Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 279 Spy Within a Spy

Inside the palace

The rain outside the palace was getting heavier and heavier, and the sky was getting more and more gloomy. The rain covered up all the noise and anxiety in the outside world, but the restlessness in my heart became more and more obvious.

Xue Huaiyu frowned, his gaze fixed on the chessboard. Only after spotting a flaw in Zheng Yuxiang's move did he decisively place a piece.

Only then did Xue Huaiyu's brows relax.

Just then, a eunuch rushed in and whispered, "Your Majesty, Commander Zhang of the Imperial Guard has urgent business to discuss with you!"

"Let him in!" Xue Huaiyu's voice carried a hint of impatience, but his expression couldn't hide his inner tension.

When Zhang Zhiyuan entered the hall, his expression instantly became serious.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Zhang Zhiyuan bowed respectfully.

"My dear minister, is there something urgent? Why are you in such a hurry? Don't you know I'm playing chess with the Prime Minister?" Xue Huaiyu pretended to be angry, but he already had a bad feeling.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I do have urgent business to report!" Zhang Zhiyuan's voice was somewhat hurried.

Zhang Zhiyuan approached Xue Huaiyu, lowered his voice, and whispered a few words in Xue Huaiyu's ear. Each word struck Xue Huaiyu's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Lord Chen has failed..."

Although Xue Huaiyu had already prepared for the possibility of Chen Tongyu's failure, he still couldn't help but feel flustered when he actually heard the news.

..........

Temples outside the city

The torrential rain poured down, and Chen Tongyu's body lay quietly in a pool of blood, the blood mingling with the rainwater.

Those eyes, once full of shrewdness and calculation, have now lost their vitality, staring blankly at the sky.

Inside the small temple, broken bodies were scattered everywhere, blood mingling with the rain. The pungent smell of rust mixed with the damp earth, filling the air with a suffocating heaviness.

Boyu stood aside, directing the other guards as they worked: "Clean this place up!"

Zheng Luoqi stood quietly in a corner of the temple, waiting for the birth of the new emperor.

“This is the price of power,” he murmured, his voice drowned out by the heavy rain.

Everything around her seemed irrelevant; only her heartbeat quickened, as if stirring up the changes to come.

The ending has been changed...

Quan Yuyuan, watching Zheng Luoqi mutter to himself, couldn't help but nudge He Jinyu standing next to him with his elbow and ask, "What is he babbling about?"

He Jinyu sighed and said speechlessly, "Young Master, you've touched a sore spot!"

Quan Yuyuan quickly realized what had happened and remembered that He Jinyu's hand had been cut during the fight. He awkwardly said, "Sorry!"

Inside the palace

Xue Huaiyu had lost all interest in playing chess. Chen Tongyu's approach was no longer feasible, and in the end, he would have to rely on himself.

Xue Huaiyu picked up the cup and smashed it on the ground.

With a 'snap!' sound, the Imperial Guards outside heard the signal and began to move closer to Xue Huaiyu.

Seeing Xue Huaiyu's action, Zheng Yuxiang simply sat calmly, showing no intention of running away.

"Prime Minister, if you are ruthless, don't blame me for being unjust. For so many years, the power in the court has been in your hands."

"I, the emperor, am like a puppet, completely controlled by you. I've had enough of this life!"

"Now you dare to try and disrupt the royal bloodline, I can no longer tolerate you!" Xue Huaiyu ordered, "Guards, seize the Prime Minister!"

As soon as Xue Huaiyu finished speaking, the Imperial Guards outside did not rush in and capture the Prime Minister as Xue Huaiyu had imagined.

They all seemed to stop at the door. Seeing this, Xue Huaiyu felt a pang of anxiety and immediately turned his gaze to Zhang Zhiyuan.

Sure enough, he found Zhang Zhiyuan standing there with a barely perceptible smile on his face.

Just as Xue Huaiyu was about to ask what was going on, he felt a chill down his spine. He turned around and saw Zhang Zhiyuan holding a dagger to his lower back.

