Chapter 94: “Isn’t the title of Prince enough?”…

Chapter 94: “Isn’t the Title of Prince Enough?”

Empress Dowager Huo’s act of killing Duke of Liu with a single arrow left not only Ji Yuanwan below but also the four men behind her, including Wen Shengan, in shock.

Everyone knew that Empress Dowager Huo came from a military family and was skilled in horseback riding and archery.

But knowing and seeing it happen were two very different things.

Especially when the victim of that arrow was none other than the Duke of Liu.

Of course, Wen Shengan and the others harbored no sympathy for the Duke.

Poisoning the late emperor or raising an army in rebellion—either crime alone was unforgivable.

Duke of Liu had to die.

They just never thought he’d die by Empress Dowager Huo’s hand.

At first, they’d assumed she had kept them in the palace to discuss how to deal with Prince Duan’s residence and the Duke of Liu’s mansion. Now it was clear—she’d kept them there to make a show of power!

While they’d been busy with the late emperor’s funeral arrangements and preparing for the new emperor’s enthronement ceremony, she had been laying traps, waiting for her enemies to fall into them.

Wen Shengan, in particular, felt the most conflicted.

He and the late emperor had long sought to weaken the Duke of Liu’s influence, but with little success.

After tonight, the Great Yan Dynasty would no longer have a Duke of Liu’s mansion.

The storm raged even fiercer between heaven and earth.

That arrow had come too fast. Ji Yuanwan could only stare as it tore through the Duke of Liu’s throat. By the time he finally regained his senses, the Duke’s faltering body had already crashed to the ground.

Chai Chengsi, who was commanding the battle, heard Ji Yuanwan’s agonized scream and instinctively turned around, his eyes bulging in horror.

The Duke clutched his neck, his mouth slightly open, full of bloody foam, unable to utter a sound.

Lying on the ground, water seeped through the gaps in his armor, making his body colder and colder.

His life ebbed away with his blood. In his final moments, he strained to turn his gaze toward the figure holding the bow.

For some reason, the Duke suddenly remembered his younger days.

Back then, the court still allowed members of the Liu household to serve in the military. When he first joined the army, he served under Empress Dowager Huo’s great-grandfather, following the old General Huo to put down a southern rebellion.

The rebel leader had been ruthless and cocky. Faced with repeated provocations, General Huo simply notched an arrow and pulled back his bowstring—just like today.

Zhan Ling was quick to act this time. As Huo Ling lowered her bow, he shouted loudly, “Duke of Liu is dead! Why keep fighting?”

The rebels, already outnumbered, had relied solely on sheer momentum to hold their ground against the imperial guards. Now, hearing of the Duke’s death, their spirit broke.

Under the relentless shouts of the imperial guards, some rebels started dropping their weapons and stripping off their armor.

Once the first did so, more followed, abandoning resistance one after another.

In the end, only a handful still stood by Ji Yuanwan and Chai Chengsi.

After a short skirmish, they were all apprehended.

Zheng Xinjue stepped forward personally to seize the weapons from Ji Yuanwan and Chai Chengsi.

Huo Ling inclined her head slightly and addressed the four silent officials, including Wen Shengan: "Gentlemen, come with me to take a look."

With palace attendants holding umbrellas beside her, Huo Ling walked up to Ji Yuanwan. She glanced at the Duke of Liu’s corpse, whose eyes were still open in death, then at the arrow that had fallen not far from the body.

The arrowhead gleamed coldly.

The blood on it had already been washed away by the rain.

"Young Prince Ji."

Ever since the Duke of Liu fell, Ji Yuanwan had been in a daze, his mind adrift.

Pinned to the ground, his jade hair crown had shattered at some point, leaving his hair disheveled and clinging wetly to his face and neck—a picture of utter disgrace.

A large pool of blood spread from beneath the Duke of Liu’s body, mixing with the rainwater and lapping at Ji Yuanwan’s knees.

Hearing the icy female voice above him, Ji Yuanwan flinched instinctively.

He slowly raised his head, staring at Huo Ling beneath the umbrella—immaculate, untouched by the turmoil—as fear crept from the depths of his heart.

It was a terror far more profound than anything he had ever felt in the presence of his imperial uncle.

Huo Ling let her gaze drop slightly, studying Ji Yuanwan from her vantage.

She had been in the palace for years, but to avoid entanglements, she rarely crossed paths with Ji Yuanwan. On the rare occasions they did meet, it always ended with Ji Yuanwan offering deferential bows.

This was the first time Huo Ling had truly examined Ji Yuanwan’s face.

He was the very image of Prince Duan, especially in the eyes.

But unlike his father’s, these familiar yet unfamiliar eyes were now overflowing with terror.

"In the decades since the founding of Great Yan, there have been many princes. Every princely heir could only inherit the title of junior prince."

"You are the one exception."

Ji Yuanwan gazed vacantly at Huo Ling, unsure if he had even taken in her words.

"Was it because your father performed some extraordinary service to the Empire, and you reaped the benefits?"

"You inherited the title without demotion because you were raised in the palace by the late emperor. You enjoyed this privilege because of his grace."

"And yet, what have you done now?"

Huo Ling turned her head, gazing toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony behind her.

It was brightly lit—the resting place of the late emperor’s remains.

Ji Yuanwan continued to stare vacantly at Huo Ling.

Endless darkness, all-encompassing white mourning banners, and the flickering light of eternal lamps became the only three colors left in the world.

