Emperor Xue Ye's Performance

"Hen'er, it's you, isn't it? I am your uncle, Emperor Xue Ye, Hen'er!" Emperor Xue Ye gripped Xue Hen's arm with both hands, his eyes filled with kindness as he shouted in extreme agitation.

This commotion drew the attention of the onlookers nearby. Some recognized Emperor Xue Ye, while others realized his identity through his attire. They immediately bowed and knelt on the ground, heads lowered, shouting, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Those who had not recognized Emperor Xue Ye were shocked by the shouts of the crowd.

Y-Your Majesty?

They looked at Emperor Xue Ye with suspicious eyes, then widened them as they connected the dots or became convinced of who he was. One after another, they knelt down and joined the others in their cries.

In the end, the entire Imperial Ancestral Temple was filled with kneeling figures, save for Emperor Xue Ye and Xue Hen. Even the guards who had run out from the back with the Emperor were on their knees.

"Hen'er, your father and I are cousins; I am your uncle. You have suffered all these years. It is all my fault for not taking better care of you, for being deceived by your heartless father for so long. He even submitted a memorial claiming you were unfilial, but in my eyes, it is he who is unfilial! He drove the Qilin child of my Xue family out of the house. He has failed his ancestors above and the nation below!"

"Child, I will stand up for you. I have already issued an imperial decree to rebuke Kundera, and your name has been re-inscribed in the imperial genealogy as the heir to the Balaque Kingdom. Child, since you have come to Heaven Dou City, why not stay? Let me, your uncle, make amends for your father's actions, will you?" Ignoring those kneeling, Emperor Xue Ye rattled off a string of words while clutching Xue Hen, leaving everyone stunned.

This was... a bit too enthusiastic, wasn't it?

Just as he had guessed someone was waiting for him here, he hadn't expected it to be Emperor Xue Ye himself. He had anticipated that the Emperor would try his best to win him over and recruit him into his camp, but for a sovereign of a nation to be this fervent was truly beyond his expectations.

It seems the pressure from Martial Soul Hall is still too great for him. When reading the novel, that feeling wasn't clear, but now, he could truly sense it.

"So it is the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire in the flesh." Xue Hen pulled his arm from the Emperor's grasp and reached up to his mask, slowly peeling it away to reveal the handsome face hidden beneath.

His brows and eyes were exquisitely formed, his skin fair, and his expression calm, radiating an aura that suggested he would remain unperturbed even if the heavens collapsed and the earth split.

"But you have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Jian Hen, not Xue Hen," Xue Hen said to Emperor Xue Ye indifferently.

He then glanced at the spirit tablet of the Wang family: "By restoring my mother's status as Queen and opening the Imperial Ancestral Temple to lure me out, your scheme was not exactly subtle, Your Majesty. Many could guess it, myself included. I just did not expect you to stand guard here personally."

This face...

It is him, it really is him, my good nephew!

Emperor Xue Ye grew even more agitated. He hurriedly said to Xue Hen, "I wanted to draw you out, yes, but only to see you and persuade you to come home. This is not some conspiracy; if people guessed it, so be it. What does it matter?!"

Xue Hen: "..."

"Child, I understand that you have anger, perhaps even hatred, toward your father, but you must never say you do not carry the name Xue. You must know that the blood of the Heaven Dou imperial family flows through your veins, and that can never be erased. Your 'Xue' does not come from your father, but from your grandfather, your great-grandfather, your great-great-grandfather... it comes from the founding monarch of our Heaven Dou Empire! Even if Kundera drove you out, that was only his immediate household. The Xue family, the great family of the Heaven Dou imperial clan, will always be your family!" Emperor Xue Ye reached out to grab Xue Hen again, his face full of sincerity.

"..." This guy, is he always this eloquent?

"Child, you were young then, but as you grew, you must have heard that when you were born, your grandfather was already gravely ill, yet he forced himself to hold a lavish birthday banquet for you! Your name, Xue Hen, was chosen by your grandfather himself. Think about it: Kundera is Kundera, and your grandfather is your grandfather. Your name was not chosen by Kundera, so why abandon it because of him? You are royalty, a noble heir of the Heaven Dou imperial clan. Would you really cast aside your honor and your kin?"

"Your Majesty, I have no kin." Xue Hen took a deep breath and pulled his arm away from the Emperor's grasp once more.

This won't do; this guy is too enthusiastic and seems quite skilled at brainwashing. Unfortunately, I have no memory of any grandfather, and this is the first time I've heard that he was the one who named me Xue Hen.

As for the birthday banquet, what king wouldn't throw a feast for the birth of a child? What does that prove?

"I am your kin! I am your uncle, Hen'er!" Emperor Xue Ye shouted emotionally.

"You must not deny me!"

"If you do not acknowledge me, then... then what face will I have to meet your grandfather or my respected imperial uncle after I die!"

With that, Emperor Xue Ye suddenly threw his head back, pounded his chest, and began to wail loudly.

"Imperial Uncle, your nephew has failed you! I could not take care of your grandson, I have failed you!"

Whoosh! Seeing this, Xue Hen 'hurriedly' took a step back, turned, and transformed into a streak of sword light, passing through the gates of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and vanishing from sight.

"Hm?" His good nephew had suddenly disappeared. The tear-streaked Emperor Xue Ye stopped his wailing abruptly, blinked, and stood there in a daze.

"Your Majesty, the Prince has left," the captain of the guards who had accompanied him stepped forward to remind him.

"I know." Emperor Xue Ye regained his composure, wiped the sorrow from his face with his sleeve, and assumed a majestic expression. "He is resisting, but he still holds some respect for me. I called him Hen'er, and though he insisted his name was Jian Hen, he did not fly into a rage. This shows he has never forgotten the name 'Xue Hen'; he just needs a way down and time to think. Give him time. My nephew will not run away. I am confident!"

Through this encounter, Emperor Xue Ye felt at least seventy percent certain he could successfully win Xue Hen over.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Hearing this, the captain of the guards bowed his head in salute.

Elsewhere, Xue Hen, having removed his mask, walked through the city.

Because of the Sky Screen, everyone on the continent knew his face. As he strolled openly through the streets, the citizens nearby widened their eyes in excitement. Some even covered their mouths, struggling to keep from screaming out loud.

His Excellency Xue Hen, the living His Excellency Xue Hen!