The sea wind howled, and the lanterns flickered. On the dim platform, two figures suddenly rushed across a distance of over ten feet, crashing into the not-so-high railing at the edge.

A muffled "hoarse" sound came from Qin Hui's throat as he continued to push forward with all his might. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. Zhou Pei's slender figure was about to be pushed off the platform. Her long hair flew in the night wind, and the hairpin in her hair was now stuck in Qin Hui's face, piercing through the old man's mouth. Half of the hairpin protruded from his left cheek, and the other half, sharp, pierced out of the right side. A bloody scent gradually filled the air, making his entire expression appear particularly grotesque.

Just moments before, as Qin Hui rushed up, Zhou Pei had turned around, pulled out the metal hairpin from her hair, and forcefully stabbed it into his head. The hairpin pierced through Qin Hui's face, and the old man must have been terrified in his heart, but he didn't pause for even a moment, not even uttering a sound. He slammed Zhou Pei against the railing and reached out to strangle her neck with both hands.

Zhou Pei struggled fiercely. She kicked Qin Hui twice, grabbed the railing with one hand, and began to pry at the hands on her neck with the other. Qin Hui's orange-peel-like old face was pierced by half a hairpin. The dignified and righteous face was particularly eerie in the light. He made a "hoarse, hoarse, hoarse" sound of suppressing pain.

At the front of the dragon boat, the brightly lit night banquet was still in progress. The sound of silk and bamboo instruments vaguely drifted from there, while in the sea breeze behind, the half of the moon that had emerged from behind the clouds gradually disappeared, as if saddened by what was happening here. Dark clouds loomed over the sea.

Long hair flew in the wind, and Zhou Pei's strength gradually weakened. She raised both hands, grabbed Qin Hui's hands, but her eyes gradually rolled upwards. The old man's eyes were bloodshot, and blood spurted from his face. Even though he was old, his hands gripping Zhou Pei's neck were still unwavering - this was his last chance.

For so many years, all his calculations had been based on the power of the monarch. If Jun Wu and Zhou Pei could recognize his value and take him as their teacher, he would not have resigned himself to supporting Zhou Yong.

If Zhou Yong had been a strong emperor who adopted many of his views, the Wu Dynasty would not have fallen to this point.

If the Wu Dynasty had not fallen to this point, he would not have made the "brave man cuts off his wrist" plan to Zhou Yong, inciting the Jin Kingdom and the Black Flag to fight each other.

He had already proposed such a plan. The Wu Dynasty needed time and patience to wait, quietly waiting for the result of the two tigers fighting. Even if it was weak, even if it endured great suffering, it had to be patient.

But Zhou Yong was dying!

This was an ending he had never expected. With Zhou Yong's death, the short-sighted princess and the crown prince would inevitably hate him to death and launch a purge. He himself was not worth regretting, but his plans for the Wu Dynasty, his calculations for future revitalization, would all be in vain - the hope that thousands of Wu Dynasty people were waiting for could not be in vain!

"Hoarse, hoarse, hoarse, hoarse, hoarse--"

Amidst the intense pain, the old man's mouth was filled with blood mixed with saliva, which flew out of his hideous mouth. He forcefully strangled Zhou Pei's throat and pushed her towards the sea outside the platform!

Fortunately, the princess had once attempted suicide by jumping into the sea. As long as she jumped into the sea again before Zhou Yong passed away, regardless of the life or death of the Crown Prince in Jiangning, the righteousness of the court would ultimately be in his hands.

Zhou Pei's consciousness gradually faded. Suddenly, a sound seemed to come over.

The door outside the small platform was opened, and someone ran in. After a brief moment of astonishment, they rushed over. It was a relatively slender figure. She came over, grabbed Qin Hui's hand, and tried to pry it open. "What are you doing—" It was Zhao Xiaosong.

She only said half a sentence when Qin Hui turned his face towards her. In the faint light, Zhao Xiaosong saw the hideous face with the hairpin stuck in it, covered in blood and foam. She was startled, but her hands didn't stop. She hugged Zhou Pei's waist and pulled her back. Qin Hui freed one hand and slapped Zhao Xiaosong in the face, then kicked her. Zhao Xiaosong staggered a few steps, but didn't let go.

