388: With the destruction of the East Factory, everything will be over.

Chapter 382: The Annihilation of East Depot – Everything Should End.

Inside the main hall of the East Palace, crimson palace lanterns hung from golden nanmu beams, casting a dim, ambiguous glow throughout the room.

The Crown Prince leaned against a couch adorned with entwined peonies, his five fingers deeply embedded in the snow-white, proud flesh of the beauty beside him.

The woman’s eyes welled with tears from the pain, but she only dared to utter a low “Mm,” leaning in even more submissively.

“Your Highness, please drink…”

Twelve dancing girls, clad only in light gauze, held jade cups, their slender fingers appearing like sculpted crystal under the Glass light.

They took turns kneeling to offer the nectar, and when the wine trickled down the Crown Prince’s lips, a fragrant tongue immediately licked it away.

The gilded clepsydra in the corner of the hall ticked, and the Crown Prince, amidst the cloying scent of perfume, narrowed his drunken eyes.

In a daze, he seemed to see Lin Qinghan among the dancing girls—but how could she be wearing such revealing gauze? The Envoy must be drunk… Hahahahaha.

He laughed loudly, throwing the wine cup at a gilded pillar, the sound of its shattering startling the birds and swallows throughout the hall.

No one dared to remind the Crown Prince that outside the palace walls at this moment, the Brocade Guard’s cavalry had quietly surrounded them.

“Ah—!”

Outside the hall, piercing screams suddenly erupted, followed by chaotic, hurried footsteps.

The Crown Prince, resting his head on the beauty’s jade leg, was startled into a violent tremor by the commotion, his eyes still hazy with drink.

“You bunch of scoundrels!”

He furiously pushed away the woman beside him, staggering to his feet, his golden crown askew in his disheveled hair.

“Which dog slave, not knowing his place, dares to disturb this one’s pleasure?”

The Crown Prince suddenly grabbed the gilded wine pot from the table and smashed it fiercely in the direction of the hall entrance.

He roared, “Someone! Seize these clueless wretches for this one…”

The candlelight in the hall flickered violently, casting twelve elongated white shadows onto the vermilion lacquered hall doors, like twelve banners of death.

The white robes of these Twelve Taibao of East Depot were blindingly white, and the python patterns embroidered with gold thread on their cuffs shimmered faintly in the blood mist.

Behind them, hundreds of ax-wielding soldiers stood silent as iron towers.

Blood continued to drip from their stained Embroidered Spring Blades, and on the gilded floor, continuous, vibrant blood blossoms bloomed.

“Hahahaha… It’s you… The dog slaves of East Depot?”

The Crown Prince suddenly burst into a hysterical laugh, staggering out from among the beauties.

His golden crown was askew, his hair disheveled, and the sash of his dark yellow python robe had long come undone, revealing a snow-white inner garment stained with wine.

The Crown Prince, full of rage, kicked over the gilded wine table in front of him, and the rare treasure, the “Luminous Cup,” smashed to the ground, shattering into countless fragments.

“Open your dog eyes and see clearly!”

“This one is the Crown Prince of the Great Yu Empire! The future Emperor!”

The Crown Prince’s drunken, bloodshot eyes were filled with blood, and his mouth twisted into a ferocious arc.

“Even if that old dog from your East Depot came in person, he’d have to kneel to speak to this one!”

At this moment, the sound of armor clashing uniformly suddenly came from outside the hall, as several hundred more ax-wielding soldiers arrived, completely surrounding the hall entrance.

Through the open hall doors, one could see that all the East Palace guards had fallen in pools of blood.

The Crown Prince’s pupils suddenly contracted, and as he stumbled backward, he knocked over a beauty, yet he remained oblivious.

For at this moment, he finally saw clearly that the leading man in white robes was holding a roll of imperial yellow silk.

“No… This is impossible…”

The Crown Prince’s voice suddenly turned hoarse, his Adam’s apple bobbing violently: “How could Father… How could he let you dog slaves of East Depot…”

Cao Er’s mouth twisted into a ferocious arc as he slowly unfurled the imperial yellow edict in his hand.

