Chapter 64: Continuing the Family Line

In the quiet night under a moonlit sky, a cold wind howled, resembling a giant beast lurking in the oppressive atmosphere of the palace. Dots of starlight flickered alongside the moving torches, while the synchronized sound of footsteps became an undeniable highlight of the imperial city.

The cold wind rattled the trembling window panes, and inside the room, silence reigned. The flickering candlelight danced gracefully, casting two elongated shadows on the beam above.

Shen Xin tightly supported Xiao Ming, afraid of falling. But when she saw the newcomers, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief; fortunately, they had hidden early.

“Cough, cough, cough—”

The only sound in the luxurious and noble house was the old man’s violent coughing. The man who came was wearing a jade crown and a golden crown. If you looked closely, you could see that he looked somewhat like the old man. At this moment, his face was gloomy, but there was still a bit of pride in his eyes. He just looked coldly at the old man who was hunched over on the dragon couch.

“Father, how could someone as brilliant as you be outsmarted by a remnant of the Gu family?”

The third prince narrowed his eyes and suddenly produced a packet of powder from his bosom, tossing it onto the bed. “You recognize this scent, don’t you?”

The old man paused, then, trembling, reached for the powder, disbelief flickering across his features as he looked at the prince. “You… how do you have this?”

At this, the third prince laughed loudly, pacing in front of the bed with his hands clasped behind his back. “That’s exactly what I’m saying—Father, you are getting old. Your mind is also muddled. Do you really think only Gu Qin has this?”

He then fixed his gaze on the old man and said sternly, “This is a secret herb cultivated by the royal family of the Western Regions. A small dose can relieve pain, but a large quantity acts like poison. If one becomes dependent on it and cannot get more, it would lead to a fate worse than death. This drug is seldom heard of, but that should not make you submit to the other’s schemes and hand over all military power to that Gu family remnant. Did you forget how his father died?”

“You personally issued the decree to execute Gu Qing’an in public!”

The echoes of the words reverberated in the room. Shen Xin, hidden in the beams above, furrowed her brow. She had heard a bit about this. No wonder Gu Qin had become so ruthless—using such a drug to control the old emperor. If she guessed correctly, this should be a form of opium, which explained why the old emperor turned a blind eye to whatever Gu Qin did.

“How… how did you know this…” The old man gasped, leaning against the headboard, his face extremely pale.

The third prince smirked coldly. “If you want to keep something secret, you must not do it yourself. Gu Qin thinks his plans are flawless, but your constant presence in Qianqing Palace has indeed raised suspicions. So, I had someone find this in your wardrobe while you weren’t paying attention. I never expected it would lead you to be controlled by that remnant of evil!”

“But that doesn’t matter anymore, as I also have this. If Father hands over the succession decree, you won’t have to suffer under Gu Qin’s coercion any longer.”

Seeing his son’s unmasked ambition, the old emperor began to cough violently but remained silent.

Noticing that he refused to hand over the decree, a flicker of malice crossed the third prince’s face. “Who do you expect to come to your rescue? My eldest brother is already overwhelmed with his own troubles. Gu Qin has already mobilized all his troops, and even the seals for deploying the imperial guards are in my hands. Right now, this palace is full of my people. You should understand that winners take all. I’m not inferior to my eldest brother. Why does he get to be the crown prince? Is it just because he has a legitimate empress mother?!”

As he took out a red seal, the old emperor’s coughing intensified. Shen Xin’s expression changed as well, glancing at Xiao Ming, wondering how the third prince had obtained such a thing.

Suddenly, the third prince stepped forward and grabbed the old man’s collar, his expression dark. “At this point, you still won’t support me?”

A flash of murderous intent glimmered in his eyes, and the old man closed his eyes, his face pale. He raised a finger, followed by another fit of coughing.

Following his finger, the third prince hurried to a landscape painting on the wall, tearing it down. Behind it, there indeed lay a bright yellow edict. As he eagerly opened it, he suddenly felt his entire body tense.

The person in the beams also saw the content of the edict. Shen Xin furrowed her brow tightly as she glanced at Xiao Ming, whose expression was also grim, his fists clenched as if suppressing something.

“Ha ha ha—”

The third prince seized the edict and approached the dragon bed, glaring at the old man with bloodshot eyes. “Father, you really are a good father. You’ve paved the way for my eldest brother, what are we supposed to be?!”

In a fit of rage, he unexpectedly grasped the old man’s neck, his face filled with murderous intent.

Those in the beams seemed to hesitate, but at that moment, a sudden commotion erupted outside, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. The door was kicked open, and a group of imperial guards rushed in, armed with bows and arrows.

The third prince’s expression changed, and he saw a calm figure slowly making its way through the crowd. Upon seeing him, the third prince shouted, “You all, arrest the crown prince!”

Seeing the seal capable of commanding the imperial guards, they did not move, as if they didn’t recognize it.

The third prince’s expression changed drastically. This was given to him by the Grand Tutor, it couldn’t possibly be a fake!

Xiao Jing stepped forward, glancing at the crowd and slightly furrowing his brows. “Third brother, if you can admit your mistakes, I believe Father won’t be too harsh on you.”

*

The night was dark as ink, and the Xia residence was silent, with only the sound of the cold wind blowing. Outside, many servants stood guard, and the people inside wore serious expressions, waiting for something.

Having refused the food sent by the family, Xia Tong sat on the soft couch, lost in thought. It had been so long, why hadn’t Xifeng come in? He was so vigilant, he shouldn’t have overlooked these matters.

What about Gu Qin? Why were they being held captive?

At that moment, a sudden burst of light and chaotic footsteps echoed outside, accompanied by screams rising and falling. They hurriedly leaned toward the window to watch.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud bang, and Xifeng stormed in with several people, the outside servants looking as fragile as kites in his hands.

