With her deceased husband as her dowry, would Your Highness dare to marry her?

Before he could even utter the words "King Liang," a snake suddenly appeared out of nowhere and bit him on the side of his neck.

"Zhao Fugui" bled from all seven orifices, his eyes bulged out, and he fell straight down in front of everyone, dying.

Sun Huaiyi, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, along with Zhou Jin and Zhao Duan, witnessed his tragic state. Two and a half of his souls were gone. However, at that moment, Sun Huaiyi suddenly felt an itch on his calf. Looking down, he saw a white snake crawling into his boot.

"Snake!!!" Sun Huaiyi jumped half a meter high, shouting and leaping, then pulled the snake out of his boot, closed his eyes and threw it forcefully.

Unexpectedly, the snake landed squarely on the shoulder of Zhou Jin, the Minister of Revenue. Zhou Jin was so frightened that he jumped up and down, twisting his shoulder to try and shake the white snake off. The white snake didn't get rid of him and continued to hiss and flick its tongue at him.

Zhou Jin was so frightened that his legs went weak, his eyes rolled back, and he staggered to the ground, the white snake on his shoulder also falling off.

After the white snake landed, it seemed to have caught a whiff of something and kept chasing after Censor Zhao.

Zhao Duan was most afraid of such cold-blooded creatures. He didn't even have time to say hello before screaming and rushing out the door.

Seeing that Zhao Duan had run away, the other two officials disregarded all decorum and hastily bowed, saying, "Your humble servants... Your humble servants have matters to attend to and must take their leave."

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Huaiyi had already taken off. Zhou Jin scrambled to his feet, his legs as weak as if he were walking on cotton, and stumbled after him, calling out, "Lord Sun, Lord Sun... wait... wait for me."

In the blink of an eye, most of the onlookers had fled, leaving only Pei Jinxuan, Prince Liang, and a blackened, poisoned corpse in the vast hall.

From beginning to end, King Liang remained seated without moving. Pei Jinxuan turned to look at him; he was still leisurely sipping his tea, finishing a cup before shaking his head in dissatisfaction.

"The tea at my nephew's residence is still a bit lacking. I'll send over a better batch in a few days."

As he spoke, King Liang stood up, smoothed the wrinkles on his robe, walked over to Pei Jinxuan, and kicked the fake Zhao Fugui's corpse with his toe.

"What a useless piece of trash," he sighed. "But I'm still quite happy. His Majesty is truly blessed to have a younger brother like you."

Pei Jinxuan chuckled twice, then casually cupped his hands in greeting, "Uncle, you flatter me. I apologize for the poor hospitality today."

"No, not at all." King Liang patted Pei Jinxuan's shoulder affectionately. "Come visit me at my residence another day. I will certainly treat you well."

He clenched his teeth and forced each word out.

"Alright, the three lords have all left, and I must return to my residence as well. Farewell." With that, King Liang withdrew his hand, bowed slightly, and as soon as he lowered his head, a dagger appeared at his neck. The blade pressed against his flesh, icy cold to the bone.

Pei Jinxuan smiled, his peach blossom eyes shining brightly.

Did I let you leave?

King Liang's expression remained unchanged.

He glanced down at the dagger at his neck and sneered, "Nephew, do you truly intend to fight me?"

"That's a question I should be asking my Imperial Uncle," Pei Jinxuan retorted with a smile, his dagger remaining perfectly still. "When Father was alive, he often praised you, saying you were a pillar of the Yan Kingdom, sharing his burdens and solving his problems. Father has only been gone for a few years, yet you've made things difficult at every turn, interfering in the Ministry of Personnel's selection process, planting your own faction; obstructing the new salt and iron policies, rallying court officials to submit a joint petition against them; even interfering in His Majesty's selection of an Empress. None of these are the actions of a regent."

Upon hearing this, King Liang burst into laughter. The laughter echoed through the empty hall for a long time before subsiding. Then, he shook his head, smiling helplessly, and said, "You still don't understand."

