Chapter 524: Schemes Within Schemes at the Hongmen Banquet (26)

Chapter 524: Plots Within Plots at the Hongmen Banquet (26)

The voice was hesitant, trembling—"Rao... Rao..."

That Deputy General of the Capital Guard showed only a fleeting moment of strangeness before regaining composure. Yet, under Su Rao’s repeated and resolute words, her extremely certain words, his downcast eyes finally rose, and he removed his helmet, revealing his true face.

"Royal Father..."

At that instant, a dazed haze clouded Su Rao’s eyes. Her already tightly clenched hand, gripping the jade-ribbed fan, trembled uncontrollably.

The old man she had seen in Rong Palace’s dungeons, whose face had been obscured, was actually only around thirty. His unkempt appearance and full beard in the cell had made him seem elderly.

Now, his true visage was unveiled. Though years in prison had hollowed his cheeks, his noble, striking presence—every inch a man in his prime—remained undiminished. Even clad in a deputy general’s armor, the unmistakable aura of a royal prince was unmistakable.

He strode forward, tall and upright, his sharp brows and starry eyes bearing a striking resemblance to her father’s in her memories...

"Great Qin’s little princess has truly grown, wiser than ever before. Your uncle swells with pride. If your parents knew in the afterlife, they could rest in peace."

His words carried warmth and melancholy. After more than a decade apart, the reunion of true kin moved him. The King of Qin stepped closer to Su Rao, gazing at her for a long moment before raising his hand to touch her head. His fingers brushed the ugly, sunken scar on her forehead, and a flicker of pain flashed in his eyes before transforming into hatred for the three kingdoms.

That scar—deep and disfiguring—had erased the lively little niece from his memories, drowned in the river of time. His breath grew heavier with fury, his shadowed face betrayed a decade’s worth of hatred, thick as ink.

"Rao Rao, you endured in the Su family for over a decade, and I, too, clung to life in disgrace all this time. Years of scheming have brought us here. Now, let uncle and niece join hands to purge these traitors, restore the glory of our Great Qin Empire, and let our ancestors rest in peace. Great Qin will never fade into history—never."

His hand, resting on Su Rao’s head, slid down to grip her left wrist, which was clamped around Pei Liang’s throat, prying Pei Liang from her grip. Then, he attempted to pull Su Rao away from Yun Ji’s side and back to his own.

Su Rao yielded without protest, showing no other reaction. Her uncle had orchestrated everything from the shadows all along—he was the true master behind Wu Yang and Pei Liang. Every action they took had been under his orders.

Thus, it was clear: had she not been certain, he would not have revealed himself now. Instead, he would have continued lurking in the dark, pushing her into the light while he maneuvered unseen.

This transparent ploy of the King of Qin should have occupied Su Rao’s thoughts, but at this moment, her heart was too agitated. Her gaze remained fixed on his face, her eyes clouded with disorientation.

Her uncle, her father’s own brother, carried traces of her father in every expression. For a fleeting moment, Su Rao thought she saw her father again—the man who had always held her with pride, who’d parade her before his younger brother, boasting of his precious little princess.

Her uncle, provoked, would then pluck her from her father’s grasp in playful competition, and she would play along, wrapping her arms around his neck. Delighted, he’d flash a victorious grin, mirroring her father’s pride.

"See, Brother? Rao Rao likes her uncle best. Isn’t that right, my little princess?"

Whenever he asked, she would nod solemnly and tighten her embrace, letting him feel her affection.

Because she pleased him, she learned not just from books but from his stories—trivial street gossip, weighty court affairs—deepening her understanding of the dynasty she had been born into.

Lost in reminiscence, she struggled to pull herself free—until another hand, warm and firm, grasped hers. Just as the King of Qin tried to draw her to his side, Yun Ji seized her right hand, refusing to let her be taken away.

Behind the silver-black mask, his phoenix eyes met the King of Qin’s gaze, now turned toward him for interfering.

Two men, each formidable in his own way—one in his prime, the other younger—locked in a silent, weighted exchange.

No storm of conflict raged between them, only a calm yet unmistakable tension, a clash of wills beneath the surface.

Su Rao, standing so close, sensed it immediately. She snapped out of her reverie, her expression shifting as the fog lifted from her eyes—but not from her heart.

She studied her uncle again, her father’s own brother.

The cheerful, straightforward uncle from her memories was now as calculating as she was.

And that left her adrift.

Though Jin Chao had long ago revealed her uncle’s survival and his role in orchestrating revenge, facing it now was another matter entirely.

Even imprisoned and deprived of freedom, he still ordered Jin Chao to properly guide the young prince, ensuring that upon his maturity, he would restore their Great Qin Empire.

But Jin Chao refused to let Xiao Shan drown in hatred, disregarded the Royal Uncle's wishes, and chose seclusion instead.

Upon learning that the Royal Uncle was alive and intended to use Xiao Shan for their nation's revival, she burned the token he had given her to protect Xiao Shan's peace and sent Jin Chao away. Yet in those sleepless nights, she had envisioned countless times how, after leveraging Zhu Xian's forces to storm Yun Lang, she would rescue the Royal Uncle, unite with him, rally the remnants of Great Qin, and overthrow the three kingdoms, sending all the butchers to hell.

But Yun Ji pulled her from that abyss of darkness, stopping her bone-deep vengeance from destroying her humanity and warping her nature, ensuring she did not become the very monster she despised.

So she decided that after wrapping up affairs in Daliang and her vengeance was fulfilled, she would retrieve the Royal Uncle from the royal dungeon herself, telling him face to face that the true culprits of the past had been slain, that she had avenged Great Qin, that the traitors were dead, and that the three kingdoms now had new rulers. He need no longer live in hiding, nor force Xiao Shan to bear the weight of hatred—father and son could finally reunite.

Yet in the end, she overlooked one thing and misjudged the Royal Uncle. His hiding place was none other than the royal dungeon of the former Great Qin—once her home, and his. It was where he had grown up. He knew the Qin palace far better than she ever could. How could he truly be trapped there?

If he was imprisoned, it could only be by his own design.

Now, meeting amidst this blood-soaked scene, her Royal Uncle stood as the mastermind behind it all. He sought not only vengeance for their fallen kingdom but also the restoration of Great Qin's former glory.

Su Rao’s heart wavered—what was the right move now? Should she stop him? Let him proceed? Or should she join him in rebuilding their Great Qin Empire? After all, they now had the power to do so—it was within reach...