Chapter 61

"Father!" Min Ruo Ying knelt by the emperor’s bedside, his hands gripping the bed frame, tears shimmering in his eyes. "Your Majesty, are you unharmed? I am truly worried. The Great Chu cannot do without you!"

Listening to his son’s words, the Emperor of Great Chu felt a mix of emotions. He gazed at the face that so closely resembled his own when he was young. There was no trace of insincerity in the other’s eyes; the sorrow and anxiety were genuine.

But the emperor knew that this son of his probably wished for his early demise, of course, after he had secured his position as the heir.

"The investigation of An Ruhai is complete. This is his report and the corresponding evidence. Don’t you want to take a look?" The emperor patted the thick report beside him, staring at Min Ruo Ying.

Min Ruo Ying was slightly taken aback, reaching out to take the report, but the emperor’s hand pressed down on it, leaving Min Ruo Ying’s hand suspended in mid-air, neither able to reach out nor retract.

"Ruo Ying, I have a question for you." The emperor’s eyes narrowed, staring at Min Ruo Ying. His voice was soft, but it carried immense pressure in Min Ruo Ying’s ears.

"Why did you insist on killing Zuo Lixing?"

It was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Min Ruo Ying’s eyes wide with shock. He stammered, shaking his head, "No, no, no, no, no, how could I want to kill General Zuo? This, this has nothing to do with me!"

A sharp slap echoed, and Min Ruo Ying’s face was struck by the old emperor’s heavy hand.

"Do you take me for a fool?" The emperor’s voice remained low, as if he was trying to suppress his anger, or perhaps afraid that others would hear.

"This setup was perfect, or so you thought, right?" The old emperor sneered. "But you overdid it. The destruction of the Western Border Army was enough to point the finger at your elder brother. You shouldn’t have caused a commotion in the capital, deliberately leaving behind scraps of paper in the registry, killing witnesses but deliberately leaving one, the killer wearing undergarments from the Eastern Border Army, and Yang Yi, the secretary. All these were unnecessary, do you know that?"

Min Ruo Ying’s body shrank back, his entire being frozen in place.

"From the beginning, I truly thought it was your elder brother, aiming to cut off your wings, making your led operation a great failure, thus tarnishing your reputation and leaving you unable to compete with him. But you shouldn’t have done those things afterward; you are insulting your father’s intelligence!" The emperor chuckled.

"Perhaps you can deceive most people, but did you think you could deceive An Ruhai? Or Yang Yi? You deliberately left those clues for An Ruhai to discover, but do you know what kind of person An Ruhai is? On the night of the arrest, An Ruhai was already at Yang Yi’s door, but he didn’t go in because he was hesitating." The emperor looked at the ashen-faced Min Ruo Ying. "Yang Yi was right; you are ruthless, but lack great wisdom. Your little clever tricks were all used in the wrong places."

Min Ruo Ying’s body shrank back a few more steps, his eyes revealing a wolf-like gaze.

"Do you want to kill me?" The emperor sneered.

"Son dares not, son has no such treacherous thoughts!" Min Ruo Ying was drenched in sweat. Although the emperor was lying on the sickbed, Min Ruo Ying suddenly found himself completely immobilized, as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on him. The slightest struggle made his bones creak. Looking at the emperor, his eyes showed fear.

"You, my son, are gravely ill, but a tiger does not lose its might even in death. Do you think with your ninth-level skills, you can have a chance to strike when I am ill?" The emperor chuckled. "Or perhaps you are relying on that eunuch who came in with you, Luo Ying, right?"

Min Ruo Ying almost fell to the ground, his hands gripping the floor tightly, the blue bricks cracking and shattering one by one.

"Your ruthlessness is somewhat like your father’s." The emperor sighed.

Outside the palace, Luo Ying, disguised as a eunuch, straightened his hunched back, his obedient eyes suddenly turning hawk-like. In an instant, he seemed to grow taller. He took a step forward.

