The Royal Capital.
The imperial palace.
Chengde Hall.
Chengde Hall was the palace of the third prince, Ji Mingyu.
At that moment, ranks of gold-armored imperial guards had surrounded it.
Their blades were already drawn.
Under the rising morning sun, the gleaming blades reflected a chilling light.
Ji Mingyu, clad in thin nightclothes and still without his splendid robes or armor, gripped a longsword tightly.
Veins bulged on his hand, and his sword tip trembled slightly, reflecting the cold ranks of weapons before him.
"Fifth Brother, you dare murder your elder brother?!" Ji Mingyu shouted, his eyes bloodshot with incredulous fury.
Meanwhile.
Ji Mingyuan wore a purple flood-dragon robe, his hair secured beneath a jade crown, his expression so calm it bordered on indifference.
He slowly took two steps forward, and the gold-armored imperial guards parted to make way for him.
"Third Brother," Ji Mingyuan began, his clear voice carrying an iron resolve, "what happens today is not brothers slaughtering one another. It is a choice made for the realm."
"The realm?" Ji Mingyu laughed in his fury. "You lead troops to surround my chambers and point your blades at your elder brother, and you call that serving the realm?!"
Ji Mingyuan shook his head slightly. A trace of complicated emotion crossed his eyes before they hardened again. "Third Brother, do you remember what the Martial Saint said before leaving the Supreme Ultimate Hall yesterday?"
Ji Mingyu tightened his grip on his sword.
"The Martial Saint said that choosing the heir to the throne was the court's business, and he could not be bothered with it." Ji Mingyuan spoke each word distinctly, as though pronouncing a verdict already decided. "Since court ended yesterday, I have turned those words over in my mind, again and again."
He raised his eyes toward