Chapter 944: They All Died

Xiao Ze's face darkened.

The Masked Man leaned against the Dragon Throne, his tone oddly leisurely: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you think I truly believe you're dead?"

"Although my men went to Mount Tai to verify," he shook his head slightly, "since death without a body, how could I truly believe it?"

Xiao Ze stared at him, saying nothing.

The Masked Man let out a soft laugh: "But whether you're still alive, what does that matter?"

He lifted his gaze: "As long as the Emperor passes away, that is enough."

Xiao Ze's pupils contracted sharply.

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Er's hands instantly clenched their sword hilts, and Lu Qi's iron lotus rested on his fingertip.

"You! What did you do to the Father Emperor?" Xiao Ze's face turned ashen, each word forced through his teeth.

The Masked Man smiled: "Since the body cannot be found, the Emperor's illness may not be real either."

He raised his eyes toward the sleeping hall: "I have long ordered someone to slip Zhenwei poison into the Emperor's medicine."

"By calculation, he can endure at most two or three more days."

Xiao Ze clenched his teeth and lifted his foot, intending to stride toward the sleeping hall.

With a single glance from the Masked Man, the soldiers surged forward, encircling the four of them.

The Masked Man raised his hand, lightly patting his chest: "When His Majesty passes, this edict alone will suffice."

His eyes brimmed with amusement: "The Xuanwu Guard largely went to Mount Tai; ninety percent are not in the Palace. The Imperial Guard has been completely withdrawn outside the Palace by the Ministry of War."

"Now within this Palace, only my three thousand iron cavalry remain."

"Come!" he raised his hand and gave a light wave.

Outside the doors came countless footsteps, the clatter of armor merging into a din.

More soldiers poured in, instantly sealing the study so tightly that not a breath could pass.

The Masked Man looked out the window: "Your martial arts are all quite good."

He paused: "Unfortunately, two fists cannot match four hands. If I wished to kill you all, what difficulty would there be?"

"Hahaha…" he suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly.

The four exchanged glances, each feeling a slight shiver in their hearts.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." The Masked Man stilled his laughter, turned his head back to Xiao Ze, "Your return now truly does me a great favor."

Xiao Ze's eyes flickered.

The Masked Man continued: "After your death, I will inform the world myself."

"The Crown Prince performed the Heavenly Sacrifice on behalf of His Majesty, feigned a fall off a cliff, yet not only survived, but had already hidden sword and armor, leading troops back to the capital to pressure the palace."

"He intended to assassinate father and emperor, seize the throne. Unfortunately, overreaching, he was beheaded before the throne."

"But His Majesty was wounded by you; in his grief the wound proved fatal, and he sadly passed away."

"How can you create something from nothing and invert right and wrong?" Xiao Er could not help rebuking.

"Creating from nothing? Hahaha…" the Masked Man said with disdain, "A hundred years ago, was there a Loyal and Righteous Elder like you in this world?"

"Aren't you also creating something from nothing?"

The few of them were instantly stunned; what twisted reasoning was that?

"Xiao San," he looked at Xiao Ningxun, "you aid Zhou in tyranny; the Ning Prince's Mansion will inevitably be punished for it."

Xiao Ningxun's complexion changed.

He then turned to Xiao Er and Lu Qi, his voice steady: "Loyal and Righteous Elder, you have only recently married Miss Song; can you bear to let her become a widow for you?"

"General Lu, your wife has just become pregnant; would you be willing for the child to be born without a father?"

"Ah, I forgot," he shook his head regretfully, "if it were a common crime, the disaster might not reach wife and children, but a treasonous crime is different; it would implicate the whole family."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi's faces turned somewhat pale.

The Masked Man looked at them: "If you now abandon darkness for light, it's still not too late."

"If it's too late," he leaned forward slightly, "then you may all follow the Crown Prince."

"Abandon darkness for light?" Xiao Ze scoffed, "You, a villain who dares not show your true face, claim to be the light?"

The Masked Man's voice grew solemn: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, you think I am plotting to usurp the throne?" He shook his head, "You are mistaken."

"All I have ever sought is a world without war, where the people live in peace and prosperity."

He patted the armrest of the Dragon Throne: "As for who will sit on this chair, what does it matter?"

"Whether it is the Emperor of the Fiery State or the Emperor of Da Xia, or Western Lu Great Han… they are merely chess pieces on the board."

"Nonsense!" Xiao Ze sneered, "You treat emperors as chess pieces? Then what are you?"

The Masked Man looked at him: "I am the one who moves the pieces."

He raised his hand, pointing to the massive map of the realm on the wall: "Look at this world—three kingdoms stand in balance, wars each year, flames of battle every year."

"Soldiers are buried in the yellow sands, the people are displaced. Today you trespass my lands, tomorrow I seize your city; this back‑and‑forth brings never a peaceful day."

"How many lives has this divided‑rule situation claimed?"

Xiao Ze said gravely, "So what? You intend to plunge the court into chaos? Won't that spark even greater war?"

"War?" the Masked Man chuckled lightly, "No, what I seek is the complete end of war."

"When the world is divided, war is inevitable; when united, peace prevails—that is the Way of Heaven! Only when the world is unified can the swords truly be laid down!"

"Everything I have done is in accordance with the Way of Heaven!"

Xiao Er and Lu Qi furrowed their brows at the words.

Xiao Ningxun opened coldly, "So your Way of Heaven is merely an excuse to sow chaos in the world?"

The Masked Man looked at him, his gaze oddly gentle: "Xiao San, your wit surpasses others, but alas, you are trapped by the words 'Loyal and Righteous.'"

"Your father was the same; he always said 'protecting those before you is benevolence.'" He shook his head slightly, "But true benevolence in this world is achieved by exchanging countless white bones for ten thousand years of peace!"

His voice rose gradually: "The crops the common folk sowed today may be trampled flat by iron cavalry tomorrow."

"They give birth to children, yet do not know whether they will live to adulthood."

"Throughout their lives, they spend every day in fear and unease."

His gaze was compassionate: "I want them to never have to worry or fear again, for the children to grow up safely, and for everyone to have no worries about food and clothing."

"For that, I don't mind my hands being stained with fresh blood."

Xiao Er clenched the knife hilt: "Another madman like Cheng Jing!"

"Cheng Jing…" The Masked Man's eyes showed a hint of sorrow, "He willingly gave his life for my great undertaking; truly a death befitting him."

"Great undertaking?" Xiao Ningxun felt a jolt in her heart: "Are you also of the Yoming Summit?"

The Masked Man admitted: "Yoming Summit was created single‑handed by me; I am the Summit Sovereign!"

"Cheng Jing's suicide was only to make you think that Yoming Summit had perished."

"So it was you!" Xiao Ningxun's eyes flared with anger: "You had Cheng Jing cast a gu spell on my parents, caused Tuan Tuan to encounter danger several times, and even poisoned Wang Mingrui… all of it was done by you!"

"All that talk of conforming to the Heavenly Dao, of ending conflict through battle, is all…"

He suddenly recalled something: "What relation are you to Da Xia's former Emperor Gongsun Chi?"

"I heard him say those two sentences with his own mouth at the Border Pass."

"Gongsun Chi…" The Masked Man looked out the window again, "When he was young he became my disciple and received several years of my careful instruction."

"Unfortunately, I let him initiate the Border Pass Great War, and he was defeated at the hands of Prince Ning."

"What?" Xiao Er and Lu Qi exclaimed together, "You had him start the Border Pass Great War?"

"Not only that." The Masked Man's voice was unruffled, "The leakage of the Nine‑Star Repeating Crossbow was also caused by me ordering someone to take it from the discarded components in the Private Goods Workshop."

"While the Emperor led a personal campaign, it was I who let King Chen and King Qing join forces to occupy Jingcheng."

"What a pity…" He shook his head, "They all were defeated."

Xiao Ze understood fully: "So, the fiery kingdom now shines like the midday sun, and you just want to control the court!"

Xiao Er suddenly raised his knife, the tip pointing at the Masked Man, tears welling in his eyes: "So, Fang Qing, Li Lao‑San and the others…" His voice choked, "…all died because of you!"

"Second Uncle, what are you saying?" Tuan Tuan's surprised shout rang through the hall, "Uncle Fang and Uncle Li, they all died?"