Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  The medicinal pill Fan Xian forced the empress dowager to swallow tasted sweet and sour. Even after all the life and death situations over these two years, from the depths of the ocean to the summit of a mountain, even with a body full of injuries, Fan Xian had not lost this pill because he knew it was very important for him. 

  It had been a dozen years ago in Danzhou when Fan Xian’s teacher Fei Jie had formally stuffed the medicinal pouch into his little hands. He had been afraid that the Tyrannical zhenqi Fan Xian was learning would suddenly burst forth and cause him to die a tragic end. 

  Fan Xian never took the medicine. After he killed the Second Prince’s ally Xie Bi’an and had a direct fight with the Shadow, his zhenqi had finally exploded within his body and rendered him a cripple. Even in such circumstances, he still did not take the medicine because he knew how powerful it was. It could dispel his martial abilities. 

  Fan Xian didn’t want all his martial abilities to be dispelled, so he shouldered the pain of the destruction of his meridians and rigidity of being unable to move. Fortunately, Haitang secretly brought the Heart of Tianyi Dao to Jiangnan, which remarkably made his heavy injuries slowly recover. 

  Now, he had finally delivered this medicine into the empress dowager’s mouth. The medicinal properties of this pill were powerful. It penetrated with unusual directness straight into one’s organs and gradually submerged one’s life force. 

  The empress dowager was already old and weak. She only had very few years of life left. Taking this medicine gradually drained her remaining life force, accelerating her rate of death. Her life force was gradually dimming and become weaker. Her old and weak body was unable to endure and already at its limit. 

  Fan Xian was afraid of the aftermath, so he could not openly poison the empress dowager. This medicine was not a poison. No matter which doctor came to do an examination, they would not find anything strange. 

  At this time, the empress dowager was already unable to speak and soon would feel her body becoming heavier and heavier. She would not be able to raise her arm if she wanted to. Unless another Great Grandmaster appeared in the world and forcefully used the purest zhenqi to turn back time, the empress dowager could only tragically become a cripple who could not speak or move. Then, she could only slowly wait for death’s arrival. 

  It was not that Fan Xian was vicious or consumed by his desire for revenge. Under the present situation and with his own secret concern, this was all he could do to ensure the safety of the present and future. 

  The rebel army surrounded the city. The empress dowager could weaken the rebel army’s attack as a shield, but what about their future safety? ……

  The empress dowager did not know what sinister poison was contained in that medicine. She only thought that it was a pill to make her mute. She still stared at Fan Xian with resentment and hatred. Fan Xian did not acknowledge the empress dowager’s angry gaze. He turned his cold gaze on the two factions below the lofty palace walls. He looked intently at Ye Zhong beside the Second Prince. As he looked at the short and sturdy general, a strange light flashed through his eyes. It seemed like he was continuously thinking about something. 

  The Dingzhou army was presenting prisoners of war and had yet to enter the capital. According to precedent, they only had a few thousand soldiers. However, Ye Zhong and the Second Prince had led over 10,000 people into the capital. It appeared they had long been prepared. However, there was no sign of Hongcheng among the rebel army. This made Fan Xian feel a glimmer of relief. 

  Looking from a distance, the heads of the rebel army seemed to be arguing about something while the Crown Prince remained silent. He watched the movement at the top of the palace walls with worry-filled eyes. In his heart, he worried about the safety of his mother and grandmother. He viciously cursed Fan Xian, the Great Prince, and the scholars Shu and Hu. 

  Fan Xian suddenly narrowed his eyes seeing that the leaders of the rebel army had stopped their discussion. The sound of hooves gradually rang out. The Qin and Ye families each took one portion of the army and pressed away in two directions. He abruptly turned his head and glanced at the Crown Prince not far from him. The Great Prince nodded at him and gave a signal he prepared long ago. 

