Parting the Clouds: the Prince Regent Appears

"Ah—!!!"

A blood-curdling scream pierced the long sky.

A scalp-numbing tearing sound rang out. Wu Ruoxun calmly withdrew the bloodstained blade in his hand, his expression still nonchalant.

The bright, snowy blade glinted coldly, reflecting numerous contorted faces. He said with a hint of a smile in his voice, "The real deal, Lord Zhou."

The crowd watched Zhou Yiping, who was clutching his face and wailing in agony. The blade had sliced a long gash along his jaw, the thin skin of his face peeled back, and blood gushed out, instantly staining the wooden planks of the boat's bow red.

The scene was so bloody and brutal that not only the ministers, but even the guards accustomed to life and death, instinctively stopped in their tracks, standing frozen and bewildered.

After a long while, Li Sheng finally murmured, "...Who are you?"

Everyone's gazes converged on Wu Ruoxun, a single question arising in all their minds.

—Who are you?

The river surface, once clear and boundless, had become overcast at some point. A gray fog blurred the river, and the damp air was mixed with the faint smell of blood, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression. The man at the bow stood composed in the wind, his blade hanging down, blood dripping and solidifying into beads that fell to the ground one by one.

Drip, drip.

Every sound struck their hearts, like a countdown tearing through the final shred of silence.

Lu Qing could hardly breathe in the dark and oppressive atmosphere. His eyes were fixed on Wu Ruoxun as he watched the man's lips curl slightly into a meaningful smile, retorting, "Lord Censor, why not ask, who do you not want me to be?"

Li Sheng choked, a sudden chill rushing to the crown of his head. His pride in his strategies, his arrogance, shattered in an instant. All that remained were his constricted pupils reflecting that person's face, a face wearing a sarcastic smile.

A plain, unremarkable face that commanded no presence.

He had Zhou Yiping steal Chu Jin's face to cooperate with him in completing this act. To this end, he had dispatched a large number of men to secretly follow the Prince Regent's carriage and abduct him.

Until a moment ago, the plan had been flawless—no matter how resourceful Chu Jin was, he could never have guessed this interconnected, inescapable trap.

Unless... someone had leaked the information to him in advance.

The Prince Regent in his hands was a fake. The real Chu Jin, under a guise no one would notice, had blended into the Autumn River Ritual and witnessed this play from beginning to end.

Li Sheng's expression changed several times in an instant. After a long pause, with a bone-chilling hatred, he enunciated each word, "Chu... Jin."

From start to finish, he was the one being played with!

"Wu Ruoxun" smiled insincerely. "I've been recognized? What a coincidence, Lord Censor."

The sound of the wind, the sound of the tide—everything seemed to slow down. A deathly silence fell over the entire scene.

Fan Qu shivered violently and cried out, "Impossible!"

"It is rather impossible."

Under the incredulous gazes of the crowd, this unusual Lord Wu unhurriedly raised a hand, lowered his head, and pressed his fingers to the back of his neck.

His calm voice sounded, "Right now, I should be imprisoned in a meticulously arranged cell, monitored by a large number of men, unable to take a single step outside—how could I possibly appear on the Autumn River, on this painted boat?"

Following the movement of his hand, an exquisite human face mask gently fell away.

"I should have been, just as you planned, docilely under your control, branded a traitor to the nation after Lord Zhou finished his act. Hunted as a fugitive from then on, dying a cheap death, recorded in the annals of history, and never vindicated."

The man seemed to find such an ending quite interesting. He let out a short laugh, then raised his face.

His looks were of an extremely ostentatious and brilliant beauty; one could exhaust all things in heaven and earth and still not find a single thing that could outshine his features. Of this beauty, a full seventy percent was concentrated in the depiction of his brows and eyes, as magnificent as spring crabapple blossoms touched by rain, and amidst that captivating allure was a hint of careless languor.

Most people in the court had only ever seen his usual demeanor, but never the grim coldness he now displayed, like the chilling waves of the Autumn River. A single glance was enough for the world to forget his stunning appearance.

—And remember that he was the Prince Regent of Great Qin, whose power overshadowed the court.

—The madman of Great Qin who carried a lantern through scenes of bloodshed and smiled leisurely at white bones.

A "thud" sounded by their ears; it was Fan Qu, whose legs had gone weak, collapsing to his knees.

It wasn't just him. Those who had just kicked a man when he was down and defected to Li Sheng also turned pale, shrinking back and wanting to retreat.

Chu Jin's gaze was cold, but a faint smile still hung on his lips as he greeted them one by one, "I trust you've all been well, my lords."

"Since you are all here today," he said in a normal tone, "then help me bear witness. We shall settle our accounts properly."

"The fake Prince Regent, the Yanling refugee, and the assassin—your acting was truly heartfelt and deeply moving."

He paused briefly, his gaze shifting to fix on Li Sheng as he said pointedly, "...Who directed this play?"

As soon as he spoke, even the wind seemed to stall. Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that the Grand Censor was likely done for this time.