"Your Majesty, I advise you to make them leave!" Zhang Zhiyuan threatened menacingly.

Xue Huaiyu hadn't expected Zhang Zhiyuan to betray him at the crucial moment, and said angrily, "Zhang Zhiyuan, you!"

Rather than saying that Zhang Zhiyuan betrayed him at this moment, it would be more accurate to say that Zhang Zhiyuan never truly stood by his side.

Xue Huaiyu suddenly felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart. The feeling of being manipulated made him feel extremely frustrated.

He suddenly realized that Zhang Zhiyuan's betrayal of the Prime Minister that day was nothing more than a trap they had set.

The scene of besieging the Chen family in the imperial court flashed through his mind, and he had to admit that he had been so naive to think that he could maintain a certain degree of initiative in this game of power.

The reason Shan Yan was able to be saved was nothing more than a scheme orchestrated by Zhang Zhiyuan and Zheng Yuxiang.

A scheme to expose Xue Huaiyu's hidden influence.

Zheng Yuxiang knew that Xue Huaiyu was not so easily fooled, so he devised a plan to make Zhang Zhiyuan betray him and join Xue Huaiyu.

Coincidentally, the Chen family was being besieged at the time, which was also a perfect opportunity for Zhang Zhiyuan to betray them.

After all, if he could step forward at this moment and show his loyalty to the imperial power, it would undoubtedly be a good opportunity to prove himself.

Therefore, Zheng Yuxiang deliberately spared Chen Tongyu's life for a few more days, which led to the scene where Shan Yan was rescued and the court recanted its testimony.

Of course, doing just that is far from enough for things to proceed smoothly.

During this period, Zhang Zhiyuan became Xue Huaiyu's complete dog, doing whatever he was told!

Zheng Yuxiang didn't even directly tell Zheng Luoqi that Zhang Zhiyuan hadn't betrayed them.

That day in the carriage, Zheng Luoqi caught the unspoken meaning in Zheng Yuxiang's words after he said a few suggestive things.

“Your Majesty, you have greatly underestimated the tacit understanding between me and the Prime Minister.” Zhang Zhiyuan gave a gentle push, and the chill of the dagger seeped through the clothes to Xue Huaiyu’s skin, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

"Someone come here!" Xue Huaiyu's roar was particularly abrupt in the silent environment. Fortunately, Xue Huaiyu did not completely trust Zhang Zhiyuan.

Just as Zhang Zhiyuan was about to strike, a cold light shot out from the darkness, swiftly flying towards the hand holding the dagger in Zhang Zhiyuan's hand.

The throwing knife came with great force and speed, and Zhang Zhiyuan had no time to react.

With a "thud," the throwing knife struck Zhang Zhiyuan's hand squarely and embedded itself deeply.

Zhang Zhiyuan immediately let out a scream: "Ah!"

His hand jerked violently as if electrocuted, and the dagger slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Zhang Zhiyuan felt a sharp pain coming from his hand, and the pain was spreading rapidly.

He looked down and discovered that the throwing knife was coated with a deadly poison, and the wound had already begun to turn black.

"Poisonous!" Zhang Zhiyuan cried out in terror, his face turning as pale as paper, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Taking advantage of Zhang Zhiyuan's momentary inability to resist after being hit by the flying knife, Xue Huaiyu turned and ran away without hesitation.

"Kill them!" After escaping to a safe distance, Xue Huaiyu turned around and gave the order to his men.

Xue Huaiyu's voice was exceptionally loud in the empty palace, almost a roar.

At his command, men in black robes burst forth from all directions. Each of them wore a black mask, but the earrings on their ears, which shimmered with a faint light, stood out conspicuously.

These men in black robes charged toward Zheng Yuxiang without a word. At that critical moment, a sword light flashed and a clear sword cry rang out, and Zisang's figure rushed out.

"Your Excellency, I am late!" The long sword in Zisang's hand gleamed coldly in the lamplight.

Zi Sang's appearance instantly attracted the attention of all the men in black robes.

With Zisang's appearance, the Prime Minister's guards all showed up.

A great war is about to break out...