The Star-Picking Tower.

Brahma forced himself to his feet, his eyes flashing with anger as he looked at Prince Jing, his voice losing its usual calm, "You shouldn't have acted! It's destiny..."

"Isn't this me following the will of Heaven?"

Prince Jing wore a faint smile, which contained an indescribable majesty and confidence, as if he were the supreme ruler of this world. "You told me that she should not live, and you also reminded me of the existence of divine punishment."

I was talking about divine punishment, not you!

Unable to contain his anger, King Fan heard about the fire in the palace and the deaths of the Imperial Concubine and her unborn child. He guessed that Prince Jing was behind it, so he disregarded his health and forced his way back to stop it. Unexpectedly, he encountered another assassination attempt and once again became Prince An's shield.

"Heh, divine punishment?"

Prince Jing sneered, "Your divine punishment failed. I merely helped you align with destiny by giving you a push. What? Isn't this what you've been doing all along?"

"Hehe, besides... I am the future emperor, the son of heaven. My punishment is nothing but divine retribution, isn't it?"

Prince Jing stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the entire palace. His eyes revealed undisguised ambition and determination. "You were the ones who said that the position belonged to me. I'm just taking back what is rightfully mine!"

"Since Heaven will not punish us, then I will punish you on Heaven's behalf!"

...

Brahma stared wide-eyed at the Prince Jing before him, his face filled with astonishment. The Prince Jing, who had always been gentle and humble, seemed to have become a different person, his ambition now fully revealed.

As if frozen in place, Brahma stood motionless, completely still.

Heaven... divine punishment? Punishment on behalf of Heaven?

Is this what he's been doing all along? Is this the... reason he came down the mountain?

But he is a Buddhist disciple!

Isn't it orthodox to obey the will of Heaven and punish on its behalf?

But Prince Jing—

At that moment, Brahma felt a tremendous shock, frozen there, motionless, his mind reeling. He thought of his master's teachings, and of the dream he had had since childhood, where he defied fate and caused the river to overflow.

He even thought of that... complete dream when he was injured in the bandit camp.

He looked at the Prince Jing, who was dressed in the crown of a prince, exuding unparalleled nobility and extreme arrogance.

Once again... I fell into self-doubt.

He followed the will of Heaven and helped Prince Jing ascend the throne... Was that really the right thing to do?

In his dream, the scene of the people suffering and corpses strewn across the land after Prince Jing ascended the throne kept changing with Prince Jing's ambitious face, impacting his heart.

That heart, steadfast in upholding destiny.

Brahma sat back down, twirling his prayer beads, closing his eyes, and reciting the Heart Sutra.

Prince Jing showed a hint of displeasure. "You only need to show your face. I will have the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review assist you."

Brahma did not answer, nor did he stop reciting scriptures.

Prince Jing's eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc.

Now that he has ascended to the position of Crown Prince and holds great power, even the old Mr. Li has voluntarily entered his residence to serve as his tutor. Would he still lack a few words of advice?

They've really gone mad from reading scriptures.

If Brahma obediently follows the will of Heaven and helps him ascend the throne, he will not treat him unfairly. But if he harbors disloyalty, he will not be blamed for being ruthless.

Throughout history, which emperor's hands have not been stained with blood?

One scripture passage has been read.

Brahma slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unfathomable. "Is the Imperial Noble Consort really... dead?"

"Hehehe..."

Prince Jing let out a low, sinister laugh. His once handsome face now appeared distorted and terrifying due to the ferocious smile.

His gaze was fixed on the South Palace, now reduced to ashes in the distance. A cold smile crept onto his lips: "The entire South Palace was engulfed in flames. Even if she had nine lives, they would all be reduced to ashes!"

His narrow eyes gleamed with a manic light.

If it weren't for her father's constant worry, he might have given her a way out. But... the imperial physician said that she was carrying a prince, a prince who was already favored by her father even before he was born, the son of the Imperial Noble Consort, whose status was extremely noble.

He can't afford to gamble, and he doesn't want to gamble.

The throne rightfully belonged to him.

No one can be allowed to take it away, not even an unborn baby.

"Amitabha……"

Brahma chanted a Buddhist mantra, turned his prayer beads, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

Prince Jing turned and left.

Phoenix Palace.

The Empress, adorned in her phoenix coronet and robes, dressed exquisitely and dignifiedly, repeatedly asked the nanny, "Why hasn't the Emperor come to fetch me yet? That vile woman is dead, already reduced to ashes! Why hasn't the Emperor come to fetch me yet?"

The nanny replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is injured and needs to rest."

"Injured? I must go take care of His Majesty!"

Ignoring all attempts to stop her, the Empress, overcome with emotion, rushed toward the gate of Fengfengyi Palace, only to be stopped by the guards at the gate.

The nanny followed and coaxed and persuaded the Empress to go back. After a long commotion, the Empress fell asleep, and the nanny stretched her aching back.

"Granny... Waaah... When will this end?"

A maid's sobbing rang out, and the old nanny glared at her fiercely, "If you want to die, I won't stop you, but... think about your parents at home. They only have enough to eat because of Her Highness."

"Her Majesty is just ill and a little forgetful. She has no intention of killing you. She will forget everything when she wakes up tomorrow morning."

"You all go and rest, and cheer up!"

"The Prime Minister has already sought out renowned doctors, so Her Majesty will recover. With the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister here, no matter who sits on that throne, Her Majesty will be the future Empress Dowager, the legitimate mother of the Empress. Our good fortune is yet to come!"

Granny Cui gave her a good scolding, hitting her with a stick and then a jujube.

The young palace maid stopped sobbing, obediently wiped away her tears, bowed and withdrew, her expression gradually becoming numb. Looking at the other palace maids and eunuchs, they all had numb expressions.

The Phoenix Palace was deathly still, exuding a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere, like a forgotten cold palace.

At the city gate.

A pale-faced scholar drove an extremely simple and unassuming carriage out of the city. A corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing a chubby little face. After a quick glance, he excitedly exclaimed to the two women beside him, "We're out of the city! We're out! Your Majesty..."

"Shut up--"

A young girl in a red outfit quickly covered the woman's mouth, "What 'Empress'? It's Madam! Madam Chen! Got it?"

The woman's mouth was covered, and she nodded repeatedly with wide eyes.

Sitting in the middle, "Mrs. Chen" grinned and said, "Alright, alright, you'll remember it slowly. We're finally out."

The woman in red released her grip, pulled a map from her clothes, and pointed to the location of Shu County. "Jiaojiao and the others should have arrived long ago. When they see us, Jiaojiao will definitely be shocked."

As she spoke, she lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a bright and dashing face. It was none other than Luo Feiyan, the twelfth young lady of the General's Mansion.

Yuan Bao'er's soft, round face was then revealed, and she smiled, revealing a pair of dimples. "Hehe, she can't eat all the delicious food of Shu County by herself."

"You, all you think about is food. You've been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers with the Empress Dowager, and you've even gained weight. If you had been allowed to eat your way back, you would have rolled into a ball and rolled back on your own by now."

Chen Jin'er joked with a smile.

The three of them burst into laughter.

Looking out through the carriage curtain at the lush greenery, Chen Jin'er stroked her belly and looked at Jiang Lingtian, who was straining to drive the carriage, "Why did you bring him along? He's so thin, will he be able to make it this far?"