The Emperor's eyes widened gradually.
His voice trembled as he said, "Y-you... what nonsense are you spouting? How could I possibly hide the heir in the cold palace or the Duke of England's residence? You..."
Luo Jingfeng cut him off with a cruel smile. "Did you think I would let things slide just because I couldn’t uncover the truth? It doesn’t matter, Your Majesty. Whether I find out or not, I don’t care who it is—I’ll just kill every suspicious candidate."
The Emperor had rigged the exams for Tao Jingyu of the Duke of England's household—perhaps to win the Duke’s favor, or perhaps to protect the heir by raising the prince outside the palace.
But regardless of the reason, Luo Jingfeng intended to eliminate every possible threat to Cheng'er, leaving no survivors.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor could no longer hold himself together. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground in fury.
It was over...
Everything was over...
He had no way out left.
Curled up on the ground, blood still dripping from his lips, the Emperor couldn’t comprehend how his meticulously laid plans had ended in utter defeat.
This couldn’t be... This simply couldn’t be! His father had assured him he was a man of great talent, destined to become a wise and illustrious ruler.
So why had his path to greatness been so fraught with obstacles?
Luo Jingfeng tucked away the imperial decree and deliberately raised his voice. "Your Majesty, my business here is concluded. I’ll just sit back and watch now. The matter between you and Zong Zhao—why don’t you two settle it yourselves?"
The Emperor, enraged, shouted, "Y-you promised to spare me!"
Luo Jingfeng lounged casually to the side. "That’s right, I did want to spare you. But Zong Zhao won’t."
Truthfully, Luo Jingfeng longed to strike the killing blow himself—not just because the Emperor had sent assassins after Cheng'er, but also because the entire scheme of his third sister entering the palace had been the Emperor’s doing.
That bastard had coveted Luo Shu from the start, using a pretext to pressure the Luo family into offering her up. And so, she had perished in this frigid, heartless palace.
Luo Jingfeng’s hatred burned so fiercely he wished he could tear the Emperor apart limb by limb.
But he held back.
No matter how despicable the Emperor was, he was still Cheng'er’s biological father. Cheng'er was still young and wouldn’t understand now, but if he grew up resenting Luo Jingfeng for killing his father, a rift would form between them.
After much deliberation, Luo Jingfeng decided it was better to let Zong Zhao take the blame. That way, in the future, Cheng'er would remain closest to him—not Zong Zhao.
Terrified, the Emperor scrambled across the floor, dragging himself up the steps as he pleaded, "Zong Zhao, I’ve never wronged you! I covered up your killings, I rewarded your military achievements with titles—I treated you well! Why couldn’t you remain loyal to me?"
The Emperor prided himself on his judgment of character. Zong Zhao had always seemed the most dependable of all his ministers—his most loyal subject. How had things come to this? How could he have rebelled?
The Emperor couldn’t make sense of it.
Outside, torrential rain poured down, the relentless drumming of water drowning out the Emperor’s cries for help.
Zong Zhao’s expression was ice-cold as he countered, "If I hadn’t rushed back to the Eastern Palace that day, Your Majesty’s scheme would have succeeded, wouldn’t it? You ask why I’m not loyal—well, let me ask you this: Crown Prince Chu Heng devoted himself to the people and remained unwaveringly loyal to you. And what did he get in return?"
The Emperor froze, and the pieces finally fell into place. "So that’s it... That’s why you and Luo Jingfeng are rebelling together! You knew all along! Huaishui didn’t die from poison testing—you killed him! Zong Zhao, even the Crown Prince didn’t know about this. How did you find out? How?!"
Zong Zhao replied coldly, "If Your Majesty dared to act, you should be prepared to face the consequences. For ten years, out of jealousy for the Crown Prince’s brilliance, you slowly poisoned him. Did you ever once consider that he was your own flesh and blood? Until his last breath, His Highness never once doubted you—not once!"
"How could you betray his trust?"
The words echoed endlessly in the Emperor’s ears, leaving him dazed.
Faintly, he recalled the early days of his reign, when he had painstakingly guided Chu Heng. No matter how busy with state affairs, he had always made time for his son, teaching him to become an exemplary heir.
He had truly loved that child once.
But... when had it all changed?
When he tasted the intoxication of power—when a single word from him could decide life or death, when he could possess anything he desired, even Luo Shu, the most sought-after beauty in the realm.
These were privileges only an Emperor could enjoy.
Only the Emperor could wield such power!
He laughed maniacally, tears and hatred mingling in his eyes. "You ask me why? I want to know why too! When he was barely a teenager, he overshadowed me in the court and among the people! I was only in my thirties—in the prime of my life! And yet, a mere Crown Prince, not even ascended, commanded more loyalty than I did! Tell me—if that’s not treason, what is?!"
Zong Zhao’s chest heaved as he suppressed his rage. "His Highness acted for the people, for the sake of the court, to ease Your Majesty’s burdens. But you were blind to his kindness and filial devotion, your vision clouded by power. And so, Great Chu lost its most beloved heir—and you lost the one person in this world who revered and trusted you above all else."
Tears streamed down the Emperor’s face as he weakly dragged himself backward, shaking his head. "No... It wasn’t like that... I was just outmaneuvered this once. I misjudged you—that’s all! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost!"
"True. You only miscalculated me this time." Zong Zhao’s voice was frigid, devoid of emotion. "Otherwise, it would have gone like this: I would have helped you eliminate the Luo family, and then, to prevent me from becoming the next Luo Jingfeng, you’d have fabricated charges to send me to the executioner’s block."
The Emperor shuddered.
He had indeed entertained such thoughts before, and now he felt utterly exposed.
But how? How could Zong Zhao, of all people, have seen through him? A man like him should have been the most loyal subject—how could he have anticipated this?!
Panicked, the Emperor cried, "That’s all your own conjecture! I would never do such a thing! I would have rewarded you lavishly—I would never have mistreated you!"
Blood smeared the steps of the imperial study, marking the Emperor’s desperate climb.
Zong Zhao ascended steadily, the voices of the past echoing in his ears.
Chu Heng’s voice: "Zong Zhao, His Majesty taught me more about the art of rulership today. It sounds impressive, but I wonder if I’ll ever master it. Still, when we grow up, we’ll surely become pillars of the court—rooting out corrupt officials, saving the people. Together, we’ll make Great Chu stronger and more prosperous!"
He took another step up.
Zong Yan’s laughter: "Brother, the Court of Judicial Review is amazing! No matter how cunning the criminal or how high their status, they always uncover the truth. His Majesty is truly wise—with him ruling Great Chu, there will never be any wrongful convictions!"
Another step.
Jin Cheng’s sobs: "Father... What did I do wrong? Why do they want me dead? I just want to study hard, serve as an official, help the people, be a good son to you and Mother... What did I do to deserve this?"
At the top of the steps, the Emperor’s gaze was filled with terror.
In this moment, he had completely collapsed, his imperial dignity forgotten. Trembling, he begged for mercy: "Zong Zhao, spare me—spare me! The Crown Prince isn’t dead, the child lives, all your loved ones are safe. There is no enmity between us!"
Luo Jingfeng watched from the sidelines, an amused spectator.
Zong Zhao closed his eyes, suppressing the hatred in his heart. Only he knew the truth—whether vengeance was justified.
When he opened them again, his gaze was resolute and ice-cold.
With chilling reverence, he said, "Your Majesty, this humble servant invites you... to pass on."
