Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  The Emperor made a number of secret edicts and then furrowed his brows slightly. He said a something in a low voice to Eunuch Yao, who bowed his head low, terrified that he would reveal a glimmer of an inappropriate emotion. 

  In the Dong Mountain setup, the Qing Emperor had used himself as bait to kill two Great Grandmasters. He already had plans for everything that happened under heaven. For example, the 5,000 rebel soldiers at the foot of Dong Mountain and the rebellion that was about to happen in Jingdou. 

  Since the Eldest Princess had the power to construct such a large setup, she would not miss an opportunity to control the Qing Kingdom. This was an opportunity the Emperor had granted her. After the situation developed, if he wanted the Qing Kingdom to maintain a steady development, he would have no choice but to return to Jingdou from faraway Dong Mountain and use his ultimate authority to stabilize the situation there. 

  The Emperor had long laid down provincial troops along the road to Jiangbei. The move had not involved the Bureau of Military Affairs. It had been planned in complete secrecy with Xue Qing and the Governor of Jiangbei Road, so it did not alert the Qin family’s power. With such an army, how could the 5,000 rebel soldiers at the foot of Dong Mountain be sufficient? All of the rebels perceived the Emperor as a fierce tiger in a trap. They had not thought that this fierce tiger had been standing beside the trap the entire time watching coldly as the hunters each lost their footing. 

  If the Qing Emperor wanted to rush back to Jingdou and forcefully suppress the internal conflict, it would not be difficult to do. In the Emperor’s two conversations with Chen Pingping by the column outside the royal study, when they had first set up this plan, he had not thought that once he had resolved matters at Dong Mountain, he could use the army to sweep through Dongshan Road and withdraw his troops back to court to deal with court politics. Although the Dong Mountain incident was near the seashore, its influence would spread to the entire Qing Kingdom. For him, this was a rare opportunity. 

  Through long planning, the main goal of the Dong Mountain incident was to get rid of the two largest obstacles standing in the way of the Qing Kingdom uniting the world. Now that the outside aggression was gone, what about internal trouble? 

  This was the Emperor’s opportunity. Using his death, he could lure out all the causes of unrest in court. Once those officials who usually appeared incomparably loyal knew of his death, would they still abide by his posthumous edict? Would they still have a shred of respect for him? Would those lowly people who hid in the darkness jump out at this time? 

  Just as the Emperor always emphasized to Fan Xian and his sons, when he evaluated people, he cared about their hearts. The situation in Jingdou was, without a doubt, the best opportunity to tests people’s hearts. 

  The Emperor stood in front of the cross-legged and healing Ye Liuyun. His expression was calm. There were a few fine lines at the corner of his eyes. What he had told Eunuch Yao was simple. After sending the edict to Chen Pingping, seal the news. Keeping it away from even Fan Xian and Ye Zhong. 

  They were the people the Emperor trusted the most. He wanted to test them one last time. Once Fan Xian and Ye Zhong passed through this psychological test, they would have his absolute trust. The Emperor truly had not thought that the situation in Jingdou would grow to such a dangerous extent, the people in the Palace would be damaged so badly, or that his sister could be so brutal. 

  Ye Liuyun sighed and quietly said, “If we don’t get back to Jingdou quickly, there will probably be great chaos.” 

  If one desires great order, there must first be great chaos. A storm of rain and blood needed to be used to reveal the gold amongst the yellow sand. He had to create a unified and strong the Qing Kingdom in order to lay down a good foundation for the battle for unification in two or three years. The Qing Emperor did not think that such a price was too high. However, he did not overly underestimate his younger sister. Since it was so, the Qing Kingdom would probably sink into instability. 

  “I conquered this kingdom,” the Emperor said coldly. “Even if Yunrui sits steady in Jingdou, I can still take it back.” 

  After saying this, the Emperor didn’t say anymore. He coughed. With Eunuch Yao’s support, he made his way slowly to the bloodstained mountain gate below. At this time, the signal arrow had already been fired. The sounds of killing rang out again at the foot of the mountain. The officials and chamberlains who had come along for the worship all followed him down with faces full of terror. A number of people had prepared a stretcher and helped Ye Liuyun lie on it with great humbleness. 

  Although news traveled unusually slowly in this time period and Chen Pingping was far away in Jingdou, he had already arranged everything. Although the Overwatch Council was powerful enough to prevent any leaking of information out of Dongshan Road, the Emperor had accurately calculated that at the beginning of the rebellion his proud and crazy sister would send news of his death back to Jingdou and push the entire situation to a crazy point of no return. Once the bow had fired, there was no turning back. Since the Eldest Princess had started the Dong Mountain incident, regardless of the Emperor’s life and death, she had to handle everything within Jingdou as if he were already dead. This was the craziness of staking everything on one throw. 

  However, Ku He and Sigu Jian were, after all, still alive. Plus, it was impossible to completely wipe out the 5,000 rebel troops at the foot of the mountain and Jiaozhou Navy on the ocean. In, at most, seven days, the truth of the situation on Dong Mountain would spread out. 

  Given the distance between the two places and Overwatch Council’s ability to desperate seal the news along the way, in about 30 days, the people in Jingdou would know of this earth-shattering news. 

