Chapter 401: Turmoil in the Imperial Capital

Whoosh!

Startled, the Third Prince instinctively felt a gust of wind rush toward his face. From the shadows of the sleeping quarters, two black figures darted out and stood protectively in front of him.

Upon closer inspection, the two were clad in standard gray-black brocade robes, with five diamond-shaped golden blades embroidered in gold thread on their chests—just like Zhao Li, the “Demon-Breaking Enforcer”¹ who had once gone to Four Corners Town. These were top-tier members of the Golden Guard.

The one on the left was a beautiful woman holding an ancient bronze mirror. On the right was a middle-aged man wielding a pair of heavy-bladed axes, their surfaces engraved with fierce beasts.

“Demon-Slaying Enforcer, Demon-Purifying Enforcer…” The Third Prince froze slightly, recognizing them but baffled as to why these two had suddenly emerged from near his chambers.

“We were ordered by the Grand Preceptor to secretly protect Your Highness,” the middle-aged man replied. He immediately took a battle stance, his sharp eyes fixed on the strange behavior of Royal Prince Ye and his group. “Your Highness, beware. These officials are suspicious.”

“Suspicious?” The Third Prince had just locked eyes with Royal Prince Ye when the latter suddenly let out a strange chuckle and said,

“You, trying to be emperor?”

“You think you can be emperor?”

“Geh geh geh~ Geh geh geh~”

“You think you can be emperor?”

A sudden sinister wind arose. Royal Prince Ye and the dozen or so high officials behind him all revealed eerie grins, and from their throats came shrill, eunuch-like laughter.

“What… What is going on here?!” the Third Prince exclaimed, confused. These officials were all seasoned opportunists on the imperial court—”where the wind blows, they follow.”

As for Royal Prince Ye, ever since returning, he had bound himself closely to the Third Prince. It was unthinkable that he would be part of something as bizarre as this—coming in the dead of night just to provoke him.

“Your Highness, please close your eyes,” said the woman holding the bronze mirror. As she raised it slowly, the mirror’s surface emitted a pale silver glow, illuminating the entire courtyard.

As the silver light shone upon the officials, a horrific scene unfolded.

The elaborately robed officials began trembling violently. Their exposed skin bulged grotesquely, as if thousands of insects were gnawing beneath the surface.

Their already pale faces quickly shriveled and dried out.

In the blink of an eye, their flesh began to rot and ooze foul-smelling pus.

Witnessing this horror and inhaling the nauseating stench, the Third Prince felt his stomach churn violently and couldn’t help but vomit.

When he looked up again, the officials who had just been standing in the courtyard had already turned into puddles of putrid black sludge.

“This… What is this?!” he exclaimed in shock, pointing at the ground, at a loss for words.

At that moment, the two Golden Guards turned around and bowed. The woman holding the mirror said softly, “Reporting to Your Highness—the real Royal Prince Ye and these officials were long since killed by fiendish forces. Just now, the mirror dispelled the residual evil energy within their corpses.”

“They’ve been dead all along?”

“They were already dead?!”

The Third Prince’s expression turned grave. Then, as if a realization struck him, he shouted, “Quick, send people to check on the other officials—and the Grand Preceptor too!”

“This must be the work of that damn Fifth Prince!”

“He’s the only one who colludes with fiendish forces!”

“Hurry!”

Seeing the two Golden Guards remain motionless, the Third Prince urged anxiously, “What are you waiting for?”

“I know you don’t believe me, but if we don’t act fast, the entire court will be slaughtered!”

The middle-aged man cupped his fist and replied, “Please rest assured, Your Highness. Every high official has a Golden Guard assigned to protect them. Our task is to protect you.”

“Then what about Royal Prince Ye and the other officials?” the Third Prince asked, infuriated.

“Your Highness,” the man replied helplessly, “The Golden Guard lacks sufficient manpower. Naturally, there are priorities based on the importance of those we protect.”

“Royal Prince Ye had two Five-Blade Golden Guards by his side… Since he’s here like this, they’ve likely sacrificed their lives already…”

Hearing this, the Third Prince gradually calmed down. After taking a few deep breaths, the panic in his eyes completely disappeared.

After a moment, he looked over the two people before him and asked solemnly, “Since when have you been protecting me?”

The middle-aged man responded, “Your Highness, we have been guarding you in secret since the moment you returned.”

“What about the Fifth Prince?” The Third Prince asked in confusion, “Does he have Golden Guards by his side?”

“He does,” the middle-aged man paused for a moment before continuing, “However, since the Fifth Prince currently resides in Changyang Prefecture, we cannot know the condition of our two fellow guards at this time…”

“I see… The Grand Preceptor truly plans thoroughly…” the Third Prince sighed. Then he turned and said, “Let me change clothes. You two will escort me to the Golden Hall.”

The two five-blade Golden Guards responded in unison, “Understood!”

Two hours later, at the hour of the Tiger (around 3–5 AM)!

The Golden Hall was deathly silent.

The once proud civil and military officials were now all disheveled and miserable—some without their black gauze hats, some with their court robes crooked and unkempt, and some even in their undergarments, still stained with blood.

At the front of the hall stood the Grand Preceptor, dressed in a deep purple official robe. His eyes were narrowed as he swept his gaze across the gathered officials. Raising his right hand, his lips moved slightly, as though he were counting heads.

After a moment, he lowered his hand and let out a long sigh. “Alright, we won’t wait any longer… At this hour, if they still haven’t arrived, it’s safe to assume they never will…”

Upon hearing this, the officials—who had only just survived a brush with death—looked at each other in silence. None of them knew what to say.

After all, tonight’s ordeal was something they, as high-ranking officials protected within the capital, had never experienced before.

“Everyone, please sit. After such a perilous night and rushing here in haste, you must all be exhausted,” the Grand Preceptor said as he waved his hand. At his gesture, attendants brought chairs for the officials.

As for the Grand Preceptor himself, he took a seat on the grand Taishi Chair placed in the middle of the hall.

Seeing this, the Third Prince sat down as well, even scooting his chair a little closer to the Grand Preceptor’s. The rest of the officials, observing this, followed suit cautiously—only daring to perch on the very edge of their seats.

To be seated in the Golden Hall—this was a first for these ministers. Back in the days when the Emperor was alive, they wouldn’t even have dared to dream of such a thing.

Once everyone was seated, the Grand Preceptor took a sip of tea handed to him by an attendant, then began to speak:
“For over half a year now, I’ve been investigating which of the two princes was colluding with the demon tribes… but, alas, despite many clues, no solid evidence ever surfaced.”

“It seems today… the Fifth Prince, having endured for so long, could finally hold back no more…”