Everyone, seeing what was happening, didn’t understand and gravitated toward the emperor, trying to find a safe spot.

The emperor was momentarily stunned before realizing that the soldiers appearing in the courtyard were dressed in Xueyan Country’s military attire, staring wide-eyed at the leading general.

The emperor, furious, slammed his hand on the table and rose, "How dare you, Chen Tao! Are you planning to rebel?"

Chen Tao looked toward the surrounded emperor, stepped forward, and cupped his fist, "Your Majesty, I would not dare."

"Withdraw your troops at once," he snorted coldly, his face ashen, his piercing gaze sweeping toward Chen Tao.

"Forgive me, my lord, but I only follow the orders of the Great Marshal," Chen Tao said with a rigid posture, his voice booming, unwavering as he spoke to the emperor in front of him.

"You... scoundrel." Enraged and frantic, he grabbed the teacup from the table and hurled it at General Chen Tao.

Dugu Mo, seeing this, pushed through the Imperial Guards and walked to the emperor’s side, "Father, please calm down. Second brother, he is inside the residence." Dugu Mo didn’t finish his sentence when Dugu Chen’s figure came closer from afar, his body filled with hostility, his icy and piercing eyes fixated on Dugu Mo.

Dugu Chen, with a slight smile, slowly walked up to the emperor, the surrounding Imperial Guards clutching their spears tightly, always on guard against Prince Chen.

The emperor, casting aside the guards in front, went straight up to Dugu Chen, his red eyes gazing at his enigmatic son.

"Dugu Chen, do you intend to rebel?" He glared at Dugu Chen, gritting his teeth.

Dugu Chen diverted his gaze, looking at his aging father-emperor, and snorted coldly, "If anything happens to my woman, I don’t need to rebel; I’ll just destroy you all and bring down Xueyan Country."

"Unfilial child, you, you, you are outrageous!" The emperor never expected such a heartless statement from Dugu Chen – just for a woman, to commit regicide?

"And what if I am outrageous? I would like to see what you can do about it." His eyebrows were furrowed, the corners of his mouth in a straight line, his patience completely gone.

"Stop it, Dugu Chen! How dare you speak to Father Emperor like... Ugh!"

The furious Dugu Chen, seeing Dugu Mo interject, driven by a fit of rage, used ninety percent of his power to strike at Dugu Mo with his palm.

Dugu Mo was sent flying by the blow, bounced against a tree trunk, and then fell to the ground, spitting out blood.

The Empress, witnessing this, lifted her long skirt and ran over in shock, hugging Dugu Mo and continuously wiping fresh blood from his mouth with her handkerchief, her shrill voice filling the courtyard, "Someone, fetch the Imperial Physician."

Song Miaoqiu, who was in the process of her wedding ceremony, was still in a daze but instantly understood upon hearing Dugu Chen’s words. Upon hearing the Empress calling for the Imperial Physician, a sense of foreboding came over her. Song Miaoqiu lifted her bridal veil and scanned her surroundings. Finally, she found Dugu Mo, clad in his wedding outfit, in the Empress’s arms. She rushed over in three large steps and, upon seeing his pitiful state, tears immediately filled her eyes.

The Empress, wiping the blood and seeing her niece crying, felt repelled and scolded, "Your Prince is not dead yet. What are you crying for?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Yes, Mother," she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and moved forward to help the Empress tend to the unconscious Dugu Mo.

Jueqing frowned, and amidst the confusion, it seemed as if something was mentioned about a woman. Suddenly pausing, he realized that Dugu Chen’s future princess was his own cousin. Without another thought, he rushed toward Dugu Chen.

"What happened to my cousin?" he asked, his hands shaking as they grasped Dugu Chen’s arm.

Dugu Chen, upon seeing Jueqing, immediately seized Jueqing’s neck with a countermove, "If something happens to my woman, you won’t escape either."