The Curse Takes Effect

Amid the wind and snow that filled the sky, Xiao Qianyu gazed toward the imperial palace, his icy words drilling into everyone's ears.

"Heaven and earth may bear witness; the sun and moon may stand as proof. If I have muddled the imperial bloodline and plotted to seize the Position of Crown Prince, then let me die this instant without a burial ground, my soul scattering after death, never to enter reincarnation. But if anyone seeks to falsely accuse me, to trap me in a dead end, and refuses to acknowledge me as the Crown Prince," Xiao Qianyu sneered, his curse as ruthless as a blade, "then after my death, let this mortal realm suffer drought for three years, let rivers flow backward; let heaven and earth overturn, the realm change hands, and the dynasty bear another surname."

The moment his words fell, thunder rumbled endlessly through the sky, as though the gods of heaven and earth had all listened to his oath and jointly borne witness that the curse had taken effect.

The earth trembled. Everyone felt a chill seep into their souls, and some of the more timid began to cry in fright.

Prince Gong's knees buckled, and he crashed heavily to the ground. He stared at Xiao Qianyu in terror, muttering, "Madman. He's truly gone mad."

Such a venomous curse had completely bound together his own reputation, life, safety, and the fate of the nation.

If the curse took effect, then whoever caused Xiao Qianyu's death would have to bear the price of three years of drought, corpses of starving people strewn across a thousand miles, and a change of dynasty.

Who would dare bear such crushing karma? Who could bear it?

Even the emperor—could he withstand it?

The common people below were already terrified. Three years of drought, the realm changing hands—would that not mean an age of chaos?

No, they did not want that. Better be a dog in peaceful times than a person displaced by war. They only wanted to live peacefully and ordinarily; they did not want to starve, freeze, or endure the suffering of war.

They scrambled to declare their loyalty to Xiao Qianyu. "Crown Prince! His Highness the Crown Prince! We all believe you are the true Crown Prince. You have been wronged!"

"That's right! We recognize only you. Everyone else is fake—we recognize none of them! Crown Prince, you cannot die!"

"Whoever dares harm the Crown Prince is setting himself against everyone under heaven! Crown Prince, we will protect you! Whoever dares hurt you, touch even a single finger of yours, we'll kill him!" someone cried indignantly.

"It's all those officials' fault! They handled the case in utter confusion, let themselves be deceived, and wronged the Crown Prince. Let them die!" The crowd seethed with righteous fury.

"And who knows what that old emperor is thinking? He does not even believe his own son and insists on sending the Crown Prince to his death. He is no good emperor either."

The people were too frightened that the curse might come true and their lives might turn miserable. On their own, they began defending Xiao Qianyu, even daring to vent their resentment and blame upon the emperor.

Minister Wang Shangshu and several other officials lost all color from their faces and collapsed onto the ground. There were only two words in their minds: It's over.

Yet some were rejoicing, looking at Xiao Qianyu as though he were a lifeline. They were the survivors left behind after the original owner's forces had been purged.

The Crown Prince was real. Then their clans and relatives—scattered, dead, ruined—had been wronged too terribly.

They had hope.

Listening to the voices below and watching the countless faces of humanity, Xiao Qianyu passed over Minister Wang Shangshu and the others' miserable state. He wanted no one in this realm to ever dare question his identity again.

He wanted those who sought to put him to death to never again dare strike at him so casually.

He wanted to live freely and unrestrainedly, rather than exist as a supporting character—born as the protagonist's foil, dying in utter disgrace!

To ensure that the old emperor would no longer dare act rashly, that he would have to swallow even broken teeth with blood, Xiao Qianyu had to give him another unforgettable memento.

With that in mind, Xiao Qianyu narrowed his eyes and looked toward the imperial palace.

Prince Gong struggled to his feet. "Someone, help me up. I am going into the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty in person!"

The Crown Prince had truly changed. He was no longer the Crown Prince he used to be.

He had to personally persuade the emperor. He could not remain muddleheaded any longer. Before countless eyes, before all the people under heaven, the gods had issued a warning. If he still stubbornly refused to acknowledge the truth and insisted on killing Xiao Qianyu, he would be destroying the foundation left by their ancestors.

The realm of the Great Xi Dynasty did not belong to Emperor Yongchang alone. It belonged to every member of the Xiao imperial clan. Prince Gong could not stand by and watch the realm collapse like this.

Minister Wang Shangshu and the others had long since gone limp as mud, unable to face the hateful gazes of the people.

Could it truly be that they had been muddleheaded and deceived, judged the case wrongly, wronged the Crown Prince, and provoked heaven's fury, destabilizing the realm? They were sinners!

They truly deserved to die!

Within the imperial palace, Emperor Yongchang and his senior ministers had remained in Qianqing Hall, waiting for news that Xiao Qianyu had been executed.

Yet what did they receive? Heaven and earth had taken pity on Xiao Qianyu—June Snow.

The pure white snowflakes fell beneath the resplendent golden roofs of the imperial palace, onto golden bricks and jade stones, onto Emperor Yongchang's brows and lashes, chilling his heart completely.

It was too absurd. Could gods truly exist between heaven and earth?

But even if there were gods, he was the Son of Heaven by divine mandate, the true dragon emperor blessed by heaven. Why would the gods of this place not reveal themselves for him, yet display such a miracle for Xiao Qianyu?

Emperor Yongchang's head spun, darkness clouded his vision, and his body swayed despite himself.

"Your Majesty!"

The ministers stepped forward anxiously to show their concern. "Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"

Reports from the execution ground arrived one after another. Xiao Qianyu's every word and deed was relayed in meticulous detail. Emperor Yongchang listened with his heart pounding wildly, utterly dazed and bereft.

"Your Majesty, June Snow has fallen. Perhaps the Crown Prince truly was wronged. Please rescind your decree, restore the Crown Prince, clear his name, and soothe heaven's wrath!" At last, a minister stepped forward to remonstrate.