Thump, thump, thump!
A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from all directions.
The clanking of armor rang endlessly in the air.
Red-armored imperial guards swarmed in from every side, completely surrounding Qin Xiao and his men!
The cold glint of long spears flashed as their sharp tips were aimed straight at Qin Xiao!
"Rebellious son! You have the audacity to strike your own mother!"
Emperor Qinwu's figure emerged, flanked by the imperial guards. He swaggered over with an imposing and furious presence.
He was clad in a bright yellow dragon robe and wearing an imperial crown, his face livid, and his eyes blazing with fury!
Flanking Emperor Qinwu on both sides were the civil and military officials.
It was obvious that the events of the morning court session had left them trembling with fear.
Taking advantage of the night, they had scurried to Emperor Qinwu to complain.
As soon as Empress Dowager Wen saw Emperor Qinwu, the previously listless and dying woman immediately became energized. She struggled to her feet and cried out with a face full of grievance.
"Your Majesty, this little beast is so reckless that he dared to viciously beat me! I am better off without such a malicious son!"
"Your Majesty! Look at what this vile creature has done to me!"
She pointed at her bloodied, mangled cheeks. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and her beautiful phoenix eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying.
Unable to hold back, she rushed forward to seek comfort.
Seeing his wife in such distress, Emperor Qinwu initially wanted to embrace Empress Dowager Wen. However, upon seeing her hideous appearance, he stepped back in disgust.
"Your Majesty! Are you repulsed by me?"
Seeing that Emperor Qinwu actually avoided her, Empress Dowager Wen was heartbroken. Weeping bitterly, she sat on the ground and began to throw a massive tantrum, rolling around.
She completely lost the grace and dignity expected of an Empress Dowager, the mother of the nation!
"Boohoo, I don't want to live anymore! The young one bullies me, and the old one is disgusted by me. What is the point of living!"
Emperor Qinwu grew impatient with the noise. With a fierce glare, he growled.
"Enough! Stop this racket!"
As soon as he lost his temper, Empress Dowager Wen immediately fell silent, only daring to let out faint sobs.
Then, Emperor Qinwu turned his gaze to Qin Xiao, his eyes gradually turning icy.
"Rebellious son!"
"Beating your own sister was already a grave mistake! Now you dare to viciously assault your mother! You are absolutely lawless!"
"As the Emperor, you are the ruler of a nation and should set an example for the world. You should respect your father, love your mother, and live in harmony with your siblings! But look at you! You insist on causing unrest in your own family, making yourself a laughingstock to the world!"
"Kneel and apologize to your mother right now, write an edict of self-reproach to announce to the world, and reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors for a month. If you do this, I will pardon you for this offense!"
Emperor Qinwu spoke with high-sounding words, directly seizing the moral high ground and leaving Qin Xiao with no room to maneuver.
The civil and military officials wore expressions of joy, looking at Qin Xiao provocatively.
It was as if they were saying.
Look, tyrant, you have finally stumbled!
Qin Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his lips curving up, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
It was like this again.
Every single time.
Whether he made a mistake or not, Emperor Qinwu would always jump out to righteously accuse him.
Using so-called righteousness and morality, he would oppress him from a high horse.
Forcing him to be the blood bag for the entire family!
He was the one who conquered this whole empire!
Yet they all hid behind his back, sucking his blood, and even euphemistically called it tempering him.
Time and time again, he had chosen to back down because of the moral righteousness Emperor Qinwu preached.
But they only took a mile when given an inch, pressing him step by step!
"Oh? You old geezer, you dare say I am wrong? Why don't you look at your own virtues?"
"You want to pass the throne to Qin Yu, a fake prince, a bastard of foreign blood, and you still have the nerve to lecture me?"
"I'm afraid that when you die and go to the underworld, the ancestors of our Qin family will beat your soul into oblivion!"
Qin Xiao did not take the bait at all and directly retorted.
As for morality?
Respecting his father and honoring his mother?
Sorry, he didn't need that!
A father who wanted to kill him, and a mother who would rather dote on a fake prince than love her own son.
What right did they have to earn his respect!
Kneeling down to apologize was even more impossible!
Once he kneeled, it meant yielding!
Yield once, and he would have to retreat every time!
Qin Xiao could not take a single step back, not even half a step!
