All the high-ranking eunuchs can't believe what they are seeing right now. The emperor of the Dynasty's eighth generation is right in front of them. Sitting on the throne with a cold pair of phoenix eyes looking down on them from his throne.
Apparently, Eunuch Xu, Court Lady Han, and one of the personal maids of the emperor managed to convince them to go into the Pavilion of Literary Glory. It was not easy but they did it in the end.
The high-ranking eunuchs all kowtow to express their highest form of respect. That moment, his majesty's eyes meet the little eunuch's who's the only one who isn't doing the formalities. Xu Zhengming is not a tall man so he's not easy to find in the crowd of tall old men. And now that he's the only one standing, it's not so hard for the emperor to see him anymore.
Court Lady Han, who also kowtowed, pulled Xu Zhengming down, forcing him to pay his respects to the returned emperor. This made Emperor Yin Renshu puff a laugh despite being in a serious situation.
The silly eunuch looks up to his majesty and saw him chuckle. Seeing the other is laughing at him, he can't help but roll his eyes. Why does he like to make fun of him? And just earlier, when they're alone in this pavilion... that's not a good joke. He almost got a heart attack.
Emperor Yin Renshu, on the other hand, tries so hard to stop himself from teasing his eunuch by asking, "Have you seen your brain just now?" But of course, this situation they're in is supposed to be serious so it's not the right time to play around.
They all rise after they paid their respects. "Long live the emperor!"
"I called you all here to clarify the misunderstandings here. My death? What kind of joke is that?" The emperor snorted. "I must have surprised everyone. Did I make everyone happy? But I think I ruined the plan of some of you here."
This statement of his made the high-ranking eunuch murmur to each other. Ruined plan? What plan? Did someone in the imperial palace go against the emperor?
Head Eunuch Xue swallowed. His hands are getting cold and sweat starts to form on his shoulder. He avoided an eye-contact with the emperor at all costs.
Their plan failed. Song Li failed to kill the emperor!
Emperor Yin Renshu noticed that the head eunuch of the Xue Clan is rather strange now. His majesty being frank, he sets his cold gaze to the old man. "Head Eunuch Xue, you're not involved in this matter, right?
Come to think of it, the Grand Empress Dowager came from the Xue Clan. As what his majesty observed, the eunuchs of the Xue Clan seem to be as surprised as the eunuchs of the Yin clan, except for Head Eunuch Xue.
Head Eunuch Xue nervously looks at the throne where the emperor sits. He parted his lips but no words came out from it.
This is when all the high-ranking eunuchs, including the ones in the Xue Clan, arrive at the same conclusion. Head Eunuch Xue is involved in this matter?!
The doors of the Pavilion of Literary Glory aren't closed so Emperor Yin Renshu saw the incoming significant actors of the show.
"It's okay if you don't say anything. We got some of the main culprits."
Everyone turns around to see the approaching guests which made them even more surprised. It's Princess Yin Xiulan, and the cultivators that raised them. They are escorting the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager that had their hands bound with a glowing binding spell.
The grand empress dowager was captured by the prince and princess. Prince Yin Wenyan is an expert in creating different barriers using his water element. The barrier he created was a soundproof one, forbidding the grand empress dowager to call for help.
She got some tricks under her sleeves but Princess Yin Xiulan took care of it and even threatened to kill her if she dares to do underhanded schemes against them again.
While the grand empress dowager didn't give up easily, it's the complete opposite for the empress dowager. She surprisingly let Zhao Yangguang and Wang Junjie capture her without a fight.
As they set their feet inside the pavilion, the emperor asks, "Grand Empress Dowager, who else are your accomplices?"
"..."
They waited for some time yet she didn't utter a word. She's just looking viciously at the emperor. Emperor Yin Renshu sighs. She's already losing. Why does she still act tough?
"You're surely going down. Aren't you going to drag your friends with you?"
The grand empress dowager's eyes landed on Head Eunuch's direction but he just looks down, refusing to meet her gaze.
"Speaking of accomplices..." The princess said in a voice that everyone can hear. "Your majesty, I would like to capture another traitor."
