Chapter 174: Dust Settles

"Your Majesty, we shall escort you to the inner chamber first. Swords have no eyes; please do not risk further harm."

The captain of the personal guard beside me spoke in a low voice, "She is the cold-faced woman. She is also the one who sent Huo Mingliang back to Panlong Country."

"No need, this queen will wait for them."

With a glimmer in her eyes, she said.

The Second Princess's ambition was being used by the Zhao family, she wasn't surprised at all. The death of her husband, Emperor Zhao Qian, was the biggest blow to her, and behind this Zhao family, there must be someone instigating them. They had been stationed on the border before, but nothing major happened.

Liàn Yī stretched out her hand and tore the heavy ceremonial robes from her body, revealing a crimson undergarment adorned with golden flying phoenixes. She was clearly well-prepared; her companions, Huì Zhì and Lán Xīn, also removed their outer robes, holding short swords in their hands as they stood close to the empress.

"Huang Ying, you gather a team and escort these officials to the back hall. Make sure they aren't caught in the crossfire."

Cold Noodle, the captain of the Imperial Guard, was reluctant. Protecting the Empress was the top priority right now, but she couldn't disobey the Empress's orders. She could only grumble and lead a team of six to surround the civil officials attending the banquet, then turn toward the inner court.

Some officials were unwilling and shouted at the top of their lungs:

"Your Majesty! We are willing to die with you!"

A few young female officers standing nearby twitched the corners of their mouths. Anyone with eyes could see that the Empress was well-prepared, and this old geezer still had to declare his loyalty at this time, here amidst the flashing blades. They couldn't help in this situation, so there was no need to cause trouble!

"Alright, stop shouting slogans! This Emperor is living well and won't die for a while!"

Ripples directly interrupted the old minister's performance with a wave of her hand, instructing Huang Ying to speed up and take people away.

The nightingale took a step forward, grabbed the old minister shouting slogans, and strode towards the back hall. The rest of the ministers saw that the Empress was confident, so they wouldn't stand in her way any longer. They immediately followed the guards and left.

When the minister left,

half of the Empress's side was empty again. The guards immediately filled the gap. At this moment, another group of Zhao family soldiers rushed into the hall. Seeing Zhao Li lying in a pool of blood and the second princess with injuries, their hearts sank. They looked up and saw the Empress protected by everyone behind her.

"Sisters, we are backed into a corner, fight!"

This group of men, accustomed to charging into battle, immediately brandished their guns and swords, plunging into the fray.

Liàn yī didn't even wrinkle her brow, and she said to the already returned Huang Ying:

"You lead your troops to support the generals. Make sure none of our esteemed heroes get hurt."

"Your Majesty, you cannot be without anyone by your side."

The yellow warbler coldly refused.

"Phoenix head!"

The ripples only amplified the sound. In the next instant, ten dark-clad guards, ghostly in appearance, lightly descended from the top of the main hall and surrounded her.

Rumors have it that the fabled Shadow Guard has finally appeared. With their presence, Huang Ying's pressure has lessened drastically. The royal Shadow Guard is no ordinary force; they kill without leaving a single drop of blood.

"Under my command!"

Since the Empress was already protected, Nightingale didn't hesitate. She led her guards straight into the fray, clashing with Zhao's army that had just stormed in.

At this moment, a black spherical object shot towards the ripples from the shadows. She immediately caught the unique sound of it breaking through the air.

Ripple hesitated for almost no time, splitting the black sphere in two with his sword. Then he said to the dark guards around him:

"Be careful of the firecrackers, these people have some people from Panlong Nation mixed in."

"Yes!"

The guards immediately shifted their formation and, with lightning speed, erected a protective barrier. Their cold, gleaming darts "whoosh" out, deflecting or returning the black thunderbolts.

Then came a series of deafening explosions, followed by screams and groans. Though the grenades were deflected back, they still detonated, injuring both sides of the combatants.

>Whoever throws a grenade will be killed.

Ripples commanded coldly.

He immediately grabbed the delicate bronze incense burner from his side and threw it, knocking a man who was reloading his lightning gun to the ground. The impact sent him crashing, headfirst into the dirt, blood gushing out as he lost consciousness. Moments later, there was no sign of life.

"All of you, scatter and exterminate those who harm the group."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lian Ri had already charged out with her sword, startling the guards disguised as palace maids who immediately followed suit, rushing into the increasingly chaotic hall.

The ripples weren't a blind assassination. She had long since identified the Panlong Kingdom people mixed in, besides the part killed by the dark guards, there were still a few who continued to relentlessly cause chaos.

Wielding the Raiyo Sword, Lien already entered battle mode. Like a wandering dragon, she moved through the hall, each strike of her sword taking the lives of two or three people.

By the end, all Zhao's soldiers were avoiding the ripples of her attacks. They never expected that the Empress' sword would be so sharp and deadly. The number of those who fell to her blade was considerable.

With a ripple sword, she sliced the Second Imperial Princess to the ground. Her sword tip pressed against the other's throat, and she said coldly:

"You lost!"

The second princess covered her breast, which had been pierced by a sword, with terror in her eyes, as if she was just recognizing her mother for the first time.

Feng Ming General led his army into the hall, controlling all the remaining Zhao troops. Then, he knelt on one knee and reported:

"Your Majesty, the Zhao army has been contained. The Zhao family's mansion in the capital has also been surrounded. We await your command."

Ripple then sheathed her sword, and said in a soft voice:

“The Phoenix Clan’s Zhao Shi instigated the second princess to assassinate the emperor and, taking advantage of the opportunity of troops stationed on the border, colluded with remnants of the Panlong Kingdom, attempting to overthrow the Phoenix imperial authority. Their crimes deserve extermination of the nine clans! However, considering the innocence of the clan members, only three clans shall be punished!”

From today onwards, the Phoenix Perch shall be free from Zhao's army!"

As the last word of the ripple's sentence fell, the Zhao family soldiers who had been controlled still hadn't had time to retract their expressions of surprise before being killed on the spot.

The bloody smell in the hall thickened again for a moment.

The Second Princess's face could no longer be described as pale; she looked at her own Empress with a hint of despair.

Take her away.

Liri's expression remained unchanged as she commanded, after all, she was the original body's daughter, so it wouldn't be appropriate to kill her directly.

"Yes!"

This time, it was the yellow warbler who received the command.

"Phoenix, you've worked hard to clean out the entire palace. Make sure there are no stragglers."

"This subordinate obeys!"

Feng Ming stayed behind with a group of people to handle the corpses in the main hall and to guard the Empress.

When the first rays of dawn illuminated the sky, the entire palace had returned to tranquility.

On the streets, there are soldiers of Phoenix everywhere, and the people are unusually obedient. No one dares to go out recklessly.

Last night, they all saw and heard the firelight and explosions above the palace. With the incident at court, the people waited silently for the final outcome.

The second day's court session began in this very atmosphere.

Those who could stand in the court had all experienced the second imperial princess's palace coup last night. They now had a new understanding of the Empress's combat power, and everyone stood straight.

What do you all suggest I should do with the second princessclearly. The five people were evaluating her, so she unconsciously frowned. However, they didn't ask her directly. Instead, she turned her gaze to the back of the five.Behind the five people stood a h...