Chapter 421 Exposing the Identity

Chapter 421: Exposing Identity

Ji Yuntang did not answer him but quickly changed the subject.

"This Princess recently heard a particularly interesting story. I'm not sure if it's true or not. Would Blood Master care to hear it?"

Hua Feixue glanced at her. "This Master is listening."

Ji Yuntang took a gentle sip of her tea before slowly speaking: "What this Princess is about to tell you today concerns the imperial family of the Xishu Kingdom. I don't know if it's true or false, so Blood Master should just take it as a story!"

"According to rumor, the Late Emperor of Xishu Kingdom, in order to consolidate his throne, took Yuan Qiongying, the eldest daughter of the Yuan family, which headed the Five Great Families, as his consort. He had hoped to use this to control the Five Great Families and gradually dismantle their power, but instead he was murdered by the Yuan clan, passing away at just forty years of age."

"After entering the palace, the Yuan woman rose step by step from a low-ranking consort to Empress, and then to Empress Dowager. All the consorts who opposed her met unnatural deaths, and her power grew ever greater. Unfortunately, she never bore the Late Emperor a single child."

"Within the imperial palace of Xishu Kingdom, there was a forbidden area that had been passed down for several hundred years. According to rumor, it contained not only Dragon Scale Herb but also a treasure map. Only with the blood of the orthodox bloodline of the Chu imperial family, and only with a pure yang constitution, could the formation and gates of the forbidden area be opened on the night of a blood moon."

"Empress Dowager Yuan, in order to obtain the treasures in the forbidden area, did not dare to exterminate all descendants of the Chu clan. After careful selection, she decided to support the Twelfth Prince, then known as Prince Xuan, onto the throne, making him her puppet."

"After Prince Xuan ascended the throne, he quickly rallied a host of court officials and began to resist the tyrannical rule of Empress Dowager Yuan, who was backed by the Five Great Families. But his strength was ultimately no match for the Yuan clan. The great families had taken root in Xishu Kingdom for too long, growing into a mighty tree—how could they be uprooted so easily?"

"But this incident stirred up conflict between the great families and the imperial family. The great families were determined to overthrow the Chu clan, often openly challenging imperial authority in court, showing no respect for the royal family. But it was only through Empress Dowager Yuan's mediation that most of the conflicts were resolved."

"No one knew that Empress Dowager Yuan wanted to eliminate Emperor Chu more than anyone else. Her purpose in keeping him alive was solely the treasure map in the forbidden area. After Emperor Chu ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Yuan had all his brothers and sisters killed—not one was spared. Emperor Chu therefore hated her to the bone."

"After waiting and hoping for four years, Empress Dowager Yuan finally saw the first blood moon night arrive. Using the lives of Empress Jiang Chuyue and two princesses as leverage, she ordered Emperor Chu to open the gates of the forbidden area."

"Emperor Chu knew that once the gates of the forbidden area were opened, Empress Dowager Yuan would kill him, the Empress, and his children, and then install a descendant of the Yuan family on the throne. At that point, the Chu clan would be completely finished!"

"Perhaps heaven was on Emperor Chu's side. Empress Dowager Yuan had thought everything would be within her grasp, but when Emperor Chu's blood dripped into the formation of the forbidden area, it had no effect."

"It was only then that Empress Dowager Yuan realized that although Emperor Chu was of the Late Emperor's orthodox line, he did not possess a pure yang constitution. Those with pure yang constitutions were one in ten thousand—not every prince could have one. Emperor Chu's blood could not open the gates of the forbidden area."

"Empress Dowager Yuan was furious, but she could only spare Emperor Chu's life and place her hopes on his sons, waiting for the next blood moon night."

"That wait lasted six years. Empress Jiang bore Emperor Chu two more sons and a daughter, bringing the total to three daughters and two sons."

"Of these, the three princesses all died mysteriously before the age of six, their cause of death unknown. Only the Fourth Prince and the youngest Fifth Prince survived. Empress Dowager Yuan had Taoist priests divine their fates and learned that neither the Fourth nor the Fifth Prince possessed a pure yang constitution. However, the Fourth Prince was exceptionally intelligent—by age three, he could recognize a hundred characters and compose poetry on the spot."

"Empress Dowager Yuan feared his brilliance would lead to greatness, and within two years, the Fourth Prince also drowned. The Fifth Prince, however, was born simple-minded and posed no threat to Empress Dowager Yuan, so he survived."

"In order to quickly find someone with a pure yang constitution, Empress Dowager Yuan, under the pretext of expanding the imperial family, personally selected a batch of beautiful maidens and sent them to the palace for Emperor Chu to favor. Emperor Chu was unwilling to break his vow of being faithful to Empress Jiang alone for life, so Empress Dowager Yuan threatened the Fifth Prince's life to force his compliance."

"For the sake of his youngest son's life, he could only pretend to agree to Empress Dowager Yuan's conditions. Day after day he indulged in music and pleasure, neglecting state affairs, lingering in the warm chambers of his consorts, putting on the appearance of a dissipated and incompetent ruler."

"Empress Jiang, already grieving from the loss of her son and suffering from heart disease, could no longer bear the shock upon learning of this. She suddenly vomited blood, fell gravely ill, and soon passed away!"

"Emperor Chu was heartbroken and full of regret. He personally killed all his consorts to accompany Empress Jiang in death. Defying Empress Dowager Yuan's opposition, he insisted on making the simple-minded Fifth Prince the Crown Prince."

"But two years ago, the Crown Prince suddenly disappeared. No matter how Empress Dowager Yuan posted his portraits throughout Xishu Kingdom and sent people out night after night to search, they could not find him."

"Even when she spread word that Emperor Chu was critically ill and called for the Crown Prince to return and inherit the throne, she still found no trace of his whereabouts."

Ji Yuntang paused here, turning to look at Hua Feixue, a meaningful glint flickering in her eyes.

"A simple-minded Crown Prince, able to evade the search of thousands upon thousands of soldiers in the imperial city and disappear right under Empress Dowager Yuan's nose—how does Blood Master think he managed it?"

Dark fire churned in Hua Feixue's pitch-black eyes. His hands beneath his sleeves clenched into fists, trembling slightly from the force.

He held back again and again, then suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Heh, Princess Ye's question is quite amusing. How did he do it? How would this Master possibly know?"

Ji Yuntang listened, unable to help but curve her eyes slightly.

"But this Princess has heard that the Blood Rain Sect has gathered assassins from all over the four nations. As the leader of the Blood Rain Sect, Blood Master must be very familiar with all four nations."

"Surely you've heard of the name of Chu Yi, the Crown Prince of Xishu Kingdom?"

Hua Feixue's breath caught, and he suddenly stood up, his expression turning cold.

"This Master has never heard of him, and that's final. What exactly are you two trying to do?"

Ji Yuntang also stood up, meeting his gaze without flinching.

She said directly: "Crown Prince Chu, I can help you."

Seeing Hua Feixue's expression grow even colder, Ji Yuntang continued: "Don't rush to deny it. I can confirm your identity because I have my own methods. This matter is known only to me and my husband, the Prince."

"We guarantee that we will not reveal it to a third person."

Hua Feixue stared at her with icy, murderous eyes. For a moment, he entertained the thought of killing Ji Yuntang.

------------