  At that time, the Eldest Princess would probably have already been on the move for a dozen days. No one knew if Jingdou would be able to hold out. 

  As the Emperor walked silently toward the foot of the mountain, he thought about all of this. Although he had confidence, he still didn’t want Jingdou or Qing Kingdom to have too much instability. Comparing the two sides, he still wanted to take a risk to see the true heart that people buried the deepest. 

  He wanted to see people’s abilities, particularly Fan Xian’s. He wanted to see whether or not Fan Xian could understand a ruler’s heart and keep hold of his homeland for him. 

  He had not expected that Fan Xian would fight a brilliant battle but be bound by the Eldest Princess’s even more brilliant tactic. In the end, Fan Xian managed to guess the Emperor’s intention. However, the method through which he controlled that homeland was one the Emperor would never have expected and did not want to see. 

  Despite the Emperor’s calculations, he still forgot one thing: the empress dowager’s attitude. This Emperor, who was famed for his filial piety and was said to rule the world through filial piety, forgot that his own mother was just like him. She forever put the ongoing existence of the kingdom and royally family above all else. Other than his life, it was more important than anyone’s life. 

  Before he left the mountain, the Emperor, who had just won the greatest success in his life, still coldly gave one last edict: capture the head of the rebel army below. Although the black-clothed man at the foot of the mountain was not a Great Grandmaster, he was still an important person in the Emperor’s heart. ……

  With his head down in the wind and rain, Wang Qinian followed the dense woods as he escaped down the mountain. When Ku He’s first strike had landed on Eunuch Hong’s chest, the Overwatch Council officer quickly saw an opportunity to slip away from the summit when no one was paying attention. He was said to be the Overwatch Council’s wings. Back in the day, he was a pirate who went from Dongyi to Northern Qi. He was actually quite skilled at doing such sneaky things. 

  The sharp edges of the leaves scratched across his body. Although it was unable to scratch through the Overwatch Council’s specially made official robes, it still startled him. He didn’t know what was happening on the summit. He only knew that such a situation was not something someone of his level should be prying into or be curious about. 

  In his opinion, the Emperor was dead for sure. No one could survive a combined attack from three Great Grandmasters. Thus, at the first opportunity, he had decided to run. His plan was simple. He wanted to, at the first instant, deliver this astonishing news to Jingdou. Although he didn’t know if he would run into the also escaping Fan Xian, he had to at least inform Director Chen. 

  Jumping over a hollow, he carefully used the wind, rain, and trees as cover and had already reached the middle of the mountain. He suddenly heard a thunderous sound ring out from the summit. Then, the chimes of a clock reached him. 

  This was the moment when the Qing Emperor had punched out with the way of the Emperors, as well as when Sigu Jian’s heavily injured body crashed into the clock in the ancient temple. 

  Wang Qinian paused and then continued to go down with his head lowered. He had not walked for long when he felt movement appear behind him. Without thinking, he hid his body in a pile of weeds and watched the stone path from a distance. 

  Two bloody people came down the stone path. Wang Qinian was familiar with the young man. It was Thirteenth Wang, who he had he interacted with for a long time in Jiangnan. Who was the person on his back? 

  Wang Qinian opened his eyes wide and listened to the weak but funny conversation between the two bloody people. Finally, he realized who Thirteenth Wang was carrying. 

  The bloody man with the broken army was Thirteenth Wang’s teacher. 

  Wang Qinian was Fan Xian’s closest confidant. He even knew about the chest. Naturally, he also knew Thirteenth Wang’s true identity. Thirteenth Wang was Sigu Jian’s final disciple. 

  Wang Qinian’s eyes constricted in shock. He didn’t even dare to breathe loudly. He could only quietly watch this remarkable and sorrowful student, and teacher follow the stone path step by step down the mountain. He came back to his senses a moment later, but he was still very dazed. He wondered what exactly had happened on the summit. Who in this world was able to hurt Sigu Jian like this? 

  Before Wang Qinian had woken from his shock, another shadow in hemp clothing, using a strange posture, floated down the mountain in midair. Wang Qinian looked at this sight and almost vomited blood. What had happened to Ku he? Magic? Why did his old bald donkey’s face look like a zombie’s? 

  Two Great Grandmasters passed in front of his eyes in a decrepit fashion. Perhaps they had already discovered Wang Qinian’s vole-like hiding. However, how could the two almost dead Great Grandmasters have the energy to acknowledge him? 

  Wang Qinian had received a boundless shock. He could not understand. Only a little time had passed. How could the two Great Grandmasters, who had come to the summit of Dong Mountain like gods, become like this? 

  After a long time, he stood up on trembling legs and turned to look up at the summit of Dong Mountain within the clouds. He wondered if it was possible that the Emperor had won. He thought perhaps he should go back to the summit to see what had happened. The shock in his heart and some faint fear pushed him to continue walking down the mountain. 

  \r \r \r 

  Past noon and into the night, sounds of killing started up in all directions at the bottom of the mountain, making it difficult to escape. Wang Qinian, hidden in the darkness like a bat, finally found an opportunity to break out of the battlefield. He also confirmed the truth—the Emperor was still alive and doing very well. The rebellion had failed, and it had been disastrous for the Great Grandmasters. 

