His joyful expression froze on his face as the emperor grabbed him by the neck, his eyes hardening and his hand tightening.

A crisp "crack" sounded from Liu Bufan's neck.

He didn't even close his eyes before the emperor tossed him aside like trash.

"Ah—!!!" Consort Shu let out a startling scream, her body thrashing backward until she was backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.

Looking into the emperor's eyes, she felt a chill run through her entire body.

This was the chill that fear brought her.

Liu Bufan is dead!

The man who was just making love with her is now dead!

She had never been more afraid than she was now. She realized that the emperor before her had once been the ruthless and decisive ruler of the battlefield!

He could kill Liu Bufan with just one hand, so what about himself?

"Your Majesty, spare my life! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"

Consort Shu's head pounded on the ground with a "thump, thump, thump" sound, and soon her forehead was covered in blood.

The emperor knelt down again, grabbed the back of her head by the hair, and asked:

"Consort Shu, this is the last time I will address you by your rank. Tell me the truth, whose child was the one you lost two years ago? Was it mine, or Liu Bufan's?"

Consort Shu's lips were deathly pale, devoid of any color. "Yes...of course...Your Majesty..."

"I want to hear the truth. Shu Ziming, you know that the crime you committed is a serious crime that can implicate nine generations of your family."

Two lines of despairing tears welled up in Consort Shu's eyes, and she hesitated to speak for a long time.

"If you tell the truth, I will spare your family."

Consort Shu's face showed a hint of regret in her despair, but her choked throat prevented her from making a sound.

Only that tear-streaked face shook its head earnestly before the emperor.

The emperor released her hair, his eyes darkened, and his shoulders slumped limply.

"Alright, alright... I understand."

The truth is self-evident, so what's the point of asking?

She actually used this method to deceive him for two years...

He himself was laughable; he was incredibly stupid.

The moment the emperor stood up, Consort Shu hurriedly grabbed his trouser leg.

"Your Majesty... I beg Your Majesty to spare my family... It's all my fault, all my fault..."

The emperor looked down at her, then glanced at Liu Bufan lying dead on the ground, eyes wide open, and said in a low voice:

"You know what to do."

Shu Ziming loosened the emperor's trouser leg and kowtowed once more, "Yes, Your Majesty... understands."

The emperor gave her no further attention; the dark Chengen Hall seemed to suffocate her.

All sounds from Chengen Hall were drowned out by the heavy rain.