Around the sixth quarter of the Yin hour, Gao He failed to wait for Shu Shenhui to appear. Near the southern gate of the imperial palace, things seemed calm on the surface, but had fallen into chaos. Just like Gao He’s state of mind at that moment, filled with panic, even emotions akin to despair.

The news had leaked, and their plan had failed.

But after the brief panic, Gao He quickly calmed down.

He had never dared to underestimate his opponent. When he began plotting while waiting for today’s court session to arrive, he dared not assume he could kill the man on the spot.

If the plan failed, his opponent would certainly retaliate, and Chen Lun would be the blade in his hand.

Gao He had already prepared countermeasures. Since last night, he had sent people to closely monitor Chen Lun and his subordinates, strictly preventing any troop movements.

Now that things had reached this point, armed conflict was inevitable—it would come down to who held the sharper blade. After this morning’s failure, he immediately tensed up, ready to intervene without hesitation the moment Chen Lun showed any suspicious activity, using the pretext of preventing seditious plotting.

Who knew Chen Lun’s side remained completely quiet, with absolutely no movement.

Not only that, but Shu Shenhui had also disappeared. However, according to reports from secret agents hidden near the prince’s residence last night, this morning he had indeed departed for the imperial palace as usual.

So, where had he gone after leaving the residence, and what kind of action was he secretly planning?

Just as Gao He was burning with anxiety, he suddenly received news that the man had already entered the palace long ago. Not only that, but at this very moment, he was in Xuanzheng Hall, presiding over today’s court session as usual.

Gao He never could have dreamed of such an outcome.

It was like a heavy punch landing on a pile of cotton. He was caught completely off guard, his strategy in complete disarray, and he couldn’t fathom what his opponent was trying to accomplish.

Would Shu Shenhui just let this matter drop, pretending nothing had ever happened? That was impossible.

Under such circumstances, how could Gao He dare to rashly attend court?

It wasn’t just him—even the young emperor had not appeared by this time.

After rushing to the southern gate this morning, he had stood there for a long while before returning to his sleeping quarters in a dazed state, shutting himself in and refusing to come out.

From the looks of it, he didn’t plan to go to Xuanzheng Hall today.

After all, he was just a child. Having encountered such an incident, it was perfectly normal for him not to dare face it directly.

Gao He didn’t care what the young emperor was thinking at the moment. His urgent priority was dealing with this crisis that was burning like fire on his eyebrows.

After the fifth watch drum, while hundreds of officials gathered in Xuanzheng Hall waiting for the court session to begin, Gao He was urgently discussing countermeasures with Consort Li. He had originally sought out Lan Rong, but he wouldn’t come, only sending word that the young emperor was overly frightened and he needed to stay close for protection, telling Gao He not to worry—whatever strategy he chose, he would fully support it.

Gao He cursed loudly on the spot, knowing that Lan Rong, seeing things going badly and determined that he still wanted to fight, was now hiding behind the young emperor to avoid the storm, pushing everything onto him.

He could do that, but Gao He truly had no way out.

His expression was grim beyond measure. Consort Li was frantic with rage, her face showing panic as she harshly berated him for being useless, accomplishing nothing good but ruining everything.

“This was your idea! Ambush him on his way into the palace and kill him in one strike! Now look what’s happened! Are you trying to kill this old woman and His Majesty?”

A flash of murderous intent crossed Gao He’s eyes. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles made a series of cracking sounds. “At this point, there’s only one way left. The late emperor’s edict!”

At the court session, publicly announce the late emperor’s edict, then kill the man on the spot.

No matter what Shu Shenhui intended, for their side, since the blade had already been drawn, only naked steel remained.

That edict had always been their greatest source of confidence. It was a sword of supreme authority, even capable of overriding the current emperor. With this treasure, they possessed legitimate status and the initiative to strike at any time.

Consort Li gritted her teeth: “Agreed!”

Arranging personnel wasn’t a problem. Now, the biggest variable was the young emperor.

Thinking again of the young emperor’s reaction this morning, she was filled with regret: “It’s my fault for being careless initially, thinking too highly of him and giving him the late emperor’s edict—now it’s with him! You must come with this old woman immediately!”

