In the 32nd year of the Dongling Kingdom.
Xiao Hanzhi, the fourth prince, married Helian Shu, the princess of the Xiyue Kingdom, in the Feiling Pavilion within the imperial palace. True to the rumors, the princess's dowry caravan snaked through the capital from the city gate, making a full circuit before finally reaching the palace entrance.
The palace was ablaze with decorations, and the entire imperial city seemed to be immersed in the joy of the fourth prince's wedding.
Despite the jubilant atmosphere, the soldiers patrolling the area were armed with glinting weapons, and the palace guards seemed even more vigilant than usual.
Everything proceeded as planned, without a single hitch.
Xiao Hanzhi thought that everything was finally falling into place, so he began to relax a bit. After a few cups of strong liquor, he felt a bit dizzy.
Suddenly, the queen mother, resplendent in her phoenix crown, slowly approached. Everyone present was stunned.
The area fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the queen mother's soft voice: "It is only fitting that I, as the mother, come to congratulate my fourth son on his wedding day."
Xiao Hanzhi was initially taken aback, but then forced a smile: "I did send an invitation, Your Majesty. But I heard from my mother that you were unwell, so I didn't dare to bother you. Please forgive my oversight if I've done something wrong."
"Oh? Is that so? You're truly concerned about me, aren't you, my fourth son?"
The queen mother stared at his face and suddenly let out a cold laugh. Without another glance at him, she stepped to the center of the guests, surveyed the room, and declared in a booming voice: "Xiao Hanzhi, the fourth prince, has harbored traitorous ambitions to seize the throne. Now that the emperor has passed away, the crown prince should rightfully ascend to the throne. Xiao Hanzhi's actions are those of a traitor, and he deserves to be executed!"
The queen mother's words left everyone present stunned. No one had expected that this wedding banquet would turn into such a drama.
Concubine Chen stormed up to the queen mother: "The queen mother is ill and not in her right mind. Someone, take her away at once!"
"It's too late! My Yujin has already arrived!" At this moment, the queen mother let out a maniacal laugh, as if she had truly lost her senses.
Suddenly, the thunderous sound of galloping horses reached everyone's ears.
Just then, a guard rushed in to report: "My lord! The second prince has led his men into the palace!"
Xiao Hanzhi didn't care about the wedding anymore. He rushed out to take a look. From the elevated Feiling Pavilion, he could easily see the army in black armor. They swarmed into his line of sight like a dark cloud.
In the palace, although Xiao Hanzhi had many men, they were no match for these armored guards.
So, without hesitation, Xiao Hanzhi took out the fireworks he had been carrying. The fireworks exploded, lighting up the night sky in a dazzling display.
The reinforcements... should be on their way.
The clash of swords and the sounds of battle filled the air.
Xiao Hanzhi stood on the platform of the Feiling Pavilion, watching the two sides engage in a fierce battle. His lips were tightly pursed, and his panicked eyes betrayed his lack of confidence in defeating the crown prince's forces.
But the reinforcements were his last hope.
Xiao Hanzhi had emptied the national treasury to raise a small army of 30,000 men! That's why he was so eager to get the princess's dowry, to replenish the empty treasury as soon as possible.
This battle was an all-or-nothing gamble, and both sides were pouring their full strength into the final showdown.
It was obvious that when Xiao Hanzhi's reinforcements arrived, the crown prince's men began to lose ground.
This made Xiao Hanzhi breathe a sigh of relief.
But not long after, another group of people suddenly appeared.
They infiltrated the battle at lightning speed. Although they were few in number, each one was a seasoned warrior. Their arrival seemed to turn the tide of the battle.
This made Xiao Hanzhi's heart sink.
He squinted his eyes and stared at this small group of people for a long time. Suddenly, he realized that their fighting style was very similar to that of a certain organization - the Night Shade Division!
Xiao Hanzhi clenched his fists tightly.
"Shen Yi, you dare to ruin my plans today!"
The air was filled with the sounds of battle, the shouts of the soldiers, and the sickening smell of blood. This place didn't seem like a palace anymore; it was more like a living hell.
The sun was slowly setting, and the blood-red sunset seemed to bear witness to the events of the day. Shen Li was hiding in the army. She saw Xiao Hanzhi standing high above, and it felt like a dream. This bloody battle reminded her of the day she climbed the city wall, the day the entire Night Shade Division was pushed to the execution ground. It seemed just like today.
The magnificent mountains and rivers were within reach.
Seeing that his own army was gradually losing, Xiao Hanzhi had the thought of running away. But just as he was about to descend the stairs, an arrow struck the wall beside him.
It was Xuan Yuanjue who had drawn his bow and shot at Xiao Hanzhi. Taking advantage of Xiao Hanzhi's momentary distraction, Xuan Yuanjue used his lightness kung fu to fly directly to Xiao Hanzhi's side. He said in a teasing tone: "Don't run away. I still have some questions for you."
Xiao Hanzhi's martial arts skills were indeed good, but compared to Xuan Yuanjue, they were far inferior.
Xiao Yujin thought that the Night Shade Division had come to help him seize the throne, so he was overjoyed. But when he saw that his own men were gradually being outnumbered, he finally realized that something was wrong.
Xuan Yuanjue grabbed Xiao Hanzhi by the collar and flew down from the building. He dragged Xiao Hanzhi in front of Shen Li. Shen Li looked at Xiao Hanzhi in his red wedding clothes and remembered the night of their wedding. He had also been wearing red back then.
But now, this red made Shen Li feel sick.
Shen Li took out her whip from her waist and whipped it around Xiao Hanzhi's neck. With a sudden jerk, there was a loud crack.
It was broken...
Xiao Hanzhi was killed by a woman just like that.
Shen Li finally achieved her wish.
"Child, mother has avenged you..." Tears welled up in her eyes.
Xiao Hanzhi probably never dreamed that he would die at Shen Li's hands. Shen Li's ruthless attack shocked those around her. No one had expected that a woman could be so heartless. But in Xuan Yuanjue's eyes, this was the mark of a true general.
In the end, the Night Shade Division and the Xuan Yuan Pavilion emerged victorious from this battle!
Shen Long and Liu Yu presented the imperial edict left behind by the former emperor.
It turned out that Xuan Yuanjue was the orphan of the former emperor, and the Shen family had been usurping power! Today's ceremony was just for Xuan Yuanjue to reclaim what was rightfully his!
In the 32nd year of the Dongling Kingdom, the curtain fell.
A new dynasty was born - the Liyang Dynasty!
Xuan Yuanjue ascended the throne as the emperor, and Shen Li became the empress. The emperor doted on Shen Li exclusively in the harem, and she was the only one in his heart.