"I invite the Prince to begin his final journey..."
The voice, belonging to an elderly, beardless eunuch, croaked through the silent, somber hall, the grating tone intentionally drawn out.
The old eunuch gazed at the young man kneeling before him, who was draped in a dark red dragon robe, and wore an altogether inappropriate smirk. Until recently, this young man had been Prince Qing Zhao Yi, the Eighth Prince of the Dayong Dynasty.
Little did they know, the man now inhabiting his body was a different Zhao Yi, a man from another world. In that life, Zhao Yi had been a top-tier special agent who had retired thirty years early. Betrayed by his own people, he had chosen to perish with them, detonating a bomb. After the flash of fire faded, he opened his eyes to find himself in this world, reborn as the Prince Qing Zhao Yi, who had just been sentenced to death by the Emperor.
Once the shock wore off, Zhao Yi refused to sit back and wait for his end. He began to use his predecessor’s memories to make sense of his current plight.
The trouble had started at an imperial banquet a few days prior. The original Zhao Yi, in a drunken stupor, had allegedly molested Pei Yiqiu, the daughter of the Duke of Dingguo—a powerful official. This had caused Pei Yiqiu such grief and indignation that she threw herself into the lake and remained in a coma to this day. After the Emperor ordered him into house arrest for a few days, the imperial decree for his execution had arrived.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yi frowned. He felt there was something deeply suspicious about the whole affair. In the memories of his predecessor, there was no record of molesting Pei Yiqiu—perhaps due to a drunken blackout. But even then, even if his predecessor had truly molested her, he shouldn't have been sentenced to death. This was a feudal dynasty; the idea that the Son of Heaven would be punished the same as a commoner was nonexistent. As an imperial prince, unless he committed the grave crime of treason, it was impossible for him to be executed so easily.
The more he thought, the more he felt something was wrong. Zhao Yi looked up, his gaze catching the faint, lingering smirk on the eunuch's lips. His eyes narrowed.
He then calmly shifted his gaze to the right. Standing proudly was a tall, imposing military officer. He was clad in armor, his left hand gripping the hilt of his sword, his tiger-like eyes burning with cold, murderous intent beneath arched brows. From his predecessor’s memories, Zhao Yi identified the man: he was Pei Hong, the second brother of Pei Yiqiu and a Left Thousand-House Commander in the City Guard Battalion.
*No wonder he has such killing intent,* he thought.
As that realization hit him, a spark of clarity flashed through Zhao Yi's mind, and he furrowed his brow. Why was Pei Hong here? Under normal circumstances, delivering an imperial decree was the duty of the Imperial Palace guards; there was no reason for someone from the City Guard Battalion to intervene.
With this thought, Zhao Yi's mind raced. Moments later, his eyes brightened as he grasped the key to the mystery amidst the chaotic web of thoughts.
The old eunuch, growing impatient, urged him with a snide tone: "Prince, the Emperor is waiting for me to report back!"
Zhao Yi snapped back to reality and shot a sidelong glance at the eunuch. *Damn eunuch!*
Swearing internally, Zhao Yi stood up slowly. In those few seconds, he had already formulated several plans to deal with the situation. Discarding the inferior options, he made his move. He darted forward, rushed to the eunuch’s side, hooked his left arm around the man's neck from behind, and used his right hand to pluck a jade pin from his own hair, pressing it firmly against the eunuch’s throat.
The sudden shift caught everyone off guard. A young attendant holding a tray nearby was so startled that he instinctively stepped back, his hands shaking in his panic, causing the lid of the imperial wine vessel to clatter onto the tray. The attendant was drenched in a cold sweat.
"How bold, Zhao Yi! You dare to defy the imperial decree!"
After a brief moment of shock, Pei Hong pointed his sword at Zhao Yi and barked a stern rebuke. The four guards behind him immediately closed in, hands on their hilts, ready to strike. The tension in the room turned explosive.
Zhao Yi looked at Pei Hong and spoke calmly: "Commander Pei, tell them all to leave. I have something to say to you."
Pei Hong remained unmoved, his chin tilted high, his voice booming: "Zhao Yi, the decree has been issued. There is nothing you can do to change your fate. Release Grandpa Gao and surrender!"
As he finished speaking, he drew his sword with a *shing*. Although he only pulled it half a foot from the sheath, the murderous intent was palpable.
*Fool!* Zhao Yi cursed under his breath and applied a little more pressure with the jade pin against the eunuch's throat.
"Commander Pei, tell everyone to get out, or I’ll send Grandpa Gao to see the King of Hell first."
"Don't... oh, please don't... Your Highness..." Before Pei Hong could react, Grandpa Gao, with a miserable expression, began frantically signaling to him. "Commander Pei, hurry and tell them to leave!"
Pei Hong frowned, staring daggers at Zhao Yi, torn by indecision.
Zhao Yi’s eyes darkened, and he pressed down harder. Grandpa Gao cried out in pain, and a faint scent of blood soon filled the air.
Grandpa Gao panicked, terrified to the core, and shrieked: "Commander Pei, if anything happens to me, the Emperor will surely hold you responsible for failing to protect me!"
Hearing this, Pei Hong hesitated for a moment before biting his teeth together. With a flick of his wrist, he slid his sword back into its sheath and waved his hand: "All of you, out."
After the guards and the attendant retreated and shut the doors, only the three of them remained in the hall. Pei Hong looked at Zhao Yi with a haughty, disdainful expression: "Whatever you want to say, say it quickly!"
"Heh!" Zhao Yi let out a cold laugh, giving Pei Hong a look of pity for the intellectually challenged, and dropped a bombshell: "Pei Hong, your Pei family is on the brink of disaster, and yet you stand here reveling in your triumph! You truly are an utter fool!"
Veins bulged on Pei Hong's forehead, and he glared: "Zhao Yi, it is you who is facing disaster! Cease your babbling!"
Zhao Yi shook his head. "Pei Hong, have you considered why the Emperor sent a Left Thousand-House Commander of the City Guard Battalion to accompany the delivery of this decree?"
At these words, Pei Hong’s gaze flickered. It was indeed highly irregular. But he quickly rationalized it, cupping his hands toward the direction of the Imperial City. "It is because the Emperor pities my Pei family and allowed me to personally ensure you reach your end!"
"Fool!" Zhao Yi retorted mercilessly.
Under Pei Hong’s burning gaze, Zhao Yi continued: "What merit does your Pei family have to warrant the Emperor executing an imperial prince just for you?"
Pei Hong’s heart tightened. It was true; the Emperor would not logically execute a prince just because a court official’s daughter had been molested. But on second thought, their family held a status far above ordinary officials. And then... Pei Hong looked at Zhao Yi, suddenly realizing the implication.
Putting on a confident front, Pei Hong declared firmly: "Though my Pei family are subjects, we hold two dukedoms and possess great merit. We are the pillars of the state, favored by imperial grace. And you..."
Pei Hong’s lips curled into a sneer. "Though you are an imperial prince, you are unlearned and rely on your status to bully others. The Emperor’s heart is wise and impartial. What is wrong with him executing you?"
"Hahaha..."
Zhao Yi shook his head, his laughter filled with mockery. "Pei Hong, do you believe that if I die today, someone will soon submit a memorial claiming your Pei family insulted their superiors and forced a prince to his death? Just imagine what the fate of your Pei family will be then!"