"Guards?" Yu Zeyue's tone was lazy with a hint of mockery, "Bringing sabers to act as guards?"

"Scum?" Yu Zeyun abruptly drew his saber, the blade brushing against the scabbard's mouth and letting out a harsh, piercing sound. "Who the hell are you calling scum!"

"Which blind fool dares to come to my Generals Mansion to cause trouble, tired of living?"

Yu Wantang reached out to stop him without looking at Pang Yong.

"Commander Pang, do you know that pawns used to charge into battle for others are meant to be discarded once used?"

Pang Yong's hand gripping the saber hilt tightened, and the muscles on his face twitched imperceptibly.

He recalled the smile lingering at the corners of Zhou Chongan's mouth when he handed over the token.

Now, looking at the Yu Family members and hundreds of murderous estate guards opposite him, he suddenly understood that smile.

That was the sense of relief after throwing off a scapegoat.

He was merely a pawn, an abandoned piece pushed to the very front of the chessboard to block blades.

Yu Wantang withdrew her gaze and gently nudged the horse's belly.

The black horse continued forward.

Watching the horse's head getting closer and closer, Pang Yong's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, then he raised his right hand and waved it behind him.

"Make way."

A trusted aide hurried up and lowered his voice, "Sir, are we just going to let them…"

"Shut up."

The blade tips of the imperial guards in the front row retracted in unison, parting to both sides and clearing a path in the middle.

Pang Yong retreated to the roadside, lowered his eyes, and loosened his hand holding the saber hilt.

His palms were damp.

Yu Wantang spurred her horse past him.

The horseshoes trod on the bluestone slabs, the pace neither hurried nor slow.

When she passed by him, she tilted her head slightly.

"Looks like someone with a brain."

The voice was not loud, just drifting into Pang Yong's ears.

He did not look up until the sound of hooves and footsteps passed all the way by him, until even the shadow of the last person disappeared at the end of the long street. Only then did he slowly loosen his fingers clenching the saber hilt, his palms covered in sweat.

The trusted aide hurried up again, "Sir, in case superiors investigate…"

"The superiors only said to surround the mansion."

The deputy commander flipped onto his horse, pulled the reins, his tone so calm that even he himself felt surprised, "Surrounding the mansion is surrounding the mansion. Other matters are not our concern."

At the end of the long street.

Yu Wantang reined in her horse and looked back at the long procession behind her.

"Second Brother, Third Brother."

Yu Zeyue and Yu Zeyun urged their horses closer.

"You two go and join the eldest brother now. The city defense troops are already waiting over there. Take men and block all four gates of the imperial palace."

Yu Wantang spoke at a moderate pace, but every word sounded like it was striking an iron plate, "Remember, surround without attacking. Before I arrive, do not let anyone in or out, and do not allow anyone to approach the palace gates."

Yu Zeyue frowned, "What about you?"

"I will take the estate guards and go."

"Two hundred people?" Yu Zeyue's brows knitted even tighter, "There are at least two thousand Yulin Guards in the imperial palace, and you are charging in with just two hundred people?"

"Two hundred is enough. More people would just be slower. I will lead the men to sneak in first, and you set up the formation outside. When the Yulin Guards in the palace see they are surrounded on all sides, their morale will fall into chaos first."

She paused, "Once you have them completely surrounded, I will strike from inside."

Yu Zeyun grew anxious.

He wanted to say something else, but Yu Zeyue pressed down on his shoulder.

"Listen to our younger sister."

Yu Zeyue looked into Yu Wantang's eyes, fell silent for a moment, and then grinned, "Our sister is smarter than you and can fight better than you. It is not like you didn't see that saber strike this afternoon."

Yu Zeyun was silent for a while, finally opened his mouth, and only managed to squeeze out one sentence, "You must be careful."

Yu Wantang gave a soft acknowledgment, turned her horse's head, and the black horse let out a long neigh, throwing off its hooves and galloping toward Zhuque Avenue.