“Why did it take you so long to arrive?” Xia Tong exclaimed joyfully, quickly jumping off the soft couch.

Seeing that the princess was unharmed, Xifeng let out a sigh of relief and replied respectfully, “The prince said it’s good for you to remember this lesson, so you won’t run around recklessly next time.”

Xia Tong: “…”

So she was so worried, but it was all in vain!

Knowing that the princess must be feeling unhappy, Xifeng quickly added, “The prince is currently in the front hall.”

After saying that, he couldn’t help but glance at Xia Zhian. Fortunately, the man didn’t seem to be foolish enough to team up with the Grand Tutor. Otherwise, even the princess wouldn’t be able to protect him.

Hearing this, Xia Tong hurriedly lifted her skirt and rushed to the front hall. The entire Xia residence was brightly lit and surrounded by Gu Qin’s men. She couldn’t believe it—wasn’t there supposed to be chaos in the palace tonight? Why was he here?

In the front hall, a group of people from the Xia family knelt on the ground, trembling in fear and not daring to speak. At the top seat sat a man in a black robe, his aura cold and aloof, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

When Xia Tong arrived at the front hall, she saw her uncle and others kneeling on the floor, their faces filled with terror. Surrounding them were armed guards, while Gu Qin sat leisurely in the high seat, playing with a jade ring he had recently made.

“Why aren’t you in the palace?” she asked as she ran towards him.

The man, who was partially hidden by a fluffy fox fur hat that only revealed half of his fair face, held her icy little hand as she approached. His voice was deep, “Why should I be in the palace?”

The internal struggles of the royal family had nothing to do with him.

Xia Tong frowned slightly, her curiosity piqued as she looked at him. “Then where have you been?”

She had always thought he was busy. Since he wasn’t going to the palace, what was he doing coming and going every day?

“Your humble servant has met with the prince.”

At that moment, Xia Zhian also entered the front hall. Seeing him, Xia Lin and the others seemed to see a glimmer of hope, their eyes pleading with him to save them due to their family ties.

“Your Highness, we know we were wrong. It was the emperor’s decree that forced my father to stamp that seal. This time, it was the Grand Tutor’s coercion. Otherwise, even if we had ten times the courage, we wouldn’t dare to act this way!”

Xia Min and others knelt on the ground, unable to restrain their pleas, still hoping the regent would show mercy for the fourth young lady’s sake.

Xia Tong’s heart sank as she looked at the group of duplicitous people before her. Even if Gu Qin wanted to let them go, she wouldn’t want that. Everyone has their limits, and these people had done so many despicable things that keeping them around would only encourage their behavior further.

Glancing at the sky outside, Gu Qin suddenly stood up and pulled Xia Tong with him as they headed outside in silence.

Once they exited the front hall, Xifeng waved his hand and declared, “Today, the Xia residence is on fire, and no one will escape.”

With the situation turning against them, even if someone knew the truth, no one would investigate it further. Besides, this wasn’t the first time it had happened.

“No! You can’t do this!”

Suddenly, Xia Lin and the others desperately tried to flee, but the guards restrained them, leaving only Xia Zhian standing there, pale and trembling.

Walking up to Xia Lin, Xifeng suddenly kicked him in the chest, saying, “Back when Gu’s family lost fifty-six lives, none of them escaped. Lord Xia should know this better than anyone.”

From the beginning, the prince had never intended to spare these people, yet they still dared to fight back—what a foolish dream.

A group of them collapsed to the ground, their faces full of despair. Suddenly, Xifeng turned back to Xia Zhian, “Didn’t Master Xia just move into a new residence? Are you planning to leave?”

Given the prince’s temperament, he likely wouldn’t spare anyone from the Xia family. However, Xia Zhian had shown some sense, always trying to please the prince and not colluding with the Grand Tutor’s faction. The most important thing was the princess’s father.

*

Once they left the Xia residence and got into the carriage, Xia Tong couldn’t help but glance back at the gate, wanting to see if her parents had come out, but the carriage suddenly started moving.

After traveling a short distance, she noticed flames rising fiercely in the sky not far away, clearly from the direction of the Xia residence.

Xia Tong turned to look at the man who was reading, and softly said, “Actually, there’s something I didn’t tell you.”

The man lifted his gaze, looking at her with a calm expression.

“My father told me today that it was my uncle who sold out your father back then.” She felt it was important for Gu Qin to know the truth.

Hearing this, the man’s expression changed slightly, though he didn’t seem surprised. He simply held her hand and softly said, “You’re clear-headed today?”

Understanding what he meant, Xia Tong realized he must have known about this long ago. Why had he only dealt with the Xia family now?

“In that case, why did you save them last time?” She bit her lip, puzzled.

Continuing to read, the man replied with his lips slightly parted, “To give your father a chance.”

The carriage fell silent. Xia Tong didn’t speak, perhaps there was another reason—to let herself see the ugly faces of that family. This way, even if he did something to the Xia family, she wouldn’t have any other thoughts about it.

As the carriage swayed, she suddenly leaned her head on the man’s shoulder and gently held his arm, whispering, “Actually, I’ve always wanted to say sorry to you.”

It was easy to imagine how much Gu Qin had been affected by the Gu family’s downfall. He had always considered her feelings. Otherwise, the Xia family would have likely ceased to exist by now.

“I want to go and pay my respects to my father-in-law some other day.” She frowned and said earnestly.

Looking at the little head resting on his shoulder, Gu Qin glanced at her and replied softly, “Father has never liked such empty gestures, but if you pass on the Gu family line, he will be comforted in the afterlife.”