The emperor looks at his sister. Her eyes are burning with hatred and resentment. By then, he knows who is he talking about. It's the person who lured them into the woods and killed the late lieutenant general.
He then looks at his shizun and shifu who are just looking at him, waiting for what he's going to say. "Alright. You may go." He granted. "Don't let him get you again."
"You need not say that." She flips the lock of her hair which partly covered her face as she turns around to leave the pavilion.
Holding her holy weapon tightly, she headed to the Department of War and Defense. When she got there, the soldiers are already alarmed. They are in a total mess. The news of the emperor and the general coming back in the imperial palace already reached them.
She kicks the door, making it fly a meter away from its original place. This made the noisy crowd go silent. The tyrant has returned.
"Bring Song Li in front of me and capture everyone that belongs to his unit."
In just one command, all the soldiers fled, including the other lieutenant generals.
With everyone in the imperial army searching for the wanted persons, it didn't take too much time for them to bring the traitors and the newly appointed general and minister of war and defense department; Song Li.
"Get your hands off me! I am the general! She doesn't have the authority anymore. I can order you all to die right here and now!"
Song Li is undeniably strong as a soldier yet he's outnumbered. And besides, it's the princess who trained them every day so the strength of the lowest-ranking soldiers are not to be underestimated.
Because of what he is sprouting, the soldiers that are holding him are becoming hesitant. They got confused as to who are they going to acknowledge as their general. The ministry got a new general, and now the old general is back. Who has the authority now?
Princess Yin Xiulan got an evil grin on her lips. "Oh? Haven't you heard? My brother got the throne back. He's appointing me to be the general again. The grand empress dowager, who appointed you, is now under the jury so you're as good as a nobody now. If you can order these men to die right here and now, I can do more as to let them experience a more terrible death."
She opens her holy weapon and the wind starts to circulate around her, lifting her from the ground. She looks down on everyone with such a cold gaze. The great pressure she displays scares the soldiers like usual. Without an array that disables her to use her full potential, she can use as much of her spiritual powers as she wishes. Without Liu Chen around, there's no hope of her calming down anytime soon.
She speaks again, this time to everyone in the department. "Soldiers, would you rather die in my hands than forsake this traitor? If you choose him over me, I'll cut your bodies into pieces."
The intense authority, and the great pressure and fear in the atmosphere she emits... truly worthy to be called the princess general.
Yes, she's this violent. All of them know as much as the late Lieutenant General Liu that the general's word is absolute. If she said it, she'll do it.
This fear put them on the edge. They pushed Song Li and the men working under him into a kneeling position as they yell, "We will forever be loyal to the princess general!" "To die for the general is our greatest honor." "Long live the general." And such.
It's really a mess in the Department of War and Defense. Even Princess Yin Xiulan isn't sure if they're praising her or cussing at her for being so mean. However, she couldn't care less for that matter. What's important for her is to avenge her dear fallen confidant.
Getting her authority back, there's no reason for her to intimidate these lowly soldiers. She slowly goes back to the ground, and the intense atmosphere slowly dissipated.
With a cold voice, she orders, "Tie him tightly. And as for the soldiers throw them in the dungeon."
"Yes, general."
And just like that, she earned her position back... but not her favorite person.
So the captured ex-general got dragged by Princess Yin Xiulan to her room inside the Department of War and Defense. She throws him to the corner of most of the room, letting him sit on the wooden floor and lean on the wall helplessly
She got even more agitated when her room changed drastically. Her things, including the furniture, got replaced by new ones.
Speaking of furniture, she kept something special inside the drawer of her nightstand. It's a hairpin made of brass with a flower-shaped hetian jade on it. She only used it once and even rarely gets it out of its box, afraid that it would become dull and tarnished.
There's really nothing that belongs to her remained. Not even the replica of the painting of her and her brothers as infants on the arms of her mother.
Enraged, Princess Yin Xiulan slaps Song Li's cheek real hard. "How dare you do this to my room! Do you really think you'll be staying here for good? Ambitious!"
