Chapter 205: Why Are You Crying?

Chapter 205: Why Are You Crying?

Huo Lang demonstrated one thing with his actions—

If he wanted to rebel, it would be effortless.

The greatest mistake Zhao Kang made was moving the Wei family, which had been a stabilizing force. If the Wei family were still around, how could Huo Lang have overturned everything so easily? Unfortunately, the situation was now set, and it was too late for regrets.

Today, when Huo Lang entered the palace, he brought two thousand elite soldiers. He replaced the Dragon Scale Guards' patrol rights, placed Zhao Kang under house arrest in the main hall, and quietly took control of the entire imperial city. Unfortunately, that sickly Zhao Kang stubbornly refused to reveal Lu Yan's whereabouts.

"I don't know what you're talking about. There is only one emperor in Beishu; there's no such thing as an impostor!"

Zhao Kang trembled in fear but clenched his teeth and shook his head vigorously.

He couldn't say it; this matter must not be revealed. If it got out, the entire royal family would become a laughingstock, a disgrace for all eternity.

If the outside world knew that the emperor of Beishu was a sickly man with little time left and no heir, and that the only two eligible successors, Zhao Qin and Zhao Tai, were dead, leaving only an unloved princess, the Zhao family's rule would truly be over.

Only at this moment did Zhao Kang realize that he was the last male descendant of the Zhao family.

Sitting in a chair, Huo Lang lowered his eyes to polish the blade, contemplating how many slices it would take before the sickly man passed out. His voice carried a faint interest: "Are you sure you won't say anything?"

Zhao Kang gritted his teeth: "I don't know!"

The reputation of rebelling against the emperor was too terrible. He was gambling that Huo Lang wouldn't do anything drastic right now.

"You have some backbone."

Huo Lang suddenly laughed, sheathing his dagger and instructing a masked guard beside him: "Bring a large pot, one big enough to boil a person. They say the true dragon emperor has divine protection. This prince is curious about how hard the emperor's bones are and how they differ from ordinary people."

"Yes!"

The masked guard gave Zhao Kang a cold look and immediately went to fetch the pot. Zhao Kang, upon hearing this, nearly fainted, pointing at Huo Lang and stuttering: "W-What... What are you going to do?!"

"Nothing much, just boiling some human flesh."

Huo Lang looked at him with a half-smile, his deep, magnetic voice sending chills down one's spine: "Your Majesty may not know, but back in the army, we used this method to interrogate foreign spies. Throwing a live person into a pot and boiling them for a day and night would make the flesh fall off the bones. Your Majesty's bones are so hard, it might take three days and nights."

Zhao Kang's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, fainting from sheer terror.

Wei Hong finally managed to bring the pot in, only to see Zhao Kang lying unconscious. "Prince, he's fainted. Should we continue boiling him?"

Huo Lang didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, casually uttering three words: "Throw him in."

"Please show mercy, Prince!"

Wu Mei suddenly stumbled over, kneeling at Huo Lang's feet. His aged face, filled with despair, seemed particularly ashen as he shielded the unconscious Zhao Kang behind him, struggling to speak:

"That person is in the underground chamber of the sleeping quarters. The vase on the third shelf from the right on the bookshelf is the mechanism. The emperor is naturally weak and doesn't have much time left. Please show mercy, Regent, and don't torment him!"

Huo Lang stared deeply at Wu Mei, neither agreeing nor denying, and silently left the place.

Today's coup in the palace had everyone, eunuchs and palace maids alike, in a state of panic. Lan Yin noticed a group of soldiers in silver-black armor approaching and hurriedly closed the palace doors, intending to warn Lu Yan in the underground chamber. However, the stone wall behind the bookshelf suddenly flipped open, revealing Lu Yan, who emerged wearing a thin robe and holding a medical book.

Lu Yan sat behind the desk, placing the medical book aside. Seeing Lan Yin's anxious expression, he seemed to guess something and calmly asked: "Is something happening outside?"

So many things had happened today that Lan Yin was momentarily at a loss for where to begin. Her usually nimble fingers now seemed clumsy as she frantically gestured:

"Huo Yan killed the Prince of Lin'an with a single sword strike..."

The sound of footsteps grew closer, accompanied by the clanking of armor.

"The Regent led troops into the palace and took control of the imperial city..."

With all the commotion, the sky darkened, and the desk was bathed in a dim golden light. An unfinished poem lay on the table, its ink still fresh.

"The emperor and Eunuch Wu Mei are in Qianyuan Hall and haven't come out yet. No one is allowed to enter or leave..."

Lan Yin's gestures were rapid and urgent, her hairpin with the hibiscus tassel swaying slightly, the beads forming a knot.

"The Regent is leading the Thousand Mechanisms Guard here..."

"Bang—!"

The door to the sleeping quarters burst open. Lan Yin had just finished her last gesture:

"He intends to rebel!"

Huo Lang rebelled?

Although Lu Yan knew this day would come, it happened faster than he expected. Seeing Huo Lang kick open the palace door, his features obscured by shadows, making it impossible to discern his emotions, his dark eyes seemed like a bottomless vortex, ready to devour anyone.

Lu Yan smiled inexplicably, gently waving his hand at Lan Yin: "Go, there's no need for you to stay here."

Lan Yin glanced worriedly at Lu Yan, biting her lip as she stepped out, only to be stopped by the soldiers in silver armor guarding the entrance. Their swords crossed, blocking the exit completely.