  He made a decision to not follow the heaven worship group. Instead, he would head toward Jingdou as quickly as possible. He had to tell Fan Xian the truth of this matter and give him background information that he could consult so he would not have an unforgivable mistake. 

  Wang Qinian was an official of the Overwatch Council and a subject of the Qing Emperor. His most certain identity was as Fan Xian’s confidant. He knew too much about Fan Xian’s business and about how he thought. He was afraid that because of the Emperor’s death, Fan Xian would make incorrect decisions. 

  It was just like the decision the General of the Jiaozhou Navy, Xu Maocai, had tried to persuade Fan Xian to make. 

  For some reason, after Wang Qinian guessed the Emperor’s intentions, he felt fearful and worried for Fan Xian and everyone in Jingdou. Thus, as quickly as he could and going through countless twists and turns, he got back to Jingdou ahead of the Overwatch Council and before the Eldest Princess’s spies. Holding onto this earth-shattering news, he came to Chen Garden. 

  He was the first person in the world to bring this information out. 

  In the end, he did not get this message out. The old Overwatch Council cripple tied him up and stuffed his mouth, not giving him any opportunity to get the message out. 

  In the days after the old cripple learned of the situation at Dong Mountain, he only developed one extra habit. Periodically, he would sigh to his old servant, “You have to know, it is a very difficult thing to have someone die.” ……

  As Wang Qinian had been preparing to escape, Gao Da had already been escaping. These confidants at Fan Xian’s side had, without question, been infected by too much of his influence. They were different from most of the people in this world. In the depths of their heart, they had begun to unconsciously value their lives as more important than that of the Emperor’s. 

  In a monarchical power society, this was a treasonous kind of thinking. Although Fan Xian had never said it explicitly, the way he did things behind the court’s back and his imperceptible influence on the words and actions of those beside him all demonstrated this point. 

  One can be affected by one’s environment. When Gao Da shakily escaped down the mountain, he definitely didn’t think of this. Unlike Wang Qinian, he didn’t see the heavily injured Sigu Jian and Ku He at the foot of the mountain. 

  He became scared and terrified because his identity was not the same as Wang Qinian’s. The Overwatch Council officials were the Emperor’s subjects, while the Tiger Guards were the Emperor’s slaves or last layer of protection. Wang Qinian could run, but a Tiger Guard could not, particularly when the Emperor faced a life-threatening danger. 

  Escaping before a battle was, for a Tiger Guard, a kind of humiliation and a great crime. Perhaps Gao Da could lighten the feeling of shame in his heart, but he could not escape this crime. 

  The stone path was filled with the bodies of Tiger Guards and shattered pieces of their knives. All of his colleagues had died on Dong Mountain. When he faintly understood the conclusion of the assassination on the summit, Gao Da became angry, hurt and scared. 

  One hundred Tiger Guards had died. When had the Emperor cared about their lives? Gao Da’s heart was cold. He knew that it was impossible for him to return to the Emperor’s side. Once he showed himself, what would welcome him would be Qing laws and strict punishment by Palace rules. His death did not matter, but perhaps even his family would be implicated. 

  Thus, he chose an even more determined escape. He trusted Fan Xian, but he was unable to return to Fan Xian’s side because he didn’t want to bring any trouble to Sir Fan junior. 

  He only wanted to leave this unfathomable Royal Palace and this Emperor, whose prestige could not be offended, to go somewhere far away and peacefully live the second half of his life. 

  At the end of the Dong Mountain incident, two of Fan Xian’s trusted aides chose their own paths. At the time, it did not draw the attention of many people. In fact, no one noticed. In something such as life, who could accurately predict the future? Every sip and bite was part of destiny. No one knew what bitter fruit this incident’s seed would bring. ……

  Gao Dan and Wang Qinian were on a path to escape. The thousands of rebel soldiers at the foot of Dong Mountain and the ninth-level assassins from Dongyi were also on the road to escape. The ships of the Jiaozhou Navy on the ocean didn’t have time to sail into the deep ocean before they were blocked from their escape path by the boats summoned from Shazhou. 

  Although the battle power of the two combined Roads of provincial soldiers was far below that of Yan Xiaoyi’s personal longbow group, the most important thing about two armies fighting was an imposing manner. Ku and Sigu Jian were god-like figures in the hearts of common soldiers. Even they had fallen to such a tragic end. What would these rebel soldiers, who had betrayed the Emperor, think in their hearts? 

  When the Emperor, dressed in bright yellow dragon robes, as well as Ye Liuyun, who had been Qing Kingdom’s guardian angel for decades, walked out of the mountain gate and appeared in front of the rebel soldiers, a period had already been drawn on this rebellion. Without using military power, their morale had been defeated. 

  Thousands of rebel soldiers stood terrified and witless at the foot of Dong Mountain. The roads leading to the wilds had been encircled many times by the provincial soldiers who had been summoned. They knew they had reached the end of their path, but they could not summon the last shred of courage to carry out the last fight in their lives. 

  The Emperor’s one sentence shattered their everything, “I pardon your death sentence.” 