  Other than the main Palace doors, it seemed that the rebel soldiers had also chosen Taiping Square for the other main direction of attack. The palace wall there was slightly shorter. It was where the eunuchs and serving girls lived and not a strictly guarded entrance. The Great Prince had long deduced this and had moved many soldiers to guard it. He had also sent along seven or eight of the 10 loyal generals he had nurtured in the Western Expedition Army. ……

  This was only a little trick for a slight stall for time. They still had not found an escape or something that could change the bigger picture. Fan Xian’s eyes once again became empty. His eyes watched the dense group of rebel soldiers below the city gates. It was like he was looking through their existence toward a further place, looking into the past, toward the variable that he had been anticipating but had yet to make an appearance. 

  It was 30,000 to a few thousand. Even if the palace walls were taller and the rebel army did not release arrows or only used people to conquer, they could still fill the moat outside the palace with people and create a human ladder to reach high places. They could destroy everything in the palace. Watching the hurried arrangements in the rear of the rebel army and gradually rising city attacking ladders, Fan Xian’s eyes narrowed. He felt a slight chill at the bottom of his heart as the three-part ladder the three workshops in the palace treasury had developed was moved out. The attack was finally about to begin. 

  These military tools were all produced by the palace treasury. As the head of the palace treasury, Fan Xian couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of absurdity. The things he had produced were going to be used in attacking him, yet he could not find any way to deal with them. 

  His heart rate was accelerating. His scalp felt numb. His brows furrowed tightly. He suddenly sucked in a few heavy breaths, feeling something wrong with his breathing. His chest felt suffocated. Standing by the brick arrow slit, he slowly crouched down. 

  The hearts of the people on the palace walls jumped in fright. They all hurried toward his direction. The battle was about to start. If one of their main commanders suddenly had something wrong with his body, it would, without question, be a giant blow against the Imperial Army’s morale. 

  The Third Prince was close to him. He touched his left arm in fear and called out, “Sir, what’s wrong?” 

  \r \r \r 

  Without waiting for more people to gather around him, Fan Xian buried his head and raised his right arm. In a tired voice, he said, “I need a quiet place to think about some problems. Go get ready. There is no need to mind me.” 

  No one who heard this was able to relax. Seeing his stubbornness and the fact that the rebel army was already preparing to attack, they could only accept the order and rush back to the area they were defending. The Great Prince stood in the commander’s position and glanced at Fan Xian from a distance. He looked at the man who had been full of baleful attitude earlier and was now crouching weakly on the palace wall. He couldn’t help but feel his heart dim slightly. 

  “Scholar Hu, I must trouble you to stall for time.” 

  Fan Xian spoke in a quiet voice with his head down. Hu the Scholar glanced at him with concern. He sighed and walked to the side of the palace wall, raising his voice to speak. 

  The Third Prince stayed anxiously at this side, not sure how Fan Xian was at this time. 

  Fan Xian just sat down on the palace wall and placed his head deeply between his legs. He breathed with great difficulty. He appeared pitiful, like a cat with no home to return to on a rainy night. 

  Hu the Scholar’s righteous and majestic words faintly reached his ears. It seemed that he was carrying out a last communication with the Crown Prince. Even though these words floated in Fan Xian’s ears, he could not hear a single word clearly. He had confidence in Scholar Hu to stall for a little while. 

  The problem Fan Xian faced was a mess of chaos in his mind. After returning to the capital from Dong Mountain, he had completed each step at a time. He and the Eldest Princess each had victories when they crossed swords. Even when he had been trapped within the Royal Palace, he was still filled with confidence because the details of many things had given him a faint signal that Chen Pingping had long calculated the Eldest Princess and Crown Prince’s conspiracy. Since it was so, when the situation had progressed to the last moment, there would always be a chance to turn the tables. 

  Just as he had thought in the early hours of the morning, someone would come to rescue him on a colorful and auspicious cloud. However, the morning clouds had dispersed and the red light was gone. Where was the person who would come to save him? 

  Assault rifle? No. Before thinking this matter through, Fan Xian would not use this trump card. 

