Prince Qi stood in armor, his hair loose. At this moment, the rare morning light streamed in and revealed him. In a single night, he seemed to have grown somewhat haggard, his cheekbones jutting sharply, though his expression remained fairly calm. He merely seemed thirsty, licking his slightly cracked lips.
"Bring some wine!" Su Ziji ordered upon seeing this.
Naturally, the hall lacked nothing. Palace maids swiftly presented a silver ewer and golden cups, then swiftly withdrew.
Prince Qi was not afraid of poisoned wine in the slightest. He poured himself a cup and gulped it down before asking:
"I launched this in haste. Perhaps Father Emperor knew something of it. But how did you suddenly arrive here? Could it be that everything was within your predictions..."
Though he did not know the process, retracing it afterward made it clear: descending from the sky at precisely the right moment in the space of half a night was itself the greatest question.
Su Ziji nodded, yet did not admit it. He merely said, "This was Heaven's Mandate!"
"Heaven's Mandate?" Prince Qi murmured in a weary voice. The sunlight shining down on him through the dragon-and-phoenix-painted caisson skylight seemed unable to bring him even the slightest warmth. A moment later, he gave a soundless laugh.
"Perhaps it was Heaven's Mandate, yet it was still human design."
"Ji Zizong, I never imagined you possessed such stratagems. Father Emperor was an emperor seen perhaps once in several centuries, yet you played both Father Emperor and me in the palm of your hand. Even in the annals of history, such a thing had never been heard of."
Su Ziji's brows rose slightly.
"Back then, Elder Brother actually entrusted this force of armored soldiers to you. No wonder, no wonder." Prince Qi looked around him. "I