147. Kill the Crown Prince

This is truly formidable. The aged Emperor has actually gone this far.

A fierce glint flashed deeper in Le Qianxue's eyes. She clenched her fists tightly.

Even though she intended to stand against the aged Emperor, he had sat upon the imperial throne for decades, possessing a formidable nature that could not be underestimated.

Le Qianxue had never imagined that the aged Emperor would go to such lengths simply to retrieve a corpse.

He truly no longer feared a rebellion among the soldiers.

He no longer feared burning bridges with her completely.

And he even less feared a falling out with Zhan Lianjing.

She smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, you can banish that thought. My father's corpse, I will naturally retrieve myself. If you don't believe it, just wait and see."

Seeing her remain so obstinate, the aged Emperor turned livid with rage.

He pointed at Le Yongcheng's corpse and commanded, "Someone come, drag this out and feed it to the dogs."

The Shadow Guards stirred, and two men stepped forward, preparing to drag Le Yongcheng's corpse away.

Upon hearing this, Le Qianxue reacted as if she were listening to something entirely commonplace.

She neither moved nor spoke a word.

The Shadow Guards were on the verge of dragging the body away, and Le Qianxue still showed no signs of stopping them.

Seeing this, the aged Emperor grew anxious, as Le Qianxue appeared genuinely indifferent.

He immediately raised a hand and halted them: "Wait."

The Shadow Guards paused, freezing in their tracks as they awaited the Emperor's further instructions.

The aged Emperor stared at Le Qianxue. If he truly went through with it, he would never, for the rest of his life, have any hope of reclaiming Tong Xianxian.

He pressed his lips into a tight line and said, "Le Qianxue, I will give you three days to consider."

Le Qianxue had known all along that the aged Emperor would fold. She remained entirely unconcerned, waiting simply for Zhan Lianjing to come and rescue her.

Right now, the most crucial thing was to buy time. Ultimately, Le Qianxue was locked away in the celestial prison, placed in the very cell where Zhan Lianjing had once been imprisoned.

She mused that the wheel of fortune truly turned in mysterious ways, never expecting that she too would one day end up here.

She sighed inwardly. Being locked up here was boring enough. In these three days, would Zhan Lianjing have enough time?

Yet, the mere thought of Le Yongcheng's death sent a piercing pain through her heart. Had she not maintained her rationality, she would have flown into a rage on the spot. The outcome of that would have been blindingly obvious—she would already be a dead woman now.

The meals in the prison were not particularly unpalatable; the aged Emperor had not made things overly difficult for her in that regard.

Now, she utterly despised herself for not striking down the aged Emperor right then and there, and for foolishly believing that Yu Zhiyang was a good man.

In truth, it had merely been a calculation of gains and losses, each serving their own master.

An enemy could never truly become one's friend.

Le Qianxue waited throughout the first day, but nothing happened.

On the second day, Yu Guohan came.

Presently, she was a prisoner, while Yu Guohan remained the exalted Crown Prince. Gone was his previous cowardice; instead, he exuded a certain arrogant pride.

An eunuch brought over a chair for him to sit upon.

He was dressed in a bright yellow crown prince's dragon robe. Though his facial features were ordinary, he cut a rather dashing and heroic figure at first glance.

Le Qianxue glanced at him sideways and said nothing to him, wondering if he had come merely to pick a fight today. To think he would actually dare to visit her at a time like this.

Seeing her maintain that same attitude, Yu Guohan grew slightly irritated. "Le Qianxue, is it necessary to look at me like that? Look, I am the only one who has come to visit you. That shows I still hold some affection and loyalty toward you."

Le Qianxue let out a chuckle. "Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, you really shouldn't flatter yourself. If you have something to say today, just spit it out."

Yu Guohan actually found her directness amusing. "You are certainly straightforward. I do not know what kind of deal my imperial father has struck with you, but you would be wise to agree to it. Father can kill you now as easily as turning over his hand. Do not think Prince Zhan can protect you this time; the only one who can save you is me."

Hearing this, Le Qianxue found it somewhat laughable.

Yu Guohan was vastly overestimating himself. Moreover, he still remained completely oblivious to what the aged Emperor truly desired.

If he ever learned the truth, he would surely die of fury, for the real Empress Ronghui had long since vanished somewhere unknown. The empress's mausoleum he used to worship at was nothing more than a fake. She wondered what kind of thoughts would run through Yu Guohan's mind then.

Noticing the smile lingering at the corners of her mouth, Yu Guohan felt a surge of annoyance. Ever since Le Qianxue recovered her wits, her demeanor had grown increasingly unbridled, as well as thoroughly unpredictable, slipping through his fingers no matter how he tried to grasp it.

When had Yu Guohan ever imagined that a foolish girl would transform into such a creature?

He narrowed his eyes and demanded, "What are you smiling at?"

"Your Royal Highness, what exactly are you relying on to protect me? If I refuse to hand over that item," Le Qianxue said slowly, "His Majesty will never let me go. If His Majesty wants me dead, how could you possibly stop him?"

"Naturally, I can," Yu Guohan gestured for the eunuch to withdraw, leaving only the two of them in the prison cell. "I am the Crown Prince, and all under heaven shall be mine sooner or later. If I wish to claim it sooner, I have my ways."

Le Qianxue narrowed her eyes.

She now fully grasped what Yu Guohan meant. To think that this son actually intended to usurp his own father's throne—it was utterly ridiculous.

She had to admit Yu Guohan's ambition knew no bounds.

