Chapter 0248: Xie Chengze Who Never Forgets to Add Insult to Injury, and Hu Lai Who Follows the Right Master

Xie Zimiao, carrying a small bundle on his back, leaped over the corpses on the ground as he ran over. He then came to an abrupt stop before the two men, crouched down, and swiftly opened the bundle to retrieve a square box from inside.

Taking out a black pill from the box, he swiftly shoved it into Shen Yuan’s mouth with lightning speed, making him swallow it accurately and decisively.

Xie Chengze stared at the familiar-looking box, his mind blank for a moment before he finally spoke in a trembling voice, “Xiao Miao, is this medicine… that Life-Preserving Pill?”

Hearing this, Xie Zimiao’s figure stiffened slightly, and he guiltily averted his gaze.

“Xiao Miao? Xiao Miao?” Seeing his reaction, Xie Chengze grew anxious and grabbed his wrist, pressing him for an answer. “Tell me what’s going on? Wasn’t this medicine given to Father Emperor to take?”

Xie Zimiao lowered his head, lightly biting his lip, not daring to let Xie Chengze see the expression on his face. “Second Brother, please don’t ask.”

“Xie Zimiao!” Xie Chengze grew angry and called him by his full name. “Answer your second brother! What exactly is going on here?”

If…

If Father Emperor hadn’t taken this medicine…

Then the one lying in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was truly Father Emperor’s corpse?

He had thought… he had thought that Father Emperor and Shen Yuan had deliberately planned this scheme together to provide a legitimate reason to execute Sheng Shihai, and that Father Emperor hadn’t actually died suddenly but was safely lying in the Hall of Mental Cultivation watching the show, and that he could live for a few more months.

He had already made plans – after the palace coup ended, he would definitely be filial to Father Emperor…

This was the first time Xie Zimiao had been scolded so harshly by his second brother. His body trembled slightly before he looked at Xie Chengze with sorrowful eyes. “Second Brother, Father Emperor didn’t take this Life-Preserving Pill…”

His eyes reddened slightly. “He said to leave it for you.”

Xie Chengze trembled all over. The next moment, his nose suddenly stung, and two streams of tears gushed uncontrollably from his eyes.

Memories of his time with Emperor Jian surfaced in his mind – the bald old man smiling while ruffling his hair, though he always teased him with memorials and court affairs, he would seriously listen to him speak, patiently tracing out his ugly handwriting and drawings. Knowing he might be talentless, he still had the Ministry of Works verify his whimsical ideas…

When he fell asleep from exhaustion, he would cover him with a blanket, then take out his brush to continue reviewing memorials. When he was picky with food, he would knock his head with chopsticks, telling him to eat properly. Even knowing full well that he was full of schemes about whom to promote, he still gave him special treatment, pulled strings for him, and satisfied all his requests.

He was like a father.

The familial love he hadn’t experienced in his previous life was fully realized here in this life. Even though this bald old man was occasionally quite annoying, liking to spread rumors and ruin his reputation…

But Xie Chengze could feel that the look in this emperor’s eyes when gazing at him was genuine paternal love.

Only parental love would willingly give the best things to their child, even if that thing was life itself.

Xie Chengze lifted his sleeve to wipe the tears from his face, took a deep breath, and issued a cold order: “Someone! Escort Lord Shen and the Crown Prince to the Imperial Hospital. Make sure to heal both their injuries! Cao Que, take your men to clean up the scene. Count all the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country today, provide consolation fees to their families outside the palace, and arrange for their burial!”

“As for the ministers, all are dismissed from the palace. Report to court on time tomorrow to discuss the aftermath of His Majesty’s passing!”

Cao Que parted his lips but ultimately glanced at the Empress.

Cao Qingran stepped forward to stand before Xie Chengze and Shen Yuan. Her gaze swept indifferently over Shen Yuan’s wound before settling on Xie Chengze. She spoke calmly, “Prince Regent, this matter is not yet concluded. The throne…”

“The throne, the throne… the throne!” Xie Chengze couldn’t help but let out a cold, mocking laugh. He looked up at Cao Qingran, who stood in a higher position, but the grief and sarcasm in his eyes made her involuntarily retreat a step.

“What you all hold so dear is nothing more than worthless weeds in my eyes—utterly insignificant.”

The young man exhaled lightly, his eyes bloodshot. “His Majesty’s health should never have deteriorated so severely. If I discover this is connected to the Empress’s faction, the Cao family will be destroyed!”

