The night seemed to be torn apart.

The clamor came in waves, now distant, now near.

Then the night seemed to congeal, like an omnipresent barrier blocking out the noise and chaos.

The Third Prince lifted his hood and asked the messenger in disbelief: “What did you say?”

The messenger was a cold-blooded assassin the Third Prince had cultivated for many years, but at this moment, his face was pale, as if he had been frightened.

“His Highness the Crown Prince,” he said again in a trembling voice, “is dead.”

The Crown Prince’s death was something the Third Prince had fantasized about countless times. Moreover, at this very moment, he was racing through the night precisely to send the Crown Prince to his death.

But—

“Who made the move?” the Third Prince asked urgently. “I haven’t given the order yet!”

“It wasn’t us. We didn’t make a move,” the messenger said hastily. “It seems to have been—an accident.”

An accident? The Third Prince was stunned again.

“We didn’t dare get close. Things suddenly erupted into chaos over there. Some went to mobilize the Capital Guard Camp, some came toward the capital. There were eunuchs, guards, and they arrested many people. Martial law was declared—”

“We took a risk and snuck in, captured a eunuch and questioned him. He said His Highness the Crown Prince was crushed to death lifting a cauldron.”

The messenger recounted how everything had happened so suddenly, so suddenly that they were caught completely off guard, at a loss for what to do.

Lifting a cauldron. The Third Prince and Uncle Zhao beside him exchanged glances.

Uncle Zhao suddenly laughed, his laughter growing louder and louder—

“His words became prophecy!” He laughed uproariously. “Your Highness, do you still remember what His Majesty said—that the Crown Prince was all brute strength, that he had raised a wastrel prince?”

The Third Prince said: “Of course I remember.”

More than remember—he had cursed more than once for the Crown Prince to die just like that wastrel prince.

Who would have thought that actually—

“Is this heaven’s will?” the Third Prince said, then also burst into unrestrained laughter.

This was heaven’s will!

Heaven wanted him to become Crown Prince!

This could only be called heaven’s will. Uncle Zhao couldn’t dispute it, but he asked cautiously: “Are we certain it’s true? Our people weren’t exposed, and the Crown Prince isn’t using misdirection?”

Though the Crown Prince was brutish, he wasn’t stupid. Moreover, there were so many devoted followers from the Yang and Xie families.

The Third Prince also calmed down.

The messenger’s expression was uncertain: “It shouldn’t be. The chaos at the hunting ground doesn’t seem fake, but—this subordinate didn’t personally see the Crown Prince’s corpse.”

The Third Prince and Minister Zhao exchanged glances.

What should they do? Take a gamble, hold their troops and observe the situation, or proceed with the plan and still attack—

Who would have thought that something with no choices suddenly had choices.

If they didn’t need to act as the villains and could naturally become Crown Prince, that would of course be best.

But once they bet wrong, there would be no second chance. Moreover, it would bring backlash—they would be the ones to die.

Minister Zhao made an immediate decision: “Kill!”

He looked toward the ink-black night ahead, his refined, scholarly face filled with cold menace.

“The Crown Prince must die. His son must die too. When cutting grass, eliminate the roots.”

The Third Prince made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded.

“That’s right. That little brat—Father Emperor treasures him immensely, brought him to study at such a young age. When I studied, Father Emperor would only laugh dismissively—” He smiled coldly. “If the Crown Prince is dead but this little thing remains, Father Emperor still won’t give me a second glance.”

With that, he pulled the hood over his head.

“At the hunting ground, aside from wild beasts, leave not a single living person!”

……

……

The sounds of slaughter set this part of the night ablaze, but ultimately a breach was torn open.

“They’re His Majesty’s eunuchs,” Minister Zhao said, returning at full gallop from the site of battle to the Third Prince who stood observing from high ground. “Going back to the palace to deliver news to His Majesty. They mobilized troops from the Capital Guard Camp as escort. Our side couldn’t intercept in time—they got through.”

The Third Prince’s expression was cold: “So what if they got through?”

He looked toward the direction of the capital.

“It’s so late—no need to disturb Father Emperor. His elderly body can’t withstand such repeated shocks.”

“Report once that the Crown Prince was crushed to death, then report again that the Crown Princess and young prince have died—how troublesome. Better to wait until everyone is dead, until dawn breaks, until His Majesty has slept well and is in good spirits, then learn all the bad news at once and suffer one shock. How much better.”

Minister Zhao laughed heartily: “Your Highness is filial and benevolent.” He looked toward the capital and instructed his men, “No need to pursue them. Even if they enter the capital, they’re as good as dead.”