He raised his eyes, his dark blue eyes staring straight at Pei Jinxuan, like a wolf that had been starving for a long time.

"For so many years, I have guarded the border and repelled hundreds of thousands of Tiele cavalry. Without me, would you still be sitting here in the Jing'an Prince's Mansion drinking tea and chatting? It is I who have protected you bunch of mediocre people who enjoy the fruits of others' labor! If all the members of the Yan royal family were like you, only good at spineless scheming in the court, the Great Yan would have been finished long ago."

He was cursing Pei Jinxuan, but he was actually blaming the Yan Emperor, blaming him for not being strong enough as an emperor, and blaming him for turning the late emperor's legacy into a stagnant pool.

Pei Jinxuan remained unmoved, only saying calmly, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Uncle has rendered great service to the Yan Kingdom, which is known throughout the court and the public. However, the order of seniority applies. Before his death, the Emperor bestowed upon you the Golden Decree, hoping that you would, as an elder, diligently assist His Majesty. Do you still remember the Emperor's dying wish, Imperial Uncle?"

"Don't spout nonsense and judge others by your own standards!" King Liang suddenly raised his voice, veins throbbing on his forehead. "You say I haven't lived up to the late Emperor's trust? And what about you? You've secretly stripped me of my military power, taken away my seal of command in the Northern Frontier, and even demoted my son's hereditary princely title! Back then, the late Emperor personally promised that my lineage would be perpetually protected in the Northern Frontier. And now? Do you have even the slightest respect for me?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, King Liang suddenly raised his hand and struck Pei Jinxuan's dagger away with a palm strike. The dagger flew out of his hand and pierced the beam pillar with a clang, the hilt still humming.

Outside the hall, the guards of the Jing'an Prince's Mansion rushed in upon hearing the commotion, and dozens of arrows were aimed at the Prince of Liang, surrounding him in the center.

The bowstring was taut, its cold light like a net.

King Liang glanced at it, but remained unmoved.

Pei Jinxuan pointed at the blackened corpse of the imposter Zhao Fugui on the ground and shouted, "You framed me today, but I yielded to your authority as your elder. Now, I request that you, my uncle, immediately come with me to the palace to see the Emperor. The truth will be judged by His Majesty!"

"An audience with the Emperor?" King Liang narrowed his eyes, his dark blue pupils filled with sarcasm. "I'm afraid I'll have to attend another trap. Nephew, for the sake of you calling me Imperial Uncle, I'll let it go today. Let's leave it at that."

"What if I don't want to?"

King Liang chuckled softly, "Then think carefully about what's missing from your residence."

As he spoke, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, slowly wiped his neck, and casually tossed it onto the fake Zhao Fugui's corpse. Then, with his hands behind his back, he strode towards the gate.

Pei Jinxuan stood there, his brows slightly furrowed, carefully pondering the meaning of the Prince of Liang. Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind. He turned sharply, looking towards the backyard. The backyard was unusually quiet.

Without turning his head, King Liang said as he walked away, "After I leave, she might still have a sliver of hope. If she won't let me leave, then let's fight to the death."

As he spoke, he stopped and gently pushed aside the spear blocking his path.

"Get out of the way."

The soldiers were intimidated by the Prince of Liang's imposing presence. Their spears involuntarily veered slightly to one side, and they turned to look at Pei Jinxuan, awaiting his instructions.

Pei Jinxuan's smile vanished instantly. He immediately raised his hand, signaling for them to pass.

The spears and arrowheads were instantly retracted.

King Liang ascended the steps with firm steps, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.

Pei Jinxuan turned and ran to the backyard. The moment she pushed open the door, a fishy smell hit her.

Under the eaves, on the steps, and among the flowers, the maids lay sprawled on the ground.

The ground was littered with the corpses of snakes, twisted and intertwined, some still twitching slightly. The courtyard was deathly silent; even the wind had stopped.