Puppet Emperor, the Empress Wields All Power and Calls a Deer a Horse

Chapter 20 The Girl in the Purple Dress!

The Great Zhou Dynasty.

At this very moment.

On the bustling streets of the imperial city, a young girl dressed in a purple long dress, with a delicate face and a mischievous, lively demeanor, was wandering aimlessly.

Behind her, several hundred Royal Shadow Guards concealed their presence in the shadows, closely protecting the girl ahead.

“Commander Qing Long, who is this girl? What makes her worth mobilizing hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards for protection?”

A curious voice rose from the darkness, and the hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards, equally puzzled, began to discuss among themselves.

“Shut up! Some things are not for you to ask!”

Qing Long’s face was stern, and he did not explain, coldly silencing them.

He naturally knew the identity of the girl before him; she was Lu Xuanxuan, the daughter of Lu Tao, Deputy Commander of the City Defense Force.

Currently, both His Majesty and the Empress Dowager were vying for control of the City Defense Force’s military power.

His Majesty had dispatched hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards to protect Lu Tao’s daughter, presumably as a move to win over Deputy Commander Lu Tao.

Suddenly, at that moment, the girl in front appeared flustered as a middle-aged eunuch, dressed in a blue robe and with a sinister expression, intercepted her path, accompanied by hundreds of fierce guards.

“Miss Lu, the Empress Dowager has summoned you.”

The blue-robed middle-aged eunuch, Feng Yu, smiled coldly, his gaze fixed on the girl before him.

The plan to abduct Lu Tao’s daughter had succeeded unexpectedly easily.

Upon recognizing the identity of the blue-robed eunuch, Lu Xuanxuan’s eyes showed a trace of panic as if she had realized something.

Having lived under the shadow of the imperial city for so many years, though still young, she had witnessed much deceit and betrayal.

Knowing that the Empress Dowager’s request to see her was far from well-intentioned, she surmised that she might be used as leverage to coerce her father, Lu Tao, into committing some unspeakable crime.

With this in mind, a glimmer of cunning flashed in Lu Xuanxuan’s eyes as she smiled at Feng Yu and said, “Eunuch Feng, I must inform my father first before going to see the Empress Dowager. What do you think?”

Feng Yu smirked, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He hadn’t expected Lu Tao’s daughter, though young, to be so clever and to guess his intentions.

“No need. I will inform Commander Lu myself.”

“Miss Lu, please, do not keep the Empress Dowager waiting.”

Feng Yu’s face darkened, and he stopped being polite. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of fierce guards stepped forward and took control of Lu Xuanxuan.

At that moment!

The commotion instantly attracted the attention of numerous cultivators on the streets of the imperial city, who began gathering to watch and discuss.

“Clear out!”

Feng Yu, growing irritated, shouted coldly, releasing a terrifying aura that instantly dispersed the surrounding cultivators. He was about to take Lu Xuanxuan away.

As long as I bring Lu Xuanxuan before the Empress Dowager, my task will be considered complete.

Even afterward, should Lu Tao come to the Empress Dowager demanding his daughter’s return, it would be of no use.

If the Empress Dowager did not wish to release Lu Xuanxuan, how could Lu Tao possibly snatch her back with his strength?

By that time, for the sake of his daughter’s safety, Lu Tao would have no choice but to surrender and align himself with the Empress Dowager.

“Eunuch Feng, what an impressive show of power.”

“Daring to be so arrogant and brazen, abducting a girl under the very nose of the imperial city in broad daylight.”

“If this matter reaches His Majesty’s ears, Eunuch Feng, your life might be in jeopardy!”

Just as Feng Yu was about to take Lu Xuanxuan away, a mocking voice suddenly rang out beside him.

The next moment, the Commander of the Royal Shadow Guards, Qing Long, with a cold expression, appeared on the streets of the imperial city, accompanied by hundreds of terrifying Royal Shadow Guards, surrounding Feng Yu and his men.

Such a large-scale operation by the Royal Shadow Guards had naturally been ordered by Gu Changsheng to secretly protect Lu Xuanxuan.

What Qing Long had not expected was that this fool Feng Yu would be so brazen as to make a move on Lu Xuanxuan in broad daylight.

What’s going through his mind?

But this is all for the better. The bigger the commotion, the better.

Once Lu Tao learns that the Empress Dowager had abducted his daughter, he would undoubtedly refuse to ally with her.

