After hearing Duke Ding’s words, Meng Shiba said in a low voice: “When the seamstress entered the mansion, they had already captured the former Crown Prince, who was going to tour the outskirts of the capital. They dressed him in women’s clothing and are holding him at Prince Ruixiang’s mansion. According to Dafeng custom, the groom cannot see the bride two days before the ceremony, or else their marriage won’t last. Prince Ruixiang’s mansion has many of Your Lordship’s people. As long as Feng Yuan doesn’t personally go see the bride, he won’t notice anything amiss.”
Duke Ding smiled: “What about Meng Zhun’s side?”
“The young master personally interrogated and forced Meng Zhun to write a letter saying he was visiting a friend in a nearby village and would return before the wedding. After he wrote the letter, the young master killed them all with his own hands!”
Duke Ding narrowed his eyes: “Hanjiang’s actions are that ruthless?”
“The young master deeply despises these bandits. When Meng Zhun and his men accepted the amnesty, the young master was coerced by the Grand Prince and had no choice but to accept. Now, given this opportunity to wipe away his previous humiliation, how could he let them live?”
Duke Ding smiled. This child, raised by his side, had thoroughly learned his philosophy that revenge is a dish best served cold!
Wasn’t Feng Yuan always playing the game of bait and switch with him? How could he not counter with his move and open everyone’s eyes?
When the time came, the future Princess Consort of Ruixiang would turn out to be a man with an Adam’s apple—the deposed former Crown Prince. How magnificent would the Prince’s expression be before all the wedding guests?
Thinking of this, Duke Ding smiled more contentedly, gently wiping the long leaves of an orchid beside him with a damp cloth.
“Zhanxue, it’s not that I don’t cherish your child, but he truly doesn’t listen and needs to be taught a lesson about the price of ingratitude and breaking promises!”
Just as Meng Shiba had said, when Feng Yuan returned from his official duties that day and wanted to visit Xiaoying in the inner courtyard, he was stopped by the wedding mistress, who informed him of the taboo against seeing the bride for these two days.
Feng Yuan looked up somewhat helplessly and saw the lady on the embroidery tower using a round fan to cover her face, slowly waving at him before closing the window.
It seemed that even the most free-spirited lady had to follow wedding customs, fearing that seeing each other would affect their marital happiness, not daring to transgress.
So Feng Yuan could only wave toward the window before turning and striding away.
At this moment, inside Xiaoying’s embroidery tower, Feng Qiyuan was terrified, with tears streaming down his face. He turned slightly and asked the maid who had a dagger pressed against him: “I… I’ve done as you instructed, please… don’t kill me!”
The maid sneered: “If you obey, we won’t kill you!”
But Feng Qiyuan had already begun crying out loud: “But you want me to impersonate Yan Xiaoying and go through the ceremony with Feng Yuan… I… I don’t dare… he’ll kill me!”
The maid exchanged a glance with an old woman beside her and sneered again.
By then, Feng Yuan, having caused a royal scandal, would probably be unable to protect himself!
At this time, inside the imperial palace, Emperor Chunde held a memorial and asked Duke Ding: “Old Mu, what are you doing at Mount Xiao’an? Why are people impeaching you for unauthorized excavation near the ancestral temple’s feng shui?”
Duke Ding remained as gentle as usual, humbly saying: “Even if I were given the courage, I wouldn’t dare disturb the temple’s feng shui veins! It’s just that my father’s resting place is on Mount Xiao’an, and recently, rain caused a collapse that toppled the tombstone. I invited high monks to calculate an auspicious date, found craftsmen to repair and reinforce it, and am simultaneously building a family temple to move the Mu family’s ancestral tablets inside… I wonder if I have overstepped my bounds?”
Due to the Mu family’s contributions in supporting the previous emperor, the previous emperor had decreed that Mount Xiao’an, adjacent to the ancestral temple, be designated for the old Duke Ding’s burial, symbolizing the companionship between sovereign and minister.
Now that the Mu family was building an ancestral hall on their territory, there was nothing inappropriate about it. Those admonishing officials were just making trouble out of nothing. Hearing this explanation, Emperor Chunde asked no further questions.
During these two days, the capital had become extraordinarily lively with the news of the Grand Prince’s marriage.
According to royal custom, on the day of a prince’s wedding, His Majesty and the Empress would enter the imperial ancestral temple to pray for blessings for the newlyweds.
This was the duty of all Dafeng parents, even the Emperor.
However, the ritual officials from the Ministry of Rites had calculated the timing and found that because the Grand Prince’s birth hour leaned toward yang energy, praying at dawn would better harmonize the yin and yang.
