The words fell, and the surroundings plunged into deathly silence.
Wei Yuan stumbled on the corridor steps. After steadying himself, he looked back. Moonlight slanted through the half-open window, falling upon Ji Jinmo, creating two distinct light sources with the flickering candlelight, one on each side, encircling him.
Nan Shiying stood in the flickering candlelight, and to her, he was gentle and doting.
Nan Chaoyun knelt in the hazy moonlight, and to him, he was sinister and cruel.
"Your Highness, even as the Regent of Linyuan, you cannot slaughter innocents and trample on lives. Today, even if I have to stake this old life, I will not let you harm my wife and children!"
Bathed in blood, Nan Chaoyun lost all semblance of a civil official. His eyes burned with ferocity, and his entire being was like a unsheathed sword, his sturdy frame filled with courage. Under the watchful eyes of Nan Shiying and Ji Jinmo, he slowly rose. Though his head was half a head lower than Ji Jinmo's, his imposing presence could momentarily contend with him.
His formidable aura seemed to stir the air, and the servants kneeling around felt as if they were small boats caught in a tempest, about to be swallowed by the surging waves and drowned in the abyssal depths of the sea.
Nan Shiying took a step back, seemingly unable to resist Nan Chaoyun's imposing might. One of her hands was tightly held by Ji Jinmo's large palm, while the other clutched his waist.
"Rumble~ Rumble~ Rumble~"
Just then, earth-shattering footsteps suddenly echoed from outside. Iron boots trod the ground in unison, armor clashing against armor, emitting the clang of iron and blood as if in battle.
The gatekeeper of the Nan residence rushed in in a panic, "Master, Master, it's bad! It's, it's the Prince's Demon Hunting Army!"
Deputy General Zhang Heng, leading a contingent of the Demon Hunting Army, had surrounded the Nan residence. Soldiers stood every two steps, sentries every five, making it impossible for anyone, even a mouse, to escape the Nan mansion at that moment.
Upon hearing the gatekeeper's report, Nan Chaoyun's eyes blazed with fury.
"Your Highness, leading troops to surround a minister's residence, do you still have eyes for the Emperor and reverence in your heart?"
Nan Chaoyun's heart pounded. The Demon Hunting Army had entered the capital silently, and not a single warning had been issued from any of the capital's four city gates. This meant that Ji Jinmo had at least controlled one of the gates.
"Prime Minister, at a time like this, you still have the mood to question me? I will give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If you do not make a choice after a cup of tea, I will lead my troops to flatten your Prime Minister's mansion."
Facing Nan Chaoyun's questioning, Ji Jinmo had no intention of arguing with him. Under absolute military power, everything else was like mud and rotten wood.
"You..."
Nan Chaoyun's eyes blazed with fury, but facing Ji Jinmo's overwhelming power, he was utterly powerless to resist.
Ji Jinmo, holding Nan Shiying's hand, turned and sat on a chair, calmly observing Nan Chaoyun. At this moment, the once capable minister, the present Prime Minister, had lost all his composure and tranquility. No matter how eloquent he usually was, he was now enveloped by an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Nan Chaoyun looked at Nan Yuan'er and then at Liu Shi, his eyes filled with struggle. Although he had grown somewhat weary of Liu Shi during this time, she had been by his side for years, and he couldn't help but feel some affection for her. Even if she was just a substitute, she resembled the departed person so much that looking at her face felt like embracing the one who had long since left. She was gone, and could he not even keep a substitute now?
But Yuan'er... she couldn't die!
He suddenly fixed his gaze on Nan Shiying, his voice hoarse as if he had swallowed a handful of hot sand, the sand cutting his throat, bringing forth a rough, bloody scent. "Ying'er, will you stand by and watch?"
Nan Chaoyun uttered no threats, yet it felt as if he had said everything.
Seeing that Nan Chaoyun still dared to threaten her with the corpse of Nan Shiying's mother, Ji Jinmo let out a cold laugh. "You may try, but I recall your Nan family's ancestral grave is in Linxiang."
