The white snow gradually lessened but never stopped.

The entire mausoleum was hung with spirit banners and scattered with white paper, fluttering in the wind.

Guards all around had surrounded the entire mausoleum, keeping strict watch to guard against any contingency.

Emperor Qizhen and the numerous ministers stood before the memorial stele in the center of the mausoleum, solemn and dignified.

Before the memorial stele sat a large tripod cauldron. Inside the cauldron, heaven-reaching candles had already been lit. The scent of incense and candles permeated the surroundings. On tables on either side of the cauldron were arranged many items for the annual memorial ceremony, all complete.

Those monks sat cross-legged on both sides of the memorial stele, palms pressed together, fingering prayer beads, chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist prayers.

The ceremonial official handed Emperor Qizhen a stick of incense.

He received it with both hands and bowed toward the memorial stele before stepping forward to personally insert the incense into the great cauldron.

“Kneel!” The ceremonial official called out.

Everyone knelt and bowed in respect.

“Kneel!”

They bowed in respect.

“Kneel again.”

They bowed again.

“Rise.”

Everyone stood.

Zhang Quan brought the memorial texts and handed them to Emperor Qizhen. One by one, he threw them into the brazier before him. Ninety-nine memorial texts were burned to ashes.

An occasional gust of wind scattered a few particles of ash…

Suddenly!

“Ah!” Someone cried out loudly.

Looking toward the sound, they saw that the neck of Lord Zhang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had been pierced through by a sharp arrow, blood flowing out.

His eyes wide open, he clutched his neck with his hands and slowly fell to the ground, dying on the spot.

The surrounding officials created an uproar, scattering and retreating, panic-stricken.

“Protect His Majesty.”

All the guards rushed forward, protecting Emperor Qizhen and those officials in the middle.

Amid this chaos, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out.

“Ha ha.”

Eerie and chilling.

The monks stood up and walked to the front. The leader revealed a fierce and terrifying face—half his face burned to a sickening degree. Behind him, those monks also rose one after another, actively retreating behind him. Each one shed their merciful and compassionate appearance, revealing cruel and vicious countenances.

The guards held their swords, pointing directly at those monks.

Emperor Qizhen stared at the man in front, who seemed somewhat familiar. Thinking it over, wasn’t this the monk who came to deliver sutras to him yesterday?

“What? Your Majesty doesn’t recognize me?” Duke Yuguo asked.

This person…

Duke Yuguo’s face had been destroyed, one eye even melted by fire so that the eyelid was wrinkled into a mass. Moreover, fifteen years had already passed.

Emperor Qizhen frowned, carefully examining him. He just felt that the person’s eyes and brow were indeed somewhat familiar.

Who was it?

Thinking again, he was suddenly shocked, retreating several steps in succession.

“You are… Jing Li!” His voice trembled, unable to believe it.

“You’ve finally guessed.” Duke Yuguo stared at him, “Imperial brother, it’s been a long time.”

“It’s really you?”

Those ministers were also extremely shocked.

Duke Yuguo? Hadn’t he died long ago?

Facing those pairs of astonished eyes, Duke Yuguo felt immensely satisfied. He raised his head, exposing the scars on his face even more clearly, the hatred in his eyes even more intense.

He said, “Thank goodness I’m still alive. Otherwise, today, how could I seek revenge from you!”

Emperor Qizhen’s heart still hadn’t recovered from the shock, “What do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do? Back then, the over seventy lives in my household were all gifts from you. What do you think I want to do? I want to use your blood to make offerings to them.” His tone was fierce, wishing he could kill that person right now.

Emperor Qizhen pushed aside the guards in front of him and walked forward. Zhang Quan tried to pull him back but was pushed away.

“Jing Li, you should know the truth of what happened back then.” His tone carried a reminder.

Duke Yuguo smiled with dry, cracked lips, “The lives of dozens of people in my household were killed by you. The person whose hands are stained with blood… is you. Today is your death day. Rest assured, I won’t let you go alone. Those ministers of yours will also accompany you in death.”

Eh?

The court officials began to panic.

Emperor Qizhen: “Jing Li, back then I could kill you once. Today I can kill you again.”

“I’m afraid… Imperial brother, you don’t have that capability.”

Just as he finished speaking, a dagger was brought from behind and placed against his neck.

“Father Emperor, this son has offended you.” Prince Xian’s voice came by his ear.

Seeing this, the guards all pointed their swords at Prince Xian.

Zhang Quan stopped them: “Prince Xian, you mustn’t!”

Emperor Qizhen was very calm. Facing Prince Xian behind him, he asked, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“This son naturally knows.” He said, “This day, this son has waited fifteen years. Surviving precariously until now, I’ve finally waited for it.”

Through gritted teeth!

Duke Yuguo said, “Prince Xian, kill him and you can avenge your mother consort.”

Emperor Qizhen suddenly understood. So… it was for his mother consort.

“I should have thought of it earlier. You harbor hatred in your heart—how could you let it go?” “It’s not too late for you to think of it now.” Prince Xian’s blood-red eyes fell like knives on Emperor Qizhen’s face, saying, “You falsely accused my maternal uncle of treason and ordered my mother consort’s death. And if I hadn’t pretended to be ill, you might have killed me too. Tell me, should I forgive you? Or kill you? Father Emperor, I am your son! Yet back then you wanted to kill me, confining me in the palace all these years. Do you know how I spent those days? Every day and night, surviving precariously, just waiting for today, to obtain justice for my mother consort.”

“The truth of what happened back then isn’t what you think.”

“I saw it with my own eyes—how could it be false?”

Prince Xian raised the dagger a few inches. The sharp blade was just a fraction away from cutting Emperor Qizhen’s throat.

But even now, Emperor Qizhen wasn’t afraid, saying, “Prince Xian, I’ll give you one more chance.”

Bah!

“Father Emperor is now a man about to die—why give this son a chance?”

Just as Prince Xian finished speaking, a group of troops rushed out from the surroundings, surrounding those guards protecting Emperor Qizhen in the middle. Now even with wings, escape would be difficult.

“Father Emperor probably doesn’t know yet—when this son requested to go to Shaanxi, it wasn’t truly to suppress bandits. I went to assemble troops. My maternal uncle was formerly Minister Chen Siyin. Many former subordinates are all in the Shaanxi area. Look around you—these are all people of my Chen family!”

All people of my Chen family!

At this moment, Prince Xian was like a madman.

Zhang Quan suddenly knelt down, pleading, “Prince Xian, what happened back then wasn’t as you think. Don’t just listen to Duke Yuguo’s one-sided words.”

“The truth! The truth is my mother consort was poisoned to death by his order.”

“Your Highness…”

“Shut up.” Prince Xian roared angrily, his mouth close to Emperor Qizhen’s ear, “Father Emperor, this son has no way to turn back now.”

“What will killing me accomplish?”

“Killing you, I can ascend the throne.” His eyes held infinite desire, his tone low and rising, “I forgot to tell Father Emperor—just yesterday, because Jingrong’s prison break attempt failed, he was already… dealt with on the spot by this son’s men!”

Eh!

Emperor Qizhen was shocked, his body suddenly trembling.

“You… what did you say?” “This son said, Jingrong is already dead. If Father Emperor is still waiting for him to come rescue you, you’d better abandon that notion early.”