“You hate the Li family. You hate Father, hate Eldest Brother, hate Chengyang, hate me and Ziyan. You hate everyone who, directly or indirectly, forced him to his death.”
Yun Yin paused, “Your Highness.”
The woman’s speech quickened, her voice growing increasingly shrill. “But no one forced him to die! The victor becomes king, the loser an outlaw—isn’t that the way since ancient times? If he hadn’t died, the ones dead would be us!”
“Your Highness!” Yun Yin finally dropped his smile. His eyes were very dark as he looked at the woman before him, his tone still calm.
“He never intended to let any of you die.” He said softly.
This sentence was very light, carrying a rare trace of emotion.
In that moment, a crack finally appeared in his tough exterior, revealing his true inner self.
Li Zhaoyu had never intended for anyone to die.
“Exactly.” The woman laughed quietly. “So the one who died… was him. Isn’t that right?”
“What a pity.” She looked at Yun Yin. “Back then, you and Second Child were so close. If not for that fire, today, you would be a praised pair—a wise sovereign and a brilliant minister. Speaking of hatred… I can truly understand yours.”
Yun Yin’s expression went blank. He stared at her coldly.
He hadn’t taken Changping seriously.
To him, tonight was simply the final stage of his plan.
After tonight, the Yan Dynasty would finally be at peace.
But he realized that Changping had actually calmed down again.
“I understand your meaning now,” she said slowly. “Others don’t understand you, but this palace does. Others only think you, Yun Yin, propped up a puppet emperor to maintain the legitimacy of the imperial line. Only this palace knows… you did it all for that foolish older brother of mine.”
“Back then, you promised to create a peaceful and prosperous era with him.” She scoffed. “If you became Emperor yourself, it would mean stepping over his corpse to ascend the throne. Yun Yin, you couldn’t do such a thing.”
“But Yun Yin, have you ever considered this? You placed all your hopes on a puppet. What if, one day, your puppet also betrays you and abandons you? What would you do then?”
“…So.” Li Zhaoyi said. “That woman was arranged by Yun Yin.”
“Can’t quite say that.” Lu Zhong said. “There indeed was a woman. When His Highness the Crown Prince went to the Southwest back then, he met her once. There was some connection, which led to wicked thoughts arising. But that day…”
He paused, as if remembering something, and lowered his eyes.
After a moment, he said, “The Prince knows the Crown Prince could never have fathered a child.”
He spoke with certainty. Li Zhaoyi was stunned.
But before he could ask further, Lu Zhong began urging him. “Little Highness, it’s getting late. You must go now.”
By this point, they were already standing beside the stable.
Two sleek, well-fed horses stood snorting. They were fine steeds. Li Zhaoyi saw in their eyes the same gentle docility he’d seen that day at the riding grounds. They were horses Yun Yin had chosen for him.
That day, they hadn’t acted like monarch and subject, but more like friends.
Yun Yin had taken him to the tea house where he and Li Zhaoyu had shared a kindred spirit, and spoken to him about some… Li Zhaoyi thought… things that might have been from his heart.
He had never seen Yun Yin with that kind of expression.
He had said that if Li Zhaoyu had succeeded to the throne, then he, Yun Yin, would probably already be at the border pass by now.
The world is unpredictable.
Li Zhaoyu didn’t survive.
And tonight… he, too, was leaving.
He said, “Yun Yin… will he become Emperor?”
At his words, Lu Zhong’s expression froze abruptly.
But after a moment, he realized: with Li Zhaoyi’s current understanding, and the information he’d just revealed, it was impossible for him not to figure out the political situation after his departure.
He clenched his fist tightly and spoke cautiously. “I don’t know.”
“Perhaps he will.” He said concisely. “Or he might select a child from the Imperial Clan to inherit. As long as the surname is Li… it all works.”
Li Zhaoyi lowered his eyes. “It would be quite difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“None of the Imperial Clan children are in the Capital. It would take them ten days to a fortnight to get here.” He said softly. “But by daybreak, everyone will know that Eldest Sister’s coup failed. If I vanish… who will sit on the throne?”
Lu Zhong looked at him. For the first time in his life, he couldn’t read Li Zhaoyi’s words.
Then, Li Zhaoyi gave him a very obedient smile.
He paused and said softly, “Master, I just wanted to say…”
“Being Emperor… isn’t actually so bad.”
These days in the palace, he had been taken care of very well.
Of course, there had been unavoidable shocks and sadness, but almost without realizing it, he seemed to have adapted to this life. For the first time in eighteen years, he felt that the very high walls… weren’t necessarily something he had to cross.
Because within those high walls… there was Lu Zhong. And there was also…
Yun Yin.
He said, “Master, I’m going.”
He turned around and resolutely set off on his horse.
Behind him, Lu Zhong watched his receding figure in a daze.
He had expected Li Zhaoyi to hesitate, to keep asking questions. A child values loyalty the most; he had already prepared himself to expend effort explaining things to him. But Li Zhaoyi said nothing.
Nothing at all. He didn’t even say goodbye.
Lu Zhong clenched his fist tightly.
After a moment, he let out a long breath.
So be it, he thought.
Obedience was also a good thing. What he desired most… was simply Li Zhaoyi’s safety.
