Chapter 18: The Insurgents Have Been Eliminated

"General Qin, I have already told you: the Empress Dowager's decree is a state secret. A man of your standing should understand that some matters are not meant to be brought into the light. You only need to know that your actions today have crossed the line."

He turned his horse and looked up at Xiao Zhan on the gatehouse, his lean, refined face wearing an expression of condescending disdain.

"Young Master Xiao, you are a clever man. Now that the rebels have been purged, you should show some sincerity. Hand over your command seal, disband your private guards, and accompany me to the palace to explain yourself to the Empress Dowager. This is the only way for you and your Prince Yan’s estate to survive."

Xiao Zhan did not answer immediately.

Behind him, his retainers kept their rifles trained steadily outside the gates. Those dark, hollow muzzles were aimed partly at Mo Di’s cavalry and partly, with subtle precision, at Qin Cang and his men.

"Master Mo, your words are quite intriguing," Xiao Zhan finally spoke, his voice so calm it betrayed not a ripple of emotion. "You claim you are here to mediate, yet to me, you look more like someone here to reap the rewards. The masked men were beaten back, and on your heels, you appear to demand military authority and my presence in the palace. How could the world be such a coincidence?"

Qin Cang’s heart tightened, and he immediately retorted sharply, "Mo Di! Stop your fear-mongering! I see now that you and those masked men are cut from the same cloth! You deliberately stirred up chaos just to seize control of the capital garrison!"

"General Qin, you can eat whatever you want, but you cannot say whatever you want," Mo Di’s tone turned icy. "My men are currently purging the city of bandits while yours cower within the estate. Who is loyal and who is treacherous is clear at a glance."

He could not be bothered to acknowledge Qin Cang further, focusing his gaze intently on Xiao Zhan. "Young Master Xiao, I will ask you one last time: will you open this gate, or not?"

"The gate, naturally, must be opened," Xiao Zhan suddenly smiled.

Mo Di and his personal guards were all taken aback.

Qin Cang’s heart sank; he feared Xiao Zhan was about to yield, and his spirits plummeted. However, Xiao Zhan’s next sentence left everyone present stunned into silence.

"General Qin," Xiao Zhan’s gaze shifted past Mo Di to rest directly on Qin Cang. "It is windy outside; why not take shelter in my estate for a while? We can settle our own scores later, but for the moment, it seems we share a common enemy that needs to be dealt with first."

"What?!" The composure on Mo Di’s face shattered instantly, replaced by sheer astonishment and fury.

Qin Cang was completely bewildered. He never imagined that Xiao Zhan, who had been itching to kill him just moments ago, would invite him inside! What kind of insane tactic was this?

"Xiao Zhan! Have you lost your mind?!" Qin Cang blurted out.

"I am perfectly clear-headed," Xiao Zhan said, gesturing with the AK-47 in his hand. "General Qin, you have two choices. One: be captured by his men as a remnant of the rebellion and dragged back to the capital, where your fate will depend entirely on the Empress Dowager’s mood. Two: enter my estate, and we join forces to see exactly what kind of game this Master Mo is playing. Your dozens of men would be better off here than serving as sitting ducks outside, wouldn't they?"

Qin Cang’s breath hitched.

Xiao Zhan’s words were piercing, striking directly at his deepest fears. He did not trust Xiao Zhan, but he trusted this mysterious Mo Di—who brandished a so-called "Empress Dowager’s decree"—even less!

"Xiao Zhan! Do you dare to harbor a fugitive from the imperial court? This is open rebellion!" Mo Di’s voice turned shrill. He pointed his horse whip, and the cavalry behind him surged forward, their hooves thundering against the ground in a terrifying display of force.

"Rebellion? That is a heavy label to throw around," Xiao Zhan scoffed. "General Qin acts under the Emperor’s imperial edict, while you hold a verbal command from the Empress Dowager. I must weigh whose authority truly carries more weight. Besides, I am merely inviting the General inside for tea and old times' sake; how does that constitute rebellion? Master Mo, aren't you being a bit too impatient?"

As he finished speaking, the dozen AK-47s behind him were raised in unison.

*Click!*

The synchronized sound of mechanical bolts echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.

"Qin Cang! Three seconds! In or out?!" Xiao Zhan’s voice rose sharply.

Veins bulged on Qin Cang’s forehead. He looked at the murderous cavalry under the Mo banner, then at the row of heart-stopping black muzzles on the gatehouse, and gritted his teeth.

"Fine! Xiao Zhan! I’ll trust you once!" he roared. "Everyone! Follow me into the estate!"

"Open the gates!" Xiao Zhan commanded.

*Creak—*

The scarred, vermilion gates slowly parted, creating a gap just wide enough for a few people to pass.

Qin Cang took the lead, rushing into the Prince Yan’s estate with his dozens of battered, retreating troops, practically scrambling in.

"Close the gates!"

*Bang!*

The gates slammed shut. The thunderous sound of the bar falling into place was like a resounding slap across Mo Di’s face.

"You wretch! You wretched boy!" Mo Di trembled with rage, his face contorted. The refined elegance of a scholar had vanished, leaving only the blind fury of a man who had been played. "Attack! Ram that gate open for me! Chop everyone inside into mincemeat!"

The five hundred cavalrymen behind him obeyed. Two hundred dismounted, drew their swords, and charged toward the gates with howls of fury. The rest spread out, surrounding the entire estate until not even a drop of water could leak through. With bows drawn and blades unsheathed, they had become a new besieging army.

Inside the estate, Qin Cang’s men had barely steadied themselves when they were surrounded by Xiao Zhan’s retainers, dozens of dark gun barrels aimed at them.

"Xiao Zhan! What is the meaning of this?" Qin Cang demanded sharply.

"It means nothing more than taking precautions," Xiao Zhan said, descending from the gatehouse while brandishing his silver Desert Eagle, watching him with calm leisure.

"General Qin, we are now like grasshoppers tied to the same string."

His muzzle tapped lightly against Qin Cang’s chest.

"Your command seal—I’ll hold onto it for safekeeping. No objections, right?"

Qin Cang’s chest heaved with rage, but looking at the weapons surrounding them—capable of turning them into sieves in an instant—he knew he had no choice. He pulled the heavy Longxiang Guard command seal from his robes and tossed it toward Xiao Zhan.

Just then, outside the gates, before the Mo-banner infantry could even set up their battering ram, a shrill, piercing scream erupted from behind them.

It came from the center of the battlefield where the remnants of the masked men were being slaughtered.

Everyone instinctively looked over.

The leader of the masked men was drenched in blood, pinned to the ground by the spears of three Mo-banner cavalry officers, clearly on the verge of death.

Yet, he used his last breath to heave his head up, unleashing a scream of such twisted, venomous hatred toward the Prince Yan’s estate and Mo Di:

"Mo Di! You faithless eunuch dog!!"

"The Empress Dowager promised me! Once it was done, the Prince Yan’s estate and these 'Thunder God Cannons' would be mine!!"

"You... you dare to swallow it all for yourself?! The Emperor... the Emperor will not let you off!!"

This dying howl was like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone on the battlefield stunned and horrified.

The fury on Mo Di’s face froze instantly, the color draining away until his complexion turned to ash.

The masked man’s venomous roar still echoed in the air, and the entire battlefield fell into an eerie, deathly silence.

Every gaze—from Qin Cang inside the estate to the Mo-banner troops outside—involuntarily focused on Mo Di’s deathly pale face.

Promised by the Empress Dowager? Keeping it all for himself?