That hand came down sharp and swift!

The black mask fell completely away, and the first thing that filled Ziqing’s vision was a splash of blood red, blazing crimson like fire, blooming wildly against this man’s strong, resolute lips!

This face—right there before her eyes, and yet it seemed to drift away, growing more and more distant, as if fading into a pool of blood.

This face—the one she had dreamed of seeing, longed to see clearly. This face—how could it be so, so familiar? Handsome enough to provoke both gods and men alike, an air of noble dignity, a coldness that seemed entirely natural to him, those icy eyes, that high, straight nose bridge, those thin, ruthless lips!

For a moment, Ziqing’s mind went completely blank. In her daze, she truly, for a moment, couldn’t recognize who this was.

Who was this?

Could someone tell her who this really was? The man she had just plunged a dagger straight into the heart of—who was he!

This was the owner of the very dagger she now clutched tightly in her hand.

This was the man she had, without even realizing it, come to love down to her very bones, yet had no choice but to flee from.

This was the man she had, just moments ago, been quietly thinking of.

Jun Beiyue!

How could it be him?

The man in black was him—the man who, in that boundless darkness, had devoured her like a wild beast, consuming her entirely—it had been him!

“No…”

Finally, the words tore from Ziqing’s throat. Her small hand recoiled in panic, shaking her head over and over, instinctively stepping back!

But then, thick mouthfuls of blood came gushing straight from Jun Beiyue’s mouth, and the sight instantly stopped her in her tracks, throwing her into complete panic and disarray, uncontrollably shaking her head, shaking her head!

She couldn’t accept this!

Everyone in the hall, without exception, was struck dumb with shock—even Consort Yi and the Second Prince, who had already harbored their suspicions, were utterly unable to recover their composure.

No one knew how long they stood frozen like that, how long time itself seemed to have stopped in that hall.

Not until Situ Haonan cried out in panic, “Physician Gu!”

Only then did everyone finally snap back to reality, forced to accept the truth!

The murderer was Jun Beiyue. Han Ziqing had, all along, truly been only his woman—never touched by another!

No wonder—no wonder a man so fastidious, so obsessively particular, would marry a woman like her.

But why had he kept it hidden all this time!

If only he’d spoken up sooner, none of this would have happened!

Why had he concealed it until now, only revealing himself once pushed to this very extreme?

If Han Ziqing’s blade hadn’t struck him down just now, would he still never have revealed his true identity?

Amid everyone’s shock, Consort Yi and Jun Beichen exchanged a glance, both thrown into panic. Where was the aphrodisiac now?

That day, Jun Beiyue had been afflicted with the seductive incense—an affliction with no cure, one that could only be endlessly passed on from person to person, destined to end only in death. Where was it now, at this very moment?

If not for Jun Beiyue’s fastidious nature, why would Consort Yi have gone through so much trouble to obtain that seductive incense, specifically to force him to break his vow of chastity?

She had already planted the purest, most carefully selected girl within Prince Yao’s mansion, intending to carry out an assassination at the height of their intimacy!

How many people in this world wanted this man dead!

They had exhausted every scheme without the slightest opportunity—the moment most likely to succeed in assassinating him would surely be during a moment of intimacy in bed.

They had been searching all along for anyone who might have died from the seductive incense, growing suspicious about the House of National Beauty incident, tracking it all the way to the Chen family, questioning young master Chen himself—yet never could they have imagined that the truth would turn out to be this!

Judging by the timeline, Jun Beiyue’s seductive incense could only have been transferred into Han Ziqing’s body!

But any woman he had touched—how could he possibly allow her to remain easily accessible? How could he possibly let anyone else touch her?

Looking at it now, a woman so deeply favored—how could he possibly allow anyone else to covet her!

It was entirely possible the seductive incense still remained within Han Ziqing’s body!

“Why would he conceal this until now!” Consort Yi blurted out, unable to hold back. Just as she was about to say more, the Second Prince hastily clamped a hand over her mouth!

This matter must never be spread!

If they could obtain seductive incense, they would surely understand this particular aphrodisiac all too well—if Han Ziqing had truly survived exposure to the seductive incense, her origins would be well worth investigating!

And Jun Beiyue’s concealment of this matter until now suddenly made perfect sense!

