IDWBE -Chapter 406 Determination

The leader of the scholarly world, the head of the literary circle—was that truly so impressive?

He had provoked him again and again, and yet he could not be killed!

Chen Desheng said gravely, “Your Highness now commands the lands of Shenzhou. When you issue an order, none dare disobey. If Your Highness orders Qi Yong to die, he cannot refuse. Qi Yong’s death is a small matter. Your Highness’s reputation is the greater one. If Qi Yong dies but Your Highness’s good name is harmed as a result, the loss outweighs the gain.”

“Reputation? Have I ever cared about that?”

Lin Yi laughed. “What good reputation could I possibly have? Besides, Qi Yong is practically guilty of treason. If I kill him, isn’t that perfectly justified? What’s wrong with it? Just because these people control public opinion—turning black into white and white into black—I must bow to them? If tomorrow someone shouts, ‘Great Liang shall rise, King Qi Yong!’ must I then tremble in fear and lose sleep?”

Since his rebirth, he had seen firsthand what these scholars were capable of.

They fabricated rhymes and rumors, spreading them through brothels, teahouses, taverns, opera stages, and academies—swiftly turning anything they disliked into scandal.

An old trick, practiced since ancient times.

“Your Highness!”

Chen Desheng hurriedly said, frightened. “This old minister meant no such thing. Please understand!”

“If I compromise this time,” Lin Yi said coldly, “then I will have to compromise again in the future. Issue the order: Qi Yong committed treason. He is to be executed at the Meridian Gate at noon—his head displayed as a warning to others!”

If he spared Qi Yong today, wouldn’t anyone be able to trample over him tomorrow?

Chen Desheng and He Jixiang exchanged glances and nodded helplessly. “We obey the decree.”

Lin Yi added quietly,

“Let the sparrows chatter if they wish; there are still ten thousand miles of sky above.”

“Your Highness is wise!”

They were astonished he could utter such a line.

It was fine poetry—expressing ambition through metaphor.

But it hardly suited him. Though not yet formally enthroned, he already ruled the realm. He was hardly a man lying low; he stood high in the heavens already.

Who dared look down on him?

After a pause, Lin Yi asked, “Tang Yi understands the Eldest Princess as well as you do. Is he perhaps a cousin of Tang Xun?”

—

At noon, the sky was clear. By late afternoon, the weather changed suddenly—first a torrential downpour, then a fine drizzle.

Yu Xiaoshi stood in a forest holding a hammer, listening carefully. After a long silence, he muttered, “That bastard escaped.”

“She’s still here,” A-Dai shook his head. “I can smell her.”

“You have a dog’s nose?” Yu Xiaoshi scoffed.

The night before, assassins had been discovered near the Imperial Academy.

Qi Yong was captured, but a Grandmaster and two Ninth-Rank experts escaped.

The Grandmaster was pursued by the Blind Man. One Ninth-Rank was chased by Ye Qiu. The last one had been pursued by Yu Xiaoshi and A-Dai all the way here.

“She’s a woman,” A-Dai said with certainty. “Smells nice.”

He sniffed the air and walked deeper into the forest, Yu Xiaoshi following closely.

At the base of a towering ancient tree, A-Dai suddenly smashed his hammer into the thick layer of fallen leaves.

Just before the hammer struck, a figure burst from the leaves, a sinister blade thrusting toward A-Dai’s chest.

In that split second, A-Dai neither retreated nor dodged. His hammer continued downward toward the attacker’s head.

Strangely, though she struck first, his hammer reached her first.

She had no choice but to withdraw her blade and leap back.

A-Dai grinned at Yu Xiaoshi, who had already moved behind the woman. “The Blind Man was right. If my hammer is fast enough, no one can kill me.”

Yu Xiaoshi nodded eagerly. “I’ll try too!”

He swung his hammer at her back.

Without turning, the woman sprang onto a tree branch, holding her sword. “You’ve chased me far enough. Isn’t that enough?”

“A woman!” A-Dai said excitedly. “I was right!”

“Come down,” Yu Xiaoshi called. “We don’t hit women. Come with us.”

“So you really are two fools,” she laughed softly, removing her veil. “Then why not let me go?”