Ji Jinmo said nothing explicit, but the threat was self-evident. If Nan Chaoyun dared to exhume and desecrate the grave, he would have people dig up the Nan family's ancestral graves and turn the remains of all their elders to dust. This was a hundred times more malicious than massacring the Nan clan.
Nan Chaoyun's chest heaved rapidly, the redness in his eyes threatening to spill out. Nan Shiying actually admired Nan Chaoyun; he was truly like a turtle, so patient. Even now, he showed no intention of using his hidden guards to resist. The more he remained passive and endured, the more wary Nan Shiying and Ji Jinmo became of him. His actions indicated the depth of his schemes, to the point where he could sacrifice his own family.
Nan Yuan'er watched this scene powerlessly. She had never imagined that her life would one day be in Nan Shiying's hands. She couldn't discern her father's expression, nor see her mother's current state. She could only hear her father's heavy breathing and her mother's suppressed, terrified sobs. She didn't want to die; she couldn't die!
"Father, Father..."
Nan Yuan'er wanted to live, but she couldn't voice it directly. If she said it, she would be a shameless wretch who sacrificed her mother's life for her own survival, disloyal and unfilial. She struggled to get up, but a slight movement of her head made her gasp in pain. The blood of the servants solidified on her face, and a drop fell into her eye, appearing like a blooming red plum in the darkness, making her pale face look even more delicate.
Lü Wan held Liu Shi's arm. Liu Shi could only turn her head slightly, glancing at Nan Yuan'er from the corner of her eye. Her heart was being torn apart, facing life and death, facing her daughter. She was merely a sheltered lady of the inner chambers, arrogant and overbearing due to her husband's favor. Not to mention Nan Yuan'er, she wasn't even as good as Wang Shi. But at this moment, she suddenly seemed to understand something.
"My lord, to be able to serve by your side and receive your favor in this life is already enough. I have no regrets, nor complaints. I only ask that you treat Yuan'er and Lin'er well."
Liu Shi smiled at Nan Chaoyun and suddenly struck her head against the ground. Lü Wan was startled and instinctively pulled her, but Liu Shi's head still hit the ground heavily. Although most of the force was dissipated and her forehead split open, she did not manage to die.
"Li'er!"
Nan Chaoyun had never expected that this delicate woman, who would hide in his arms and shed tears if her finger was scratched, would have the courage to seek death. For a moment, he was under the delusion that the person before him was not the charming Liu Shi, but that heartless woman.
The entrustment from her mother and her father's shouts made Nan Yuan'er understand what had happened. She stood there, stunned.
"Truly touching!" Nan Shiying began to clap. This scene of life and death parting was truly enough to bring tears to one's eyes. She cried, but it was an act! While this scene might be deeply moving to others, perhaps even some sentimental scholars would compose poems praising the greatness of maternal love, neither Nan Shiying nor Ji Jinmo felt any stirring in their hearts, finding it rather distasteful.
"Madam seems to have misunderstood my meaning. I asked the Prime Minister to make a choice, not for someone else to make a choice for the Prime Minister. Madam should be grateful that Lü Wan stopped you. If you had died by smashing your head, it would be considered the Prime Minister disobeying my orders. At that time, the Demon Hunting Army would flatten the Nan residence, and you would be a sinner of the Nan clan!"
Liu Shi wanted to take her own life? She was not worthy!
Liu Shi lay in a pool of blood, Ji Jinmo's voice seeming to drift from afar, yet also striking her ears like a thunderclap. She strained her eyes open and saw a figure clad in moonlight-white slowly approaching her.
Wei Yuan sighed, understanding Ji Jinmo's intent. He turned and walked back into the room, stopping Liu Shi's bleeding. Even though he was deeply shaken by Liu Shi's willingness to die for her daughter, the formidable man and woman inside the room did not even bat an eyelid. Perhaps their hearts were as hard as iron, or perhaps Liu Shi had committed some heinous crime against Nan Shiying before. Regardless, if these two in the room did not want her to die, then even the King of Hell would have to retreat in defeat!