Gao He silently cursed the old woman for her confusion, quickly making his decision. If the young emperor didn’t cooperate, he couldn’t blame him for taking it by force. Seeing Consort Li finish speaking and struggling to rise with the support of palace servants, gasping as she hurried toward the imperial quarters, he quickly followed. But just as they reached the palace entrance, his steps halted.

The young emperor had somehow already arrived, standing before the steps with Jia Xiu behind him. He wore a sword at his waist, his expression stern.

At that moment, another urgent drum sounded from the direction of Xuanzheng Hall. Behind the young emperor, the dawn light was already growing bright, casting a pale tint on his complexion, though his features revealed a cold, murderous aura. His gaze turned toward them, and Gao He felt several degrees of imperial majesty, causing him to shiver involuntarily and kneel in greeting.

Consort Li said, “Your Majesty comes at the perfect time! Things have reached this point—there’s no turning back. We must immediately produce the late emperor’s edict to deal with this!”

Gao He felt the young emperor’s gaze shift from Consort Li to himself, shivering again as he raised his body to explain: “Your Majesty! This has become a fight to the death—he can’t possibly pretend nothing happened. Even if he previously showed some false submission to Your Majesty, he will certainly strike in the future. Your Majesty is truly at a critical juncture—you cannot hesitate any longer!”

After speaking, seeing the youth staring at him, he had to lower his head and prostrate himself again. After a moment, just as he was feeling anxious, he heard a voice drift down from above: “All of you go attend court! At today’s court session, control your people. Whatever the Regent Prince says, do as he wishes—don’t argue anymore.”

Gao He instinctively straightened up: “Your Majesty! The daughter of the Jiang family, he wants to promote—”

“I told you to go to court and control your people. Didn’t you hear me?”

The young emperor suddenly raised his voice, harshly interrupting his words.

Gao He was startled.

“If not her, then you?” He snorted coldly again. “Whether she’s the most suitable person to lead this war, I know better than you! If troops haven’t been deployed, that’s one thing, but the war has progressed to this point. The entire nation’s resources have been expended, money spent, everything arranged—and now we should just stop? You people who are still calling for troop withdrawal and peace negotiations at this moment—I can’t help but suspect you’re either truly stupid enough to be blinded by a single leaf, or you’re deliberately trying to destroy our Great Wei!”

Gao He had never seen this youth display such an aggressive attitude. His heart grew weak, and he hurriedly kowtowed: “Your Majesty, please see clearly! This subject’s loyalty is unwavering, witnessed by the sun and the moon! It’s just that having received the late emperor’s dying command before, I worried he would use war to gain merit and harm Your Majesty—it was choosing the lesser of two evils!”

After speaking, he bowed his head again, not daring to look up. After a moment, besides Consort Li’s anxious urgings, he heard no more from the young emperor. Looking up again, he saw the youth gazing upward, his eyes fixed on something overhead, as if contemplating intently. He quietly turned to follow his gaze and discovered he was looking at a tall glazed roof ornament perched atop the palace roof.

From this angle, the ornament’s head seemed to pierce straight into the clouds, looking down upon the mortal world.

He didn’t understand the meaning for a moment and didn’t dare speak rashly. Seeing Jia Xiu staring at him, his heart grew restless. Unable to move carelessly, just as he was at a loss, he suddenly heard another voice.

“Have your people cooperate with Lan Rong to control the Imperial Guard and keep Chen Lun outside the palace.”

“After this morning’s court session, I will personally detain the Regent Prince.”

The youth spoke flatly, then turned and left, with Jia Xiu following closely.

Gao He came to his senses, his heart pounding wildly, then filled with wild joy.

He understood! This young emperor had finally made his decision!

Currently, the northern war has not yet shown results. With Shu Shenhui’s cunning, at this morning’s court session, in front of all the ministers, he couldn’t possibly turn against the young emperor and rebel. Unless he disregarded public opinion and openly revolted—but if that were the case, he wouldn’t need to painstakingly plan this northern campaign. Moreover, there was still Jia Xiu with the palace guards watching in the hall. This morning’s court session wouldn’t allow him to cause major trouble. Even if he wanted to retaliate, he would have to wait until after the session ended.

He was probably eager to push the daughter of the Jiang family into the position of commander, which was why he insisted on proceeding with the original plan to attend court.

For them, firmly controlling Chen Lun was the key to everything.

