Ominous Evil Spirits

Imperial Guard Commander Zhao Jun hurriedly led his men to separate the two, but when he saw the blade on the ground, his scalp went numb and cold sweat poured down his back.

Within the palace, no one except the Palace Guards was permitted to conceal weapons; severe offenses were treated as treason.

No matter how that blade had ended up there, the Imperial Guards had failed in their duty by not detecting it.

He immediately knelt to beg Emperor Yongchang for punishment: "Your subject failed in his inspection, allowing a lethal weapon to be hidden in the palace and alarming Your Majesty. This crime deserves death. I beg Your Majesty to mete out punishment."

Zhao Jun was utterly drained. First, the Ancestral Hall caught fire, and he rushed his men to put it out, then raced nonstop to patrol the palace and calm the court's nerves.

He never expected to turn around and find the two claimants to the Crown Prince openly brawling inside the Emperor's bedchamber, even using weapons—his heart went cold.

Emperor Yongchang ignored him entirely, instead pointing at Xiao Qianyu with a harsh voice: "Rebellious son, what were you trying to do carrying a blade like that? Were you plotting regicide?"

An emperor's first concern was always his own life.

"And when did you learn martial arts?" To trade blows with Xiao Qianyì like that.

Xiao Qianyu showed no fear, instead replying coldly: "Father Emperor need not rush to pin a crime on me. This blade was indeed brought in by this Crown Prince, but do you know its origin?"

Emperor Yongchang fumed: "Imperial We doesn't care about its origin! What matters is why you hid a weapon!"

He couldn't bear to imagine what would have happened if Xiao Qianyu had turned on him just now—would he still be alive?

Xiao Qianyu shook his head, disappointment in his eyes as he looked at Emperor Yongchang: "Father Emperor, this is no murder weapon. It is a 'Divine Artifact' bestowed upon I by the heavens."

"A Divine Artifact?" Emperor Yongchang's brow twitched.

He cast a cold sidelong glance at Xiao Qianyu, waiting to see how he would spin this.

Xiao Qianyu opened his mouth and began a serious string of nonsense: "Correct. Since returning from the execution grounds, aside from the change of clothes the palace prepared, I carried nothing. This Divine Artifact suddenly appeared on me, a gift from the heavens to ward off calamity. Otherwise, where do you think this blade came from? Under everyone's watch, who could have handed it to me, and how could it have been smuggled into the palace?"

Emperor Yongchang frowned deeply. Was that really the case?

Xiao Qianyì couldn't hold back. He jumped out and pointed at Xiao Qianyu: "Don't think you can fool Father Emperor with smooth talk! A 'Divine Artifact'? Clearly, you harbor ill intent and mean to commit murder. For all we know, an accomplice slipped it to you to assassinate Father Emperor. Father Emperor, don't believe him! Throw him in prison immediately and investigate whether any accomplices approached him along the way."

Xiao Qianyu couldn't kill him, but he could wound him. At this moment, several bleeding gashes had appeared on Xiao Qianyì's upper body, even tearing his clothes.

Xiao Qianyì had never been so humiliated. He now looked at Xiao Qianyu like a venomous snake, wishing him dead.

Xiao Qianyu let out a sneer: "If it were as you say, this Crown Prince had every chance to strike at Father Emperor from the start. Why didn't I, and instead went after you?"

Of course, it was because Xiao Qianyì was the protagonist. But since the first blow missed, Xiao Qianyu couldn't be bothered to try again.

Emperor Yongchang came to his senses. Indeed, Xiao Qianyu had been sitting so close to him just now, and he was completely off guard. If Xiao Qianyu truly wanted to commit regicide, wouldn't he have aimed at the Emperor?

He demanded: "If it's a Divine Artifact as you claim, why did you strike at Prince Qi?" Was there some reasoning?

Xiao Qianyu said with great gravity: "Because the Divine Artifact sensed an Evil Spirit."

Emperor Yongchang gasped: "An Evil Spirit?"

Xiao Qianyu nodded: "Correct. This one who twists right and wrong, covets the Position of Crown Prince, and attempts to usurp my identity—he is the Evil Spirit."

The crowd looked at Xiao Qianyì in shock, shrinking back as a wide empty space opened around him.

Xiao Qianyì was nearly mad with rage: "I am no Evil Spirit! I think you're the one! With the June Snow and your oath-cursing, you're clearly playing tricks to fool everyone. Father Emperor, don't believe him!"

Xiao Qianyu's face darkened, his voice cold as a blade: "Heaven sent thunder, June Snow fell, the ancestors manifested. If that's playing tricks, let's see you pull off one yourself."

He turned calmly to the Emperor: "Father Emperor has already decreed my innocence. All under heaven knows I am spotless, blessed by the ancestors. I have nothing left to fear. Since I am the true one, this Prince Qi is the false one. Father Emperor will deal with him in time and give me justice—why should I care? Father Emperor, think: if the Divine Artifact hadn't warned me he was an Evil Spirit bringing disaster to you and the court, why would I risk breaking the law and drawing a blade before the throne to cut him down? I'm no fool."

The more Emperor Yongchang listened, the more sense it made. Could Xiao Qianyì truly be an Evil Spirit? He now looked at him with disgust and wariness.

This person had appeared so strangely. Suddenly, a couple had come forward to strike the drum and confess, claiming the child they raised was the true Crown Prince. They produced a pile of evidence, and then the Three Judicial Offices held a trial with the Six Ministries in attendance, all smoothly concluding that the old couple's words were true.

Next came Xiao Qianyu's deposition as Crown Prince and imprisonment, while Xiao Qianyì, without lifting a finger, was brought back to the palace as the Empress's legitimate Imperial Prince.