Chapter 169 [VIP]

After Changfeng finished speaking, he stared straight at the emperor, whose arms, now only bones and a little bit of flesh, were struggling to support his upper body, and rotting pus was flowing all over the ground.

Prince Li's breath caught in his throat, his fingers clenched tightly, and he asked once more, "Did you poison the late Emperor?"

"yes."

You want to abandon him? Hahaha. Changfeng let out a silent laugh, his breath causing his Taoist robe to billow at his chest.

"Yes, this humble Taoist priest."

He really admitted it?!

Splash!

A commotion broke out among the students who had secretly followed, and some couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Wasn't the deposed crown prince wronged?"

"Who knows? What if it was the deposed crown prince who ordered it?"

"That's true. Otherwise, what good would it do for him to abandon being a proper Taoist priest and murder the late emperor?"

It wasn't just the students who had doubts; everyone else did too.

The scholar in blue suddenly blurted out, "If we're talking about who benefits..."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent for a moment.

They involuntarily followed the gaze of the student in blue robes to the emperor, then quickly looked away guiltily, lowering their heads and behaving meekly.

Gu Yican raised an eyebrow, turned around and said, "Yaoyao..." His voice paused, then rose at the end, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Gu Zhizhuo's complexion was rather poor; not just poor, but rather had a sickly, ashen look.

"It stinks."

Gu Zhizhu wrinkled his nose. No wonder even the cat didn't want to come.

The stench lingering in her nostrils made her feel suffocated and unable to breathe properly.

Gu Yican fanned her, making a rustling sound with the round fan, and the pendant also bumped against each other with a "bang".

"Do you want to go down first?"

"don't want."

It's so exciting, how can you not watch!

She leaned closer to Gu Yican and whispered, "Changfeng and Prince Jin must have had some kind of agreement a long time ago."

Therefore, the Prince of Jin blamed everything on Changfeng, not afraid that Changfeng would turn around and bite back.

Changfeng, bearing all the blame alone, did not indeed bring down Prince Jin.

Prince Li stared at Changfeng's throat, which had rotted open into a hole, and continued to ask, "Why?"

"In order to become the Imperial Preceptor..." Changfeng said with difficulty, "If the late Emperor were seriously ill, I would have the opportunity to show my face before him, gain his trust, and serve him from then on."

"That's it?" Prince Li looked astonished, hardly believing his ears.

He pressed on sternly, "Did someone instruct you?"

The usually magnanimous Prince Li had a stern face, his pupils burning with rage, yet he desperately tried to restrain himself from losing his composure.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to utter a sound.

Changfeng turned his head toward them, his neck making a creaking sound.

After a while, he laboriously raised his hand, his pus-drained fingers pointing at the emperor.

The emperor's forehead veins bulged, and his heart almost stopped beating.

"emperor?!"

Prince Li uttered a soft exclamation.

The emperor's face turned cold. He made a gesture, and Commander Zhou of the Imperial Guard gripped his longsword, took half a step forward, and waited for the emperor's signal to immediately kill the sorcerer.

Changfeng let out a low chuckle, then his arm hung limply to the ground, as if he had simply been unable to move due to weakness in his limbs.

Changfeng gasped for breath and said, "No one instructed me; it was all because of my momentary greed that I made a grave mistake."

Prince Li's gaze shifted back and forth between him and the emperor as he pressed, "How did you poison the late emperor?" His voice grew increasingly cold and hard.

“Yes…” Changfeng licked his lips.

The emperor suddenly gripped the sleeve of his dragon robe tightly.

Blood dripped from Changfeng's throat. He raised his hand to wipe it away, his fingertips stained with dark red blood.

He said, "I mixed poison into an ink stick."

Xie Jing was standing beside the emperor and noticed that the emperor's body was somewhat stiff. When he heard the words "ink stick," Xie Jing felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered that a few months ago, he had inadvertently seen half a used ink stick in the imperial study, on which was engraved: "Honoring Father Emperor, Long Live the Emperor."

It was his father's handwriting.

Xie Jing was puzzled at the time, wondering why the birthday gift his father had given to the late emperor was still with his father.