  Fan Xian closed his eyes tightly and thought quickly as he coughed. He still didn’t manage to seize the important point as it flashed through his mind. He had burned through too much of his mental and physical energy. Fan Xian’s cough was becoming more and more serious. He slowly opened his eyes and they were completely filled with a blood-red color. 

  Making his way into the capital after being injured by Yan Xiaoyi, forcefully breaking into the Royal Palace, and his fearless lighthearted chatter on the palace walls had completely depleted his energy. It was only the Third Bureau’s ephedra pill that was forcefully stimulating his state of mind. 

  Fan Xian breathed heavily a few times and used a shaking hand to take out two sharp-smelling pills from his clothing. He brought them to his lips, messily swallowing them down. He knew that this medicine would damage his body greatly. In the present dangerous situation, even if he had to drink poison, he would do it willingly. 

  Although Li Chengping didn’t know what his teacher was eating, he had already guessed that Fan Xian’s body had reached a point of being completely drained. His blood-red eyes represented an inauspicious sign. Nervously and unhappily, he tightly grasped the hands Fan Xian had placed on his knee. 

  The medicinal effects were seen quickly. Fan Xian’s chest relaxed a great deal. It seemed that each breath entering his body was many times more than previously. His cough also died down. However, the lines of blood grew denser in his eyes. It created a demonic feeling in contrast to his haggard but still very heroic face. 

  With a slap, the sitting Fan Xian abruptly drew his hand from Li Chengping’s small hands and reached like lightning into the left path, grasping the pair of woman’s feet in golden palace shoes. 

  Fan Xian didn’t turn his head to look and only coldly said, “You didn’t dare to commit suicide while in the Palace, yet now you want to use your death to provoke the Crown Prince into attacking?” 

  When his hand had extended out like lightning, the pair of small feet in palace shoes were trying to rise to their toes and move their owner’s weak body toward the firm ground below the Royal Palace. 

  Li Chengping watched this sight with fear. He watched as Fan Xian’s held down the empress dowager’s feet a moment before she jumped to her death from the palace walls. ……

  The empress dowager had taken the medicine and was already at the end of her life. Fan Xian was not yet recovered from his heavy injury and was forcefully increasing his strength. He was also almost at the end of his strength. Although this grandmother and grandson duo had reached the ends of their roads, they still reverberated with irreconcilable differences. 

  If a person wanted to die, it was always easy. The empress dowager stared coldly and resentfully at Fan Xian’s profile. She looked at the strange redness in his eyes and gradually felt a sense of joy in her heart. No matter how powerful the wicked woman and her wicked son were, this world still could not tolerate them. This fate had long been set. History had already proved this point. 

  After Fan Xian spoke, he fell into an unexpected silence. His eyes gazed emptily into the distance as he gradually furrowed his brows. His eyes gradually lit up like when he had looked at Ye Zhong earlier. The brightness in his eyes seemed to show that he had finally come to understand some matter and come to a conclusion. 

  At this moment, Hu the Scholar’s negotiations with the Crown Prince had already broken down. The rebel army began to beat their battle drums and start their first attack on the palace. Suddenly, an earth-shattering sound of killing rang out in the distance to the rear and left of Taiping Square. 

  The battle drums thundered out. Although there was no rain of arrows, a few straw ones passed through the sky bringing with it a screeching sound. Countless rebel soldiers pushed city mounting ladders and large carriages covered in oil-cloths. Bravely facing the giant crossbows and rain of arrows, they went head-on against the fire and rocks being dropped down from the palace walls and charged forward. 

  In an instant, the foot of the palace walls was filled with tragic cries from the sight of flowing blood and pain of burning. The rising sun had long risen into the slanting sky, mercilessly watching as Qing Kingdom’s Jingdou bled again after more than a dozen years. 

  Fan Xian slowly rose and looked mercilessly at the sight before his eyes. He didn’t look at the empress dowager beside him but said to her, “I have thought through many things.” 

