“What makes you certain?”

Pei Xiao bit his lip, feeling he must play devil’s advocate.

“Just based on one piece ‘High Mountains, Flowing Water’?”

“Based on Third Master saying you’ve long suspected a mastermind behind Prince Han.”

Yan Sanhe looked at Xie Zhifei. “What was Prince Han like before?”

Xie Zhifei crossed his arms, thinking. “Brave and skilled in battle, yes, but not so resourceful. According to Huairen, previously the Crown Prince could easily contend with him.”

“Meaning…”

Yan Sanhe: “Previously Prince Han’s power and ambition didn’t quite match. Later he gained scheming and calculation—this should be the mastermind’s achievement.”

Xie Zhifei nodded. “Correct.”

Yan Sanhe: “In other words, Dong Chengfeng fostered his ambition and ability to seize power?”

Xie Zhifei: “Right!”

Yan Sanhe: “So what is Prince Han like now?”

Xie Zhifei thought of his near-death escape and said through gritted teeth:

“Arrogant beyond measure, overbearing and tyrannical, ruthless in action—like a dog that bites anyone blocking his path, no matter what.”

“Who made him this way? A prince wanting to seize power shouldn’t act like the former Prince Zhao—low-profile, making no ripples, waiting for the right moment to strike fatally?”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze fell on Pei Xiao.

“The Emperor’s favoritism is one factor. Is there another possibility—that Dong Chengfeng guided and provoked him day after day?”

Pei Xiao held a palmful of sweat, nodding dazedly.

“If this reason still doesn’t convince you, there’s another matter we should consider deeply.”

Yan Sanhe: “Why did Prince Han suddenly lose favor overnight?”

This question stumped both Xie Zhifei and Young Master Pei.

Prince Han’s loss of favor was inexplicable. No matter who they were, they couldn’t discover the real reason.

Both Huairen and he found it incomprehensible—His Majesty had favored him for so many years. How could he abandon him so decisively?

“No summons, no entering the capital”—this basically severed father-son affection!

“If I haven’t guessed wrong, Dong Chengfeng played a significant role in this.”

Yan Sanhe slightly pressed her lips together, lowering her voice to minimum.

“And the reason Dong Chengfeng made Prince Han lose favor, judging from the current situation, his real purpose should be to incite Prince Han to rebel and force the palace.”

What?

Rebel?

Every pore on everyone’s body opened wide. Cold sweat suddenly poured from foreheads, palms, and backs.

Prince Han dreamed of claiming that position. Now fallen from favor, how could he accept it?

Once His Majesty passed away and the Crown Prince ascended, his good days would end.

He’d always been high and mighty—he’d never let himself experience falling from clouds to valley floor.

At this moment, if someone dared fan the flames and blow wind from the sidelines, Prince Han, for his obsession, for his children and grandchildren’s futures, would certainly take action.

“Look…”

Yan Sanhe said quietly, “Prince Han’s current situation—isn’t it very similar to the former Crown Prince’s situation then?”

More than similar—they were identical!

Identically besieged on all sides!

“This is Dong Chengfeng’s revenge for the former Crown Prince.”

Yan Sanhe laughed coldly. “He wants the entire affair repeated!”

The hour of the rat had passed. The villa’s night grew very quiet—so quiet everyone could hear their own heartbeats in their chests.

Thump;

Thump;

Thump;

One after another, rapid and heavy.

“Smack—”

At this moment, the door was pushed open from outside.

Huangqi poked his head in. “Miss Yan, Second Master from the Zhu residence has arrived.”

Before Yan Sanhe could speak, Zhu Yuanmo’s expression changed slightly. “Where is he?”

“Elder Brother!”

Zhu Yuanzhao entered the study, saying in a low voice, “Half an hour ago, a star fell in the northwest direction.”

“What?”

Zhu Yuanmo’s expression changed dramatically.