Li Sheng looked back at him, giving a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Prince Regent, what is the meaning of this?"

His words betrayed no panic at being exposed, and his posture remained straight, showing not the slightest discomposure.

Chu Jin narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze suddenly sharpened and swept over Fan Qu. The latter was still slumped on the ground, looking dazed. Seeing this, Chu Jin's brow twitched, and then, without any warning, he raised his hand and, without even looking, flung his blade!

The sound of something slicing through the air abruptly stopped by his ear, replaced by the sharp clang of weapons colliding. A sharp dagger stabbing from behind was blocked by the flat of his blade, held perfectly still.

This sudden change happened in a flash, and almost no one had time to react. By the time the crowd blinked again, Chu Jin had already knocked the dagger away with a backhand strike and laid his blade across the assailant's neck.

Chu Jin tilted his head slightly, his gaze placid as he looked down. "Lord Zhou, do I have a grudge with you? Why do you want to kill me so badly?"

The one who had just attacked was the heavily injured Zhou Yiping.

He seemed to have lost all hope, no longer trying in vain to staunch the gushing blood. His eyes seemed to carry all the malice in the world, turning into sharp blades that stabbed fiercely at the Prince Regent beside him.

"Prince Regent, you truly are asking the obvious," he laughed sinisterly, large amounts of blood pouring from beneath his mangled face. "Who here doesn't have a grudge against you?"

Chu Jin smiled as well. "Are you trying to take all the blame on yourself? Lord Zhou, by acting as if you hate me this much, who are you trying to protect?"

"Protect? Chu Jin, do you think I would go to such lengths for someone else? It's simple. I just despise you." The sinister smile on Zhou Yiping's face gradually faded. "From beginning to end, it was I who wanted to kill you!"

"Everything today was my own idea! I hired people to follow you to the inn and kidnap you, I disguised myself as you to pretend to collude with Yanling, and I found people to pose as Yanling refugees!"

"You killed my dearest friend, left his corpse exposed in the wilderness for wild dogs to gnaw on! You made it so he couldn't rest in peace! This retribution will one day fall upon your head too—Hahahahahaha!"

A shrill laugh suddenly erupted from his throat, each sound echoing, every word seeming to weep blood.

Chu Jin frowned.

"Zhou Yiping's dearest friend? Was it the former Supervisor of Attendants, Zeng Yi?"

"It must be. When the Prince Regent was still the Heir, Zeng Yi seemed to have had a conflict with him. Moreover, when the Prince Regent came to power, he strongly opposed him. Later, he got involved with the Prince of Liang, so he was quickly sentenced to death on some charge."

The voices of the crowd, mixed with the sound of the wind, poured into his ears. Chu Jin repeated the name in a low voice, "Zeng... Yi."

After a long moment, his lips curled, but there was not a trace of a smile in his eyes. "So that's how it is."

Zhou Yiping was already ashen-faced, beyond saving. He leaned against the side of the boat, his face still full of mockery, looking contemptuously at the Prince Regent before him. "Someone like you... deserves to be deserted by everyone and die a horrible death!"

Deserted by everyone, and die a horrible death.

To such vicious words, Chu Jin reacted calmly, as if he had heard them many times before. He simply released the dagger pressed against his neck and nodded. "Indeed. For someone like me, once I reach the underworld, there will be a long line of people waiting to see me."

He paused, then looked down with a trace of pity. "However, there is one thing Lord Zhou might not know."

"The order to leave the former Supervisor of Attendants' corpse exposed in the wilderness was not given by me."

Zhou Yiping's whole body stiffened. On the brink of death, he abruptly raised his head.

Chu Jin smiled at him and said coolly, "Lord Zhou might as well recall through whose mouth those words reached your ears. And who benefited afterward, turning you into a pawn to use against me."

"You're lying to me!!!" Zhou Yiping roared. "I don't believe a single word you're saying! I don't believe you!"

"It doesn't matter." Chu Jin's voice suddenly softened. "When you get down to the netherworld, ask your dearest friend just who it was—who made it so he could not even rest in peace after death?"

As his voice fell, all color drained from Zhou Yiping's face. He swayed, then collapsed heavily to the ground.

This time, he did not get up again.

With Zhou Yiping gone, what remained was a group of leaderless ministers. Seeing the Prince Regent's gaze sweep over them, everyone's heart skipped a beat. They lowered their heads in terror, fearing they would be singled out.

Li Sheng spoke in a dark and gloomy tone, "Prince Regent, now that Zhou Yiping has been brought to justice, what more do you want?"

"Does Lord Censor think today's trap was set by Zhou Yiping?" Chu Jin looked at him with a half-smile. "He doesn't have that kind of ability."

His gaze skimmed over the faces of the crowd like a dragonfly on water, finally settling on one person as he smiled. "Lord Fan, wouldn't you agree?"

After obeying Li Sheng's order to abduct the Prince Regent, Fan Qu had thought the dust had settled and Chu Jin's power was gone, becoming increasingly arrogant. Until the unexpected turn of events, he had been wanton and haughty throughout this play, almost reveling in a cathartic pleasure.

