The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

"Yang Yan, now that I'm here, it means I've obtained evidence that your Hongnong Yang clan assisted Xiao Yu, the leader of the Maitreya Sect, in colluding with the barbarians!"

"Don't you even look? The people surrounding your entire Yang residence aren't my own Imperial Guards, but rather Imperial Guards directly under His Majesty's command!"

"I am here on His Majesty's orders to wipe out your Yang family and capture Yang Yan!"

"At this point, do you still think you have the right to act superior in front of me because of your age?"

A mocking look appeared on Chu Xiu's face. He looked at Yang Yan with disdain and said dismissively.

"I don't believe it!"

"I have never done such a thing, and my entire Hongnong Yang clan has received imperial favor for generations, so it is impossible for me to do such a thing!"

"If you want to incriminate yourself, why bother?"

"If Your Majesty commands me to die, I have no choice but to die!"

"But I did not do such a thing, nor did the Yang family of Hongnong do such a thing!"

"Even if I die, I will never confess my guilt!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan's face broke into a bitter smile, and he cried out in utter grief and indignation.

Looking at Yang Yan's appearance and listening to his words, everyone within a radius of dozens of miles, whether they were high-ranking officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty or experts from noble families, felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Even the Yang family of Hongnong, and even Yang Yan, ended up in such a state.

Is His Majesty really going to take action against the powerful and influential families?

"You old fool, even on your deathbed you still want to slander His Majesty?"

"Since you want to die knowing why, then I will tell you!"

You wouldn't believe it, would you?

"Qi Yan, the General of the Yangwu Army of Yizhou whom your Hongnong Yang Clan bribed, has confessed!"

"And this secret was revealed in public in the capital city of Yizhou!"

"After receiving the news, the Shadow Guards immediately sent him back to the capital."

"Even the memorial from Zheng Min, the current governor of Yizhou, should already be on its way to the capital."

“Even your Hongnong Yang clan’s spies in Yizhou may soon arrive in the capital.”

"No matter how much you try to deny it, no one will believe you!"

Chu Xiu sneered and said, "Speaking of which, I should thank you. If you hadn't arranged for someone to get rid of Qi Yan, Qi Yan probably wouldn't have obediently confessed about your Hongnong Yang Clan!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan's pupils contracted. He never expected that Qi Yan would betray them.

Although his third brother Yang Tao was in charge of this matter, since he didn't take action to eliminate Qi Yan in the first place, he certainly wouldn't do it again.

It was simply impossible to arrange for an assassin to eliminate Qi Yan.

Well, there is only one answer!

Zheng Min, the General Manager of Yizhou!

It must have been Zheng Min who arranged the assassins, leading Qi Yan to mistakenly believe that they wanted to get rid of him.

If it weren't for the assassins arranged by Zheng Min, Qi Yan would never have confessed, even if she died.

The third brother still lacks a bit in doing things.

Only the dead can keep secrets.

From the very beginning, Qi Yan should not have been allowed to live.

The experts from the households of the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty who were keeping an eye on the Yang family breathed a sigh of relief, revealing expressions of relief.

I almost got fooled by that old scoundrel Yang Yan.

Having been able to wield power in the court for decades, not a single word he said could be trusted.

As long as they are certain that Empress Murong Si is not simply unable to tolerate the powerful clans and is trying to eliminate them on trumped-up charges, they can rest assured.

"Old fool, now you have nothing to say, do you?"

Chu Xiu clenched his right hand, and the Taiqing Zhenyue Blade appeared in his palm. He looked at Yang Yan and said in a deep voice.

"Now that things have come to this, no one will believe me no matter what I say."

"Then I have no choice but to take action."

"I cannot die like this. The world is in turmoil. Whether it is the Yellow Heaven Sect rebels, the Maitreya Sect rebels, or other ambitious people, they are all eyeing our Great Zhou Dynasty with covetous eyes and thinking about splitting our Great Zhou Dynasty at all times!"

