271: Su Xin wakes up, and the Godly Marquis is fully mobilized

Within the Dragon Guard Manor, in that highly secret ice chamber.

Zhu Wushi, with trembling hands, carefully fed the second heavenly fragrance seed to Su Xin’s pale lips in the ice coffin.

The seed melted upon contact, and a uniquely fragrant aroma instantly filled the secret chamber, even dispelling the perpetual chill.

He held his breath, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the face in the coffin, a face that had haunted his dreams for twenty years.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Suddenly, Su Xin’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, like butterfly wings.

Zhu Wushi’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest!

Immediately after, a barely perceptible spot of crimson quietly appeared on her smooth brow, rapidly spreading out like ripples from a stone cast into a still lake, re-coloring her pale face with the flush of life.

Her chest began to show a faint rise and fall, her cold body gradually warmed, and her skin regained its proper elasticity and luster.

Finally, after that long, suffocating wait, Su Xin slowly, very slowly, opened her eyes.

They were eyes as clear as autumn water, yet tinged with the confusion and daze left by twenty years of slumber.

She blinked uncomfortably, her vision gradually focusing, finally settling on the man beside the ice coffin, who was trembling with emotion and had tears in his eyes.

“Wu… Wushi?”

Her voice was dry and weak, hoarse from disuse, yet it struck Zhu Wushi’s ears like a clap of thunder.

“Su Xin! Su Xin! You’re awake! You’re truly awake!”

Zhu Wushi could no longer hold back; tears streamed from his eyes.

He leaned down, wanting to touch her, yet fearing it was a fragile dream, his fingers hovered in mid-air, trembling slightly.

This Iron Valiant Divine Marquis, who wielded immense power in the court and was known for his ruthlessness, was now as flustered as a helpless youth.

“I… Where am I?”

Su Xin looked around confusedly, her gaze sweeping over the cold coffin and the dim secret chamber, then returning to Zhu Wushi’s face, “I feel like… I’ve slept for a very long time?”

“Twenty years, Su Xin, you’ve slept for a full twenty years!”

Zhu Wushi’s voice was choked with emotion. He carefully reached out and gently held her cool hand.

Feeling her real touch, his heart was filled with immense joy and the relief of having something lost returned.

“It’s okay, it’s all in the past. Now that you’re awake, everything is fine!”

With the utmost gentleness, he helped her up from the ice coffin, wrapping her slender body in a thick brocade robe he had prepared, as if handling a priceless treasure.

Su Xin leaned against him, feeling the long-lost warmth and solid support, and fragmented memories in her mind slowly began to piece together.

She remembered the excruciating pain when she was struck, shielding them both, the long darkness and cold… and she also remembered Gu Santong.

“Santong, he…” she asked softly, almost instinctively.

Zhu Wushi’s body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment, a hint of gloom flashing deep in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by a deeper tenderness.

He gently stroked her hair, his voice so soft it could drip with tenderness:

“Su Xin, don’t think about the past anymore.

From now on, I will protect you and never let anyone harm you in the slightest. Look,”

He pointed to the luxurious and secluded secret chamber,

“This is the Dragon Guard Manor, I am its Lord Protector, and the current Iron Valiant Divine Marquis. I have the power to give you the best of everything in the world!”

Su Xin looked at him, her eyes still a bit dazed, but Zhu Wushi’s undisguised deep affection and excitement stirred a ripple in her heart, which had been frozen for twenty years.

She nodded gently, resting her head on his shoulder, and whispered, “Wushi, thank you… for saving me.”

That “thank you” made Zhu Wushi feel that twenty years of forbearance, scheming, and all his sacrifices were worth it.

“Between us, there’s no need for thanks.”

He held her tightly, as if to meld her into his very bones, “Su Xin, you are the most important treasure of my life. For you, I am willing to do anything.”

He looked at her face, which had closed its eyes again to rest, his eyes filled with boundless tenderness.

Su Xin was awake; his last concern had reached Perfection.

Therefore, this Great Ming Empire, this Supreme position, he was determined to have it!

He wanted Su Xin to witness him becoming the most noble man in the world, to walk hand in hand with Su Xin, making her the most noble woman in this world, standing with him at the pinnacle of power!

Dragon Guard Manor.

Su Xin was already asleep, settled on a soft couch beneath a brocade canopy. Zhu Wushi sat by the couch, gazing at her serene sleeping face, his eyes filled with an unprecedented contentment.

With the last trace of his concern fulfilled, the volcano of ambition within his heart, no longer suppressed, erupted with a roar.

“Someone.” His voice was low, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Several dark figures appeared silently like ghosts in the corners of the secret chamber, kneeling on one knee, awaiting orders.

“Pass down the order, ‘Startle Goose’ takes flight, proceed with Plan A.

The three Imperial Camps in the capital, the Nine Gates Commander’s Office, and the Palace Guard Office—all my hidden agents, activate immediately.”

Zhu Wushi stood up, his figure casting a long shadow in the candlelight, enveloping the entire room:

“Tomorrow at the hour of Mao, this Lord Protector shall bathe in the morning sun at The Summit of the Forbidden City.”

“Yes!” The dark figures acknowledged the order and dispersed in an instant.

That night, undercurrents surged in the capital; countless secret messages were transmitted in the shadows, and troops were quietly mobilized under the cover of night.

An invisible grand net, meticulously woven by the Iron Valiant Divine Marquis over many years, had silently enveloped the entire Imperial City… The next day, early morning.

Imperial Palace, Hall of Celestial Purity.

The young Zhengde Emperor, Zhu Houzhao, had just finished his breakfast and was preparing to go to the Imperial Study for court affairs when he suddenly saw the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Stables stumble and crawl in, his face ashen, his voice trembling uncontrollably:

“Your… Your Majesty! It’s bad! Lord Protector… The Iron Valiant Divine Marquis has brought troops into the Palace! The Palace gates… the Palace gates have been breached!”

“What?!” Zhu Houzhao shot up, knocking over the tea cup on the table. Warm tea splashed onto the hem of his Dragon robe, but he paid it no mind, “How dare Zhu Wushi do this? Where are the Imperial Guards? Where are the Palace Guards?”

“The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards has rebelled! He led his men to open the Palace gates! The Palace Guard Office… most of their men are… are standing by! Eunuch Cao has disappeared, and the Eastern Depot is in chaos.”

The eunuch wailed, “Lord Protector, with a large contingent of troops, has already crossed the Golden Water Bridge and is pressing directly towards the Hall of Celestial Purity!

He says… he says he wants to ‘clear the emperor’s side’ and asks Your Majesty to abdicate and yield the throne!”

Zhu Houzhao swayed, a chill shooting from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Although he knew his Imperial Uncle’s power was immense, he never imagined he would dare to commit such an overt act of usurpation!

“Empress Dowager! Go quickly and invite the Empress Dowager!”

He shouted sternly, his voice carrying a subtle tremor.

Just then, outside the hall, earth-shattering cries of battle and the clashing of weapons could be heard, rapidly approaching from a distance.