Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Eunuch Li prepared to leap onto the plaque.

"It's crying..."

Bao'er's soft, childlike voice still echoed in the Fengxian Hall.

Li Gonggong's hunched body suddenly trembled!

He stared intently at Bao'er, then suddenly turned his head to look at the golden plaque that read "Ancestral Virtue Endures".

In his cloudy old eyes, first came bewilderment, then shock, and finally—a volcanic eruption of ecstasy and sorrow!

"Yes...yes!!! I guessed wrong."

He staggered toward the platform, but nearly fell over from his excitement.

Xuan Ying caught him, only to see that this old eunuch, who had served three dynasties and was usually calm and composed, was now in tears!

"The late Empress Dowager... the late Empress Dowager!!!"

Eunuch Li howled to the sky, his voice mournful and blood-curdling.

"This old servant is foolish! This old servant is so foolish!! Only now...does he understand your words!!"

Nangong Ye strode forward: "Li Dequan! What do you understand now?!"

Eunuch Li turned around, his withered fingers trembling as he pointed to the plaque:

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!"

"Before her death, the late Empress Dowager held my hand and said her last words—"

He closed his eyes, and his aged voice, word by word, repeated the secret whispered on that stormy night twenty years ago:

"If descendants encounter dire straits, and monstrous talents emerge in the court, the empire will be on the verge of collapse—"

"The True Seal is here—"

He opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with a sharp light:

"The place where our ancestors opened their eyes!!!"

Where our ancestors opened their eyes?!

Everyone was stunned.

Fengxian Hall...where ancestral tablets are located...

Behind the plaque...

Bao'er said, "The golden bird is crying..."

"Could it be..." Prince Su, Nangong Lie, stammered, "Could it be that the True Seal... is behind this plaque?!"

"It's not the seal itself." Eunuch Li shook his head, his voice trembling with excitement. "It's the key to unlocking the seal's mechanism!"

He pointed to the plaque: "This plaque is named 'Ancestral Virtue Endures,' and it was personally inscribed by the Great Ancestor. 'Ancestral Virtue' refers to the virtues of our ancestors, and 'Endures' means to spread their good name—but there's another layer of meaning!"

He looked at Shen Qingci, then at Bao'er:

"'Zu' means ancestors! 'De' is a homophone for 'De'! 'Liu Fang' is a homophone for 'Liu Fang'!!!"

"Put them together and it becomes—"

He spoke in a hoarse voice, each word distinct and deliberate:

"Our ancestors left behind this seal!!!"

boom--

Like a thunderbolt splitting through the fog!

Square seal!

The Imperial Seal of the State was a square seal!

"Behind this plaque, there may not be the true seal, but it is certainly the key to finding it!" Eunuch Li looked at Nangong Ye, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty! The late Empress Dowager is using this method to tell this old servant—the true seal is not lost! It is right here in the Fengxian Hall! Right where our ancestors can 'see' it!"

Nangong Ye trembled all over.

He suddenly looked at the plaque.

The plaque was thick and solid, pressed tightly against the wall, and didn't look like it had any hidden mechanism.

but--

"Open it!" he roared. "Open it for me!!"

Eunuch Li shook his head: "Your Majesty, this plaque was written by the Emperor Taizu himself, and it cannot be opened by force. It must be done... by using a special method to trigger the mechanism."

He paused, looking at his hands:

"Back then, I was trusted by the late Empress Dowager and was taught a finger technique called 'Kowtowing to Ancestors'."

"This finger technique requires internal force to be channeled into the fingertips, pressing the last dot of the character '芳' on the plaque, striking it nine times in succession, with different force and angle each time."

One wrong move, and the mechanism will self-destruct, and the contents inside the plaque... will never be revealed!

He smiled bitterly: "But this old servant's martial arts are now... seventy or eighty percent gone, and his internal energy is almost gone. This 'Kowtowing to Ancestors' finger technique, I'm afraid..."

