Facing the silver needles shot from the small crossbow, He Jingyao reacted extremely quickly. He immediately threw Wei Dongling aside and rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding several silver needles. However, one silver needle still pierced under his rib, causing him to turn deathly pale on the spot. He covered the wound and trembled uncontrollably in pain.
Wei Dongling turned around and tried to escape, but was immediately held down on the ground by the tenth prince's secret guards who swarmed forward. She was lifted up. Looking up, she saw the Prince Rui not far away, with a sarcastic smile in his eyes.
The surroundings were in complete chaos. Some people were fleeing in a hurry. In the pushing and shoving, some fell and were trampled by those behind. Screams and cries filled the air.
Taking advantage of the chaos, He Jingyao grabbed the ghost - face mask and limped into the crowd.
The tenth prince, Murong Yunqian, descended from nowhere. He snatched a knife from the nearest secret guard and held it to Wei Dongling's neck. He shouted at Jingzhe and Pinhao who were chasing after him from behind, "Don't move! If you do, don't blame me for accidentally slicing her throat!"
Seeing the bright long knife pressed against Wei Dongling's slender neck, Jingzhe and Pinhao stopped in their tracks and didn't dare to take another step forward. Under the threatening gaze of the tenth prince, Jingzhe threw down his soft sword, which clanged on the stone steps in front of the palace.
Seeing this, Murong Yunqian curled his lips into a sinister sneer. He had underestimated this fifth princess! It seemed that as long as he held her hostage, Murong Yuchen would surely be under his control. Murong Yunqian loudly shouted at Luo Xunlong, "Murong Yuchen, why don't you surrender obediently? Do you want me to kill her?"
Luo Xunlong, who was still in a fierce battle, heard someone calling the ninth prince's name from behind. He stole a glance back, and his heart almost stopped. He saw Wei Dongling's face was deathly pale, and a bloodstain had been cut on her slender neck by Murong Yunqian.
Luo Xunlong was furious. Without thinking, he flew towards Wei Dongling.
Seeing this, Murong Yunqian grabbed Wei Dongling's neck and gently shook the long knife in his hand. The sharp blade cut a long, thin wound. Wei Dongling felt a sharp pain in her neck, and bright red blood trickled down the wound.
"Don't!" Luo Xunlong's eyes were blood - shot. He immediately stopped in his tracks.
Murong Yunqian laughed maniacally. Pointing at Jingzhe, Luo Xunlong, and Pinhao, he waved his hand and ordered everyone, "Tie them up for this prince!"
"Yes!" A group of black - clothed secret guards immediately fetched ropes and tied up Jingzhe and the others tightly.
Murong Yunqian sneered coldly at Wei Dongling, "Look, sister. You made a wrong move. You're no match for me."
Wei Dongling felt the blood flowing from her neck. The wound wasn't deep, but it still made her suck in air in pain. She glanced at Murong Yunqian with teary eyes and didn't dare to say a word, fearing that if she said a few more words, this crazy younger brother would stab her neck a few more times.
Murong Yunqian waved his hand and ordered everyone, "This woman spreads fallacies and confuses the people! She impersonates Princess Murong Wanlin of our dynasty. She deserves to die! Tie her up for me!"
"Yes!" The secret guards were quick - witted. They quickly tied up Wei Dongling tightly.
The sky was gradually getting dark. Uncle Li led a group of Tianchao soldiers into the palace. They saw the chaos. Some civil officials, palace maids, and eunuchs who hadn't had time to escape were scurrying around in panic.
Next to the late emperor's coffin, the tenth prince, Murong Yunqian, was sitting upright, glaring at Uncle Li and his men. On Murong Yunqian's left stood Eunuch Cao and the Prince Rui. On his right, Wei Dongling, Jingzhe, Luo Xunlong, and Pinhao were kneeling in turn. They were tied up tightly, and there was an executioner with a knife standing behind each of them.
From afar, the Tianchao soldiers saw their ninth prince being hijacked with a long knife on his neck. They stopped in their tracks and didn't dare to step forward for a long time.
The Prince Rui snorted coldly. Raising his eyebrows, he shouted loudly, "Li Lang! Are you leading an army to rebel?"
Seeing the blood on Wei Dongling's neck, Uncle Li's heart trembled. He gritted his teeth and angrily said, "According to the late emperor's edict, the throne is to be passed on to the ninth prince, Murong Yuchen! It's clearly you, Prince Rui, who wants to usurp the throne!"
The Prince Rui's face instantly darkened. Murong Yunqian frowned and coldly said, "Uncle, with this woman in our hands, why waste words with him? It's getting late."
The Prince Rui snorted coldly and winked at Yu Mo, the military champion waiting nearby. Yu Mo took the order and without saying a word, stepped forward and kicked Wei Dongling hard in the back. Wei Dongling let out a muffled groan and fell to the ground unexpectedly. Her face hit the ground so hard that her nose was almost crooked, and tears streamed down her face in an instant.
Everyone's faces changed greatly. Luo Xunlong turned his head and glared fiercely at Yu Mo, the military champion. His eyes were almost spitting fire.
Uncle Li clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could rush up and beat the military champion to death.
Wei Dongling lay on the ground, biting her lips tightly and not making a sound. She wanted to cry but dared not, fearing that if she cried, Uncle Li and the others would surrender without hesitation.
Yu Mo provocatively glanced at Uncle Li. He picked up Wei Dongling like a chick and threw her back to the executioner.
Murong Yunqian glanced at Eunuch Cao. Eunuch Cao stepped forward and loudly said to the Tianchao soldiers, "The late emperor has passed away. The throne is to be passed on to the tenth prince, Murong Yunqian! You are all brave men of our great Tianchao who defend our country. But now that you've invaded the imperial city, do you really want to fight your own people?"
The Tianchao soldiers looked at each other. Uncle Li sneered, "Don't talk nonsense here! The late emperor's edict clearly states that the throne is to be passed on to our ninth prince, Murong Yuchen. You traitors want to usurp the throne and are even distorting the facts here! Humph! Release our ninth prince quickly!"
Murong Yunqian's face darkened. He stood up from his seat, grabbed Luo Xunlong's chin, and angrily shouted with a dark face, "Look clearly! Is this your ninth prince? Your ninth prince, Murong Yuchen, may have been dead long ago, and you're still completely in the dark!"
The Tianchao soldiers were a bit confused. What did he mean? Did he imply that the ninth prince was an impostor? Everyone stared at the "ninth prince" again and again, all showing puzzled expressions. As the sky darkened, the man's face looked somewhat similar to the ninth prince's, but his overall outline seemed a bit fatter than the ninth prince's. Was it because of the thick clothes due to the cold weather?
Everyone was a bit unsure for a moment and couldn't help thinking about what the tenth prince had said.
Seeing that everyone was suspicious, Pinhao snorted coldly and roared, "I say he is the ninth prince! He is the ninth prince!"
Everyone's hearts trembled. Lord Pinhao's scolding was quite distinctive. Since he said so, that man should be the ninth prince without a doubt! Someone in the crowd angrily shouted, "Traitors! Release our ninth prince quickly!"
Everyone echoed.
Murong Yunqian was almost laughing out of anger. Were they all blind?
Seeing the excited Tianchao soldiers, Uncle Li sneered contemptuously, "Release them quickly, and I'll spare your lives!"