Caught Off Guard
The Emperor's guards quickly grasped Emperor Jin Xuan's intentions. They formed a protective circle around the Emperor and Empress, while Emperor Jin Xuan forced Su Li forward, step by step, toward the secret passage.
Alexander Hayes looked at Emperor Jin Xuan and said coolly, "I advise you to surrender and stop resisting."
"Dream on! Traitor!" Emperor Jin Xuan snarled, clutching his sword tighter. "Alexander Hayes, if you have the guts, order your men to kill me now! I’ll use your beloved woman as a human shield—do you want to watch her die right in front of you!?"
Alexander Hayes raised his hand slightly, making Emperor Jin Xuan flinch—only to realize Alexander was just rubbing his brow. He said, "Your Majesty, this is your last chance. If you don’t treasure it, so be it. You brought this upon yourself…"
Emperor Jin Xuan shouted, "Don’t you dare! I’ll kill your beloved woman right now!"
Just as Emperor Jin Xuan finished speaking, he suddenly felt a heavy blow to his back—his spine shot with pain. Instantly, his whole body went limp and collapsed to the ground, powerless.
Emperor Jin Xuan fell to the ground, completely caught off guard, eyes wide as he stared at the person who had ambushed him—Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes.
The legendary Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes—said to be brilliant yet frail, and currently pregnant—moved with lightning speed. She untied the sash around her belly, and from her 'pregnant' stomach, pulled out two familiar and fearsome objects: the hand cannons that had slaughtered tens of thousands of imperial guards!
Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes gripped a pistol in each hand. Her huge belly fell away, revealing it was fake—stuffed with cotton!
With the fake belly gone, Princess Lily Hayes revealed her slender waist—she wasn’t pregnant at all!
Emperor Jin Xuan’s mind buzzed—he realized instantly: the woman they’d gone to such lengths to imprison in the palace wasn’t Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes at all, but a female shadow guard from the Prince of Qin’s Manor in disguise!
The fake Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes smiled coolly, then turned to the Emperor’s guards—with twin pistols blazing, bang bang bang!
The Emperor’s guards were tense, expecting an attack from the Hayes Regiment—none of them anticipated that the real threat would come from behind!
In a flash, the imposter Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes moved with agility, her aim deadly accurate. She fired a rapid volley—bang bang!—and before the guards could react, they all fell, dead.
Emperor Jin Xuan watched in horror, eyes wide. He tried to move, but couldn’t—his spine felt as if it had been shattered by that blow from the imposter Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes!
The Empress shrieked, "You—you’re not Princess Lily Hayes! Who are you?"
That face was round and rosy, like an apple, utterly charming. If Emperor Jin Xuan hadn’t just witnessed her skills, he would have thought she was a harmless, innocent girl!
The girl gave Alexander Hayes a graceful bow, placed the little yellow bird on her shoulder, and said, "Your Highness, Bella Bell has completed her mission and captured them all in one fell swoop!"
Alexander Hayes nodded approvingly at Bella Bell and said, "Quickly return that little yellow bird to Doctor Lin. He said this bird, which can track scents for a hundred miles, is not easy to care for—don’t let it come to harm."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Bella Bell cheekily winked at the dumbstruck Empress, then put on a serious face and said, "Empress, when I told you to enjoy your last meal, it was for your own good. Now you see my good intentions, don’t you? And your son, Prince Ling—it was you and your husband who ruined him. Remember that—it was you!"