He turned his horse around and started back toward the city along the path they’d come.
And at this very moment inside the Imperial Palace, chaos had already erupted.
Mu Ke rushed to Bright Clarity Hall the instant he woke.
He was horrified by the attack he’d suffered, but this was clearly not the time to focus on the “traitor.” He rushed to Bright Clarity Hall, wanting to report to Yun Yin, but found the hall doors tightly shut.
Inside the hall, the smile had completely vanished from Yun Yin’s face.
He stared at the person before him. His tone was still composed, but his eyes had turned cold.
He said slowly, “What did you say?”
Seeing his expression, Li Chunjin suddenly laughed. “I never imagined. The one you care about most is actually him.”
“I made a deal with someone.” She coughed. “I have to keep my promise. But if I were you, if I cared this much, I’d find a place to lock him up, chain him to the bed, so he sees no one but you. See? A little leniency, and someone sneaked right through the gap.”
“Many thanks for the advice.” Yun Yin smiled, his tone gentle.
He turned and pushed open the hall doors.
In front of Bright Clarity Hall, two opposing forces stood facing each other. Yun Yin and Li Chunjin’s negotiations inside were a game of strategy, but also a way to buy time for their respective people.
But at this moment, looking at the opposing commander, Li Chunjin’s expression changed drastically.
These weren’t her people.
The man beside her had already spoken.
“Your Highness.” He said softly. “You miscalculated one thing. This Prince has now thought it through. This Prince’s unwillingness to grant your wish… is not because of the Crown Prince. And the Crown Prince himself never cared what I would do after his death.”
The woman’s face completely transformed. “You!”
Yun Yin straightened up and stopped looking at her. He said coldly, “Of tonight’s rebels… leave none alive.”
“Yun Yin! Have you gone mad?!” As his words fell, Li Chunjin’s face was filled with terror. She screamed, “Li Zhaoyi is already gone, do you know that?! If you do this, after tonight, you will be an absolute traitorous usurper! The Yun Clan’s century-old reputation will be utterly destroyed in your hands! Your grandfather, your father—they all died on the battlefield for Great Yan! Do you want their deaths to be in vain? For them to bear eternal infamy even in death?!”
“So what?” Yun Yin said.
“…What?”
The woman stared at the man before her, stumbling back a step, shaking her head desperately. “Mad, you’re mad! Yun Yin, I didn’t think you were a madman!”
“Not quite reaching the level of the Grand Princess,” Yun Yin smiled.
At this point, he finally stopped suppressing the unique, battle-honed, chillingly murderous aura of the battlefield.
He gave the woman a cold glance, said nothing more, and turned around.
It was a crushing campaign.
It couldn’t even be called a battle. The moment everyone realized there was nothing that could restrain Yun Yin, the intercepting forces had long been seized by the urge to retreat. Especially since this had been a planned trap from the start.
By daybreak, the entire Capital had returned to silence.
As Yun Yin rode past the bound woman, he paused briefly and heard her murmured words: “…You will regret this.”
“Yun Yin, you will become a sinner for all ages. You won’t dare face him… you won’t dare go down to face him at all…”
Beside him, Mu Ke’s face was full of disgust but couldn’t hide his worry. He spurred his horse closer to Yun Yin, who had stopped and was gazing at the dawn light in the distance. Tentatively, Mu Ke whispered, “…My Lord.”
Yun Yin spoke. “You were late.”
Mu Ke was filled with shame.
Just as he was about to explain, he heard Yun Yin say, “Lu Zhong. Am I right?”
Mu Ke’s words died in his throat.
“I should have guessed.” Yun Yin sighed, speaking softly.
He should have guessed long ago.
Li Zhaoyi’s attitude towards Lu Zhong hadn’t been wariness at all… It had been closeness.
How intimate a relationship must it be to enable someone to coordinate seamlessly with the other party upon their first reunion after a long separation? And what long-accumulated, deep-seated understanding allowed Lu Zhong to find such a golden opportunity?
…And also.
He thought.
Just how deep must… their bond… be?
For his excellent subordinate to spend so much time coming before him…
Just to take that one person away.
All of this… he had known nothing about.
And he had once believed that the only person Li Zhaoyi could rely on… was him.
Yun Yin felt he should be angry. As Li Chunjin said, the little puppet he’d personally raised had betrayed him. This should feel like a defiant, ultimate humiliation. But the reality was, at this very moment, his heart was utterly calm. He gazed at the dawn light breaking over the horizon and said, “Mu Ke.”
Mu Ke hastily acknowledged, “Your subordinate is here.”
“Within three days.” Yun Yin said. “I want to see Li Zhaoyi and Lu Zhong appear before me.”
“…Yes, my Lord.”
“Let’s go inside,” Yun Yin said calmly.
He turned his horse, heading toward his preordained fate.
But after only a few steps, his horse suddenly stopped.
In the dim morning light, not far away, a horse neighed. A beautiful young man was clutching the reins tightly, clearly afraid. Yet, the pair of dark, bright eyes looking at Yun Yin still held that familiar serenity.
Perhaps because Yun Yin’s gaze was too intense, the young man’s ears flushed red, but in the next moment, he gathered his courage.
“I…” He said. “I was worried. I came back to check on you.”
