At the beginning of the Hour of the Snake, Jia Huan headed to the western side of the Forbidden City.
He followed the long palace wall all the way to the Ancestral Hall.
Wisps of incense smoke curled through the dim hall.
Emperor Jingde sat beside a window in the Inner Hall, gazing at the scenery outside. At the sound of footsteps, he abruptly turned around, his face twitching uncontrollably into a hideous grimace, his eyes flooding with bitter hatred.
Jia Huan ignored him and approached the bronze doors. Below lay the damaged, depleted dragon vein, where two figures sat cross-legged in meditation.
"Greetings, Regent King!" Crane Daoist rose and bowed.
The other, a middle-aged man whose build resembled the Former Emperor's, was equally respectful.
Jia Huan asked quietly:
"Are you ready?"
The middle-aged man nodded firmly.
Jia Huan returned to the Inner Hall. First, he burned incense before the portraits of Great Qian's emperors, then offered a cup of yellow wine to the Retired Emperor's portrait, his gaze deep and solemn.
At this sight, Emperor Jingde's eyes nearly split with fury. He sneered viciously:
"You foul, stinking beast, what are you pretending for? Do you think a show of respect can conceal your towering crimes?"
"You murdered the empress, imprisoned the emperor, and usurped power-a lapdog climbing onto his master's head! History will judge you, you bastard whose crimes could not be recorded on every bamboo strip in existence!"
Expressionless, Jia Huan finished offering incense, turned, stepped forward, and swung his arm.
Boom!
Emperor Jingde slammed into the wall, blood streaming all over him. His broken ribs drew a ragged, desperate scream from his throat. He struggled to his feet and glared furiously.
"Venting your anger and anxiety on me? Do you think I don't know? Over a million