The Demon Hunter Army dragged Wei Wuxian's legs, pulling him outside.
"Whoosh~"
An arrow broke through the air, whistling as it shot into the Demon Hunter Army formation. A general, standing half a step behind Ji Jinmo and clad in black armor, swung his sword, cutting the incoming arrow in two. He then flipped his wrist, the tip of his sword flicking up the severed arrowhead and shaking it with force.
The broken arrowhead turned and flew back in the direction it came from.
"Clang~"
The sounds of battle arose in the distance, followed by the rhythmic clang of iron boots on the ground, their echoes reverberating through the night sky. The momentum was so great it felt as if war drums were suspended overhead.
Under the moonlight, an army tore through the darkness, charging from the shadows.
"Form ranks, meet the attack!"
The general of the Demon Hunter Army raised his long sword and shouted loudly.
The Ministry of Justice was located at the foot of the Imperial City, merely a thousand meters from the palace. After overthrowing the previous dynasty, Emperor Taizu had expanded and renovated the existing palace, adding another wall outside the outer wall. The Ministry of Justice, which was previously ten thousand meters from the Imperial City, now seemed to be grafted onto its very foundations.
Interestingly, the direction from which the Black Armored Army appeared was not towards the Imperial City.
Outside the Ministry of Justice was a wide square, about a hundred meters across. It bordered the Imperial City to the east and Yunlan Street to the west. The connecting roads were also quite broad, nearly five meters wide. On normal nights, it felt a little empty, but now it was incredibly crowded.
The two armies faced each other, their killing intent palpable.
The Demon Hunter Army parted, and Ji Jinmo stepped forward, gazing at Ji Hong, who stood before the Black Armored Army, clad in golden fish-scale armor, a chestplate, and a six-petaled dragon-patterned iron helmet.
"Your subject pays respects to His Majesty!"
Ji Jinmo gave a slight nod to Ji Hong. While he spoke of paying respects, a mocking cold smile played on his lips. His upturned phoenix eyes seemed to hold the coldness of moonlight, and even as he looked at Ji Hong, it was as if he were observing a slightly peculiar ant.
"Imperial Uncle, you lead troops to surround the Ministry of Justice, disregarding the laws of the court. Such audacious defiance, even if I wished to show favoritism, it would be difficult to silence the tongues of all under heaven! Criticisms and insults against me are minor matters, but if the world were to believe that our Lin Yuan's laws are merely tools for the powerful to enslave the common people, it would be a catastrophe for Lin Yuan!"
"Imperial Uncle, do not blame me!"
"Well said!"
Ji Hong performed a passionate act of a wise ruler who valued the common people and the law above all else, as if this incident had no bearing on the existing rift between them. Ji Jinmo, like a spectator on a high platform, offered his casual critique, as if he had tailor-made a stage for Ji Hong, placing him within a play, within a performance.
The air seemed to echo with the sound of a heavy slap, an invisible palm striking Ji Hong's face, stripping away his hypocrisy. Ji Hong gritted his teeth, desperately suppressing the rage in his heart. "Imperial Uncle, do not mistake the situation!"
Ji Jinmo smoothed his sleeves, his tone still leisurely and smiling. "Your subject does not understand what His Majesty speaks of?"
"This King was merely apprehending an assassin who fled into the Ministry of Justice. In the process of apprehension, I accidentally broke down the Ministry's door. What is it, that this King apprehending an assassin causes His Majesty to be so nervous? To the extent of deploying the Black Armored Army, which has always been hidden within the palace? Could it be that the assassin was sent by you, the Emperor?"
Ji Hong had originally intended that, even if he could not do anything to Ji Jinmo in today's battle, he would at least make Ji Jinmo's pride and joy of an army pay a price. The Black Armored Army, if they did not appear, so be it; if they did, they were destined to make a name for themselves.
But now, with his words, if he insisted on ordering his troops into battle, it would appear as if he were guilty.
Ji Hong sneered, "Just an assassin, and Imperial Uncle reacts like this?"
"That assassin is the Ministry of Justice's Qingli Division."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the deputy general of the Demon Hunter Army dragged Wei Wuxian out as if he were a dead dog.
Ji Jinmo glanced at him, then raised his eyelids to look at Ji Hong. "It is him!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty save me! Your subject acted under imperial decree, your subject..."
Ji Jinmo glared at the deputy general. The deputy general twisted the hilt of his sword and violently rammed it into Wei Wuxian's jaw. With a crisp crack, Wei Wuxian's jaw shattered, his temporomandibular joint dislocated. His agonizing cries fell upon everyone's ears, leaving only unintelligible roars.
Watching Ji Jinmo act so recklessly in front of him, Ji Hong's slightly dilated pupils burned with fierce fire. He angrily rebuked, "Imperial Uncle, to execute someone in front of me, you are far too presumptuous."
When the emperor was angry, thousands of corpses would float. If it were anyone else, they would have been terrified and trembling uncontrollably, but Ji Jinmo merely slowly raised his head. Facing Ji Hong's reprimand, he offered no defense, but instead asked in a casual tone, "The assassin who attempted to assassinate this King, was he acting under your imperial decree, Your Majesty?"
Ji Hong was slightly stunned, then his heart trembled violently.
He suppressed the panic in his heart, rubbing the gemstone on his sword's hilt with his thumb, smiling meaningfully. "I merely decreed that the Ministry of Justice should interrogate Feng Luan. Imperial Uncle, there are a thousand and one excuses for taking action, but this kind of excuse is the most inept!"
Ji Jinmo sneered and retorted, "Do I need an excuse?"
Ji Hong's fingers dug into the gemstone of his sword hilt, his chest heaving violently.
His words were no longer merely slapping Ji Hong's face; they were trampling him underfoot, grinding him in, and then asking him if his face felt comfortable against the ground.
He had wanted to swing his heavy sword several times, but in the end, he had not been able to sound the charge.
...
The sounds of fighting from outside penetrated the prison cell. Feng Quan stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Feng Luan. He hadn't expected the Regent to actually lead troops to attack the Ministry of Justice for him.
"Why?"
Feng Quan couldn't understand.
He couldn't understand why Feng Luan was so important to the Regent.
He heard a laugh, as if mocking him, mocking Wei Wuxian, mocking everyone in the Ministry of Justice.
Why?
Nan Shiying propped her chin in her hand, pondering his question.
For what reason?
Since the play had begun, of course, it had to be finished. It was about seeing who would get into character and who would take their seats during this time!
As for what was happening outside... the escaped individuals had brought news.
The Emperor had mobilized the Black Armored Army, and now the Black Armored Army and the Demon Hunter Army were in a standoff outside the Ministry of Justice. A major battle was imminent.
This was the second time.
That day at the palace, and today at the Ministry of Justice!
The struggle between the Emperor and the Regent was intensifying.
Now that the two armies were engaged, it was unknown who would win or lose. Perhaps today, this protracted struggle for power would come to a conclusion?
Who would emerge victorious in this battle?
Feng Quan stood in the darkness, feeling as if the path before him was being swallowed by the shadows. Nan Shiying leaned lazily against the wall, looking up at the window.
Fight?
They wouldn't fight!