TNIBFT -Chapter 234 Facing Ye Tian, the Empress Lost All Reason

Nanfeng beside her let out a sharp exclamation.

The group of Da Zhou soldiers ambushed on the hilltops all turned their heads toward Qin Fengyi.

Qin Fengyi frowned.

Who are these people?

Enemy or ally, it was still unclear. She said in a deep voice, “Zhao Boping’s carriage hasn’t entered the valley yet. Hold your positions for now. No one is to act rashly. Follow my orders!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers obeyed.

If these people had come to meet Zhao Boping, it would make their assassination attempt even more difficult. If they were here to kill Zhao Boping, they would wait quietly for the right moment.

At the valley entrance.

Fang Shenghu took the lead on his horse. He was wearing his usual clothes, a black cloth covering his face. He turned to Zhu Heyu and his son, shouting, “Brother Zhu, that old dog Zhao Boping has arrived. He should be in the carriage behind us.”

Snow fell thickly, making it hard for Fang Shenghu to keep his eyes open.

But thinking that so many people were heading to Sifang City to kill Ye Tian and his children, his anger surged, and his gaze was fearless.

Zhu Heyu pulled on the reins, and his dark chestnut horse pawed the ground, steam puffing from its nostrils.

Over a hundred bodyguards trailing behind him were clad in tattered clothes, weary and travel-worn. One by one, they halted; the horses neighed incessantly, and the snow beneath their hooves was quickly turned yellow.

Zhu Heyu squinted, eyes fixed on the Da Liang banners fluttering in the distance.

The opposing army was orderly, clad in gleaming silver armor, their large mounts trained and imposing. The trotting of their hooves made the ground tremble.

And here he was, leading a band of the old, weak, sick, and battered—fugitives hardened by years of hardship.

Zhu Heyu glanced back at the brothers behind him, and his eyes welled with tears.

Each familiar face, once full of pride, now worn and desolate, silent and withdrawn.

He knew deeply: this would be the final battle.

Zhu Heyu laughed freely and shouted, “Brothers, the General is watching us from heaven. The Ye family bodyguards are neither traitors nor street rats. This is the last battle. We will show the General, we will show the world, that after all these years, the Ye family bodyguards have never changed!”

“Kill Zhao Boping! Avenge the Great General!”

He raised his arms and yelled with absolute resolve, like a warrior severing his own hand.

Over a hundred men raised their hands and shouted back, “Avenge the Great General!”

“Avenge him!”

“Kill Zhao Boping!”

They screamed with all their might, each ready to die without hesitation.

Zhu Heyu turned to his son. A mist of tears blurred his eyes. He wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start. His son was only seventeen, this youthful face following him to death.

After a moment, he spoke: “Do not be afraid!”

“Zhongyi, a true man must die with purpose!”

Zhu Zhongyi looked at his father and nodded firmly.

For his father, he would do anything.

His life had been hard, but his father’s even harder. Zhu Zhongyi pressed his legs against the horse, and the fiery steed shot forward like an arrow from a bow.

Zhu Heyu shouted, “Kill!”

“Kill that old dog Zhao! Kill!”

A group of tattered men, each on horseback, weapons on their backs and long knives in their hands, charged resolutely toward the enemy army.

Hooves thundered in chaotic rhythm.

No one hesitated. This was the honor of the Ye family bodyguards. Blood surged through their veins, as if they were back in the days when Ye Zhengyang led them across battlefields—they lived and died together, drank together, and huddled for warmth on the frozen plains, dreaming of the future.

But the Great General who had upheld them had died!

Fallen by the hands of traitors, leaving this world unsatisfied!

“Hiss!”

“Assassins!”

“Enemy attack! Prepare!”

The valley descended into chaos—hoofbeats clattering, followed by the clash of weapons.

Qin Fengyi frowned at the scene unfolding below. Nanfeng said, “They’re attempting to assassinate Zhao Boping. It seems the people of Daliang already hate him to the bone.”

“These people don’t seem like ordinary civilians… they actually know military tactics?”

Nanfeng stared in surprise at the chaos at the bottom of the valley.

“Zhao Boping’s carriage hasn’t even entered the valley yet. It could turn around at any moment. We mustn’t act rashly!”

“Take cover!”

Qin Fengyi barked sharply.

Her goal was to kill Zhao Boping. Who was carrying out this ambush now was of no concern to her.

Everyone lowered their heads.

The fighting in the valley had begun. The Ye family’s personal guards were all brave and battle-hardened, charging forward recklessly. The Daliang troops, though well-equipped, were inexperienced in real combat; one by one, they hesitated, fearing death. Two hundred armored guards in the front line were thrown into disorder by just a hundred soldiers led by Zhu and Yu.

“Who are they?”

“Ambushing the Imperial Uncle is a grave crime that implicates nine generations, but those who kneel and surrender shall not be killed!”

Someone shouted.

Fang Shenghu had already gone berserk. With so many enemies, some of the personal guards were already injured and falling from their horses.

The longer the battle lasted, the more the numerical advantage of the attackers would show.

“Archers, ready!”

“The Imperial Uncle’s orders: leave no one alive!”

“Exterminate them all!”

Someone stood atop a carriage, relaying orders. Archers had already nocked their arrows, kneeling on the ground.

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

A rain of arrows blotted out the sky; soldiers from both sides fell.

Watching their uncles and cousins die one after another, Zhu Zhongyi’s eyes turned blood-red. Sitting on his horse, he shouted, “Come at me!”

“Old dog Zhao, come at me!”

“Son of Ye Zhengyang, Ye Tian is here—come kill me! Hahaha…”

Zhu Zhongyi laughed uproariously, then brandished his long knife and charged toward the enemy. Zhu and Yu watched their son’s back; tears immediately filled their eyes. Choking back sobs, they saw him strike after strike and said, “Truly my son!”

“Loyal to the core, good, very good!”

Ye Tian?

The generals in the Daliang army froze. They hadn’t even reacted when someone from the luxurious carriage urgently shouted orders: “Whoever kills Ye Tian will be granted the title of Qianhu Marquis!”

“Reward: one thousand taels of gold!”

Ye Tian?

Qin Fengyi’s heart skipped a beat. She rose from behind the giant rock, staring blankly at the valley floor.

It was too far to see Ye Tian’s face clearly.

Her heart burned with anxiety. If it was Ye Tian, where were the children?

Ye Tian and Zhao Boping had a deep-seated blood feud. In all of Sifang City, who else could have the courage and motive to attempt assassinating Zhao Boping?

Qin Fengyi panicked.

Seeing countless Daliang soldiers chasing after Ye Tian, she kicked the huge rock in front of her down the mountainside. The rock crashed with a deafening roar, throwing the valley into even more chaos.

Qin Fengyi rose and commanded her subordinates, “Kill!”

“Kill every last Daliang soldier!”

“Kill Zhao Boping!”

Saying that, Qin Fengyi gripped her silver spear and, in a single bound, leapt down from the mountainside, chasing toward Ye Tian.

Her subordinates looked at one another in astonishment.

Weren’t they supposed to wait for Zhao Boping’s carriage to enter the valley?

Weren’t they supposed to hold their positions?

Why, upon hearing Ye Tian’s name, had their Empress instantly lost all reason?

“Kill!”