"I'm here!" Nangong Ye stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Eunuch Li exclaimed urgently. "This finger technique requires mastery of internal energy. Although Your Majesty is highly skilled in martial arts, you haven't mastered this technique. Forcing your way into it will surely backfire!"

"Then are we just going to stand by and watch—" Nangong Ye began, but before he could finish speaking.

"Master."

Shen Qingci's voice rang out softly.

She carried Bao'er to Eunuch Li and gently placed Bao'er on the ground.

Then, she reached out her hand.

Those slender, fair hands, which had once held daggers, silver needles, and account books, were now steadily laid out in front of Eunuch Li.

"You taught me the Everlasting Spring Technique." She looked at him, her eyes clear and firm. "You said that although I started learning martial arts late, my meridians were fortunately reshaped by the internal energy that Bao'er nurtured, and my control over internal energy... far surpasses that of ordinary people."

Eunuch Li was stunned.

"Tell me the secrets of the finger technique," Shen Qingci said, enunciating each word clearly. "I will do it."

"Your Majesty!" Nangong Ye exclaimed urgently, "You—"

"Your Majesty," Shen Qingci turned to look at him, smiling slightly, "three years ago, when you deposed me from my position as Empress, did you ever think of—"

"Will you one day rely on me, the 'deposed empress,' to save your kingdom?"

Nangong Ye was struck as if by a heavy blow, his face turning deathly pale.

Shen Qingci stopped looking at him and turned to Eunuch Li: "Master, time is running out."

Eunuch Li looked at her, at those calm, deep eyes, and after a long while, nodded emphatically.

He leaned close and quickly explained the key points of the finger technique.

Nine tapping points.

Nine types of force variations.

Nine angle transformations.

As intricate as a star map.

Shen Qingci closed her eyes and silently recited it in her mind.

Then, I opened my eyes.

She walked up to the plaque and looked up.

My fingertips gently pressed on the last dot of the gilded character "芳".

The first tap—light as a feather, diagonally upwards by three points.

The plaque remained completely still.

The second tap—as heavy as a thousand pounds—was pressed down vertically.

Still silent.

The third tap, the fourth tap, the fifth tap...

Her fingers danced like butterflies, each strike terrifyingly precise. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face gradually paled—the energy drain from this finger technique far exceeded her expectations!

Nangong Ye stared intently at her trembling fingertips, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

The sixth kowtow, the seventh kowtow, the eighth kowtow...

Only one more kowtow left!

Shen Qingci took a deep breath, gathering internal energy at her fingertips—

knock!!!

"Click".

A very light, crisp sound of a mechanism turning.

The sound came from deep within the plaque.

Then--

"BOOM!!!"

The entire huge plaque was split in half!

It didn't explode; instead, it opened slowly inwards like a door!

Dust flew everywhere.

Golden light shone through the crack!

That wasn't the radiance of gold, but rather... the warmth of jade, the whiteness of jade, the spiritual essence of jade—a thousand years!

A sandalwood box lay quietly in a hidden compartment behind the plaque.

The wooden box is simple and unadorned, yet it possesses a profound and timeless quality.

With trembling hands, Eunuch Li took out the wooden box.

turn on.

Inside, it was covered with bright yellow brocade.

On the brocade—

A pure white jade seal with a dragon-shaped knob lay there quietly.

The jade's color is warm and lustrous, like mutton fat.

The dragon knob is lifelike, with a natural bloodstain on the dragon's eye, making it seem as if it were alive.

The bottom of the seal features eight ancient seal characters:

By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous.

for real--

The Imperial Seal of the State!!!

"It's the Imperial Seal...it's the Imperial Seal!!!" Prince Su, Nangong Lie, knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "This old minister...this old minister has actually been able to see the Imperial Seal again in my lifetime!!"

All the officials knelt down, and many wept bitterly.

This seal is the soul of Nangong Jiangshan!

It is a symbol of orthodoxy!

Nangong Ye stared blankly at the jade seal, at its warm, lustrous white sheen that seemed to wash away all impurities.

Then he saw—