As for issuing an edict of self-reproach and reflecting behind closed doors, this was a lethal trap aimed right at him!
It seemed to be for his own good.
But Qin Xiao knew very well that as the Emperor, once his reputation was ruined in the hearts of the people, it could never be salvaged!
And this so-called reflection behind closed doors—in just three days, Qin Yu would lead an army of half a million to attack.
Wouldn't reflecting behind closed doors at this time be digging his own grave?
Hearing Qin Xiao's words, Emperor Qinwu's face turned red and then pale. Gnashing his teeth, he pointed at Qin Xiao and roared.
"Rebellious son, don't think that just because you are the Emperor, I can't do anything to you!"
"The military power in this palace is still in my hands! I can turn you into a prisoner at any moment!"
"You dare to disobey me! Then I shall strip you of your throne!"
"Hurry up and kneel down to confess your mistakes!"
As his voice faded.
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
The ten thousand imperial guards surrounding Qin Xiao shouted in unison, their momentum overwhelming.
The expressions of the Northern Liang generals standing beside Qin Xiao could not help but turn solemn.
Shing, shing, shing!
The sound of swords and sabers being drawn from their sheaths rang out incessantly.
"Your Majesty, it seems we are in for a fierce battle in a moment!"
Lu Fengxian laughed heartily. Holding a Heaven-Piercing Halberd, his burly and tall figure was clad in golden armor, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.
Even facing ten thousand of the most elite troops, he did not show the slightest hint of fear.
However, the hand gripping his halberd tightly betrayed his true feelings.
He was somewhat nervous inside.
After all, being deep within the palace, this army of ten thousand was merely an appetizer.
Who knew how many more imperial guards were waiting behind them.
To fight their way out, they would lose a layer of skin even if they didn't die!
In contrast to everyone else's tension, Qin Xiao became calm and composed.
"What's wrong, old geezer? I hit the nail on the head, so now you're jumping like a desperate dog over a wall?"
"I have never seen a brainless fool like you who would hand over the throne to an outsider!"
Qin Xiao's tone was full of mockery and sarcasm.
Anyway, he had a hundred thousand Great Snow Dragon Cavalry; there was absolutely nothing to fear.
"You... you... you..."
Emperor Qinwu trembled with anger, pointing at Qin Xiao but unable to speak.
A mouthful of old blood choked in his throat, and his chest heaved violently from sheer fury.
The civil and military officials present all prostrated themselves, not daring to breathe loudly.
After all, this was an internal royal conflict; outsiders had no place to interject.
Although they also felt that Emperor Qinwu's behavior was quite brainless.
But following Qin Yu, Prince of Qi, was always better than following a tyrant like Qin Xiao.
What's more, Emperor Qinwu might even have another son in the future.
After all, Qin Xiao was too ruthless, executing entire extended families at the drop of a hat, which truly terrified them.
Emperor Qinwu forcibly endured his anger, took a deep breath, and suppressed the monstrous fury in his heart.
At the same time, he was incredibly astonished inside.
Why?
How could it be like this?
Why had Qin Xiao suddenly changed so completely?
He used to be extremely respectful to him, but now this sudden shift in attitude caught him off guard.
In the past, whenever he got angry, Qin Xiao would be frightened into kneeling and begging for mercy.
But now, it was the exact opposite!
What on earth was going on?
Could it be that Qin Xiao had been secretly enduring all these years?
No...
Perhaps it was because of Qin Yu...
Was Qin Xiao jealous and deliberately venting his frustration?
This speculation made Emperor Qinwu feel much better.
Emperor Qinwu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He stared directly at Qin Xiao, speaking with the full, oppressive weight of imperial authority.
"Qin Xiao, I understand that you refuse to submit for the sake of your pride, and I know you are venting your temper on me over the matter with Yu'er, but you have gone too far this time!"
"Hand over the Tiger Tally commanding the million-strong army of Northern Liang, and I will let bygones be bygones for what happened today!"
"Otherwise..."
His tone took a sharp turn, becoming incomparably icy.
He raised his hand and gave a wave.
Ten thousand imperial guards raised their weapons in unison, assuming a stance ready to attack.
The atmosphere instantly became incredibly tense, like a drawn bow ready to snap. Everyone held their breath, staring nervously at the scene unfolding before their eyes.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
