Xu Qingye did not know why the Prince Regent, Xie Yun, was here. Nor did he understand why the little emperor remained so composed in the face of such danger—and even dared call the Prince Regent darling. All he knew was that they had just fought desperately against assassins and had few guards left, while the Prince Regent commanded elite Black Armor Guards. They would surely lose this fight.
Without hesitation, he shouted, “The Prince Regent has long been renowned for loyalty to sovereign and country! Why commit treason today? Do you not fear the ruin of your reputation?”
“Loyalty to sovereign and country?” Xie Yun looked down at him coldly, his voice calm and mocking. “Even I was unaware I had ever enjoyed such a fine reputation. Where did you hear it, Heir Xu?”
“From General Li Cheng’an, commander-in-chief of Xuanliao!”
“…”
Only then did Xie Yun truly look at him. “You know General Li?”
“He is my master.” Xu Qingye met his gaze without flinching. “General Li said the entire Xie family were heroes, and that you, Prince Regent, were once a great hero who swore to resist the Hu invaders to the death.”
“And what did being a family of heroes achieve? What did being a great hero achieve?” Cen Huan glanced at Song Liang and sneered. “How did the imperial house of Chen treat the Xie clan and our prince?”
Xu Qingye faltered. Years ago, the Xie clan had been accused of treason and sentenced to execution. Even after Xie Yun surrendered the Northern Pacification Army’s tiger tally, he had nearly died on the frontier. All of it had stemmed from the late emperor’s selfish motives. Everyone knew, yet not a single official at court had dared speak—such was an emperor’s authority.
From the scion of a loyal, heroic family to a man condemned for treacherous ambition, Xie Yun had earned the world’s contempt. But knowing the truth, Xu Qingye could not utter a single word of condemnation.
While he wrestled with his thoughts, Xie Yun spoke again. “The Duke of Wei and I have some acquaintance. For his sake, I shall give you a chance.”
“Kill the person behind you for me, and I will overlook your participation in Lady Qin’s treason. What do you say?”
“…”
Xu Qingye’s expression changed drastically. “Your Highness—”
“What is it?” Xie Yun regarded him indifferently. “Can’t bear to do it?”
Xu Qingye gritted his teeth. “Your Highness is forcing me to commit regicide. If I truly did such a thing to save myself, then even if you spared me, the Duke of Wei’s household would have no place for me.”
Xie Yun was silent for a moment before saying coldly, “Leave within three breaths, and I will not pursue your offense. Otherwise—”
“Otherwise, he’ll kill both you and me, blame Lady Qin for our deaths, then eliminate her for regicide and usurp the throne. But you should understand, Heir Xu: an act of such treason cannot leave any witnesses alive. If Xie Yun intends to become emperor, you and the Duke of Wei’s household are loose ends he must eliminate.”
Song Liang interrupted him and looked toward Xie Yun provocatively, an ambiguous smile on his lips. “Am I right, Your Highness?”
They stared at one another, and silence fell.
After a moment, Xie Yun spoke first. “You need not trust me. But you stand to gain nothing by insisting on remaining here.”
“Nothing?” Song Liang clapped Xu Qingye on the shoulder. “I am the emperor. If I win today, I will richly reward both you and the Duke of Wei!”
“Reward?” Xie Yun gave a quiet scoff. “With what appointment? A personal bodyguard?”
The emperor currently controlled only the Twelve Guards, not the great powers of government. Any rewards he could offer would amount to empty titles, of little use to a ducal household and its heir.
Song Liang looked at him expressionlessly and replied, “I’ll make him empress.”
Cen Huan: “…”
Xu Qingye: “…”
Too astonished to help himself, Xu Qingye turned toward Song Liang, wanting to ask whether he was serious. Before he could, a freezing command sounded from above—
“Seize them all!”
“…”
Xu Qingye froze. Seize them all? All of them? Hadn’t he just been offered his freedom? How had everything changed so suddenly?
“Your Highness—”
He tried to say more, but the man behind him had already charged forward with his blade, shouting, “Why waste words with him, Heir Xu? Hurry up and help me capture him!”
