Han Feichi saw too clearly, so from the moment his uncle conceived treasonous thoughts, he tried to dissuade him. However, Han Shouyue was stubborn and autocratic, completely unwilling to listen to his advice. Having no other option, he turned to persuade his own father.

His father had already been tormented by the political situation until his mind was troubled. When he heard his words, he fell silent as if in meditation. After a long time, he let out a long sigh and said to him, “Zhongheng… that is your uncle.”

Brotherly affection, connected by blood.

Han Feichi knew his father was the clan patriarch. People in their position always valued family and bloodline above all else. Therefore, he knew he could definitely persuade him.

He said, “Father, if the Han family doesn’t cut off its own arm, what awaits our clan in the future will be great calamity and historical condemnation. Would Father truly destroy the entire Han clan for Uncle’s branch?”

This single question shook Han Shousong to his core.

His mind was disturbed, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he questioned Han Feichi further: “Cut off an arm? How to cut? Your uncle is determined to rebel, with military power in his hands—who can stop him? Or do you want the Han family to submit to the Son of Heaven? Betray your uncle? Don’t you understand what kind of person Xiao Ziheng is? Would he spare us because we submit?”

Question after question, as panicked as standing at a cliff’s edge.

And Han Feichi answered his father thus:

“We cannot make this decision,” he said meaningfully, “but someone can.”

Second Brother can.

Second Brother had profound strategies, decisive judgment in destruction and reconstruction, courage to face death before rebirth, and an all-encompassing heart—he could surely make everything safe and sound, and could surely embrace the Han family after eliminating Uncle’s branch.

Cutting off an arm to save themselves… this was the Han family’s only way out now.

His father inevitably felt anxious after hearing this, appearing incredulous, but Han Feichi knew he had listened and believed that only Qi Ying could stabilize everything.

From then on, Han Feichi drew closer to Qi Ying—this time not only because of their private friendship, but also for the family and the greater good.

The Han family had imperceptibly become Qi Ying’s support.

But Qi Ying was a very cautious person. Especially after experiencing so many upheavals over the years, he was even more unwilling to trust others easily. He always guarded against the Han family. Even with Han Feichi, he wasn’t completely trusting. He would tell him part of his plans but wouldn’t let him know everything, and mostly wouldn’t delegate when making calculations and arrangements.

Han Feichi’s purpose in accompanying Qi Ying north for the marriage alliance was initially only to use family intelligence to help Second Brother avoid assassination. Unexpectedly, he later received a letter from Second Brother containing only eight characters: “Must take Huozhou, keep righteousness in heart.”

He understood Second Brother’s meaning… he wanted him to go to Huozhou to secure Uncle Han Shouzheng’s troops!

Second Brother finally trusted him!

Han Feichi was overjoyed, never suspecting that the letter he received was actually written by Shen Xiling. He quickly went secretly to Huozhou to persuade his uncle.

Han Shouzheng already had private grievances with Han Shouyue and knew the family’s position didn’t align with Han Shouyue’s. So it didn’t take long for Han Feichi to persuade him. Today he came to Xiaoshan’s aid under the banner of clearing the court of treacherous ministers, resulting in the current situation.

In the blink of an eye, the remnant soldiers around Han Shouyue had been completely slaughtered. He and his son Han Feicong were covered in blood, already captured and bound by Han Shouzheng personally.

He pressed his brother and nephew to the ground, then knelt before the Son of Heaven to report: “Your subjects were late in rescuing Your Majesty! Please forgive our crime!”

Inside the palace hall, little Crown Prince Xiao Yizhao was still peering through the door crack. Seeing the situation outside reverse, he couldn’t help but jump for joy, clapping his hands and turning excitedly to his mother: “Mother! We’re saved! We’re saved!”

He was so happy that despite his young age, facing such dramatic life-and-death peril, his emotions inevitably fluctuated. He knew Father Emperor wouldn’t die, and he and Mother wouldn’t be captured by those soldiers with swords. This was wonderful!

But he discovered… Mother’s expression grew even more somber.

More gloomy than before.

Even harboring deep fear in her eyes.

She stared fixedly in one direction with such a terrible expression that Xiao Yizhao felt extremely uneasy. He stopped laughing and clapping, standing stunned as he turned to look through the door crack in the direction Mother was watching.

Outside, almost everyone had knelt down.

But the Left Minister hadn’t knelt.

Beside the Left Minister, his little uncle also hadn’t knelt.

…They hadn’t bowed to Father Emperor.

He was shocked, not understanding why they wouldn’t kneel. Father Emperor was their sovereign, their heaven—they should bow and kowtow to Father Emperor. Yet they stood there, the Left Minister even expressionless.

Xiao Yizhao had seen this Left Minister when very young. He knew he had always been very respectful to Father Emperor, doing whatever Father Emperor said, never disobeying.

But why wouldn’t he kneel now?

Xiao Yizhao was puzzled, then saw an even more shocking scene…

General Pei Jian, who had been guarding Father Emperor’s side, suddenly placed his sword at Father Emperor’s throat.

“Snap.”

Mother’s fingernail broke.

Blood flowed down.

Dripping onto Xiao Yizhao’s hand.

Like a tear of blood.

The commotion outside continued.

