The situations at the other two city gates were indeed dire. Zuo Mingqiu's contingent had only two Royal Concessions of the fourth stage, but they were facing an enemy with a Domain Lord.
Although it was only a brief encounter, the streets and alleys of the Imperial City instantly turned into ruins. One could imagine how brutal the battle was.
In the ruins, Zuo Mingqiu was dug out. He hadn't even made a move from beginning to end. Upon discovering that a Domain Lord was hidden in the carriage, he turned and fled. He ran with all his might, which was why he barely survived the terrifying wave of annihilation.
As for the two Concessions, they lay on the street, half-dead, and it was uncertain if they could be saved.
The reason they survived was that the Domain Lord did not linger. He was well aware of the terrifying existences within the Imperial City. Once exposed, he would be hunted, and wasting even a breath could lead to death. Therefore, he only unleashed one strike.
Seeing those terrifying auras sweep past from above and rush out of the city gate, Zuo Mingqiu knew it was the imperial court's people who had taken action. They had rushed out of the Imperial City to pursue, so there was nothing for him here.
Zuo Mingqiu looked at the soldiers who dug him out of the ruins, knowing that his identity absolutely could not be exposed. So, while they were not paying attention, he pretended to be unconscious, endured the severe pain, circulated the Gen character technique, and escaped underground.
The situation at the South Gate was similar to the East Gate. Li Zao encountered a formidable foe. His side had only one Lord leading the team, while the enemy's contingent included two Lords.
The battle at the South Gate lasted the longest, but the affected area was not large, less than three hundred zhang. However, the number of casualties was the highest, as the retreating team from the Zhi Tian Pavilion was packed into more than ten carriages, and Li Zao couldn't kill them all.
By the end, Li Zao and the Concession were both exhausted. They didn't know how many people they had killed or how many they had let slip away, only that the mission was not completed.
Li Zao supported the Concession and looked at the ordinary soldiers hiding in the alleyways a thousand meters away. He said somewhat angrily, "All the capable fighters ran off to Zuo Mingqiu. Is there no one to manage us?"
"And that guy at the East Gate, I knew he was unreliable. The news he brought back almost got me killed!"
As Li Zao grumbled, he didn't forget to quickly carry the severely wounded and dying Concession away.
It wasn't until they had completely vanished into the dust and smoke that some patrol soldiers with cultivation finally arrived at the scene.
At the same time, in the center of the Imperial City, in the wide alleys closest to the imperial palace, within a certain prince's mansion.
"Your Highness, everything is ready. The Tiger Guards, over four hundred of them, are all here and ready to depart at any moment."
In the spacious Crown Prince's villa, Zhou Wuji put on the armor he wore when he was on the frontier. He looked towards the West City Gate where a burst of green fireworks signaled the start, as the eastern sun also revealed a sliver of its light.
Zhou Wuji put on his helmet, mounted his horse, and cast a somewhat mocking glance towards Zhou Yuan's residence.
"My foolish brother, do you really think I, your elder brother, don't know about the tricks you've been playing behind my back? Do you know that what you can investigate, and what I let you investigate, were all deliberately orchestrated by me?"
Thinking this, Zhou Wuji felt infinitely pleased. No matter how much he had lost to Zhou Yuan before, if he succeeded in this matter today, Zhou Yuan would never have a chance to win against him again.
He tightened the reins and rode out of the mansion. At the alley entrance, the imperial guards, directly under the royal family, were already lined up neatly. According to the time, they shouldn't have been there yet. Even if they weren't patrolling, they should have been sleeping at home.
A captain standing at the forefront, unable to contain his excitement, stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then handed Zhou Wuji a memorial with both hands.
"Your Highness, this is a document from the Ministry of War, sealed by Minister Zhong himself. It is absolutely in accordance with procedure."
Zhou Wuji took the memorial, opened it, and glanced at it. Then he raised his head and looked at the imposing royal army before him, and suddenly laughed silently.
If he didn't move, no one in the vicinity could move. It was only when Zhou Wuji slowly withdrew his smile and put the memorial in his embrace, his eyes turning sinister, that the patrolling captain cupped his hands and mounted his horse.
"I received news that there are Great Xia spies lurking within the Imperial City, which is why I requested your presence from the Ministry of War. I hope all the soldiers will not disappoint me later."
Zhou Wuji, mounted on his horse, surveyed everyone as if inspecting troops. He suppressed his smile and declared with great majesty, "I ask all of you to observe carefully and absolutely do not let anyone from the Third Prince's mansion escape!"
"Those who capture spies will be heavily rewarded!"
Meanwhile, the court was in session at the imperial palace.
Ministers, like mountains and seas, prostrated themselves. From within the solemn hall to the steps below, countless figures were spread out. Decades of unceasing, respectful kowtowing to the great monarch.
"Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!" Only when Emperor Zhou's majestic voice commanded all his beloved ministers to rise did they gradually stand up. This ritual was repeated twice.
Once at the beginning of the court session, and once at the end. It was now the second time, so the morning court was over for today.
The ministers turned and exited the palace. They walked down the steps in groups of three or five. Normally, the ministers of the Six Ministries would have the most people around them, followed by those of lower official rank in descending order. The lower the official rank, the more they had to stand at the edge. However, even at the edge, they didn't want to walk alone, as it would be considered being isolated.
To be isolated in court was a terrifying matter. Even the wise emperor might think you were incapable of handling important tasks. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no official was willing to leave alone after the morning court.