He wouldn’t expect that the young emperor was one step ahead of him. After today’s court session, when the officials dispersed, was the young emperor planning to execute him on the spot?

Gao He quickly dismissed this speculation. If he were the young emperor, he would only need to seize power, then imprison the man, keeping him alive to continue stabilizing the Yanmen army. After the war ended and military power was recovered, whether he lived or died would be just a matter of one sentence.

“This subject obeys your command!”

Gao He kowtowed toward the retreating figure, his heart finally at ease.

Shu Jian walked along the palace path toward the great hall, his steps feeling as if he were treading on clouds, incredibly unsteady.

This early morning, after returning from the southern gate to the imperial quarters, he was in a complete daze. When he heard the faint sound of court drums coming from the direction of Xuanzheng Hall, he only wanted to shut the palace doors tightly and never come out again, never having to face his third imperial uncle.

However, that terrifying sound of the court drums urging attendance refused to stop.

After receiving word from palace servants for the third time that the Regent Prince was waiting there with hundreds of officials for His Majesty to ascend the throne, he gradually came completely to his senses.

Things had reached this point—he could no longer escape.

This was a dead end he had to face directly.

If someone had told him before that such events would happen today, he would have scoffed. He would have said with firm conviction that if his third imperial uncle wanted the throne, he would be delighted to give it to him.

But now, he couldn’t do it.

He had no way to do it.

He didn’t even know how it had happened that he had come to this point.

He had personally given the order to move against the person he had originally trusted most.

Everything seemed so absurd, so unreal, like a nightmare.

The more he thought about it, the more he hated—hated his father, who wouldn’t leave him alone even in death, hated the living Consort Li, hated Gao He and Lan Rong, hated all those who had pushed him into this irredeemable abyss.

If not for them, everything would still be as it was before.

It was they who had conspired together to trap him in such a desperate situation, with no way back.

In the future, he would never spare these people.

Stopping on the palace path, Shu Jian raised his reddened eyes and gazed through the hanging pearls before his forehead at the majestic hall roof looming ahead in the morning light, thinking coldly in his heart.

Time flowed ceaselessly forward. Xuanzheng Hall gradually filled with dawn light, illuminating faces bearing various expressions.

The ministers were filled with doubt, but seeing the Regent Prince standing steadily at the front, his back calm, they could only suppress their emotions and wait with him.

Finally, when the sky was fully bright, Lan Rong first hurried into the hall. He lowered his head slightly and, under everyone’s gaze, quickly walked to his position, then kept his eyes down, motionless. Then came Gao He. Unlike Lan Rong, he strode with his head high, a faint smile on his face, nodding to those who turned to look at him. Passing by Lan Rong, the corner of his eye carried a hint of disdain as he glanced at him, finally stopping at his position.

A brief commotion arose in the hall. The figure standing at the very front seemed unaware, remaining perfectly still.

After another moment, suddenly from the depths of the hall came a long, loud announcement: “His Majesty arrives—”

Everyone looked up to see the young emperor enter the hall, led by ceremonial guards.

Shu Shenhui led the civil and military officials in kneeling to welcome him. The youth ascended the high platform, took his seat, and called for them to rise, saying in a low voice that he had felt unwell this morning and had only come after resting.

The officials all offered words of comfort to their ruler.

It was now the fourth quarter of the Mao hour.

Today’s court session had been delayed by a full half-hour. After beginning deliberations, initially, as everyone had expected, the Regent Prince requested the young emperor to reconsider the memorial from Jiang Zuwang that had caused a great uproar three days earlier.

He said: “The late emperor granted her the title of Changning for her achievements—was it because of whose daughter she was? She deeply understands the northern situation, has repeatedly achieved great merit, and is respected by her subordinate generals. With her abilities, she is fully capable of taking on this responsibility. This subject believes that besides her, no one else can competently fill this important position.”

The Worthy Prince immediately followed with his support. Fang Qing and others also expressed their positions one by one.

Then, those who hadn’t dared to speak discovered that Gao He, who had originally led the opposition three days ago, was now completely silent.

Since he didn’t speak, those who followed him naturally didn’t dare speak up on their own, only continuously glancing at him covertly. But today he seemed to have gone mute, showing no reaction whatsoever.

In many people’s eyes, Gao He’s opinion should represent the young emperor’s thoughts.