Changfeng continued, "...When the late emperor used ink, he would slowly inhale the poison."

"This poison takes effect very slowly. It will take a long time before the late emperor's body begins to show signs of decay."

The emperor's little finger was trembling; he couldn't be allowed to continue.

Changfeng stared intently at the emperor, his lips twitching: "I originally intended to wait until the imperial physicians were powerless before volunteering to cure the late emperor. Unexpectedly, some unforeseen events occurred, causing a delay."

"As a result, the late emperor died suddenly."

"After that, I returned to Shangxu Temple, went into seclusion, and devoted myself to cultivating the Tao in order to atone for my sins. Cough cough cough."

His internal organs also seemed to be rotting; with each cough, he would vomit up some black, fleshy pieces that looked like internal organs.

After saying these words, he used almost all his last bit of strength.

He lay on the ground, barely breathing, his wretched appearance so pitiful that it was hard to look at him directly.

No one noticed that the hand he had hidden in his sleeve was drawing twisted runes with the blood on his fingertips.

Prince Li swayed from side to side, almost losing his balance.

He forced a bitter, sorrowful laugh, his voice high-pitched: "Why did you frame the Crown Prince!"

"explain!"

Changfeng: "...This humble Taoist priest."

Changfeng looked dazed.

He grew up in Shangxu Temple from a young age and had never experienced any setbacks before entering the world. Those who cultivate the Tao must enter the world to cultivate and achieve perfect merit, and Changfeng was no exception.

With great ambition, Changfeng left Shangxu Temple and came to the capital to become the Grand Preceptor of Daqi.

After being defeated by Master Yuncheng, he was filled with resentment and frustration. There, he met Prince Rong, who was also feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. Prince Rong got drunk that day and told him a lot, including his resentment towards the late emperor's favoritism and his jealousy of the crown prince.

Prince Rong said that if he were the eldest son, he would do better than the Crown Prince.

If he could sit in that chair, he would surely lead the Great Qi Dynasty to a golden age.

However, the late emperor never paid him any attention. The late emperor's heart and eyes were only on the crown prince, and he was wholeheartedly planning for the crown prince. Even the crown prince's grandson had more face in front of the late emperor than him.

He was indignant.

It was this strong sense of injustice and competitiveness that led Changfeng to see a trace of dragon energy in Prince Rong, albeit a very faint one.

He had an idea.

He could help Prince Rong ascend the throne, and Prince Rong agreed, promising to appoint him as the Imperial Preceptor and make him the head of all Taoist sects in the world.

This was his greatest wish in his life.

The deposed crown prince was at the height of his power, so he had to die.

Changfeng chuckled self-deprecatingly.

He went to great lengths, but in the end, he became a pawn to be discarded.

Prince Li raised his voice and roared, "Speak!"

"I did not frame the Crown Prince; it was the late Emperor who misunderstood."

"I confess my sins," Changfeng said in one breath, "I only ask for death."

The emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Changfeng still remembered their original agreement.

He nodded to Changfeng: "I agree." These four words were somewhat ambiguous, as if he was agreeing to his "only wish for death," or perhaps he was agreeing to something else.

Changfeng bowed his head in gratitude and painstakingly drew the last few runes.

"So that's how it is!" a student exclaimed in surprise. "Then the deposed crown prince... isn't that a great injustice throughout history?"

"If it weren't for this evil Taoist priest, how could the late emperor have died suddenly, and how could the deposed crown prince have committed suicide, suffering the scorn of the world and not finding peace even in death?"

"The late emperor."

An elderly Confucian scholar burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, bowing his head and stamping his feet: "Do you know that the Crown Prince died unjustly? The Crown Prince was always respectful to you; how could he possibly poison you? You were deceived by this evil Taoist priest!"

"Your Highness is innocent!"

Most of the students who had not yet entered officialdom were very emotional and passionate; when he cried, the others cried too.

The weeping continued.

Even these veteran officials were all deep in thought.

The deposed crown prince has the makings of a wise ruler. If it weren't for the calamity of that day, the Great Qi Dynasty would surely be enjoying a glorious and prosperous era.