The unrolling of the silk scroll made a grating sound that was particularly jarring in the dead silence of the hall.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees—”

Cao Er’s voice suddenly became extraordinarily loud, each word scraping against the Crown Prince’s eardrums like a dull blade.

“The Crown Prince’s nature is inherently vicious and stubborn, and has recently become even more so, not only forming factions for personal gain in the court, but also harboring assassins within the palace… Furthermore, he harbors the heart of a ravenous beast, plotting to assassinate his monarch and father…”

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince suddenly erupted, but he was firmly pinned against a dragon-patterned pillar by Cao Jin and Cao Haosheng.

He could only watch with splitting eyes as the fresh red imperial seal was stamped at the end of the edict.

It was the very Imperial Seal he had longed for day and night.

“…His position as Crown Prince is hereby abolished, and a pot of poisoned wine is bestowed.”

The moment Cao Er slowly closed the edict, the Crown Prince was struck as if by lightning, his face ashen.

A foul-smelling liquid seeped from beneath his python robe, spreading a stain on the white marble floor.

“Father… No, please, your son knows his mistakes, truly knows his mistakes!”

The Crown Prince suddenly let out a heart-wrenching wail, his tear-streaked face twisted beyond recognition.

He writhed frantically like a dying maggot, his golden crown falling to the ground and being trampled out of shape by his own panicked movements.

“Your son will never dare again… Please spare my life… Spare your son’s life!”

However, no matter how much the Crown Prince struggled, the hands of Cao Jin and Cao Haosheng remained unmoving.

This once high and mighty Crown Prince was now like a fish nailed to a chopping board; all his struggles were futile.

His mournful cries echoed through the empty East Palace hall, mixing with the approaching footsteps from outside the hall.

That was the eunuch carrying the poisoned wine, slowly approaching.

“Your Highness, your servants are merely following orders. May you have a peaceful journey…”

Cao Er slowly stepped forward, his boot crushing the scattered East Palace seals on the ground.

He looked down at the former Crown Prince from above, his eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction.

The once high and mighty Crown Prince was now sprawled on the ground like a stray dog, his once arrogant face smeared with tears and snot.

“What are you two waiting for?”

Cao Er’s chilling voice echoed through the hall, “Send His Highness on his way.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Jin’s right hand suddenly emitted an invisible Protective Aura.

That Protective Aura coiled around the Crown Prince’s entire body like a venomous snake, instantly stiffening him.

The Crown Prince’s mouth began to open uncontrollably, and a “ho-ho” sound escaped his throat, but he didn’t even have the strength to bite his own tongue and commit suicide.

The old eunuch slowly stepped forward, holding the gilded wine pot, and his withered fingers pried open the Crown Prince’s jaw.

The pot of eerily purple poisoned wine shimmered with a seductive glow in the firelight.

As the “gulp, gulp” sounds of swallowing filled the air, the Crown Prince’s eyes widened.

The last thing reflected in them was Cao Er’s somewhat complex expression.

The imperial poisoned wine was indeed incredibly potent; within two breaths of entering his throat, the Crown Prince’s face had already twisted and deformed.

His eyes bulged, his bloodshot eyeballs almost bursting from their sockets.

The Crown Prince stared fixedly at the coiled Dragon pattern on the ceiling of the hall, as if searching for a last sliver of hope amidst the carved beams and painted rafters.

“Ho-ho…”

Finally, the Crown Prince’s throat emitted a gasping sound like a broken bellows, his muscles tensed like iron, and his ten fingers clawed several bloody marks into the white marble floor.

Thick black blood slowly seeped from his seven orifices, drawing grotesque lines on his pale face, even staining the python robe that symbolized the Crown Prince of the East Palace.

Most terrifying were the Crown Prince’s eyes, which refused to close even in death.

In those gradually dilating pupils, an unbelievable despair was frozen.

How could he believe that the Father who once held him as a child, admiring flowers in the Imperial Garden, would truly bestow this cup of poisoned wine today?

Cao Er coldly gazed at the Crown Prince’s body, which was gradually stiffening on the ground, his eye corner twitching imperceptibly.