Hearing that her mother was not dead, Nan Yuan'er felt both relieved and annoyed. She was relieved her mother was alive but annoyed that she hadn't died. It was a complex feeling, but it was human nature. Or rather, it was Nan Yuan'er's human nature: selfish and cold-blooded!
Ji Jinmo tapped his fingers on the table, making a 'dong dong' sound. He was calculating the time. "Prime Minister Nan, your time is running out!"
Nan Shiying glanced at Ji Jinmo and lowered her gaze to her own hands, but in her mind, she was constantly pondering a question: what exactly was Ji Jinmo waiting for!
She began to retrace the day's events from back to front. Why did Nan Chaoyun order the messenger to deliver the news and then impatiently request an audience? Did Nan Chaoyun genuinely intend to abandon the Qing Yuan lineage? Or rather, was Nan Chaoyun's purpose in doing all this merely to coerce her and thus force the Regent to have Feng Luan treat Nan Yuan'er? All of this was for Nan Yuan'er's wrist? How could he gamble that Feng Luan would sincerely treat Nan Yuan'er under duress? As a seasoned politician who had weathered many storms, would he place all his hopes on Ji Jinmo compromising because of her, an unpredictable and infinitely uncertain factor? No, he wouldn't. Then, what was the reason for him causing such a commotion, even at the cost of Liu Shi's life? Was it...
Nan Shiying suddenly had an epiphany. She finally understood Nan Chaoyun's ultimate objective in doing all this.
At this moment, thunderous footsteps sounded again outside the Nan residence. Armies bearing the royal banner marched from the palace, exuding an aura of martial prowess and killing intent as they advanced towards the Nan residence. It was Ji Hong's Black Armored Army!
Amidst the Black Armored Army, a great eunuch dressed in red eunuch robes stood out like a beacon among the armored soldiers. The eunuch, escorted by the Black Armored Army, rode to the front of the Nan residence. He dismounted and, under the protection of the Black Armored Army, unfurled the imperial edict in his hands.
"Imperial edict reads!"
Upon the arrival of the imperial edict, everyone knelt in reverence, even the Demon Hunting Army.
"The Nan residence possesses a daughter, of auspicious lineage and noble birth, embodying grace and virtue, possessing all six perfections, long demonstrating virtuous conduct, fitting to be the mother of the nation!!"
Ji Hong decreed, enfeoffing Nan Yuan'er as the Empress! So this was Nan Chaoyun's ultimate purpose in causing all this today. He wasn't seeking to heal Nan Yuan'er's wrist, but to force Ji Hong to break his promise and elevate Nan Yuan'er, who had already been betrothed to the Seventh Prince of Da Li, into the imperial palace! If she could reside in Jingren Palace, what did it matter if her wrist was crippled? So, was Jinmo waiting for Ji Hong's imperial edict during this cup of tea's time?
As the eunuch's voice carried into the residence, the servants of the Nan mansion let out a collective sigh of relief. With His Majesty's backing, they would not die today!
"This minister, Nan Chaoyun, expresses his deepest gratitude to His Majesty for his boundless grace!" Nan Chaoyun shouted his thanks, his voice like a mighty rainbow, resonating from within the house to the outside.
Nan Yuan'er's eyes widened in excitement. She had thought she would never have a chance at the empress's position, but unexpectedly, the situation reversed. Ji Jinmo's coercion had helped her ascend to the throne. Nan Yuan'er wanted to laugh, to laugh heartily. In the end, Nan Shiying would still have to bow and salute her!
"Good, my nephew has grown up and learned to defy me!" Ji Jinmo was smiling, but a chilling aura emanated with the smile, instantly freezing everyone's joy. Ji Jinmo stood up, tidied his already wrinkled clothes, and glanced at Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan hesitated for a second before picking up a silver needle and piercing Liu Shi's acupoint at the crown of her head.