Chapter Fifty-Seven: Slaughter of the Imperial City (Bonus Chapter for the Alliance Leader)

Crossroad Town.

Not far from the imperial capital lay a town, bustling due to its position at a vital traffic artery, but now shrouded in an uncanny quiet.

It was truly deserted.

Ordinarily, merchants from north and south would arrive in droves, and travelers from the martial world often stopped here to rest. Yet now, few walked the streets.

Dusk descended upon the Delight Inn.

Jiang Ming and his two companions had rented a small courtyard at the rear, reserved for visiting merchants. It was exquisite.

In the courtyard, the three sat beneath the moon.

A sigh…

Chief Jin exhaled softly, his brows furrowed. “Who could have foreseen so many events unfolding in the imperial capital? I wonder how the princess fares.”

“No one could have,” Lu Yuan admitted, shaking his head.

“Her methods are still lacking,” Jiang Ming remarked, tea cup in hand.

“Lacking? In what way?” A figure leapt down beside them, pulling back a hood to reveal an elegant yet weary countenance—it was Princess Fengwu, the Ninth Princess Yan Feng.

Beneath her fatigue, sorrow and hatred simmered, impossible to hide.

Blood stained her garments.

Not her own.

“Your Highness!” Chief Jin stood at once.

“You should have acted swiftly, cut through the chaos, killed the Crown Prince, and executed the other princes,” Jiang Ming had sensed her approach and spoke coolly. “The struggle for the throne has always been ruthless. Especially when your father is aged and bedridden, the court under the Crown Prince’s control—if you wish to accomplish great things, you must be ruthless, decisive, and relentless. But you and yours plotted only in the shadows, hoping to watch from the sidelines when the time came. That sealed your fate. This is not a trivial feud, nor child’s play. At the critical moment, everything becomes open, a tide of power surging forward. Once momentum builds, it cannot be stopped.”

The Ninth Princess sat in silence.

In the past two days, Jiang Ming and his companions had heard news of the imperial capital’s upheaval.

Events had unfolded too swiftly.

The old emperor suddenly passed; an edict proclaimed the Crown Prince as successor. The Second and Third Princes, unwilling to accept this, spread rumors that the Crown Prince had murdered their father, then led troops in a surprise attack on the palace—only to be slain by the Crown Prince in turn.

Other princes stirred further chaos, plunging the capital into turmoil, rivers of blood flowing.

Countless were swept up in the conflict.

Casualties abounded.

The Second Prince fell in battle; the Third Prince fell; the Sixth Prince fell as well.

The Sixth Prince was the Ninth Princess’s brother, born of the same mother.

“What exactly happened? Was there more beneath the surface? Did King Invincible not intervene?” Lu Yuan asked.

Jiang Ming poured tea, pushing a cup toward her.

“The capital’s defenses: four garrisons stationed outside, each with fifty thousand troops; eighteen city gates, each guarded by a thousand city defenders. Within the city, six gates and the Ministry of Justice. In the Imperial City, the Imperial Guards; in the palace, the Palace Guards and Secret Guards. The Crown Prince commands the Shadow Guards,” the Ninth Princess drank her tea, her voice low. “Because you were too powerful, he felt threatened—he had to marshal all his forces to deal with you. Thus, he sought to consolidate power.”

She ground her teeth, hatred flashing in her eyes.

“He killed Father. The Secret Guards had long been his men, so he claimed Father died of illness,” the Ninth Princess’s anger spilled forth.

Whatever the truth, the old emperor was her father.

After a moment’s silence, she continued.

Inside the capital, many princes coveted the throne, fighting bitterly in secret.

The forces defending the capital had been divided among the princes; overtly, the Crown Prince held little advantage, but behind the scenes, he had bribed many.

When the old emperor died, the Second and Third Princes prepared to purge the Crown Prince, leading to a fierce battle within the palace.

Nearly every force in the capital was drawn into the conflict.

The Crown Prince controlled the Secret Guards, composed of eunuchs, as well as the Shadow Guards and the Palace Guards.

