The imperial consorts, princes, princesses, and imperial grandchildren lay quietly on the ground.
Their faces were filled with despair, confusion, and incomprehension in death.
They did not understand why they had to die.
Even those born of imperial blood were now like pigs in a slaughterhouse, dying without meaning. If they were needed to die, then they had to die.
Emperor Kuntai looked at the corpses covering the ground, a trace of madness flashing through his eyes. He picked up the wine cup before him and drained it in one gulp.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His crazed laughter resounded through the entire imperial garden. Emperor Kuntai seemed to have gone mad, his face wreathed in a frenzied smile.
He rose to his feet and walked step by step to the eldest prince's head.
He slowly crouched down, picked up the eldest prince's head, and carried it over to his body.
He placed the head back where it belonged, then pieced his lower body back together.
He gently reached out and closed the eldest prince's eyes, straightening his appearance. A trace of nostalgia appeared on his face.
"Kang'er, I still remember the first time I held you."
"You were so tiny, like a little animal."
"The moment I held you, you stopped crying. You smiled so happily—your Imperial Father was truly delighted."
"Do not blame your Imperial Father. Great Tang's three-hundred-year foundation must never be severed in my hands."
"This was a trap laid long ago, one no one can escape. Three hundred years of preparation, and there is only this one chance."
"We have enjoyed three hundred years of wealth and glory. This is the price we must pay."
As Emperor Kuntai spoke, he rose to his feet and slowly walked over to the Empress.
The Empress likewise lay on the ground with