A grand coronation ceremony was underway in the imperial palace of Yunxi.
The Third Prince wore imperial dragon robes and a ceremonial crown as he led the assembled officials in worshipping the ancestors. After the many complicated rites had been completed, the officials formally petitioned him to ascend the throne. Ceremonial music rang out as the Third Prince slowly climbed the high steps, his face bearing an expression of supreme arrogance.
Once he had seated himself upon the dragon throne, the assembled officials performed three kneelings and nine kowtows, after which the grand ceremonial music sounded again. The newly appointed Chancellor presented the imperial edict, and all the civil and military officials stepped forward to offer their congratulations.
When all the ceremonies were over, the Emperor began conferring official appointments and reshuffling existing posts.
Author’s Notes: I am accustomed to calling him the Third Prince, so I will not change it to “the Emperor” for now. It feels far too awkward.
After the official appointments came the installation of the Empress. Yu’er stood below the great hall with the assembled officials, gazing at the extraordinary Third Prince above. His eyes immediately grew moist.
Countless times, he had imagined what the Third Prince would look like in dragon robes. Now that he had finally seen him, Yu’er realized that he had fallen hopelessly in love with this sovereign. No one could rival his appearance or imposing presence. This man, who was like a god in Yu’er’s heart, was about to become his husband.
Mu Xueshi emerged from the tomb and took a winding route along the smaller paths, but he still encountered a blockade of guards.
“Move aside!” Mu Xueshi shouted fiercely.
When the guards saw Mu Xueshi’s face, they reacted as though they had seen a ghost, every one of them rooted stupidly to the spot. Mu Xueshi seized the opportunity to escape their encirclement and successfully left the courtyard.
It was only about two li from the courtyard to Linan Hall, where the court session was currently being held, but the entire route was heavily guarded. Relying on his face and his formidable martial arts, Mu Xueshi fought his way through layer after layer of encirclement and charged furiously toward Linan Hall.
Halfway through the court proceedings, Eunuch Tai’an suddenly entered from outside. He approached the Third Prince and whispered, “Your Majesty, the Second Prince and Young Master Su Ying have been captured and brought back. They are currently outside Linan Hall awaiting Your Majesty’s judgment.”
“Bring them in,” the Third Prince said coldly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Second Prince carried Su Ying in his arms. Iron chains were wrapped around Su Ying’s hands and feet, and his head was pressed tightly against the Second Prince’s chest, his small face filled with panic and fear.
“Su Ying, don’t be afraid.”
“Father…”
The Third Prince looked coldly at the two people below, then asked the guards beside the Second Prince and Su Ying, “Why was Su Ying not escorted separately?”
The guards’ expressions immediately changed upon hearing his question. They dropped to their knees and stammered, “It was the Sec… Sec…”
While gently stroking Su Ying’s head, the Second Prince said to the Third Prince, “Kill me or torture me as you please. I will never allow Su Ying to leave my side.”
“Ridiculous!” the Third Prince shouted harshly. “Separate them and tie Su Ying up.”
As soon as the order was given, the surrounding guards sprang into action. A cold light blazed in the Second Prince’s eyes as he held Su Ying tightly and refused to let go. Barehanded, he struck the guards down one after another.
“A pack of useless trash. Drag them outside and execute them,” the Third Prince said calmly.
Linan Hall, which had been peaceful only moments before, immediately descended into chaos. Cries for mercy rang out without end, though they soon disappeared from everyone’s ears. The officials in the hall wore alarmed expressions and stood frozen in place, none daring to make a sound.
“Must I do it myself?”
At the Third Prince’s words, dozens of elite soldiers stormed inside and forcibly tore the Second Prince and Su Ying apart. Seeing Su Ying crying and struggling nearby, the Second Prince’s heart ached terribly. He turned toward the Third Prince and said, “You will not even spare your own nephew. You are nothing but a beast.”
The Third Prince let out several cold laughs.
“Nephew? All my relatives died long ago. Where would I have gotten a nephew?”
“Father! Father!”
Su Ying waved his small fists as he was bound to an iron pillar, sobbing until his eyes turned bright red.
Watching the Second Prince’s expression, the Third Prince leisurely drank from his teacup and said faintly, “Since you claim he is my nephew, I cannot allow the title of imperial uncle to go to waste. Today, here in this great hall, I will show him some proper affection and let you see exactly what it means to be a beast. Men!”
At the Third Prince’s command, several servants hurried inside.
“Prepare the whips and branding irons…”
The Second Prince’s eyes turned scarlet, as though blood were about to drip from them.
“Ye Lü Jue, if you truly dare do this, then even if I become a ghost, I will drain every drop of blood from your body.”
The moment the Second Prince finished speaking, the items requested by the Third Prince were carried into Linan Hall.
“Begin,” the Third Prince said expressionlessly.
The Second Prince watched the branding iron approach his precious child’s body. His heart felt as though it were being sliced apart inch by inch, and tears instantly fell from his eyes.
Su Ying wailed loudly, repeatedly crying out for his father.
Just as the branding iron began scorching Su Ying’s clothing, a sharp weapon suddenly shot into the servant’s hand. His hand jerked, and the red-hot branding iron fell onto his foot. He immediately clutched it and screamed in agony.
At the same moment, a loud shout came from the entrance.
“Stop!”
That shout allowed the Second Prince to breathe a temporary sigh of relief, but it made Yu’er’s heart leap into his throat.
The Third Prince stared almost incredulously as someone charged into the great hall. That person was none other than Mu Xueshi, whom he had long believed had already left this world.
Mu Xueshi looked at the Third Prince, his heart filled with a jumble of emotions. For a moment, he could not say anything.
In the end, the Third Prince had still put on the dragon robes. Although he looked majestic and imposing, Mu Xueshi inexplicably felt a pang of sorrow.