  When he pressed down on the empress dowager’s little feet, he involuntarily thought of his grandmother in Danzhou and something she had always said to him—the Fan family never needs to stand with a side because we stand forever on the Emperor’s side. 

  What did this mean? This was a confidence in the Emperor. In this instant, countless images flashed before Fan Xian’s eyes. Like a firefly, they flashed past and reminded him of many things and cemented the conclusion he was gradually arriving at.

  Chapter 559: Who Formed The Monarch’s Heart In A Sea Of Fire?

  Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  The stray arrows passed in front of the sky, but they were more to instill a sense of intimidation. Under the Crown Prince’s forcefully suppression, the rebel army did not aim a terrifying rain of arrows at the palace walls. Thus, the pressure on the imperial soldiers defending the Royal Palace was immediately reduced. Although the sounds of killing rocked the heavens, it did not cause any damage to the Imperial Army. On the contrary, it was the imperial soldiers stationed in the direction of Taiping Square that faced the greatest danger. 

  Near the Royal Palace’s front gate, the rebel army had the advantage of numbers. The thousands of rebel soldiers below the palace walls had split into three lines. They came wave after black wave. 

  Muffled sounds rang out continuously from the four towers in the Royal Palace. Each sound moved the people’s heartstrings. The entire Palace shook a little. The powerful shaking symbolized the strength of the city guarding crossbows. 

  Like a streak of black light, the giant arrow pierced through the sky and plunged mercilessly into the group of rebel soldiers. Countless blossoms of blood exploded out. The ground was covered in sticky flesh. However, there were only four city guarding crossbows and only two facing the main square. How many people could it kill? The rebel army’s threefold wave continued to charge quickly without obstruction to the foot of the palace walls. 

  The city guarding crossbows’ main target was the military tools the rebel army was going to use to attack the city, especially the sharp and heavy carriage they were going to use to break down the thick palace gates. Above these carriages were fireproof tarps made from leather. The front was a giant piece of sharpened wood. It was heavy. Once it reached a high speed, it would crash heavily against the palace gates. 

  An arrow accurately struck one of the battering rams. The sharp arrow easily tore through the seemingly solid leather and ruthlessly pierced the battering ram. Although the battering ram was solid and unable to be shattered by a giant arrow, the city guarding crossbow contained a powerful charging force. It caused the carriage to jump abruptly like a beetle on the ground that had fallen to the ground shaking. It flipped over and crushed a number of the rebel soldiers beside the carriage to death. 

  The three waves of rebel soldiers charged forward with a dozen heavy battering rams filled with murderous intent. When the attack started, the two city guarding crossbows fired with all their might and successfully destroyed three of the rams. However, the city guarding crossbows reloaded too slowly. The rebel army charged too quickly. In a moment, most of the battering rams had passed through the city guarding crossbows’ target area and come close to the three main gates. 

  The rebel army gave a uniform cry of “Kill!” and courageously pushed the battering rams forward. 

  After a series of loud teeth-aching creaks, the battering rams succeeded in striking the thick palace gates. The gates of the Royal Palace were thick. Under such a powerful strike, they still shook violently. The door posts creaked like they were about to fall apart. The four giant bolts up and down the gates warped in shape from the strike. 

  The thick wooden bolts held up against this powerful strike. The creaks near the door frame gradually fell silent. Other than a giant dent in the Royal Palace’s front gates and a dozen fallen copper nails, everything was fine. 

  At least in this attack, the gates of the Royal Palace still appeared to be impenetrable. 

  None of the rebel soldiers had a strange expression. Amidst the strict yelling from their superiors, they pulled the first wave of battering rams away from the gates with surprising speed. The second wave of battering rams had already passed through the scattered arrows from the imperial soldiers on the Palace walls. It had escaped the giant city guarding crossbows, which moved with the speed of an old person, and had charged against the palace gates. 

