No wonder… She had been wondering how this little bastard and her mother, being helpless and without support, could have survived that great catastrophe back then just like herself, and even seemed to be living in luxury and honor—turns out she had climbed onto the Qi family’s high branch!

This little vixen truly lived up to being her mother’s daughter, with first-rate skills at deceiving men. Even that Second Young Master of the Qi family had been bewitched by her, and he was even willing to change her name and identity for her, stealing the very heavens!

No… it definitely wouldn’t be so simple… What kind of lowly thing was this little bastard? How could she connect with the Qi family on her own? It must be Shen Qian! That damned heartless man! He was helping his illegitimate daughter!

He didn’t care about herself, didn’t care about his properly wedded wife, didn’t care about his younger brother, and even when the Shen family fell, he didn’t mind! He only cared about saving his sweetheart and this little bastard born together with her!

Good! Very good!

Fu Zhen was extremely angry, while also feeling intense self-pity.

Her entire life had been absurd and lonely: born into a family that seemed prosperous but was heading toward decline, married to a husband who didn’t love her at all, living carelessly with a man who wasn’t sincere, and the children she bore both died…

She had nothing, not even a bit of warmth remaining in her heart.

Only desolation.

That little bastard… she and her mother had stolen all her husband’s love, and now had even caused the death of Shen Cheng, who had given her comfort… How could she tolerate this mother and daughter repeatedly taking away everything from her!

If this could be endured, what could not be!

For a moment, the Great Buddha Pavilion was filled with Buddha’s light, with Amitabha Buddha and the two bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta all showing compassionate faces, yet Fu Zhen’s face was covered with vicious hatred.

Twisted like an evil ghost.

The next day, Fourth Imperial Daughter-in-law Fu Rong heard this interesting news from her brother Fu Zhuo.

She had met with her brother originally to ask about how Third Young Master Qi’s private lending was going recently, but hadn’t expected such an unexpected delight.

Her aunt Fu Zhen was truly a useless person. Back then she couldn’t tie down the heart of Shen family patriarch Shen Qian, never gained even the slightest benefit for the Fu family, and only knew to beg the family for help when in trouble. Now she had found her enemy’s daughter, and though she was both hateful and angry, as a waste of a person she was powerless to resolve it herself, and in the end still had to ask the family to act.

Fortunately, this time she had finally hit upon the right point.

Fu Rong smiled gently, her eyes filled with endless joy and satisfaction: the blade she had been desperately seeking had finally appeared.

On the twelfth day of the eleventh month in the seventeenth year of Qinghua, the Battle of Jianshan Pass ended with Wei’s crushing defeat.

At that time, Liang forces had penetrated deep into the Central Plains heartland, and Wei forces had retreated to garrison at Jianshan Pass, with the Gu father and son leading the troops.

Wei forces were running short on provisions. Gu Juhan had originally intended to wait until the end of November when Liang forces transported supplies to intercept their grain, while simultaneously cutting their supply lines to seek victory. However, Northern Wei had suffered many defeats over the past half year, and the court was already quite dissatisfied. Moreover, the Zou clan had slandered them before the Wei Emperor, claiming the Gu family had cowardly hearts, that the old Duke was already in his twilight years as a general, and they intended to use this opportunity to gather Gu family military power.

The Wei Emperor believed the slander and ordered the Gu family to engage in battle before mid-November, or immediately replace the general. The old Duke had no choice but to command his only son to guard the rear while he personally led the main army to battle Liang forces on November twelfth.

Wei forces hastily engaged in battle and were strategically surrounded by Liang forces at Jianshan Pass, losing nearly one hundred thousand soldiers. The old Duke nearly became a prisoner, and at the critical moment Gu Juhan arrived with elite troops, risking nine deaths out of ten to forcibly rescue his father, yet was powerless to reverse Wei’s defeat.

This was Great Liang’s only major victory against Wei since the southern crossing. When news reached Jiangzuo, the entire nation was jubilant.

Yet at this time, Great Liang’s imperial palace was immersed in a tense and solemn atmosphere—the Liang Emperor was critically ill.