As Qin Hui took one hand off her neck, Zhou Pei's consciousness gradually returned. She hugged Qin Hui's hand, struggling to lean back. Zhao Xiaosong also pulled her waist to give her strength. When her strength gradually returned, she bit down on Qin Hui's hand. Qin Hui recoiled in pain. Zhou Pei covered her neck and staggered back away from the railing. Qin Hui grabbed her, and Zhao Xiaosong lunged forward, desperately hugging his waist, only shouting, "Princess, run! Princess, run!"

Qin Hui grabbed her hair and violently tore at her head, turning the edge of the dim platform into a grotesque silhouette. Zhou Pei's long hair was disheveled. She straightened up and walked back inside without looking back. She went to the shelves in the small room, trying to open and rummage through the boxes and chests on top.

Behind her came a "hoarse" sound like a low roar from a beast. The hideous old man suddenly pulled out the hairpin from his face in the night wind and stabbed it into Zhao Xiaosong's back. There was a scream, and the girl's shoulder was pierced, and she fell to the ground.

In the dim light, the wind howled. Qin Hui's lower half of his face was covered in blood. His eyes were bloodshot as he walked towards Zhou Pei.

His hands trembled as he groped around his waist. He took out a dagger and staggered towards Zhou Pei. The wooden boxes Zhou Pei had opened were all filled with useless paper and pens.

"...For...this world...you ignorant..."

His eyes were bloodshot, and he made strange sounds in his mouth. Zhou Pei grabbed an inkstone from a box and turned around, slamming it on his head with a "bang."

Qin Hui staggered a few steps and fell to the ground. His forehead was bleeding, and his head was buzzing. He rolled over on the ground at some point, trying to get up.

"Help...help..."

At this time, Zhao Xiaosong was crying on the ground. Zhou Pei picked up the inkstone and walked to Qin Hui's side. Her long hair was scattered, and her eyes were as cold as ice. She smashed the inkstone down on Qin Hui's arm, which was still subconsciously holding the dagger.

She had been exhausted for days, her body was weak, and her strength was not great. She smashed it twice in a row, and Qin Hui released the dagger, but his arm did not break. Zhou Pei smashed it on his head again with a "bang." In the dim light, amidst the girl's crying, tears fell from Zhou Pei's eyes. She smashed the inkstone down on the old man's head again and again. Qin Hui was still crawling on the ground, and soon his head was covered in blood.

The guards who had heard the noise ran over and rushed into the door, all stunned by the bloody and bizarre scene. Qin Hui's face was distorted as he crawled on the ground, still moving slightly. Zhou Pei was smashing the inkstone down on his head and face. Seeing the guards come in, she threw away the inkstone, walked straight over, and pulled out the long knife from one of their waists.

She turned around with the long knife in her hand. Qin Hui was lying on the ground, completely unable to move. A trail of blood half a zhang long was dragged across the floor. Zhou Pei's eyes were cold and hard, but tears were still flowing. Over at the deck, Zhao Xiaosong was sobbing softly.

Zhou Pei was stunned for a long time, then lowered the blade and said, "Save her."

The singing and dancing at the front of the dragon boat were still in progress. Before long, someone came to report what had happened at the back. Zhou Pei cleaned up the injuries on her body and came over - she had torn off her fingernails when she was waving the inkstone, and there was blood everywhere since. The bruises on her neck had not dissipated - she explained the whole story to Zhou Yong. At this time, the only eyewitness was her maid, Zhao Xiaosong. There was also no way for her to prove many things. After Zhou Yong heard it on the sickbed, he just relaxed and nodded: "It's good that my daughter is alright, it's good that my daughter is alright..."

From beginning to end, he had not considered the responsibilities of an emperor.

…

The truth about Zhou Pei killing Qin Hui may be difficult to clarify from now on, but Zhou Pei's murder and Qin Hui's tragic death had great symbolic significance among the small court on the dragon boat.

On August 16th, Yu Zihua, the commander in charge of the Imperial Guards, and Li Wei, the naval general in charge of the dragon boat fleet, expressed their loyalty to Zhou Pei at Zhou Yong's prompting. As the news was confirmed and spread, on August 17th, Zhou Yong held a court meeting and confirmed the decree to pass the throne to Jun Wu.

