The situation was a bit grim.
There was no way around it.
Who would have thought that even the Emperor's most beloved fourth princess couldn't enter the palace now?
It could only be said that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were too heartless.
They couldn't achieve their goals themselves, and they didn't want others to achieve theirs either.
Chen An couldn't help but let out a long sigh, feeling that the situation in front of him was a bit tricky.
He had a lot on his mind.
If he couldn't see the Emperor for so long, no matter what choice he made, it would be risky.
Continuing to delay, who knows what it would turn into.
Speaking of which, he was the one bearing the brunt, but things should be going smoothly for the Third Prince, right?
Chen An thought quietly.
To avoid suspicion, he had been accompanying the fourth princess here for the past few days. Although he had heard some news from the outside, his understanding was not too specific.
However, Chen An believed in the Third Prince's abilities.
Just like how the Third Prince believed in Chen An's abilities, Chen An also had great faith in the Third Prince's capabilities, believing he could handle the current trouble.
There shouldn't be too many problems on the Third Prince's side.
It was trouble here.
Chen An had a lot on his mind, but with the fourth princess in his arms, she was only crying.
In Chen An's arms, the once willful and wayward fourth princess cried loudly, looking pitiful.
During these recent days, the once willful princess had also experienced the ups and downs of the world.
Since her father, the Emperor, fell ill, everything seemed to have changed.
People who used to treat her respectfully became disrespectful, those who used to dare not provoke her now dared to do so, and even the guards in front of the palace didn't take her seriously, directly scolding her to leave.
The world seemed to have changed drastically and too quickly.
Until now, it seemed that no one valued the once untouchable fourth princess anymore.
"The Emperor changes, and so do the ministers.
In the past, the fourth princess, loved by the Emperor, could offend many people but no one dared to provoke her.
But now, with the Emperor gravely ill and possibly not surviving, attitudes were bound to change.
To be frank, these people were currently just showing a slight change in attitude, and they hadn't really retaliated yet, probably due to the fact that the Emperor was only gravely ill and the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had not shown their stance.
Once the Emperor was gravely ill and the new Emperor expressed displeasure and disgust towards the fourth princess, the situation would worsen.
Why else would the people at the fourth princess's mansion look so sorrowful?
As for the fourth princess, she just felt wronged.
"I just want to see Father. Why can't I even do that?"
The fourth princess sobbed softly, unable to speak.
During this time, she had also experienced many ups and downs.
But she didn't care much about those, she just wanted to see her father.
Yes.
Chen An sighed silently.
Since when was it so difficult for a daughter to see her father?
It shouldn't be this way.
"Fourth Princess, do you want to see His Majesty?"
With the fourth princess in his arms, Chen An fell silent for a moment before speaking.
The fourth princess didn't say anything, she just nodded silently.
"Alright."
After confirming the fourth princess's reply, Chen An sighed and then stood up, saying, "In that case, I will accompany the princess and intrude into the palace."
"No, please don't."
Hearing Chen An's words, the fourth princess suddenly raised her head, her tearful and cute face now full of fear: "Chang An, don't go. You'll die."
The fourth princess's time was not wasted.
During the period when the palace was sealed, many ministers came to see the Emperor, scolding the Crown Prince and the Second Prince outside the palace and disrupting internal and external communication.
But those people all died in the end.
The bloody corpses lying outside the palace were arranged neatly, looking particularly horrifying.
For the fourth princess, she didn't want to see Chen An die for her sake.
"After Father fell into a coma, I only have you. Please don't go."
She shook her head from time to time, her face full of fear.
For the fourth princess, Chen An had a different status at the moment.
The past affection didn't need to be mentioned, but what was more crucial was the companionship at the moment.
During the time when the Emperor was gravely ill, many of the fourth princess's former friends suddenly became distant from her, wanting to draw clear boundaries and cut off relationships.
Some even took advantage of her trust to harm her.
All of this had caused great trauma to the young princess.
And at this moment, it seemed that only Chen An continued to treat her the same way as before, comforting her without any change due to the Emperor's illness.
In this situation, Chen An's position in her heart naturally rose, reaching a new level.
She didn't want to see Chen An die for her sake.
Facing the fourth princess's fearful gaze, Chen An's feelings were somewhat complicated.
