A Storm Over the Crown (Six)

Jian Shang was stubborn, but he was no fool. He understood one thing perfectly!

When everyone thought you were wrong and only you believed you had done nothing wrong, something had to be wrong with your thinking. At the very least, you were the one out of step. Why else would everyone disagree with you?

People came in countless varieties, and there were hundreds of millions of them. Surely some shared your temperament and outlook. If they all thought you had made a mistake, what reason did you have to insist that everyone else was the problem?!

"Was I wrong? Was I really wrong? Why has everyone turned against me?"

Jian Shang braced himself against the desk, his body trembling. A chill ran through him. He closed his eyes and muttered in bewilderment and pain.

"My lord?! My lord?!"

Since she had begun following Jian Shang, Qi Ji had never seen him so shaken, frightened, and lost. She cried out to him in alarm.

Qi Ji knew his reaction had something to do with Gao Hong's report.

But she could not understand what about the situation—or what thought had crossed Jian Shang's mind—could have shaken him so badly.

He was founding a state and proclaiming himself king. Was it so strange that millions had flocked here to take part? With King Wuhuan's prestige and renown, even tens of millions turning up would hardly have been a surprise.

Was it really enough to cause this?

Bang...

Gao Hong and the Ravenous Wolf Guards were just outside. They heard Qi Ji's panic in her voice, exchanged a glance, and smashed through the door.

They knew Qi Ji had entered their lord's study and that the two had been alone. It had been nothing unusual for their lord to keep them outside while