Since Empress Tang was “seriously ill” and Feng Yuan’s birth mother had long passed away, Emperor Chunde rose early at dawn and went to the ancestral temple alone for the blessings.
Accompanying Emperor Chunde, apart from the Imperial Guards, were the newly promoted Sacred Robe Guards.
When Emperor Chunde entered the ancestral temple, he suddenly froze, because on the ancestral altar where numerous tablets should have stood, it was completely bare, with only one tablet remaining.
And the name on the tablet was “Glorious Female General Ye Zhanxue.”
Emperor Chunde’s expression changed as he shouted: “What is going on?”
He frowned and asked the Imperial Guard commander beside him: “Go find the ancestral temple’s ritual official immediately. Where have all the ancestral tablets of the Feng family gone?”
The Imperial Guard commander heard this and immediately turned to leave the hall. But before he could take a few steps, the buzzing sound of drawn bows and crossbows suddenly came from ahead, followed by several sharp arrows flying through the air, piercing the Imperial Guard commander’s forehead and chest.
Chaos erupted in the great hall. The other Imperial Guards quickly closed the hall doors, shielding His Majesty behind them.
Outside the hall, the Imperial Guards used bright torches to search for the assassins in the dim dawn light.
Just then, accompanied by the rising and falling buzzing sound, countless arrows seemed to be shot toward the great hall.
Some arrows had already pierced through the hall doors, shooting directly at the ancestral temple altar.
The thick arrows had shafts as thick as pigeon eggs.
Such powerful crossbows definitely couldn’t be shot by human strength alone.
Under this rain of arrows, the reinforcements hurrying to aid couldn’t approach the great hall.
Emperor Chunde, hiding under the incense table, frowned and shouted: “Why are there ambushers attacking the ancestral temple?”
Someone quickly determined the general direction of the arrows: “Your Majesty, the arrows are being shot down from Mount Xiao’an across from us!”
Mount Xiao’an? The same Mount Xiao’an where Duke Ding said he was repairing the Mu family ancestral temple?
Emperor Chunde’s heart sank. Looking up, he discovered that there was another person in the great hall—Duke Ding had somehow already appeared inside.
Duke Ding stood at a good angle, right behind an iron-clad wall pillar, completely shielded from the arrow rain coming through the hall doors.
Emperor Chunde, sprawled awkwardly on the ground, raised his head with difficulty and asked this most trusted childhood minister: “How are you here… Wasn’t the Mu family building an ancestral temple on Mount Xiao’an? Didn’t you discover anyone setting up mechanical crossbows on the mountaintop?”
Duke Ding stood straight and steady: “I didn’t personally oversee the construction on Mount Xiao’an, so I’m not very clear. However, Your Majesty, in this urgent moment when our lives are in danger, you should consider the stability of Dafeng’s realm. Perhaps write an edict appointing a successor. If I’m fortunate enough to survive, I will certainly announce Your Majesty’s edict to the world, allowing the realm to continue.”
These words had an obvious intent to force abdication!
A guard nearby glared and said, “Duke Ding! At such a critical moment, instead of thinking about escape, you ask His Majesty to write a succession edict. What are your intentions?”
Duke Ding continued to smile steadily, but with a wave of his hand, a chain-linked curved blade flew out, completely severing the man’s head. The head spun as it was carried away, and the curved blade was immediately pressed against Emperor Chunde’s throat. Everyone in the hall cried out in alarm, not daring to approach for fear that he would harm Emperor Chunde’s life.
If Emperor Chunde didn’t understand by now, his imperial machinations would have been studied in vain. With an ashen face, he said, “Mu Gan, how dare you? Sacred Robe Guards, capture him immediately!”
But the Sacred Robe Guards in the hall remained motionless, as if they hadn’t heard anyone speak.
Emperor Chunde was furious now, glaring: “Are you all deaf?”
Duke Ding laughed contemptuously: “Feng Qishu, you’ve been in a high position for too long. Do you know how much silver it takes to select and train an excellent secret guard? With the meager funds you allocated, how could you cultivate Sacred Robe Guards superior to the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards? The reason they previously served you so completely, helping you eliminate those you wanted removed, was because they were backed by the mountains of gold and silver from Xiaoyin Mountain Villa, as well as its vast intelligence network! Do you think they don’t know who their true master is?”
These shadow guards were all orphans, carefully selected by Duke Ding from the age of six or seven, centrally trained in martial arts and skills, then separately given families and reasonable identities, until they were “coincidentally” recruited one by one by His Majesty based on their outstanding abilities.
As for those not under his control who were coincidentally recruited by His Majesty, they all met with “accidents” while on missions and perished.