“Beyond that, Cold Moon Palace acted as well, though I don’t know when they became the Crown Prince’s allies,” the Ninth Princess sighed. “A deputy commander in the Ministry of Justice was bribed, who poisoned Commander Wang, leaving him powerless for a time. I struggled to subdue the Ministry, consolidate our strength, and wait for an opportunity. But during all this, my brother… he wouldn’t listen. He snuck into the palace to broker peace, and was killed.”

She wept.

Lu Yuan covertly rolled his eyes.

Chief Jin seemed to sigh.

Jiang Ming was speechless.

What nonsense.

When the struggle had reached a life-or-death pitch, with his sister working tirelessly behind the scenes, he tried to broker peace?

That wasn’t innocence—it was foolishness.

A hopeless case.

“He’s not to blame,” the Ninth Princess whispered. “He always hoped for harmony among his family. However much brothers might clash, blood ties bind us. I told him many times, countless times, that this was a fight to the death—but…”

Jiang Ming scratched his head, asking, “What do you plan to do next?”

“Do you seek revenge?”

“Or do you wish to ascend, to become the first female emperor in history?”

Jiang Ming’s eyes narrowed.

The Ninth Princess abruptly lifted her head.

Chief Jin was stunned.

Lu Yuan was astonished.

“Two hundred thousand troops besiege the capital. Inside, the Crown Prince’s dominance is nearly complete,” the Ninth Princess’s eyes shone, her heart pounding, but she shook her head. “The nation’s armies are vast, and now the Northern Barbarians surely eye us hungrily.”

“Just say whether you want it or not!” Jiang Ming pressed.

The Ninth Princess drew a deep breath, closing her eyes. Her aura surged, gathering into a single force, her presence swelling.

She opened her eyes—no longer weary or weak, only a blaze of ambition and fire. “I want it!”

“How much power do you still command?”

“Even without my brother, I can mobilize a garrison, several city defense battalions, and the Ministry of Justice, though currently under house arrest.”

“That much?” Jiang Ming exclaimed.

He had assumed her authority was tied to the Sixth Prince’s status; now it seemed her abilities were exceptional.

“If the court undergoes a massive purge, and the garrisons are replaced, can you take full control?”

“I can! I have people in every garrison. Their ranks may not be high, but after a purge, seizing command wouldn’t be difficult. As for civil officials? Even easier—those who won’t obey can be replaced, no, killed! The hardest part is the meritorious faction and the royal kin. The royal family has the Elder Council, full of powerful figures. Right now, at least three grandmasters, over thirty masters, countless innate experts. The Palace Guards and Imperial Guards are the elite of the elite. If it comes to that, the princes outside the capital might rebel, and the Northern Barbarians will seize the chance to invade.”

“That’s a minor concern!” Jiang Ming stood, gazing down at her, his eyes burning. “The most crucial point: are you willing to bear infamy?”

The Ninth Princess’s breath caught, her lips trembling.

She was intelligent, and understood Jiang Ming’s meaning. She inhaled deeply, her gaze growing more resolute. “I am!”

“But—can you truly do it?” Her voice quivered. “Will you help me, always? Without you, even if I succeed in the capital, my end will be tragic.”

Jiang Ming smiled, raising his eyes to the moon, his tone serene. “Brother Lu, with my help, has reached the realm of grandmaster—beyond ordinary grandmasters.”

“Chief Jin stands at the peak of master—helping her become a grandmaster will not be difficult!”

“With your talent, I can help you reach grandmaster in short order.”

“Brother Lu, Chief Jin, you, and King Invincible—even without me, you would have four grandmasters.”

“Four grandmasters, plus the momentum of the court—what can’t be resolved?”

“As for now?”

“Brother Lu may be a grandmaster, but even if I stand still, not activating my protective energy, he would struggle to kill me!”

“At Dalin Temple, I shattered a thousand suits of armor with one sword. That wasn’t my full strength.”

“Now, I could break two thousand with a single stroke.”

“Most importantly, I could unleash a thousand such sword strikes, effortlessly!”

“Tell me, can two hundred thousand troops stop me?”

“I could slaughter the whole Imperial City!”

“Tell me—am I capable?”

Jiang Ming looked at her.