Chapter 565: Enemies Meet

Chapter 565: When Enemies Meet

Empress Dowager Yuan's head throbbed so fiercely that her hands were shaking, but she couldn't bring herself to care about anything else.

Her headache was hitting her faster and harder than before, and the pain was so intense her head felt like it was about to explode.

Empress Dowager Yuan was supported by Nanny An as she lay down on the bed, unaware that the very person they were searching for was right now on the highest Phoenix Terrace in the palace, setting up a sniper rifle.

The barrel was aimed straight at Cining Palace, where the Empress Dowager was staying.

Ji Yuntang had a clear division of labor—the Empress Dowager was protected by eighty-eight shadow guards, and no ordinary person could get anywhere near her.

She had to find a way to take out these elusive shadow guards, which would take some of the pressure off Hua Feixue and Yuan Jiuan.

Up close, Ji Yuntang was definitely no match for these guys, but from a distance, that was a whole different story.

Bullets moved much faster than Lightness Skill users, and there was no way they could dodge a bullet.

Ji Yuntang was a dead shot, and she was the only one who knew how to handle the sniper rifle.

So this job was hers alone.

The Empress Dowager lay on her bed and had just drifted off when a deafening noise jolted her awake.

She frowned and called for Nanny An, looking annoyed.

"Nanny An, what's happening outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Nanny An came rushing in, panicked, and said, "Empress Dowager, something awful has happened—another army has stormed the palace."

"I—I think the person leading them looks like... like..."

Her face was pale, and her lips were trembling so hard she couldn't get the name out.

Seeing her hem and haw, the Empress Dowager lost patience and forced herself to sit up in bed.

"Who exactly does the leader look like?"

She figured it was more troublemakers from the Four Great Families' faction and was about to send Zhu Wei out to wipe them all out when Nanny An blurted out, "He looks like... like the Crown Prince..."

The Empress Dowager froze, momentarily at a loss for words.

She asked, "Which Crown Prince?"

Her first thought went to her son, Yuanchao, and her heart gave a brief flutter of hope.

But then she remembered that Yuanchao had already been killed today by the Four Great Families' rebels.

Sure, he'd put on the Crown Prince's ceremonial robes, but he hadn't finished the full succession process, so he wasn't officially the Crown Prince yet.

And knowing him, he'd never lead troops to storm the palace.

The flicker of hope died instantly, replaced by a wave of crushing grief, and her face went cold.

Seeing this, Nanny An assumed she was angry and quickly added, "Empress Dowager, please don't be angry. It's not that I didn't want to tell you, but the man leading the troops to storm the palace looks way too much like Crown Prince Chu Yi."

"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it, so I..."

Empress Dowager Yuan: "..."

Empress Dowager Yuan: "!!!"

She went rigid, her eyes bugging out in shock.

No question about it—the name Chu Yi hit her harder than anything else that day.

The Empress Dowager pressed, "Are you sure you saw right?"

Nanny An stammered, "Absolutely sure—it's not just me, plenty of people outside saw him too."

"What's more, Prince Chengxuan is with the Crown Prince, and they've brought tens of thousands of troops with them. The whole palace is completely surrounded by their men now."

The Empress Dowager's heart lurched, and she forced herself out of bed. Ignoring the pounding in her head, she snapped, "Hurry up and help me change."

She had to go see for herself if the person outside was really Chu Yi.

She couldn't believe Chu Yi was still alive unless she saw him with her own eyes.

Once Nanny An helped her change, she supported the Empress Dowager out the door.

The moment they stepped out of Cining Palace, a squad of soldiers with swords drawn came charging at them, and behind them, barely visible, were two tall, lean figures.

It was too dark out, and a light drizzle had started, so the Empress Dowager couldn't make out their faces clearly, but the commanding presence radiating off the two of them was impossible to ignore.

It wasn't until they got closer that she saw the man in front was wearing red robes.

That face was dangerously beautiful, oozing charm and elegance, with long, ink-black hair streaming behind him in the wind. His dark, deep-set eyes tilted up slightly, wild and untamed—one look and you'd never forget him.

This was a face the Empress Dowager would never forget, not even in death.

Who else could it be but the Chu Yi she'd been searching for these past two years?

Except the old Chu Yi had been crazy and sloppy in his dress, so people easily overlooked how handsome he was.

But now he was a completely different person—he radiated an authority that demanded respect.

When he looked at her, he was smiling, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

The Empress Dowager's guilt was eating at her, but she still had to fake excitement.

"Crown Prince, it really is you. Where have you been for the past two years? Do you have any idea how hard I've looked for you?"

Hua Feixue let out a cold laugh and sneered, "Empress Dowager, you really have a short memory. Didn't we just meet three days ago? You forgot this Crown Prince that fast?"

The Empress Dowager went stiff. She suddenly remembered that three nights ago, on her way to see the National Preceptor, she'd seen a figure in red robes and nearly jumped out of her skin.

At the time, she'd thought he looked a lot like Chu Yi, but she'd also figured there was no way Chu Yi was still alive.

Even if he were alive, there was no way he'd be living in the palace.

After all, she'd searched for him for two whole years and turned the palace upside down without finding a trace of him.

If he'd really been living right under her nose the whole time, that was a terrifying thought.

"Crown Prince, you're joking. I've always lived in the palace—when have I ever seen you?"

The second she finished speaking, it hit her—Chu Yi didn't seem crazy anymore?

Could he have come here to get revenge on her?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Hua Feixue's voice rang out.

A faint, mocking smile played on his lips, yet his eyes were filled with hatred.

"You've never even laid eyes on me, yet you've already had me buried. So who was it you buried? Did you deliberately find some impostor to pass off as me?"

Empress Dowager Yuan: "..."

She couldn't refute that, because it was indeed a fake.

"I had people searching for you for two years, with notices plastered everywhere, yet you never showed yourself, Crown Prince."

"It wasn't until seven days ago that someone discovered a corpse carrying your identity token, and I mistakenly believed it was you..."

"If you were alive, you should've shown yourself sooner. That way, I could have handed over the authority to you, and there would have been no need to appoint a new heir."

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