She opens her fan and then sharp blades appeared on the edge. The princess threatened the other to slit his throat. "Where are my things?"
"Burned." Song Li replies casually.
"..."
Burned? Did everything get consumed by fire? Even the hairpin?
The furniture can be replaced. She can just buy new clothes. The painting is just a replica. She still has another replica in her room in the Department of Justice, and the original is in her Hall. But that hairpin is only made of brass and jade, it won't withstand the heat of the fire.
The long silence got interrupted with a chuckle. The chuckle turns into a laugh until the laugh becomes hysterical. Whoever sees the princess in this state would think that she has lost her marbles.
Then suddenly, Princess Yin Xiulan stopped laughing and looks at the traitor in front of her with eyes wide open. Similar to that of a beast that's intimidating its prey before eating it.
She reached for the hilt of his sword, unsheathing it from its scabbard. She stares at its blade and sees her own reflection bathing in the gentleness of the moonlight.
This very sword severed Liu Chen's life. Through this, Song Li slits her confidant's throat. And through this sword, she'll avenge the fallen.
Without a warning, she stabbed Song Li's thigh. The blade is piercing through his muscle tissues. Blood drips on the floor from the edge of the sword.
He managed not to let out even a groan but he bit his lip so hard that it bleeds.
Unsatisfied, the princess withdraws the blade halfway and thrusts it again. She's just staring at his bloody wound with a plain expression on her face like stabbing someone isn't a big deal. This continues several times yet she still isn't satisfied.
Song Li couldn't hold it any longer. His screams are so loud that everyone outside her highness' room heard him. The soldiers outside are very anxious yet they don't want to interfere.
"He brought it to himself." is the thought they have in common.
After some time, she finally pulls it out. The thick crimson liquid made a stream on the blade, staining the floor with red.
The night is chilly but droplets of sweat are forming on his forehead. Song Li can't fight back. Even if he managed to free himself from this rope that binds him, with this injury, and the fact that he's against a cultivator, he wouldn't have much of a chance of winning.
It was at this moment he knew he fucked up.
"Where else did you injure Liu Chen again?" Princess Yin Xiulan looks up as she thinks for a while. And then not too long, she snapped her fingers as if she finally recalled it. "Right. You injured his arm."
Princess Yin Xiulan sways the sword, cutting a deep wound on the other's arm. Slowly but surely deep to the bone. She knows that cutting him slowly hurts more than what he did to Liu Chen but who cares? She's just doing what he did to her trusted subordinate plus revenge. Nothing wrong with it at all.
"Oh, and you pierced him right here too, right?"
She stabbed him again, this time in his upper left chest. Princess Yin Xiulan even twisted the blade while it's still piercing him. Again, she doesn't think there's something wrong with it.
She draws the sword back, finally somehow satisfied after hearing his pleasing screams of suffering. A little smile forms on her lips but still, it isn't enough. How about her pain? His debts aren't paid halfway yet.
"And probably here too?" And then Princess Yin Xiulan stabs him in the abdomen.  The tone she uses sounds like it belongs to an innocent lady which doesn't match with her disturbing actions. "Where else?"
Can't think of anything, she randomly cuts him everywhere. Turning his clothes into shreds and dye his body the color of red.
"Just kill me!" Song Li yells at her which made him cough blood.
He's slowly losing all his strength because of the unbearable pain. This is clearly more than what Liu Chen has been through before he's killed!
Hearing this, Princess Yin Xiulan raises her left eyebrow like she just heard the most rubbish thing she ever heard.
"No. You think I'll let you off easily?" She pulls the sword out of his body.
"I remember, there's still one more grave injury you caused him."
Princess Yin Xiulan pulls his hair to make his neck extend a little. Just as he anticipated, she slowly slits his throat but she didn't make it critical to kill him immediately. Just enough for him to bleed so much.
Then she finally rises and throws his sword somewhere which created a clanging sound that echoed in the whole room. "Be sure to stay alive as you can if you want your body to be buried as a whole."
She's letting him slowly die of blood loss.