Strictly speaking, his actions were actually manipulative, only for himself and not out of loyalty.
However, if he could accomplish his goals and make the person in front of him happy, then that would be best.
Thinking about this, he finally smiled, "Your Highness, please don't worry."
"Just a few guards, what should I fear as Chen Chang'an?"
"I wonder if Your Highness dares to go with me on this adventure."
Looking at Chen An's calm face and familiar smile, the fourth princess hesitated for a moment, then felt a surge of courage rise within her, nodding in agreement without further refusal.
Just then, the storm outside gradually stopped, and the rainfall disappeared.
"Fourth Princess, please go back."
As the fourth princess approached again, the guard's expression was cold and stern, calmly stating, "The Emperor is unwell and doesn't see any outsiders."
"If you insist on staying here, then please don't blame us for being rude."
"Oh?"
A voice came from the side, surprising the guard.
In his line of sight, Chen An appeared, and with his voice, he said, "I'm curious to know, exactly how rude can you be?"
As his words fell, a powerful force erupted, directly charging forward.
With a loud bang, the guard in front of him was sent flying, coughing up blood.
The place fell silent immediately.
Then chaotic sounds echoed.
"Assassin!"
"Protect the Emperor!"
Voices echoed from all directions.
In an instant, the entire area outside the palace erupted into turmoil, starting to move directly.
Chen An looked up.
In his line of sight, a dense crowd surged into the palace towards him.
From the looks of it, there were at least hundreds of people.
The fourth princess's face turned pale, feeling a bit at a loss facing the scene in front of her.
Despite her normally privileged upbringing, she was still a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, and facing such a situation made her feel fearful, sending a chill down her spine.
She turned to look at Chen An and saw his calm expression.
Even in the face of the current situation, Chen An remained calm, providing a strong sense of confidence.
Almost as if, as long as he stood there, everything could be resolved.
"It's alright."
Seemingly sensing the fourth princess's worries, Chen An smiled softly, reassuring her.
Ahead, the sounds of battle suddenly erupted.
Chen An started to move slowly.
He drew his long knife, and the seemingly ordinary blade gleamed.
Facing the soldier formations, if it were just Chen An alone, he had many ways to deal with it. But with the fourth princess by his side, things were different.
He could run, but the princess couldn't.
Flanking and close combat were not feasible to prevent harm to the princess.
In that case, he had to rely on a show of force.
Chen An sighed and looked ahead.
In front of him, the upgrade panel appeared.
"Xuan Ice Force, empower me!"
As the thought flashed through his mind, a message passed through him, then a brilliant light shone, illuminating everything.
At some point, the situation began to change.
An inexplicable chill emerged.
Despite the scorching weather, there was a sense of cold, making it bone-chilling.
A long knife was swung.
The blade, although seemingly ordinary, exuded a chilling intent, engulfing everything.
A wave of cold echoed.
With that swing of the knife, a blast of energy surged.
The long knife descended, stopping the advance of hundreds of people in their tracks.
Those who were closer had their bodies shattered, splattering blood and flesh in all directions.
In the blood and flesh, there were remnants of ice crystals, looking eerie.
The surroundings fell silent, everyone looking at Chen An in shock.
Their gaze was filled with fear, as if they had seen a ghost.
"He's exuding energy!"
"He's in Qi Condensation realm!"
Some people were shocked and terrified.
With just one strike, taking down a hundred people, this was the power only achievable in the Qi Condensation realm.
If not for the Qi Condensation realm, such a strike wouldn't have been possible.
"Inform Duke Wu of the situation, call for reinforcements!"
The person in charge made a quick decision and issued the command.
Their response was swift.
After a hundred people fell, Chen An looked around and saw that they were no longer approaching.
Of course, they wouldn't approach now.
Seeing the power of Chen An's strike earlier, these people weren't foolish.
There were only a few hundred of them, and if they foolishly rushed in, they would likely just face a few strikes from the other side.
They formed ranks at a distance and, to Chen An's surprise, took out powerful crossbows.
This puzzled Chen An.
This didn't seem right.
As warriors, shouldn't they be fighting face to face with the intruder? Why were they resorting to using crossbows?
Where was the warrior's code of honor?
Ignoring Chen An's thoughts, they aimed the crossbows towards the direction where he and the fourth princess were.