Your Majesty… He could even so decisively bestow death upon his own flesh and blood.

This ruthlessness made the hairs on the back of Cao Er’s neck stand on end.

Thinking of this, Cao Er’s eyes became extremely heavy, and he silently recited in his heart, even swallowing with difficulty.

Because, at this moment, Cao Er knew better than anyone else—from the moment he received this imperial edict, he had already embarked on a path of no return.

The Emperor wanted to use East Depot to eliminate the Crown Prince, so how could he leave a living person to be criticized?

This deep palace, seemingly calm at the moment, was in fact already a vast net.

Cao Er’s right hand unconsciously stroked the gilded token at his waist, the four characters “East Depot Judge” flickering in the candlelight.

“Let’s go.”

He spoke to the Brocade Guard behind him in a hoarse voice, so dry it didn’t sound like his own: “It’s time to report back.”

The moonlight outside the hall was as pale as paper, casting a chilling glow on the bluestone slabs of the palace path.

Every step Cao Er took on the palace bricks was exceptionally heavy, his gilded official boots gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

He had walked this palace path leading to Yuji Hall countless times, yet never had he felt every step was like treading on knife edges as he did today.

Heh…

Cao Er’s mouth twisted into a cold smile, his fingers subtly curling within his sleeve.

Even ants cling to life, let alone Cao Er?

Since he had guessed this was a dead end, how could he be unprepared?

Then, Cao Er’s peripheral vision swept over the lined-up East Depot agents behind him, and Cao Er knew full well.

Among these seemingly respectful figures, there were both hidden agents of the Brocade Guard and trapped beasts like himself who had smelled the scent of death.

At this moment, everyone appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, they all harbored ulterior motives, just waiting for the opportune moment to pave their own path to survival with the lives of their comrades.

When they passed through the Imperial Martial Gate later… Cao Er had been calculating in his mind, his right thumb already subtly caressing the smoke bomb in his sleeve.

This item was a special product of East Depot; once detonated, it would be enough to create half a quarter of an hour of chaos.

The wind lanterns on the palace wall suddenly swayed violently, elongating and twisting everyone’s shadows grotesquely.

Cao Er narrowed his eyes, looking at the faintly discernible imperial guards’ iron armor at the corner ahead.

Indeed, Your Majesty was even too lazy to keep up appearances.

Clang!!!

A piercing metallic scraping sound cut through the night sky as the Imperial Guards suddenly surged out from all directions.

Under the moonlight, countless cold blades simultaneously unsheathed, their flickering gleam forming a dazzling silver wave that made it impossible to open one’s eyes.

“What do you want to do?”

Someone in the East Depot’s ranks had just shouted sharply, but their voice abruptly cut off.

An Embroidered Spring Blade had already pierced through his back, and the one holding the blade was none other than a colleague he had spent day and night with.

Only at this moment did everyone realize that so many hidden agents of the Brocade Guard had infiltrated their ranks!

“Run!”

Someone shouted, and the previously neat formation instantly exploded.

Some, in their panic, crashed into the palace wall, only to be impaled like porcupines by crossbow bolts shot from the wall top.

Some tried to draw their blades to resist, but were instantly pierced by several long spears.

Even more, with bloodshot eyes, pushed their comrades towards the pursuers, exchanging others’ lives for a moment’s respite.

Cao Er stood still, letting the chaotic crowd rush past him.

He stared fixedly at the figure slowly approaching in front—the sword in the hand of Commander Shen Wanbao, the Brocade Guard Commander, was dripping with the blood of East Depot agents.

The next moment, twelve cold lights simultaneously unsheathed. Cao Er and the remaining Twelve Taibao of East Depot had a telepathic understanding, without a single word of unnecessary chatter, without a moment of hesitation.

At such a critical moment, hesitation meant a burial without a grave.

Cao Er dodged, his short blade accurately piercing the throat of a charging imperial guard, warm blood spraying onto his face.

Immediately after, Cao Er’s peripheral vision caught sight of Cao San being pierced through the heart by the Azure Dragon Commander of the Brocade Guard.