Xu Qingye could have cursed aloud. Even a fool could see that the little emperor had targeted him from the beginning. Having failed to recruit him, he had deliberately accompanied him this morning to drag him into this mess!
Cursing inwardly, Xu Qingye drew his blade and charged as well.
Song Liang had eyes only for Xie Yun. Rushing forward, he seized the reins and launched himself into a flying side kick at the man in the saddle. Xie Yun raised an arm to block, then caught his ankle.
Without hesitation, Song Liang kicked out with his left foot. Xie Yun tilted his head aside, but Song Liang used the leverage of his legs to arch himself up onto the horse and slash straight across his face.
Xie Yun’s expression sharpened. He leaned back to evade the blade, only for Song Liang to kick him squarely in the chest. Although he brought his saber across to block, the force still knocked him from the saddle.
Looking up, he found Song Liang crouching on the horse’s back, blade in hand, smiling with untamed arrogance.
“Getting old, Prince Regent? Even your reactions have slowed. How will you usurp my throne like this?”
Xie Yun’s expression turned cold. He slashed at the horse’s leg. The animal screamed and reared, throwing Song Liang off. Song Liang rolled with the momentum and landed on the ground, just as Xie Yun thrust his blade toward him.
Song Liang turned his blade across to block. Xie Yun abruptly advanced two steps and pressed down hard, forcing him back several paces. Only by gripping the hilt with both hands and bracing his feet against the ground did Song Liang steady himself.
“You think having Xu Qingye means you can win?” Xie Yun stared coldly at the young man across their blades, his voice vicious and low. “Or are you relying on those few Night Owls Helan Ze gave you?”
Song Liang gritted his teeth with effort, yet his expression remained perfectly composed. “I’m simply too charming. They insist on helping me. What can I do?”
“…”
Xie Yun’s gaze grew colder still, like fire encased in ice, fixed heavily upon him.
Song Liang looked back. Beyond their sharp blades, those green eyes were cold and shadowed, as though revealing their true nature to him for the first time. After studying them for a moment, he suddenly kicked toward Xie Yun’s chest.
Xie Yun’s expression shifted. He had not expected Song Liang to have the strength to counterattack and immediately retreated. But Song Liang gave no ground. He sprang into the air and brought his blade down.
As Xie Yun looked up into the sunlight overhead, his green eyes briefly lost focus. Only when the blade reached his face did he block it. He had already lost the initiative, however, and the blade was driven hard against his left shoulder, sinking into flesh.
The scent of blood spread between them. They strained against one another, neither willing to retreat a single step, each seemingly determined to fight to the death.
Watching from afar, Xu Qingye was alarmed. He had never imagined the little emperor could truly fight Xie Yun to a standstill. Indeed, Xie Yun seemed almost overshadowed by him. That ruthless ferocity was enough to frighten even Xu Qingye, a mere onlooker, let alone the man facing it.
“Are you this distracted when fighting the Hu on the frontier, Heir Xu?”
The teasing voice snapped Xu Qingye back to his senses, but a kick had already sent him sprawling facedown. His organs felt as though they had been knocked out of place. In such pain that he could only open his mouth without speaking, he looked up to find Cen Huan smiling down at him contemptuously, apparently waiting for him to rise.
Xu Qingye was about to get up when a black speck shot from the forest at the edge of his vision. He froze, then his expression changed sharply. Turning toward its target, he shouted, “Your Majesty, look out!”
Song Liang merely lifted his eyelids, then kicked at Xie Yun again.
“…”
This time, the kick landed. His face darkening, Xie Yun clutched his chest and staggered backward. As he started to look up, he saw a black-fletched arrow skim past Song Liang’s shoulder.
His gaze stilled as realization struck. Before he could react, however, the attacker in hiding seemed to lose patience with Song Liang and sent a rapid succession of arrows toward him.
Song Liang dodged them one after another, unaware that the earth beneath his feet was cracking and loosening. Moments later, the rocks embedded in the soil at the cliff’s edge suddenly broke away.
Song Liang froze as the ground vanished beneath him, and he plunged over the edge.
Xie Yun sprang forward and caught him. In the next instant, another arrow came from behind and pierced his chest. His body shuddered, and both men fell over the cliff.
“Your Majesty—”
“Your Highness!”
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