Chapter 47: Plotting Treason and Usurpation Part 2

But as soon as he spoke, Yan Xinfeng, under the pouring rain, bent his head and swiftly, accurately, ruthlessly captured his lover’s ruddy lips. He shifted slightly, pinning them both in the corner for a heated kiss.

The bloody kiss assaulted his senses. Wei Tingxia indulged for a moment, then snapped awake and shoved hard, repeating: “Filthy.”

“How could it be?” Yan Xinfeng murmured in a low voice, kissing the corners of Wei Tingxia’s lips and cheeks nonstop. “Besides, you like it.”

Their first kiss had been just like this: Yan Xinfeng, fresh from slaying the Bug Mother and covered in blood, rushing to Wei Tingxia. He’d barely spoken when they crashed together.

Wei Tingxia liked Yan Xinfeng killing for him, doing anything for him—and likewise, covered in enemies’ blood for him.

The mood heated rapidly. Wei Tingxia didn’t hypocritically deny it; instead, he met it eagerly, jumping up slightly to wrap his legs around Yan Xinfeng’s waist, shifting to a straddling position.

System 0188 popped up then: [Security around Wei Heng has been strengthened.]

“How strong?”

[Killable, but it would leave traces.]

Not worth it. Wei Tingxia pondered briefly for two seconds. “Monitor his communications for me. Tell me the instant Old Emperor summons him to the palace.”

[No problem.]

Wei Tingxia was satisfied—until someone bit his eyebrow.

Yan Xinfeng really was a dog, biting at the drop of a hat.

He wanted to get angry, but the biting turned into dense, sticky kisses. Pheromones wound up his calf like hooks, and Wei Tingxia shuddered, trying to curl up.

‘Be good, don’t get distracted…’

Yan Xinfeng coaxed him in a low voice. ‘Come look at me, Xiao Xia…’

Three days of citywide silence later, four hours before the court assembly, the emperor issued a secret decree summoning Wei Heng to the palace.

Wei Tingxia received the news, changed into dark casual clothes suitable for action, and saw Yan Xinfeng leaning against the doorframe when he left the dressing room. Yan Xinfeng held a micro data chip between his fingertips.

‘Need a hand?’ Yan Xinfeng’s voice was not loud.

‘Not really,’ Wei Tingxia said. ‘You mainly handle the communication equipment and the assault defense systems.’

That wasn’t difficult. Yan Xinfeng flicked his thumb, and the chip vanished. ‘Go on. I’ll come find you at dusk.’

They would meet again twenty hours later.

……

The hovercar landed at the heavily guarded deep space transport station. Wei Heng stepped alone onto the passage leading to the core area of the Imperial Palace. The alloy floor was ice-cold and hard, reflecting the stark white light of the overhead lamps.

The moment the door closed soundlessly behind him, Wei Heng’s heart sank sharply.

It was too quiet. The deliberately suppressed heaviness, where even the air stagnated, slowed his heartbeat.

On both sides of the passage, the royal guards on duty wore matte black armor like icy sculptures, their gazes sharp enough to pierce bone from behind their visors. Wei Heng looked around and found that the number of guards was exactly double the usual, their positions exuding a tense, murderous air.

It seemed the recent assault incidents had instilled fear in Father Emperor’s heart, prompting him to add so many more guards.

An assistant minister silently led Wei Heng to the inner chamber. From afar, he saw the Old Emperor hunched over, his withered fingers picking up chunks of charred black substance from the table, holding them close to scrutinize.

In just a few short days, he had aged a lot more. After Wei Tingxia returned, the Old Emperor’s health had improved significantly, and Wei Heng had thought he could live a few more years, but now it didn’t seem certain.

Wei Heng: ‘Father Emperor.’

The Old Emperor looked up, glanced in his direction. ‘Big One’s here, come over quick!’

Wei Heng walked over briskly and stopped at the Old Emperor’s side.

The Old Emperor sighed deeply and gently placed one chunk of charred matter into Wei Heng’s open palm. The faint stinging pain from the burn marks made Wei Heng’s fingertips curl imperceptibly.

‘It couldn’t be saved.’ His voice sounded like it had been ground by sandpaper.

Wei Shu had been missing for three days, his mansion burned to a pile of ash. Anyone with eyes knew that even if he was alive, he could never return, but understanding was one thing— the Old Emperor was the first to lay it bare.

‘Father Emperor, please restrain your grief,’ Wei Heng lowered his voice. ‘Third Brother surely wouldn’t want you to grieve excessively for him.’

‘Grieve?’

The Old Emperor murmured the word in repetition, his twig-like fingers unconsciously rubbing another chunk of char. ‘When people get old, their hearts dull too. No one in the world is immortal. Rather than harm, it’s worry.’

He raised his eyes, his gaze murky yet unusually sharp, locking onto Wei Heng as if seeing through him inside and out.

‘Big One,’ the Old Emperor’s voice dropped even lower, hoarse with heartfelt sincerity. ‘I’m old, won’t live much longer. The empire’s burden needs someone to take it steadily.’

Wei Heng’s heart jolted, but he kept a respectful and pained expression on his face, bowing slightly. ‘Father Emperor is in good health; there’s no need to say such things…’

‘Big One,’ the Old Emperor interrupted abruptly. That withered hand suddenly slapped heavily onto Wei Heng’s arm, the force so heavy that Wei Heng’s muscles tensed instantly. ‘That child Wei Tingxia is smart, has a drive to him.’

