After the divorce, I was adorned in a phoenix robe, while my ex-husband's entire family dug up

The prince froze, his hand gripping the knife, veins bulging, knuckles turning white. The momentary daze caused by the praise was instantly torn apart by the fear and hatred deep within his bones.

He stared at Pei Yi, who sat calmly on the throne. The man's black court robes were spotless, and his indifference was like ice. Despite being surrounded, he still looked down on the world, as if the sword fights and palace turmoil before him were nothing more than a trivial farce.

"Royal Uncle, don't try anything funny!" the Crown Prince roared, his voice trembling without him even realizing it. The tip of his knife slammed into the gold-brick floor, sending sparks flying. "Where's the Imperial Seal?!"

Pei Yi raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as a frozen pool, sweeping over his disheveled appearance. A faint, mocking smile curved his lips: "I said, come and get it."

He slowly raised his hand, his knuckles lightly tapping the table beside him. Each tap resonated in the hearts of everyone in the hall, even throwing the Crown Prince's heartbeat into disarray.

The surrounding imperial guards held their breath, none daring to move—everyone knew that the regent never spoke falsehoods, yet that seemingly within reach felt like an abyss, preventing the crown prince from taking even a single step.

He was afraid, afraid that this was a trap set by Pei Yi, afraid that he would be shattered to pieces the moment he stepped forward.

The torment and fear of so many years have been etched into his bones. Even now, with a large army at his disposal and the emperor kidnapped, he is still the child who was thrown into the latrine and dared not even raise his head in front of Pei Yi.

But Xiao Xuexiang's smile, the way she lay in a pool of blood, and the humiliation and hatred he had swallowed all those years surged up again in an instant, burning his eyes red.

He suddenly lifted his foot, staggering towards Pei Yi, the knife held horizontally in front of him, his voice hoarse: "Pei Yi, today you either hand over the imperial seal, or we'll die together!"

Pei Yi looked at his figure so close to his, his eyes unchanged. He merely raised his chin slightly, his gaze passing over him and landing in the direction outside the hall, as if he was waiting for something, or as if he already had victory in his grasp.

Meanwhile, in the direction of the Prince's residence, Wei Zhaoning and Pei Ran, along with their guards, were already galloping at full speed. Their hooves shattered the twilight of the capital, and the tense atmosphere permeated the palace walls, heading straight for the depths of the imperial city.

The crown prince staggered toward Pei Yi, the blade held horizontally in front of his chest. Blood from the blade slid down the cold iron surface, dripping onto the gold bricks and spreading a small patch of dark red. His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes churned with a mixture of fear and madness. Every step he took seemed to be a struggle against the cowardice ingrained in his very bones.

When Pei Yi was only three steps away from the table, he finally moved. He did not get up, but simply turned his wrist slightly, his fingertips precisely gripping the Crown Prince's wrist holding the knife. The force was not strong, but it carried an irresistible sense of pressure. The Crown Prince felt a numbness in his wrist, and his hand holding the knife loosened slightly.

"To die together?" Pei Yi's voice remained calm, yet carried a chilling coldness. "Do you think you have the right to do so?"

The Crown Prince struggled to pull his hand away, only to find that Pei Yi's fingers were like iron clamps, firmly locking his lifeline. Seeing this, the surrounding imperial guards stepped forward, but were forced back by a single glance from Pei Yi. These guards were all temporarily turned against him by the Crown Prince and already feared the Regent; now they dared not make a move.

"Let me go!" the crown prince roared, clenching his other hand into a fist and slamming it down on Pei Yi.

Pei Yi dodged to the side, and at the same time swept his foot, causing the Crown Prince to lose his balance and stumble and fall beside the table. The knife also flew out of his hand and landed on the ground with a clatter.

He looked up in a disheveled state, only to meet Pei Yi's gaze looking down at him. There was no anger in that gaze, only pure indifference, as if he were looking at a worthless object.

"Throwing you into the cesspool back then was to teach you that the weak are only fit to be trampled on," Pei Yi said slowly, his tone as calm as if he were recounting a trivial past event. "Sending you to the military camp for training, making you study diligently, was to give you the ability to support this country. But what have you done?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Crown Prince's distorted face: "You blame all your misfortunes on others, use your own incompetence as an excuse for being mistreated, and even kidnapped your own father and rebelled in the palace for your own selfish desires. Does someone like you deserve to be the Crown Prince? Does you deserve to mention Xue Xiang's name?"

"You are not allowed to mention her!" The Crown Prince seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and suddenly got up from the ground and pounced on Pei Yi.

Pei Yi raised his hand to block, and the Crown Prince was thrown to the ground by a tremendous force. This time, he could not get up and could only lie on the ground, his chest heaving violently, tears mixed with sweat of humiliation streaming down his face.

"Xuexiang saved me back then, not because she liked me." Pei Yi's voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible melancholy. "She was a daughter of the Xiao family, loyalty to the emperor and love for the country were ingrained in her bones. She knew I couldn't die, and the country couldn't be thrown into chaos. It was you who misunderstood her feelings and betrayed her sacrifice."

The crown prince was startled and looked up in disbelief: "What did you say?"

"She never liked me," Pei Yi repeated. "Her care for you was always that of an older sister towards her younger brother. It was you who, blinded by jealousy and resentment, destroyed everyone who cherished you."

The crown prince sat blankly on the ground, his eyes vacant. The belief that had sustained him all these years, the belief that had driven him to fight with all his might to defeat Pei Yi, collapsed at this moment.

He always thought he was the victim, that everyone owed him something, but in the end, it turned out that he had misunderstood everything and made all the mistakes.

Just then, the sounds of fighting erupted outside the hall, a cacophony of clashing weapons and screams of agony. The Crown Prince snapped back to reality, hope rekindling in his eyes: "They're my men! Pei Yi, you've lost!"

Pei Yi remained seated, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Do you really think the people you've gathered can accomplish anything?"

The words had barely left his lips when the palace doors were kicked open, and a group of black-clad guards rushed in, instantly surrounding the remaining imperial guards. Leading them were Wei Zhaoning and Pei Ran, both dressed in tight-fitting clothes, wielding long swords, and their faces radiating a chilling aura.

Wei Zhaoning's gaze immediately fell on Pei Yi. Seeing that he was unharmed, her anxiety finally subsided. She gripped her sword tightly and shouted sharply, "The Crown Prince has rebelled and kidnapped His Majesty! He deserves to die! Today, you will be captured!"

Pei Ran also spoke up: "Your Majesty, my sister-in-law and I, along with our secret guards, have taken control of the palace and its surroundings. Most of the rebellious imperial guards have surrendered, and those who resisted have been killed on the spot."

The Crown Prince looked at the secret guards surging into the hall, then at Pei Yi, who remained as steady as a mountain, and finally realized that he had fallen into Pei Yi's trap from the very beginning. The people he had gathered were utterly incompetent.