Surrounded by a crowd of guards, Zhang Tianlun fled in a panic toward the outer courtyards.

He had only reached the middle courtyard when a guard came scrambling in, half falling over himself.

"Your Majesty, disaster! Kang Xiao has fought his way in with his men..."

Zhang Tianlun blanched.

Just then, bloodcurdling screams rang out from the front courtyard.

Zhang Tianlun's legs were shaking, his face ashen. "Quick," he said, his voice trembling, "out the back gate, quick..."

His soldiers were all outside. He had nearly a hundred guards around him, but he didn't believe for a moment they could stand up to Kang Xiao.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

All at once, the shrill whistle of arrows split the air.

A whole swath of Zhang Tianlun's guards went down, and their screams were enough to chill anyone to the bone.

"Zhang Tianlun! The De Emperor! Hahaha... Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

The voice dripped with mockery.

Kang Xiao charged into the middle courtyard at the head of his men, riding a tall horse, a bow in his hand.

Zhang Tianlun's arms and legs had gone weak. Bloodless, he forced out a smile. "M-Master Kang... what are you doing?"

Kang Xiao swept his hand through the air. His soldiers fanned out at once, drew their bows and nocked their arrows, aiming at Zhang Tianlun and his men.

Zhang Tianlun looked terrified. Zhou Xing and the others were sweating, hands on their weapons. One wrong move and blood would flow.

Kang Xiao took in how white Zhang Tianlun had gone, and his voice turned snide. "Your Majesty's memory isn't very good. Or have you forgotten that you still owe my Nanyue a debt?

Back then, you promised us that you'd take care of the pay, the grain and the fodder for a hundred and fifty thousand Nanyue troops... And what did you actually do?

You held back our money and our grain to keep us on a leash... So when our Nanyue imperial city fell, we couldn't get back in time to save it. That's why the streets of…