Li Longjing stood up suddenly, but suddenly felt dizzy. He held onto the back of his chair, his face instantly turning pale. "When did you...?"

"It was the day you asked me to plan the assassination of Madam Xue." Yan Boxi's voice was hoarse with pain, but with relief. "The prince taught me... a man without ruthlessness is not a man."

Li Longjing stumbled back, then burst into a wild laugh. "Good! Very good!" He grabbed the red-hot iron. "But before I die, I will make sure you wish you were dead..."

Before he could finish his words, the dungeon door suddenly burst open. A group of imperial guards rushed in with swords drawn, led by none other than the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple.

"By imperial decree, Prince Li Longjing of Linjiang is suspected of plotting to murder loyal officials and is to be immediately arrested!"

Li Longjing's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible... How could my brother..."

The Junior Official of the Dali Temple sneered, "This morning, someone beat a drum outside the palace gates to protest their injustice, presenting secret letters exchanged between the prince and the Western Rong." He glanced at Yan Boxi on the rack, "Also, there's irrefutable evidence that you plotted to frame the Xue family."

Li Longjing turned to Yan Boxi, his single eye blazing with hatred: "It's you!"

Yan Boxi smiled weakly: "Your Highness...you missed a move."

When the imperial guards came forward to escort Li Longjing, he suddenly convulsed all over, vomited black blood, and his black hair broke.

The once invincible prince collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, and the light in his eyes gradually faded.

The Dali Temple's Shaoqing quickly ordered someone to put Yan Boxi down: "Mr. Yan, hold on! The imperial physician will be here soon!"

Yan Boxi shook his head and pulled out a blood-stained letter from his bosom: "Give it to... the fifth daughter of the Xue family..." His hands drooped limply, and the letter fell to the ground, revealing the first few words: "From Miss Shanqiu..."

Outside the dungeon, rain had begun to fall without anyone noticing. Raindrops seeped through the high iron bars of the windows, mixing with the blood and forming thin streams of light red on the ground.