Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

"Haha~"

Song Wenjie burst into laughter: "It seems you were prepared all along, just waiting for us to come in."

"Hmph~"

The Empress Dowager sneered, "Now you understand? Too late! Guards! Seize them all!"

Imperial guards rushed forward with swords, surrounding the group of veteran officials.

Wu Jingang stood before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, holding a knife. Seeing her younger brother arrive, Empress Dowager Wu Liana felt reassured.

These veteran officials were all civil servants, and none of them were armed. When they saw so many guards with knives, they were somewhat panicked, but on the surface they still pretended to be calm.

The other civil and military officials, fearing they would be implicated, had long since hidden themselves in a corner.

The guards approached step by step, realizing that if these old ministers fell into their hands, they would only face death.

Zhu Yuanzhang shouted, "Let's see who dares to touch them! Get out of the way! You all get out of the way now, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Third Prince~"

Some of the guards hesitated.

The Emperor, hiding behind the Empress Dowager, poked his head out and saw that the guards were not making a move. He became anxious and said, "These old ministers follow the Third Prince's lead and intend to rebel. What are you all standing there for? Quickly take them all down!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes burned with fury, his dark pupils flashing with anger: "With me here, you won't be able to touch a thing!"

Huang Daofu was deeply moved: "Third Prince, I am content with your words. It is our incompetence that we could not watch you ascend the throne!"

Zhong Yuguo, dejected, chimed in from the side, "Third Prince, we are old and useless. We have wronged you and we have failed the late Emperor!"

Song Wenjie smirked coldly: "Lord Huang, Lord Zhong, with me here, they won't dare to lay a finger on you."

As he spoke, he moved swiftly and instantly appeared before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

To catch the thief, you must first catch the king; he planned to take control of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor first.

Wu Jingang, his face grim, rebuked, "General Song, what are you trying to do? Don't do anything reckless, this is a capital offense."

Zhu Yuanzhang was also getting anxious: "Wenjie, don't be impulsive!"

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that if he actually took action, it would confirm his crime of plotting a rebellion.

Song Wenjie shook his head: "Your Highness, we can't escape it. The Empress Dowager's goal is to wipe us all out in order to cover up her misdeeds."

"Since that's the case, let's fight to the death, maybe there's still a way out!"

Song Wenjie's words were like a wake-up call for Zhu Yuanzhang.

In this situation, whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll get stabbed anyway, so you might as well just go for it. After all, things have come to this point, and there's no turning back.

"Capture them quickly! Whoever captures them will be richly rewarded!" The Empress Dowager shouted frantically, her face contorted with rage.

These imperial guards didn't care about anything else and charged forward, brandishing their swords. Zhu Yuanzhang drew his sword and stood in front of several senior officials.

Unexpectedly, the Third Prince knew kung fu, leaving the other civil and military officials dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Song Wenjie and Wu Jingang were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, let's go!" Rong Momo was terrified as she looked at the chaos in the court.

The Empress Dowager glared at her: "What's the rush! I want to see what they're capable of."

Even though the Third Prince was highly skilled in martial arts, the Imperial Guards were numerous, and wave after wave of guards made it difficult for Zhu Yuanzhang to cope. Song Wenjie was also unable to break free.

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a numbness in his hand, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground.

"Third Prince, I'm sorry." Imperial Guard Captain Shi Dongnan pointed his sword at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Seeing this, Song Wenjie was shocked and was about to escape when he heard a voice in his ear: "Brother Song, don't worry, I'm here!"

Immediately afterwards, a figure shot in from outside the court.

With a clang, the newcomer cleared the sword from Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

Everyone was immediately shocked. They didn't know when a young man had appeared in the court. He was carrying a long sword, wearing a dark blue outfit, with bright, lively eyes and handsome features.

"who are you?"

The Empress Dowager's chest heaved with anger.

The boy's voice was clear and crisp: "Meddlesome person!"

The person who arrived was none other than Zhao Lian!

Just then, another series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The people in the court looked at each other, wondering what was going on!

"General, we've arrived!"

The person hasn't arrived, but their voice has.

Song Wenjie's eyes lit up; it was Liu Yu's voice.

In an instant, a dark mass of people arrived outside the court gate, each clad in armor. Leading them was a tall, bearded man, none other than General Feng Ao.

With a serious expression, Feng Ao bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Third Prince, I am late and have caused you any alarm!"

After saying this, he waved his hand and shouted in a booming voice, "Everyone, charge! Seize the one who plotted to murder the late emperor!"

Suddenly, swords flashed and shadows danced, as Zhao Lian and the Third Prince protected the old ministers.

When Song Wenjie saw Feng Ao and Zhao Lian arrive, he had even less to worry about and became more and more energetic, like he had been injected with chicken blood.

A moment later, he knocked Wu Jingang's knife away, pressed his pressure points, and rendered him unable to move.

Upon seeing this, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor quickly turned around and tried to escape.

Song Wenjie smirked: "Trying to escape? Not so easy!"

He then placed the knife against the emperor's neck, his voice cold: "Your Majesty, do not move, or the knife will have no eyes."

The Emperor's face turned deathly pale: "You—you—you mustn't do anything rash!"

Sensing something was wrong, the Empress Dowager quickly turned around and saw a knife held to her son's neck. She was terrified.

Although the men Wu Jingang brought were supposed to be imperial guards, most of them were pampered and had little combat experience.

But the soldiers brought by General Feng Ao were different; everyone in the camp was brave and skilled in battle.

The two groups clashed, and within a quarter of an hour, a clear winner was decided. Amidst screams of agony, countless men brought by the Nine Gates Admiral Wu Jingang were killed or wounded, their blood flowing everywhere.

Before long, the remaining Imperial Guards could not hold out any longer and surrendered.

Seeing the Empress Dowager looking so disheveled in the grand and imposing imperial court, Zhao Lian felt a sense of satisfaction.

It was this vicious woman who caused the eldest princess to suffer such a tragic fate.

"You are the Empress Dowager of the Han River Dynasty!"

Zhao Lian carefully examined the Empress Dowager in front of her and found that although the Empress Dowager was nearly fifty years old, she was still very well-maintained.

The Empress Dowager was not only tall and slender, but also had fair and full skin. However, her eyes were sinister, which was a waste of her good looks.

"And who are you?" The Empress Dowager looked unwilling. They had been sure to win, but unexpectedly, a Cheng Yaojin appeared out of nowhere and disrupted their plans.

Zhao Lian's eyes sparkled as she glanced around at everyone in the court: "I wonder if everyone still remembers Princess Mingmei. Back then, she was kidnapped on her way to a marriage alliance, and none of them survived."

"And the mastermind behind all of this was the then-Empress, who is now the Empress Dowager!"

“I was entrusted by Princess Mingmei to expose your true colors. As the Empress Dowager of a country, you had an affair and fathered an illegitimate child. In the end, you even used illegitimate means to put your son on the throne.”

"Wow!!!"

The crowd erupted in uproar!

Zhao Lian's words have refreshed everyone's perception of the Empress Dowager.

Then Zhao Lian recounted her encounter with the Princess, leaving everyone speechless with astonishment.