His old clothes looked better…
As the Third Prince stared at Mu Xueshi, a massive crack suddenly split open within his heart, which had long since frozen solid. He had believed that he would never see this person again in his lifetime. He had thought he would become a sovereign above tens of thousands and spend the rest of his life in cold loneliness.
“Your Majesty, you cannot treat a child this way.” Mu Xueshi suddenly gave the Third Prince a perfectly respectful bow.
The officials standing beside Mu Xueshi stared in astonishment. Some of the senior ministers retained from the previous reign recognized his face and believed him to be a ghost, yet even they could not help being captivated by the ghost’s immortal beauty. Other officials who had never seen Mu Xueshi before thought their eyes were deceiving them. How could such a beautiful man exist in this world?
Moments ago, they had believed the soon-to-be-installed Empress possessed beauty capable of toppling kingdoms and was a rare treasure beneath the heavens. Compared with Mu Xueshi now, Yu’er appeared as ordinary as roadside weeds.
Yu’er’s lips trembled, and it took him a long while to force himself to calm down.
“Your Majesty, this is your first time conducting court affairs. Do not allow the officials to witness something laughable,” Yu’er reminded the Third Prince beside his ear.
The Third Prince glanced at him without speaking, his expression gradually returning to indifference.
“Continue the punishment,” the Third Prince said.
Mu Xueshi immediately became furious. He strode toward the iron frame where Su Ying was bound, untied the ropes without another word, and carefully gathered the child into his arms.
“Anyone who dares touch my nephew today will have only death awaiting them.”
Even if the servants responsible for carrying out the punishment could resist the temptation of Mu Xueshi’s beauty, they could not withstand his imposing presence.
Even the Third Prince was startled by Mu Xueshi’s words. He had not expected that after only a few days apart, Mu Xueshi’s courage would have grown to such an extent that he dared defy an imperial command before the entire court.
“Seize both of them.”
Mu Xueshi’s heart ached when he heard the Third Prince’s order. He turned and looked at him.
You should not be like this! No matter how vicious or cruel you are, you should not be this devoid of humanity. Besides, the person I see before me now cannot even be described merely as vicious or cruel.
The Third Prince was wounded by the look in Mu Xueshi’s eyes. He did not understand why, even after everything had reached this point, he still cared about what Mu Xueshi thought of him.
“Anyone who dares step forward will die here on the spot!” Mu Xueshi shouted.
The Third Prince suddenly narrowed his eyes and said in a dangerous voice, “Men, seize these two rebels. I would like to see just how capable he truly is.”
At the Third Prince’s command, dozens of imperial palace guards rushed in from outside.
A vicious light flashed through Mu Xueshi’s eyes. He first broke through the wall of men, then brought his long sword down with a powerful slash, forcibly severing the iron chains binding the Second Prince. Afterward, he tossed Su Ying from his arms to the Second Prince.
The Third Prince’s gaze froze. He began to doubt whether this person was truly Mu Xueshi. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for his internal cultivation to reach such a level in only a few short days.
“Come at me!”
Seeing that none of them dared attack, Mu Xueshi struck first. With only a few punches, he knocked down a guard almost effortlessly.
The remaining guards all drew their swords and pointed them at Mu Xueshi.
“Attack!” the Third Prince ordered again.
Hearing the Third Prince’s voice, the guards trembled in fear. Casting aside all further hesitation, they swung their swords at Mu Xueshi.
Yet Mu Xueshi remained standing motionless, and not a single one of their swords touched him. The officials watching nearby saw everything clearly. The swords in the guards’ hands seemed to have grown wings of their own, changing direction involuntarily when they came within only a few inches of Mu Xueshi.
The guards themselves were engaged in an agonizing struggle. None dared disobey the Emperor’s command, yet their hands simply refused to cooperate. Faced with such a beautiful countenance, they could not bring themselves to harm even a hair on him.
Then don’t blame me for showing no mercy… Mu Xueshi silently remarked. In an instant, he drew his long sword and swept it toward them.
In less than half the time it took an incense stick to burn, Mu Xueshi had beaten those highly skilled imperial guards into complete disarray. Yet rather than feeling ashamed or afraid, the defeated guards thought that being able to witness such an almost dreamlike beauty dancing with a sword meant they could die without regret.
Mu Xueshi clapped the dust from his hands, then blew away a strand of hair hanging over his forehead, revealing an expression that was both roguish and endearing.
“Does anyone else want to come forward? Go ahead!”
A faint smile suddenly appeared at the corners of the Third Prince’s lips. He gave Eunuch Tai’an a look, signaling him to summon the Four Great Imperial Bodyguards.
Although Eunuch Tai’an was unwilling, he had no choice but to relay the order.
These four Imperial Bodyguards were different from the guards who had previously served beside the Emperor. Not only were their martial arts formidable, but they killed without blinking. The Third Prince had always favored them for their cold-blooded brutality.
Yet when they saw Mu Xueshi, even these men visibly froze. They exchanged glances, complicated emotions appearing in their eyes.
Mu Xueshi began fighting them as well. He could clearly feel that these opponents were far stronger, and there were four of them besides. Mu Xueshi immediately found the battle strenuous. Although he was not injured, neither could he gain any advantage.
The four men could not help admiring the beauty’s martial arts. They attempted to seize upon his vulnerabilities and identify a weakness they could exploit, only to discover that his techniques were unpredictable and constantly changing. They could not determine which martial-arts school they belonged to at all.
After exchanging more than a hundred moves, Mu Xueshi felt as though every bone in his body were about to fall apart. He hurriedly leapt onto a ceiling beam and called down to the Imperial Bodyguards below, “Let me rest for a while first.”
The four men looked at one another—and actually obeyed, halting their siege of Mu Xueshi.
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