"Whether it's for His Majesty, for the Great Zhou Dynasty, or for the sake of preventing the millions of people of our Great Zhou Dynasty from falling into misery, I must protect myself and leave it for later!"

"Your Majesty will one day understand my good intentions and realize that this whole affair was just someone trying to frame me and harm the Yang family of Hongnong!"

Yang Yan sighed deeply and said.

"Old fool, no wonder you've been able to hold power in the court for decades."

"Your thick skin, comparable to a city wall, is unmatched!"

Chu Xiu looked at Yang Yan with disdain and said.

"Chu Xiu, if you leave with the Imperial Guards now, I will not lay a hand on you."

"No matter what, you are the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of our Great Zhou Dynasty, the sharpest knife in His Majesty's hand."

"And the Imperial Guards are the most loyal army of our Great Zhou Dynasty."

"I do not want to have your blood on my hands, causing pain to my loved ones and joy to my enemies!"

Yang Yan spoke solemnly and with an air of righteousness.

"Alright, you old fool, you've overdone it."

"I don't want to hear your nonsense!"

"Make your move. I also want to see your strength."

Chu Xiu shook his head, slowly raised the Taiqing Zhenyue Blade in his hand, and said with a chilling killing intent.

"Chu Xiu, you don't understand me now, but one day you will."

"Now I don't blame you, and I won't kill you."

"Butler, seize him, but remember not to kill him."

Yang Yan frowned slightly and spoke in a deep, powerful voice.

"Yes, this old servant obeys!"

The steward of the Yang family responded and stepped out from behind Yang Yan. He took a sword from one of the Yang family's retainers and walked to a spot less than a few meters away from Chu Xiu. He looked at Chu Xiu calmly and said, "My lord, make your move."

Since Yang Yan is still playing the role of a loyal subject of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he, as the steward of the Yang family, naturally cannot call Chu Xiu by his name like Yang Yan does, but must respectfully address him as Marquis.

"Very well, then I'll behead the steward of the Yang family first, and then I'll behead you, you old bastard!"

A murderous glint flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes. With a swift movement, he charged towards the Yang family steward like a thunderbolt, unleashing the third strike of the Taiqing Zhenyue Blade in his hand—a thousand, ten thousand strikes.

With this slash, thousands of sword energies instantly appeared between heaven and earth.

Thousands of sword energies converged into a single blade, which slashed down towards the steward of the Yang family with overwhelming force.

This strike did not reach the level of tens of thousands of sword energies, let alone hundreds of millions.

However, the fusion of thousands of sword energies into one sword has reached an incredibly terrifying level!

Upon seeing Chu Xiu's attack, the Yang family steward's expression changed drastically. He felt a deathly threat completely enveloping him, and he had no choice but to draw his sword.

Zheng!

As the longsword was drawn, the steward of the Yang family moved, his entire being seemingly merging with the sword in his hand, achieving a state of perfect harmony between body and sword.

this moment!

He is the sword!

The sword is him!

Yang Yan remained expressionless, watching the battle with unwavering composure.

Even from the moment Chu Xiu made his move, Yang Yan could tell that the power of his strike was beyond what the Yang family steward could withstand.

However, he showed no intention of making a move.

He wanted to find out Chu Xiu's true strength through the steward of the Yang family.

Moreover, the steward of his household was no ordinary person at the peak of the ninth level of the Earth Immortal Realm.

His swordsmanship was exceptional even within the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

At most, he would only suffer some injury from Chu Xiu's strike.

To be honest, Yang Yan was extremely shocked. He never imagined that Chu Xiu's true strength had reached this level!

This was completely different from what he had always known.

Chu Xiu did not rely on the Jinyiwei Killing Blade Formation to possess the strength of the ninth level of the Earth Immortal Realm.

He didn't even need the Killing Blade Formation; he already possessed the strength of the peak of the ninth level of the Earth Immortal Realm!

Chu Xiu has been hiding his true abilities all along!