  There was another giant crash. This time, the palace doors were finally irreparably damaged. The entire gate began to shake. It gave one the sense that it was on the verge of collapse. 

  The elite imperial soldiers behind the door holding their horses and awaiting their orders watched this sight coldly. Although their expressions were calm, worry flashed through their eyes and revealed the true emotion in their hearts. 

  Separated by a thick gate, the rebel soldiers risking their lives for a powerful attack saw a glimmer of hope that they could break through the palace gates. Immediately, their morale rose. They shouted in a loud voice as they charged forward again. 

  The third wave of troops arrived. The rebel army lost hundreds of lives under the Imperial Army’s merciless attacks of arrows, giant rocks, and rolling logs from the palace walls. Finally, they successfully attacked the palace gate for the third time. 

  With a crack, dust flew into the air. It was like a smoke-filled leather satchel had been popped by a naughty child. 

  The dust settled slightly, letting the field of vision clear. In the square, countless rebel soldiers looked at the giant hole punched through the middle of the thick palace gates and involuntarily gave a cheer of joy. 

  The elite soldiers closest to the palace gates did not cheer. The excitement on their faces was immediately replaced with shock and anger. They could clearly see that although a massive hole had been punched through the palace gates and exposed the thick wood shards inside, the entire palace gate showed no sign of falling over. 

  The ground was covered in golden copper nails. Behind the hole, all they could see was a thick layer of rock and mud without a gap to be seen. 

  The people in the Royal Palace had blockaded themselves. Did they not think to leave themselves a way to escape? At this time, what difference was there between the Palace and a giant tomb? 

  A rebel officer gave a wild cry and led the soldiers behind him into that opening. Although there wasn’t much space, they would open this palace gate even if they had to dig through it. Military orders were as immovable as a mountain. The soldiers of Qing Kingdom were never cowards afraid of death. 

  Suddenly, a long black spear poked out from the only gap in the stone wall and shot forward like lightning. It struck the officer in the throat and sent up a bloody spray. ……

  At the foot of the palace, 10 steps behind the long palace gate filled with rocks from the rock garden, 300 imperial soldiers coldly and tensely watched for any movement in the gate. Their head officer had already taken a small group into the gate. At this time, they had taken an advantageous position, so there was no reason to allow the rebel soldiers to push through so easily. 

  On top of the palace walls, the Great Prince coldly watched as wave after wave of rebel soldiers, each stronger than the last, came forth. He raised his right arm before bringing it down viciously. His trusted aide beside him took the order and quickly waved the yellow flags in his hands. Along the front of the palace walls, the hundreds of imperial soldiers on the Palace walls moved at the same time. They lifted the hemp bags at their feet and carefully ripped them open. They then poured them out onto the heads of the rebel soldiers no longer within range of the arrows. 

  Slightly yellow powder scattered downward like a snowfall of not very clean snow. In an instant, the thousands of rebel soldiers closest to the Royal Palace were enveloped in it. 

  The general of the rebel army’s face paled quickly in shock. Thinking that it was the Overwatch Council’s poison, he ordered his subordinates to be careful. ……

  It was not poison. The Third Bureau was not Fan Xian’s personal workshop and did not have the capability to produce so much poison. This yellow powder was coarse gunpowder that had been taken by the imperial soldiers, on Fan Xian’s earlier orders, from below the square building. 

  The Royal Palace had never made preparations for handling the attack of a powerful military. At this time, there was not hot oil prepared or many things to burn. If the Fan Xian was not standing on their side, the battle today would probably progress with unusual gloom. 

  The Great Prince glanced at Fan Xian, who had been calmly gazing at the distant rebel army camp, and gently nodded his head. 

  “Release!” 

  The trusted aide beside the Great Prince had a vicious expression on his face. He shouted out the order in a loud voice to all the soldiers on the walls. 

  A sudden explosion of the densest rain of arrows since the beginning of the battle came down from the walls where previously only a loose formation had fallen. This rain of arrows carried a red light that was like the inauspicious color Qin Heng’s bravest general had seen before he died. 

