Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 215 Suicide
Rong Wanyin caught the long sword, and the situation immediately reversed. She broke through the enemy lines and repelled three guards in succession.

Changfeng threw an incense burner towards Moyun, and in the instant the guard turned his head, he pounced forward and plunged his dagger into the guard's back.

Just then, the sound of armor clashing came from outside the door, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps—the reinforcements that Rong Junye had called had arrived.

The troops that came were all elite forces, while the Sixth Prince's personal guards were already exhausted.

The sixth prince's Qing troops were decimated, almost completely wiped out, leaving only the sixth prince alone.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly collapsed. His legs gave way, and he slumped back onto the dragon throne, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Sixth brother, just surrender. You have no chance of winning. Perhaps Father will be lenient with you," the Third Prince said.

The Sixth Prince pulled out the dagger that Rong Wanyin had just stabbed into the dragon pillar. He thrust it towards the Emperor, and just as the dagger was about to pierce him, the soldiers around the Emperor drew their hand swords and all lunged at the Sixth Prince.

"No!" the Empress shouted, rushing forward to shield the Sixth Prince from the knife.

The knife plunged into the Empress's back, blood gushing out. The Empress had been stabbed through several times. The knife tip also wounded the Sixth Prince, though not fatally. This was because the Empress's lunge had caused the dagger to lose its aim, and it struck the Emperor's dragon robe instead.

The emperor's face turned pale. What a close call! He was almost stabbed. Thank goodness!

"Mother, Mother! You can't die, you can't die. You're my only family." The Sixth Prince hugged the Empress tightly, crying his heart out.

The Empress lay in the Sixth Prince's arms. Weakly, she raised her right hand, stroking his swollen face. She could only inhale, no longer exhale. Her voice was faint, barely audible, but the hall was eerily quiet. Everyone heard her words. Her last words were: "Jing'er, does it still hurt?"

When I was little, if I accidentally got hurt, my mother would touch me like this, ask if it hurt, and comfort me. Scenes from my childhood flashed through my mind.

The Sixth Prince was speechless. He could only shake his head and cry. The Empress seemed relieved and gently exhaled her last breath, closed her eyes, and her hand fell suddenly.

The sixth prince hugged the Empress tightly, then, as if suddenly realizing something, looked up and shouted, "Call the imperial physician! Imperial physician! Father, quickly save Mother!"

Only the sound of the sixth prince weeping remained in the main hall.

The Empress must have had very complicated feelings. Her adopted son had killed her own child. Did she hate him? She must have hated him.

But after so many years of raising and nurturing, wasn't there love? There should have been love. If there wasn't love, why would she have shielded the Sixth Prince from a knife?
Although others cannot fully empathize with these complex emotions, they are all deeply moved by them.

The sixth prince just sat there blankly without saying a word.

"Quickly drag this rebellious son out of here!" The emperor, having narrowly escaped death, was still shaken.

The Sixth Prince raised his head and calmly looked at the Emperor. He smiled and slowly stood up: "You are truly a failed father and a failed husband. You care nothing for your own child, and when your wife died before your eyes, you only worried about your own safety, showing no grief whatsoever. If only my mother hadn't met you back then. I wouldn't have had to suffer after being born!"

The Sixth Prince burst into laughter: "You're all accomplices! You'll never forget the blood your mother shed in this hall! I wish you nightmares every night! May you suffer a fate worse than death! I will make everyone who sits on this dragon throne have nightmares, I will become a vengeful ghost and haunt you!"

After the sixth prince finished speaking, he pulled out the dagger that had just pierced the dragon robe.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!" The Emperor hurriedly hid behind the soldiers. But the Sixth Prince had no intention of killing him. He turned the blade of the dagger to himself and slashed it fiercely at his neck.

"Oh no, he's going to commit suicide!" Rong Junye's expression changed.

Rong Wanyin raised her foot and kicked the dagger away with the back of her foot.

Several soldiers rushed forward and pinned the man down.
-
As the dust settled, everyone, having survived the ordeal, sighed with relief.

In the Imperial Study, Rong Junye, Rong Wanyin, Yan Mingzhang, Mo Yun, and Changfeng stood below the hall. The Emperor sat behind his desk, stroking his beard, looking calm and composed: "You have rendered meritorious service in protecting me, and I will surely reward you handsomely. What reward do you wish for?"

Yan Mingzhang's eyes were icy as he slowly said, "Your Majesty, I only require an answer from you."

"Oh? What was the reply?" The Emperor looked at Yan Mingzhang with great interest, seemingly in a very good mood.

"Were you the one who sent people to hunt down my parents back then? Was the massacre of the Zhang family your doing?" Yan Mingzhang asked without fear, speaking frankly.

Rong Wanyin's palms were damp with sweat. Although she knew that the emperor in front of her was poisoned to the bone and did not have much time left, he was still the emperor after all, and the oppressive feeling he gave people was still there.

The emperor's eyes widened in fury. He stood up abruptly and threw the inkstone from his desk at him.

Yan Mingzhang dodged to the side, avoiding the inkstone, but the ink splashed all over him. Rong Wanyin stood behind him, watching his stubborn back, his spirit as ethereal as a banished immortal.

"Insolence! Yan Mingzhang! Don't think that just because you saved my life you can act so recklessly! I'll kill you right now!" The Emperor slammed his fist on the desk, his head spinning with rage. He had no choice but to sit down again. "How dare you question me! What Zhang family? I have no idea!"

Upon hearing these words, Changfeng clenched his fists in anger, wishing he could end this tyrant with a single stroke. Moyun pulled Changfeng back while comforting him.

"What about my parents?" Yan Mingzhang remained calm.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The Emperor's eyes darted away as he turned his head to the side.

"It's okay if you don't remember, I'll help you recall. Fifteen years ago, my father, Yan Lizhuo, accidentally obtained a small jade bottle..." Yan Mingzhang slowly recounted, as if he were telling someone else's story, without a trace of emotional fluctuation.

"Shut up! Shut up! Guards! Guards!" The Emperor stood up and walked over with faltering steps, trying to stop Yan Mingzhang, but was restrained by Mo Yun Changfeng.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to make a fuss. There are our men all outside this study. You just made such a commotion, yet not a single person came in to check. Don't you find that strange?" Changfeng's eyes were full of murderous intent, but he had to restrain himself.

"You, you all want to rebel? I thought you were loyal ministers!" The emperor was furious and could barely stand, only supported by Mo Yun and Chang Feng.

"There are many characters micro-carved inside that jade bottle. If this jade bottle is discovered, the world will probably be thrown into chaos!" Yan Mingzhang continued, his hand trembling slightly. "The jade bottle contains records of Your Majesty's origins..."

"Stop talking!" the Emperor glared angrily.

“You are not only not the late emperor’s son, but also the son of Empress Xiao Yunxi of the Khitan!” Yan Mingzhang became more and more agitated as he spoke, refusing to back down.