He didn't say he arrived in time, but that he arrived in time this time.
Others might not care, might think it was a slip of the tongue.
But Miss Jun knew what he meant.
That time when she came to assassinate the emperor, Lu Yunqi didn't know, was sent away, and by the time he arrived she was already dead, he didn't manage to gain any credit.
This time, he arrived in time and blocked her fatal strike.
Eunuchs holding swords and spears surged around, the remaining Qingshan Army staggered to protect her, blocking the bows and swords, and also blocking her chance to get close to the emperor.
No chance anymore.
So, it's still not working?
So, is this fate sparing him?
Miss Jun stood still, feeling complicated, angry? Desperate? Or maybe it's just a blank, no feelings anymore.
"Stop!" Lu Yunqi's voice rang out.
His voice wasn't hysterical, but the eunuchs shouting heard it and instinctively stopped.
This made Yuan Bao somewhat annoyed.
"What are you doing?" he shouted, "Hurry up and seize the traitor!"
At the same time, he looked at Lu Yunqi with resentment.
He still managed to catch up.
To prevent him from being involved in this matter, he had tried hard to protect Ning Yunzhao at the Imperial Mausoleum before, persuading the emperor not to let Lu Yunqi kill Miss Jun.
He wasn't concerned about Miss Jun's life, he was concerned about who would get the credit for killing her.
It was obvious the emperor could no longer tolerate Miss Jun, and anyone who killed her would be seen as a great achievement in the emperor's eyes.
Of course, he wanted to claim this credit.
Just two days ago, when the emperor decided to act against Miss Jun, and simultaneously take care of the Empress Dowager, he had managed to persuade the emperor to send Lu Yunqi away, only bringing himself back to the palace to arrange this matter.
Just as the great achievement was about to be fulfilled, Lu Yunqi unexpectedly arrived.
The emperor showed no trace of anger when he saw Lu Yunqi.
"Yunqi, you made it!" he burst out.
The voice was filled with unguarded joy.
Earlier, he had been scared into a cold sweat by the sharp dart-like silver hairpin that woman threw.
He thought he couldn't escape this time, but Lu Yunqi rushed out and blocked it with his iron umbrella.
In the end, these eunuchs couldn't compare to Lu Yunqi, Lu Yunqi was more reliable.
At least in terms of force and reaction speed.
The emperor's undisguised praise made Yuan Bao even angrier, and this anger made him wary.
Lu Yunqi was ordered by the emperor to guard the Imperial Mausoleum, and through these days of struggle, he had turned Lu Yunqi's Jinyiwei into gatekeepers.
They left without Lu Yunqi knowing, so why is Lu Yunqi here now?
Isn't this considered defying the imperial will?
This silent appearance of Lu Yunqi made these rebels fearful, yet it also made him fearful.
But at this time, he didn't have the courage to tell the emperor that Lu Yunqi was defying the imperial will.
After all, it was this defying of the imperial will by Lu Yunqi that actually saved the emperor's life.
He could only keep it to himself to whisper in the emperor's ear later.
Yuan Bao withdrew his resentful gaze.
"Quick, kill this traitor." He pointed at Miss Jun again and shouted.
After Miss Jun's dart was knocked down, the Qingshan Army also stopped their actions, now surrounded layer by layer by eunuchs.
The eunuchs who were chaotic with close-range attacks, also took the opportunity to recalibrate their bows aimed at them.
The palace gates remained tightly shut, but since Lu Yunqi had entered, it was imaginable that outside must also be filled with Imperial Guard eunuchs waiting for the order to rush in.
It's over.
Li Guorui grasped a shield in one hand and a long knife in the other, his heart completely cold.
In fact, even now he didn't know what he was doing.
What exactly was he doing?
He thought he was originally a small, unremarkable military general, but as he had no family to rely on, and joined the army at fourteen, earning official positions by fighting real battles, he deserved to be proud.
Not to mention, he started experiencing dream-like promotions, until today standing in the imperial palace as part of the Emperor's Guard, which would become legend in his life story.
But now it's all over, this legendary experience would not be recorded, and his life story would be summed up with four words, treason and execution.
Did he still have time to point this long knife at Miss Jun now?
Or should he directly use the long knife to commit suicide to avoid the suffering of slow death?
Even if it was another moment of being hacked to death, comparable to a slow execution, Miss Jun thought it wasn't something to fear.
She was momentarily dazed.
Was everything she experienced a dream or reality?
Was she dreaming?
Actually, she just came out of the Lu Family, rushing to the palace to assassinate the emperor, she wasn't killed, nor did she experience reincarnation.
Miss Jun placed her hands in front of her, looked at Lu Yunqi, her face showing no despair or fear, only calmness.
The Qingshan Army around her, whether injured or still whole, also appeared calm.
As if not caring about what they were doing, nor about the impending death.
There are gains and losses, success and failure, this is also the way of heaven, although not necessarily fair.
Lu Yunqi was also looking at her.
His eyes were the familiar deep black, but now unfathomable and inscrutable.
Now, just his one command, and everything would be over.
"Kill..." The emperor resumed his coldness, speaking with some resentment.
Lu Yunqi turned to look at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, may I speak a word to Miss Jun?" He interrupted the emperor to say.
The emperor slightly frowned.
"What's there to say?" Yuan Bao had already shouted from the side, "There's no need for such traitors to speak, she just needs to die."
Lu Yunqi didn't even glance at him, just looked at the emperor.
"I don't plan to interrogate." The emperor said coldly.
Lu Yunqi responded affirmatively, then turned to Miss Jun.
"There's something you've never asked me." He said.
Miss Jun looked at him indifferently.
"I'm very sad." Lu Yunqi continued, "I've been waiting for you to ask."
What words?
Yuan Bao couldn't help but feel curious.
He knew Lu Yunqi had some entanglements with Miss Jun, could it be he wanted to ask her if she regretted it? If she had accepted him back then, would things have turned out differently.
Men generally liked this kind of posture.
"What words?" Miss Jun asked indifferently.
Lu Yunqi looked at her.
"How did my father die." He said.
What?
Yuan Bao was stunned.
Lu Yunqi's father, wasn't he said to have drunk himself to death?
Miss Jun looked at Lu Yunqi.
Indeed, she had wanted to ask this question but asking it would serve what purpose?
"How did my father die?" She asked indifferently.
Lu Yunqi gave her a slight smile.
"Like this." He said, raising a hand to pull off his belt, turning to wrap it around the emperor's neck.
The emperor's expression changed from cold ridicule to purple-red in an instant, his hands instinctively reaching for his neck.
But his strength was nonexistent before Lu Yunqi.
Lu Yunqi had already pulled him close, his hands steadily tugging at both ends of the belt, the sound of bones being crushed echoing in the hall.
"Like this." He said again, his voice indifferent.