A Shocking Turn: See If He Has Another Face

“You will die a horrible death—!”

This heaven-shaking, desperate cry struck everyone like a thunderclap. In the brief moment while everyone stood stunned and unresponsive, Chu Jin suddenly let out a cold laugh and violently shook off Xu Ying's sword.

Xu Ying's pupils constricted. She reached out to grab him, but her hand met only air.

In the silently widening, terrified eyes of the Yanling remnant, a white blade flashed and was immediately drowned in blood.

A few drops of blood splattered onto Lu Qing's face. He slowly turned his head to look at the Prince Regent's handsome profile, mere inches away, his expression somewhat dazed. But when his gaze fell upon the remnant behind him, dead with a longsword piercing his throat, his expression turned to panic.

A phrase appeared in his mind.

—Silencing a witness by killing them.

This person was from Yanling, which meant the Prince Regent and Yanling... were in collusion?

Lu Qing's mind was in turmoil, but he couldn't think about it too much right now. The sword-wielding Prince Regent was standing less than three feet away from him, blood still dripping from his blade!

Before he could quietly slip away, a voice, both shocked and angry, rang out: “Prince Regent! What is the meaning of this?”

The speaker was none other than Fan Qu. He stared at the corpse on the floor and said slowly, “Could it be that you have been in contact with the Yanling rebels all this time?”

At these words, the repeatedly shocked ministers could no longer restrain themselves. There were far too many rumors circulating about Chu Jin and Yanling. Coupled with Fan Qu's deliberate or unintentional guidance, what started as jokes had turned into suspicion, and finally, after seeing and hearing with their own eyes and ears, it became fact.

—The Prince Regent of Great Qin was colluding with rebels, betraying the nation and consorting with the enemy.

People always switch sides unknowingly. Amidst a sea of unfamiliar and hostile gazes, Chu Jin smiled faintly. He neither refuted nor resisted, but brazenly admitted to it.

Lu Qing was dumbfounded. His wildly twitching left eyelid had been a true premonition. The turn of events left his mind blank. In the tense, frozen scene that seemed on the verge of erupting into armed conflict, he suddenly noticed that Minister of the Imperial Clan Wu was still slowly picking at his food, choosing his bites with great concentration, his appetite utterly unaffected by the dead man before him.

Lu Qing wanted to tell him to stop eating. If the Prince Regent saw him, one swing of the sword and the man would be decapitated. But after making faces at him for a long time, the other man paid him no mind, not even sparing him a single glance.

Lu Qing looked at the half-eaten dishes in front of him, then at the almost untouched food on Li Sheng's and Chu Jin's tables, and a vague idea began to form in his mind.

Over there, Fan Qu, backed by the majority, wore a fierce expression. “Guards! Seize this traitor!”

Just then, a minister seated at the banquet suddenly paled, his face gradually turning ashen. He then violently spat out a mouthful of black blood.

This scene came without any warning. Several civil officials nearby were scared out of their wits and cried out in terror. But in the next second, thick black blood also began to trickle from their mouths and noses. Their cries stopped abruptly as they collapsed, almost silently.

Someone shouted, “The food is poisoned!”

This cry was like an omen from the King of Hell himself. In an instant, the serving maids standing on either side all raised their heads at once, their gazes utterly cold. Daggers hidden in their sleeves slid out, and they lunged at the ministers with extremely vicious strikes!

For a moment, blood splattered everywhere.

The scene instantly devolved into chaos. With their lives on the line, everyone's thoughts were no longer on Chu Jin; they were in a complete panic. There were a number of military officials on the painted boat who could draw their swords to defend themselves, but most were powerless civil officials. Facing the daggers, they had no strength to resist and could only flee in disarray.

Lu Qing only knew some rudimentary martial arts. He narrowly dodged a blade aimed at his waist and finally saw the guards rushing in from the entrance. He breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked back, Wu Ruoxun was nowhere to be seen.

Lu Qing froze. 'Don't tell me that guy got hacked to death in the chaos,' he thought, and hurriedly looked down, searching for his body. As his gaze swept around, he suddenly noticed an assassin frozen in place beside him. A white blade had pierced through her chest, and blood dripped from its edge. Drip, drip.

The next second, the blade was withdrawn. The assassin collapsed limply to the ground, revealing the figure of the Prince Regent behind her. Chu Jin shot a cold glance at the stunned Lu Qing, then turned without hesitation and headed for the entrance.

Lu Qing's gaze followed him as he left. Staring blankly, he heard Li Sheng's voice rise from behind him, loud enough to almost drown out the clang of weapons: “These assassins are remnants of Yanling!”

The Grand Censor was firmly protected in the center of a group of guards, his expression grim. Word by word, as if carving the accusations into bone and blood, he said, “You have all witnessed it! The Prince Regent, Chu Jin, has colluded with remnants, conspired to murder court officials, thrown our court into disarray, and betrayed our Great Qin—”

“His crimes cannot be pardoned by death!”