Lu Yan stood up from his chair, softly saying: "She's just a palace maid. Let her go."

Huo Lang closed his eyes briefly, seemingly giving his consent. The soldiers then let Lan Yin leave, closing the palace doors once more, shutting out the last sliver of light. A single candle flickered, casting an ambiguous glow.

Lu Yan wasn't wearing his dragon robes today but a simple long robe adorned with bamboo, tied with a jade belt, exuding an elegant charm. The lingering scent of dragon's breath permeated the air, clinging to him as he approached Huo Lang, making it even more noticeable.

He seemed to be the same emperor as before, yet different...

"Do you know everything now?"

Lu Yan looked down at Huo Lang, smiling faintly, perfectly composed, showing no hint of emotion. When he was still the crown prince, he often wore this mask-like smile, concealing his true feelings.

He actually didn't like to smile, but he had gotten used to it over the years and couldn't change it easily.

Huo Lang gripped Lu Qian's wrist tightly, his eyes bloodshot as he asked in a hoarse voice, word by word: "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Why didn't he tell him...

Thirteen hundred and sixty-two lives lost, his entire family slaughtered, and he had to serve as a stand-in for the son of his father's killer.

Such humiliating hatred—how did Lu Qian endure it for decades?!

If Lu Qian had told him, he would have shattered himself to bring down the late emperor from his throne and make the Zhao family pay with their lives!

Huo Lang recalled the old case in Ruzhou that Gongsun Mo had once mentioned. He felt as if his heart was immersed in scalding oil, even his breaths were painful. The explanations for Lu Qian's past strange behaviors finally came to light, and the fog cleared, revealing a cruel and ugly truth that shocked him.

Lu Qian thought Huo Lang was angry. He raised his hand to touch the vein pulsing on Huo Lang's forehead and said softly, "It's my fault. I kept it from you for so many years."

He didn't know how to start. That old matter was sealed deep in his heart, only remembered in the dead of night, never during the day.

Every time he thought about it, his hatred grew deeper. If he dwelled on it every day, how could he survive under the late emperor's watchful eye? Those overwhelming resentments would surely drown him.

Huo Lang, his eyes red, growled, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Was it because he wasn't worthy? Or did Lu Qian never take him seriously?

Lu Qian knew.

He knew that with just one word, even if the late emperor were still alive, Huo Lang would risk everything to put him on that throne.

But he didn't say anything, no one dared to speak of it.

Huo Lang knew Lu Qian had been using him before, but he still harbored a sliver of hope—could there be a bit of genuine feeling in it? But today, he realized that Lu Qian had been playing a grand game, setting up a plan years ago, all to destroy the Zhao family's rule.

Huo Lang tugged at the corner of his mouth, trying to smile but failing. His Adam's apple bobbed as he finally managed to say, filled with self-derision:

"...Since you used me to stabilize your rule, why not use me completely?"

Lu Qian wanted to kill, but lacked a sharp blade, and he had become that blade in Lu Qian's hands. If so, why not finish the job?!

Huo Lang closed his eyes, then suddenly turned and walked away. Lu Qian's brow twitched, and he instinctively grabbed him: "What are you doing?!"

Huo Lang didn't turn back; instead, he gripped the sword at his waist. His pale face was bathed in shadow, his eyes bloodshot, cold and fierce, as he whispered each word:

"Kill... them..."

He would kill Zhao Kang!

Kill everyone connected to Zhao Kang!

Kill those who participated in the old case in Ruzhou!

Kill everyone... Lu Qian wanted to kill...

For so many years, he hadn't even allowed a single hair of Lu Qian's head to be harmed, yet they had slaughtered his entire family and made him a stand-in in the dark underground palace. How could he not hate?!

Huo Lang didn't mind rebelling, didn't mind bearing the eternal curse, as long as Lu Qian wanted it, he would immediately make him the true emperor!

But before he took two steps, he was unexpectedly hugged from behind. The faint scent of ambergris enveloped him, familiar to the bone. Huo Lang couldn't turn back, couldn't see Lu Qian's expression, only feeling as if he was being squeezed to death. The voice in his ear was low and hoarse:

"Huo Lang, have I ever used you?"

Perhaps in the past, but not this life.

Lu Qian had already watched Huo Lang lose his life once for him; how could he bear to let him lose it again? He held Huo Lang's slender frame tightly, feeling the tense, trembling arms through the clothes, closing his eyes to hide the reddened rims.

He thought Huo Lang would be angry. Someone as proud as him, how could he tolerate being deceived like a fool?

And indeed, Huo Lang was angry, but not because he was deceived, but because Lu Qian had kept the blood feud hidden for so many years, bearing it alone.

Lu Qian once felt that fate was too cruel to him. One life already weighed heavily on his conscience, let alone thirteen hundred and sixty-two lives in Ruzhou. It was a blood debt that haunted him day and night. But until Huo Lang appeared, he realized that this chaotic life wasn't entirely without hope.

Enough, it was enough.

Lu Qian asked himself, with someone treating him like this, what more could he ask for?

He turned Huo Lang around to face him and saw that tears had fallen, clear streaks that couldn't be wiped away. Lu Qian was stunned at first, then gently cupped Huo Lang's face, slowly kissing away the salty liquid, whispering:

"Fool, why are you crying?"

In the past, Huo Lang endured countless cold looks in the marquisate and never shed a tear even when facing life and death on the battlefield. Why cry now for someone as cold-hearted as him?