  Regardless of whether they believed it or not, it was still a beautiful poisonous fruit. The rebel soldiers gave up their weapons and surrendered. They did not know if they would be massacred and purged by the batch in the next few years. ……

  When the provincial troops began to encircle the mountain before the Qing Emperor came down, Yu Zhilan and a group of about 10 Dongyi assassins attacking the mountain met up with Sigu Jian, who Thirteenth Wang had bravely carried down the mountain. Knowing the truth of what happened at the summit, they felt cold all over and left the main group of rebel soldiers. They began to kill their way toward the forests in the north. Such a group indeed had great killing power. They successfully broke through the barrier, entering into the secret paths in the mountains in front of Danzhou. 

  The Qing Emperor was a man, not a god. Even if he could calculate for everything, for the sake of the bigger picture, it was impossible for him to take care of everything. There were too many cracks within the Qing Kingdom. It was delusional to think one could scoop up all opposing power in one go. Thus, he was not surprised by Dongyi breaking through the barricade. 

  As for that black-clothed commander of the rebel army, the Emperor had given out an edict. Even though he knew the possibility of catching him was not very big, he still had to try because he was interested in that commander. 

  Imperial Advisor Ku He, whose face was an inauspicious dark yellow, sat on the back of the black-clothed man’s horse, heading outward. For a Grandmaster to look so dim, a trace of sorrow flashed through the black-clothed man’s eyes. 

  Because of the Emperor’s edict, the most effort was put into pursuing this commander. Although the provincial troops were not strong and most of the Tiger Guards had died, the Qing Emperor’s troops finally successfully barricaded the black-clothed commander in the street. 

  It seemed to be a dead end. The other side had at least 300 soldiers. They looked endless. The sound of pursuit started up behind him. 

  The Qing Emperor asked for him to be captured alive, but what if they killed him? 

  The black-clothed man had only brought two trusted aides. However, he had led an unfamiliar army and was able to divide and surround the imperial soldiers, not allowing a single person to escape. This could truly be said to be god-like. In the last battle, his influence had fallen like a mountain. Even though he had incredible ability, he was still unable to make Yan Xiaoyi’s personal soldiers conquer the respect and fear in their hearts for the Emperor and Ye Liuyun. In the end, he had been defeated. 

  Looking at the hundreds of soldiers in front, the black-clothed man, who had always appeared calm and gently during the surrounding of the mountain, finally slowly stood up straight. Carefully, he tied Ku He tightly to his back. His two trusted aides beside him each took out two objects wrapped in cloth. After opening the outer layers of rough cloth, they revealed a metal stick about an arms-length long. 

  The black-clothed man calmly accepted it with both hands and connected them together with a click. Swinging it in one hand, killing intent surged. A long, black, metal spear appeared impressively in his hand. With his spear in hand, a powerful battle-lust abruptly exploded in his eyes, which seemed as calm as lake water. His entire body began to give off wisps of murderous spirit like a battle god. 

  He squeezed his horse’s abdomen. Riding alone with Ku He on his back, he charged toward the 300 soldiers. His aura was like thunder. He could not be stopped. It was as if he had returned to that night in Shangjing as the rain poured down aggressively. ……

  “His two trusted aides died, but he escaped with Ku He.” A provincial soldier knelt before the Qing Emperor and reported in a trembling voice. 

  Ku He and Sigu Jian, what kind of people were they? Yet, they escaped tied to the back of others. The Qing Emperor listened calmly and couldn’t help but feel something different in his heart. Seeing the general’s fear, he involuntarily smiled and said, “If he was so easily captured by me, would he still be Shang Shanhu?”


  Chapter 571: When Paper Enters A Lake, Fish Move. When A Sleeve Opens, People Die

  Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  In one night, the people who came down from Dong Mountain had managed to deal with all of the matters. The first daylight rebellion in Qing history had come to a dismal end. At least, the matter of killing the monarch had come to a dismal end. It would never be able to create any more waves. Everyone, including the Emperor, was waiting cold-bloodedly and somewhat nervously for the change in Jingdou in a dozen days. 

  The Emperor was tired. Getting rid of Great Grandmasters Ku He and Sigu Jian was indeed the most beautiful page in his life. It also burned through too much of his strength and energy. After realizing such a long plan, the impact it had on his energy made him far less powerful than people currently saw. 

  In his entire life, right now was when he was the weakest and easiest to defeat. No one realized this or dared to use this. Other than encircling Dong Mountain and sealing off the news, the tens of thousands of provincial soldiers were desperately pursuing the powers that had infiltrated the country from Dongyi City and Northern Qi. 

  The tiger was taking a nap but forced itself to keep its eyes open a crack and glowed with a cold light. This scared the people who had come close to becoming sorry excuses for prey. Shan Shanghu, a lone rider, wanted to take Ku He up north, but he couldn’t do anything. Although Yun Zhilan, who was temporarily in charge of affairs in Dongyi, was a brilliant sword master, he was not a master of military strategy. He would not think to launch a courageous surprise attack to obtain astonishing results. This had nothing to do with bravery. 

  The Overwatch Council was already in action. The previously prepared three groups of people from the Inspection Division were spread out on every road between Dongshan Road to Jingdou. Although Chen Pingping was in Jingdou, subordinates under him managed to execute the Overwatch Council’s powerful and glorious tradition and demonstrate their terrifying ability to lock away information. 

