The words fell.
Meng coughed up blood from her finger and wrote the character "Meng" on her embroidered handkerchief. She dropped it below the city wall, and as the handkerchief slowly descended from mid-air, she looked up at the sky and smiled.
"Si'er, you have to walk the rest of the path alone. Mother Consort cannot accompany you anymore. Si'er... take care."
She wiped away her tears, tidied her appearance, turned, and leaped from the city wall.
The wind rose, and she was like a white swan, her eyes slightly closed, her face serene. The falling wind ruffled her hair, blurring her features. Amidst the whistling wind, she lay on the ground, like a blood-red rose blooming, the blood-stained embroidered handkerchief lying beside her. The character "Meng" written in blood was so conspicuous.
At this moment, the air, the breathing of those around, seemed to grow lighter.
A silence so profound that a pin drop could be heard seemed to last for a moment.
The gazes of everyone present fell upon Madam Meng, lying in a pool of blood.
Her choice, her unwavering resolve, her death to make a statement, all deeply shocked those present.
At this very moment.
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"Kill the traitors, protect our homes, kill the traitors, protect our homes!"
As this cry repeatedly reached the ears of the people, all the commoners present joined forces.
They resisted together.
In the sea of people, the imperial guards brought by Nangong Hong were surrounded by the commoners who had been silent for self-preservation or had been indifferent.
Tens of thousands of people in the capital raised their weapons towards these guards.
Some held shovels, some held cleavers, and some even held scissors. They surged forward, shouting the slogan: "Kill the traitors, protect our homes!"
The uncontrollable chaos on the scene made the guards falter.
Nangong Hong and Wuzi, the instigators, became the targets of abuse.
Someone from the crowd threw eggs at them, and others threw rotten cabbage.
"Die, you dogs!"
"We'll smash them to death!"
At this, looking at Madam Meng, who lay motionless in a pool of blood.
Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, Nangong Li, and Ouyang Qinglin's eyes reddened.
Among them, Ouyang Qinglin was the first to pick up a long sword from the ground and leap up, his feet treading on the wind.
He charged towards the guard holding Xiao Yihao, sword in hand.
Before the guard could lay a hand on Xiao Yihao, Ouyang Qinglin severed his head with a single sword strike.
Blood splattered high.
Ouyang Qinglin grabbed Xiao Yihao by the collar and swept him into his arms.
He even thoughtfully covered Xiao Yihao's eyes, so he wouldn't see the bloody scene.
On this side.
Nangong Li, Du Chun, and Meng Qinghua also began to act.
The three of them picked up swords from the ground in unison. Du Chun and Meng Qinghua provided cover for Nangong Li as they fought.
Nangong Li successfully leaped in front of Duan Xifeng.
He drew the dagger tucked at his waist, grasped it, and with Duan Xifeng's cooperation in lowering his head and bending his body, Nangong Li quickly dispatched the two guards holding Duan Xifeng.
After kicking away the corpses of the dead guards beneath Duan Xifeng's feet, Nangong Li used the tip of his dagger to cut the ropes binding Duan Xifeng's hands.
"Hmph, I told you, I told you to stay with me at the Yi Jing Pavilion, but you wouldn't listen. Now, you deserve to be beaten into this state. Hmph!"
Nangong Li disgustedly removed the gag from Duan Xifeng's mouth.
Duan Xifeng, finally able to speak, rolled his eyes at Nangong Li after regaining his freedom. "Do you think I wanted to be captured? They threatened me with Xiao Yihao, otherwise, with my strength, how could I have been caught by these little beasts!"
"Heh! Alright, alright, you're the strongest."
Nangong Li took out his handkerchief and casually tossed it to Duan Xifeng. "Hurry up and wipe the blood off your face, you look hideous."
Duan Xifeng followed Nangong Li and wiped the blood from his face. He then glanced at Xiao Yihao, who was held in Ouyang Qinglin's arms.
Seeing his nephew safe, he was relieved.
At the same time, Duan Xifeng also looked at Madam Meng, who lay lifeless in a pool of blood.
Madam Meng's eyes were wide open, looking in Duan Xifeng's direction.
Duan Xifeng's eyes reddened, and he silently said in his heart.
"Rest in peace, the young emperor is safe, don't worry."
Before this, upon receiving the letter from his sister Gu Qianying, he had sent the Luo couple, the eldest daughter of the Luo family, the young emperor, and others to a safe place overnight.
Originally, Madam Meng and her son, along with Madam Xuanning and her daughter, and Lan Qingqing, Caixia, and others were recuperating at the Jue Sha Gate.
However, the young emperor's identity was special, and at this critical moment, not a single harm could befall him.
Therefore, after receiving Gu Qianying's letter, he had made arrangements for these people first.
Later, when he returned to the First Wine House, he overheard the conversation between Wuzi and Nangong Hong and learned that the two had long been colluding.
When he fled with his nephew Xiao Yihao, he was unfortunately captured.
Nangong Hong and Wuzi joined forces, luring Du Chun and others here with a fake letter, intending to annihilate them. This plan, however, was met with the resistance of the entire city due to Madam Meng's death.
