After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 331 Great Changes in the Palace
The situation in Bianjing City was becoming increasingly tense. If the success of the peace talks in the north was just the beginning, then when the urgent military report from Baili reached the palace, the entire court was in an uproar.

The situation was just as everyone expected.

Qinzhou was lost, and the last gate of Bianjing City had been occupied. Xu Zhenying's troops were only a hundred miles away from Bianjing City.

If calculated based on the normal marching speed, that is to say four or five days at most, Xu Zhenying and her 200,000 troops in the front, and the 200,000 troops from the northern border behind, would encircle the city of Bianjing.

Xu Zhenying is here——

That female rebel finally came——

Bianjing City... is about to be broken -

The people of Bianjing City had nowhere to escape to and no plans to escape. They simply closed their doors and did not go out, for fear of being caught in the disaster.

In just a few days, the price of grain in Bianjing City increased several times. Grain merchants even sold old rice at sky-high prices, but even at this price, there was still a shortage of supply.

Who knows when this battle to capture the city will end?

Saving more always makes people feel at ease.

The streets were in chaos. This was truly a critical moment for survival. Only officials, soldiers and others walked by in a hurry. Occasionally, a soldier on horseback could be seen, with the sound of horse hooves urging people to gallop towards the direction of the palace.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is about to end.

For the first time, the common people of Bianjing City felt deeply that the world above them, which had not changed for hundreds of years, was about to change.

Those who were more perceptive had already secretly bought the textbooks from Jinzhou Prefecture and took advantage of the time when the doors were closed to study.

There were also officials who secretly collected a lot of monthly reports from Jinzhou Prefecture, trying to catch up with the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture, hoping that after the queen entered the city, they might be able to seize the initiative and find a place to use their talents.

Not to mention that all the civil and military officials had their own little thoughts.

Seeing that Xu Zhenying's men were about to attack, the Great Zhou was on the verge of crumbling, and they had to find a way to survive.

Therefore, taking refuge in Jinzhou Prefecture became almost the only way out.

These officials remembered how harshly they had scolded Xu Zhenying in the court before, and now they remembered how good she was.

Just the fact that innocent people are not killed indiscriminately is enough to give people peace of mind.

In addition, every time a city was broken, the official would not be beheaded in public. Instead, an inspection team would move in to investigate the official's life. If he had a good reputation among the people, he could continue to serve as an official.

Even if someone is caught in a crime, the sentencing will only be determined after three trials and when all the evidence is complete.

Not to mention, Jinzhou Prefecture did not have harsh tortures such as being torn apart by five horses, beheading, and quartering, nor did it have the custom of exile and collective punishment. The most it could do was to impose the death penalty on an individual, and its family would not be implicated.

Thinking of this, the officials seemed to feel relieved.

What are you afraid of?
By this calculation, Xu Zhenying is far less scary than the moody Zhou Mian!
It even vaguely reveals the meaning of a wise ruler...

After much thought, the mentality of the minor officials became the same as that of ordinary people in Bianliang City.

Just come.

Maybe if we had a different emperor, the Zhou Dynasty would be even better.

Small officials like them might have a better life under Xu Zhenying.

Only the most vicious officials, those who had committed serious crimes, or even those who had many murder cases on their hands, trembled in fear, and shouted in the court that even if they died for their country, they would never let the iron cavalry of Jinzhou Prefecture set foot into the city of Bianjing.

Beneath the dead silence in the city of Bianjing, there was a huge and unspeakable storm hidden.

The Holy Book Palace was originally a place where ministers and the emperor held meetings, but now, unlike the tense situation outside, there is singing and dancing here, and the women's laughter seems unaware of the tense situation outside and is still pleasant and gentle.

The dancers are dressed in light gauze, their snow-white feet are slightly hidden, which adds a special charm to the autumn day.

However, Empress Dowager Mei Zhao had already changed into an inconspicuous set of casual clothes, and asked her confidants to change their clothes as well and follow her closely.

The nanny beside her was holding five-year-old Zhou Jin in her arms.

These palace maids had all followed her for more than ten years. She demonstrated and showed favor to them, keeping their relatives firmly in her hands, and was not afraid that they would disobey her.

