingguo and Xiao Zhan, I will forgive and forget what happened today."

Xuan Yuan Yu and Lin Ruo Shui's resounding words, coupled with their refined and otherworldly demeanor, convinced all the soldiers present.

Many soldiers had no intention of rebelling; they were simply following the orders of Xiao Zhan, the commander of the Imperial Guard. Now that the Emperor had spoken, they had to seize this opportunity to reform themselves.

Sun Guangming, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, was the first to react. Taking advantage of Xiao Zhan's unpreparedness, he stabbed Xiao Zhan in the back with his sword, then pulled it out with a soft thud. Xiao Zhan was incredulous. He had entrusted his back to this brother he considered his closest confidant, only to find that the first to betray him was him. Blood trickled from the corner of Xiao Zhan's mouth as he turned to look at Sun Guangming.

Sun Guangming ignored him and swiftly placed his sword against the Duke of Dingguo's neck again.

Seeing that all was lost, Yan Lao had all his soldiers lay down their weapons. He was unwilling to accept defeat and wanted to avenge his brothers, so he blew his whistle, and swarms of wasps came from all directions.

Lin Ruoshui was scared. She grabbed Xuan Yuan Yu's hand and said, "What should we do? It's those annoying wasps again."

Xuanyuan Yu grasped Lin Ruoshui's soft hand and said, "I will definitely protect you."

Before Lin Ruoshui could even feel moved, an ancient melody, seemingly spanning a thousand years, gently echoed in the air. The music started low and deep, like a mountain spring undulating over stones, flowing slowly and leisurely.

Then, the melody gradually rose, like birdsong in the morning light, crisp and melodious.

Every note in the music was full of power, from the gentle patter of rain on banana leaves to the surging roar of pine trees in a gale.

The final note of the piano, as if it were tangible, struck Old Man Yan, who was blowing his whistle.

Old Yan was struck and instantly turned to dust; he was gone, leaving no trace. The swarm of wasps that blotted out the sky dispersed, and everyone was saved.

Everyone looked toward the sound of the zither, and saw the figure of a man wearing a mask.

It can be concluded that he was a handsome young man. He wore a blue robe with exquisite cloud patterns embroidered on it, which made him look elegant and mysterious.

A pair of bright eyes, visible beyond the mask, were as clear as autumn water, seemingly able to see into people's hearts.

Beneath her straight nose were rosy lips, with a gentle smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Lin Ruoshui said, "I don't even need to look at him, he must be a handsome man."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yu's eyes flashed with murderous intent.