Chapter 219: The final hunt begins
"Do you know who I am?" the Empress spat, her voice icy, her chin lifted in defiance.
The soldier holding her at swordpoint didn’t even flinch. His eyes—dark, steady—flicked over her elaborate hairpins, the rubies glinting in the lamplight, the red silk clinging to her trembling frame.
"I know exactly who you are," he said, his voice flat, hard as the blade at her throat. "And I don’t care."
The Empress’s lips parted in shock. For a heartbeat, her pride faltered, swallowed by something that tasted too much like fear.
The soldier didn’t give her another glance. He shoved her to her knees, his sword never wavering. "Stay down," he ordered, already turning his head to scan the corridor for threats.
Outside, the battle raged like a living beast.
The clash of steel and the cries of the dying filled the night air. The grand halls of the palace, once echoes of poetry and silk, had become a blood-soaked maze of death.
Inside the ceremonial hall, the chaos was just as vicious.
Zhao Yan’s blade was a blur, cutting through the press of bodies with unerring precision. His breathing was steady, every movement measured and lethal. But the Prime Minister had found fresh strength—five of his elite bodyguards now shielded him, each a mountain of muscle and steel.
Zhao Yan forced one back with a savage slice across the chest, but the others pressed in. Their blades caught the lamplight, their movements practiced and deadly.
Pei Rong used the moment to slip away, ducking behind the living wall of his guards.