The northwest position, trigram position Qian, represented Heaven.

That meant…

Visibly, Zhu Yuanmo’s face not only paled but showed an expression of near-terrified shock, as if witnessing something extremely frightening.

“Elder Brother Zhu?”

“…”

Xie Zhifei extended his hand, pushing him. “Elder Brother Zhu, what’s wrong?”

Zhu Yuanmo’s teeth chattered uncontrollably. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth: “Heaven shows an omen.”

Pei Xiao said dismissively, “It’s just a falling star.”

Zhu Yuanmo didn’t look at Pei Xiao but stared directly into Xie Zhifei’s pupils.

“This celestial phenomenon portends that within three months, an important dignitary in the imperial family will die.”

Everything came too suddenly. Xie Zhifei’s mind went completely blank, ears buzzing.

Just moments before, they’d deduced that under Dong Xiao’s instigation, Prince Han might rebel and force the palace;

Moments later, celestial phenomena portended a dignitary’s death;

Wasn’t this equivalent to telling them Prince Han really would rebel and force the palace, committing patricide to ascend?

Xie Zhifei murmured, “Yan Sanhe, you’ve predicted everything correctly. He, he’s really going to rebel!”

“Who’s going to rebel?”

Zhu Yuanmo’s gaze shot like blades toward Zhu Yuanzhao, frightening him into quickly covering his mouth.

“Then, then… what do we do now?”

Pei Xiao immediately tensed. “No, we must immediately inform His Majesty…”

Before finishing, Yan Sanhe grabbed his lapels. “If we inform His Majesty now, what about Dong Xiao?”

“…”

Right—what about Dong Xiao?

Once he fell into His Majesty’s hands, they couldn’t even see him. In the end, only a dead end awaited—how could they resolve the heart demon?

“Then, then… do we just let them rebel?”

Pei Xiao’s rows of teeth chattered up and down, his legs soft as cotton. “No way. If they really kill His Majesty, then, then, then…”

Yan Sanhe released him, her expression severe. “To resolve the heart demon, to save the Zhu family, we temporarily cannot reveal the celestial phenomena.”

Cannot reveal?

Pei Xiao looked up at Xie Zhifei behind Yan Sanhe, feeling as if he’d fallen into an ice cave, his entire body trembling with cold.

“Xie Wushi, say something.”

Say what?

Xie Zhifei’s hands clenched tightly into fists. For a long time he couldn’t speak a single word.

Zhu Yuanzhao at the side was extremely clever. His heart vaguely formed some speculation, yet he didn’t dare confirm, saying anxiously:

“Elder Brother, is the person who’ll rebel Prince Han?”

By now Zhu Yuanmo’s face was deathly pale. “Dong Xiao is the former Crown Prince’s man. He wants to incite Prince Han to rebel and avenge the former Crown Prince.”

My heavens!

Zhu Yuanzhao felt his heart pounding like drums. He staggered to a chair and slumped down, his face alternating between green and white, changing drastically.

“Everyone steady yourselves. Let me think carefully.”

Yan Sanhe took a deep breath, sat back in the grand master chair, her gaze fixed on the green stone bricks before her, motionless.

But how could they steady themselves?

Even Zhu Yuanmo’s lips trembled. “Miss Yan, this involves dynastic change—it’s so huge it’s pierced heaven itself.”

Yan Sanhe’s face showed no expression as she coldly countered, “So what?”

“…”

Zhu Yuanmo choked.

“Dong Xiao is the key figure in resolving the heart demon. The difficulty we now face is…”

Yan Sanhe took a deep breath. “Without alerting anyone, protecting Dong Xiao and neutralizing Prince Han’s rebellion.”

“Miss Yan, some things can be neutralized, some cannot.”

Zhu Yuanmo’s eyes went blank. “The celestial phenomena have manifested. That person will certainly die.”

There’s such a saying?

This time, even Yan Sanhe was stunned.

—