  The fire arrows fell to the foot of the palace. There was no need for precision. They only had to land among the powder. 

  The sky was beautiful. The autumn sun had already risen, and the morning wind had already faded away. The powder poured down was not scattered by the wind. Fan Xian was not worried they would be blown back onto the palace walls. It formed a large cloud and enveloped the thousands of rebel soldiers below. Looking at the beautiful morning scenery of willows beside the river, one could faintly see shadows within moving in a panic. 

  The fire arrows entered the fog and began to burn at a terrifying speed. Countless flames burned vigorously and quickly connected together to form a sea of fire. It was like a fire dragon stretched out across the foot of the Royal Palace. It was also like a golden sun shining down on a calm lake of water as great waves gradually formed and began to roll. It was bright and burned hot. It even covered up the light from the sun in the sky. 

  As for the people in the fog, They cried out tragically and burned, turning into countless pitiful flaming bodies. They struggled to run out of the fog. Was a blaze this size something normal life forms could endure? 

  Countless flaming people ran wildly in the square. Their tragic cries rose to the heavens. The scene appeared to be uncommonly horrifying. 

  Not a single burning rebel soldier managed to run back to their own camp. Most of them turned into charred bodies at the foot of the Palace while the rest only had time to run to the square before falling with a splat on the ground, twitching continuously with what was left of the fire and rising white smoke. 

  The rebel soldiers in the distant streets were in a panic. Even the Qing troops famous for their strict discipline still felt fear. No one had thought that the imperial soldiers would have such terrifying tactics. 

  The Crown Prince’s face was ashen. The old Qin Master looked coldly at the top of the palace walls and slowly said, “Only Fan Xian would use such cruel tactics.” 

  The smell of burning disturbed everyone’s state of mind. Even the imperial soldiers on the walls felt a glimmer of fear and helplessness. Looking at the terrifying sight below, some soldiers’ lips turned white as they wondered to themselves if those charred bodies had been killed by them. 

  After this destructive attack, the first wave of rebel soldiers entering the Royal Palace returned gloomily to camp. There were not many who returned. The Royal Palace was protected against all odds. The rebel army did not carry out a second round of attacks. 

  It was clear that both those guarding the Palace and those attacking it had been shocked by this bloody and terrifying fog of fire. They all needed a moment to digest this and steady their military hearts. Fan Xian, the one responsible for this evil act, had an unusually calm expression. He looked at the distant rebel camp and pressed his lips together without saying a single word. 

  \r \r \r 

  The Great Prince saw Fan Xian’s right hand trembling slightly as it hung by his side in his sleeve and that his eyes were becoming more and more bloodshot. 

  The Great Prince had also not thought that the Overwatch Council’s fire powder could be used in such a horrifying way. Long used to the bloody battlefields in the West, he didn’t feel anything he shouldn’t as he looked at the sight in front of him. But, he still felt shocked. If this powder could be used like this, what kind of changes would there be in future battles? 

  “We were lucky today,” Fan Xian didn’t turn his head to look at him and said in a quiet voice. “There is no wind or rain, which is why it worked so well.” 

  He slowly lowered his head. After gaining control of the palace treasury, he had paid a great deal of attention to the combined production efforts of the Third Workshop and Third Bureau. He understood deep in his heart why his mother, Ye Qingmei, had put in so much effort in other military and common matters but had strictly forbidden the use of fire powder in this world. 

  Even when he was rescuing Xiao En in Shangjing, the Overwatch Council had only provided one carriage of fire powder. This world’s use of fire powder continued to be undeveloped. It wasn’t even as good as the homemade firecrackers in his previous life. 

