Chapter 255: Eastern Emperor departs first; the confrontation between father and son

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's icy gaze remained locked with Wang Ben's.

Upon sensing Wang Ben's unyielding determination, his gaze flickered.

His primary objective for this evening was to seize control of the entire Great Qin.

Naturally, he could not allow a trivial matter to cause his plans to fall short at the final hurdle.

"I leave him for you to resolve."

"I do not wish for any problems to arise with the plan tonight."

"There is no time left to delay; I will lead the others directly to the Imperial Palace."

A flash of killing intent crossed Eastern Emperor Taiyi's eyes.

He then spoke coldly to Wang Ben.

As soon as he finished speaking, he cast a cold glance at Wang Jian.

Then, no one saw exactly how he struck.

The leader of the Imperial Guards standing nearby was decapitated before he could even utter a word.

Fresh blood sprayed onto the faces of the surrounding Imperial Guards.

Everything happened too quickly.

By the time everyone reacted, Eastern Emperor Taiyi was like a fierce tiger that had strayed into a flock of sheep.

He began an indiscriminate slaughter of these Imperial Guards.

In the span of just two breaths, dozens of these Imperial Guards were dead or wounded.

Corpses lay scattered across the street.

A thick, bloody stench slowly began to spread.

"Everyone, follow me."

When Eastern Emperor Taiyi spoke again, the group of men who had originally followed Wang Ben

immediately and instinctively followed behind Eastern Emperor Taiyi.

These military officers were born with an inherent worship of the strong.

After witnessing Eastern Emperor Taiyi's display just now, they all instinctively obeyed his command.

Wang Ben did not stop them.

Those Imperial Guards had long since been terrified out of their wits by what had just occurred.

Most of the Imperial Guards in the capital were the children of wealthy and powerful officials living under the shadow of the palace.

They had chosen to join the Imperial Guards merely to secure a respectable official position for themselves.

These people were not from a background of legitimate military service.

They only practiced martial arts due to their family heritage.

To suggest they possessed the same grit as ordinary soldiers

was completely impossible.

The large force soon passed through the city gate and headed toward the inner city.

Upon seeing Eastern Emperor Taiyi's strike, Wang Jian immediately recognized his identity.

He was the man in black who had previously appeared in the Imperial Palace.

He had not expected this rebellious son to have ties to this man in black.

After the large force departed, only the father and son, Wang Ben and Wang Jian, remained at the city gate.

Wang Ben looked at his father and jumped down from his horse.

"Father, why can you not support Young Master Huhai as I do?"

Wang Ben asked in a deep voice.

He had never before mentioned his intentions to Wang Jian.

When he finally chose to reveal his heart to Wang Jian, he had not expected such a scene.

"His Majesty is still here; as for whether the next successor is Young Master Fusu or Young Master Huhai, that is entirely for His Majesty to decide."

"Our Wang family has never taken sides with either of the two Imperial Princes."

"Do you know the reason for this?"

Wang Jian said coldly.

"It is simply because you look down on both of these Young Masters."

Wang Ben said directly.

The situation had already reached this point, anyway.

There was no need to keep anything bottled up inside; he would say what he had to say.

He had always felt that his father looked down on these two Young Masters. ### CHAPTER 564

Perhaps the only one his father ever truly regarded highly was that peerless First Imperial Prince from years ago.

"Wrong."

"Regardless of what the two Young Masters are like, it is not for you or me to judge."

"The reason our Wang family has been able to maintain its status is entirely because I have never interfered in this matter."

A trace of disappointment appeared in Wang Jian's eyes.

He had always thought he had taught his son well.

He had not expected him to be so shortsighted, seeing only the minor benefits.

To be frank, if Huhai were truly able to sit on that throne in the end,

everything Wang Ben did today would be without fault.

But what if Young Master Huhai could not sit on that throne?

Then everything he did today would be evidence of a crime that would drag the Wang family into the abyss.

The reason he could keep the Wang family in such immense wealth amidst such chaos

was never because he favored one prince over another.

It was more about keeping the Wang family in a neutral position among all the factions.

His Majesty believed the Wang family was too powerful in the military and chose to support Meng Tian.

So he deliberately targeted Meng Tian in the imperial court.

This was solely so His Majesty could achieve a balance where the Wang family and the Meng family could check each other.

... lease give flowers...

If not for that,

how could his Wang family have passed through so many years so smoothly?

Especially with the wars at the border having ceased and the entire imperial court in a stable state.

"Father, I am not reconciled."

"It was because of Young Master Mo that the military power in your hands was taken back by His Majesty."

"I am not reconciled; we have worked so hard for so many years."

"Everything we have done has just been washed away so easily."

Wang Ben's emotions suddenly became agitated.

He began to speak loudly.

If not for Young Master Mo, their Wang family would not have been pulled back from the front lines of the border.

Admittedly, after returning to Xianyang, they could enjoy a better life.

But he, Wang Ben, simply loved the feeling of having power in his hands.

Back in Xianyang, they only had the glorious reputation they had built in the military.

But they held not a shred of actual power.

Originally, Wang Ben had been satisfied with this situation.

Yet he had not expected His Majesty to choose to support Meng Tian to rival their Wang family.

This made Wang Ben instantly feel that the status of his Wang family was under threat.

Seeing his former power now in the hands of Young Master Mo,

Wang Ben felt as if his heart were being gnawed by snakes and ants, filled with poison.

That was why, when he first discovered that plan, he joined it without hesitation.

If Young Master Mo disappeared, His Majesty, for the sake of the big picture, would likely consider returning the military power to their Wang family.

"Foolish."

"Do you think having such great power in your hands is truly a good thing?"

Wang Jian could not describe his feelings at this moment.

He had thought he was very satisfied with his son, only to find now that he had drilled himself into a dead end.

Disappointment was not even the word for it.

All for this?

In his life, what kind of power had he not experienced?

If it were not for the sake of his descendants being able to continue enjoying this immense wealth in Xianyang,

why would he need to cater to His Majesty's wishes and let Meng Tian rival him?

His own son could not even see through this.

He did not see at all that the power in his hands had been surrendered voluntarily.

Before his eyes, everything was obscured by this illusory wealth.

... ### CHAPTER 565