Huo Ling stood exactly where these three met.

At this moment, the sounds of wind, rain, and the low groans of the wounded faded into the distance. All Ji Yuanwan could hear was the icy voice of his imperial aunt, as if a deity from the heavens were pronouncing judgment on a sinner.

"This Dowager Empress has said that the Crown Prince is a filial child. It's just a pity that your filial piety was misdirected."

"During your studies at the Tianzhang Academy, your performance was consistently excellent, and your tutors all praised your intelligence and propriety. After leaving the palace, you spent so much time in Prince Duan's household and the Duke of Liu's household—did you never notice their scheming ambitions? And when they decided to take up arms in rebellion, what did you do?"

"The late Emperor's body lies barely cold, yet you personally led troops into the palace, storming into the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

"For you, wasn't the princely title enough?"

Ji Yuanwan's lips trembled slightly, unsure of what to say—or unable to say anything at all.

Yet Huo Ling's words still stirred turmoil in his heart.

He couldn't help but ask himself: Was the title of Prince truly not enough?

Huo Ling waited a moment, but hearing no response from Ji Yuanwan, her gaze returned to him, only to find a face twisted in confusion and helplessness.

"What, can you not answer this question? Then let me tell you the answer."

"Think about it—if Duke of Liu's scheme tonight had truly succeeded, if he had captured the Dowager Empress and His Majesty, and placed you upon the throne, what then?"

"Then Prince Duan would become the Retired Emperor, the Princess Consort of Duan would become the Empress Emerita, and the Duke of Liu would wield complete control of the court."

"Each of them has exerted great effort for your ascension to the throne. As their son and great-grandson, having gained the throne without effort, how could any repayment ever be enough?"

"Your father and mother claim they act in your best interest, but when they made this decision, plunging Prince Duan's household and the Duke of Liu's household into an irreversible abyss, did they truly seek your opinion?"

Ji Yuanwan trembled even more violently, tears rolling down his cheeks, yet he couldn't even understand why he was crying.

"Did you fight for this imperial throne for yourself, or to satisfy their hunger for power?"

"Who was truly dissatisfied with the title of Prince—was it you, or your father, your mother, and the Duke of Liu's household behind you?"

Huo Ling gazed deeply at Ji Yuanwan, then slowly shifted her eyes to the cold-gleaming arrow.

"At this point, Ji Yuanwan, do you still not see your guilt?"

Ji Yuanwan followed Huo Ling's gaze and gave a hollow laugh.

From somewhere, a burst of strength came—Ji Yuanwan abruptly broke free from the restraints of the imperial guards behind him.

"Protect Her Majesty!"

Zhan Ling was caught off guard by the sudden turn, stepping in front of Huo Ling.

The surrounding guards all sprang into action.

To everyone's surprise, Ji Yuanwan did not lunge toward Huo Ling—but toward the corpse of the Duke of Liu.

Before the stunned onlookers, Ji Yuanwan picked up the arrow.

"My mother said that in the imperial family, it's winner takes all."

With that, he turned the arrow and drove it into his own heart.

Blood splattered, gasps rang out.

Huo Ling watched Ji Yuanwan's actions without so much as a blink, showing neither sorrow nor joy.

Ji Yuanwan was not two years old this year—he was fifteen.

If he truly didn’t want to, would the Princess Consort of Duan and the Duke of Liu really have forced him to lead a rebel army into the palace?

Since he took this step, he may as well atone with his life.

"This..."

It wasn't until Ji Yuanwan's body fell into a pool of blood that Wen Shengan, standing nearby, was the first to recover his senses.

He looked at Huo Ling with a complicated expression. Others might not have noticed, but he knew that Ji Yuanwan wouldn’t have come to this point of self-destruction if not for the words Empress Dowager Huo had spoken.

This was an Empress Dowager Regent whose methods were nothing like Emperor Jingyuan’s.

...Would a ruler like this really be good for Great Yan?

Huo Ling had no idea what Wen Shengan was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have cared much.

Mercy and kindness were rare virtues, but An Er was young and had little influence in court. Without the same authority as the late emperor, if she only showed mercy and kindness, the courtiers wouldn’t thank her—they’d just disrespect her.

Only after showing she could be ruthless would mercy and kindness mean anything.

Huo Ling didn’t spare another glance at the two corpses on the ground before ordering Zheng Xinjue, "Pull out the arrow and get a box for it."

Once Zheng Xinjue acknowledged the order and left, Huo Ling turned her gaze toward Chai Chengsi, who was slumped on the ground, his mouth gagged tight.

The Imperial Guards were divided into four battalions: the Qilin Guard, the Vermilion Guard, the Xuanwu Guard, and the Baihu Guard.

Zhan Ling commanded not only the Qilin Guard but also oversaw all four battalions.

Besides Zhan Ling, Huo Ling was most familiar with the Vermilion Guard’s White Commander.

She hadn’t dealt much with Chai Chengsi, but she had heard many accounts of him from Emperor Jingyuan. Perhaps even Emperor Jingyuan never imagined that Chai Chengsi was one of the Duke of Liu’s men.

Huo Ling waved her hand. "Get him out of here for now."

As the guards escorted Chai Chengsi and the others away, Wu Feng quietly appeared nearby, his chest heaving, still struggling to catch his breath.

No one noticed him but Huo Ling, who looked his way.

"My Lady," Wu Feng approached and whispered only loud enough for Huo Ling to hear, "It’s done."