"How... how could this be..." Ye Chengyan froze, clutching the decree and quickly examining it.
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the seal’s design differed slightly from the usual imperial decrees.
His hands trembled, nearly tearing the decree apart.
"The emperor is wise!" Elder Cao began to laugh again. "Someone like you, dreaming of sitting on that supreme throne? You’re delusional."
At this moment, Ye Chengyan felt as if his heart was being ripped apart.
He turned to Emperor Muwu, his eyes filled with grief and fury, shouting angrily, "Father, I am your son! How could you toy with me ?!"
He then tore the decree to pieces and threw them to the ground, tears falling from his eyes.
Emperor Muwu’s face remained stern. "It’s precisely because you are my son that I cannot let you continue making these mistakes!"
Ye Chengyan, now in utter despair, screamed in fury:
"I’ve done nothing wrong! I’ve been the crown prince for so many years. The world believed I would inherit the throne, but you stripped that away from me!"
"The decree was a fake, and the oath I swore just now means nothing!"
Veins bulged on his forehead.
Turning to the officials present, he rasped, "Though the dawn has not yet broken, I will kill ten people now to show Father that I am not one to be trifled with!"
The ministers shuddered.
Suddenly, Prime Minister Lu widened his eyes: "You’re... you’re bleeding from your eyes!"
Only when Prime Minister Lu mentioned it did he feel the stinging pain in his eyes, and his right eye seemed unable to open.
He touched his face and looked at his hand--it was stained with blood.
"Why..." He was suddenly filled with panic.
Xuanyuan Che grabbed him and examined his face.
His right eye was bloodshot, and bloody tears flowed out, making for a horrifying sight.
"You’ve been poisoned!" Xuanyuan Che’s mind reeled.
Ye Chengyan said, "But I haven’t eaten or drunk anything..."
He stopped mid-sentence, staring at the shredded pieces of the decree, then turned in disbelief to Emperor Muwu.
His throat tightened, and his voice quivered: "Father, you... you poisoned the decree..."
He had accidentally wiped his eyes with his hand, and the poison had seeped in.
Why was his father so ruthless as to want him dead?
"Yan’er, I told you, I cannot let you keep making mistakes," Emperor Muwu’s voice was calm.
Ever since learning that Ye Chengyan might have been behind the poisoning, his heart had been torn with grief.
But by now, he felt no emotion. He had no hope or attachment left for this son.
He was first the emperor of Mu Nation and only then Ye Chengyan’s father. His duty was to the people of the nation!
The moment Ye Chengyan colluded with the Border Nation, he ceased to be his son or a member of the Mu royal family!
"I was wrong..." Ye Chengyan felt unbearable pain in his eyes. Terrified that the poison would spread, he wanted to beg Emperor Muwu for the antidote.
"Coward!" Xuanyuan Che scoffed, pulling out a dagger.
The blade gleamed coldly.
As the bloody tears continued to flow, Ye Chengyan’s scalp tingled, and he wanted to flee.
"Bear with it! Your father won’t give you the antidote!" Xuanyuan Che said coldly. "If you want to live, this is your only choice!"
With that, he pinned Ye Chengyan down and thrust the dagger into his eye.
Blood spilled everywhere.
Accompanied by Ye Chengyan’s agonized screams, a bloody and blackened eyeball was gouged out.
A military officer, seeing an opportunity, rushed forward, hoping to strike both of them down and end their lives.
The ministers silently cheered, rooting for the officer.
As the officer neared the two, his body suddenly convulsed.
Then, he collapsed straight to the ground.
The crowd was shocked.
Upon closer inspection, a black insect had latched onto the officer’s neck.
It appeared to be venomous, as his veins turned purple and blue, spreading throughout his body.
After twitching for a few more moments, the officer died.
The black insect flew back to Xuanyuan Che, circling him.
Prime Minister Lu immediately realized that this man was skilled in using poisonous Enchanting Bugs. There was no telling how many other tricks he had up his sleeve. It would be foolish to act recklessly and lose more lives.
He warned, "Stop attacking!"
"Indeed, don’t overestimate yourselves," Xuanyuan Che sneered without looking back. "The Enchanting Bugs I’ve painstakingly trained are quite formidable. Whoever approaches, dies."
The other officers exchanged uneasy glances, unwilling to make any more rash moves.
They had no way to counter these venomous Enchanting Bugs.
Once the intimidation set in, Xuanyuan Che began to rummage through a bamboo tube, selecting a few Enchanting Bugs to help stop Ye Chengyan’s bleeding and relieve his pain.
Emperor Muwu, staring at the gouged-out eyeball, grew even more puzzled. "That’s Purple Vine Poison Powder. Once it enters the body, death is almost instant. Even if you removed his eye, it shouldn’t make a difference..."
Xuanyuan Che smirked smugly. "For ordinary people, yes, but he harbors the King of Enchanting Bugs, the greatest treasure of Border Nation!"
The King of Enchanting Bugs not only controlled other Enchanting Bugs but could also both administer and neutralize poisons.
As long as the poisoned eye was removed quickly enough, the remaining toxins would soon be devoured and purified by the King of Enchanting Bugs.
Emperor Muwu’s face darkened, his lips trembling slightly.
Finally, he let out a sigh. "It seems he was not destined to die."
While bandaging Ye Chengyan, Xuanyuan Che remarked, "Of course. He is Mu Nation’s rightful ruler. How could he die so easily?"
The more merciless the Mu Nation became toward Ye Chengyan, the more pleased Xuanyuan Che was.
Once Ye Chengyan ascended to the throne, he would become even more tyrannical, which would only benefit the Border Nation.
Indeed, as Xuanyuan Che had hoped, Ye Chengyan, having been abandoned by Emperor Muwu, was filled with resentment. Now, after being poisoned and betrayed, his mind had become thoroughly twisted.
Without Xuanyuan Che’s intervention, he would’ve surely perished.
Why could a stranger save him?
Yet his own father wanted him dead!
Ye Chengyan slowly stood up, his remaining left eye gleaming with cold malice.
"Father, you are old. It’s time for you to step down."
Emperor Muwu, hunched slightly, let a few strands of white hair fall over his forehead.
"I am old," he said. "But this throne, this Mu Nation... you will never have it."
The Marquis of Anyang would soon use the Imperial Tiger Sigil to rally the troops, save the capital, and slay this disloyal traitor!
At that moment, one of Ye Chengyan’s trusted guards burst in, excited.
"He’s back! Your Highness, the Marquis of Anyang has returned!"
Emperor Muwu’s eyes widened in disbelief.
In his heart, he cursed: Chu Hanlin, you fool, can’t you tell what’s more important?!
The ministers were both relieved and anxious.
Chu Hanlin’s return meant their safety.
But if Ye Chengyan became the emperor... the future was uncertain.
Ye Chengyan didn’t care. Overjoyed, he asked, "Where is he?! Where is he now?!"
The guard replied, "He entered the city with Chu Ye and Chu Yang. They are now at the palace gates."