Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 406 Ambush
The crumpled paper rolled down the floor and under the footstool, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The emperor fell heavily to the ground, hitting the back of his head on the ground, which made him dizzy from the pain.

After a moment, he came to his senses and shouted, "Guards! There's an assassin!"

However, the sound went out but received no response.

Pei Yan, holding a blood-stained sword, looked down at him calmly and said, "It's no use, no one will come to save you."

The emperor's heart sank, and his face turned extremely pale.

“To be honest, the entire Qingping Residence is now under my control. The men you brought have all been…” Pei Yan raised his hand to his neck and shook it. “Killed.”

The emperor gently pushed Yan Ciwan, who was pressing down on him, but saw that she did not react.

He sat up and saw that Yan Ciwan's back was covered in blood.

At this moment, she lay motionless on the emperor with her eyes closed, seemingly unconscious.

Pei Yan said with a half-smile, "It's really touching. She was willing to risk her life for you."

The emperor held Yan Ciwan tightly, looked up and glared at Pei Yan, his eyes filled with anger.

"You asked me to sign, and I did so. Why did you still have to kill me?!"

“Because I don’t trust you!” Pei Yan slowly raised his sword, the tip pointing at the emperor. “I’ve known you for twenty-five years. Others may not know what kind of person you are, but do you think I don’t? You are suspicious and ruthless. Forcing you to sign that piece of paper is like putting a knife over your head. How can you trust me? Just like back then, you tricked Chao Yuanzhi into betraying Crown Prince Renxian, causing him to be accused of treason. Although you eventually succeeded in eliminating Crown Prince Renxian and the Second Prince, and smoothly ascended the throne, and Chao Yuanzhi fled to Xiangzhou, never daring to appear before you again, you still sent someone to eliminate him. If I don’t strike first, I will become the second Chao Yuanzhi.”

The emperor's face was ashen: "You never intended for me to live from the very beginning. Your so-called negotiations were nothing but a smokescreen. You're playing me for a fool!"

“Yes.” Pei Yan admitted it readily. “We’ve known each other for so many years, and I’ve done so much for you. Even if I haven’t done anything great, I’ve certainly put in a lot of effort. But how did you treat me in the end? Li Baizhou, if you’re heartless, don’t blame me for being unjust.”

Even if you kill me, you won't get away unscathed. You can't bear the crime of regicide!

"You don't need to worry about that. I've already planned my escape route. After I kill you, I'll take your head to the Dali Temple and tell everyone that you were the mastermind behind the murder of Prince Renxian twenty years ago! You murdered your brother to seize power and harmed loyal officials to cover up your secrets. You deserve to die. I'm killing you to do justice!" Pei Yanwei raised his chin, looking arrogant and confident.

The emperor, enraged, laughed: "So you had already planned to pin all the blame on me."

"Yes, the document you just signed is the best evidence of my crime. I killed you to avenge Crown Prince Renxian and to seek justice for those loyal officials who died unjustly. The world will only praise my righteousness. Not only will I not die, but I can also continue to hold the position of Grand General. In the future, I will choose the most obedient one from your good-for-nothing sons and support him to ascend the throne, making him a puppet in my hands. Wouldn't the whole world then be in my pocket?"

"I never realized you harbored such great ambitions!"

"If you can sit on this throne of supreme power, why can't I?" Pei Yan raised his knife again. "For the sake of my relationship with your mother, I will let you die a quick death."

The emperor stared at the gleaming blade, neither dodging nor flinching, and shouted in a deep voice, "Guards!"

Pei Yan paused, then laughed out loud: "Didn't I just remind you? Those bastards you brought are all..."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a loud bang, and the door was kicked open from the outside.

The lieutenant, dressed in black, was thrown to the ground with an arrow lodged in his chest, his clothes stained with blood.

He struggled to his feet: "General, run! There's an ambush!"

The last word had barely left his lips when he suddenly opened his eyes wide, looked down, and saw a knife piercing through his chest. As the knife was pulled back, the lieutenant shuddered, glanced at Pei Yan one last time, and swayed before collapsing into a pool of blood.

Standing behind him was a man named Si Buping, who was holding a horizontal sword.

The knife was stained with blood, and drops of blood slid down the tip of the blade.

Pei Yan was shocked and immediately realized that he had been tricked!
He originally thought he had set a trap for Li Baizhou to fall into, but in fact he was the one who fell into the trap without realizing it.

Pei Yan reached out to grab the emperor as a hostage, but the emperor suddenly pulled out a short knife from his sleeve. He swung the knife horizontally, almost severing Pei Yan's right hand. Pei Yan had to retreat to avoid it. At the same time, Si Buping had already flashed close and slashed straight at Pei Yan with his horizontal knife. Pei Yan immediately raised his knife to block.

With a crisp clang, the two knives clashed.

Immediately afterwards, seven or eight more guards rushed in and surrounded Pei Yan.

The emperor stood up leisurely and straightened his slightly disheveled clothes.

Pei Yan knew he was doomed today, so he decided to go all out and shouted with a loud laugh, "As expected of you, Li Baizhou, you won! But there's something you probably don't know yet, right?"

The emperor didn't even glance at Pei Yan. Since the outcome was already decided, he didn't need to pay attention to the loser's ridiculous clamor.

He bent down, picked up the still unconscious Yan Ciwan, and walked out.

Pei Yan hacked and slashed wildly as he went, shouting at the emperor's retreating figure.

"The woman you're holding in your arms isn't your biological daughter at all!"

The emperor paused.

Si Buping's heart skipped a beat. He ordered all the guards to attack together, which immediately increased the pressure on Pei Yan. Si Buping seized the opportunity to get closer and slashed at Pei Yan's neck with his sword.

Pei Yan dodged to the side, the blade avoiding his neck and striking his shoulder instead.

In an instant, fresh blood gushed out.

Pei Yan gripped the blade to stop it from falling further, the blade cutting his palm and blood dripping down.

He was already at his wit's end, yet his eyes remained fixed on the emperor.

He endured the pain and continued, "That night, the woman sleeping in your bed wasn't Ning Qingyang at all, but that dancer named Ji Songluo. You should still remember that dancer, right? You bestowed her upon the King of Xizhou as a concubine, and she later gave birth to a daughter named Yan Tingyu..."

Si Buping pulled a small knife from the hilt of his sword and plunged it into Pei Yan's heart.

Pei Yan's voice abruptly stopped.

The emperor slowly turned around and met Pei Yan's eyes.

Pei Yan grinned, his mouth stained with blood, and uttered a barely audible voice: "You let your daughter marry your own son, ha... ha ha..."

Si Buping covered his mouth and, with increased force, pierced his heart with the knife. Only when he stopped breathing did Si Buping release him.