  In this world, only Fan Xian knew that even a sky full of dancing wood shavings would cause a major explosion much less fire powder. He couldn’t help be worried that this spectacle would open up a Pandora’s Box for this land. In the next instant, he immediately relaxed. The palace treasury’s iron craft was not up to standard, so there was no need to worry about the arrival of the firearms era. Furthermore, it was as he said to the Great Prince, the fire set today by the soldiers guarding the palace had such a great effect mainly because of natural circumstances. His luck was just as good as before. 

  As for the tragic sight in front of him, Fan Xian actually did feel some fear. Ever since his youth, he had seen countless bodies and had personally killed countless people. When he saw that many charred bodies appear in front of him, he still felt a desire to vomit. 

  This was a battlefield, a true battlefield. 

  It was because of this that Fan Xian felt even more determined to win. If one came into this world with some kind of mission, he believed that his mission was his deal with Haitang. If he wanted to complete this deal, he had to survive. 

  Killing people with a knife was killing. Killing people with a spear was killing. Using fire powder to burn people to death was also killing. Other than being a bit more terrifying and a bit uglier, there was no difference. ……

  The rebellion this time was a civil war. Both sides were elites of Qing Kingdom. The sight earlier chilled too many people’s hearts. The rebel soldiers returned to camp to tend to their injuries, preparing for an even larger attack with the anger of revenge in their hearts. The imperial soldiers wore complicated expressions on their faces. Many people did not even look at the black-clothed Sir Fan junior, who was standing coldly on the Palace walls. 

  The smell of burning and remnants of the fire lingered in front of the Royal Palace. The red walls and green bricks at the top of the Palace all had colored scorch marks burned into them. It looked like this beautiful and stern Royal Palace had been viciously scratched by someone with a knife. 

  The Great Prince looked at the sight in front of him and slowly swept his gaze across the imperial soldiers on the walls. Using a deep and firm voice, he said to everyone, “This is war! Remember, the people below are rebels! If we allow them into the Royal Palace, Qing court will sink into darkness. The people will never see the light of day again, and you will all be torn apart!” 

  “Who is at the foot of the walls? It’s the enemy.” The Great Prince shouted in a severe voice. “You are all soldiers who have come back with me from the West. What did we fight so hard on the plains against the Hu people for? Everything is for the Qing Kingdom. Those enemies want to destroy the root of Qing Kingdom. There is no difference between them and the savage Hu people! They are only beasts! 

  “I order you, from this moment, to see and treat those people as Hu people!” 

  “Everything is for the Qing Kingdom! The Emperor is looking down on you from heaven!” 

  These were not just hot-blooded words coming from the Commander’s mouth. They had the unexpected effect of calming the people’s hearts. 

  On the wall, the eyes of the soldiers gradually lit up and did not have the dimness and confusion from earlier. 

  “For Qing Kingdom!” 

  Everyone on palace walls cheered in a loud voice. Even the Third Prince standing next to Fan Xian was not an exception. Only the empress dowager, tightly controlled by Fan Xian, had a glimmer of mockery and fear flash through her eyes. 

  At this moment, a wave of heavy footsteps rang out on the walls. A group of eunuchs, under the escort of Overwatch Council officials, brought three black coffins to the top of the palace walls with great difficulty. The coffins were placed heavily on the wall and gave a muffled sound. 

  Everyone looked askew at these three coffins. 

  Fan Xian gently held the Third Prince’s hand and stood behind the Great Prince. Facing the surrounding imperial soldiers, officials, and Overwatch Council officials, he quietly said, “We are the Emperor’s officials. We are following the Emperor’s posthumous edict in stopping those rebellious conspiracies. Regardless of success or failure, we will not retreat a single step.” 

  The Great Prince’s expression was stern as he continued Fan Xian’s words, “There are three coffins here. En for Chengping, Sir An Zhi, and me. If the Royal Palace falls, then the three of us will die here to show our filial piety toward our father and our loyalty to the Qing Kingdom.” 

  He looked around and then slowly said, “We will guard the Palace to the death. Do you all have confidence?” 