The Old Emperor’s tone sounded like praise, but every word seemed squeezed out through clenched teeth after careful consideration. ‘But sometimes, too smart, too impetuous, and it throws off balance. This position needs steadiness, reliability, someone thorough enough to put minds at ease.’

The Old Emperor pressed harder on Wei Heng’s arm, his meaningful gaze burning deep into his face.

‘You’ve always been the most sensible, the one who gives me the least worry. You know what should be done, what shouldn’t.’

He withdrew his hand, his gaze returning to the charred chunks, his tone drifting yet carrying an indisputable hint. ‘This vast foundation— only in whose hands can I close my eyes in peace… Big One, you must understand your father’s intentions.’

Wei Heng’s heart nearly leaped out through his throat. He hadn’t expected Father Emperor to summon him to hand over the right of succession. This good fortune came too fast; he almost—

The assistant minister appeared at the door: ‘Your Majesty, the Second Prince requests an audience.’

The Old Emperor still had words unsaid, but upon hearing Wei Tingxia had come, his face turned irritable.

‘No audience! Get out! Close the door!’ He scolded sharply, his voice carrying a trace of offended urgency.

However, the expected bow and retreat did not happen. The assistant minister’s face remained impassive, merely giving an extremely standard slight bow toward him, the motion fluid almost to the point of deliberation.

Then, instead of leaving, he fully pulled open the heavy hall door, and a tall, upright figure clearly entered the glow of the inner chamber.

‘What secrets are Father Emperor and Big Brother whispering? Can’t I listen?’

Wei Tingxia’s lips held a faint, ambiguous smile as he strode calmly into the inner chamber.

He didn’t even wait for permission. He just casually turned his head, gave a look, and the door—symbol of imperial authority—closed obediently and heavily in the assistant minister’s hands.

The faint friction of the door hinges turning sounded especially piercing in the deathly silent hall.

The Old Emperor’s murky eyes stared dead at the tightly shut door, then snapped onto Wei Tingxia.

He was old, but his mind was clear. He could glimpse many unspoken secrets from the assistant minister’s every move. An icy chill shot up his spine to his scalp, more terrifying than any open rebellion.

Wei Tingxia seemed oblivious to the Old Emperor’s ashen face. He strolled to the desk, casually picked up a remnant chunk of char, examined it for a moment, then tossed it back onto the table.

‘Three hours until the court assembly. Why did Father Emperor summon Big Brother to the palace at this time?’

The Old Emperor’s face darkened, and Wei Heng was no better off. ‘Third Brother is missing; Father Emperor summoned me to discuss how to handle the aftermath.’

‘Handle?’ Wei Tingxia’s lips pulled into an arc devoid of mirth, his voice light but landing like an ice block. ‘Hasn’t Wei Shu already died?’

‘You—!’

Wei Heng’s pupils shrank sharply, as if punched hard in the gut by an invisible fist. He swayed, staring at Wei Tingxia in disbelief, his voice rising and distorting with extreme shock and anger.

‘Have you gone mad?! Saying such things in front of Father?!’ He instinctively lunged forward a step, finger pointing at Wei Tingxia, fingertip trembling uncontrollably. ‘Even… even if you don’t like Little Shu! He’s still your blood brother! Do you have any humanity left—’

‘You don’t think saying that will make him like you, do you?’ Wei Tingxia cut him off. ‘Do you want to be emperor? Dream on.’

‘Traitorous son! What are you saying！！’

The Old Emperor erupted in fury, his pale face instantly flushing pig-liver red. He slammed the desk hard, chest heaving violently, even his beard trembling, looking as if he wanted to slap Wei Tingxia.

Yet even with the emperor’s rage, beyond the heavy door remained a chilling dead silence, not a single footstep.

‘Did I say anything wrong?’ Wei Tingxia raised a brow in retort. ‘Have you ever considered picking one of us three to inherit the throne? No, right? Wei Heng is the shield you pushed to the front, I’m the one you use to liaise and balance the old nobles, and Wei Shu…’

He let out a mocking huff. ‘He’s the dog keeping you alive.’

He bit down hard on the last word, cruelly clear, shattering the last thread of warmth between imperial father and sons.

‘Outrageous!’

The last shred of the Old Emperor’s feigned composure shattered. His murky eyes instantly veined with terrifying bloodshot, his withered palm slamming the desk with a bang, sending objects scattering.

‘Did I say anything wrong?’

Wei Tingxia didn’t retreat an inch, pressing step by step. ‘Wei Shu has been secretly collecting and kidnapping Alphas and Betas these years, forcibly converting them into Omegas to extract their blood for potions to keep you clinging to life!’

‘In your eyes, we’re just tools. Does a single life in the whole empire matter to you? From start to finish, you only care about yourself!’

‘Shut your mouth! Shut it！！ I didn’t… Outrageous! You slander your sovereign father! This is treason! You deserve a thousand cuts and ten thousand dismemberments！！’

The Old Emperor roared hoarsely, body swaying unsteadily, every word squeezed from a leaky bellows, laced with cornered panic and weakness.

In stark contrast was the faint smile at Wei Tingxia’s lips.

‘You won’t admit it? No matter,’ he nodded casually. ‘Anyway, I didn’t come today asking for an answer from you.’

‘Listen,’ he turned his head theatrically. ‘You’ve yelled so long— has a single guard come in?’

None. Not one.

Wei Heng realized something and staggered back, body slumping against the bookshelf, while the Old Emperor’s eyes rolled back, on the verge of fainting.

The heavy air in the hall seemed to solidify, leaving only that tightly shut door like a silent boundary marker, dividing two eras.