The matter was thus easily resolved.

Amid the court’s unanimous agreement, the Regent Prince’s proposal was approved.

Jiang Hanyuan would be appointed in this crisis, taking her father’s position and commanding the war currently taking place in the north.

Today’s court session’s primary matter was resolved so easily, without the expected confrontation.

After the discussion, Shu Shenhui said nothing more.

His face showed no joy or anger. He seemed to become invisible. As he fell silent, the atmosphere in the great hall suddenly became relaxed.

Other ministers then proceeded as usual, reporting various departmental matters and presenting memorials, waiting for the young emperor’s approval.

Thus, the court session entered its final phase.

Many who had been unable to sleep the night before, worried about being forced to choose sides today, felt as if granted amnesty, all secretly breathing sighs of relief. No one noticed that near an inconspicuous position by the hall entrance, Jia Xiu, wearing his sword, had quietly entered at some unknown time, standing there silently.

The final moment of court dismissal finally arrived.

“His Majesty declares, if there are no other matters to report today, court is dismissed—”

The palace attendant stood beside the high platform, again drawing out his announcement. As his words fell and the officials prepared to bow farewell to the young emperor, unexpectedly, the Regent Prince stepped forward again.

Everyone stopped and looked, seeing him bow to the young emperor on his throne, then straighten up.

“This subject has one more matter to report to Your Majesty.”

The great hall fell completely silent, with only the Regent Prince’s voice continuing: “Your Majesty should remember that last year, at the beginning of the year, on the night of this subject’s wedding, assassins attacked. Had fate not smiled upon me, allowing me to narrowly escape death, this subject would no longer be here. Now this subject has finally discovered who was behind the plot—”

He paused.

Like a stone stirring up a thousand waves.

No one had expected that near the end of today’s court session, he would suddenly bring up this matter that had gradually been forgotten.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed dramatically. After their surprise, people’s expressions varied. They watched him turn, his gaze slowly sweeping across faces. Everyone whose eyes touched felt their hearts jump with fear. They watched him look over those nearby one by one, his gaze stopping on Lan Rong’s face. Lan Rong’s complexion changed slightly, sweat gradually beading on his forehead. Suddenly, they saw him withdraw his gaze, turning toward another person nearby, saying: “The one who attempted to assassinate this subject was Minister of War Gao He.”

The young emperor suddenly moved, just rising from his seat but stopping in mid-air. He slowly sat back down. But at this moment, no one was paying attention to his reaction. Everyone in the great hall turned from Lan Rong to look at Gao He.

Gao He’s face initially changed color, but quickly he regained his composure, loudly proclaiming his innocence and requesting the young emperor to vindicate him. One of his usual loyal followers also spoke up: “Minister Gao has always been modest and virtuous, with well-established prestige. When Your Lordship was attacked that day, your desire to investigate the true culprit is only natural, but without evidence or proof, to make such accusations is hardly convincing!”

Shu Shenhui’s brow filled with murderous intent, his eyes like frost and lightning shooting toward the person who had just spoken, sternly saying: “What are you? Do you have the right to speak on this matter?”

For many years, he had been known for his gentle temperament and courtesy toward worthy men. Let alone toward court officials—even ordinary palace guards had never seen any arrogant attitude from him.

To harshly rebuke a minister with such commanding authority as he did now was truly unprecedented.

As his words fell, everyone was shocked beyond measure, and the vast hall became silent as death. The one he had scolded turned red and white by turns, no longer daring to speak, hastily kneeling and lowering his head.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This subject is wronged! Please let the Regent Prince produce evidence! If there is real proof, this subject will accept any punishment! If the Regent Prince cannot produce evidence, then it is the Regent Prince who is making false accusations—”

Gao He’s protests rang through the hall, but soon this voice also stopped. He and everyone else watched Shu Shenhui stride toward Jia Xiu, momentarily confused about his intentions.

Jia Xiu hadn’t expected such a turn of events near the end of the court.

His original orders were that after court dismissal, when the ministers were leaving, he would bring men to detain the Regent Prince.

This was something he had to do. He would complete it. He didn’t know why Prince Qi Shu Shenhui was walking toward him like this at this moment—what exactly did he want to do?

He stood in the corner of the great hall, watching him approach step by step, closer and closer. He couldn’t control his growing tension, his hand unconsciously and slowly rising inch by inch toward the long sword at his waist.

