Assault on the Imperial Palace
"Spare you? Ha..." Alexander Hayes aimed his gun at Prince Ling's head.
Prince Ling felt a sudden warmth in his pants—he'd wet himself out of terror. He shook his head frantically, "No, I'm the Crown Prince! You wouldn't dare kill me!"
"Crown Prince? So what if I kill a Crown Prince?" Alexander Hayes smirked and pulled the trigger. With a thunderous bang, Prince Ling's head was blown open, and he collapsed to the ground.
Alexander Hayes blew away the smoke from his gun, gazing coldly at Prince Ling's corpse. "I was prepared to slaughter even your father—what makes you, a mere Crown Prince, any different?"
===
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study
Emperor Jin Xuan and the Empress were sipping tea, waiting for Prince Ling to bring good news.
The Empress seemed a bit anxious. Emperor Jin Xuan smiled and said, "Don't overthink it, Empress. Prince Ling only just led the Imperial Guards to the Prince of Qin's Manor. He's probably just arrived at the gate—there's no need to be so impatient."
The Empress hummed in response, but her brows remained furrowed. "Your Majesty, Prince Ling won't run into any trouble, will he?"
Emperor Jin Xuan laughed heartily, full of confidence. "Don't worry, Empress. Prince Ling took six thousand soldiers to besiege the Prince of Qin's Manor. There are only a few hundred guards there—they'll be caught off guard for sure! Even if Alexander Hayes had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't escape! And with his princess consort held hostage in the palace, even if he does manage to flee, we can use her life to bring him back."
The Empress hummed softly and lowered her eyes, feeling a pang of envy in her heart.
Even the Emperor knew Alexander Hayes would risk his life to rescue his princess consort. That woman—truly enviable and worthy of jealousy.
The Empress thought to herself: the Emperor would never risk his life for her.
Just as the Emperor and Empress were leisurely sipping tea, waiting for Prince Ling's good news, a palace guard rushed in to report, "Your Majesty, Alexander Hayes has led three thousand troops and entered the palace through the East Gate!"
"What!" Emperor Jin Xuan's teacup fell to the floor.
The guard trembled all over and said, "Alexander Hayes claims to be acting under the banner of Hayes' Secret Battalion, accusing Imperial Grand Tutor Gregory Gu Jr. of spreading rumors and misleading His Majesty. He intends to arrest Gregory Gu Jr. and execute him!"
Gregory Gu Jr. was just outside the Imperial Study. Hearing this, he burst in, furious. "Alexander Hayes is truly reckless beyond measure!"
Emperor Jin Xuan sneered, "Don't panic, Gregory. Alexander Hayes must have fought his way out of the siege—he's at his last gasp now. Still, he does care deeply for his princess consort. Instead of fleeing, he's risking his life to attack the palace. He must be tired of living! Imperial Guards, listen up—go to the East Gate at once and kill the traitor without mercy!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Jin Xuan sat down and said to the Empress, "Don't be afraid, Empress. Alexander Hayes is just putting on a brave front. Even if he still has three thousand men, we have tens of thousands of Imperial Guards—outnumbering them dozens of times over. We could drown them with a single spit! What do they have to fight with? They're courting death!"
The Empress nodded. "His Majesty is absolutely right. Alexander Hayes is simply seeking death. This is a case of an egg striking a rock—he's hopelessly outmatched."
Gregory Gu Jr. glanced contemptuously toward the East Gate. "Alexander Hayes must have lost his mind, using the name of Hayes' Secret Battalion to rebel. Fortunately, His Majesty was wise and took action first. See, Alexander Hayes truly harbors treasonous intent—he just wants to rebel!"
Emperor Jin Xuan laughed heartily. "Thanks to Gregory Gu Jr. for warning me in advance, I've managed to avoid disaster! Now, I can finally kill Alexander Hayes once and for all, and put an end to future troubles!"