Yang Jie wasn’t stupid; naturally, he had already guessed most of it. Honestly speaking, toward this father who had appeared out of thin air, he didn’t feel any real father-son affection. And after working for so many years as a coroner in the magistrate’s office, he had long grown indifferent to life and death. Strangely enough, even when hearing that his half-brother had killed his father, he was still able to sit calmly across from him.
“You’re telling me this because you want… what, exactly?”
“Do you want to be emperor?”
Yang Jie froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected Zhou Xing to just toss the question at him so directly. But after only a heartbeat, he threw back another question: “What if I do? What if I don’t?”
“If you want it, I’ll help you ascend the throne. If you don’t, then I’ll simply find someone else.”
Yang Jie originally wanted to scoff, but facing this man, he couldn’t stop himself from believing he actually could do it. He asked, “Why don’t you take the throne yourself?”
Even with Li Rong supporting him, Yang Jie knew very well that if he faced Zhou Xing head-on, his chances of winning would be slim.
“Because I won’t live long.”
He never expected that to be the answer.
Yang Jie stared, speechless for a long time. “What are you talking about?”
Zhou Xing chuckled softly. “My mother was poisoned while pregnant with me. I’ve only survived because our dear father gave me a portion of the antidote every month. He said that as long as I obeyed him, one day he would give me the real cure. But at thirteen, I already understood—this poison has no cure. So… not long ago, I killed him.”
“This…”
“Of course it’s possible. Don’t expect imperial families to have anything resembling real affection. So-called ‘family bonds’ are just tools for calculation.” Zhou Xing smiled. “I originally planned to make my move during his birthday celebration—let him die in the least emperor-like manner possible, in full view of the court. But he just had to ruin my plans, so…”
He was forced to act early.
Yang Jie had never imagined that the seemingly kind and gentle Emperor Zhou Li would be such a person.
The corners of Zhou Xing’s lips lifted. “I can help you eliminate every obstacle standing between you and the throne, and I can help you secure the people’s support. I only have one condition.”
“What condition?” Yang Jie asked automatically—but when he saw the man’s all-seeing gaze, he fell silent.
When it came down to it, after experiencing palace splendor and the taste of freedom that came with power, how could he possibly not develop greater ambitions?
Zhou Xing’s eyes curved faintly. He spoke slowly: “Use the throne I won for you… to guarantee Feng Guang a lifetime free of worry.”
And so, everything began to change.
A great purge swept through the palace. Using the excuse of investigating assassins, all the old faction left behind by Emperor Zhou Li was removed. Just when resentment toward Zhou Xing among the palace staff had reached its peak, his trusted aide Yifu pretended to defect to Yang Jie and revealed the truth—that the crown prince had killed the late emperor. Immediately afterward, Yang Jie marched in with troops to execute the traitor. Using Zhou Xing’s death, his own reputation soared, earning him wide popular support.
With Zhou Xing dead, who was left to oppose Yang Jie? The third and fourth princes were still young—none of them were competitors.
Yang Jie still remembered that night. After their conversation ended and Zhou Xing was about to leave, he asked, “Aren’t you afraid that once I become emperor, I’ll go back on my word?”
Zhou Xing had only given a soft laugh. Looking out at the moonlight, he said:
“When I first chose to keep Feng Guang by my side, I never thought about what would happen to her after I died. I only thought, ‘I want her, so I’ll have her.’ But now… I suddenly regret getting too close. Sometimes I even find myself wondering… should I kill her, and take her with me?”
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1