Unreliable

Ancient people, limited by the knowledge of their times, believed that the blood of close relatives would mingle, while blood from unrelated people would repel one another.

Blood Oath, a method of verifying familial ties, had always been held in high regard.

No wonder Xiao Qianyì had perked up, convinced he had already secured victory.

What a bunch of country bumpkins!

Today, Xiao Qianyu would show them just how unreliable Blood Oath was.

Xiao Qianyì could hardly wait to jump out and say, "The facts are right before your eyes. Don't stubbornly resist and cling to your delusions. You'd better confess your crimes and name your accomplices while there's still time. Perhaps the Emperor will spare you a whole corpse if you honestly admit your guilt."

He spoke with righteous indignation, but he still feared the fifty slaps he'd just received. He didn't dare brazenly go back to calling him "Father Emperor."

He hated Xiao Qianyu even more now. He couldn't believe he'd developed a fear of him without even realizing it.

Xiao Qianyu smiled faintly and said softly, "I am blessed by Heaven, pure and innocent, with Heaven and Earth as my witnesses. Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a clown, yet you think you're worthy of condemning me?"

His disdainful, contemptuous expression and tone were enough to make Xiao Qianyì's blood surge, his vision darken, and his eyes bulge with fury. He felt as though his dignity had been trampled.

After saying this, Xiao Qianyu ignored him and turned to Emperor Yongchang. "Father Emperor, give me your word. If I prove that Blood Oath is unreliable, will you punish this criminal who has usurped another's place, plotted to seize the Divine Artifact, and committed every kind of evil?"

Emperor Yongchang was still reeling from the possibility that Blood Oath might not be reliable. Eager to learn the truth, he nodded without hesitation. "If Blood Oath is false, then for the sake of the nation's safety, I absolutely cannot allow such an Evil Spirit to remain in this world."

He was an emperor, after all. No matter the time or place, he would always wrap himself in a layer of respectability.

In truth, the moment the words "Evil Spirit" left his lips, he had already decided to kill Xiao Qianyì. To secure the Emperor's own longevity, he no longer cared even if the life he had to sacrifice was that of his own son.

Though Xiao Qianyì's face was purple-red like an eggplant, his skin beneath had turned deathly pale. He was swaying on his feet.

He hadn't expected Emperor Yongchang to be so ruthless and cold-blooded. Had the fatherly love and affection he'd shown over the past few months all been fake?

The Empress Dowager slapped the armrest in displeasure. "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yongchang stood firm. "Since Mother believes him, why not wait until the Crown Prince has tested whether Blood Oath is true or false before speaking?"

The Empress Dowager swallowed her words. Her eyes, dimmed and dulled by the years, turned gloomy.

Emperor Yongchang spoke. "All right, Crown Prince. How do you intend to test it? Begin."

Was he going to summon a deity to reveal that Xiao Qianyì was lying?

There was no need for anything so complicated.

Xiao Qianyu turned his head and instructed Defu, "Bring me a few bowls of clean water."

Facing the suddenly changed temperament of Xiao Qianyu, Eunuch Defu unconsciously bent his back even lower. "Yes. May I ask how many you need, Crown Prince, so this old servant can make the proper arrangements?"

Xiao Qianyu glanced around the hall. "The more, the better. Hmm, bring about twenty bowls."

"Yes, this old servant will arrange it right away." Defu hurried off.

Before long, he returned in person, carrying a wooden tray with ten bowls of clean water on it. A young eunuch followed behind him with another tray.

After placing all twenty bowls of water on the ground, Defu bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, Crown Prince, the clean water is ready."

Emperor Yongchang propped himself up and asked, "Crown Prince, what next? How will you test it?"

Xiao Qianyu replied calmly, "It's simple. Everyone in the hall will pair up and drip their own blood into a bowl together. Then the results will speak for themselves. Never mind, I'll give you a demonstration first."

With that, he rose and walked over to a bowl of water. He bit his finger, let a drop of blood fall in, then beckoned to Defu. "You're next."

Defu was so flattered he hardly knew what to do. It was the first time the Crown Prince had called upon him since returning.

Though his heart was in turmoil, he still looked loyally to Emperor Yongchang.

Only after Emperor Yongchang nodded did he cautiously step forward, bite his finger as the Crown Prince had, and drip a drop of blood into the bowl.

Then he stared fixedly at the water, watching what would happen.

Suddenly, he gaped in shock. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor before Emperor Yongchang with a thud. "Your Majesty, this, this, this... This old servant doesn't know what happened! Please forgive me!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly knocked his head against the floor.

Emperor Yongchang grew anxious and slapped the edge of the bed. "What happened? Zhao Jun, tell me." He was leaning against the headboard and couldn't see.

Zhao Jun hurried forward and bent down to look. A strange expression crossed his face, and he swallowed before saying, "Your Majesty, the blood... The Crown Prince's blood mingled with Eunuch Defu's."

Defu raised his head, bruised dark blue from knocking it against the floor, his face streaked with tears and snot. "Your Majesty, you know I entered the palace when I was six. I'm all alone in this world; my parents and relatives are all gone. And I'm physically incomplete—I can't, I can't have children with anyone. I don't know why my blood mingled with His Highness the Crown Prince's. Your Majesty, please judge this fairly!"

Good heavens, that was enough to scare anyone to death.

The Crown Prince was of Imperial Family blood. If Blood Oath showed that his blood mingled with mine, did that mean I had given birth to the Crown Prince?