"We beg Your Majesty to severely punish this evil Taoist!"

"He should be torn apart by five horses."

"This evil Taoist deserves to die!"

The Meridian Gate tower was filled with a cacophony of noise.

Gu Zhizhuo's gaze followed Xie Yingchen, passing through the crowd, and fixed on his profile, her heart aching.

In his previous life, until his death, the deposed crown prince still bore the infamy of patricide. He and his crown princess were not even allowed to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, nor were they allowed to receive offerings from the Xie family descendants. Their remains were buried in the wilderness, and a few years later, their graves were dug up and their bodies dumped.

She knew that the young master's pain and resentment remained unresolved until his death.

And there was nothing she could do.

Finally, the long-cherished wish of two lifetimes has been fulfilled.

"Brother, how long until the next batch of Zhenbei Army arrives?"

They had previously discussed transferring 30,000 Zhenbei Army troops to the capital, but only 1,000 have arrived and have just been settled.

Gu Yican's trip was to relocate troops back to the northern frontier.

"The next batch of 5,000 people should arrive within half a month."

The march of tens of thousands of people was too conspicuous, so Gu Yican dispersed the troops and moved them slowly in batches.

With insufficient food supplies, the next batch of 5,000 people will likely not arrive until October.

The two leaned their heads together and spoke in hushed tones.

"Sister, 30,000 people might not be enough; we can only mobilize 23,000 at most."

The Zhenbei Army was originally scheduled to have 200,000 soldiers, but due to continuous warfare with the Northern Barbarians over the years, the number of casualties was never full. At most, it had only reached 120,000 to 130,000 soldiers, which included disabled and sick veterans as well as some newly recruited soldiers.

In addition, the casualties in last year's battle were heavy, and even Gu Baibai and Gu Yican almost died in battle. Now, there are less than 60,000 soldiers in the Zhenbei Army who can go to the battlefield. Just as Gu Yican said, even with the full support of the imperial court, it will take at least two to three years to recuperate and launch a counterattack against the Northern Barbarians.

“There’s a particularly fierce group of bandits in northern Xinjiang recently, so we need to leave someone to guard our home.”

Gu Zhizhuo nodded: "That's fine too."

Currently in the capital, the Gu family only has three thousand men in the Thousand Machine Battalion, which makes them somewhat uneasy.

Seemingly sensing Gu Zhizhuo's gaze, Xie Yingchen turned around and looked over.

Their gazes met in mid-air, and Xie Yingchen's tense shoulders relaxed, his eyes softening, as if even the darkest clouds would turn into clear skies the moment he saw her.

Huh?

Xie Yingchen's smile vanished as he noticed that Gu Zhizhuo's complexion looked somewhat off, exhibiting an unprecedented weakness.

This realization made Xie Yingchen's heart tighten.

He remembered the dim companion star he had seen when he and Gu Zhizhuo looked at the stars together last time.

Later, Xie Yingchen also consulted Master Wuweizi.

Master said that the backlash from the Heavenly Dao that Yao Yao suffered for defying fate is still accumulating step by step.

Xie Yingchen strode over: "Yaoyao." His pupils reflected only her image.

Xie Yingchen touched her slightly cold cheeks: "In a little while, we'll go to Taiqing Temple and have the master take a look at you."

"Hey, I'm still here."

Gu Yican pulled his hand away from his sister's face and said with dissatisfaction, "Aren't you going to ask again? At least three-tenths of what this sorcerer said was false; he doesn't tell the truth at all."

"I won't ask anymore."

Xie Yingchen's attention was entirely on Gu Zhizhuo, and upon hearing this, he casually replied, "A monk has no relatives or clans, and his sins cannot implicate the Taoist sect. He has no weakness."

Gu Zhizhuo wholeheartedly agreed.

She suddenly smiled and said, "Can Can, if someone told you that the late emperor was cursed to death by Changfeng, would you believe it?"

"I don't believe anyone but you." Gu Yican fanned her sister to dispel the smell while glaring at Xie Yingchen. "If he said it, I would believe him even less."

Who would believe it if they hadn't experienced it themselves?

Especially these students who study the classics, they would not believe in superstitious things.

