Chapter 558: I Won

In the secret chamber of the Hall of Nurturing the Heart, a faint aura of Xiao's murderous intent was pervading.

Xiao Yin drew a deep breath, lifted his eyes to the Emperor Longqing seated before him, a trace of cold, forest‑like chill flashing in his gaze: "Even now, you still don't know where you went wrong?"

Emperor Longqing sneered coldly: "I don't know! It's you, treacherous traitor. Let me ask you, where does your conscience rest?"

"Ha!" Xiao Yin couldn't help a bitter laugh, staring intently at the Emperor Longqing, slowly rising to face him: "My dear elder brother, do you still have any conscience left to speak of?"

"Back then your mother‑consort secured my favor, and you made me risk my life to cement your position. Xiao Yin has never uttered a single 'no'."

"I treated you as family; what did you treat me as?"

Xiao Yin let out a low growl, tore open his robe, exposing the snarling scar on his chest left from treating a gu poison.

Emperor Longqing paused, a flash of insecurity crossing his eyes for the first time, then resumed his cold, expressionless face.

"Heh! Blame yourself for being too foolish; even as royalty you still yearn for kinship? When it comes to family, am I not the emperor's child? Why does he see only you, just because the concubine who bore you was his favorite?"

"What did you say?" Xiao Yin's complexion shifted dramatically, stepping forward to stare at Emperor Longqing.

Emperor Longqing's eyes flashed with panic, then he sneered coldly: "Hmph! Serving people for pleasure won't last; you can't stay on the stage, so you'll inevitably be cast into the cold palace."

Xiao Yin's eyes slowly narrowed; regarding his birth mother, Empress Dowager Ning An had not spoken that way when he was young.

She only said his mother‑consort was a low‑rank palace maid who, after being occasionally favored by the emperor, bore a dragon heir; later that maid offended the holy visage, was sent to the cold palace, and died in childbirth there.

At that time, Consort Ning cared for his mother‑consort a great deal; the emperor pitied him and entrusted him to Consort Ning's upbringing.

Later he grew increasingly adorable, and the emperor often came to visit him.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yin suddenly drew a sharp breath.

He had never seen his birth mother; everything about her came solely from Empress Dowager Ning An.

Now Emperor Longqing let a slip, claiming his mother‑consort was the previous emperor's favored concubine—how could that be? Could there be another reason for her being sent to the cold palace and dying in childbirth?

Upon reflection, he recalled being raised beside Consort Ning, who also had her own son; each time the emperor entered the palace he liked to cradle him on his lap, his gaze dripping with indulgent affection.

Because he earned the emperor's favor, Consort Ning could gradually solidify her standing; regardless of other consorts' illustrious lineages, once they touched this little prince, they faced death or injury.

At that time Xiao Yin still believed that being the emperor's youngest and cutest child earned him support, even prompting the emperor to raise Consort Ning's rank.

Now it seemed that wasn't the whole story.

Xiao Yin stared coldly at Emperor Longqing and said: "I won't let you die!"

As soon as Xiao Yin finished speaking, Emperor Longqing was momentarily stunned.

Xiao Yin's lips curled into a dangerous arc, his expression making Emperor Longqing feel a hair rise on his scalp.

In truth, death is not always terrifying; what's frightening is a life worse than death!

"You… what are you going to do?"

Xiao Yin rose slowly and stepped toward Emperor Longqing, a flash of terror crossing the emperor's face.

Xiao Yin halted before him and bowed down slowly.

Emperor Longqing tried to flee but could not; his body was so frail that even rising from his chair was impossible.

Xiao Yin's gaze now held profound sympathy; he chuckled lightly and said slowly: "Your most cherished sons have all left you one by one; doesn't that feel awful?"

Emperor Longqing's complexion shifted dramatically; he hadn't expected things to go this far, and suddenly lifted his eyes to stare at Xiao Yin: "It's you! You're the one behind this, right? All because of you?"

Xiao Yin smiled: "Yes, I merely stirred the waters! But the ambitious, blood‑thirsty nature is the third's Achilles heel, the love for men is the sixth's life‑gate; a prince is just a title, loud as it sounds, merely a hollow shell! That's their destiny!"

"Your heart is so poisonous! I'll fight you!" Emperor Longqing went completely berserk, lunging at Xiao Yin, but Xiao Yin shoved him aside, sending him crashing heavily to the ground. 7k

Xiao Yin clutched his collar tightly, his gaze icy, each word deliberate: "They all deserve death; you, the tyrant, deserve it even more! I refuse to let you die; I want you to watch your own sons leave you one by one. Your realm will no longer be yours, but others'! You can only watch helplessly!"

"I want you to feel what it means for one's entrails to be torn, what it means for life to be worse than death. Seven years ago, after the battle in Qi Sha Gu, all the suffering you inflicted on me—I will return it to you piece by piece. You… endure it fully!"

After a night of blood‑soaked storms, at dawn the next day, those court officials cautiously emerged from the tightly besieged mansion.

Behind them marched the Imperial Guard, along with a contingent of Yulin Guard, each bearing a cold, ice‑like expression.

Some uninformed court officials, faces pallid, approached a familiar Imperial Guard lieutenant and whispered.

"Commander He? What on earth is happening?"

"We heard rumors from Tai Zi Fu that at midnight, a nobleman uncovered witchcraft artifacts within Tai Zi Fu?"

"We also heard of it; it is said the emperor summoned the crown prince that very night and immediately ordered his death."

"What? This… this…"

"Now the gentleman from the common folk has become the Regent Prince, reportedly backed single‑handedly by Prince Rui…"

"Shh! Silence! No more life?"

These imperial court officials, escorted by the Imperial Guard, slowly entered the palace city.

Although the palace city had been thoroughly cleansed, devoid of last night's blood‑soaked scent, these people could still faintly detect an unusual odor in the air.

Regardless of civil or military officials, today all must enter the palace to audience the emperor and to pay respects to the newly appointed Prince Bai Xiaosheng.

Zhao Lang finally entered the Eastern Simen Gate; as soon as he stepped out of the carriage, he saw Cheng Ming standing outside, apparently having waited for him a long while.

Cheng Ming could no longer hold back, grabbed Zhao Lang's arm and whispered: "I have something to ask you! Come with me!"

Zhao Lang wriggled free, laughing: "Two men tussling—what's the decorum? Whatever you have to say, say it later."

"Nonsense! What do you mean 'later'? If you wait, my lady will tear me apart alive!"

Cheng Ming let out a low roar, instantly causing the ministers ahead to turn their heads.

Zhao Lang cursed "brute", dragged Cheng Ming toward a shady tree, passed through the palace corridor, and stopped beside an abandoned palace.

"Are you insane? Can't you see who's in charge now?"

"How could I not know who's in charge? Isn't it that bastard Xiao Yin? What did he do to the Lin family?"

"Now the Lin family is sealed tight, no news at all. My lady almost lifted my heavenly spirit cover last night, demanding I lead troops to rescue them. What am I supposed to do?"