And the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards, after years of Duke Ding’s neglect and the foolish Princess Anqing’s management, had long withered away and lost their edge.
Even though Mu Hanjiang later tried to reform the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards, it was too late.
In such circumstances, of course, Emperor Chunde looked down on the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards, eliminating this elite force created by Ye Zhanxue and Xiao Jiumu, instead favoring the “Sacred Robe Guards” that he had carefully cultivated for years!
After all, who could have imagined that he would have patiently hidden his time, nurturing assassins for decades, just so they could slowly, imperceptibly gather around Emperor Chunde.
Emperor Chunde finally saw clearly what kind of evil intent the formerly unambitious, mild, and accommodating Duke Ding had been harboring.
He frowned, gritting his teeth: “I have always treated you well. Why would you do this…”
“Treated me well?” Duke Ding laughed as if he’d heard a joke, bursting into hearty laughter. “You viewed me as a close friend, so you forced that fool Xiao Yuyi on me? Making me sacrifice myself for your grand ambitions? Just because you wanted to win over Xiao Jiumu while monopolizing Ye Zhanxue’s intelligence. But if you married both like Emperor Shun’s two empresses, Ye Zhanxue would never have agreed! Weighing pros and cons, you chose Ye Zhanxue but had me marry the Xiao family’s daughter to secure the jianghu forces for you. Because I had always been without temper or ambition, among all your companions, you trusted me the most, so I had to sacrifice everything for the Feng family’s grand enterprise!”
As he spoke, Duke Ding’s eyes glowed blood red, giving his entire person a different, manic appearance.
It was many years later when he accidentally overheard a conversation between Princess Anqing and Emperor Chunde that he learned the scheme that had made Ye Zhanxue misunderstand his relationship with Xiao Yuyi had also involved Emperor Chunde’s machinations.
Just because Xiao Yuyi had taken a liking to his cultured and gentle self, he had been presented as a gift by his respected brother, given away freely.
Thereafter, he and Ye Zhanxue grew increasingly distant, creating a lifetime’s tragedy.
From the moment he learned the truth, Duke Ding had harbored hatred, hating these selfish wretches who had schemed against him.
Emperor Chunde had not expected Duke Ding to have endured for so many years, only to suddenly strike at such a moment.
He spoke with difficulty: “Anqing truly loved you. As her brother, of course, I wanted to help her…”
“Some brother you are! When you were having an affair with her, conceiving a child in secret, did you ever consider that she was your mother’s adopted daughter?”
At this point, Emperor Chunde’s ancient scandal was ruthlessly exposed by Duke Ding in the ancestral temple hall, before Ye Zhanxue’s tablet!
In the face of Duke Ding’s crazed gaze, Emperor Chunde finally retreated slightly, his presence diminished: “I and I… somehow… it was just a moment of drunken misconduct…”
Hearing this, Duke Ding gave a light laugh, with an expression suggesting he didn’t care to hear the explanation.
By now, the rain outside the hall had stopped. Duke Ding stepped out from behind the pillar and looked around. The imperial guards couldn’t approach the ancestral temple and had suffered many casualties from the arrow rain.
In the distance, a large contingent of troops was descending, preparing to encircle the remaining Imperial Guards.
Duke Ding knew the plan was proceeding smoothly and said cheerfully: “If you don’t write now, you won’t even have a final chance.”
As he spoke, he pressed the curved blade against Emperor Chunde’s neck again, creating a bloody mark.
That deft movement didn’t resemble someone who had been chronically ill. Emperor Chunde’s eyes widened, almost unable to breathe.
Duke Ding pushed him to the ground and threw down a piece of yellow imperial decree paper. Emperor Chunde coughed painfully and looked up to ask: “To whom does Your Lordship want me to pass the throne?”
Duke Ding smiled and said, “Second Prince, come out. Beg your Imperial Father to pass the throne to you, so you can have legitimacy!”
Only then did the Second Prince slowly emerge from the shadows of the great hall, his face showing both fear and strange excitement.
He was fearful because Duke Ding turned out to be the master of Xiaoyin Mountain Villa and had orchestrated such a grand scheme.
He was excited because Duke Ding was still honoring his promise to support him as the new emperor.
But Emperor Chunde’s intimidation had long been established, and the Second Prince didn’t dare approach, only standing at a distance.
When Emperor Chunde loudly cursed him as a rebellious son, worse than pigs and dogs, the resentment that had long lurked in Feng Qiting’s heart could no longer be suppressed and burst forth: “I may be a pig or dog, but what are you! My mother was wholeheartedly devoted to you. The Shang family exhausted their efforts to help you gain favor with the previous emperor, but what did that get us? My mother! The woman you once cherished above all was given a white silk cord to hang herself! Your son, I, is also dispensable in your eyes! Ask yourself, do you deserve to be called a loving father?”