Along the way, she saw many eunuchs and palace maids trying to escape. She hated them so much that she wanted to cut these traitors into pieces, but she could only turn a blind eye and even pulled up her cloak to cover her face, for fear of being recognized and causing trouble.

A few days ago, she had just beaten to death several palace maids who wanted to escape.

But only two days had passed, and with Xu's relentless advance, the entire city of Bianjing became like a pot of boiling water, in disarray and everyone was in danger.

Now, not only are the palace maids and eunuchs trying to escape, but even the guards are lax in their defense. Moreover, several inconspicuous generals have voluntarily surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture and even instigated a number of guards to rebel. A powerful force is secretly forming and is likely to approach soon.

When her confidant came to report the news, the Queen Mother was so angry that she spat out blood.

It's really the opposite.

Before Xu Zhenying even attacked, his own family members rebelled first.

If they allow this force to form, their lives will be in danger!

This palace is not a safe place either. They must escape now before any generals lead people to counterattack and siege the city!

She had clearly sent people to look for Zhou Mian before, and had packed up all the gold and silver jewelry, and even had the carriage waiting at the side door, but there was no sign of Zhou Mian!

When the Queen Mother found Zhou Mian, he was lying on the jade steps in front of the palace, reeking of alcohol. His clothes were open at an angle, and he was holding a wine pot in his hand, looking completely unaware of the disaster that was about to happen.

The Queen Mother was so angry that her eyes went dark.

The dancers had left, leaving only a mess on the ground. The eunuch Li Baoping, who served Zhou Mian, remained loyal to him.

Li Baoping has followed Zhou Mian since he was a child. He is Zhou Mian's only close companion and one of his few true confidants.

Li Baoping stepped forward and said to the Queen Mother, "Your Majesty, please persuade His Majesty! I have begged him repeatedly, but His Majesty refused to leave and even scolded me. If we continue to delay like this, I am afraid... I am afraid that our own people will take action!"

The Queen Mother stepped forward quickly, almost kneeling on the ground, grabbing Zhou Mian's hand and begging, "Your Majesty, let's escape. Qinzhou has been lost, and Xu Zhenying's people will attack us within a day or two at most! The Great Zhou Dynasty is over!!!"

"Ignorant woman! How dare you talk nonsense!" Zhou Mian was half drunk and half awake. The moment he opened his eyes, he slapped the queen mother Mei Zhao, and her hair became messy. "Who said that the Zhou Dynasty is over? As long as I sit on the throne, the world will still belong to the Zhou family!"

"Your Majesty! Wake up! Almost all the civil and military officials have surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture. If we move a little slower, I'm afraid that before Xu Zhenying arrives, the generals under your command will rebel! Your Majesty, the carriage is ready, we can still escape! By then, we can recruit more soldiers and horses, and with the last emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty in our hands, we may be able to recapture the city of Bianjing--"

Seeing that he was quite drunk, and hearing the sound of war and battle outside, Empress Dowager Mei Zhao was frightened and ordered her confidant, "Help His Majesty up, change his clothes, and we will leave through the west gate."

"I won't leave!" Zhou Mian half-supported himself on the ground, and saw the nanny beside the Queen Mother holding Zhou Jin. He suddenly looked crazy, "I am the real master of the world!"

Zhou Jin was so scared when he saw his grandfather suddenly going crazy that he hid behind him. But he remembered his father's teachings and immediately straightened his chest and said in a trembling voice: "Grandfather, I am the crown prince appointed by the late emperor. I am the emperor of the Great Zhou!"

Zhou Mian suddenly became furious when he heard this. He grabbed Zhou Jin's collar and lifted him up into the air, then threw him to the ground fiercely. "Without me, there would be no you! I let you be the emperor, I let you be the emperor!"

The Queen Mother turned pale with fear and cried out—

Fortunately, a young palace maid beside her was quick-witted and almost immediately jumped over and caught the young Zhou Jin in her arms.

Zhou Jin was obviously frightened and burst into tears.

The Queen Mother was still in shock, her face pale, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... is crazy..."