  Regardless of whether it is Shang Shanhu or Dongyi, even if they were able to release the message during their journey to inform the Eldest Princess far away in Jingdou, it would not make it within a few days. In addition, they had to detour and take the long way while avoiding detection. For the truth of Dong Mountain to reach Jingdou, it would be slower than usual by about a dozen days. 

  The inconvenience of sending messages actually brought the Emperor and Chen Pingping great convenience. 

  Fan Xian was carrying out a last desperate fight to the death with Yan Xiaoyi in the depths of the mountains. He didn’t know what had happened on Dong Mountain. After he had successfully killed Yan Xiaoyi, entered Song Kingdom, and headed south from Yanjing, the people escaping from Dong Mountain had only just broke out of the mountains and were heading into territory controlled by Dongyi. 

  Fan Xian’s luck was not good. He had left the Song Kingdom a few days too early, so he did not hear of the news. Not long after he entered the territory of Qing Kingdom, the commander of the Yanjing camp received a secret edict to quietly take over the headless Northern Expedition Camp, and, at the same time, forcefully sever the boundaries between the three countries. 

  Regardless of whether the people returning were from Northern Qi or Dongyi, it seemed that they all unconsciously kept their mouths closed tight. By the time the little Northern Qi Emperor received the news, it was already late. Even if he sent a message to the Eldest Princess in the South, it wouldn’t be in time to change anything. However, Dongyi’s Sigu Jian, who was heavily injured and about to die, for some reason, did not try to inform Li Yunrui in Jingdou. 

  The reason was actually simple. Once the news that the Emperor had not died reached Jingdou, the internal conflict in Qing Kingdom would probably end before it even began. Thus, Qing Kingdom’s national power would not be damaged. This was something Sigu Jian did not want to see. 

  Sigu Jian had to consider Dongyi’s future after his death. In order to delay the Qing Emperor uniting the world, having the Eldest Princess finding out about the Emperor’s survival a few days later perhaps better aligned with Dongyi’s interests. If the Eldest Princess created a huge mess in Jingdou, Qing Kingdom’s power would be negatively affected. Once the battle began, Qing Kingdom would not be able to recover its vital energy in less than two or three years and send troops outward. 

  Yanjing to Cangzhou was already strictly closed off. Not long after Fan Xian entered the capital, Jingdou sealed the city. Even if Sigu Jian wanted to inform Li Yunrui, it would not be simple. Most terrifyingly, the Qing Emperor seemed to have accounted for Sigu Jian’s present thinking. The thoughts between the Great Grandmasters were indeed connected. 

  There was still the most important problem, which was Fan Xian’s safety. As long as Fan Xian could successfully pass through Yan Xiaoyi and return to Jingdou, for the sake of the future of Dongyi, Sigu Jian could not allow Fan Xian to die so early. 

  In the last days of his life, the Great Grandmaster had to think about more things further and deeper. They had lost the most important battle to the Qing Emperor, but they had put their hope into the future and onto Fan Xian. A man who it did not seem like he could be Dongyi’s hope. 

  These were all things that would happen in a dozen days. The Qing Emperor was not a precise calculator. He could only deduce a probability. Fortunately, the situation developed not too differently from his analysis. 

  After handling the matters at Dong Mountain, he didn’t pause at the foot of the mountain. Instead, he traveled northwest through the night and headed straight for Luozhou, entering the city in the early hours of the morning. He entered the Governor’s manor of the Dongshan Road Governor, He Zhiji [JW1] . 

  That day, Luozhou was strictly closed off. The Jiangbei Road provincial soldiers who had followed the Emperor north took over the heavy responsibility of defense from the local provincial soldiers by imperial edict. A dozen officials and eunuch aces of the internal court took control of the Governor’s manor. 

  The people of Luozhou watched all of this with wide eyes and shock. They didn’t know where all these unfamiliar soldiers had suddenly come from. Furthermore, the eyes of these soldiers were unkind. They looked like savage beasts and carried a faint stench of blood on their bodies. It was clear they had just come from the battlefield. 

  Soldiers patrolled the streets of Luozhou and watched everything with wariness on their faces. It brought a sense of severity to the largest city in Dongshan Road. With such pressure, the common people no longer gossiped on the streets. Other than necessary matters, most of the time they hid within their homes in fear. 

  Inside the manor of the Dongshan Road Governor, Governor He Zhiji knelt in front of the Emperor. He was not particularly fearful, but his face was ashen. After kowtowing twice, he didn’t say another word. He knew he was going to die. He just didn’t know if it would be death by a thousand cuts or pulled apart by horses. Ever since he joined in the Eldest Princess’s plan, he knew what the consequence of failure would be. 

  He had not thought that the Emperor would so easily resolve the situation on Dong Mountain. Before anyone could react, he flew like a sharp arrow straight into the Governor’s manor and abruptly descended in front of him. 

  The Emperor didn’t look at him. There was no disappointment on his face. He knew the official kneeling at his feet would become the first Governor to be killed in his post since Qing Kingdom came into being 30 years ago. He was only coldly calculating the days, seeing if he could leave enough time for his younger sister. 

