There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 480 Wuqiu Kills the King

"I accompanied Ziying into the palace."

Ye Bingli interjected, "It's perfectly reasonable for the Seventh Prince and Princess to bring one or two maids to the banquet."

"it is good!"

Li Shuchen clapped his hands. "Bingli and I will go in and see what happens. Yuying, you're in the front, so be careful. Ziying, Changning, you two also need to be very cautious and stay a little further away from the core area."

Seven days later

Thanksgiving

The royal gardens were brightly decorated and the scene was unprecedented.

The emperor sat on a high throne, while members of the imperial family, nobles, and high-ranking civil and military officials sat in order of seniority. The atmosphere was one of revelry and celebration.

Li Shuchen, head bowed, stood not far behind Princess Changning, disguised as an ordinary maid, keeping a watchful eye and listening attentively.

Ye Bingli, also dressed as a maid, stood quietly behind Gu Ziying's chair.

Midway through the banquet, a giant bonfire was lit in the open space of the garden for blessings. The flames roared, reflecting the smiling faces of everyone.

Suddenly, flames shot into the sky from a side hall not far from the main hall, where miscellaneous items and lamp oil were stored!

"The water is gone! The water is gone!"

"Quickly put out the fire!"

Exclamations erupted

Fueled by the wind, the fire spread rapidly, igniting nearby colorful silk curtains.

Chaos erupted at the scene.

The guests were in a panic, and palace maids and eunuchs ran in all directions, spilling cups and plates, overturning tables and chairs, leaving a scene of utter chaos.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"

Eunuch Wu's shrill voice was particularly jarring amidst the chaos, but the shoving crowd made it difficult for him to approach the Emperor and Empress's platform.

Just as the chaos reached its peak, a pink-clad maidservant, who had been walking through the crowd with her head down and carrying a wine jug, appeared.

With a fierce glint in his eyes, he suddenly pulled a gleaming broken blade from under the tray, and his figure moved like a ghost through the chaotic crowd, heading straight for the emperor on the throne!

"Be careful, Your Majesty!"

Liang Yuying, who had been on high alert, shouted and lunged forward, narrowly deflecting the fatal stab with her own arm!

The broken blade sliced ​​through her forearm, and blood gushed out instantly.

The maid, having missed her first attack, didn't hesitate and swung her knife backhand, aiming straight for Liang Yuying's heart. Her attack was ruthless; she was clearly a rare master.

Liang Yuying also saw his face clearly; it was Jia Wuqiu.

She was already caught off guard and injured, her wound bleeding profusely. Her opponent's blade was also sharp and aimed at her vital points; she barely managed to block the attack.

Counterattack

On the other side, two guards who had been standing near the Emperor and Empress, their eyes flashing red, simultaneously drew their swords, not to protect the Emperor, but to slash at the still-shaken emperor.

"Your Majesty, be careful—!"

The empress stood in front of the emperor.

At the critical moment, the seemingly delicate palace maid (actually Zizhu, arranged by Liang Yuying) who had been silently guarding the Empress's side suddenly drew a soft sword hidden in her sleeve.

"Clang, clang"

Two sharp sounds, and he forcefully blocked two deadly long knives!

"Protect the Emperor! There's an assassin!" Eunuch Wu shouted, his voice hoarse.

In this moment of extreme chaos, when friend and foe were indistinguishable, Ye Bingli's clear, cold voice pierced through the noise and reached Li Shuchen and several nearby trusted guards.

"Attention! The guard with the sword and the narrow, dark red cloth strip tied around his left arm is a traitor!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen immediately shoved a package into Ye Bingli's hand: "Hide well! Use this if necessary!"

She grabbed a fallen pear wood stool from the side and charged towards Meng Wuqiu, who was entangled with Liang Yuying.

Liang Yuying's wound was bleeding profusely, her face was pale, and her movements were becoming sluggish.

Meng Wuqiu's moves were ruthless, his broken blade aimed specifically at vital points, forcing Liang Yuying to retreat repeatedly.