Zhou Mian stood up shakily, "It was Xu Zhenying who ruined me! I worked hard for more than ten years, and finally arrived in Bianjing City six years ago. I thought I had everything in hand, but those old guys were on guard against me. Zhou Zhong died with great difficulty, and it was almost my turn, but Xu Zhenying chose this time to come - God helps her but not me, I won't accept it!"

Empress Dowager Mei Zhao looked at the crazy Zhou Mian with great horror. She seemed to hear hurried footsteps outside. Perhaps Xu Zhenying's men had arrived, or perhaps they themselves had rebelled. She said to Li Baoping, "If we don't leave now, it will be too late. Find someone to knock His Majesty unconscious and drag him away!"

"No, I am the emperor of this world! God won't let me sit on this dragon throne, but I will do better than God!" Zhou Mian didn't know what he was thinking about, and suddenly he raised his head and laughed. Everyone thought it was not good, but who would have thought that the next moment he would directly grab Zhou Jin, glaring at him with bulging eyes. Zhou Jin's two short legs immediately struggled in the air.

"As long as I draft a letter of abdication for Zhou Jin, I will be the legitimate emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

After saying that, Zhou Mian actually carried Zhou Jin to the rosewood long table, then held down the struggling Zhou Jin with one hand, while he drafted the abdication letter.

Empress Dowager Mei Zhao immediately tried to grab Zhou Jin, "Your Majesty, you are crazy! Seeing that the Great Zhou Dynasty is about to perish, what is the point of wanting this throne?! Do you want to be the king who destroys the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

"Foolish woman! As long as I am the legitimate emperor, even if I temporarily avoid the limelight, I only need to raise my arms and call for help in the future, and perhaps there will be a day to restore the country."

"Crazy, you're absolutely crazy—"

But Zhou Jin was obviously scared crazy by his crazy grandfather. Zhou Mian picked up the pen and quickly wrote the abdication edict on the blank imperial edict, and then used a knife to take the blood from Zhou Jin's finger. Zhou Jin was frightened and burst into tears.

"Where is my jade seal?" Zhou Mian looked everywhere, even completely disregarding his image as an emperor. He curled up under a small table like a dog and searched everywhere.

Empress Dowager Mei Zhao said with some regret: "The jade seal is with that bitch Yuan Chun!"

"Oh, yes, yes, I actually forgot the most important thing! At that time, she refused to hand it over, and even many civil officials protected her. She is indeed the wife of that bitch! Even the man is dead, but this daughter-in-law still refuses to obey. Quick, go find her, and get the imperial seal no matter what."

"Is the Supreme Emperor looking for the imperial seal?" A cold voice came from outside the palace, followed by the sound of footsteps. The soldiers Zhou Mian had sent to wait outside immediately drew their weapons and confronted the hundreds of people brought by Empress Yuan Chun.

Zhou Mian could still barely recognize the voice, and Li Baoping hurriedly supported Zhou Mian, and then the two of them walked to the stone steps in front of the hall.

Zhou Mian took a closer look and discovered that what Empress Yuan Chun was holding was the imperial seal of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

"Imperial Seal! My Imperial Seal!" Zhou Mian seemed to be crazy, struggling forward, but Empress Yuan Chun took a half step back. Immediately, a soldier stepped forward to block her.

Empress Dowager Mei Zhao did not expect that Empress Yuan Chun had been trapped in the deep palace for a long time, and there were guards loyal to her. She immediately pointed at the empress and said, "Yuan Chun, you bitch, hand over the imperial seal quickly, otherwise I will kill Zhou Jin!"

Empress Yuan Chun's face changed slightly. She was touched, and the usually docile and modest woman turned into a ferocious beast. She said in a shrill voice, "How dare you!"

"Hand over the Imperial Seal if you know what's best for you!"

Empress Yuan Chun almost subconsciously looked at a maidservant in casual clothes beside her. The maidservant nodded, and Empress Yuan Chun gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I'll hand over the imperial seal, but you have to release Jin'er too! Father, don't forget that Jin'er is also your flesh and blood!"

Zhou Mian finally sobered up a little this time. His eyes were bright and he was extremely happy. "Give me the jade seal first. As long as I leave this palace smoothly, I will naturally send someone to send Zhou Jin back."

