Prince An also spoke at the opportune moment, "Miss Nan actually hasn't left? It seems the people I stationed at the palace gates were redundant." He let out a dismissive laugh.
"Your Highness Prince An is overthinking," Nan Zhiyun replied, her voice clear and cool.
"What a pity. Miss Nan, you are so lovely, yet Yu Jingchen has reduced you to this state," Prince An sneered.
"How about this, Miss Nan? Let this King make a deal with you. If you and the Empress Dowager can persuade Nan Su to submit to me and support me as the new emperor, then the Empress Dowager will remain the Empress Dowager, and I can grant Miss Nan the position of Empress. What do you say?" Yu Jing'an pressed on.
"The Nan family are loyal subjects and will naturally not associate with a rebel like you," Nan Zhiyun's voice was soft but carried a powerful resonance.
Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun with surprise.
"Tsk, Yu Jingchen, look, what a fine woman. It's a shame you are so blind. Fine, I won't force it. Since Miss Nan is so loyal and righteous, then you shall die for your country. Guards! Seize her!" Prince An's eyes suddenly turned fierce.
Then, people moved to apprehend Nan Zhiyun, but unexpectedly...
"Who dares to take another step forward?" Nan Zhiyun pressed a hairpin against her throat.
"Yun'er!" the Empress Dowager cried out in alarm. Prince An's gaze deepened.
"Prince An, you will not kill me now. You haven't yet obtained the military tally from my father. You dare not kill me," Nan Zhiyun stated.
"Nan Zhiyun, are you perhaps too confident?" Prince An's tone was sinister.
"Did I say something wrong? If you dare, then let them kill me! Or, have them take another step forward, and I promise, in the next moment, you will only see my corpse." Nan Zhiyun did not flinch, instead, she pressed the hairpin further against her neck, drawing blood.
"Nan Zhiyun, do you love Yu Jingchen so much that you are still helping him?" Yu Jing'an asked.
"I am helping myself, and helping the Nan family," Nan Zhiyun replied. She had seen through him; Yu Jing'an was not only ruthless but also treacherous. To have submitted to Yu Jingchen for so many years, his cunning was undeniable.
If Yu Jing'an became emperor, the Nan family would certainly not fare well. But if she could make Yu Jingchen see the Nan family's loyalty, then perhaps they could survive this ordeal.
Just as Nan Zhiyun's mind raced through countless possibilities, someone rushed in from outside, "Your Highness, Nan Su has surrounded the imperial city with his troops!"
"What!" Yu Jing'an felt as if he had misheard.
"Isn't he due back in the capital in a few days?" Yu Jing'an had calculated his move for now precisely because Nan Su was not expected to return.
"The intelligence we gathered earlier was indeed so. But now Nan Su has surrounded the city with his troops, at least three hundred thousand strong," the messenger reported.
"Useless!" Yu Jing'an cursed.
Upon hearing the news, Nan Zhiyun knew her chance had arrived. She had made mistakes in the past, but today, she would fight with all her might for the Nan family.
Yu Jing'an, pushed to desperation, immediately gave the order, "Seize them! Regardless of life or death!"
Chaos erupted in the banquet hall as both sides engaged in fierce combat. Some nobles, terrified, fled in all directions.
Nan Zhiyun also ran to the Empress Dowager's side.
"Yun'er," the Empress Dowager tightly gripped Nan Zhiyun's hand.
"Your Majesty, it will be alright. Father will be here soon," Nan Zhiyun reassured the Empress Dowager.
Whether it was gratitude or sorrow, the Empress Dowager was speechless, only patting Nan Zhiyun's hand.
Yu Jingchen also glanced towards Nan Zhiyun, but his eyes revealed no emotion.
At that moment, Nan Su led his forces in an assault. Yu Jing'an's situation was dire. He cast a venomous look at those above, and seizing an unguarded moment from Yu Jingchen, he lunged forward with his sword. Yu Jingchen had long been aware and could have dodged, but he hadn't expected Nan Zhiyun to rush forward at that very instant.
The sound of the sharp blade piercing flesh sent a jolt through Yu Jingchen's heart. Yu Jing'an had not anticipated Nan Zhiyun blocking the sword either. It was just that his opportunity was lost, and Yu Jing'an was captured.
Nan Su, who had just entered, witnessed this scene. "Yun'er!" Nan Su's eyes turned red in an instant.
The Empress Dowager was also struck by this sight. She rushed forward, but her strength failed her, and she fainted.
"Your Majesty!" Those around panicked.
Nan Zhiyun's lips parted, her strength gone, and she slumped into Yu Jingchen's arms.
Yu Jingchen instinctively held her, letting her fall into his embrace, before kneeling down with her.
Nan Zhiyun looked at Yu Jingchen, "Your Majesty..."
Yu Jingchen remained silent.
"Your Majesty, I shouldn't have entered the palace. I regret it..."
Yu Jingchen's gaze shifted slightly. "You had no need to block it," he said.
"It was an instinctive reaction, Your Majesty. The Nan family will never be a threat to you. My father is loyal to you and has never harbored any disloyal thoughts. Can Your Majesty spare the Nan family?" Nan Zhiyun asked.
"I will make my own judgment," Yu Jingchen's tone was as cold as ever.
"And the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager truly cares for Your Majesty. Even though she is not Your Majesty's birth mother, she regards you as her own child." Nan Zhiyun's greatest worries now were the Empress Dowager and the Nan family.
"She is my Empress Dowager." These words served as a promise to Nan Zhiyun.
Nan Zhiyun smiled, but Yu Jingchen frowned.
"Even if you hadn't blocked that sword, Yu Jing'an could not have harmed me," Yu Jingchen said.
"Then Your Majesty... This concubine, with this one life, can I leave a mark on your heart?" Nan Zhiyun asked.
Yu Jingchen did not answer.
Nan Zhiyun felt a pang of bitterness but did not show it.
"It seems not. But it's alright, this concubine no longer cares," Nan Zhiyun added.
"Your Majesty, if there is a next life, this concubine wishes to never know you, to never meet again for all eternity..." Nan Zhiyun finished, smiling, then looked towards Nan Su, who was still battling the rebels in the distance. Tears fell, and her hand dropped lifelessly.
Nan Su, in this way, never got to say a final word to his daughter.
The chaos had subsided. Nan Su felt as if his feet weighed a thousand pounds. With every step he took towards Nan Zhiyun, he felt as if he were leaving an imprint on the ground.
Perhaps it was exhaustion, but Nan Su spat out a mouthful of blood. Before he could reach Nan Zhiyun, he collapsed.