Hearing Wang Jiantao's words, Lu Chen fell into deep thought.
He wondered why the Sum Emperor treated him so poorly, thinking all emperors were emotionless. Plus, being Chu Yue's child, he assumed the Sum Emperor simply didn't care about him, to the point of ignoring assassination attempts on his life.
It turned out that in the Sum Emperor's eyes, he wasn't his child at all.
What on earth did his mother do back then to make the Sum Emperor believe he wasn't his child?
After giving it some thought, Lu Chen felt a headache coming on.
But then again, all men are similar in that they can't tolerate being cuckolded. As a man himself, Lu Chen could understand the Sum Emperor's feelings.
But for the Sum Emperor to determine whether he was his son, there had to be enough evidence, right?
Could it be that the Sum Emperor thought that forgetting what happened at night equated to not having shared a room with his mother?
This matter, he feared, would have to be clarified with Chu Yuqin.
Chu Yuqin was her mother's maidservant, and she should know quite clearly what happened before his birth.
At this moment, Lu Chen looked at Wang Jiantao and asked, "Does my royal father have any other secrets?"
Wang Jiantao immediately said, "His Majesty plans to summon Grandmasters from all over to assassinate Zhuge Zhongguang."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's face turned instantly grim, now aware of such a matter.
So, Zhuge Zhongguang's premonition was correct. The Sum Emperor's targeting of forces suspected to have Grandmasters was not to deal with the Aristocratic Families of the South but to take on the North Country.
Truly worthy of a sage summoned by the system, Zhuge Zhongguang had foreseen this.
Just as Lu Chen was about to ask more, he suddenly noticed Wang Jiantao's face turning red, and then his body seemed to expand.
Lu Chen instantly sensed danger. He swiftly used Shadow Shifting to get away from where he was. Wang Jiantao was now clutching his throat, a look of unwillingness on his face as he hoarsely growled, "His… Majesty…"
As his voice fell, Wang Jiantao's body instantly exploded, destroying all the surrounding trees and leaving a huge crater, with Wang Jiantao's body turned into countless pieces.
Seeing this scene, Lu Chen, who was at a distance, was stunned.
Why did Wang Jiantao suddenly self-destruct ?
From Wang Jiantao's prior attitude, it seemed that he didn't wish to die, and the self-destruction was likely against his wishes. So why would he self-destruct?
Before his death, Wang Jiantao shouted the words "His Majesty". Could this be the Sum Emperor's doing?
Lu Chen immediately returned to Bai Qingqing's side. He needed to ask her what was going on, for if this was indeed the Sum Emperor's doing, it meant that the Shadow Guards might also have something in them that could cause self-destruction, potentially including Bai Qingqing.
Upon reaching Bai Qingqing's side, without a word, Lu Chen grabbed Bai Qingqing's delicate hand and used Rejuvenating Skill to examine her body.
Seeing Lu Chen return with such a serious expression, and having heard the distant explosion, Bai Qingqing asked in confusion, "Prince, is he... dead?"
Lu Chen said, "Wang Jiantao self-destructed, but it seemed he didn't wish to die. I can't understand how he self-destructed."
Hearing this, Bai Qingqing said, "The Shadow Guards all take a certain poison. It could be related to that."
After examining Bai Qingqing's body, Lu Chen said, puzzled, "Strange, I didn't find any signs of poisoning in your body?"
Bai Qingqing was a Shadow Guard, too, and even the Deputy Commander. If the Sum Emperor had taken measures against betrayal with Wang Jiantao, it was unlikely he hadn't done the same with Bai Qingqing. So why was she unaffected?
Lu Chen's expression grew even more grave. Wang Jiantao's sudden self-destruction made him anxious; he didn't understand how the Sum Emperor, from such a distance, knew about Wang Jiantao's betrayal and then made Wang Jiantao's body explode.
Of course, Wang Jiantao's death was one thing; he was worried about Bai Qingqing.
Bai Qingqing was also a Shadow Guard, and the Deputy Commander. If the Sum Emperor could make the traitorous Wang Jiantao explode, logically, he could do the same to Bai Qingqing.
At this time, Lu Chen asked, "Bai, are you sure all Shadow Guards take the same poison?"
Bai Qingqing responded affirmatively with a hum.
Lu Chen continued, "Does my royal father periodically give you an antidote?"
Bai Qingqing answered, "It is a poison that doesn't need an antidote."
Bai Qingqing, sensing what Lu Chen was worried about, continued, "In the past, there have been Shadow Guards on missions who would suddenly self-destruct. They typically took a Blood Burst Pill and eventually used the Blood Ignition Skill right before self-destruction."
Lu Chen suddenly understood, then said, "It seems the poison my royal father had you take is a primer. When certain conditions are met, the Shadow Guard will self-destruct to prevent betrayal."
Lu Chen had more or less guessed the cause of Wang Jiantao's self-destruction.
The Sum Emperor first administered the so-called poison as a primer. Later, when Shadow Guards encountered formidable opponents during missions—foes that could make them take a Blood Burst Pill and use the Blood Ignition Skill simultaneously—the Shadow Guards would immediately self-destruct.
Perhaps in the Sum Emperor's eyes, by the time Shadow Guards resorted to the Blood Burst Pill and Blood Ignition Skill, they were already likely to fail their mission, and to prevent any chance of betrayal, the Sum Emperor devised such a failsafe measure.