Loss of public support, loss of credibility.
The reputation of the Fifth Prince Nangong Hong was ruined.
And today, although Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, Nangong Li, Ouyang Qinglin, Gu Yefeng, and others had fewer people fighting alongside them, they received the support of the entire city's populace.
All those with a conscience stepped forward to support Du Chun and the others.
In this battle between good and evil, Du Chun and his allies won.
A moment later.
Only a handful of people remained loyal to Nangong Hong.
A large number of them, wanting to protect their peaceful homes, handed over their weapons.
They joined forces with the commoners of the entire city.
Wuzi looked at the commoners supporting Du Chun and the others, and the guards who had put down their swords and walked over.
She suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha... what is this... in the end... I am still nothing? Hahaha... what am I doing? Ahhh..."
Wuzi knelt on the ground, holding her head in her hands, on the verge of madness.
She wanted to become a woman like Gu Qianying... a special woman.
But she realized... in the end, not only did she not become Gu Qianying, but she also lost herself.
Beside her, Nangong Hong held his saber, pointing at the surrounding traitorous guards. "You traitors! Even if I'm the only one left, I can still kill..."
"Whoosh!"
An arrow flew towards him.
The wind gusted, and the arrowhead pierced Nangong Hong's chest.
Blood stained his robes red. Nangong Hong looked with shock at the large group of white-clothed women approaching on horseback in the distance.
It was a well-trained female army led by Lu Zhu.
The sound of hooves approached from afar...
The figures of women in white, carrying bows and arrows, caught the eyes of the commoners.
"It's Lu Zhu, she's here."
Du Chun and the others, and Nangong Li, who had excellent eyesight.
He pointed at the many white-clothed women approaching on horseback. The one in the middle.
It was Lu Zhu!
Like the other women, she was dressed in white, but her appearance was exquisite, and the ornaments she wore were more elaborate than those of the others.
Moreover, Lu Zhu arrived wearing a thumb ring symbolizing the Great Elder of the Wu Clan.
Meng Qinghua and the others smiled when they saw Lu Zhu.
All old friends!
Nangong Hong, pierced through the chest by an arrow, knelt on the ground. He watched as the white-clothed women dismounted their horses in unison.
At this moment, he knew he was finished!
"Bang!"
His body fell backward heavily onto the ground.
Nangong Hong clutched his bleeding chest and died without uttering a word.
On the other side, Wuzi, kneeling on the ground, watched Lu Zhu approach her.
A flicker of light appeared in her despairing eyes. She crawled towards Lu Zhu's feet, disregarding her appearance. "Saintess, you've come, Saintess, save me, quickly take me away from here, I want to return to our Wu Clan."
"Slap!"
Lu Zhu approached, slapped her, grabbed Wuzi by the collar, and looked down, her eyes filled with coldness. "You betrayed my lady, you deserve to die!"
Wuzi's lips were bleeding. Hearing Lu Zhu's words, she actually laughed foolishly. "Hahaha, betrayed my lady? Haha, Wu Meng, you are the Saintess! The Saintess of our Wu Clan!"
Lu Zhu looked coldly at Wuzi, her voice devoid of warmth. "So what?"
"Why should the Saintess of our Wu Clan be led by a demon empress who kills without blinking? Wu Meng, our Wu Clan does not need to rely on anyone, nor does it need to pledge allegiance to a demon. Wu Meng, have you forgotten the tenets of our Wu Clan?"
"Slap!"
Lu Zhu slapped her again, completely ignoring Wuzi's words.
"Shut up!"
She fiercely grabbed Wuzi's collar, stared into her eyes, and spoke word by word, "Without her, there would be no Wu Meng today, and without her, there would be no Wu Clan today. What about the clan tenets or the demon, it's all the same to me. My affection for her surpasses everything. You betrayed her, which is equivalent to betraying the entire Wu Clan. Wu Zi, the worst thing you could have done was to betray her."
Lu Zhu raised her sleeve, revealing the dagger hidden within.
"Wu Zi, I will not spare those who betray her!"
She thrust the dagger fiercely into Wuzi's chest.
Wuzi's eyes widened in horror. She stared at the person before her in disbelief.
Blood spread, dripping along the dagger onto Lu Zhu's fair hand.
She slowly released Wuzi, stood up, and faced Du Chun and the others. "My lords, my lady has ordered that in times of chaos and strife, the disciples of your Jue Sha Gate, you lords, and the Gu family must prioritize the stability of the common people. Protect the country, protect the family, protect the people, protect all living beings. In times of turmoil, though the strong are kings and the defeated are bandits, in times of chaos, the common people are left homeless and terrified, and they are the most innocent. My lady hopes that no matter what disputes arise, they will not trample on the only pure land in the hearts of these innocent commoners."
The words fell.
Lu Zhu cupped her fists and bowed to Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, Nangong Li, Ouyang Qinglin, and the others. She turned, and along with the many white-clothed women, they all mounted their horses. Their destination was the Imperial Palace.