Actually speaking of it, this Majesty had already reigned for quite a long time, especially considering his body that had been consuming Five Stone Powder for years—he could truly be considered very long-lived. But with the Son of Heaven about to collapse, whether palace servants or court officials still had to put on expressions of sorrow and couldn’t appear too ordinary.

Since entering October, this Majesty had been bedridden with illness, confined to his sickbed daily, looking like he might expire at any moment. By the seventeenth day of November, His Majesty’s spirits reportedly suddenly improved, and he could even sit up from his bed.

While everyone competed to express joy, they secretly thought: The great matter would probably happen within these few days.

It was also on this night that the Liang Emperor saw several people for the last time. Besides several important court ministers, among all the imperial sons and daughters, he only saw his fourth son.

Xiao Ziheng.

That night the imperial bedchamber was bright as day. Outside the great hall, the imperial children knelt covering the ground. Su Ping emerged from the inner hall but only summoned Fourth Highness inside. The children kneeling outside the door immediately changed expressions, especially Third Highness, whose face became dark as water with veins bulging at his temples.

Fourth Highness seemed unaware, only responding to the summons very calmly, then slowly rising and walking into the great hall.

Jiangzuo architecture was mostly exquisite, and the imperial palace was even more resplendent with gold and jade. The Taiping Hall where the Liang Emperor resided could no longer be described as having carved beams and painted rafters—everywhere was luxurious. Unfortunately, the hall was now permeated with thick medicinal odors and an unmistakable aura of decay and death.

All of this came from his father—the bloated, aged, dying emperor currently leaning against the headboard.

Xiao Ziheng walked toward his imperial father, originally intending to kneel in salute, but was stopped by the Liang Emperor. His father’s eyes were especially bright tonight, as if burning the last of his life. Looking at him, he tremblingly extended his hand and said: “Fourth son… come.”

He wanted Xiao Ziheng to sit beside his bed.

How could one presume to sit on the Son of Heaven’s couch? Xiao Ziheng naturally declined, but his father smiled and said: “No need for such formality. Before long, this bedchamber will be yours…”

The Liang Emperor’s usually clouded old eyes now flashed with brilliance. This great position dispute that had been suspended since the former Crown Prince was deposed was settled so easily in his words.

At this time, Fourth Highness Xiao Ziheng’s expression was very calm. He simply sat down beside the Liang Emperor’s bed as instructed, seeming completely unsurprised.

Of course he wasn’t surprised.

The succession struggle was merely performed for outsiders and Third Highness to see. In reality, the Liang Emperor had long decided to pass the throne to his fourth son.

Jiangzuo was ultimately governed jointly by aristocratic families—it was impossible to have an emperor with no connection to the great families. Simplifying the complex, this throne had long been in Xiao Ziheng’s pocket. But these years the Liang Emperor had always pretended to favor his third son, planning for the future.

The Liang Emperor had been constrained by aristocratic families his entire life, unable to govern independently like a three-year-old child, simply because this court was controlled by aristocratic family members, with no place for humble families and common clans. He was the monarch yet couldn’t speak and act as he pleased, unable to unscrupulously promote and support common families, so he had to use his third son as a vanguard to charge into battle.

Xiao Zihuan was destined to be a sacrificial piece.

His birth was poor, and over the years he had offended too many nobles and aristocratic families in court. Even if he ascended to the throne, the great families wouldn’t let him last long. He was merely a target set up to take arrows for the future true king.

Xiao Zihuan’s purpose went far beyond this.

As long as there were two candidate heirs simultaneously, the Three Surnames would have to choose between them. The Han family was Xiao Ziheng’s maternal clan, so their position was naturally predetermined, and the Fu family was also one that sought profit and avoided harm—their allegiance to Xiao Ziheng was unsurprising.

The only variable was the Qi family.

That was a family too upright and too proud. This generation’s patriarch Qi Zhang was also an extremely haughty person who no longer valued so-called merit from supporting the dragon. But precisely because of this, he would cause the Qi family to gradually drift away from the other two surnames.

Meanwhile, the Liang Emperor continuously granted the Qi family more and more honors: three Second Grade or higher officials in one family was unprecedented in history; he deliberately bowed his head before Qi family members, even being courteous to a degree unbefitting a monarch; he let Qi Ying preside over the spring examinations at a young age, allowing Qi family power to expand to its peak…

What would the other two surnames think?

