Inside the palace the gunfire came thick and fast, and explosions rolled on like thunder without a break.

The Moon-Shadow Army truly was formidable in a fight. Man for man, it was no weaker than the Ning'an Army.

But the Ning'an Army had no sense of honor at all. The moment they met the enemy it was muskets first, then volleys of arrows, and then hand grenades thrown into the confusion.

The Moon-Shadow Army was beaten until its head spun and it lost all sense of direction. (TL Note: a Chinese idiom — literally, head dizzy and turned around; so confused that one cannot tell which way to go.)

Only at the very end was the Ning'an Army willing to go hand-to-hand and beat the dog that had fallen into the water. (TL Note: a Chinese saying — to beat a dog once it has fallen in the water; to show no mercy to an enemy who is already beaten.)

Inside the Thousand Autumns Palace, the heir of Prince Cheng sat slumped on the floor, and his face had gone the color of dead ash.

Suddenly his eyes locked on the Xuan Emperor and turned vicious.

He kicked off from the floor, sprang up and charged at the Xuan Emperor.

To take the bandits, take their king first.

It was a good idea, but he had underestimated Eunuch Quan.

The heir of Prince Cheng had trained in martial arts since he was a boy, and on top of that he had killed men on the battlefield.

Even a second-rate fighter of the jianghu might not be a match for him.

But Eunuch Quan was a first-rate fighter.

Even Geng Jing had said that he would not dare claim a sure win against Eunuch Quan.

The fly-whisk lashed at the heir of Prince Cheng like a steel whip, tearing the air with a hiss.

The heir of Prince Cheng was badly startled and scrambled back.

Eunuch Quan gave the fly-whisk a twist, wound it around the other man's wrist and jerked him back.

Thud!!!

The heir of Prince Cheng was kicked…