Lu Nianxin plunged her sword into the ground. The fierce wind blew past, causing her robes to flutter dramatically in the breeze. Her valiant demeanor and immense authority left people only able to look up in awe.

All around, those ministers loyal to the Yue Family looked at Lu Nianxin with reverence. Tears once again streamed down their faces. However, unlike the despair earlier, this time they were tears of joy.

Lu Nianxin slowly turned around and looked towards the Wu Family members.

"Empress Dowager, please see the truth. Today’s rebellion was solely the doing of the traitor Wu Tianxiong. We knew nothing about it. Please, Empress Dowager, forgive us," an elder from the Wu Family was the first to fall to his knees, followed by a throng of others who knelt down as well.

"Please, Empress Dowager, have mercy on us. We were all coerced by the traitor Wu Tianxiong and had no choice but to submit to his tyranny," those who had sought refuge with Wu Tianxiong and shouted his praises knelt as well, desperately begging for forgiveness. They kowtowed so hard that their heads were bleeding, but they seemed oblivious to the pain.

Lu Nianxin gave them a cold glance but said nothing. She turned to Yue Fanchen and said, "Take their corpses outside and show the City Guard and Imperial City Guards who dared to rebel."

Yue Fanchen responded promptly, picking up the bodies of Wu Tianxiong, Lin Weicheng, and Mo Yunhai and quickly left the Imperial Garden.

Soon, the sounds of fighting from outside subsided. With the mastermind executed and the situation at an end, no one dared to continue rebelling.

Even now, the Wu Family members and those traitorous ministers continued to kneel and kowtow, their faces a gruesome sight smeared with blood.

But no one felt any pity. Despite their apparent remorse, if not for the Empress Dowager’s restored power, even if the Yue Family relinquished the throne, they would have only lingered a few more days before succumbing to destruction. What was there to pity?

"Mother, how should these traitors be dealt with?" Yue Fanyi asked, casting a disdainful glance at them and respectfully seeking advice.

"You are the ruler of this country. You should make this decision yourself," Lu Nianxin replied.

She was there to protect the Yue Clan with her martial prowess but had no intention of involving herself in state affairs. She didn’t want her actions to undermine Yue Fanyi’s authority as a sovereign. She was clear about the distinction between family matters and state affairs.

"Detain them in the Heavenly Prison and guard them strictly while awaiting punishment," Yue Fanyi commanded decisively to the Imperial Guard leaders who had just rushed to "save the emperor," a fierce gleam flashing unintentionally in his eyes.

Quickly, the Wu Family members and those few traitorous ministers had their cultivation sealed and were taken away.

Han Yan understood that those traitorous ministers were doomed, while the Wu Family, due to the shared history between the ancestors of the Wu Family and the Yue Family, might have a slim chance to survive. Of course, those with any level of cultivation might either die of illness in prison due to their heavy sins, get killed accidentally while playing hide-and-seek against the prison walls, or end up being exiled to the harsh frontiers to be forgotten.

However, these matters were not something Han Yan needed to worry about. The struggle for imperial power was inherently ruthless, and since the Wu Family had ambitions for the throne, they had to be prepared for the worst outcome.

"Today’s palace banquet ends here, as I am rather fatigued," Lu Nianxin said to the ministers.

Even though the final outcome was what she desired, after such an upheaval, the banquet was, of course, impossible to continue.

The ministers all rose, respectfully bid farewell to Lu Nianxin and the others. When it was Han Yan’s turn, he showed even greater respect. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Everyone knew that given Han Yan’s youth and ability, his future achievements were unpredictable, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they surpassed Lu Nianxin. Even if one day Lu Nianxin were no longer around, as long as Han Yan was there, the Yue Family’s throne in Shangyue Country could not be shaken.

She was the new Guardian of the Yue Family after Lu Nianxin.

As everyone was saying their goodbyes and leaving, suddenly, Tian Annan, whose body seemed to have stiffened in death, leapt up, crashed through the palace wall, and fled into the air.

Everyone was stunned: the old fellow had been playing dead. Earlier, seeing Tian Annan with no breath and motionless, everyone assumed he had died from the combined attack of Lu Nianxin and Ye Lanfeng. Who knew he was feigning death until everyone had let their guard down and then made his daring escape?

This time, even Han Yan was completely taken by surprise. He wanted to give chase but was too late.

"What a pity, letting him escape like that," Han Yan commented with regret.

Although Tian Annan had disguised himself, Han Yan’s sharp Six Senses recognized the aura shift when he moved and identified him. Han Yan finally guessed how Jing Jianjue and others came to have their sword array. In fact, the old fellow’s sword array was derived from the Divine Hall Secret Technique he had privately studied, which was strikingly similar to Jing Jianjue’s group. Han Yan had suspected this but was unsure of Jing Jianjue’s connection to him, hence the hesitation.

The old man was too formidable, and cunningly resourceful—his skill in feigning death to escape was so profound that letting him go was not ideal.

"Forget it, let him be. Just now, with Grandma’s knife added to my sword, even if he’s not dead, he’d be gravely injured. It would take him decades, possibly a century before he could recover his strength," Ye Lanfeng said casually, confident in his cultivation at that moment.

With Ye Lanfeng’s reassurance, she finally felt relieved.

The ministers departed individually, leaving only a few Yue Family members and Ye Lanfeng, Huayue, and others beside Han Yan, all of whom were their own people.

"Mother, when did you break the prohibition and regain your strength? Why didn’t you tell me in advance? I was so worried," Yue Fanyi said, only now smiling bitterly towards Lu Nianxin.

"I was almost scared to death earlier, Mom. Next time something like this happens, can’t you give us a heads up? This kind of thing could be terrifying, you know?" Yue Fanchen said, still visibly shaken.

Han Yan was taken aback; it turned out they genuinely did not know. Earlier, Han Yan thought his two uncles had surpassed their teacher and even outperformed their grandmother with their acting skills.

"If I had said something, given your careless personalities, how could you possibly have kept it from that old fox Wu Tianxiong?" Lu Nianxin said disapprovingly.

Indeed, she was a real old fox, deceiving not only outsiders but even her own family. Han Yan looked at her grandmother in admiration.

"My dear granddaughter is the best, the most composed. No surprise, she is truly mine," Grandmother, after scolding Yue Fanyi and Yue Fanchen, habitually praised Han Yan, casually giving herself credit as well.

Han Yan wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, speechless as she looked at her grandmother: Please, it wasn’t that I’m composed. I was too engrossed in appreciating your brilliant acting and lost sight of everything else. Besides, am I the only one who is truly yours? What about them? Do you know how much this might hurt them?

Sure enough, Yue Fanyi and Yue Fanchen were on the verge of tears.