Behind them, Yu Zeyue and Yu Zeyun turned toward the North Gate, and the two teams parted ways at the end of the long street.

The night wind swept past their ears, carrying the chill of early autumn.

Two hundred estate guards followed closely behind her, completely silent.

The system suddenly popped out, "Host, there is a situation at the intersection ahead."

"Speak."

"The Prime Minister's Mansion carriage is up ahead, and sitting inside is Du Yun, the young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion."

The system paused, "A friendly reminder, this Miss Du is the female protagonist of this world."

"Female protagonist?"

"Correct. According to the original storyline, after the emperor used Original Host to reclaim military power, he would marry Du Yun as empress, and ultimately the emperor and empress would be deeply in love with her acting as mother of the nation—a standard short-drama script."

"So she is that scumbag emperor's woman."

"You can understand it that way."

Yu Wantang did not respond; she had already heard the sound of wheels.

At the intersection of Zhuque Avenue and Chang'an Alley, a two-horse carriage was driving from the opposite direction.

The carriage body was carved with intertwined vine patterns, and gold silk tassels hung from its four corners. A glazed lamp hung on each side of the shafts, and the candlelight shone outward through the glazed covers, illuminating a small patch of the street around them brightly.

The carriage was moving very fast, the driver flicking his whip and cursing while urging the horses to run faster.

Then he saw the people on the opposite side—a dense, dark mass blocking the entire street tightly.

The driver abruptly reined in the horses. The two horses were reined in so hard they reared their front hooves simultaneously, the carriage shook violently, and a short gasp came from inside the cabin.

"What is going on!" The curtain was lifted from the inside, and a maid poked her head out first.

"Miss, someone blocked the road ahead," the driver answered cautiously.

Following closely, a hand rested on the maid's arm, its nails painted with light pink nail polish.

Du Yun bent over coming out of the carriage and stepped down using the footstool.

A goose-yellow imperial satin long dress, a plain white cloak, hair coiled into a high bun, and a pure gold dangling hairpin pinned beside her temple.

As the light flickered, the beads on the dangling hairpin swayed along.

She steadied herself, her gaze passing over the driver and falling upon the troop on the opposite side, and then she recognized that face.

"Oh, I wondered who it was." Du Yun took two steps forward, her dangling hairpin swaying in the lamplight, "So it is Eldest Miss Yu. Not staying in your mansion in the middle of the night, what are you doing wandering around the streets with so many people?"

Yu Wantang reined in her horse, and the black horse pawed the ground with its hoof.

Du Yun took another half step forward, the hem of her cloak dragging across the bluestone slabs. Tilting her head, her gaze swept across the two hundred estate guards behind Yu Wantang, without the slightest trace of fear on her face, but instead carrying an extra layer of disdain.

"Sister Yu, we have known each other since we were little, so let me give you some well-meaning advice. What kind of person is the Emperor? He is the Son of Heaven. You chase after him every day, sending soups and handing him handkerchiefs—has the Emperor ever looked at you a single time more?"

She paused and sighed, that sigh even more piercing than all the words combined just now.

"I also heard about the Emperor sending Eunuch Li to the Generals Mansion today. You are still running outside even after things have reached this point? Don't tell me you think that by going and pleading, the Emperor will soften his heart?"

By the end of her words, she could no longer hide her smile and laughed out loud. The maid beside her chuckled along.

Du Yun lowered her head, waiting for Yu Wantang to lower her head as usual, blush red, and be unable to speak.

She waited several breaths, but did not hear the other person reply. Annoyed for a moment, she looked up and said, "Sister Yu, I advise you to still…"

The moonlight struck from the side, illuminating half of Yu Wantang's face clearly.

She drew her saber, the sound of the blade leaving its scabbard like a short whistle. Du Yun's smile was still hanging on her face when the blade had already swept across her neck.