Therefore, upon learning "Wu Ruoxun's" identity, the backlash from that arrogance and the resulting fear completely crushed him.

The thought that the man had been sitting among them, taking in his entire performance, finally made Fan Qu shudder in fright. He threw himself to the ground and began to kowtow desperately. "Prince Regent! Prince Regent! This subordinate was wrong... Spare my life, spare me!"

He could no longer care about posture or etiquette. He heard Chu Jin's voice from above him, "Tell me everything you know."

Fan Qu remained in his kowtowing position, not daring to move, his portly body trembling uncontrollably. "This subordinate... this subordinate only participated in Zhou Yiping's plan... It was all his glib words! He tricked me into cooperating with his act..."

Chu Jin smiled faintly. "Then how do you explain the Yanling assassin?"

Hearing this, Fan Qu jerked his head up, tears and snot mixing on his face, and stammered, "This subordinate truly doesn't know!"

"Oh? Are you implying that my men were incompetent and let an assassin onto the painted boat?"

"No! That's not what this subordinate meant..."

Fan Qu was sweating with anxiety when his eyes suddenly lit up. "There's an inside man! Yes, there must be an inside man of theirs on the boat!"

He looked eagerly at the Prince Regent, hoping he would give an order to temporarily spare him and go capture the Yanling mole. Instead, he heard Chu Jin say nonchalantly, "Whose orders were you following? Or should I say, was this trap set by you?"

"..."

Fan Qu's eyes slowly widened.

In his eyes, Chu Jin's face was now like that of a demon, and his low whisper was like a death-bringing curse, "Speak."

I can't... I can't say...

The lives of his entire family, young and old, for generations, were all tied to that person.

After a long pause, Fan Qu forced a smile uglier than a crying face and said, trembling all over, "R-Replying to the Prince Regent, it was all this subordinate's and Zhou Yiping's idea."

Chu Jin sneered, neither saying he believed him nor that he didn't.

He waved his hand expressionlessly and ordered the guards who had arrived, "Seize him. Take him to the Office of the Commandant of Justice for interrogation later."

Everyone silently watched as Fan Qu, trembling like a leaf, was dragged away by the guards, their faces growing even more subservient. Someone shamelessly put on a fawning smile and said, "Prince Regent, the man has been caught and the matter is settled. Please, sit down and rest."

Hearing this, Chu Jin glanced at him with a half-smile. "Who said it's settled?"

"If I recall correctly, Lord Xu, when I was being framed as a traitor just now, you were the fastest one to run away, weren't you?"

Xu Meng stiffened, unable to speak, looking embarrassed.

When he heard that Chu Jin had become a traitor, he thought the matter was set in stone. As he was part of the Chu Faction, he was eager to find a new path for himself and had immediately run over to Li Sheng's side.

But he heard Chu Jin say with a grin, "I, for one, am most afraid of being stabbed in the back. Lord Xu, I'll give you two choices. Will you continue to follow me, or will you seek another path?"

Xu Meng was already worried about being ridiculed and retaliated against if he went to Li Sheng's side. Hearing this, he immediately replied, "This subordinate will naturally follow the Prince Regent!"

Chu Jin's smile deepened. He nodded, but his gaze had already moved from Xu Meng's face to look behind him as he said lightly, "Grand Marshal Xu."

Grand Marshal Xu?

Xu Meng had a look of confusion, but the next second, he suddenly felt a cold sensation in his chest. Looking down, he saw the tip of a blade protruding from it.

His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. He opened his mouth and abruptly coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Prince... Regent?"

Xu Ying had already withdrawn her blade and sheathed it, watching with a hint of disgust as Xu Meng slowly collapsed, her expression cold.

"The dead are loyal," Chu Jin said with a smile as he surveyed the crowd, committing everyone's varied expressions to memory. He then bent down and leaned close to the dying Xu Meng's ear. "Lord Xu, you can rest easy and continue to follow me as a dead man."

Then, he stood up tall, his tone impassive.

"Since I became Prince Regent, Great Qin has truly been lively. I suppose it's understandable. A dead man who was treated with cold indifference in life suddenly crawls out of the underworld and into this Golden Chariot Hall one day. You're afraid I'll taint the blood of Great Qin."

Chu Jin suddenly curled his lips, an extremely cold smile appearing on his face, like a frosted blade reflecting off snow, a cold light flashing.

"But times have changed," he said leisurely. "The one in a high position is the legitimate one. I am the legitimate one—and you are all just overreaching pests."

"Has it been so long since I last led troops that you've forgotten? Yanling wasn't just destroyed by Great Qin; it was destroyed by me. In the War of Yan-Qin, those four cities were conquered by me, one by one. Why would you think I would restore a fallen kingdom that humiliated me?"

"If any more rumors reach my ears in the future—"

Chu Jin said softly.

"Kill... without... mercy."

The author has something to say:

Chuchu: Aren't you surprised?