Just as everyone stood in shock, Jun Beiyao suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood. “Prince Yao, you dared to frame an innocent man, showing utter disregard for human life!”

Anyone with eyes could see that Jun Beiyue was gravely wounded!

If not now, when else would be the moment to turn the tables and accuse him?

If they could just capture Jun Beiyue, who among his troops wouldn’t obediently submit?

The moment Jun Beiyao spoke these words, Emperor Tianhui immediately snapped back to full alertness!

He shot up at once, furious, scolding repeatedly, “Old Four, how dare you—do you take everyone here for fools? You’ve played every single one of us for a fool! The Court of Judicial Review has invested so much manpower and resources investigating this case, determined to give the Chen family an answer, to give the people of Da Zhou an answer, to thoroughly clear Han Ziqing’s name of suspicion. And this is how you repay it? As an imperial prince, as a prince of this realm, not only did you fail to set an example, you knowingly broke the law, framing young master Chen, showing utter disregard for human life! Do you think this is worthy of my trust, worthy of the trust of the people of Da Zhou?”

“Indeed, Prince Yao, you’ve disappointed us all so terribly!” Consort Yi immediately chimed in.

The Second Prince hastened to agree as well. “Old Four, you’ve gone too far. Toying with the princess consort for your own amusement is one thing, but you actually killed an innocent man, young master Chen! Don’t you know—when the emperor breaks the law, he is judged the same as any commoner!”

At once, a chorus of accusations rose up. Amid the barrage of condemnation, Ziqing still shook her head, her panicked eyes never leaving Jun Beiyue’s frozen, smiling gaze. Jun Beiyue too stood frozen, staring back at her panicked expression, though his deep eyes clearly could no longer hold back the repeated blinking, slowly blinking, as if they might close at any moment—close for good.

Aside from the signs of an impending faint, he showed no other reaction at all. If not for Situ Haonan supporting him, having sealed off all the major acupoints across his body, this man would surely have already collapsed to the ground.

Situ Haonan could clearly feel the man trembling, unable to hold himself steady, his entire body terrifyingly cold.

A blade straight through the heart—this was the most fatal of wounds!

“Physician Gu! Someone, quickly find a physician, Physician Gu!”

Situ Haonan shouted in panic, but no one moved.

“Someone, seize both Prince Yao and the princess consort!” Jun Beiyao suddenly overstepped his authority, barking the order sharply!

At once, an entire room of guards surged forward. Situ Haonan, brow furrowed, could only shield Jun Beiyue, with no way to also protect Han Ziqing.

Fortunately, these guards turned out to be entirely Jun Beiyue’s own men, and they immediately surrounded the pair, forming a protective circle around them.

“Watch over the princess consort. Let’s go, find Physician Gu, now!” Situ Haonan decided at once, knowing full well Jun Beiyue’s injury wouldn’t hold out much longer!

But just as they were about to move, a wave of violence surged in through the main gate—rows of guards poured in like a collapsing mountain, arrows raining down, striking the ground right at their feet!

“You think you can just leave? Not so easily!” Emperor Tianhui roared furiously, standing tall, pointing directly at the gravely wounded Jun Beiyue. “Seize Prince Yao and the princess consort! If they step foot through that gate, kill them without mercy!”

With that, he turned a cold glare toward Situ Haonan, saying coldly, “Nephew Situ, this is a matter of the imperial family. You’d best not interfere, lest it damage our good relations.”

If it meant killing Jun Beiyue, reclaiming the military power in his hands, he was willing to risk offending Situ City itself.

“Emperor Tianhui, who do you think you are! Situ City has only ever maintained good relations with Prince Yao’s mansion! This young master will absolutely be taking this couple with him today, no matter what!” Situ Haonan said coldly.

But Jun Beiyao and Jun Beichen immediately leapt down from their seats, and at once, every prince present except the Tenth Prince surged forward as well, closing in from all sides! Every faction that had been lying in wait outside the gates for so long now poured in as well.

They had been waiting for this very moment for a very, very long time.

“Situ Haonan, this prince would very much like to see just how capable you are, saving two people all by yourself!” Jun Beiyao snorted coldly, drawing his sword and advancing straight toward the still-dazed Ziqing, as every prince present surged forward at once, converging their attack on Jun Beiyue!