The palace door creaked open, and an old man with a sword walked out, standing in front of Luo Ying. He wore a faded white robe, his hair casually tied and hanging over his shoulders, and the sword he carried was ordinary, something that could be bought for a few silver coins in the capital’s weapon shops. But this man stood there casually, and Luo Ying, who had just taken a step forward, stepped back.

"Luo brother, it’s been a long time." The old man with the sword smiled.

"You, you’re still alive?" Luo Ying gritted his teeth.

"Yes, Old Cheng is still alive." The old man with the sword smiled. "But when did you become a eunuch? Are you tired of being a man and want to try being neither male nor female?"

Luo Ying’s face turned red and then white, looking at the old man with the sword, his throat making gurgling sounds, but he couldn’t say a word. What shocked him even more was that their plan might have been exposed. Looking at the door behind the old man, his anxiety was evident.

"How did you get here?"

"Years ago, I was beaten badly by the emperor and always wanted to get even, but never had the chance. Now that the emperor is leaving, I came to see him off. It seems I won’t get my chance for revenge." The old man with the sword smiled. "Old rival, old friend, when one leaves the world, it’s natural to have old friends by their side. I didn’t expect you to appear like this."

"What does His Majesty mean?"

"I don’t know, so let’s wait and see." The old man with the sword smiled.

Luo Ying took a deep breath and nodded silently. Seeing the old man with the sword, he knew that now their only option was to see what the old emperor would do.

Inside, the pressure on Min Ruo Ying suddenly vanished. He, who had been struggling against the pressure, was suddenly propelled into the air. Fortunately, the palace was high enough, and he managed to land on the ground, but he immediately fell to all fours, not daring to move.

"Now, can you tell me why you insisted on killing Zuo Lixing?" The old emperor’s voice rang out again.

"Because, because General Zuo is a master. If he found out that I was behind this, he would surely turn against me. I don’t want such a master-level enemy, and I fear he might hate me and defect to another country." Min Ruo Ying trembled. "There are few masters in the world, and someone like General Zuo, who is both a master and skilled in warfare, should either be a friend or be eliminated."

"Indeed, ruthless." The old emperor sighed. "We have few masters in Great Chu, and now we have one less. I’m sure the Western Qin and Eastern Qi are very happy about this."

"Father!" Min Ruo Ying’s voice trembled, lifting his head, his eyes pleading with the emperor.

"Zuo Lixing is one thing, but masters are few, and new ones will rise. But Xi, you didn’t even care about her life?" The old emperor’s eyes showed sorrow.

"Son sent people, and in the agreement with the other party, it was clearly stated that Xi’s safety must be ensured."

"Ensured? Then tell me, where is Xi now?" The old emperor’s voice grew louder.

Min Ruo Ying lowered his head, unable to answer.

Looking at his ruthless son, the old emperor shook his head. He didn’t know if his decision was good or bad for Great Chu, but did he have any other choice? To prevent chaos in the capital, he had to make the best decision for Great Chu.

"I have already ordered An Ruhai to seal the Eastern Palace of the Crown Prince." The old emperor stared at Min Ruo Ying, speaking calmly.

Ah! Min Ruo Ying stared at the old emperor, his emotions swinging wildly, completely unsure how to face this person.

"Zuo Lixing is one thing, but you didn’t even care about Xi’s life. You have controlled the Imperial Guard, and most of the Inner Guard have turned to you. An Ruhai can only control a small part now. In this aspect, I must admit, you have done well. Today, when I summoned you to the palace, you must have made preparations for both outcomes, right? If forced, you would fight to the death, right?"

"Son, son..."

"Now you should know that not everything is within your control, right? Even if you control the Imperial Guard and most of the Inner Guard, I can kill you easily. The Luo Ying you rely on is also immobilized." The old emperor sighed. "Today is your last lesson. You must understand that when victory seems within reach, it is often the time of utter defeat. Always tread carefully."

"Son, son understands."

"Stand up, come sit beside me." The old emperor patted the bed, saying.

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