“You… you…”
Just then, Mu Hanjiang suddenly entered the hall from outside and coldly asked: “Father, why do you want to support this fool to the throne? This is not what we initially agreed upon!”
Duke Ding smiled mildly, suddenly withdrawing his hand, seeming to realize something: “I forgot, Hanjiang is also of Feng Qishu’s bloodline, naturally qualified to be emperor. But with only one throne for the two of you to compete for… How about this? Whoever kills him becomes emperor. Isn’t that fair?”
At these words, even Feng Qiting was frightened, his eyebrows jumping as he couldn’t help but say: “You… you’re mad?”
Duke Ding, as if he had finally waited for this moment, relaxed his brow: “Throughout history, in imperial families, patricide and fratricide have always been common occurrences. Where in the world is there something that requires no effort? Second Prince, let’s see if you can compete with your brother!”
While Feng Qiting hesitated, Mu Hanjiang took a quick step forward and plunged his sword directly into Emperor Chunde’s chest.
As bubbling fresh blood emerged, Emperor Chunde looked at Mu Hanjiang in disbelief, while Mu Hanjiang leaned against Emperor Chunde’s neck, seemingly intimately bidding farewell to his biological father.
When Emperor Chunde finally slowly closed his eyes and collapsed with a thud, Mu Hanjiang turned to look at Duke Ding: “The Emperor didn’t write a succession edict. What should Father do next?”
Duke Ding hadn’t expected Mu Hanjiang to act so decisively. He couldn’t help but laugh joyfully.
This scene was something he had anticipated for a very long time. What could be more satisfying than seeing Feng Qishu die at the hands of his son?
But at that moment, the Second Prince’s sword came slashing diagonally. He had hesitated earlier and missed the opportunity to compete for the throne. How could he accept this? Since he hadn’t been able to kill his father, he would kill this bastard from nowhere! Then, Duke Ding would have no choice but to support him as emperor.
The vast hall had suddenly become a fighting pit for venomous insects, with familial affection and humanity disregarded, all to see which most poisonous bug would remain at the end!
Mu Hanjiang extended his leg and kicked the Second Prince down, then asked Duke Ding: “What? Do I still need to kill this worthless creature?”
Duke Ding looked at the cowering Second Prince and smiled lightly: “Why not? Emperor Chunde was killed in the ancestral temple by the Second Prince. You, to protect the Emperor, personally killed the regicidal Feng Qiting. Isn’t that legitimate?”
Since he was useless, there was no need to keep the Second Prince alive. As for the final heir to the throne, he had long ago selected the Seventh Prince, the son of the humble Consort Shun, who was not yet three years old, perfect to enthrone.
A forged edict imitating Emperor Chunde’s handwriting had already been prepared, waiting only for the assassins he had sent to slaughter the important ministers in the capital to return, and then it could be announced.
General Ye Zhong’s troops had been ordered back to the northern territories a month ago, following his suggestion to His Majesty through a memorial.
The general guarding the capital was close to him and trusted him implicitly.
Soon, he would leave this place, and the reinforcements that had been blocked by the arrow rain would rush in, just in time to witness this fresh, bloody scene.
His Majesty had just executed Consort Shang. The Second Prince, blinded by greed, had stabbed his father to usurp the throne, only to be killed by Mu Hanjiang, forming a perfect closed loop.
As Mu Hanjiang struck down the Second Prince, Duke Ding calmly turned and strode out, shouting: “Help! His Majesty has been murdered by the Second Prince! His Majesty has passed away!”
By now, dawn had fully broken. At Prince Ruixiang’s mansion, the ceremony to welcome the bride and perform the bows should have already begun.
He had specifically arranged for scholars from the Hanlin Academy and officials like Elder Teng to attend, and also arranged for Feng Qiyuan to be exposed during the ceremony.
The Grand Prince, being so depraved as to marry his brother! Such chaos would be enough for those old ministers to tear the roof off Prince Ruixiang’s mansion!
Such a Feng Yuan would disqualify him from court.
Even if he stepped forward to compete for the succession, it would be useless. Because those ministers who supported him, including Song Wen, had all been massacred with their entire families by the assassins he had sent out!
Feng Yuan would be like someone emerging from a desolate hall, entirely alone and unsupported!
Oh, and he would tell Feng Yuan, right to his face, that his beloved lady Ying had lost her chastity and become Mu Hanjiang’s plaything—just like his mother had been years ago!
After nurturing this poison for so long, not a single act of the Feng brothers destroying each other could be missed!