Every word was a piercing accusation, spoken with resounding force.

Everyone was shaken to the core, watching as the once endlessly glorious Prince Regent was branded a criminal. Such a shocking turn of events was like falling from the highest pinnacle into a bottomless abyss in an instant, to be smashed to pieces, never to recover.

Supported by the guards, Fan Qu struggled to his feet. He had been cut on the arm earlier, and his face was slightly contorted in pain, but he still pointed toward the entrance and shouted, “He's going to jump into the river to escape!”

Hearing this, everyone looked over and saw that Chu Jin had somehow made his way to the bow of the boat. He was too far away for them to see his expression clearly, but from his movements, it looked like he was about to jump from the bow.

The guards who tried to stop him were held back by the assassins, able to do nothing but watch Chu Jin's actions. In the blink of an eye, he had one foot on the rail, about to jump.

At this moment, everyone's attention was fixed on Chu Jin. No one noticed that the righteous and stern expression on Li Sheng's face had completely vanished. His brow was smooth, and an almost scorching heat burned in his eyes, showing no trace of his earlier shock and anger.

Once “Chu Jin” jumped in full view of everyone, he could issue an order of banishment across the Nine Provinces. From then on, the criminal's name would be known to all. Unable to defend himself, there would be no place left for him in the world.

As long as he jumped, there would be absolutely no chance of a comeback.

He even had to thank these assassins from Yanling. They had gone to such lengths to poison the food and wine, but in doing so, had perfected his grand plan. The blame would be placed squarely on Chu Jin's head, inciting public hatred. This way, he could finally remove Chu Jin, this thorn in his side, without lifting a finger.

In a flash, a hundred thoughts raced through Li Sheng's mind. He grew more and more confident, merely waiting for the final step of his plan to fall into place.

Although the assassins were well-trained, they were ultimately outnumbered and gradually began to lose ground. As the situation settled, and “Chu Jin” was about to jump into the Qiu Jiang, Li Sheng finally let the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile, crinkling the fine lines by his eyes.

However, in the next second, the smile froze on his face.

He saw, amidst the chaos, a person standing in an inconspicuous corner. Flashing blades and sword shadows surrounded him, yet he seemed oblivious, unhurriedly picking up a red-lacquered wooden chopstick from someone's table.

What was he going to do?

The thought flashed through Li Sheng's mind.

At the same time, Lu Qing, who had also noticed Wu Ruoxun, breathed a sigh of relief, then asked himself the same question.

—What was Wu Ruoxun going to do?

Under the gaze of two different pairs of eyes, the man slowly raised his hand. With two fingers together, he casually held the chopstick and then, suddenly, shot it forward.

A crimson afterimage, wrapped in a fierce wind, flashed past Lu Qing's eyes. Its momentum was immense, tearing the air with a shriek as if ripping a fissure through space itself.

The next instant, it pierced the right leg of “Chu Jin” at the bow.

By this time, the assassins had been subdued by Xu Ying and the guards, pinned to the ground and unable to move. Everyone's attention was drawn by a cry of pain, and they all looked toward the bow.

They saw the Prince Regent collapse weakly onto the deck, blood pouring from his right leg. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, his expression contorted in pain.

This was a turn of events no one had expected. Seeing his plan fail at the final moment, Li Sheng was so angry his chest heaved for a long time before he managed to say in a trembling voice, “Wu Ruoxun! What have you done!”

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Wu Ruoxun raised an eyebrow and looked back with mild surprise. “Lord Censor, this subordinate was merely following orders and stopping the fleeing Prince Regent. Why are you angry?”

Li Sheng was at a loss for words, realizing that in his rage, he had forgotten to conceal his expression. In an instant, his face darkened, and he said coldly, “Absurd! Is that any way to stop someone?”

“Have you forgotten, Lord Censor? Times have changed. The Prince Regent is now a genuine criminal.” Wu Ruoxun finished speaking calmly and turned to Lu Qing. “Lord Lu, when the Office of the Commandant of Justice passes judgment, is there not a rule stating that in times of necessity, unconventional methods may be employed?”

Lu Qing stared at him blankly and replied subconsciously, “There is.”

Hearing this, Wu Ruoxun said, “Now that the man is here, it would be unjust not to conduct a thorough investigation to give you lords the justice you deserve.”

He was all smiles. In just a few words, he had turned Li Sheng's earlier words right back at him. Li Sheng's expression grew even more sinister as he said coldly, “There's no need for Lord Wu to trouble himself! After the ritual, someone from the Office of the Commandant of Justice will handle the interrogation.”

Everyone was confused, unable to understand why the Grand Censor was now the one trying every means to obstruct the investigation.

But they heard Wu Ruoxun say slowly, “It is just a preliminary questioning. I'm sure it won't take too long.”

Fan Qu, who was being supported by others, froze. Those were the exact words he had just used to shut down “Chu Jin”!

