Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 136 The Empress Dowager's Fate

"Your chance has come! Your chance to kill Chen Xianlin! You'd better perform well this time! I have high hopes for you, General Pei! Hahahaha!" Zheng Luoqi finished speaking and ignored Pei Wenyu, continuing to lead his troops forward.

Pei Wenyu understood Zheng Luoqi's intentions, and unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins, only daring to glare fiercely at Zheng Luoqi from behind.

Zheng Luoqi stopped ten miles from the imperial palace.

Looking at the palace in the distance, Zheng Luoqi knew that Wen Yichuan must have come to find Chen Xianlin, so the army was probably now under the control of the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was from a family of military generals, so Zheng Luoqi dared not underestimate her.

Zheng Luoqi rested and reorganized ten miles away, and sent scouts to gather information, planning to launch an attack after receiving news from the scouts.

The Empress Dowager already knew that Zheng Luoqi had led his troops and arrived ten miles outside the palace. The Empress Dowager sighed deeply: "Xi'er, are you afraid?"

"Aunt, Xi'er was scared at first, but now, for some reason, she's not so scared anymore!"

Wen Yanxi couldn't imagine what war was like, having spent her entire life in the backyard. The most serious war she had ever witnessed was the one when Prince Gong forced the emperor to abdicate.

The Empress Dowager smiled, a complex light flickering in her eyes, and asked softly, "Xi'er, have you ever regretted entering the palace? Have you ever resented your aunt for forcing you into the palace?"

Wen Yanxi shook her head and said, "No, because I was taught from a young age that I would marry the Emperor and gain his favor, so that our Wen family could continue to maintain its glory!"

The Empress Dowager gazed quietly at Wen Yanxi. Suddenly, she burst into laughter, the sound echoing throughout the palace. The laughter was initially joyful and unrestrained, but gradually became low and helpless, as if it contained endless bitterness and sorrow.

Wen Yanxi looked at the Empress Dowager in confusion, wondering why her aunt had lost her composure. She saw that the smile that had been on the Empress Dowager's face had turned into deep helplessness and heartache as the laughter continued.

At that moment, a guard outside the door suddenly reported: "Your Majesty, they've attacked!"

"It's finally coming to an end!" the Empress Dowager murmured.

"By my order, defend the palace to the death!" the Empress Dowager commanded coldly.

Zheng Luoqi received news from her scouts that the palace was heavily guarded on all sides.

The road to the palace was lined with trees, making it easy to be ambushed. Therefore, Zheng Luoqi ordered Pei Wenyu to lead a group of men and split up. Pei Wenyu would attack from the rear of the palace, while Zheng Luoqi would attack from the front.

Zheng Luoqi looked at the woods ahead. In case the group entered the woods and was attacked from both sides, Zheng Luoqi decided to use fire first. It was the height of summer (summer is rainy and humid, and the branches and leaves are lush and not easy to catch fire), so Zheng Luoqi had someone bring oil drums, which would come in handy now.

The purpose was to illuminate most of the forest terrain to prevent the soldiers from being caught off guard by a sudden enemy attack.

Zheng Luoqi had people wrap strips of cloth around the arrows, soak them in oil, and set them on fire. After round after round of shooting, some parts of the forest finally caught fire, and most of the terrain in the forest could gradually be seen.

Zheng Luoqi divided his team into three smaller squads and adopted the Three Talents Boundless Formation (a formation that is primarily defensive but also advantageous for firearms).

Sure enough, they encountered an ambush of enemy troops shortly after entering. Zheng Luoqi opened her eyes and immediately went to fight. She kept changing formations and fought her way to the palace, from night to dawn.

Zheng Luoqi's silver armor was covered in blood. He had lost count of how many people he had killed the night before. Now, Zheng Luoqi had only one goal: to find the Wen family and kill them.

Zheng Luoqi led his soldiers and fought his way into the palace. He held a long sword, his face was cold and stern, and his eyes were full of killing intent and malice.

The Empress Dowager sat quietly at the head of the main hall, dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe and adorned with exquisite hair ornaments, her face serene. She held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, her eyes closed, chanting incantations as she turned the beads one by one. She seemed completely oblivious to the sounds of battle and screams outside.

Wen Yanxi sat beside the Empress Dowager, her fists clenched tightly, her heart filled with fear and unease. As the sounds of fighting and screams outside grew closer, her heart raced and her breathing became rapid.

When Wen Yanxi looked at the Empress Dowager, she found that the Empress Dowager had no reaction and was still chanting scriptures with her eyes closed. Wen Yanxi gradually calmed down.

The Empress Dowager noticed that something was wrong with Wen Yanxi, slowly opened her eyes, looked at Wen Yanxi, and said softly, "Xi'er, are you scared? But it's too late now."

The Empress Dowager took a breath, a bitter smile appearing on her face, and continued, "It's all just a matter of the victor taking all." Her voice carried a hint of emotion.

Just then, Zheng Luoqi suddenly kicked open the main hall door with a loud bang. He walked in step by step, long sword in hand, his eyes cold.

As Zheng Luoqi slowly approached, sword in hand, the Empress Dowager said calmly, "You've come! I must admit, the Prime Minister has indeed raised a fine son. No wonder we've been overshadowed by the Prime Minister's household for so many years." Her tone carried a mixture of admiration and helplessness.

Zheng Luoqi remained silent, only staring coldly at the Empress Dowager, the long sword in her hand gleaming with a chilling light.

Zheng Luoqi quickly raised her sword and approached the Empress Dowager, a resolute glint in her eyes, the tip of the sword pointing directly at the Empress Dowager's chest.

With a dull thud, Zheng Luoqi's sword pierced deeply, and blood gushed out instantly, staining the blade crimson. Zheng Luoqi quickly pulled out the sword, drawing out a string of blood droplets that splattered on the ground.

The Empress Dowager stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, her expression filled with astonishment and disbelief.

At this critical moment, a figure suddenly rushed forward and stood in front of the Empress Dowager.

It was Wen Yanxi who, without hesitation, used her own body to block Zheng Luoqi's sword aimed at the Empress Dowager.

"Aunt, Xi'er is going first!" Wen Yanxi said with her last strength. Finally, Wen Yanxi slowly closed her eyes and her breath gradually disappeared.

The Buddhist prayer beads slipped from the Empress Dowager's hand and fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Her gaze never left Wen Yanxi, as if she hadn't expected Wen Yanxi to take that sword for her.

Without hesitation, Zheng Luoqi quickly raised his sword again and thrust it towards the Empress Dowager.

This time, the sword pierced directly through the Empress Dowager's chest, but the Empress Dowager seemed not to feel any pain, still staring straight at Wen Yanxi with eyes full of love.

"Silly child!" the Empress Dowager said softly, and then her body slowly fell down, lying in a pool of blood with Wen Yanxi.

After confirming that the Empress Dowager and Wen Yanxi had passed away, Zheng Luoqi thought about going to find Wen Yichuan and Chen Xianlin.

Wen Yichuan hasn't shown up for so long, could it be that he ran away with Chen Xianlin? Zheng Luoqi wondered to herself as she searched.

Then they found a house in the backyard, and in the middle of the house lay a body covered with a white sheet. Zheng Luoqi looked ahead and found that it was Wen Yichuan's.

Zheng Luoqi checked several times to see if the corpse was the real person or someone in disguise, and finally concluded that it was the real person!