If they insist on relentlessly questioning him in public, even the claim that the deposed crown prince was wrongly accused may become unbelievable.

That's enough.

Everyone could tell that Changfeng's words were vague and ambiguous, so let them guess and spread the word themselves.

They were being subtly guided to discover the truth on their own.

People often have unwavering faith in their own discoveries.

The students became even noisier, crying for the Crown Prince, shouting for the death penalty, and reciting the late Emperor's name. All sorts of chaotic voices mingled together, with the students in blue robes taking advantage of the confusion.

After finally calming down, Prince Li wanted to persuade Xie Yingchen to stop now and not cause unrest among the people.

Prince Li supported Xie Yingchen's regency, but rationally, he did not want uncle and nephew to fight each other and cause internal strife, which would give foreign powers an opportunity to take advantage.

When he turned around, Xie Yingchen was gone.

Prince Li: ?

He had no choice but to bow to the emperor and ask, "This sorcerer plotted to murder the late emperor and deserves the death penalty. Please, Your Majesty, decide."

The emperor's face was pale, his expression tense, and he asked in a cold voice, "Changfeng, you plotted to murder the late emperor, do you know your crime?"

"I am guilty."

"By imperial decree, the evil Taoist Changfeng, who plotted to murder the late Emperor, shall be executed immediately."

"This humble Taoist priest expresses his gratitude."

Changfeng bowed deeply.

He didn't want to die.

He was only in his forties; he shouldn't have died like this. Even if the backlash turned him into this inhuman, ghostly state, he still didn't want to die.

The Yin siblings wanted him dead, and that was his fate; he could accept it.

However, now the emperor and the Prince of Jin are forcing him to die and making him take the blame alone. Even so, he will not let them trample on his blood to enjoy worldly riches.

Changfeng slowly drew the last talisman. He looked at the emperor and spoke with difficulty, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing I wish to report to you. Your Majesty, do you know of the Ji family... the Ji family..."

As he spoke, he coughed again, his voice gradually weakening.

"The Ji family is because..."

The emperor didn't hear clearly and subconsciously took a few steps forward.

Xie Jing was so startled he almost blurted out that he should shut up. If he revealed that Ke'er had done it, would his father think he was the one who instigated it and be greatly disappointed in him?

Thinking this, he nervously stepped forward and helped the emperor up.

The closer the emperor got, the stronger the stench of decay became, and waves of nausea rose in his chest.

The emperor walked up to the iron cage and asked once more, "Speak!"

"The Ji family is... he is your good son..."

The emperor could only see his lips moving and could vaguely hear him say "Ji Shi" and "son".

"What did you say?"

The emperor suppressed the nausea in his chest and gestured to the brocade-clad guard beside him to open the cage.

"Father." Xie Jing's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He quickly advised, "This sorcerer is full of lies. How can we believe him? Your health is of utmost importance."

The emperor was not about to give up.

The Ji family and that bastard child were the biggest stains on his life, and he had to find out who was responsible for his downfall.

"Open!"

The Imperial Guards opened the cage.

Xie Jing clenched his fists. The emperor took another step closer and squatted in front of the iron cage door, watching Changfeng crawl towards him.

Changfeng looked up and laughed, a chilling laugh.

"I am here, speak quickly. I am listening."

"I offer my body as a sacrifice..."

Gu Zhizhuo: "Cancan, is Changfeng drawing something with his hands?"

Gu Yican had been staring at his sister, and apart from glancing at her at the beginning, he hadn't paid much attention to Changfeng. When he heard this, he looked over.

Changfeng lay prone on the ground, his head facing the emperor, his hands hidden under his wide Taoist robe.

His wide sleeves trembled slightly, but his movements were so subtle that they would go unnoticed unless one was a martial artist with keen hearing and eyesight.

Gu Zhizhuo gazed at the twisted patterns faintly forming within the iron cage and murmured, "Using the earth as yellow paper, blood as cinnabar, and one's own body as a sacrifice..."

She exclaimed, "He's drawing a talisman!"

Changfeng: "...I curse you with blood, that you and your father will kill each other, and that you will die at the hands of your own son."

A note from the author: