Qi’er!

Su Ziluo had indeed calculated everything, but he had never calculated that it would be Qi’er.

How ironic!

He was not heartbroken, only chilled to the core.

Why couldn’t it be someone else? Why did it have to be Qi’er!

He still remembered when he brought her home years ago, how beautiful her smile had been. But in the blink of an eye, everything had changed.

Prince Qujiang continued, “If not for her, I would not have known your every move like the palm of my hand!”

Su Ziluo asked coldly, “What did you promise her?”

“I granted her a lifetime of glory and riches.”

Glory and riches?

Hehe!

He laughed.

These four words were utterly ironic.

Human hearts are fickle and cold, ultimately seduced by worldly possessions.

Prince Qujiang looked at Su Ziluo before him with his crippled legs. The man no longer possessed the heroic bearing and magnificent demeanor of when he had galloped across battlefields.

“I know your Su family is full of loyal martyrs, but I must seek benefits and avoid harm, cutting out the roots completely. The situation dictates this—it cannot be helped!”

Su Ziluo’s expression was blank as he said in a low voice, “So after Your Majesty kills me, the next target will be the Wen family?”

“I know that the Wen family came to see you in prison that night. If they want to save you, they must rebel against me!”

Su Ziluo detected the implications. “Which means…”

“That’s right, I was prepared long ago!” Prince Qujiang forcefully swept his wide sleeves and turned to walk to a sword rack in the Imperial Study. He took down an extremely exquisite dagger from it and said as he moved, “The Wen family, in order to save you, has now deployed troops within Yanjing City, but I have long since placed my pieces. As long as they make the slightest move, Yi Wei’an will go to the Wen residence with my orders and leave none alive!”

“So Your Majesty had already arranged everything. The purpose was to use me as a chess piece to lure the Wen family into rebellion, then righteously pin a charge of treason on them. Truly killing two birds with one stone!”

“It’s not too late for you to understand now.” Prince Qujiang turned and walked before him, his face fierce as he held the dagger. “I don’t want to kill you with my own hands. In consideration of your years of wholehearted service to the court, I can give you a chance to end things yourself. This can be considered preserving the last shred of dignity for your Su family.”

With that, he tossed the dagger onto Su Ziluo’s lap.

Su Ziluo lowered his eyes to look at the dagger. A flash of silver light fell right between his brows, revealing those eyes full of weariness and bloodshot veins.

Prince Qujiang’s eyes were full of sinister intent as he said, “If you die, the Wen family might withdraw their troops. At that time, as long as Old General Wen surrenders his military authority, I might still spare their lives.”

Su Ziluo found it laughable. “Are Your Majesty’s words still worth believing?”

“As long as you die and the Wen family withdraws their troops, I can let bygones be bygones! Actually, if I destroy the Wen family, I will make many enemies at court. It would be better to take the Wen family’s military authority and banish them from Yanjing from now on. That way I won’t be troubled.”

Su Ziluo picked up the dagger, his palm tightening sharply.

Either way, it was death!

Prince Qujiang had an air of certain victory.

Overwhelmingly arrogant!

“Do it!”

Just then—

A commotion came from outside.

Before Prince Qujiang could react, a group of people rushed into the Imperial Study.

“How dare you! Who allowed you to enter?”

A person emerged from the crowd—it was actually Wen Che.

He wore armor, gripped a long sword, and entered with iron boots clanking.

Prince Qujiang couldn’t believe it and stepped back several paces. “How is this possible?”

Su Ziluo was also shocked, the hand gripping the dagger trembling slightly.

The Wen family had truly rebelled!

Wen Che’s eyes were sharp and cold as he uttered, “We subjects pay our respects to Your Majesty!”

His voice was like a great bell, concealing murderous intent!

Prince Qujiang’s expression twisted. “How did you get in here?”

As the words fell, a voice came from outside. “Of course, this young master has vast supernatural powers!”

Li Shiyan and Luo Yang, dressed in pavilion chief uniforms, swaggered in with faces full of smug satisfaction.

So the Pavilion Chiefs A and B who had transported the Court of Imperial Sacrifices’ year-end blessing items were these two.

Li Shiyan called out to Prince Qujiang, “Your Majesty, how could you not think that every year at this time, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices transports many items into the palace! We simply met strategy with counter-strategy and gained convenience.” As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows at Luo Yang with a smile.

Luo Yang also responded with a raised eyebrow.

The two, as if having achieved merit, were extremely “arrogant.”

Prince Qujiang understood.

But—

“Impossible! Yi Wei’an received my order—once you made any move, he would immediately execute everyone!”

Wen Che said, “Although Yi Wei’an seeks power, he is also someone who remembers old sentiments. He was able to return to Yanjing entirely thanks to my Wen family. Today is merely returning the favor!”

Prince Qujiang grasped at his last straw, looking outside and saying, “Even if you entered the palace, so what? Don’t forget, I have thirty thousand troops within the imperial city. You have trespassed into the Imperial Study, which is tantamount to rebellion! With one command from me, you will all lose your lives here.”

“Since I dared to intrude, naturally I made complete preparations.” With that, Wen Che produced a pre-drafted edict. “Right now, outside the Imperial Study are all my people. Even if Your Majesty has thirty thousand troops in the imperial city, I’m afraid the message cannot be sent out in time, and the thirty thousand troops cannot arrive in time to rescue you!”

“You dare!”

“As long as Your Majesty signs this edict of abdication, we guarantee you can remain safe and sound.”

He had a soldier beside him bring the edict over.

Prince Qujiang took it and saw it had already been drafted as an edict ceding the throne to the Fourth Prince of Prince Qin.

He laughed loudly, then flew into a rage, throwing the edict to the ground. “Dream on! If I abdicate, how will the thirty thousand troops still obey my commands!”

Once he abdicated, he as the Great Emperor would be nothing but an empty shell. The troops inside and outside the imperial city would naturally no longer obey his commands.

At that time, the Wen family’s rebellion would simply fade away with the new king’s enthronement.

Before Wen Che could respond, Li Shiyan spoke first. “If you don’t sign, today the inside and outside of the imperial palace will be draped in white mourning cloth.”

“If you take my life, that is rebellion—a crime punishable by extermination of nine generations!”

“Right now, no one knows what’s happening in the Imperial Study. If Your Majesty were to die suddenly… that’s also possible.”

“Ugh!”

Prince Qujiang staggered back a step.

Wen Che’s stern eyes rose. “This is your only chance.”

“No!”

“I might as well tell Your Majesty one more thing. This time, the enthronement of Prince Qin’s Fourth Prince has already gained Prince Qin’s support. His great army has already joined with my father’s great army and will arrive outside the city at any moment. Also, has Your Majesty not wondered why we could avoid those thirty thousand troops and easily enter the Imperial Study?”

“…”

“Her Majesty the Empress is a clever person. She has no sons and no one to depend on! Once Your Majesty establishes a prince with a prominent maternal family as Crown Prince in the future, her position as Empress will be in grave danger. That’s why she coordinated from within and assisted us. As long as Prince Qin’s Fourth Prince ascends the throne, Her Majesty the Empress will become the Empress Dowager!”

Prince Qujiang’s eyes widened, rage rising from his heart as he roared, “That vile woman, vile woman!”

“The situation is already set. Your Majesty should sign this edict.”

His chess pieces had been defeated.

No path of retreat!

Prince Qujiang was utterly disheveled, like a cornered leopard, looking at the edict he had thrown on the ground and laughing wildly.

He seemed to be approaching madness!

He never imagined that one wrong step would lose the entire game. In the end, he was defeated by his own schemes.