The situation was a bit grim.
There was no way around it.
Who would have thought that even the Emperor's most beloved fourth princess couldn't enter the palace now?
It could only be said that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince were too heartless.
They couldn't achieve their goals themselves, and they didn't want others to achieve theirs either.
Chen An couldn't help but let out a long sigh, feeling that the situation in front of him was a bit tricky.
He had a lot on his mind.
If he couldn't see the Emperor for so long, no matter what choice he made, it would be risky.
Continuing to delay, who knows what it would turn into.
Speaking of which, he was the one bearing the brunt, but things should be going smoothly for the Third Prince, right?
Chen An thought quietly.
To avoid suspicion, he had been accompanying the fourth princess here for the past few days. Although he had heard some news from the outside, his understanding was not too specific.
However, Chen An believed in the Third Prince's abilities.
Just like how the Third Prince believed in Chen An's abilities, Chen An also had great faith in the Third Prince's capabilities, believing he could handle the current trouble.
There shouldn't be too many problems on the Third Prince's side.
It was trouble here.
Chen An had a lot on his mind, but with the fourth princess in his arms, she was only crying.
In Chen An's arms, the once willful and wayward fourth princess cried loudly, looking pitiful.
During these recent days, the once willful princess had also experienced the ups and downs of the world.
Since her father, the Emperor, fell ill, everything seemed to have changed.
People who used to treat her respectfully became disrespectful, those who used to dare not provoke her now dared to do so, and even the guards in front of the palace didn't take her seriously, directly scolding her to leave.
The world seemed to have changed drastically and too quickly.
Until now, it seemed that no one valued the once untouchable fourth princess anymore.
"The Emperor changes, and so do the ministers.
In the past, the fourth princess, loved by the Emperor, could offend many people but no one dared to provoke her.
But now, with the Emperor gravely ill and possibly not surviving, attitudes were bound to change.
To be frank, these people were currently just showing a slight change in attitude, and they hadn't really retaliated yet, probably due to the fact that the Emperor was only gravely ill and the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had not shown their stance.
Once the Emperor was gravely ill and the new Emperor expressed displeasure and disgust towards the fourth princess, the situation would worsen.
Why else would the people at the fourth princess's mansion look so sorrowful?
As for the fourth princess, she just felt wronged.
"I just want to see Father. Why can't I even do that?"
The fourth princess sobbed softly, unable to speak.
During this time, she had also experienced many ups and downs.
But she didn't care much about those, she just wanted to see her father.
Yes.
Chen An sighed silently.
Since when was it so difficult for a daughter to see her father?
It shouldn't be this way.
"Fourth Princess, do you want to see His Majesty?"
With the fourth princess in his arms, Chen An fell silent for a moment before speaking.
The fourth princess didn't say anything, she just nodded silently.
"Alright."
After confirming the fourth princess's reply, Chen An sighed and then stood up, saying, "In that case, I will accompany the princess and intrude into the palace."
"No, please don't."
Hearing Chen An's words, the fourth princess suddenly raised her head, her tearful and cute face now full of fear: "Chang An, don't go. You'll die."
The fourth princess's time was not wasted.
During the period when the palace was sealed, many ministers came to see the Emperor, scolding the Crown Prince and the Second Prince outside the palace and disrupting internal and external communication.
But those people all died in the end.
The bloody corpses lying outside the palace were arranged neatly, looking particularly horrifying.
For the fourth princess, she didn't want to see Chen An die for her sake.
"After Father fell into a coma, I only have you. Please don't go."
She shook her head from time to time, her face full of fear.
For the fourth princess, Chen An had a different status at the moment.
The past affection didn't need to be mentioned, but what was more crucial was the companionship at the moment.
During the time when the Emperor was gravely ill, many of the fourth princess's former friends suddenly became distant from her, wanting to draw clear boundaries and cut off relationships.
Some even took advantage of her trust to harm her.
All of this had caused great trauma to the young princess.
And at this moment, it seemed that only Chen An continued to treat her the same way as before, comforting her without any change due to the Emperor's illness.
In this situation, Chen An's position in her heart naturally rose, reaching a new level.
She didn't want to see Chen An die for her sake.
Facing the fourth princess's fearful gaze, Chen An's feelings were somewhat complicated.
