Dongsheng Kingdom,
The Ninth Prince's estate fell overnight. Prince Nan Gong Mo, the Ninth Prince, disappeared without a trace. The wet nurse, Granny Shi, unable to accept that she, who had lived a life of privilege, had suddenly become the family of a traitor, was so overcome with grief that she passed away that very night.
Strangely, however, her body vanished mysteriously that same night.
Two days later,
The Sixth Prince, Nan Gong Li, along with Du Chun, led their privately trained elite soldiers to storm the palace, seeking justice for their Ninth Imperial Uncle.
The city was besieged, swords clashed, and countless lives were lost.
One hundred thousand troops were mobilized and returned to the capital, surrounding the Sixth Prince, Nan Gong Li, and his men.
Outside the city walls and palace gates,
Nan Gong Li, clutching his profusely bleeding abdomen, looked up at the Crown Prince, Nan Rong Qi, who was protected by the Imperial Guards. He shouted, "Nan Rong Qi, even if I die today, I must see Father Emperor!"
The Sixth Prince, Nan Gong Li, who usually frolicked and lived a life of pleasure, now had sharp, murderous eyes, though his face was pale and bloodless.
Beside him, Du Chun held a long sword, dressed in white, with a lock of white hair cascading down. His pristine white robe was stained with patches of blood.
"Are you alright?"
Seeing Nan Gong Li injured, Du Chun's gaze followed the wound on his abdomen.
His clothes were soaked with blood, and his complexion grew increasingly pale.
"I won't die!"
Nan Gong Li's words were defiant, but his swaying body betrayed his current weakness.
On the opposite side, in the distance,
Nan Rong Qi coldly swept his gaze over Nan Gong Li, who was left with only a hundred subordinates. He declared, "I'm afraid you won't have that chance. Young Master Bai, why are you still standing there? Didn't you say you wanted to give this prince a surprise? Hurry and act!"
Nan Gong Li did not understand the meaning of Nan Rong Qi's words. However, he followed Nan Rong Qi's gaze and suddenly realized that Nan Rong Qi was not speaking to him but to Du Chun.
"Du..."
Before the question could be uttered,
*Puchi!*
A long sword suddenly pierced Nan Gong Li's chest. Blood spilled out, and he looked with shock at the person who had stabbed him.
That snow-white robe, stained with patches of blood, was so glaring, and the eyes looking at him were so cold and ruthless.
"Why... why? Du Chun... you..."
Blood flowed from his lips, and his words were intermittent.
"My name is not Du Chun. I am Bai Yicheng, the eldest son of the Bai family. The Bai family that was annihilated, with not a single soul spared, because of a few words from you! I happened to be out playing that year, otherwise, how could I still be alive!"
"What, the Bai family? You... you are Bai Yicheng...?"
Nan Gong Li was shocked.
He never imagined that his companion of so many years was Bai Yicheng, the eldest son of the Bai family?
The scene of the Bai mansion massacre years ago flashed before his eyes. At that time, he had merely suggested sending people to search the Bai mansion to prove General Bai's innocence, but who would have thought that those sent to search would actually find letters in correspondence with the enemy nation?
General Bai was arrested, his property confiscated, and his entire family was executed.
But General Bai was upright and incorruptible, how could he have corresponded with the empire?
Later, his Ninth Imperial Uncle sent people to investigate secretly, only to discover by chance that everything was a frame-up. But by then, the massacre of the Bai mansion had already occurred, and everyone in the Bai mansion had already met their end.
He felt immense guilt, but it was too late. The unjust case of the Bai mansion had occurred. However, at that time, his father, the Emperor, did not want to admit that the Bai mansion massacre was a wrongful accusation, and for many years, he had not overturned the case for the Bai family.
*Bang!*
Nan Gong Li fell straight to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The blood from his chest merged with the blood flowing from his abdomen, soaking his clothes.