  Fan Xian had even used such lowly tricks as preparing a coffin for a battle how could the soldiers guarding the Palace not feel their blood roiling? In a uniform voice, they cried out, “Yes, we do!” 

  Fan Xian held Li Chengping’s hand and asked in an even voice, “Scared?” 

  The Third Prince thought about it and shook his head forcefully. “I’m not scared! I am my father’s son. I won’t be scared!” 

  “Good.” Fan Xian glanced at him with a small smile and didn’t say anything else. He was thinking that if something went wrong and the Palace actually fell, he would have no choice but to take the Third Prince and run. He could only hope that the kid would not blame him at the time. 

  The distant rebel soldiers began to gather again. The morale that had been quashed by Fan Xian’s poisonous trick seemed to successfully been converted into rage against the Royal Palace. Most of Qing Kingdom’s soldiers had long experiences in the battlefield. This ability to motivate soldiers was inferior to none. The rebel soldiers’ gazes toward the Royal Palace began to be filled with pure killing intent. 

  The sea of fire appeared terrifying. In reality, it didn’t cause much damage to the rebel army. Fan Xian watched the scene in front of him. Involuntarily, his heart fluttered a little. He thought to himself that if he had calculated wrong, the next step would result in the death of many people on his side. 

  He knew nothing about military matters. From the start to now, he had not made any suggestions to the Great Prince’s arrangement of soldiers and was only a calm spectator and helper. 

  At this moment, he was going to make an unusually daring suggestion. 

  “How many imperial soldiers do we have?” 

  “2,700. We have had almost no casualties.” 

  Fan Xian heard the sounds in the direction of Taiping Square fading and furrowed his brows slightly. “Do you think we will be able to hold it?” 

  The Great Prince’s sharp eyebrows still carried a glimmer of evil intent. He said, very straightforwardly, “Even if father led the troops himself, we wouldn’t be able to hold it.” 

  Suddenly, a self-mocking smile flashed across the corner of his lips. “The difference between the two troops is too big. If the Western Expedition Army had not been disbanded by father, if I led…… No, if I led only a third of the power of the Western Expedition Army, I would engage in a final battle with the rebel soldiers below.” 

  The Great Prince took in a deep breath. “However, be assured that even if we lose, it won’t be that tragically. The soldiers under my command have all fought the Hu people on the plains. The Qin family…… hmph…… It’s already been 20 years since the old man personally led troops. Pus, the soldiers of the Jingdou Garrison are lazy to the extreme. The only thing is the Dingzhou troops……” 

  Fan Xian cut in, “In the attack just now, I noticed a problem.” 

  “What problem.” 

  Fan Xian moved closer to the Great Prince’s ear and spoke quietly. 

  “What are you thinking?” Cold light glimmered in the Great Prince’s eyes. 

  “I am thinking of a gamble,” Fan Xian lowered his head and faintly said. “We have no more trump cards in our hands. If we continue on like this, it will eventually end in death.” 

  The Great Prince furrowed his brows and said, “Battle is not a child’s game. What you are saying is too absurd.” 

  Fan Xian laughed bitterly. “It is indeed absurd, but I truly cannot think of another opportunity to turn the tables.” 

  He turned his head to glance at the three shiny coffins. His gaze gradually grew determined. He still had a trump card, but before he saw everyone else’s trump card clearly, he would not use it no matter what. 

  The Great Prince was silent for a moment and then suddenly said, “What gamble are you going to make?” 

  “Move aside the rocks in front of the Palace gates.” Fan Xian raised his face and looked to the side across the charred and slightly warm air of the square to the Commander of the Dingzhou troops, Ye Zhong, who was quietly speaking with the Second Prince about something. His gaze hardened slightly, “We should be prepared to charge out at any moment to give ourselves a chance……” 

  He smiled warmly. “And, return the world a surprise.” 

  At this moment, Ye Zhong, who was having a secret discussion with the Second Prince, seemed to sense the gaze on the Palace walls. He raised his head and glanced back with an unusually calm and indifferent gaze.