Just as he was about to grasp the sword hilt, he saw the Regent Prince stop before him, looking into his eyes with both eyes fixed on him, staring, then reaching out his hand.

In this split second, Jia Xiu suddenly understood, grasping his intention.

At this moment, his finger had touched the sword hilt, but grasped only air.

He felt the sword hanging at his waist suddenly lighten, looking down to discover the hilt was already gripped by the person opposite him.

Initially, bit by bit, inch by inch, the sword was drawn from its sheath. After just a few breaths, suddenly, accompanied by the clear, long sound of a sword being unsheathed, in the blink of an eye, the sword was in the other person’s hand.

Throughout this process, Jia Xiu had opportunities to stop it. However, under the gaze of the person opposite him, he couldn’t manage any reaction. When he came to his senses, he saw the Regent Prince had already taken the sword from his waist and was turning away.

No one had anticipated such a scene.

Everyone watched Shu Shenhui holding the sword with its azure blade flashing, his eyes suddenly gathering murderous intent as he strode toward Gao He. Though shocked beyond measure, no one dared to obstruct him, all stepping aside.

Gao He had originally been confident. Even when Shu Shenhui suddenly brought up last year’s assassination and targeted him, he wasn’t particularly worried.

He already knew the young emperor’s intentions. What could Shu Shenhui do to him?

But now, seeing his opponent approaching with murderous eyes and raised sword, after the shock, a chill ran through his entire body, and an extreme sense of panic quickly spread from the depths beneath his feet.

How could he have been so confused!

The person before him was Emperor Wu’s son!

Beneath his gentlemanly exterior, if his nature didn’t contain Emperor Wu’s domineering ruthlessness, how could he have eliminated Prince Gao and led the court to this point today?

At this moment, Gao He understood.

He had no intention of dealing with him afterward.

He was going to kill him directly in front of all the officials!

He was terrified. Acting on a military general’s survival instinct, he suddenly reached for his waist, but found nothing. Only then did he remember that he had no weapons at his side.

According to established practice, before entering the hall for court sessions, all ministers had to undergo strict inspection by palace officials, and no sharp objects were allowed on their persons.

“What do you want to do? In front of His Majesty, are you going to rebel?”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This subject requests dismissal from court!”

He kept retreating while loudly shouting toward the young emperor. But the great hall was already in chaos, with those around him only concerned with getting away, including the person who had just spoken in his defense. Several guards near the throne reacted, rushing toward the young emperor and surrounding him.

Shu Shenhui paid no attention to any of this, continuing his approach toward Gao He while sternly declaring: “This prince was personally appointed regent by the late emperor on his deathbed. You treacherous rebel dared to plot assassination against this prince! That would be bad enough, but you deceived the young lord, appearing to withdraw from court while secretly forming factions with ulterior motives. Most unforgivable of all, now that war has begun—this being a national war prepared since the reign of the Holy Martial Emperor—you still lead rebellions and bewitch people’s hearts. What are your intentions? A great traitor like you—what use is keeping you alive!”

Jia Xiu had by now brought the subordinates who had been hiding outside the hall, rushing forward.

Shu Shenhui suddenly stopped, turned his head, and shouted: “Who dares block me!”

His face was stern, his eyes commanding, and this fierce shout was like thunder exploding, its echoes reverberating in the four corners of the great hall.

Jia Xiu and the soldiers from the Imperial Guard were intimidated by him, suddenly stopping, with no one daring to advance. They watched helplessly as he approached Gao He with his sword.

Gao He’s scalp tingled. Forced into desperate rolling on the ground, relying on his military training, he barely managed to dodge. Immediately after, he leaped up from the ground, trying to rush toward the high platform where the young emperor sat, to seize a palace guard’s sword.

But the next moment, his path was blocked.

The sword point struck like a snake, pressing against his throat.

Gao He’s blood froze throughout his body. He suddenly looked up, meeting those cold eyes from across.

At this moment, facing Emperor Wu’s son so closely that he could even see the pattern and direction of bloodshot veins in his opponent’s eyes, he finally completely understood.

The person before him intended to use him as an example before everyone today, henceforth intimidating the court so no one would dare oppose him again.

However, he understood too late.

