Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

Zhou Ning's eldest son is named Zhou Chengxiong. He has already married and had children and has been granted the title of Prince Rui. He currently resides in the Prince Rui's Mansion, located east of the imperial city.

The third son, Zhou Chenghong, had also married and had children. He was granted the title of Prince Kang and lived in the Prince Kang's Mansion in the southeast of the imperial city.

Yang Sanlang and Zhao Yan successfully left the palace and then found their way to Prince Rui's residence in the dark.

Prince Rui, Zhou Chengxiong, had not yet gone to sleep and was currently in his study discussing matters with his trusted confidants.

His father was so majestic when he led his troops into battle, but recently his father suddenly returned in disgrace, and he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

These past few days he's been having nightmares every night, in which his father is beheaded by the Dou family army, and he and his third brother don't fare well either.

He was terrified, so in the middle of the night he quickly got up and called his trusted confidant. The two of them went to the study to discuss what to do next.

But now, what path is there left to take?

There is no other way but to fight Dou's army to the bitter end.

However, the imperial court is no match for Dou's army at present.

I heard that Dou's army has already captured Yuzhou and Qingzhou, and will soon capture Yizhou, followed by Daizhou. The capital is located north of Daizhou.

If things go as expected, Dou's army will soon be attacking the capital.

But when he went to the palace to see his father in the morning and told him about it, his father only told him to calm down and didn't say anything more.

How could Zhou Chengxiong not be anxious?

Seeing that the Great Qing Kingdom was about to become Dou Qingran's, and his Zhou family's centuries-old legacy was about to be lost, how could he not hate it?

He was filled with hatred and terrified. Finally, he sighed deeply, his shoulders slumped, and he said to his trusted confidant, "After thinking it over, there's no way out now. Father probably knows this in his heart, but he just doesn't dare to say it."

The confidant's eyes darted around, and he bowed, replying, "Your Highness, this matter is already settled. Your Highness needs to make a decision as soon as possible. The rebels have not yet attacked, so Your Highness still has a chance to escape. If you wait until the rebels arrive, it will be too late to run."

He felt that running away now was the best outcome.

Throughout history, losers have never had a good ending.

"As the saying goes, 'Where there's life, there's hope.' Your Highness, it's time to make a decision."

Zhou Chengxiong clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pondered for a long time before slamming his hand on the table and saying, "Alright, then it will be as you say. I'll leave now!"

"Where would Your Highness like to go?"

Just then, a sudden voice came from behind him, and Zhou Chengxiong felt a tremor in his heart. He turned around abruptly to look back.

Yang Sanlang and Zhao Yan emerged from the darkness, looking expressionlessly at Zhou Chengxiong and his confidants.

Faced with the two people who suddenly appeared in the room, Zhou Chengxiong suddenly felt a cold wind blow across his neck.

His expression changed drastically, and he said in a trembling voice, "Who...who are you? How...how did you break into Prince Rui's residence?"

He had ordered his men to guard the study, but he and his confidants stayed there for so long and didn't hear a single sound.

Surprising.

It's really weird.

Yang Sanlang stared at him with dark eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Your Highness doesn't need to know who we are. All you need to know is that you can't go anywhere right now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengxiong's face turned even paler.

Ruined.

Is his nightmare about to come true?

His lips trembled, and he was about to say something when suddenly a strong force pushed him toward the study door. Then he heard his confidant shout, "Your Highness, run! I'll cover you!"

"Uh--"

However, before he could open the door, a large knife pierced through his chest.

His eyes widened instantly, and before he fell, he glanced behind him.

On the ground, his trusted confidant lay dead, eyes wide open, a gleaming dagger stuck in his neck.

"You, you..."

Zhou Chengxiong pointed at Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang, then fell to the ground with his eyes wide open in death.

Zhao Yan's eyes were deep and she didn't bother to go up and take back the broadsword. After Yang Sanlang pulled the dagger out of the man's neck, she immediately opened the door and left.

Yang Sanlang quickly wiped the dagger clean and chased after him.

The floor outside the study was littered with corpses, all of whom Yang Sanlang had dealt with in a single move.

The two arrived at the backyard of Prince Rui's mansion. Yang Sanlang grabbed a servant and forced him to tell him about the situation of the master and servants in Prince Rui's mansion.

Having obtained what he wanted to know, Yang Sanlang knocked the person unconscious with a single palm strike and, together with Zhao Yan, searched for the backyard of Prince Rui's mansion in the dark.

Zhou Chengxiong didn't have many wives or concubines. He also didn't have many children; he had only one legitimate son, one illegitimate son, and one illegitimate daughter.

Upon arriving at the destination, Zhao Yan told Yang Sanlang and then quietly made her way to the concubine's room.

Before Zhou Chengxiong's three children could figure out what was happening, Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang each forced them to drink a cup of bitter medicine, and they immediately fainted.

The drug, of course, is still the kind that can make people stupid.

It wasn't that Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang were soft-hearted; it was simply because Dou Qingran's army hadn't arrived yet. They couldn't stay in the capital for long, so they had to resort to this method temporarily.

"Let's go to the Prince Kang's residence."

After dealing with this matter, the two hurriedly headed towards the Prince Kang's residence.

King Kang, Zhou Chenghong, was asleep, sleeping like a dead pig.

Yang Sanlang killed him with a single stroke.

As for his three sons, they were still given bitter Chinese medicine by Yang Sanlang.

By the time all this was done, it was already broad daylight.

Zhao Yan was exhausted, so she and Yang Sanlang discussed it and found an inn near the west gate of the city. They paid for the inn and went back to rest.

While they were soundly asleep, chaos was brewing in the palace.

The ministers, who were waiting for the emperor to attend court, were slow to arrive and began searching for him everywhere.

All the eunuchs and maids in the palace were mobilized, searching for Zhou Ning from palace to palace, and finally they found him in the Cold Palace.

However, Zhou Ning had already died long ago.

The Emperor has passed away!

This startled all the civil and military officials, who quickly sent someone to inform Prince Rui and Prince Kang.

However, the news we received was that Prince Rui and Prince Kang were also murdered in their respective residences last night.

Even the young masters in the manor were not spared. Although they survived, they all became mentally impaired and completely useless.

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials were alarmed and gathered in the main hall to discuss countermeasures.

Some suggested that a person with exceptional abilities be selected from the royal family to inherit the throne.

After discussion among the ministers, they indeed found a thirteen-year-old boy from the Zhou clan and supported him to ascend the throne.

When Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang woke up and heard about this, they couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

What good would it do to install a new emperor?

They can still kill someone at night.

However, Zhao Yan thought it was too troublesome, so she discussed it with Yang Sanlang: "Sanlang, why don't we stay here and meet up with Brother Dou and the others? What do you think?"