Take Your Head, Let Blood Flow Like a River

"I never expected the Junior Guardian to have heard of my humble name as well. It is truly the greatest honor." Deng Ping spoke with a trace of excitement, his smile radiant.

"It truly calls for a great cup of wine."

The sword-drawn, bow-bent tension immediately eased.

Wang Shi'an stood to one side. Seeing Deng Ping chatting so pleasantly with you, he could barely contain his fury. His face had already flushed red, and his hands trembled.

Seeing this, Yu Chen quietly reached out and gently tugged Wang Shi'an, his eyes full of warning as he subtly shook his head.

This man came from a distinguished family and was fairly upright in character. How could he lose his composure at such a crucial moment, especially amid such a shifting storm of winds and clouds?

Yu Chen's heart, too, was shrouded in mist. The situation before him was impossible to read.

Deng Ping had the Jiangnan Noble Clans behind him, and he and this unfathomable Junior Guardian seemed to have silently reached some kind of understanding. Undercurrents surged beneath the surface.

The Junior Guardian's entry into Kyoto was far more complicated than it appeared.

Within Kyoto, rumors flew everywhere. Letters hidden in fish bellies and the strange phenomenon of Heaven-Dropped Stone Stele all proclaimed Lu Chen's towering ambitions, his treasonous heart laid bare for all to see.

Memorials from the Censorate fluttered down like snowflakes, piling into mountains, all aimed directly at Lu Chen.

It seemed a tempest was bearing down on Lu Chen.

The Grand Empress Dowager, the Son of Heaven, and even Kyoto's Jiangnan Noble Clans all seemed to have been drawn into a carefully arranged game of chess.

The Grand Empress Dowager and the Son of Heaven wished to rid themselves of Lu Chen without delay, yet the