"That's right." Mei Zhao softened his tone, his face kind, "You just said that Jin'er has the blood of my Zhou family. After all, our family is connected by bones and tendons. Now that Xu Zhenying is about to attack, I'm afraid that no one with the surname Zhou in Bianjing will survive. Now your eldest brother has arranged people to wait at the west gate, and you should come with us. In this chaotic war, you are with the prince and the princess, and you are an orphan and a widow. I'm afraid you can't even get out of this palace wall, so just follow us to escape. At least our family can take care of each other. Besides, what other options do you have besides trusting us? Don't forget that the one in Jinzhou Prefecture is a big devil who kills without blinking an eye. She wants to unify the world, and she will definitely kill all of us with the surname Zhou!"

These words seemed to move Yuan Chun. Empress Yuan Chun thought for a moment and slowly walked forward.

Mei Zhao showed a smug and fierce expression until Empress Yuan Chun handed the imperial seal to Zhou Mian. She and Zhou Mian looked at each other, and then she raised her hand and saw the archers on the city wall a few hundred meters away from the palace gate hall instantly drew their bows to full length -

As soon as Zhou Mian got the jade seal, his eyes lit up and he wanted to dance with joy immediately, "Haotian is unfair and has to stop me, but I want to fight against God!"

"Mom!" Zhou Jin cried in a baby voice, but Yuan Chun had already tried to catch Zhou Jin, and Empress Dowager Mei Zhao almost immediately signaled the people around her to catch Zhou Jin.

However, everything changed at this moment.

Just when everyone thought that Empress Yuan Chun was going to grab Zhou Jin on the right, everyone's attention was naturally on Zhou Jin, but at this moment Empress Yuan Chun's eyes turned, and everyone saw a cold light flash, and a dagger came out from Yuan Chun's sleeve, turning neatly to Zhou Mian, who was laughing crazily and complacently -

not good!

But it was too late.

Someone shouted, "Your Majesty, be careful!"

Empress Yuan Chun went around Zhou Mian, raised her arm, and then stabbed Zhou Mian's carotid artery.

Blood gushed out, splashing all over Empress Yuan Chun's face.

She suppressed the nausea that surged in her abdomen, suppressed the trembling in her hands, pressed her arms down, and spun the dagger. At this moment, her five senses were instantly magnified countless times, and she could even clearly hear the sound of flesh being torn and turned.

She is not a natural born killer.

She was just a powerless woman in the palace.

In the past, she was afraid to kill even a chicken, and she was even afraid to hear the sound of killing a chicken, as she would not be able to sleep at night after hearing it.

But that night, the woman from Jinzhou Prefecture suddenly bypassed the heavy guards and came to her palace, smiling and asked her if she wanted to avenge Zhou Zhong.

How could she not want to?

That day, Zhou Zhong was carried back covered in blood, without even a word. He left with high spirits, but when he returned, only a cold corpse was left. From then on, the couple were separated by Yin and Yang.

She thought about it day and night, wishing she could kill her enemy with her own hands or stab him with a knife.

But how could she do that? She couldn't even hold the knife steady, she couldn't even stand the sight of blood, let alone the sound of wailing.

In the past, Zhou Chong always said that she was soft-hearted, that the servants in her room were always better off than those in other courtyards, and that he liked her purity and simplicity like a little girl.

But he forgot that she was no longer a little girl. She was the mother of a son and a daughter, and also his wife!
So, the man from Jinzhou Prefecture said: Killing can also be practiced.

First, find a dagger, point it at a spot in the middle of the coffee table, imagine that it is the enemy's neck, and stab it cleanly and neatly.

Just practice a thousand times a day.

Until a hole was made in the middle of the small table.

Empress Yuan Chun was trapped in the deep palace. The outer walls of the palace were guarded everywhere. She could neither go in nor out. Apart from being in a daze every day, the only thing she could do was to mechanically raise her hand, put down the needle, and take it out.

At first, her heart would skip a beat every time she got the needle.

I thought if it was a human neck, one cut would kill him.

But as her hand raised and the knife fell, the pain in her arm and her gradually emptying mind, her movements became faster and faster, more and more accurate, and more and more cruel.

Even my mind can no longer contain those complicated thoughts.

She gradually got used to doing things first and thinking later.

The last day is for intensive training.