Strictly speaking, his actions were actually manipulative, only for himself and not out of loyalty.
However, if he could accomplish his goals and make the person in front of him happy, then that would be best.
Thinking about this, he finally smiled, "Your Highness, please don't worry."
"Just a few guards, what should I fear as Chen Chang'an?"
"I wonder if Your Highness dares to go with me on this adventure."
Looking at Chen An's calm face and familiar smile, the fourth princess hesitated for a moment, then felt a surge of courage rise within her, nodding in agreement without further refusal.
Just then, the storm outside gradually stopped, and the rainfall disappeared.
"Fourth Princess, please go back."
As the fourth princess approached again, the guard's expression was cold and stern, calmly stating, "The Emperor is unwell and doesn't see any outsiders."
"If you insist on staying here, then please don't blame us for being rude."
"Oh?"
A voice came from the side, surprising the guard.
In his line of sight, Chen An appeared, and with his voice, he said, "I'm curious to know, exactly how rude can you be?"
As his words fell, a powerful force erupted, directly charging forward.
With a loud bang, the guard in front of him was sent flying, coughing up blood.
The place fell silent immediately.
Then chaotic sounds echoed.
"Assassin!"
"Protect the Emperor!"
Voices echoed from all directions.
In an instant, the entire area outside the palace erupted into turmoil, starting to move directly.
Chen An looked up.
In his line of sight, a dense crowd surged into the palace towards him.
From the looks of it, there were at least hundreds of people.
The fourth princess's face turned pale, feeling a bit at a loss facing the scene in front of her.
Despite her normally privileged upbringing, she was still a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, and facing such a situation made her feel fearful, sending a chill down her spine.
She turned to look at Chen An and saw his calm expression.
Even in the face of the current situation, Chen An remained calm, providing a strong sense of confidence.
Almost as if, as long as he stood there, everything could be resolved.
"It's alright."
Seemingly sensing the fourth princess's worries, Chen An smiled softly, reassuring her.
Ahead, the sounds of battle suddenly erupted.
Chen An started to move slowly.
He drew his long knife, and the seemingly ordinary blade gleamed.
Facing the soldier formations, if it were just Chen An alone, he had many ways to deal with it. But with the fourth princess by his side, things were different.
He could run, but the princess couldn't.
Flanking and close combat were not feasible to prevent harm to the princess.
In that case, he had to rely on a show of force.
Chen An sighed and looked ahead.
In front of him, the upgrade panel appeared.
"Xuan Ice Force, empower me!"
As the thought flashed through his mind, a message passed through him, then a brilliant light shone, illuminating everything.
At some point, the situation began to change.
An inexplicable chill emerged.
Despite the scorching weather, there was a sense of cold, making it bone-chilling.
A long knife was swung.
The blade, although seemingly ordinary, exuded a chilling intent, engulfing everything.
A wave of cold echoed.
With that swing of the knife, a blast of energy surged.
The long knife descended, stopping the advance of hundreds of people in their tracks.
Those who were closer had their bodies shattered, splattering blood and flesh in all directions.
In the blood and flesh, there were remnants of ice crystals, looking eerie.
The surroundings fell silent, everyone looking at Chen An in shock.
Their gaze was filled with fear, as if they had seen a ghost.
"He's exuding energy!"
"He's in Qi Condensation realm!"
Some people were shocked and terrified.
With just one strike, taking down a hundred people, this was the power only achievable in the Qi Condensation realm.
If not for the Qi Condensation realm, such a strike wouldn't have been possible.
"Inform Duke Wu of the situation, call for reinforcements!"
The person in charge made a quick decision and issued the command.
Their response was swift.
After a hundred people fell, Chen An looked around and saw that they were no longer approaching.
Of course, they wouldn't approach now.
Seeing the power of Chen An's strike earlier, these people weren't foolish.
There were only a few hundred of them, and if they foolishly rushed in, they would likely just face a few strikes from the other side.
They formed ranks at a distance and, to Chen An's surprise, took out powerful crossbows.
This puzzled Chen An.
This didn't seem right.
As warriors, shouldn't they be fighting face to face with the intruder? Why were they resorting to using crossbows?
Where was the warrior's code of honor?
Ignoring Chen An's thoughts, they aimed the crossbows towards the direction where he and the fourth princess were.
