The long, endless night was the hardest to endure. After a whole night of uproar and thunderous peals of clear-sky lightning, the people of Jinling finally suffered their way to dawn without sleep.
When the first ray of morning sunlight pierced the darkness in the east and slanted onto the city walls, stretching their shadows out long enough to cover a large section of the eastern city, the people gradually began to see clearly. Only then did the inexplicable chaos in the city finally start to subside.
However,
When the people of Jinling cautiously poked their heads out through half-closed doors and windows, they saw large numbers of stern-faced soldiers in full armor appearing in the streets. When they saw the Yulin Guards stationed outside Jinling enter the city in one imposing unit after another, and noticed that hardly anyone dared move about outside while the passing soldiers shouted, "The city is under martial law by imperial order!" those who realized that something was wrong quickly shrank back into their homes. No one dared run into the streets and court trouble at a time like this.
After all, they had no idea what had happened outside or in the imperial city, nor what the sounds of shouting, fighting, and killing throughout the night signified... Perhaps, in such a chaotic and unclear situation, anyone still daring to wander outside was either a fool or someone with a death wish?
After all, if the disorderly troops outside mistook them for "rebels" and executed them on the spot, they would have nowhere to seek justice!
Although many people remained completely in the dark, not knowing what had happened or who had launched the coup or rebellion, not long after daybreak, certain powerful nobles and officials in Jinling with connections reaching everywhere quickly learned