As soon as Elder Chen left, the emperor sighed heavily, looking at the people kneeling before him and suddenly chuckled, "Hehe… seeking answers, all I want is to… die with a clear conscience. I don't want to be a clueless ghost!"

"Your Majesty…"

"Your Majesty, please don't speak like this!"

"We still have our war potential!"

"Our forces are still powerful!"

"Your Majesty should not be overly pessimistic…"

Jiang Hengyu waved them off: "Enough… everyone stand up. This war… we're destined to lose! Great Xia… they won't possibly pass up such a golden opportunity. Heh, without a fight… they have wiped out the millions-strong army of Great Qi! Is there anything better in this world? Do you think the Great Xia's army… is just for show?"

"Your Majesty, we still have the power of the sects!" someone wailed despondently.

"So do they!" stated Jiang Hengyu nonchalantly.

At this moment, the emperor's gaze fell upon the Second Prince who had just managed to stand, silently. Then, his eyes swept over the Crown Prince, Fourth Prince, and Fifth Prince and so on.

"When it comes to our army of a million troops passing through the Skybreaker Mountain range, prior to this, there were no more than ten people who knew about it," Jiang Hengyu said calmly. "I knew, Kong Zhongda and Fang Dongming knew and the rest were the few of you princes. Apart from this, it was absolutely confidential! Among you... who discussed this matter?"

As the emperor voiced this accusation, the faces of the Second Prince and Fifth Prince changed subtly!

The emperor had earlier strictly commanded that not a word about the army crossing the Skybreaker Mountain Range must be leaked before it happened!

However, the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince inadvertently let it slip that very night. Moreover, although Prince Jiang Hengxu did not specify the exact date of the theft, it seems to be… very close to the day they spoke!

Consequently, the Second Prince and Fifth Prince hesitated. But at the same time, they clung to the hope that it could just be a coincidence!

Jiang Hengyu had acceded the throne many years ago, and had been the emperor for a long time. What could possibly escape his keen eyes?

How could the slight changes on the faces of the Second and Fifth Prince escape his notice? Although the princes tried hard to conceal it, Jiang Hengyu instantly knew that they were... hiding something!

Just as Jiang Hengyu was about to say something, Elder Chen who had just left, suddenly returned, flinging a rattled fat man into the Golden Palace.

He tossed the fat man to the ground, and coldly said, "Zhao Er, His Majesty is here, don't you know to kneel and bow?"

Zhao Er, who was practically spherical from obesity, immediately knelt down and trembled as he said, "Subject Zhao Er… presents his regards to His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The ministers in the court were all collectively surprised, wondering why Elder Chen would bring back a ball-like fat man.

The emperor was also somewhat perplexed, but he simply hummed in acknowledgement.

Elder Chen said, "Zhao Er, tell the Emperor everything you know. If you conceal even half a sentence, no one will be able to save you!"

"The humble one doesn't dare… the humble one doesn't dare!" Zhao Er stammered and recounted the full story of how Chu Mo had entered the Imperial Capital of Great Qi disguised as someone else, and how he had inferred from his experiences that the disguised man was Chu Mo. He detailed how he secretly contacted Elder Chen, hoping to get Chu Mo, but was unexpectedly outmaneuvered and Chu Mo silently escaped.

As Zhao Er spoke, cries of alarm echoed throughout the Golden Palace. It was unexpected to all that the youth from Great Xia who stirred up the world would have infiltrated Great Qi on his own to spy on their military intelligence. Moreover, he was so alert that he evaded the setup and vanished without a trace.

The Second and Fifth Prince, upon hearing Zhao Er's account and the date he mentioned, felt all hopes crumble and their hearts sink.

Even if they were unwilling to admit it now, they realized that the military intelligence was most likely unwittingly leaked by them. It was overheard by Chu Mo who then set up an ambush in Skybreaker Mountain and annihilated the million-strong army of Great Qi!

This responsibility... it's too great!

They couldn't bear it!

Both princes, without so much as a glance at each other, independently decided that they would not admit to it, even upon their deaths!

"You're saying, Chu Mo, came to our Imperial Capital, sought your cooperation to spy on Great Qi's military intelligence?" Jiang Hengyu's voice was devoid of any emotions, and his face looked calm as he casually asked.

"Exactly... but how could I cooperate with him to do such a thing while being in Great Qi?" Zhao Er replied confidently.

Until now, he still had no idea what had happened. He was even more clueless that the million-strong army of Great Qi, had already been extinguished.

Jiang Hengyu simply smiled, waved his hand and said, "Okay, you may leave. You've done well! Later... you will be rewarded!"

Zhao Er, utterly baffled, expressed his thanks, and was then escorted out.

Jiang Hengyu reclined on the dragon throne, mumbling to himself, "So that's how it was! I never expected... that even a hundred secrets have a flaw… Could this be the work of Heaven's Will?"

"Father... for now, we should start deploying our strategy on how to face Great Xia's counterattack!" the Second Prince bravely stepped forward and said solemnly, "The incident has already occurred, it's not a crime related to the war…"

"You… Shut your mouth," Jiang Hengyu said softly, cutting off the Second Prince's speech, "Has this matter nothing to do with you?"

"Father… Your son has been falsely accused!" The Second Prince immediately fell to his knees without saying another word. He simply looked up at the emperor with a wronged expression.

Jiang Hengyu's gaze fell onto the Fifth Prince, "You also hid something from me!"

The Fifth Prince trembled and fell to his knees, "Father, your son is unjustly accused too!"

Jiang Hengyu took a deep breath, suddenly stood up and pulled a sharp waist knife from the waist of a guard at the foot of the steps. He charged straight at the Second Prince.

"Your Majesty, no!"

"Your Majesty, spare him, please!"

"Quick, stop His Majesty!"

The front of the Golden Palace was in chaos.

The Second Prince was simply scared stiff. He knelt there, watching in horror as his father swung the knife at his head.

He even forgot to dodge.

The blade was extremely sharp and the strength behind Jiang Hengyu's swing… utilized all of his power!

Though his martial abilities were mediocre, he possessed the power of the Gold-stone Realm!

Even though he got that power solely from the elixir, there was no doubting the genuine power of the Gold-stone Realm!

Crack!

The head of Great Qi Kingdom's Second Prince was chopped in half by Jiang Hengyu's blade.

White brain matter mixed with red blood, instantly spilling everywhere.

The Golden Palace fell eerily silent.

As if frozen, everyone stared incredulously at their emperor. Only now did they realize that His Majesty's calmness… was not actual calmness, but a pseudo-calm façade hiding extreme madness and desperation!

In other words, the emperor… had gone mad!

Jiang Hengyu utterly refused to admit that he had gone mad. After killing his second son, he turned his icy gaze towards the Fifth Prince. Suddenly, he roared, "Confess! Was it both of you!?"

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I can't carry on, my waist is hurting so much that I can't move, can't stand anymore…

One more please! (to be continued. If you like this novel, I hope you can vote for votes and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please read at m.qidian.com.)

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