However, the Minister of War today was very different. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with his colleagues, he quickened his pace and hurriedly left the palace alone, leaving everyone with grim expressions, wondering what had happened in the Ministry of War. Had some place gone to war? But he hadn't mentioned anything about it during the court session.
The Minister of War could not answer the questions about the Minister of War, only hinting vaguely that a major upheaval might be occurring.
Before the old official from the Ministry of Rites could ask further questions, everyone, including the person in the palace, heard a deafening explosion from outside the North City Gate. The sound waves traveled far, and one could even see a significant plume of smoke rising into the sky.
Everyone's eyes narrowed. What had happened? Could it be related to the hurriedly departing Minister of War?
Without an answer to their questions, every person qualified to attend court was an old fox of a thousand years. Moreover, even the most simple-minded military officials sensed something was wrong. Everyone unconsciously quickened their pace, eager to board the carriages waiting outside the palace walls and drive out of the imperial palace.
The streets outside the imperial palace were already crowded with countless people rushing to deliver news. They approached familiar carriages and whispered something, after which, without exception, the adults in all the carriages exclaimed in surprise. Even the old Minister of Rites shouted an expletive in a most unseemly manner.
"Crown Prince, what exactly are you trying to do!"
"Crown Prince, what exactly are you trying to do?"
In front of the Third Prince Zhou Yuan's mansion, two rows of guards in light armor rushed out sternly, their faces alert as they scanned the large number of soldiers who had suddenly appeared around them.
Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes, standing at the entrance of his courtyard. He looked around left and right, then back at the noble man on horseback dozens of meters away. He frowned and asked,
"Elder Brother, why are you here this early in the morning, not attending court, but encircling my mansion with the capital's Tiger Guards? And you even have sentries posted in the trees. What is the meaning of this?"
Zhou Wuji looked at Zhou Yuan, who was dressed in plain cloth and appeared to be drowsy, and laughed heartily, "My dear brother, don't misunderstand. I'm not targeting you. I'm just apprehending someone!"
Zhou Yuan frowned and asked,
"Elder Brother, are you trying to arrest me?"
Zhou Wuji thought that it was no different from arresting him. He smiled slightly and said calmly to Zhou Yuan,
"What are you talking about, brother? How could I arrest you? Besides, what reason would I have to arrest you?"
"What I want to arrest are spies of Great Xia, those who inexplicably disappeared in the Imperial City after taking the teleportation array from Jiange."
Zhou Wuji looked at Zhou Yuan with a smile and said triumphantly, "I received reliable news that these people, through special means, have infiltrated your mansion. This nearly scared me to death, after all, you are my dearest brother!"
"If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn't know how to live my life in the future. So, I borrowed people from the Ministry of War overnight and came to arrest them first thing in the morning."
"What do you say, brother? Would you be so kind as to let me in and search?"
Upon hearing this, even Zhou Yuan, no matter how composed he was, could not help but have a change in his expression.
It was only now that he realized where his baseless unease was coming from. From beginning to end, he had fallen into the trap that Zhou Wuji had set for him.
Zhou Wuji's face was filled with a growing smile.
She was indeed from that clan, her schemes so deep that in such a short time, she had orchestrated such a meticulous plan, playing Zhou Yuan's men like puppets, and allowing him to prepare overnight, appearing outside Zhou Yuan's residence at this hour.
With the Tiger Guards of the Imperial City!
Zhou Wuji couldn't help but laugh. He had never even dared to imagine such a thing. These Great Xia spies, who had disturbed the peace of the entire Imperial City's soldiers, had actually been taken in by Zhou Yuan.
And Zhou Yuan even dared to use those people to capture his men. Most importantly, they failed to capture Xian'er Jiu, but instead gave him an opportunity to strike back!
Zhou Wuji sat on his horse, smiling quietly at Zhou Yuan. Some time had passed since the battle at the city gate. The injured spies would definitely not dare to seek treatment at other medical clinics, so they could only return to Zhou Yuan. Based on the time, the court session would have ended by now, and those spies must be hidden in this mansion.
"Your Highness, Minister Zhong of the Ministry of War has arrived."
A cavalryman trotted up to Zhou Wuji's horse. Zhou Wuji turned his head and saw a Nanmu carriage from the Ministry of War parked outside the Tiger Guards' cordon.
The minister had no intention of entering.
"At this point, you are still hesitating?" Zhou Wuji snorted coldly. He raised his head, as if seeing more and more carriages arriving in the distance, his smile growing more intense, and his mockery even more pronounced.
"It doesn't matter. After this moment, none of you will have to watch from afar anymore, because I will be the only winner."
"My foolish brother, please cherish this time. Before the adults who just finished attending court and are qualified to come and watch arrive, I will absolutely not enter your mansion."
Zhou Wuji looked at Zhou Yuan and thought triumphantly to himself. He wanted to arrest Great Xia spies from Zhou Yuan's mansion in front of all the court officials. This way, even if Zhou Yuan had a hundred reasons, he could not escape the charge of harboring or even colluding with the enemy!
Because if these officials saw it, it would be as if the entire Great Zhou Dynasty had seen it. And since the entire Great Zhou Dynasty had seen it, the Great Zhou Emperor, who favored Zhou Yuan, could no longer pretend not to see!
He would have to punish Zhou Yuan.
He might even be executed!
At that time, who would have the qualifications and ability to contend with Zhou Wuji for the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty? Would it be his fourth brother, who could only forge a path with the help of his maternal family, or the weak and sickly second brother?
Neither of them could!
Only he, Zhou Wuji!
Only he was the sole heir to the throne of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. He was the final Emperor!