  Luozhou had become a dead city. No one could leave. Even if the Eldest Princess had put spies in Dongshan Road, it would be impossible for her to know what had happened in the Governor’s manor. Some people outside the city noticed its strangeness and began to send messages back to Jingdou. Before any messenger had gone 10 li, they were killed by the Overwatch Council’s secret agents disguised as commoners. 

  Chen Pingping had invested 40 percent of the Overwatch Council’s manpower into these three directions. It was no wonder he was forced to draw the Jingdou Garrison into guerrilla warfare around Jingdou. For the Emperor’s edict, the old Director had truly not spared any effort. 

  They waited for a few days silently in Luozhou as they estimated the time. When the news of the Emperor’s death on Dong Mountain should have reached Jingdou and Fan Xian should have arrived with the posthumous edict, only then did the Emperor, waiting in Luozhou’s Governor’s manor, become slightly more at ease. 

  After a few more days, the court sent out urgent secret messages from Jingdou to the Governors of a number of Roads. The secret message to Dongshan Road’s Luozhou manor, in particular, arrived at the quickest speed and began to ask about the truth of Dong Mountain, as well as begging for a confirmation. 

  The Emperor confirmed the news of his death through the formalities in the Governor’s manor. He then waited for the court’s funeral procession to arrive. 

  On the second day, the court’s bulletin arrived speaking of the matter of the Crown Prince and Fan Xian assassinating the Emperor. Various Governor’s all wrote in and began to set themselves up against the court. Other than the Governors of Jiangbei and Jiangnan, who had inside information, the other Governors were all speaking purely from the position as a border region major functionary and a loyal subject of the Emperor. 

  Although the Emperor did not receive the memorials of the other Governors, he roughly knew what they would say. At this time, he ordered people to bring out Dongshan Road’s Governor, He Zhiji. He slowly opened his mouth and said, “I chose the seven of you to help me guard the kingdom. The six of them did not disappoint me. Only you……” 

  He Zhiji had been locked up for many days without food or water. He was already beyond exhausted. Hearing the Emperor’s words, he didn’t beg for mercy. He knew the day the Emperor left Luozhou would be the day of his death. He only kowtowed furiously, hoping the Emperor would show mercy to his wife and mother. 

  The Emperor looked at him coldly and didn’t say anything. 

  The next day, the Emperor led the provincial guards, various officials, and eunuchs out of Luozhou. Before leaving, He Zhiji was granted death. His three children were beheaded. Everyone in the Governor’s manor, as well as all the officials at various levels who were controlled up and down Dongshan Road, were all killed. A total of 34 people were killed. 

  The Emperor was someone easily moved to anger. He couldn’t be bothered to use those harsh punishments to torture He Zhiji, who had betrayed the court. In his opinion, having someone lose their life was means used by a ruler to hold power. It had nothing to do with punishment. 

  The sixth day after receiving the bulletin of the Crown Prince’s ascension and Fan Xian’s crime, the Emperor who was slowly going from Luozhou to Jingdou, finally saw the group who had come to meet him. The original purpose of this group had been to welcome his body and soul. 

  After making contact with the court’s funeral procession, the Emperor coldly gave an order for the group to move slightly faster. They continued to press closer to Jingdou. 

  A few more days passed. Jingdou was still in the distance. The Emperor wasn’t sure what the present situation in Jingdou was like. He and Chen Pingping were like two lonely spirits floating endlessly across Qing Kingdom’s wild fields. They hadn’t put their energy toward the business of gathering intelligence reports. 

  However, these two lonely spirits cooperated too perfectly and appeared too powerful. 

  One day, the Emperor passed outside Xinyang. Looking at the unfamiliar city in the distance, he was silent. A moment later, he turned his head back to glance at the hearse being dragged behind them and the large coffin of unknown weight and layers within it. A slight self-mocking smile appeared in the corner of his lips. 

  “Tell Yunrui,” the Emperor opened his mouth and said. 

  Eunuch Yao rode his horse alongside and quickly took out a paper and pen, listening intently. 

  “I am back.” 

  The Emperor spoke coldly. He then squeezed his horse’s abdomen and rode past Xinyan at the head of the group toward Jingdou in the distance. ……

  The strings on the guqin had snapped. The flowers on the trees had withered. The Eldest Princess, in rainbow-colored clothes, was standing in a daze by the lake in Taiping Courtyard. She looked at the intelligence report she had just received in a daze. She completely ignored Fan Xian, who was sitting not far from her feet. 

  From when she began this plan, she had already gradually moved her power from Xinyan to Jingdou. This process took two years. Including the already dead Huang Yi and the barely alive Hong Yuandao, they all moved from the palace in Xinyan to Jingdou. After the stormy night earlier in the year, the Emperor and Chen Pingping only used an hour to sweep aside all of the Eldest Princess’ influence. 

  \r \r \r 

  The Eldest Princess was essentially hidden behind the scenes in this rebellion controlling the larger picture and convincing the strong to take action. She was skilled in this role and had no choice but to choose this role. She controlled the Crown Prince and Second Prince. It was as if she controlled the Ye family and Qin family. With a clever twist of her hands, she was particularly free. 

