Kaifeng Prefecture, also known as Dongjing and Bianliang, was the capital chosen by the Zhao family.
Like the capital of any feudal dynasty, Kaifeng Prefecture had been built on a vast scale.
While he was still more than ten li from Kaifeng, Xu Xiao could already see the palace complex standing in the distance, rising above the city.
Commerce flourished in the Northern Song, and the ruler's residence had naturally been built on a magnificent scale. Even Xu Xiao, a man from a later age, could not help marveling at its beauty.
Kaifeng Prefecture covered an immense area and was far grander than any city they had passed on their flight.
"It's enormous! This city-is this the capital of our Great Song?"
All three women marveled at the sight. They could claim to be the first people in all of history to look down upon Kaifeng Prefecture from the sky.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"It is."
Even A Bi, who had always been quiet, chuckled and nodded when Xu Xiao asked.
The experience opened their eyes, and some of their unhappiness over being forcibly abducted by Xu Xiao faded.
Following a man with such extraordinary powers might not be such a bad thing!
Women conquered men with beautiful faces and tender feelings, but for men to conquer women was much simpler.
From ancient times to the present, wealth, looks, physique and learning had all been assets men used to conquer women.
But at the root of it all, the most crucial thing was strength.
And as it happened, Xu Xiao had that.
Why bother with slow courtship and attempts to win a woman over? He could simply abduct any woman who caught his eye.
What? A melon forced from the vine wasn't sweet?
At least he still had a melon. Once the raw rice was cooked, affection could grow with time.
He had taken such enormous risks to activate his golden finger and struggle in an unfamiliar world. Wasn't it all so he could live freely?
Now, flying over Kaifeng Prefecture with three women at his side and gazing down at the splendid golden buildings of the imperial city, Xu Xiao could not help letting out a bold, tiger-like roar:
"I always do what I say! Just wait until you're brides in the imperial palace!"
The imperial palace! A wedding? Could it be?
A Zhu, the cleverest of the three women, had already thought of something, and her heart was filled with both excitement and fear.
But before she could ask, Xu Xiao had already carried them toward the majestic palace like a sharp sword.
It was evening, and the sun had just begun to sink in the west. The imperial palace was quiet.
Emperor Zhezong of Song Zhao Xu, only thirteen years old, was quietly studying handwritten notes and annotations on the Wang Anshi Reforms in the imperial study when he suddenly heard a shout ring out across the palace walls:
"Where is Zhao Xu? Come out and see me!"
"Zhao Xu, that sounds familiar... Wait, who dares call my name in the palace?"
The young Zhao Xu froze for a moment, then anger appeared on his face.
He was an imperial prince, the Son of Heaven. Even if he was somewhat lenient by nature, could just anyone call the emperor by name?
Though his power was currently held by the civil officials and his imperial mother, no one in the palace dared call him by name.
At the thought, Zhao Xu could no longer hide his anger and immediately prepared to summon the attendant outside the door.
But before he could call out, a commotion broke out beyond the door, followed by the rustling of armor.
Then a familiar, high-pitched voice rang out:
"Your Majesty, terrible news! A villain has broken into the palace!"
The voice was anxious, and Zhao Xu recognized it as that of Liu Weijian, one of his close attendants.
What the man said only made the fire in his heart burn hotter.
Someone had broken into the imperial palace, and he was only finding out now.
Where were the palace guards? Where was the army?
Forcing himself not to lash out, Zhao Xu knew that the most important thing now was to understand how events were unfolding and decide whether to hide or move elsewhere.
No one would dare deceive him, the emperor, about a villain breaking into the palace. Besides, he had heard that shout clearly himself.
Whoever could enter the heavily guarded inner palace, shout at the top of his lungs and call his name was presumably one of the rebellious villains of the jianghu whom the successful ministers often spoke of.
Only such a person would put the attendants and guards so nervously on their guard.
"I understand. What's happening now?" Zhao Xu asked from inside the imperial study.
He needed to understand the situation first. The inner palace had battle-hardened elite troops and palace experts, and as the Son of Heaven, he should not lose his composure.
