The hall fell into a deathly silence.
All the court officials stood frozen in place. Feng Suige’s eyes widened in shock, while Yi Xiao had to cover her mouth to stifle a gasp that nearly escaped her lips.
Eunuch.
Although they had prepared themselves, when that word struck them head-on, it felt like a harsh slap across the face in front of everyone. Their hands and feet turned cold, blood involuntarily rushed to their heads, and the gazes from all directions scorched them like burning coals, leaving them feeling utterly exposed.
It was the most terrifying nightmare of their lives.
“Hehe… Hahaha…” A cold, demonic laugh escaped the Holy Emperor’s lips, instantly transforming into arrogant laughter. “Xia Jingshi, don’t you find yourself pathetic? What’s the point of living like this? If I were you, I would have long ago found a place to end it all! Yet you’re still here, making a fool of yourself, hahaha…” Seeing everyone’s bewildered expressions, he continued brazenly, “I have always been merciful. If you kneel and beg for forgiveness now, I can pardon all your past crimes!”
The old Prime Minister, too shocked to speak, finally mumbled in disbelief, “Your Highness, what… what is going on?” Xia Jingshi remained silent.
Catching the Empress Dowager’s eye, a minister suddenly sprang forward and shouted, “Isn’t it obvious? The Prince of Zhennan could not continue the imperial bloodline, so the late emperor changed the heir apparent. Therefore, His Majesty is the true Son of Heaven!” This immediately caused an uproar, and the Golden Hall once again erupted into chaos. The dispute among the officials shifted from the authenticity of the imperial edict to Xia Jingshi’s right of succession. Some hot-tempered military generals had already begun pushing and shoving, threatening to escalate into a brawl.
The Empress Dowager coldly eyed Xia Jingshi’s gloomy face, a cruel smile playing on her lips.
Does it hurt? It must hurt terribly. Now that things have come to this if the Emperor can’t be spared, you won’t get your way either! Today, right here in this court, in front of all these people, I will crush your dignity to dust, ensuring you’ll never be able to recover!
Meeting the Empress Dowager’s challenging gaze, Xia Jingshi’s heart strangely calmed. Taking a deep breath, his voice remained firm and resolute, “So what if it’s true?” The arguing voices immediately diminished by half, and many turned to look in astonishment at the young prince who stood at the center of the storm.
“Indeed, so what if it’s true!” Feng Suige, who had released Yi Xiao’s hand, suddenly stepped forward. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he whispered something into the ear of the still-dazed old general, who nodded gratefully. As Feng Suige slowly retreated to his original position, he paused beside Xia Jingshi and smiled slightly, his voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, “Whether as an opponent or an ally, I hope that person is you—no need to thank me, I simply don’t want to see you lose to anyone else.”
As Feng Suige withdrew his hand and walked away, Yi Xiao bit down hard on her knuckles. Xia Jingshi’s expression and the pain in her hand reminded her that this was not a dream; everything was real.
In an instant, all the confusion bottled up in her chest vanished, replaced by overwhelming anguish.
How could this happen?!
Just as her heart was in turmoil, a pair of hands gently pulled her knuckles from between her teeth, softly caressing the deep teeth marks. She instinctively looked up, meeting Feng Suige’s warm eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll help him.”
Will he… help him?
Still, in a daze, a loud voice suddenly resonated throughout the hall, “This minister has a question—if what the Empress Dowager says is true, then why did the late emperor consistently groom His Highness as the heir apparent, only to change the edict just before his passing?!”
“The late emperor loved Concubine Xuan, so he intended to establish her son as the heir. Everyone knows that Xia Jingshi announced his renunciation of the position of heir apparent years ago. It’s not surprising that the late emperor modified the edict in response to this,” the Empress Dowager paused, then gave Xia Jingshi a malicious smile. “As for the reason, no one knows better than he does. If it weren’t for his inability to…”
“Silence!” Yi Xiao could bear it no longer and suddenly stood up, startling the Empress Dowager into retreating several steps.
“Yi Xiao,” Xia Jingshi called out to stop her, “Sit back down and just listen.”
Yi Xiao was stunned, and after a moment, she angrily sat back in her chair. Feng Suige patted her shoulder reassuringly, his eyes returning to Xia Jingshi, now filled with admiration.
“What the Empress Dowager says is true,” Xia Jingshi slowly began to speak amid silence. “It’s for this reason that I’ve given up many things I should have fought for over the years. Now, for me, the authenticity of the edict is not important. I don’t want to use avenging the late emperor and my mother as an excuse, nor do I want to elaborate on other reasons. You can call it rebellion if you wish,” his authoritative gaze slowly swept over the silent officials and the dumbfounded Holy Emperor and Empress Dowager. “This throne, I must have it!”
The Empress Dowager laughed coldly, “To achieve your goal, you’ve even thrown away your dignity!” “No,” Xia Jingshi replied, seeming relieved as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He lowered his head and let out a long breath, then looked up with a smile, “Actually, I want to thank you. Otherwise, I might never have known how selfish I was before.”
“Xia Jingshi,” the Holy Emperor suddenly spoke through gritted teeth, “If I hadn’t always wanted to destroy you with my own hands, you would have been dead long ago!” “If you want me to thank you, I will,” Xia Jingshi responded calmly. “But I will continue to investigate the deaths of my father and mother. You’d better pray for yourselves—Guardian General, you may choose the place of detention for these two prisoners. It will be hard on you until the truth is uncovered.”
The old general standing nearby smiled, “Your subject obeys the order!”
“It seems we have no more business here,” Feng Suige’s lips curled into a slight smile as he took the still-dazed Yi Xiao’s arm. “After you ascend the throne, you must bury Xi Yang according to the imperial consort’s rites—I’ll find a way to explain the cause of her death to my father, so don’t worry about that.”
Yi Xiao followed Feng Suige out in a daze. His hand held hers so firmly that her slightly wavering heart gradually steadied.
In the end, she didn’t look back.
Gesturing for the Cavalry General standing by the door to follow and escort them, Xia Jingshi finally looked toward their retreating figures. As the door closed, the last thing he saw was their clasped hands.
With the heavy thud of the hall doors, all light was once again shut out.
The past was gone.
In the carriage escorted by the Holy City’s cavalry of the Jinxiu Dynasty, Feng Suige held Yi Xiao tightly in his arms. After a long while, he sighed and said, “I want to say I’m sorry, but I can’t help feeling jealous.” Seeing Yi Xiao’s confused look as she raised her head, he continued in a low voice, “This… is the reason he refused to marry Xi Yang, isn’t it? And you were willing to die rather than reveal this secret for him.”
Yi Xiao was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly as she buried her head in his chest. “I thought you’d be elated that there’s nothing between His Highness and me…” Before she could finish, Feng Suige’s laughter rang out above her head. “You’ve seen right through me—Ouch, you dare bite me!”
Amidst their playful banter, Yi Xiao almost laughed to tears.
Yes, since this was a secret, let it vanish with the past like smoke in the wind.