  Her personal intelligence network had suffered a fatal blow. It was impossible for it to recover within two or three years. When she received an urgent secret message from Xinyan, she couldn’t help furrowing her brows and feeling slightly surprised. 

  This intelligence report was fake. As the mistress of Xinyan, Li Yunrui recognized this at once. However, this report was real. Or, perhaps it was better to say that Xinyan was completely under someone else’s control. Only then could they use her own channels to send her an urgent secret message. Who was this person? 

  Li Yunrui was slightly surprised, curious, and excited. Ripping open the seal, her eyes swept lightly over it. Her gaze focused on the letter. 

  There were only three words on the paper, but she looked at them a very long time. The emotions contained within her eyes were complicated. These three words seemed to be reflected in her dark and bright eyes. Each word jumped out. Her pupils grew and shrunk. Her gaze brightened and dimmed. 

  There was a powerful shock in her pupils that soon became a faint disappointment. It turned into an unreasonable anger that quickly transformed into a faint self-mocking smile. In the end, it was like a rock falling into a lake, gradually becoming peaceful. 

  In a moment, all these emotional changes happened in the eyes of the most beautiful and ruthless woman in Qing Kingdom. 

  Fan Xian watched her quietly from the side, noticing the changes in her eyes. He didn’t see the craziness that scared him and made his heart ease slightly. Immediately after, he guessed the contents of that letter with a thud. 

  Even the Ye family’s betrayal and his control of Jingdou had not made Li Yunrui forget herself. There was only one person in the world that could make her become like this. 

  Li Yunrui lowered her head again and carefully savored the three words on the letter, “I am back.” 

  The handwriting on the paper was strong and powerful. It was the Emperor’s handwriting. Li Yunrui could immediately tell that this was written by Eunuch Yao for him. Although the Emperor was a diligent monarch, he had to lead a large country and handle a large number of memorials. Sometimes his energy was not enough. Often he would give the less important memorials to Eunuch Yao to annotate on his behalf. After a long time, Eunuch Yao managed to learn the Emperor’s handwriting almost to perfection. It was sufficient to fool the officials in court and Imperial Censors. 

  Li Yunrui had put a lot of effort into knowing her brother. How could she not see the difference? But, she did not suspect that it was a lie or that someone had used Eunuch Yao’s handwriting to pretend the Emperor was still alive. 

  She knew that other than the Emperor, no one would think to say three simple and powerful words. 

  The meaning of these three words was clear: I am back, I am still alive. Do you as see fit. 

  Without reason, two lines of tears slid out from Li Yunrui’s eyes. This was an indescribable and unexplainable emotion that provoked her tears. They made this girl who loved to cry in front of the empress dowager cry here in the lonely Taiping Courtyard. 

  This was probably the last message the Qing Emperor would send to his younger sister. They were his last words to her. Li Yunrui thought sorrowfully to herself, Did he disdain to write even these last words personally? 

  The Emperor would not have thought that these three words would invoke so many emotions in Li Yunrui. He was only announcing his return as an Emperor, like a lion telling the wilderness of his ultimate authority in his territory. 

  Fan Xian also didn’t understand why the Eldest Princess was crying. There was not a glimmer of craziness on the maniacal woman’s face. There was only a dim sorrow. No matter what, he would not think that the Eldest Princess crying because she was angry and unhappy that the Emperor had not personally written these three words. 

  Without a doubt, the Emperor and Fan Xian were both clever people, but they still did not understand women. For men, women were, without question, a completely different kind of creature. They were strangers that came from a distant and unknown place. 

  Li Yunrui’s fingers opened weakly. The message fell from between her fingers. Caught by the early autumn breeze, it landed in the small lake right in the middle of Taiping Courtyard. Soaked with water, the paper immediately sank beneath the water. 

  In that graceful instant, Fan Xian saw the three words clearly and felt a jolt in his heart. Although he had considered the possibility that the Emperor was still alive after the Ye family’s defection, he still couldn’t help but be shocked when he saw the proof with his own eyes since he didn’t know what exactly had happened on Dong Mountain. 

  Since the Emperor was still alive, then the Eldest Princess had completely been defeated. Although she had said what she did earlier, Fan Xian knew that if she could destroy all the powerful men in the world in one go, that would satisfy her the most. 

  This news was good news that Fan Xian had been waiting for. If the Emperor had died, he was truly worried about whether the Ye family would continue on this path. 

  Fan Xian suppressed his excitement with difficulty and clenched his fist tightly. He stood up slowly and watched Li Yunrui’s back. He was worried that this woman would give some crazy order provoked by this news. 

  Li Yunrui gently clapped her hands. Many aces surged out from around the little lake. Fan Xian swept his eyes over them but was not worried. In the eyes of normal people, these people recruited by Xinyan were very scary. He didn’t think much of them at all. He was only worried about Wan’er and Da Bao. 

  Out of Fan Xian’s expectations and also surprising these subordinates, Li Yunrui slowly opened her mouth and said calmly, “You can all go. There is no need for you here anymore.” She paused for a moment then said, “Hide your names and bury your identities. Quietly and peacefully live out the rest of your lives and don’t have such silly thoughts as revenge.” 

