A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

Looking at the capital city from the hilltop outside the city once again, Ye Qingxue had a different feeling.

Like a crouching giant beast, silently and patiently dwelling in its territory, it never knows when it will suddenly pounce and bite your throat.

It overlapped with the scene in my dream.

The rain started again, but this time it wasn't so heavy; it drifted gently, like a feather brushing past.

Mu Ying, sitting on his horse, turned his head slightly and said, "Send some people into the city to appease the people and let them go back to their houses first. There are too many of us, and we are afraid that we might hurt them."

"Yes!"

A group of people ran forward along the side path.

Ye Qingxue took a deep breath, her hands still pretending to be tied behind her back, feeling somewhat annoyed.

Lu Chuci stood beside her and nudged her shoulder: "In your dream, we were outside the capital, but now we're going into the city. It's different now."

He understood Ye Qingxue's unease: "Look at me, I'm standing right in front of you, the one in your dream isn't me."

Ye Qingxue turned to look at him; his eyes sparkled with tears, sincere and touching.

"I understand." She smiled.

The main force began to move forward, the long line resembling a giant dragon, winding its way forward.

Stepping into the city, the once bustling streets were now deserted. Ye Qingxue walked forward with her head held high, showing no sign of the disheveled state of a captured rebel.

chapped.

Ye Qingxue suddenly stepped on something. Looking down, she saw a piece of white paper covered with dense writing, the lower half of which was stained with red dots.

Something flashed in her peripheral vision, and she looked up slightly, surprised to find that this kind of paper was scattered all over the street.

Ye Qingxue glanced at the Imperial Guard beside her. The guard quickly squatted down, picked up the paper, and handed it to her. She looked at it from that position.

His gaze slowly moved from the words on the paper, line by line. The more he looked, the tighter his pupils became, and his breathing became somewhat unsteady.

The reason is that every word and sentence in the text above is a plea for mercy for the Longyang Army.

"Your Majesty, rumors are rampant, and the people are restless. We, your humble servants, are deeply worried. We humbly submit this memorial once again, hoping Your Majesty will heed our words..."

"The Longyang Army, clad in armor and armed with weapons, braved arrows and stones, trudging through frost and snow, protecting the safety of the Wu Dynasty amidst the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River, rescuing us from dire straits..."

"Such a loyal and righteous hero could never commit such a treasonous act. We beseech Your Majesty to see through this and restore the integrity of the soldier, and to inspire the hearts of the people to submit to you."

Ye Qingxue read the words on the paper softly, and looking at the dense red fingerprints on the paper, she was deeply shocked.

This was the first time she had witnessed the will of the people, the petitions from thousands of people to redress their grievances, and the unconditional trust and love of the people regardless of rumors and gossip.

That is where prestige lies.

Beside him, Lu Chuci also saw the contents of the paper. Ye Qingxue met his gaze, conveying her inner turmoil.

Suddenly, a sound came from a small house by the street. Ye Qingxue turned her head and saw a little girl with pigtails standing in the window, looking timidly at them.

The little girl saw Ye Qingxue, her eyes were wet and red, and her lips parted.

Ye Qingxue stared at it several times before finally understanding what the girl wanted to say—

"You are not bad people."

She abruptly withdrew her gaze, suppressing the rising heat in her eyes.

Gentle kindness is enough to wash away all the hardships along the way; the beauty of the world is nothing more than this.

Therefore, these people deserve to risk everything to save them.

There were too many soldiers, and a large portion of them were left outside the city. Only a small number of elite troops were brought into the city.

This is enough.

The palace gate was right in front of them, and a man with a gloomy face stood before it.

"His Majesty has instructed me to lead the way for you."

Lu Chuci stopped in her tracks: "Where are you going?"

The man smiled and said, "You'll see when you get there."

They naturally couldn't follow. Sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy around them, they knew that once they went in, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar.

The Martial Emperor will surely set up numerous obstacles inside, making it impossible for them to escape.

