Before long, a hubbub rose outside. Puchá Ahute had clearly barged in with his men.
Fortunately, Song Qingshu had now mastered the Disguise Art. Otherwise, there would have been no way to disguise himself as Wanyan Dan in such a short time. Even so, he did not dare let his guard down, afraid that the rushed timing might lead to some unforeseen mistake.
Wanyan Ping saw his concern and quickly said, "I'll go out and stall them first. You all check everything carefully."
With that, she ran outside. Soon, her sharp cry rang out from beyond the doors: "How dare you barge into His Majesty's bedchamber!"
Puchá Ahute glanced at Wanyan Ping and gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "If I remember correctly, you're Tang Kuobian's sister-in-law. As the saying goes, a sister-in-law is her brother-in-law's little padded jacket. It seems that saying is true indeed."
Wanyan Ping's face flushed crimson. "What do you mean?"
Puchá Ahute said coldly, "I suspect that the emperor in the palace is not the real emperor, but a counterfeit arranged by Tang Kuobian."
"Outrageous!" Wanyan Ping drew her saber, and the Huan Yi Yuan subordinates behind her followed suit. "What crime should you be charged with for spreading such wicked rumors?"
Puchá Ahute paid no heed to her threat. Instead, he drew his own sword. "Is your saber the only sharp weapon here? Is my sword not sharp as well?"
The soldiers under his command also drew their weapons, confronting the Huan Yi Yuan men. Since they held the numerical advantage, Qiu Qianren feared that Wanyan Ping would be at a disadvantage, so he led his subordinates to encircle Ahute's men from outside. Layer upon layer, they stood locked in a tense standoff.
Just as a full-scale battle seemed ready to