At that point, Lu Tao would have no choice but to side with His Majesty.

This way, the City Defense Force’s military power would fall into the hands of His Majesty.

However, all of this depended on one condition: Lu Tao’s daughter, Lu Xuanxuan, could not fall into the Empress Dowager’s hands.

“Royal Shadow Guards, what are you doing here?”

“Get out of my way! If you delay my task, you won’t be able to bear the consequences.”

Feng Yu’s expression darkened as his gaze fell on Qing Long, his voice cold and threatening.

As the Empress Dowager’s personal eunuch, Feng Yu held little regard even for the newly crowned Emperor, Gu Changsheng, let alone the Royal Shadow Guards in front of him.

Thus, despite the hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards surrounding him, Feng Yu remained arrogant and dismissive.

“Heh!”

Qing Long narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent flashing within, and coldly said, “Eunuch Feng, are you aware that kidnapping a girl in the imperial city is punishable by exile at best, and death at worst?”

“Today, the Royal Shadow Guards have witnessed this crime.”

“So Eunuch Feng, you’ll have to accompany us to the prison.”

With that, hundreds of Royal Shadow Guards drew their swords in unison, their terrifying killing intent directed at Feng Yu.

In an instant!

Feng Yu felt an overwhelming sense of death pressing down on him, and his heart immediately began to race in panic.

He recalled how these Royal Shadow Guards had dared to execute a high-ranking court official, the Minister of Revenue Li Yang, right outside the Tai Chi Hall.

If he didn’t cooperate today, these Royal Shadow Guards might actually kill him.

However, Feng Yu was not so easily intimidated. He quickly regained his composure, his face returning to calm.

These Royal Shadow Guards had always followed the new Emperor Gu Changsheng. Why would they appear here for no reason?

Could it be that Qing Long shared the same goal as him, also targeting Lu Xuanxuan?

If that’s true, then there is no way I can let the Royal Shadow Guards take her away.

Otherwise, when I return to the Empress Dowager, I will be finished.

“If the Royal Shadow Guards want to take me to prison, you’ll first have to prove that you have the capability.”

“The hundreds of guards behind me are not to be trifled with.”

Feng Yu’s face contorted in rage as he shouted furiously.

Lu Xuanxuan was the Empress Dowager’s key leverage over Lu Tao, and there was no way he would allow the Royal Shadow Guards to take her easily.

With a wave of his hand, hundreds of his guards, faces cold and imposing, raised their weapons toward the Royal Shadow Guards.

In an instant!

The tension between the two sides reached a breaking point, ready to explode into violence.

At that moment, even the heavens and earth seemed to fill with a terrifying killing aura, the surrounding air trembling.

Seeing this, the countless cultivators watching from the sides of the imperial city streets were horrified and quickly retreated, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

“Heh!”

Qing Long sneered with disdain. In an instant, his body erupted with an unprecedentedly terrifying aura, shaking the very heavens and earth.

Boom!

The ground shook, and the air trembled.

Feng Yu’s face paled in terror as he sensed the looming threat of death.

The hundreds of fierce guards behind him turned pale, trembling in fear, as they struggled to breathe, entirely unable to resist.

“How could this be? You’ve reached the level of a Great Expert!”

Feng Yu’s body trembled, and his voice quivered as he spoke.

He remembered that Qing Long had only recently been at the peak of the King realm, yet in just a few short days, he had broken through to the level of a Great Expert.

If Qing Long had still been at the King realm, Feng Yu, also a peak King and the Empress Dowager’s personal eunuch, would not have feared the Royal Shadow Guards.

But a Great Expert was beyond the ability of him and his guards to contend with.

At this realization, Feng Yu’s face turned ashen. He prayed that the Empress Dowager would quickly become aware of the situation and send reinforcements.

“Royal Shadow Guards, seize Eunuch Feng!”

Qing Long, seeing through Feng Yu’s thoughts, coldly ordered his men to take action.

In an instant, Feng Yu and his hundreds of guards, with no ability to resist, were swiftly apprehended by the Royal Shadow Guards.

As for Lu Xuanxuan, Qing Long personally planned to escort her to the City Defense Force.

Once Lu Tao learned of this, he would owe His Majesty a favor and would know how to choose his allegiance.

The Empress Dowager’s plan to use Lu Xuanxuan to threaten Lu Tao had ultimately been thwarted.