"Court Retainer Liu and the others have gone with the Palace Front Army to surround and kill the villain. I expect he'll be executed before long."
The attendant Liu Weijian answered from outside the door. "Please rest easy, Your Majesty. No matter how formidable this villain is, he cannot escape the grasp of the court retainers and the army."
After answering, Liu Weijian also offered Zhao Xu some reassurance.
But before Zhao Xu could speak, a voice reverberating with Internal Energy rang out once more throughout the inner palace.
"Where is Zhao Xu? Come out and see me! Your army has almost been slaughtered. What good will hiding do you?"
The renewed shout startled both Zhao Xu and Liu Weijian, leaving them utterly incredulous.
Those were three thousand soldiers of the Palace Front Army and five imperial court retainers. When the former marched out in full force, they were unstoppable; the latter were retainers employed specifically by the imperial family to guard against experts of the jianghu showing disrespect to the court.
"Th-this... Your Majesty, perhaps we should withdraw somewhere safe first? This villain is deranged. It would be better to wait until the army outside the city enters the palace before coming out to stabilize the situation."
"Then... we'll do as you say!"
Although Zhao Xu did not believe the palace guards and imperial court retainers could lose, a gentleman did not stand beneath a crumbling wall.
Besides, as the Son of Heaven, he was even more exalted than a gentleman. How could he dare take such a risk?
And so Zhao Xu immediately rushed out of the imperial study and, escorted by a group of armored imperial guards, quietly withdrew toward a secluded side hall.
Meanwhile, behind Xuande Gate at the front of the inner palace, the scene was already a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Ten minutes earlier, Xu Xiao had flown straight into the Zhao Song imperial palace with the three beauties.
Since the palace buildings were generally taller and more luxurious than those around them, he had gone directly to a spot above Xuande Gate.
The imperial city guards had spotted Xu Xiao and the three women flying in the air at once and raised the alarm.
The two sides would not originally have come into conflict right away.
After all, although Xu Xiao had come with the aim of imposing his might upon the realm, his targets were the Zhao Song imperial family and the high officials of the Northern Song.
As for the ordinary soldiers, faced with an expert who could fly through the air, they did not dare attack immediately and could only try to speak with him.
"May I ask what brings Your Excellency to intrude upon the imperial city so abruptly?"
"Nothing much. I only want to have a chat with His Majesty and ask him to help me with a few things while I'm at it. Could you report my request for me?"
Xu Xiao hovered in midair and did not charge straight into the palace on arrival.
For one thing, the palace was too large, and he did not know who the emperor was or where to find him.
For another, his ambitions were considerable. Offering courtesy before resorting to force might also keep the emperor from hiding when he saw things turning against him.
When the guards learned that Xu Xiao had actually come to seek an audience with His Majesty, they reported the news to their superiors.
Up to that point, all was relatively well. The problem lay with the person to whom they reported.
General Gao, who was in charge of guarding the imperial city, heard that an expert from the jianghu had come to seek an audience with His Majesty. He also heard that the man could hover in midair, standing proudly beneath the heavens.
He could not help treating it as a joke and ordered an attack without a second thought.
"Back in my day, I led troops to surround and kill some of those so-called jianghu experts who disrespected the court. Martial arts experts? Crossing the sky itself?"
"They're all paper tigers! They're human, every one of them. What's there to fear?"
"You're paid from the imperial coffers! If His Majesty learns that some nobody from the jianghu dared force his way into an audience, will you and I get to keep our heads?"
General Gao belonged to the current empress dowager's maternal clan and was arrogant and overbearing. Since he had spoken, who else dared say more?
Besides, General Gao had a point. People were made of flesh. No matter how skilled a man was in martial arts, could he withstand the powerful bows and crossbows of over a thousand imperial city guards?
There were no fewer than a thousand soldiers guarding the gate. A single rain of arrows from them could punch holes through stone.
With their superior's decision made, the imperial city guards launched the first attack.
In an instant, arrows flew wildly and bowstrings thrummed.
That dense rain of arrows was the answer Xu Xiao received, and naturally, he was not the sort to take a beating without striking back.