“Cao Qingran! You’d better pray His Majesty’s illness has nothing to do with your Cao family!”

The hatred in his eyes sent a tremor through Cao Qingran’s heart. She subtly clenched her fists, then after a long moment, sharply flicked her sleeve and commanded sternly, “Cao Que! Have you not heard the Prince Regent’s order?”

“…Yes.” Cao Que clasped his hands in salute, accepting the command respectfully, then waved his hand to signal the others. “All ministers and remaining imperial guards, follow me back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation!”

The ministers exchanged uncertain glances. Seeing the Crown Prince unconscious, and both the Empress and Prince Regent seemingly unwilling to pursue the palace rebellion further, they had no choice but to follow Cao Que toward the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The unconscious Shen Yuan and Xie Jinyu were carried away on stretchers. Xie Chengze turned back to glance at Sheng Shihai, who lay on the ground with closed eyes, devoid of life.

His brow furrowed slightly. Something felt off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Never mind. It didn’t matter. With Sheng Shihai dead, one major obstacle to Jinyu’s ascension to the throne was removed.

He wanted to see his father now.

“Hu Lai.” Xie Chengze summoned Hu Lai and instructed, “Stab Sheng Shihai a few more times. Make sure he’s thoroughly dead.”

“Eh? Eh!” Hu Lai, who had been secretly sharpening his knife behind a rock while planning to deliver the final blows himself, was delighted upon hearing this. “Yes! Leave it to your humble servant!”

Truly, the master he had chosen was meticulous! He understood the importance of confirming the kill!

After Xie Chengze left, Hu Lai approached Sheng Shihai with his sharpened knife and brutally stabbed his chest several more times. Stroking his beard, his shrewd and cunning triangular eyes narrowed slightly. Just as he leaned in as if to listen for something, he abruptly straightened up and patted his chest in relief.

He was being too careless! How could he press his ear to Sheng Shihai’s chest to listen for a heartbeat? If Sheng Shihai wasn’t actually dead and retaliated, wouldn’t that be the end of him?

A delicate man like him, even more fragile than the Second Prince, couldn’t withstand such brutality!

Thus, with utmost caution, Hu Lai stabbed Sheng Shihai’s limbs and wrists multiple times, severing all the tendons in his hands and feet to ensure he could no longer use internal energy to kill him. Then, carefully retrieving a packet of arsenic from his robes, he coated the blade of his dagger with it.

Finally, he raised the dagger and thrust it fiercely toward the left side of Sheng Shihai’s chest!

However, just as the blade tip was about to pierce Sheng Shihai’s chest once more—

The blade abruptly veered with extreme speed, plunging violently into the right side of Sheng Shihai’s chest instead!

Simultaneously, Hu Lai threw himself flat on the ground!

The corpse on the ground suddenly opened its eyes, attempting to raise its hand and channel internal energy to strike its killer. Yet, with its tendons severed in all four limbs, it could only writhe helplessly on the ground, struggling to rise.

With a venomous glare fixed on Hu Lai, blood gushing from its mouth, it spat out through gritted teeth, “You… you…”

“Indeed, you are one of those rare individuals with a heart on the right side.”

Hu Lai scrambled to his feet, looking at Sheng Shihai, who had returned from death, and patted his chest in relief. “Lucky for me, I’ve always been meticulous. While traveling, I heard tales of people born with their hearts on the right side. Just to be sure, I gave your right side an extra stab.”

Otherwise, with this man’s internal energy, he would surely have escaped death and staged a comeback.

“Rest assured, to make absolutely certain you’re thoroughly dead, I even applied some arsenic just now~” Hu Lai proudly placed his hands on his hips. “Farewell, then!Sheng Shihai: …

Sheng Shihai fell to the ground, his eyes wide with eternal grievance, glaring fiercely in Hu Lai’s direction. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that, relying on his rare right-sided heart to feign death and make a clean escape, he would instead encounter someone as cunning and ruthless as Hu Lai!

He had thought he could seize the chance to pull off a “golden cicada shedding its shell” maneuver, then sit back and watch as the real…

His thoughts abruptly ceased. Those eyes, filled with hatred, stared relentlessly and unwillingly at Hu Lai.

Hu Lai, ever considerate, gently closed the man’s eyelids for him and then delivered several dozen more stabs, finally setting his mind at ease. With a cheerful bounce in his step, he scurried away.

He was going back to report to the Second Prince~

Such a clever and resourceful subordinate as himself surely deserved a raise in salary!