Lu Chuci glanced at Ye Qingxue, who nodded imperceptibly.

He raised his left hand and shook it gently.

In an instant, the air seemed to explode like a powder keg that had been ignited.

The Longyang Army, which had been quietly and obediently following along, suddenly moved, rose up, and scattered like a tide, surging towards the outer perimeter of the palace walls.

The elite troops at the front rushed forward like arrows released from a bow. The man who had been standing at the palace gate narrowed his eyes, seemingly not so surprised.

He shouted, "What are you doing? Mu Ying, why aren't you stopping them!"

Mu Ying remained expressionless, raised his hand and clenched his fist. The Imperial Guards began to move, but instead of stopping them, they dispersed into the city.

He wanted to ensure the safety of the people.

The man wasn't particularly surprised that Lu Chuci would resist, but Mu Ying's betrayal was clearly something he hadn't expected.

His face changed drastically, turning red and then pale as he stared at Mu Ying in disbelief: "Mu Ying! You actually colluded with them too! Did you believe what these rebels said?!"

The man glanced at the Imperial Guards scattering into the city; their numbers were clearly less than half of what had been reported, and the rest were all Longyang Army soldiers. This could only mean…

The claim that more than half of the victims were killed or injured is a complete and utter lie!

They had a partnership from the very beginning!

Why is that?

How could Mu Ying possibly agree to that?!

The man's previously unwavering belief crumbled instantly, and he looked at Mu Ying with almost heartbroken eyes.

Mu Ying was disgusted by him: "First of all, the real reason I did this was not for them. Secondly... what I do is none of your business, you lackey of the Ghost Clan."

The man was clearly furious; there was no need for him to pretend anymore.

"Do you think you can trap us with just these ordinary, defenseless humans? Do you know what kind of power we possess?! It's divine power!"

He looked up and around the palace walls, as if he was sending some kind of signal. Ye Qingxue could clearly feel the fluctuations in spiritual energy.

There are at least a hundred demons lurking around.

They were all cultivators!

But Ye Qingxue's expression remained unchanged, and the corners of her lips even curled up slightly.

Just as the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuations became increasingly intense, something erupted, sweeping across the entire palace with unstoppable force.

Confronting spiritual power is very dangerous; if you don't use your spiritual power, you'll only be suppressed.

If you mobilize your spiritual power to resist, it's like taking off your armor and being free of restraints, but you're also very easy to get injured. If you encounter a powerful opponent whose strength overwhelms you, the crisis could be fatal.

The clash between spiritual energies is the most direct, simple, and brutal physical combat.

Lu Chuci seized the moment when all the ghosts released their spiritual power and crushed them back with overwhelming force.

The chaotic spiritual energy around them weakened, and was replaced by a power as strong as a god.

Lu Chuci smiled lightly, looked at the man who had already collapsed to the ground with weak legs, and said with a hint of mockery in her tone: "This is what can be called divine power."

Ye Qingxue used her senses to keep a close eye on the changing situation.

Lu Chuci has now completely suppressed the surrounding ghosts. If given a little more time, he will eliminate all of the hundreds of ghosts here.

Then they were one step closer to victory.

However, how could the Empress possibly give them such an opportunity?

A dangerous aura suddenly erupted from the center of the palace, and Ye Qingxue immediately grabbed Lu Chuci's sleeve.

Lu Chuci understood and quickly suppressed and withdrew his spiritual power, turning it towards the Longyang Army as a form of protection.

The Martial Emperor's power pressed down, creating a stalemate with Lu Chuci. However, offense is much more difficult than defense, and the Martial Emperor was unwilling to waste his energy here, so he withdrew his spiritual power after a short while.

Suddenly, the troops in the rear dispersed, and Lady Guan walked out from among them, whispering something in Ye Qingxue's ear.

The man lying on the ground twitched again, his eyes widening as he looked at Lady Guan.

Lu Chuci looked calmly at the man whose trousers were already soaked.

“Go back and tell your clan chief that if he wants to talk, he should come out and see me in person.”