Torches suddenly lit up on the palace wall, and Cao Er’s heart tightened—those were the archers of the Divine Weapon Battalion.

“By His Majesty’s oral decree!!!”

A sharp voice announcing the decree pierced the night sky as Commander Shen Wanbao, holding the gilded imperial edict, stepped through a pool of blood.

The imperial yellow silk unfurled in the firelight, the vermilion imperial brush strokes as striking as blood: “East Depot’s Cao Er and others, attempting rebellion and harming the Crown Prince, their crimes are unforgivable! Immediately… kill without mercy!”

“Fire!”

As soon as Commander Shen Wanbao finished announcing the decree, arrows suddenly rained down from the top of the wall.

Cao Er rolled in the arrow rain, his left shoulder pierced at some unknown point. He grimaced, tearing off a piece of his clothing to bind the wound.

It seemed His Majesty not only wanted the Crown Prince’s life, but also wanted East Depot to bear the crime of murdering the Crown Prince!

“What a… two birds with one stone strategy!”

Cao Er coughed up bloody foam as he looked to his side; of the original Twelve Taibao of East Depot, only four remained.

The palace gate was within reach, but it was sealed by an iron shield formation.

Commander Shen Wanbao’s precious sword was already stained red, and he was leading the Brocade Guard in a converging attack.

In an instant, Cao Er violently tore off the smoke bomb at his waist and smashed it to the ground. With a muffled “bang,” thick smoke instantly enveloped the entire palace path.

“Go!” Five dark figures darted like ghosts towards the side door.

Cao Er was the first to retreat. Looking back, he saw one of the Taibao behind him being cleaved in half by Commander Shen Wanbao’s sword.

He gritted his teeth, but he didn’t even have time to be afraid, turning and disappearing into the thick smoke.

Commander Shen Wanbao slowly sheathed his sword, the fluctuating Gale Force of the Azure Dragon Sword disappearing like a fleeting night bloom.

He gazed at the palace wall corner where Cao Er and the others had vanished, a subtle, unfathomable depth flashing in his eyes.

“Trying to escape?”

Commander Shen Wanbao’s voice, like a persistent disease, echoed faintly in the night.

He stood with his hands behind his back on the palace wall, his robes fluttering, his eyes as cold as ice.

“No one in this world has ever escaped from the Envoy’s hands.”

Cao Er, running at the very front, had bloodshot eyes, and his Protective Aura erupted wildly around him: “Break out!”

The four Taibao behind him had long since abandoned all pretense, pushing their lightness skill to the limit, soaring through the palace buildings and pavilions.

But no matter how they dodged, there was always a squad of Brocade Guard blocking their way ahead, as if the entire Imperial City had become a cage!

Whoosh!

A Xuan Iron arrow pierced through the air, instantly penetrating one of the Taibao’s chests!

Blood spurted, and the man, without even time to scream, fell like a kite with a broken string.

Cao Er was terrified, but he dared not look back, only roaring hoarsely: “Split up!”

However, just as he leaped towards the palace wall—

“The Envoy said, you cannot escape.”

Clang!

A blue light, like a flying immortal from beyond the heavens, drew a beautiful and tragic arc under the moonlight.

That sword was so fast it transcended time; everyone only felt a flash of blue light before their eyes, and then the world fell silent.

Cao Er’s pupils suddenly contracted.

He slowly lowered his head and saw a bloodline, as thin as a hair, gradually appearing on his chest.

The three Taibao beside him were similarly frozen, each with that alluring blue mark stretching from their throat to their heart.

Cao Er wanted to say something, but as soon as his lips moved, his upper body slowly slid down along the bloodline.

His internal organs spilled out with a gush, steaming in the moonlight.

The bodies of the three Taibao simultaneously split open, their severed limbs and torsos falling silently to the ground like withered petals.

Commander Shen Wanbao sheathed his sword, and the moment the Azure Dragon Sword’s light receded, the Imperial Palace once again fell into silence.

The moonlight, like water, shone on the still twitching remains.

The Brocade Guard Commander turned and walked into the shadows: “Drag them out and feed them to the dogs.”

“East Depot, everything should end.”