Yan Ze’s brows furrowed slightly at Yan Chi’s words. Today, their conversation hadn’t even touched on Li Mu Yun, yet clearly, Yan Chi already knew everything.
Seeing Yan Ze’s silence, Yan Chi’s eyes carried three more parts of coldness. “The Shen family was innocent. Why did Third Brother use them to test the sword?”
Hearing this, Yan Ze glanced at Yan Chi for an instant, then smiled, “Yan Chi, it’s not that I disregarded the Shen family’s lives. It’s just that Shen Yi learned things he shouldn’t have known. Do you think without Li Mu Yun’s memorial, Shen Yi wouldn’t have died? Whether it was the Shen family or the Jin Prince, from the moment they learned the secret, they were already dead men. Your indignation for the Shen family is useless if directed only at me. You should look at the person on that throne—the murderer stands there.”
“Is Third Brother positioning himself as righteous? Then what about those who died in Guanyin Town six years ago, and the souls of Ning Bu Yi’s subordinates this summer? These people had no connection to the royal family, and they knew nothing of His Majesty’s secret. Why did they deserve to die?”
Hearing Yan Chi’s words, Yan Ze’s smile suddenly deepened, as if hearing some joke. “Yan Chi, being with Qin Wan has taught you such rhetoric? It’s fine for Qin Wan to say these things, but hearing you say them only makes me laugh. Indeed, they had nothing to do with the royal family’s secrets, but they each carried sins. This world has too many injustices—since that’s the case, why not give up their lives for my use?”
In the room were only Yan Chi and Yan Ze. If others heard these words, they would hardly believe they came from Yan Ze’s mouth.
Yan Chi looked at Yan Ze. In his plain white wide-sleeved robe, his entire bearing was pure and refined like a banished immortal. Yet his words were those of a demon, not an immortal. Who would believe that such a person, keeping his thoughts deeply hidden, had a hand in the current chaos in the capital?
“Don’t look at me like that, Yan Chi. If human effort could accomplish it, why would I pin my hopes on heaven’s cycle of karma? Twenty years—His Majesty has been on the throne for twenty years. How many of those who died in the palace were souls claimed by his blade? Until Jin Consort’s death, only the tip of the iceberg was faintly revealed. His Majesty has worn the identity of Prince Luo for twenty years—does the truth of his identity still matter? The common people of Da Zhou only know their Emperor has ruled for twenty years, that he strives for good governance loves his people, worthy of being called a wise ruler. Da Zhou’s military power is in his hands, the entire court bows to him as subjects. He is Da Zhou’s true emperor. If not for those evil deeds, even letting him rule Da Zhou for twenty years would have been fine, but…”
A storm mixed with ice and snow brewed in Yan Ze’s eyes. “His dedication to governance is merely a show for the world. Only our fathers and mothers knew his ruthlessness and viciousness. We were too young before—opposing him was like an ant trying to shake a tree. But now it’s different. Yan Chi, you were born with a warrior’s spirit. Even without me saying it, you have your plans. You should know His Majesty has long harbored killing intent toward you, and now with the capital in chaos, it’s his best opportunity to strike!”
As Yan Ze spoke, his eyes grew increasingly bright, like sparks erupting from a dark swamp—bright, yet carrying a dangerous ability to devour people. Despite his air of righteous indignation, Yan Chi remained unmoved. The Third Brother before him was no longer the Third Brother he knew, and he had never been one to trust others easily. Even though Yan Ze now completely revealed the hatred and anger in his eyes, Yan Chi still instinctively felt an uncontrollable danger about Yan Ze.
“So, Third Brother still hasn’t said what you want to do.”
Seeing Yan Chi’s impassiveness, disappointment arose in Yan Ze’s eyes. His lips pressed slightly as he said, “The late Emperor passed the throne to Prince Luo, but His Majesty has been an impostor for many years. The Shen clan you mentioned, and the Jin Prince, even Jin Consort—they were all merely sacrifices to his ambition. From this, we can see that the royal bloodline must return to its rightful succession. Initially, I thought with the current Crown Prince firmly seated as heir apparent, he would surely inherit the throne, thus returning to the proper way. But now you know—His Majesty has no intention of letting the Crown Prince inherit the throne. All of Prince Luo’s descendants are merely his pawns to deceive people…”
“So Third Brother wants to help the Empress and Crown Prince?”
Yan Ze nodded. “The Empress has one hundred thousand Northern Garrison troops—she could indeed fight against His Majesty.”
Yan Chi’s brows furrowed tightly. “Cang Zhou has already fallen to the Northern Garrison. If they march south to wage war, the northern civilians will suffer. And His Majesty has already dispatched the Jin Zhou garrison to march north—this is only the first step. The Jian Zhou garrison and Yi Zhou garrison haven’t even received orders yet. How can one hundred thousand Northern Garrison troops possibly match them?”
Yan Ze’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re still too soft-hearted, Yan Chi. When Mother Consort and Aunt Princess died one after another, it was all because Mother Consort learned His Majesty’s secret while treating his illness, and then… Perhaps I don’t have your self-control. Now, I’ve decided to pull out the firewood from under the cauldron and fight with my back against the water. But you still have a way out—you have one hundred thousand Shuo Xi troops waiting for you. Once you reach Shuo Xi, you can leave behind all the grudges of the capital.”
Only at the mention of the Rui Princess Consort did Yan Chi’s eyes deepen. Yan Ze stood up and walked to the window. With his back to Yan Chi, his whole being emanated desolation. Losing his mother in childhood, then becoming blind—all these years of hatred and anger had accumulated in his heart, forging his deep scheming nature.
Looking at Yan Ze like this, Yan Chi suddenly understood something for a moment. He stood up. “I understand what Third Brother has said. The day after tomorrow is your brother’s wedding—I await Third Brother’s attendance.”
As the words fell, Yan Chi turned and walked out. After his footsteps disappeared, Yan Ze finally turned around.
He coldly watched the direction where Yan Chi had left, and after a moment, smiled slightly.