If they dared act outside, naturally arrangements had already been made inside. The capital, the imperial palace—both were dead ends.

He raised his hand toward the hunting ground.

Tonight was the Crown Prince’s and his family’s day of death.

Tonight, the people at the hunting ground were the prey, while the Third Prince was the true hunter.

“Kill—”

……

……

When the sounds of slaughter reached inside, the Crown Princess still sat in the tent without moving, not even lifting her head.

“Your Highness—” The palace maid stumbled in, her hair disheveled. “Someone is attacking! Someone is attacking—”

The Crown Princess seemed not to hear, carefully wiping the Crown Prince’s face with a damp cloth.

The Crown Prince lay on the bed. His clothes had been changed—clean and tidy, he looked no different from usual. But half his face had been crushed, a bloody mess, grotesque and terrifying. No amount of wiping could clean it.

“This face needs to be arranged by the coroners,” the Crown Princess said.

The palace maid threw herself before the Crown Princess and clutched her legs: “Miss, please wake up! Wake up—something has happened!”

The Crown Princess looked down at the palace maid: “I’m quite awake. Of course I know something has happened.”

Her gaze fell on the Crown Prince again. She suddenly smiled slightly. This was probably the quietest time the Crown Prince had ever spent with her—no one to disturb them, and he wouldn’t sit briefly then rise and leave.

She had never expected such a day to come. Who would have thought it actually would?

She had also never imagined the Crown Prince would die. Who would have thought—the Crown Prince had actually died.

“Miss, the Crown Prince is already dead. You cannot come to harm too,” the palace maid said, rising to pull the Crown Princess along and dragging her away without allowing refusal. “Let’s go quickly! Let’s hurry!”

“We can’t escape,” the Crown Princess said, her expression sorrowful. “The Crown Prince just had his accident, and immediately people attacked. This is no coincidence—this was premeditated. They mean to eliminate the roots—”

“We can escape!” the palace maid shouted, clutching the Crown Princess’s arm and dragging her outside. “We can escape!”

The Crown Princess was pulled by her out of the tent. Outside, firelight was everywhere—crying, shouting, people running everywhere, and corpses everywhere—

Ahead, swords flashed. In the firelight, black clouds rolled from the horizon, pressing down from all directions with nowhere to escape.

“Save the Crown Princess! Save the Crown Princess!” the palace maid shouted. “Protect Her Highness! Protect Her Highness—”

But everyone was frantically fleeing for their lives. No one paid attention.

Protect Her Highness—the Crown Prince had already departed on a crane to the west. There was no Highness left to protect!

“Your Highness,” the palace maid said tearfully, turning back. “Don’t be afraid. Master Three—Master Three will surely come save you.”

Yanfang. A smile appeared on the Crown Princess’s calm face.

“Yes, don’t be afraid. Yanfang is still here,” she said. In the firelight, darkness, and chaos, her originally wooden eyes shone brightly. “I will not—”

She didn’t finish her words. In the firelight and darkness before her, cold gleams came whistling through the air.

The palace maid screamed and reached out to embrace the Crown Princess.

……

……

Streams of cold light pierced through the thick dark clouds. The dark night seemed momentarily torn apart.

The dark clouds scattered, but the next moment converged again.

“Protect the Third Prince!” Minister Zhao shouted sternly.

The Third Prince sat on horseback, his body stained with considerable blood. He had personally joined the killing—it felt truly satisfying. But just as they were about to kill their way into the hunting ground to burn and slaughter at will, they were split from behind.

“Damn it, who is that?” he cursed, raising his hand to wipe blood from his face.

Why did it feel like there were troops everywhere, front and back, killing everywhere?

He could barely tell who was killing whom anymore!

The front was chaotic with slaughter. The rear pressed closer and closer—so close that an arrow actually pierced through layers of troops and horses toward him. Fortunately, Uncle was constantly by his side. He reached out and pulled him aside, narrowly avoiding it. The arrow grazed past his face.

Uncle Zhao was shaken but his mind was exceptionally clear.

His gaze looked toward the rear, where a figure appeared in his line of sight.

“It’s Xie Yanfang,” he said.

That person rode a black horse with loose hair, wearing white clothes—to be precise, white undergarments, as if he had risen from sleep without even changing his clothes.

He held a crossbow in his hand, a long blade strapped to his back, shield and armor hanging from the black horse’s sides.

His clothes were disheveled, yet he was fully armed, killing his way out of the dark night.