With Pei Jian’s sword at his throat, Xiao Ziheng’s expression was extremely cold and stern, yet he didn’t turn to look at Pei Jian behind him, only raising his eyes toward Qi Ying in the distance.

He stood there, at the boundary between firelight and shadow, appearing somewhat indistinct, his expression as calm as a windless lake surface, vast and solemn.

Almost no different from his youth.

Thinking about it, this was truly the case. Qi Jingchen seemed to be someone who never changed. From childhood, he had his own principles in his heart, with set rules for what to do and what not to do.

Back then, their teacher taught them the Four Books and Five Classics, the words of sages. Everyone understood clearly in class, but few persisted in practicing it all afterward—strictly speaking, almost none. For instance, the former Third Prince Xiao Zihuan, and Xiao Ziheng himself.

Only Qi Ying still walked the original path—protecting the mountains and rivers, sheltering the people, doing things useful to the state.

These words were easy to say but hard to do, like implementing new policies, promoting the humble-born, deciding on northern expeditions—everything was difficult. Where was the difficulty? In breaking barriers, in perseverance, and most difficultly, in maintaining one’s original heart.

…He was someone who could maintain his original heart.

At this moment, watching him, Xiao Ziheng again felt that familiar bitter feeling rise in his heart—he knew it was jealousy.

He had been jealous of him since childhood, only in youth this jealousy was shallow—jealous of his intelligence, jealous of his attracting attention, jealous of the power the Qi family wielded. Only in recent years did he gradually understand these weren’t the essence—he was jealous of him simply because he knew clearly in his heart that he could never be like him.

Even if he could write essays as beautiful as his, even if he could make everyone praise him, even if he could sit on the throne and achieve countless accomplishments, he still couldn’t compare to him. From the moment jealousy arose in his heart, he had already lost.

He could never defeat him in this lifetime.

Five years ago, he finally found ways to drag the Qi family into the mire. Afterward, he used various methods to torment and exploit Qi Ying. He watched him kneel at his feet, feeling both satisfaction and pain in his heart. Even knowing it was false victory, he could still derive false satisfaction from it.

Now, with cold blade at his throat, those false victories all shattered. He knew… he seemed to be approaching a destined ending.

But he wouldn’t show weakness at this moment. Before him were countless ministers, behind him his wife and son—he couldn’t fall like this. Therefore, he didn’t bow to the blade but continued staring straight at Qi Ying, asking somewhat mockingly: “What does beloved minister mean by this?”

Everyone was watching this scene of sovereign and subject facing each other.

All waiting to see how that world-famous powerful minister would answer his monarch’s question.

Of course, everyone already understood what was about to happen. They were silently witnessing the arrival of an earth-shaking moment.

At that time, Qi Ying didn’t answer anything. He simply walked slowly toward Xiao Ziheng with Han Feichi’s support.

He seemed still ill, pale and much thinner, yet his manner appeared unhurried. Walking over corpses and blood, he had a transcendent quality, as if here yet not here.

He stopped a few steps from Xiao Ziheng, his gaze passing over him to the palace hall behind, his eyes seeming to penetrate that thick palace door to see Xiao Yizhao cowering and trembling inside. He said lightly to Xiao Ziheng: “After Your Majesty abdicates, this subject will wholeheartedly assist the Crown Prince. Everything in Jiangzuo will remain as before.”

“I will spend my entire life as a Liang subject.”

His words were very light, his tone extremely calm, as if merely critiquing calligraphy and painting or commenting on how pleasant tonight’s breeze and moonlight were. Yet the meaning was weighty, like thunder exploding in everyone’s ears, leaving them unable to calm down for a long time.

What did the Left Minister mean?

He opposed His Majesty with weapons, surely harboring treasonous thoughts like General Han. His demanding His Majesty’s abdication was reasonable… but he said he would assist the Crown Prince and remain a Liang subject forever? What did this mean?

Could it be he didn’t intend to change dynasties? Would continue being a subject?

While everyone was shocked and uncertain, Xiao Ziheng burst into loud laughter. Now that weapons had ceased, it was perfectly quiet, making his laughter especially harsh, echoing in the mountains like deafening thunder.

“Good, what a Second Young Master Qi, what a famous Jiangzuo minister!” he mocked with loud laughter. “Even rebellion and treason done so properly and beautifully—what, you remain a Liang subject forever, and We should be eternally grateful?”

“You are far too greedy,” the Son of Heaven raged. “You want to seize this supremely wealthy and magnificent kingdom, yet keep your reputation for benefiting the world spotless. Qi Jingchen, how can there be such cheap deals in this world?”

His questioning cut to the bone.

“We tell you!” Xiao Ziheng’s crazed expression looked especially fierce in firelight and darkness. “Treacherous ministers and traitors will surely die badly! You think you can sit steadily on the throne? You’ll die by others’ hands and be ridiculed by the world, condemned by historians for thousands of generations! Never able to turn over!”

Each word scattered with the wind, piercing every inch of Xiaoshan’s earth. The former romantic and dissolute Fourth Prince, later the supremely noble new sovereign of Great Liang, now like a fierce ghost, frantically leaving his final curse.

Even if I die, I’ll drag you down into the abyss with me.

Author’s Note: Xiao Ziheng: “Next, please watch me perform an incompetent rage for everyone.”