Li Sheng's face went from pale to livid. Finally, he spoke in a dark, chilling voice, “Lord Wu, are you intending to defy your superior and disobey a direct order?”

These words from the Grand Censor clearly carried killing intent. Lu Qing broke out in a cold sweat for Wu Ruoxun, and the others all lowered their heads in silence. Yet Wu Ruoxun remained standing ramrod straight, his expression placid, as he glanced over from a distance through the chaotic crowd.

It was a look Li Sheng would never forget for the rest of his life. That single glance contained an arrogance, ridicule, and indifference that he detested to his very core. It could only belong to one person.

Li Sheng's pupils contracted sharply. “You......”

But Wu Ruoxun ignored him completely, turning his back to the crowd and walking step by step toward the bow. The river wind was fierce, lifting the long hair tied at his back, making it fly about unrestrainedly, dazzling the eye.

With every step, the smile on his lips faded a little. At the same time, he began to speak softly, as if musing to himself, “I find it rather strange. How could the dignified Prince Regent of Great Qin allow himself to fall into such a state?”

“Forced to jump into the river, subject to an order of banishment, and from then on, fleeing like a stray dog.”

“I feel this is rather out of character for him,” he said nonchalantly. “Lord Lu, what do you think?”

At his prompting, Lu Qing felt as if he had been suddenly enlightened. All the confusing and inexplicable doubts in his mind suddenly became clear.

Wu Ruoxun continued, “If I were him, and I were exposed in public, I wouldn't do something like flee in panic. On the contrary......”

He had already reached the bow. He lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes emotionlessly fixed on the severely injured “Prince Regent” on the ground. After a moment, he suddenly curled his lip into a cold, bloodthirsty smile.

“—I would silence everyone present by killing them.”

The river wind howled, making the hem of his robes flap loudly and giving rise to a murderous aura that no one dared to look at directly. Everyone's heart seized, and they all shivered. For a moment, they forgot all about status and rank, all about who was friend or foe. A sudden urge to submit washed over them, making their legs go weak, utterly routing their composure.

As they watched in stunned silence, Wu Ruoxun bent down slightly and lifted the “Prince Regent's” face, which was distorted with pain and fear. He studied it for a moment as if inspecting a piece of merchandise. “In that case, who might this substandard impostor be?”

Li Sheng finally reacted, roaring, “Seize this man for me—!”

The guards at the side snapped out of their daze. They heard the command but were still terrified, exchanging glances, not daring to take a step forward.

Fan Qu also realized something was wrong. He kicked a guard in front of him and roared, “Whose orders are you taking! Do you want to lose your heads!”

His words had an effect, and the guards hurriedly moved toward the bow. However, Wu Ruoxun merely gave them an indifferent glance before reaching out and feeling around the back of the “Prince Regent's” neck. Then, he gently tore.

A skin mask, as thin as a cicada's wing, fluttered lightly to the ground.

“......”

Everyone stared fixedly at the exquisite human skin mask on the floor, rendered completely silent.

Wu Ruoxun slowly picked up the skin mask, gave it a light shake, and looked at the mask made in the likeness of the Prince Regent's face with an enigmatic smile. He looked down at the fake Prince Regent's true face and raised his eyebrows in some surprise.

“Lord Zhou?”

Everyone was startled and looked over. The man leaning against the bow, his leg covered in blood, was none other than the Master of Guests, Zhou Yiping, who had claimed he could not attend due to a family matter.

Zhou Yiping had always been a member of the Li Faction. His appearance here disguised as Chu Jin, combined with the series of events that had just transpired, made everyone's minds race, though they remained outwardly impassive.

For a moment, Li Sheng's expression was almost as twisted as the fake Prince Regent's. He took a deep breath, suppressed his rage, and put on a look of disbelief. “What is going on?!”

“Lord Zhou,” he said, his face a mask of anguish, “you...... you're mad! What are you doing!”

Faced with his questioning, Zhou Yiping at the bow was breathing faintly, unable to speak. Wu Ruoxun glanced at him coolly and said casually, “This subordinate recalls that Lord Zhou and the Lord Censor have a very good relationship.”

Li Sheng's head snapped up to look at him. At the same time, Fan Qu roared, “Wu Ruoxun, what are you implying!”

Wu Ruoxun's smile was faint. He said calmly, “Lord Censor, you misunderstand. That is not what this subordinate meant. I am just worried that this Lord Zhou might also be an imposter, sent by someone else to frame you, Lord Censor. That would not be good at all.”

Li Sheng froze. “What...... did you say?”

“It's simple.”

Wu Ruoxun's gaze was gentle, as if the words coming from his mouth were not horrifying, but merely some trivial matter.

He gave a low laugh. His lips and tongue moved slightly, and in an utterly placid tone, he uttered an utterly insane sentence—

“We just need to slice open this man's face and see if he has another one underneath.”