Someone sent a few live chickens, and she stabbed the chicken's head with a sharp knife. Blood splattered on her face. It was warm and had a strong smell of blood, but her heart was filled with confusion.

She then realized that killing was something that practice makes perfect.

Do not think--

Don't think about anything.

Move forward with determination.

But there were tears in my eyes.

Almost at that moment, Empress Yuan Chun drew her knife swiftly, and at that moment when blood splattered, the only sentence that man said came to her mind.

After killing someone, the scene will be in chaos. Don't hesitate or be afraid, find a place to hide immediately!

"Your Majesty!!!" Queen Mother Mei Zhao screamed shrilly -

Yuan Chun held the dagger tightly in one hand and immediately grabbed Zhou Jin with the other. Zhou Jin was so scared that she burst into tears and hid in her mother's arms, hugging her mother tightly with her little hands.

The two men immediately hid behind the pillar.

At this time, Feng Er, who was dressed as a palace maid, saw that the situation was not good, and suddenly stood up, thinking of Zhou Mian's men across the hall, and raised her arms and shouted, "I am a general under Xu Zhenying of Jinzhou Prefecture. Zhou Mian is dead, and my master will not hold anyone responsible! Those who surrender will not be killed!!! Those who surrender will not be killed!!!"

Zhou Mian had already fallen in a pool of blood. Before he died, he held the imperial seal in one hand and the abdication letter in the other. His eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't figure out how he was just one step away from success.

Empress Dowager Mei Zhao hugged his body and burst into tears, while Li Baoping cried out in grief: "General Fan, these are the rebels from Jinzhou Prefecture, kill them! Cover the Empress Dowager and leave——"

The small group of people brought by Empress Yuan Chun only had a few hundred people, and they were all inconspicuous soldiers and officers in the imperial city. They had long known Feng'er's identity, and at this moment they all protected Feng'er and said in unison: "Girl, hide first!"

General Fan stood on the opposite wall, yelled at the top of his lungs, then raised his hand and fired thousands of arrows at once.

Feng'er said it was not good.

It’s over. I think I’ve gone too far.

I don’t know if Xu Huiming can gather some people outside the palace. Bai Ci’en has surrendered. Bai Ci’en’s father, the first-rank military marquis, is such a good target to win over.

Xu Huiming, my Feng'er's life depends on you.

Feng'er pulled Wang Qiu Shuang and hid backwards, and the sky and the earth were buzzing. The rain of arrows was like a huge gray net, and the "clang clang clang" sounds were endless in their ears.

Feng'er silently prayed "Amitabha, please bless me" and could only hide behind.

Empress Dowager Mei Zhao was so grief-stricken that she was almost half-dragged and half-carried out by the servants. They even did not spare Zhou Mian's body. Two officers who looked to be of higher rank carried Zhou Mian on their backs and walked out under the cover of dozens of dead servants.

Wang Qiu Shuang was immediately shocked, "Friends, the Queen Mother is going to run away!"

Feng Er said: "Let her run away, she is of no value, and it would be a waste of food in Jinzhou Prefecture if she is captured. Instead, protect the Queen and the Crown Prince——"

Feng'er was smart. She turned over the small table and held it in front of her. She and Wang Qiushuang curled up and hid behind it.

Wang Qiu Shuang only heard the sound of the arrow hitting the small table and felt the waves of recoil. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. But Feng Er was still able to smile and held Wang Qiu Shuang's hand tightly, "Don't be afraid, Mr. Wang. People who are shot by arrows will die in half a quarter of an hour. They won't suffer any serious consequences."

Wang Qiu Shuang couldn't even cry at this moment, "Friends, please... stop joking——"

"Ever since I, Feng'er, decided to follow the young lady in the rebellion, I have been keeping my head on my belt every day! I am not afraid of death. If I die, the young lady will definitely avenge me! And if I die, the young lady will be sad for me and will definitely remember me for the rest of her life. She might even erect a monument for me or something. My name will even be in the history books. Even if I die gloriously, I won't lose anything! It's worth it to be able to do this with the young lady once in my life!"

Wang Qiu Shuang was thinking, she didn't want to die yet——

She took such a big risk to get in position in advance, wasn't it because she didn't want to die?