His slightly warm eyes were filled with Du Chun's reflection. The blood flowing from his lips stained his hair red. In the pool of blood, a bitter smile curled his lips. Looking at Du Chun, he felt no hatred, only the guilt that had been suppressed in his heart for years suddenly released at that moment.
His retribution had finally come!
He had died at the hands of the eldest son of the Bai family, which was his just deserts.
The bloodstained long sword flashed before his eyes, and a cold, heartless voice echoed in his ears, "I was brothers with you for so many years, just to kill you with my own hands today!"
Du Chun stepped over him with the sword, the white hem of his robe brushing against Nan Gong Li's face.
"Physician Du, you traitor!"
Nan Gong Li's subordinates roared in anger and curses.
*Swish swish swish!*
Several arrows were fired in unison, scattering like a celestial flower.
*Ugh!*
A hundred guards fell simultaneously, pierced by arrows, their bodies strewn across the ground, blood spreading everywhere.
The archers stopped.
The guards below automatically parted to make way.
Du Chun dropped his sword and walked past them, approaching Nan Rong Qi. He knelt on one knee and cupped his hands, "This commoner, Bai Yicheng, pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
His voice was loud and sincere.
"Hahaha!"
Crown Prince Nan Rong Qi pushed aside the eunuchs and guards protecting him and walked up to Du Chun, looking down at him. "This prince knew that Young Master Bai, you are a sensible person. Rise quickly. From today onwards, you are no longer Young Master Bai, but this prince's esteemed Minister of Rites, Lord Bai, Bai Yicheng!"
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince..."
"Hmm?"
Nan Rong Qi frowned and glanced at Du Chun.
Du Chun immediately corrected himself, "Thank Your Majesty for your grace. Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty forever!"
"Hahaha!"
Nan Rong Qi personally helped Du Chun up and put a finger to his lips, "Shh! Keep it low-key, do not spread the word. Grandmother said that although Father Emperor is ill, he will recover soon, so everything is still too early..."
"Your Highness, I have a tasteless, odorless poison in my hand that no imperial physician can detect. It can keep His Majesty ill forever."
From under his sleeve, Du Chun took out a small white porcelain bottle and offered it with both hands.
Looking at the small porcelain bottle in Du Chun's hand, Nan Rong Qi did not reach for it immediately. He glanced sideways at the already lifeless body in the distance, then turned back to Du Chun. After a moment of hesitation, he suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha, Yicheng, you are truly this prince's lucky star!"
As he spoke, he took the small porcelain bottle from Du Chun and handed it to his personal eunuch behind him, giving him a meaningful look, implying: go and test it.
In the past, poison tests were always conducted on living people, and this time was no exception.
The personal eunuch understood and quietly left the crowd with the small porcelain bottle.
"Today, this prince is happy. Yicheng, come, accompany this prince for a drink. Today, we will not return until we are drunk."
"Good."
Du Chun nodded in agreement.
Perhaps Nan Rong Qi suddenly remembered something. As he was about to leave, he suddenly turned around and ordered the person behind him, "Go, carry my sixth brother's body out and feed it to the wolves!"
Those around were all chilled to the bone.
The person who received the order quickly replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
Two guards left.
"Let's go, accompany this prince back."
Nan Rong Qi said to Du Chun, then, escorted by numerous eunuchs and guards, stepped through the palace gates.
Du Chun followed behind, but his peripheral vision swept towards the guards outside the palace gates who were handling the bodies.
His hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched tightly.
As the guards were disposing of the bodies, the sky suddenly flashed with lightning and thunder, and a heavy rain began to pour. Outside the palace gates, the rainwater washed away the blood, truly creating a river of blood.
Some lazy guards, in order to finish their work quickly, directly stuffed the bodies submerged in the rainwater into large meat grinders with blades. This saved them the trouble of transporting them to desolate mountains and then discarding them.
However, even though these guards wanted to save effort, they dared not rashly dispose of the body of the Sixth Prince, Nan Gong Mo, in secret.