How could she not have known before that she needed to pass on the throne as soon as possible, at least to give her brother, who was fighting hard in Jiangning, a legitimate name? However, she had been taken aboard this boat, and none of the people she could use were by her side anymore. The ministers on the boat would not want their group to lose its orthodox status. Having experienced betrayal, Zhou Pei did not rashly open her mouth until she personally killed Qin Hui and obtained the support of the military, before she finalized the matter.

Since the Taihu Fleet had already entered the sea to pursue them, the decree could only be carried ashore by small boats with envoys to be delivered to the world. The dragon boat fleet continued to drift south, looking for an opportunity to land safely.

After the decree to pass the throne was sent out, Zhou Yong's body deteriorated every day. He could hardly eat, and occasionally he was confused, only being somewhat awake at times. Life on the boat offered no sight of autumn. He occasionally mentioned to Zhou Pei that autumn in Jiangning was beautiful. Zhou Pei asked if they should go ashore, but Zhou Yong shook his head and refused.

They drifted along like this, and on the morning of August 28th, Zhou Yong's spirit improved. Everyone understood that it was a flash of lucidity. The concubines gathered around, but Zhou Yong did not say anything to them. He called his daughter to his bedside and talked about the experiences of cockfighting and dog racing in Jiangning. He had had no ambition since he was a child, and his family had raised him as a wastrel prince. He had married wives and concubines, but he had never taken them seriously, and he played around outside all day. Zhou Yong could not be considered a good father when Zhou Pei and Jun Wu were young. In fact, he gradually began to care about these children, seemingly after the first search of the mountains and seas.

"I am not a good father, not a good prince, not a good emperor..."

He spoke of himself like this, and before long, he thought of Zhou Xuan and Kang Xian, who had passed away long ago.

"...When I was young, I was very afraid of Aunt Zhou Xuan, and I couldn't talk to Kang Xian. I envied them...I don't know when, I also wanted to be like Imperial Aunt, to have something under my control, to be a good prince, but I couldn't do it well. Your father...forcibly seized other people's shops, and before long, he would lose them again, and I would feel annoyed, but...for just a short time, I also wanted to be a good prince...I couldn't be..."

His eyes were gradually becoming blurred.

"They...let me succeed to the throne as emperor because...I have a pair of good children. I really have a pair of good children, but...this country

has been ruined by me. Little Pei...Little Pei ah..."

He called his daughter's name, and Zhou Pei reached out. He grabbed Zhou Pei's hand.

"So many people...so many people...died. I saw...so many people died. When I was at sea, your Grandma Zhou Xuan and Grandpa Kang Xian were killed in Jiangning. I'm sorry to them...and Old Qin, how much he did for this country, Zhou Zhe killed him, and he had no complaints...My Wu Dynasty, the Zhou family...two hundred years, Father...doesn't want it to end in my hands, I've already made a mistake..."

His chicken-claw-like hand grabbed Zhou Pei's: "I have no face to see them, I have no face to go ashore. After I die, you throw me into the sea to atone for my sins...I'm dead, I'm dead...I shouldn't be afraid anymore...You assist Jun Wu, Little Pei...you assist Jun Wu, and pass down the Zhou family's world, pass it down, pass it down...ah?"

He said it several times, and Zhou Pei nodded amidst tears. Zhou Yong didn't feel it, just looking expectantly with blank eyes: "...Ah?"

"...Okay! Father...okay."

Zhou Pei said crying.

"...Ah...ha."

Zhou Yong nodded, and the expression on his face gradually relaxed: "You say...is it cold at sea..." Then he said, "You and Jun Wu...must come see me..."

After a while, he said softly, "Little Pei ah...you and Ning Yi..." There was a long pause between the two sentences. His eyes gradually stopped, and all the words stopped here.

At the moment of his death, Zhou Yong weighed only a little more than fifty pounds, all skin and bones. He was the incompetent emperor who had harmed the people of the entire Wu Dynasty and plunged them into hell, and also an ordinary person who had been drained of his lifeblood by the identity of the emperor. He died at the age of fifty-one.

The dragon boat fleet carrying the princess drifted on the boundless sea. The world of the Jianshuo Dynasty, to this point, came to an end forever...