The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, each one dazzling and as large as a qi-killing wind lantern, setting off the clear moon with a dreamlike yet chilling beauty.
Zhao Heng stood in the hall, staring blankly at the beautiful night. At his feet, Hu Dou was fast asleep, and silence reigned all around.
"What difference is there between being your puppet and being Prince Jin of Great Zhou? Aren't they essentially the same?"
"Heh, in this day and age, which faction doesn't have some great figure standing behind it? Even someone as powerful as Gao Lan is the same. Even if I hadn't disrupted the Qionghua Banquet back then, wouldn't the Zhao Clan of the Divine Capital have ultimately needed to submit to Heaven's Will and attach themselves to some great figure? Though I may be lowly at present, my heart remains unchanged, and so does my path. My ambition lies beyond this shore—to become a great figure who manipulates Heaven's Will. When have I ever set my sights on worldly power? By then, wouldn't that coincide perfectly with the ideal situation for the Zhao Clan of the Divine Capital?"
The earlier conversation flowed through Zhao Heng's mind, sentence by sentence, pounding at his heart and plunging him into a long silence.
Before he knew it, the cold moon had sunk in the west and the blazing sun had risen in the east. A streak of brightness at the edge of the sky dispelled the night's chill and gloom, suppressing the sinister darkness that had accumulated in the palace over a thousand years.
Zhao Heng let out a soft breath, withdrew his gaze, and woke Hu Dou at his feet.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, how did I fall asleep? Did something happen just now?" Hu Dou