“The Blind Man said,” Yu Xiaoshi muttered, “if we can’t capture them, kill them. I’m hungry.”

A-Dai nodded vigorously. “Me too.”

“Then let’s finish quickly and go eat.”

Since they would leave no survivors, Yu Xiaoshi leapt into the air with full force, hammer crashing down.

The woman tried to dodge left—only to see A-Dai’s hammer coming from that direction.

Too late.

Caught between two massive hammers, she could not even cry out before collapsing to the ground.

“In… impossible…”

Blood trickled from her lips. She pointed at them, disbelief in her eyes, and died without closing them.

Yu Xiaoshi sighed. “I promised my wife I wouldn’t kill casually.”

“Body… body…” A-Dai reminded him.

Yu Xiaoshi hoisted the corpse over his shoulder, blood soaking his back, and the two left the forest.

—

By sunset, everyone knew Qi Yong would be executed.

Before the Meridian Gate, a sea of people gathered.

Capital troops formed a human wall, preventing anyone—especially the weeping scholars—from advancing.

“Would they cry this hard if their own parents died?” Cao Xiaohuan muttered coldly.

Jiao Zhong sighed. “They’ve waited since noon. No one’s coming to rescue him. Let’s finish it—I need to report back.”

“Mind your own business,” Cao Xiaohuan snapped.

At last, the blade fell.

—

After dinner, Lin Yi received word that Qi Yong had been beheaded.

“Anyone who dares defend Qi Yong—show no mercy,” he said fiercely.

If Qin Shihuang dared burn books and bury scholars alive, why couldn’t he?

As long as he held the army firmly, no one could challenge him.

Chen Desheng still looked worried. “Your Highness… the hearts of the people—”

“Don’t talk to me about hearts,” Lin Yi interrupted. “I’ve seen clearly now. If you aren’t ruthless, you can’t stand firm. Spoil them any further and they’ll forget their own names.”

After they left, an imperial physician arrived.

Lin Yi personally escorted him to the side chamber.

Behind a curtain, the physician took Hu Miaoyi’s pulse.

Lin Yi frowned. He had received modern scientific education; he did not believe one could diagnose everything from a wrist. Unable to resist, he lifted the curtain.

The physician immediately dropped to his knees, trembling.

“Stand up!” Lin Yi barked.

“I dare not!”

“Escort him out,” Lin Yi said helplessly. “Summon Hu Shilu instead.”

—

Later that night, Hu Shilu arrived—but sent his female disciple in his place.

Lin Yi stared at her for a long moment.

Am I truly so terrifying?

After she left, he sat beside Hu Miaoyi and gently placed his hand on her growing belly.

For the first time, he felt the mystery of life.

“Your Highness,” Hu Miaoyi said softly, “if I cannot bear a son… I deserve death.”

She understood clearly.

Her pregnancy was political necessity. The prince needed an heir; the court needed reassurance.

But only a son would suffice.

“If it’s a daughter,” Lin Yi said with a smile, “she will be the coolest empress in the world—because she is my daughter.”

A empress?

Those nearby were startled.

Lin Yi continued gently, “Rest and nourish yourself. Whatever the child is, it is my flesh and blood. I will not let her suffer.”

Later, lying in the garden beneath the bright moon, he suddenly felt disoriented.

How was he suddenly about to become a father?

The Blind Man appeared behind him.

“All of Qi Yong’s remaining accomplices have been eliminated.”

“Good,” Lin Yi said calmly. “Only the dead don’t make noise.”

“The Jizhao Convent has repeatedly obstructed Your Highness. It must be removed.”

“If you could defeat them, would I need to endure?” Lin Yi replied dryly.

After a pause, he added, “And about Hong An—you know her feelings. Even A-Dai can see it. Don’t keep pretending. Give her a clear answer.”

The Blind Man was silent for a long time. “I am blind.”

“Your eyes are blind, not your heart,” Lin Yi said lightly. “You are proud—don’t act pitiful before me.”

The Blind Man smiled faintly.

“Don’t hurt her,” Lin Yi continued. “She’s had enough hardship. If you wrong her, I won’t forgive you.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

That night, beneath the bright moon, Lin Yi drifted into sleep—unaware that time was passing quickly, and that the women beside him were no longer young.