  The subordinates burst into an uproar. Looking at the Eldest Princess with eyes of disbelief, they cried out in pain, “Your Highness!” 

  From the moment Fan Xian stepped in Taiping Courtyard, these people knew that something had gone majorly wrong with the Jingdou rebellion. However, they still had confidence in the Eldest Princess. 

  Li Yunrui only smiled indifferently and waved her hand, not saying anything more. 

  “Your Highness!” The subordinates up and down on the small mound and around the little lake all knelt to her, unwilling to just leave. A few people were even crying. 

  Fan Xian looked at this scene in shock. Although he knew Li Yunrui already had thoughts of suicide after everything failed, which was why she was sending everyone away, he had not expected the subordinates would be so loyal to her. 

  He had very little contact with Xinyan and didn’t know how the Eldest Princess controlled her subordinates. With the Emperor’s indulgence and Chen Pingping’s help, he had won more than lost in his battles with the Eldest Princess these two years. Inevitably, he grew slightly contemptuous of her. 

  Seeing these crying subordinates, who refused to leave, and feeling the loyalty of these people to the Eldest Princess, only now did Fan Xian faintly understand some things. For example, why the Eldest Princess had so much influence in court, why she could convince Ku He and Sigu Jian to take action, why she could control the Crown Prince and Second Prince, why…… 

  This was only a feeling. He still did not understand where the Eldest Princess’s magic came from. He knew it was not an effect that could be achieved through stunning beauty. It was a shame that Fan Xian didn’t know this in the past. Now, it seemed that there wouldn’t be more opportunities to see the Eldest Princess’s true abilities. 

  Surrounded by crying sounds, standing by the lakeside, the Eldest Princess furrowed her brows slightly and appeared slightly bored. Once again, she waved her hand. 

  A leading official saw this and knew that matters were settled. He wiped away the tears, knelt down to kowtow to her, and then firmly turned away and left. Once one person left, many people left. These people were not cowardly or afraid of death. Since Li Yunrui had given the order and Her Highness was clearly unhappy, what else could they do other than leave? 

  There were only the Eldest Princess and Fan Xian left in Taiping Courtyard. Although it was like so earlier, Fan Xian knew there were many people outside watching him. At this time, he knew those people had left. His heart felt lonely and quiet. Looking at the Eldest Princess’s thin shoulders, he felt slightly perplexed. 

  Li Yunrui slowly turned around. Her hands were placed with great elegance in front of her abdomen. Her wide sleeves hung low and formed a beautiful and luxurious line. 

  Although there was still a slight smile on her face, her gaze was unusually clear and deep. She was no longer the sinister figure in front of her enemies. She was no longer the weakling that was often slapped and cried delicately in front of the empress dowager. She was no longer the tough, angry, and sad younger sister under the Emperor’s iron-like hand. 

  She was just the Eldest Princess. She was just Li Yunrui, the one and only in heaven and earth. 

  Li Yunrui looked at her son-in-law with a slight smile and said, “Knowing that the Emperor is still alive, you don’t seem to be as happy as I imagined.” 

  Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said, “Many people have died recently. I can’t be happy.” 

  “So that’s the way it is. Looks like you are very similar to your mother……” Li Yunrui paused slightly then laughed. Using a strange emotion to stop the topic, she turned and lightly asked, “Have you thought about why the Qin family would rebel?” 

  Fan Xian furrowed his brows, not understanding the meaning of this question. He didn’t understand why, at this time, she would suddenly bring up the Qin family, which had already been chased out of Jingdou by the Dingzhou army. 

  The Eldest Princess glanced at him with slight mockery. Shen then turned and sighed, looking at the square piece of paper that had sunk to the bottom of the lake. The lake in Taiping Courtyard was clear and shallow. The white paper gradually dispersed in the lake water looking very much like bloated buns. It drew countless red carp to it to fight for, churning up the water. 

  She watched this calmly and said, “Really, we are all fish. It is just that we are fighting for different things. This time, I didn’t get anything from this fight. I had thought I would be angry and disappointed. I am angry and disappointed. Only at the very end did I realize that I am actually happy that he is alive.” 

  Fan Xian was slightly surprised. He immediately thought pityingly that according to what the Eldest Princess said earlier, she had achieved her life’s purpose. As for whether the Emperor died or not, what did it matter? Since the Emperor had come back, the Eldest Princess had probably reached the end of her path. 

  Then, he saw a sight that shocked him. 

  Li Yunrui’s expression was tranquil and content. Slowly, she lowered her arms. The wide sleeves of the light-colored palace robes naturally hung down and opened, like the falling curtains of a show. It was like the actors were walking out from the curtains for one last time to express their gratitude toward the audience. 

  The last actor was not just herself, it included a black poisoned dagger. The dagger was now buried deep in her abdomen, so deep that only the hilt was showing. 

  Fan Xian’s heart jumped. He flew out, pushing her to the ground. He stretched his hand toward her abdomen. 

  [JW1] Since the last chapter, the original text consistently used the wrong character for his name. Using “Hou” instead of “He.” The glossary has it as “He,” but this error persists, making it unclear which the author considers “correct.” The glossary translation will be used.