Aristocratic families weren’t monolithic—they also checked and balanced each other. The Qi family had already broken this balance, so they would inevitably face attacks from others.

This was the court, this was human nature.

Great Liang’s court had been controlled by aristocratic families for too long, but now everything was changing imperceptibly—four years ago the Liang Emperor had used disputes between aristocratic families to topple the Shen family, and now it was the Qi family’s turn.

These massive and greedy families would bite and devour each other until one side fell, all blood drained by the survivors, not even leaving corpses behind—how gratifying!

The Liang Emperor’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He grasped Xiao Ziheng’s hand, struggling to control his trembling, saying word by word: “Don’t be hasty, and don’t be soft-hearted… Let them all… accompany me in death…!”

Xiao Ziheng looked deeply at his imperial father, those usually dissolute peach blossom eyes now completely cold and sharp.

He answered deliberately: “Imperial Father, rest assured. This son will absolutely not let them have an easy time.”

The Liang Emperor gripped him even tighter, saying: “Not just the Qi family! Don’t trust your maternal clan or your in-laws either… they’re all, all… cough cough… blood-sucking leeches…”

The Liang Emperor coughed violently, his face growing increasingly dark—already a sign of impending death.

Xiao Ziheng looked at his father’s hands, already festered to bloody pulp, the sorrow and cold light in his eyes intensifying. He gently patted the Liang Emperor’s back to help him breathe, while responding: “This son understands…”

The great hall was freezing, extremely luxurious, with the aura of death as fierce as that winter’s bone-chilling cold.

At that time the Liang Emperor actually had much more to say. For instance, he wanted to tell his son that though the Qi family as head of the Three Surnames had to be killed, Qi Ying could be spared. He was someone with grand vision who was neither greedy nor contentious. When the Liang Emperor had originally given him the position of spring examination chief examiner, he had only wanted to increase the Qi family’s power and make them act superior to others, becoming intolerable to other aristocratic families, but hadn’t expected Qi Ying to ultimately make such a decision.

Though he was from an aristocratic family background, his upright character and far-reaching strategies truly commanded sincere respect.

Let him marry Ziyu—this way, even if the Qi family was reduced to ashes, he could preserve his life… Great Liang ultimately still needed such people…

However, at that time the Liang Emperor’s fate was sealed. These words didn’t have time to be spoken. He could only use his last bit of strength to grasp Xiao Ziheng, staring at him desperately, gasping: “Your third brother…”

Don’t kill your third brother.

He did compete with you, but he also cultivated humble families and common clans for you. Those people will be powerful supporters for you to reshape Great Liang’s court situation in the future.

I have already lost one son in this struggle and don’t want to lose another… So fourth son, consider it your father begging you—don’t kill your third brother.

These latter words the Liang Emperor no longer had strength to speak aloud, but his meaning was so clear—how could Xiao Ziheng not understand?

He didn’t immediately respond, only slowly helped the Liang Emperor lie down, then looked down at his father whose breathing was becoming increasingly difficult, saying with deep meaning: “Imperial Father, this son will not kill Boren.”

I won’t kill Boren, but Boren will die because of me.

After his succession, even if Prince Duan wouldn’t actively rebel, it was hard to guarantee no one would use Prince Duan’s name to create court chaos.

The court situation was already extremely dangerous—he absolutely couldn’t permit any accidents.

The Liang Emperor understood his fourth son’s meaning, so those old eyes became clouded again.

His breathing grew ever fainter, the sorrow in his eyes deeper, finally transforming into a helpless light laugh.

This emperor’s final words in life were: “Good… Perhaps precisely because of this, you can go further than I ever did…”

After speaking, he closed his eyes.

On the night of the seventeenth day of the eleventh month in the seventeenth year of Qinghua, the Liang Emperor passed away.

On the nineteenth of the same month, Fourth Imperial Son Xiao Ziheng ascended the throne, changing the following year to the first year of Jiahe.

On the first day of the twelfth month in the final year of Qinghua, Prince Duan Xiao Zihuan was drinking with friends at night. After becoming drunk, he fell from his horse and died.

Author’s Notes:

There’s still some distance before the explosion—hurry up and enjoy the sweetness.