Chapter 531 His Life Must Be Taken by Me

Chapter 531 His Life Must Be Taken by Me

"Minister Xue, stop your nonsense here. Not long ago, my father mentioned that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, he would appoint me as the crown prince."

As Nan Qi finished speaking, two ministers who supported him also stepped forward to back him up.

"The Emperor did indeed say this, and we were both present at the time. There's no way it could be a lie."

Meanwhile, Nan Rui had already told his private soldiers to be ready to move at any moment.

Minister Xue was in the same boat. With the Emperor's whereabouts unknown, it was impossible to get any information about the imperial seal out of him.

Having controlled the court for so long and fearing any changes, he had no choice but to go all out and seize complete power.

With the decision made, the two princes before him could no longer be spared.

Almost at the same time as Nan Rui, Minister Xue signaled his troops behind him to prepare for battle.

Upon seeing Minister Xue, Mo Jiuya immediately remembered the vile deeds he had committed against the Mo family, and his anger flared uncontrollably.

He Zhiran felt the same way. She gently pushed Mo Jiuya's arm.

"Husband, let's deal with him today."

They were positioned high up and quite a distance from Minister Xue, at least five hundred meters away.

At such a distance, the best weapon for a fatal shot would be a sniper rifle.

He Zhiran had just retrieved the sniper rifle from her space when Mo Jiuya took it from her.

"Ran Ran, I'll handle this."

He Zhiran could sense the coldness in Mo Jiuya's tone, devoid of any warmth, showing how much he hated Minister Xue.

Actually, He Zhiran hadn't planned on letting Mo Jiuya do it, since she was more skilled with the sniper rifle.

After all, whether in modern or ancient times, such an assassination attempt only allows for one shot.

Moreover, the sniper rifle's loud report would surely alert everyone to their location.

Therefore, regardless of whether the assassination of Minister Xue succeeded, He Zhiran planned to retreat into her space with Mo Jiuya and only emerge when it was safer.

"Husband, are you sure you can do this?"

Before He Zhiran could finish her question, Mo Jiuya gave her a determined look.

"That old traitor Xue has an unforgivable grudge against my Mo family. His life must be taken by me."

Moreover, Mo Jiuya saw his wife as a delicate noblewoman, unfit for such violent acts.

Of course, past events could only be attributed to his own failings as a husband.

He Zhiran thought about what the Xue family had done to the Mo family, and if she didn't let Mo Jiuya do it himself, he really wouldn't be satisfied.

"Alright, don't be nervous. Use the scope to aim properly before firing."

Actually, He Zhiran had underestimated Mo Jiuya's enthusiasm for these weapons.

When he used to fiddle with the sniper rifle in the space, he often practiced aiming at objects with the scope and pretending to pull the trigger.

As soon as she finished speaking, Mo Jiuya had already trained his sniper rifle on Minister Xue's forehead.

The deafening gunshot immediately drew everyone's attention.

Of course, this attention quickly shifted from the source of the sound to Minister Xue, who now had a bloody hole in his forehead.

Before they could be discovered, He Zhiran quickly pulled Mo Jiuya into their hidden space.

Minister Xue's sudden death threw the area in front of the palace into chaos.

Nan Yu was the first to suspect that Mo Jiuya and his wife were behind this.

He silently thanked them in his mind and then said to Nan Qi and Nan Rui, "Minister Xue is dead; now is the perfect opportunity to storm the palace."

The palace couldn't possibly be guarded by only the few thousand men Minister Xue had taken with him, as the Empress also needed many hands to help her search for the Emperor's whereabouts.

Both Nan Qi and Nan Rui understood this well.

Nan Qi, aware of their numerical disadvantage, although he knew Nan Yu's words made sense, still hesitated to launch a hasty attack.

Nan Rui, however, had a different perspective. Nan Yu had not hidden his identity from him, nor had he hidden that Emperor Shunwu had granted him a token to bring troops into the city.

Therefore, in Nan Rui's heart, they were fully confident about this operation.

Moreover, Mo Jiuya had already sent a signal to Nan Yu, and the army of twenty thousand would arrive soon.

Without a second thought, Nan Rui commanded his men to charge into the palace immediately.

After hesitating for a while, seeing that Nan Rui, who was usually far more timid, had already acted, Nan Qi feared being laughed at if he chose to continue watching.

Thus, he had no choice but to steel himself and order his men to join the fight.

Minister Xue's sudden death sent his subordinates into a momentary panic.

However, the enemy's battle cries quickly snapped them out of it.

Several generals who had sided with the Xue family were now thinking fast. Although Minister Xue was dead, the Empress and the Fourth Prince were still there.

They had seen firsthand the actions of the Empress's faction in recent days.

Moreover, there were still many troops in the palace, and the two to three thousand men brought by the two princes were hardly a threat.

After a moment of thought, they exchanged glances and ordered their men to advance.

"Kill them all! Avenge Minister Xue!"

Word of Minister Xue's death quickly reached the Empress.

Upon hearing of her father's death, the Empress showed no concern, only a sinister smile.

Just then, a figure stepped out from behind the screen.

Had Mo Jiuya seen this person, he would have been utterly shocked.

Because this person was Minister Xue.

And the one who had just been shot in the head by the sniper rifle was a scapegoat Minister Xue had found.

It must be said, Minister Xue was a crafty old fox, always thinking several steps ahead. He thought that after controlling the Emperor, many would suspect his involvement, and if anyone dared to target him in the search for the Emperor, he would definitely be in mortal danger.

Therefore, the person who confronted Nan Yu and his brothers at the city gate today was his double.

Just like that, the old fox managed to save his own life for the time being.

Seeing Minister Xue come out, the Empress asked, "Father, it seems they’re really out to kill you. What should we do next?"

"Since things have come to this, there’s no turning back now. As long as we capture Nan Qi and Nan Rui together, we won’t have to worry about anything in the future." Minister Xue’s face darkened, and when he spoke of Nan Qi and Nan Rui, he already treated them as if they were dead.

The Empress did not take Nan Qi and Nan Rui seriously at all, but she always made sure to be thorough in her actions.

Having received Minister Xue's instructions, she immediately ordered all the palace soldiers to temporarily stop searching for Emperor Shunwu's whereabouts. Leaving only a few to protect her and Minister Xue’s safety, the rest were sent to reinforce the palace gate.

The forces Minister Xue brought to the palace gate were already more numerous than those of Nan Rui and Nan Qi. At this time, after a period of fighting between the two sides, Nan Rui and Nan Qi’s side was clearly at a disadvantage.

Then, the reinforcements sent by the Empress arrived, and this situation instantly made Nan Qi consider fleeing.

And that’s exactly what he did.

"All of you, fall back."

At this point, Nan Qi felt the situation was hopeless. If he still had men, he could at least protect his own life.

Nan Qi’s men obeyed, ready to retreat, but Fei Nanyu was anxious.

"Hold your ground! If you leave now, everything we’ve done today will be for nothing."

"Fei Nanyu, are you out of your mind? With the odds so clearly against us, are we just supposed to sit here and wait to die?"

Nan Qi had always respected Fei Nanyu, but this was the first time he’d spoken to him like this.

At this point, Fei Nanyu couldn’t just let him take his men and leave.

Just as he was about to convince Nan Qi to stay with his men, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from nearby.