A deathly chill spread from his throat, where the sword point pressed, quickly throughout his entire body.

“Stop!”

Just as he was consumed by icy despair and falling into complete hopelessness, life returned!

A sharp shout reached his ears. With the corner of his eye, he saw Consort Li, supported by Empress Dowager Lan, rush into Xuanzheng Hall, eyes wide, shouting: “This palace has the late emperor’s edict! Prince Qi Shu Shenhui, borrowing the power of regency, deceives the young lord and intends to usurp the throne, betraying the late emperor’s deathbed trust—execute him! Come! Kill him—”

Consort Li’s screaming voice still rang in his ears. Gao He’s hope for life rekindled, but then he saw a flash of white light before him.

Except for a coolness at his neck, he felt nothing else. He felt his head seemed to wobble uncontrollably, and his two eyes discovered the world suddenly turned upside down, the ground rushing toward him.

The last trace of consciousness remaining in his brain made him feel himself crash heavily to the ground, then his vision was quickly covered by a thick red mist.

The head fell to the ground.

Shu Shenhui withdrew his sword.

With one stroke, he had beheaded Gao He, the current Minister of War.

Blood spurted from the neck of the still-standing body, splattering everywhere. Gao He’s body swayed several times, tilted, and finally fell to the ground. The severed head dropped onto the smooth floor of the great hall, rolling with a gurgling sound, dragging a long trail of blood before finally stopping at an official’s feet.

Everyone in the hall changed color. That unfortunate official turned as pale as the earth. Terrified beyond measure, he and those nearby suddenly retreated, their feet tangling with each other. Several people fell in a heap, all tumbling to the ground.

Empress Dowager Lan screamed and collapsed, fainting.

Consort Li, returning to her senses from the shock, wailed toward the young emperor: “Your Majesty! You saw it all! With the late emperor’s edict here, why don’t you order his death?”

Shu Shenhui slowly turned back. “You are the mistress of Dunyi Palace. Return to your harem for peaceful retirement.”

Consort Li raised her arm, pointing at him, her hand trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly, her body swayed, and she toppled headfirst to the ground.

Her obese body fell to the floor, foam slowly seeping from the corners of her mouth. She stared with venomous eyes at the sword-bearing figure ahead, struggling, her mouth opening and closing. But except for indistinct gurgling sounds, she could make no other noise.

Outside the hall, the sky burned with dawn clouds like fire and blood.

The red sun burst forth, its rays shooting in from beyond the hall entrance.

His face was stained with several drops of blood, his gaze sharp and filled with the momentum of an unsheathed blade.

No official in the hall dared meet his eyes, and people were kneeling everywhere. Not a sound remained in Xuanzheng Hall except for Consort Li’s unwilling gurgling that chilled one’s spine to hear.

With a “clang,” Shu Shenhui threw down the sword in his hand, took out a white cloth, wiped the filthy blood from his face, then turned toward the young emperor sitting like a stone statue in front, kneeling and saying: “This subject has alarmed Your Majesty. Allow this subject to request punishment afterward.”

He respectfully performed a kowtow, then rose, turned toward those behind him, and said: “Today’s business is finished. Court dismissed.”

His voice was calm. As his words fell, no one lingered.

People from the harem carried out Consort Li and Empress Dowager Lan.

The Worthy Prince, Fang Qing, including Lan Rong, everyone left silently, one after another.

Jia Xiu was the last to leave.

Seeing the young emperor show no reaction, he hesitated, picked up the blood-stained sword from the ground, ordered his subordinates to remove the corpse, and also withdrew.

Only Shu Shenhui and Shu Jian remained in this great hall, along with the sunlight filling the entire space.

Under the bright daylight, everything was completely exposed.

Countless particles of dust from this world floated and trembled in the light columns of the great hall.

Across the dust-filled light, Shu Shenhui gazed at the figure on the throne opposite him, saying: “Your Majesty, this morning when this subject waited here, do you know what this subject feared most?”

Shu Jian’s face twisted slightly. He stiffly, slowly raised his neck, looking toward this man standing across from him in the light.

“What this subject feared most was that Your Majesty would choose to escape, not daring to come here to see this subject.”

“Fortunately, Your Majesty came in the end, did what Your Majesty should do, and did not disappoint this subject.”

“This subject can now truly be at peace.”

He spoke word by word.