"Hey! Little White Flower, look this way!"

Li Shuchen swung a low stool and, without any technique, smashed it down with tremendous force on the back of Meng Wuqiu's head.

Meng Wuqiu had no choice but to turn around and block.

With a "crack," the low stool was shattered by the broken blade.

But he was also somewhat hindered.

Liang Yuying managed to catch her breath, but blood had already stained most of her sleeve, and she swayed slightly.

"Jia Wuqiu, you look innocent and harmless, but I never expected you to be so vicious. You've been lurking in the Precious Pavilion for years, just to assassinate His Majesty today?"

Li Shuchen coldly questioned

Upon hearing this, Jia Wuqiu let out a twisted and cold laugh. His voice was hoarse and broken from the irritation in his throat, yet it carried a chilling obsession.

"That's right! Killing the king... is my lifelong wish!"

What are you after?

Li Shuchen kept a wary eye on him while trying to move his body to block Liang Yuying.

"What good would killing the emperor do you? Do you think you could take his place?"

"cannot!"

Jia Wuqiu abruptly ripped off his veil, trying to see his surroundings clearly, his eyes fierce.

"But I can be above one person, second only to ten thousand, wielding immense power and holding life and death in my hands!"

Li Shuchen was so angry at this logic that he almost laughed, and he cursed without thinking.

"You want to be the prime minister? Then go and kill the prime minister! Why kill the emperor? You're picking on the toughest ones, are you out of your mind?!"

"What do you know! Stop talking nonsense!"

Jia Wuqiu seemed to be enraged, or realized that he had to finish the battle quickly.

He suddenly hurled the broken, now unwieldy blade at Li Shuchen's face, and in the instant Li Shuchen turned his head to dodge, he abruptly retreated, pulling out a long, dark, gleaming steel spear that he had concealed beforehand from under an overturned banquet table.

The spear was over seven feet long, its tip gleaming coldly, its deadly light reflected in the firelight and flickering lamplight.

With a flick of his wrist, he executed a sharp spear flourish, the tip pointing directly at Liang Yuying, whose face was pale from blood loss and who was barely holding on with her sword for support.

General Liang

Jia Wuqiu's voice carried a chilling air of absolute certainty.

“Our strengths are roughly equal. You are skilled with a longsword, and if I were to fight with a short blade, I would find it difficult to break through your defenses in a short time. But this spear… Your army mostly uses swords and sabers, so you probably haven’t mastered this kind of long weapon. Today, I’m afraid I will have to meet my end here. I’m sorry!”

Before he finished speaking, he took the Seven Star Steps and his figure shot forward like an arrow. The long spear in his hand transformed into a black lightning bolt, with a sharp sound of tearing through the air, and went straight for Liang Yuying's heart!

This shot was swift and ruthless, devoid of any fancy moves, brimming with the deadly aura of a battlefield fighter—clearly the result of someone who had been immersed in this art for a long time.

Liang Yuying's pupils shrank sharply. A long sword against a long spear was already a disadvantage, not to mention that she was injured and weak at the moment, and her steps were slow. She watched as that point of cold star rapidly enlarged in front of her!

"Yu Ying, catch!"

At the critical moment, Li Shuchen's exclamation and a whooshing sound rang out at the same time!

Li Shuchen suddenly kicked up a standard-issue spear that originally belonged to the palace guards from beside one of the overturned guards. The spear spun and flew accurately toward Liang Yuying!

A glint flashed in Liang Yuying's eyes. She mustered her inner energy, abandoned her sword, raised her hand, and grabbed the red-tasseled spear firmly in her hand!

The slight weight on her hand jolted her awake.

Almost simultaneously with gripping the gun, she twisted her waist, advancing instead of retreating, deftly shifting her body with a small half-step, her long gun moving like a serpent emerging from its hole, swinging its shaft...

With a crisp clang, it precisely parried Jia Wuqiu's fatal stab!

Sparks flew everywhere!

The confident expression on Jia Wuqiu's face instantly froze, turning into astonishment.