"First, you have no military power, and second, you lack connections. Your Royal Highness, aren't you thinking a bit too grandly?" Le Qianxue remarked.

Yu Guohan chuckled softly. "Having served as Crown Prince for so many years, do you truly believe I lack even this bit of capability? This imperial throne shall inevitably be mine. Father has always favored me. Look, even this current scheme was something I suggested to him. Father originally wanted to spare your father's life, claiming he had made a promise to an old friend and did not wish to kill him. But after I whispered a few words in his ear, Father readily agreed. Le Qianxue, see for yourself? Do you still doubt my ability? This is the price you pay for betraying me and making me lose face, choosing instead to follow a crippled prince. I am finally having my revenge today. Let me tell you, if you still don't wake up to reality, you will be the next one to die."

Le Qianxue's expression turned icy. She had assumed the aged Emperor was simply being utterly merciless, but to think it was actually this man's doing.

Her once-calm heart began to churn violently, stirring emotions that became increasingly difficult to suppress.

Seeing the anger on her face, Yu Guohan laughed. "What? Are you angry? Let me tell you, what if you are angry? Your father is already dead, and Prince Zhan is not in the capital right now. Who else do you think can come to save you?"

Le Qianxue felt not a shred of fear. She stared fixedly at Yu Guohan, her gaze as cold as biting ice.

Once she truly grew angry, even she herself could no longer control it. The murderer of her father stood right before her eyes; how could she possibly let him go?

Catching the look in her eyes, Yu Guohan felt a sudden twinge of fear and hurriedly moved to call for the guards outside.

However, Le Qianxue was faster. With a single swift stride forward, she clamped her hand around his throat.

Yu Guohan possessed little martial arts skill, and Le Qianxue was applying her full strength. His eyes bulged wide, rendering him utterly incapable of uttering a sound.

He tried to scream, his face turning a pale, sickly cyan. Staring into Le Qianxue's visage, a profound sense of terror suddenly gripped him.

Le Qianxue whispered softly, "Tell me, who can save you now?"

Paralyzed by terror, Yu Guohan could no longer breathe, his head spinning with dizziness. At this rate, it would not be long before he walked a path of no return.

Yet, Le Qianxue continued, "No one can save you. Only I can release you. You have no choice but to beg me to let you go. Why don't you open your mouth and beg?"

Saying this was merely tormenting Yu Guohan, for how could he possibly speak when he was barely able to draw breath?

Le Qianxue let out a faint laugh, her eyes carrying a sharp, unmistakable murderous intent.

Yu Guohan's eyes remained wide with terror as he struggled frantically, yet he could not break free.

Hearing footsteps approaching from outside, and knowing it would take a little longer to choke Yu Guohan to death, Le Qianxue decisively jabbed her fingers into several pressure points on his body before tossing him casually to the side.

She then returned to her seat as if nothing had happened. As Yu Guohan finally gasped in air, he broke into a violent fit of coughing, feeling a surge of fortune at having clawed his way back from the jaws of death.

He pointed a shaky finger at Le Qianxue and cursed, "You wretched woman... I... I will..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his entire body began to convulse violently, rendering his words completely incoherent.

With his eyes rolling back into his head, Yu Guohan felt an agonizing pain coursing through his limbs.

Entering the cell just then, Eunuch Chen was struck with absolute horror. "Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

He rushed to Yu Guohan's side, thoroughly terrified. "Your Royal Highness, what has happened to you?"

Yet Yu Guohan was already incapable of uttering a single word, foam bubbling from his mouth as life rapidly slipped away from him.

Utterly panicked and losing his wits, Eunuch Chen cried out, "Miss Le, please save His Royal Highness!"

Le Qianxue was the only one here who possessed medical skills, and fetching an imperial physician would take far too long.

Yet Le Qianxue remained entirely unmoved, as if she had heard nothing at all.

Panicking further, Eunuch Chen pleaded, "Miss Le, what is wrong with you? Hurry and save the Crown Prince!"

At that moment, hovering on the brink of death, Yu Guohan cast a resentful glare at Le Qianxue.

With a calm and indifferent gaze, Le Qianxue stated, "I am the one who wants him dead. Did you seriously expect me to save him? Keep dreaming."

Hearing these words, Eunuch Chen was struck dumb with horror. How could things have turned out like this?

Unable to hold on any longer, Yu Guohan let his head loll to one side and drew his final breath.

Eunuch Chen frantically called his name several times, but Yu Guohan gave no response whatsoever.

In a panic, he ordered someone to summon the imperial physician and the aged Emperor. When the physician hurried over and examined Yu Guohan's corpse, he only shook his head, declaring that the man was beyond saving.

Eunuch Chen found it nearly impossible to accept. "Miss Le, you... you... you actually killed His Royal Highness..."

Le Qianxue sat quietly in her place. Never in anyone's wildest dreams would they have imagined that she could murder someone and remain seated here with such absolute composure.

At that moment, the aged Emperor rushed into the cell. Upon arriving only to gaze upon Yu Guohan's tragic corpse, his legs went weak and he staggered back two steps, saved from a fall only by an eunuch rushing to support him from behind.

Pointing a trembling finger at Le Qianxue, he shrieked, "Le Qianxue, I will tear you into a thousand pieces!"

Le Qianxue rose to her feet, met the aged Emperor's gaze directly, and said, "A life for a life, nothing more. If Your Majesty insists on killing me as well, your own life might not be preserved either."

Hearing this, the aged Emperor fainted on the spot, plunging the celestial prison into total chaos.