Chapter 177

It was like a terrifying, evil dragon on the verge of erupting; once it erupted, it would surely leave him without a place to be buried.

"Swish, swish, swish—"

The tip of Ying Zheng's brush made a rustling sound as he wrote; apart from this, the only other sound in the entire palace was the thumping of Zhao Mingqu's heart.

Zhao Mingqu lay prone on the ground, the immense pressure and fear causing cold sweat to surge uncontrollably from his body.

After a moment,

he felt as though his entire body was soaked through, the sweat leaving his spine icy cold.

This feeling was unbearable!

The entire great hall was deathly silent,

and Zhao Mingqu did not dare to make a single sound at this moment,

he could only kneel on the ground,

waiting for Ying Zheng to finish reviewing his imperial memorial.

This feeling was extremely agonizing and uncomfortable...

After a long while,

just as Zhao Mingqu felt his mind was about to collapse, Ying Zheng spoke while continuing to review the memorials.

"I..."

"I really don't want to kill you..."

His voice sounded very calm, like the water in an ancient well, without a single ripple.

However,

listening to this voice,

Zhao Mingqu, who was lying on the ground,

felt his pupils contract violently, and his face instantly turned pale!

"Your Majesty..."

Zhao Mingqu, his face deathly pale, suddenly raised his head and looked at Ying Zheng with extreme horror: "This subject..."

However,

before he could finish his sentence,

Ying Zheng sighed faintly and stopped the vermilion brush in his hand.

He raised his head,

swept his gaze over Zhao Mingqu, and there was a hint of weariness in his tone.

"You and I, though monarch and subject, are also close kin..."

Ying Zheng's gaze fell upon Zhao Mingqu, and he sighed leisurely: "I truly never thought about killing you..."

"Your Majesty..."

"I am wronged, Your Majesty!"

"Those matters really have nothing to do with this subject..."

"This subject has been framed! I have truly been framed, Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng's words caused Zhao Mingqu to be scared out of his wits, trembling violently, with sweat pouring down like rain.

Thump, thump, thump!!!

Zhao Mingqu actually began to kowtow heavily!

He was then terrified.

Listening to these words from Zhao Mingqu,

Ying Zheng, who was reviewing the memorials,

revealed a playful smile at the corner of his mouth.

He looked up at Zhao Mingqu, who was kowtowing incessantly and trying to argue his case.

Ignoring him, as if talking to himself, a look of reflection appeared on his face: "The world says it is good to be an Emperor, yet they do not know that every Emperor has an Emperor's suffering..."

"The memorials I review every day are countless..."

"I must control all things under Heaven..."

"Managing this vast world..."

"Actually..."

"It is very hard..."

"But unfortunately, you cannot feel it, you cannot comprehend it..."

Ying Zheng paused, a look of reflection seemingly appearing in his eyes, and he sighed leisurely, looking at the trembling Zhao Mingqu, and spoke again.

"Zhao Mingqu..."

"You..."

"In the end, you have become obsessed, become vulgar..."

"You want to be Emperor, right? You want to sit on that dragon chair in the Qilin Hall, right?"

"Do you think that the dragon chair in the Qilin Hall is comfortable and easy to sit on?"

"Cousin... you are confused, truly confused..."

Ying Zheng spoke as if to himself.

His leisurely voice drifted out, echoing within the great hall.

And these words of his,

were words that pierced the heart,

falling into Zhao Mingqu's ears, causing Zhao Mingqu to tremble all over, terrified to the extreme, as if needles were pricking his back.

"Your Majesty..."

Zhao Mingqu, his face ashen, kowtowed heavily and cried out loudly: "Your Majesty, you have wronged this subject!!! How could this subject have such a heart? I dare not! This subject dares not have such a heart..."

"Your Majesty, this subject has never thought of being Emperor!"

"Wronged!!!"

"Spare my life, Your Majesty!!"

"Do not kill this subject!!"

Ying Zheng's tone was calm, seemingly without any killing intent.

However,

Zhao Mingqu could hear,

the sinister and terrifying murderous intent contained within that calm tone.

At this moment,

he was scared out of his wits, his whole body turning weak.

Now,

here in the imperial palace,

he had absolutely no means of resistance; if Ying Zheng truly wanted to kill him...

Then he would surely die without a doubt!!!

"Kill you?!"

A look of surprise appeared on Ying Zheng's face, and he looked at Zhao Mingqu with some unexpected confusion, asking: "Why would I want to kill you?"

"You are my cousin!"

"How could I commit the act of fratricide?!"

"You have misunderstood; I have never thought of killing you..."

"Get up!"

Ying Zheng's tone, at this moment, had a gentleness like a spring breeze, as if two brothers were chatting about daily life.

However,

the more Zhao Mingqu heard this tone from Ying Zheng, which lacked any anger or killing intent,

the more he felt fear,

a sense of coldness, as if falling into an ice cellar, enveloping his body!

Hearing Ying Zheng tell him to get up,

Zhao Mingqu did not have the courage to rise, ===== CHAPTER 179 =====