In the Empress’ Residence!

The empress was laying unconsciously on the bed while Wang Ke and the Qing Emperor, Zhu Yan, sat by the table nearby.

The two were like old friends who had finally met again.

“You left more than a decade ago. I thought you were already dead!” Zhu Yan said coldly.

But Wang Ke glared at Zhu Yan. “Ha, I would have died if I didn’t leave quick enough!”

“Back then? Why would there be a need to escape if you hadn’t rebelled?” Zhu Yan said grimly.

As he spoke, Zhu Yan lifted a bottle of wine and poured it into the cups.

“You dare mention that? Nine princes were vying to be the next successor of the Great Qing Empire during that year. And what were you? You were the weakest of them all! If I hadn't assisted you with the influence of my entire clan, do you think you could have stomped over the other princes and become the Qing Emperor?” Wang Ke questioned with a stare.

“But,” Zhu Yan said as he passed Wang Ke a cup of wine, “You still rebelled!”

“Bulls**t! Zhu Yan, what did you say to me back then? Once you became the Qing Emperor, you would share the empire with me, and we would have equal authority! Back then, I didn't expect you to truly fulfill your promise, but I thought you would at least protect my Wang Clan after I helped you to attain the throne. But you ended up discarding me after you were done using me! You were preparing to slaughter my entire clan!” Wang Ke glared at Zhu Yan.

“The blame was really not on me! I wanted to take care of your clan too, but you didn't believe me! I, Zhu Yan, am a very loyal person!” Zhu Yan sighed.

“Loyal? Hahaha, are you joking? You killed eight of your brothers while vying for the throne! But fine, you were worried that they could attempt taking over the throne. What about your sisters, then? They had no chance of taking the throne away from you, did they? All they did was bicker and complain amongst themselves about you, and you went and executed all of them? They were your family members! Did you really kill them just to become a lone monarch?” Wang Ke questioned Zhu Yan with a stare.

“It takes countless sacrifices for one to succeed! Emperors are loners! Wang Ke, you should be thankful that I didn't kill your entire clan! I’m not sorry for what I did; it is you who should be sorry for rebelling against me!” Zhu Yan said gravely.

“Bulls**t. Who do you think you’re fooling? Didn’t you order my chef to poison my entire clan during a feast? Did you think I would rebel without a good reason? You bastard. You think I would have rebelled if you didn’t attempt to harm my entire clan?” Wang Ke glared at Zhu Yan.

“That chef?” Zhu Yan’s expression became grave.

“Back then, I intentionally told him to allow himself to be bought over by you! Did you really think you could buy my men over?” Wang Ke said with contempt.

“Rebel? I already had a firm grasp over the empire by then. What good would rebelling do? Didn’t you still end up failing and running away?” Zhu Yan said deeply.

“I fled? There’s no use in rebelling? Heh, Zhu Yan, have you forgotten how you were trembling in fear when I surrounded the royal palace with my soldiers? I fled? If not for the immortal sect disciples warning me all of a sudden that day, do you think I would leave the Great Qing Empire?” Wang Ke said coldly.

“Immortal sect disciples?”

“If not for their interference, the Great Qing would have had a change of master. You are too ruthless as an emperor! Do you know how many officials sent their greetings to me when I rebelled back then? You didn't win the hearts of the people! Slaughtering family members, executing loyal officials indiscriminately… And you showed no care for the natural disasters that plagued your people because you were busy indulging in your selfish desires. The people already hate your guts and supported me when I rebelled. It was a pity, I didn’t expect the immortal sects side with you and protect your reign! But now, I finally know why. They protected you in virtue of your ancestor’s merits, right?” Wang Ke asked, still looking at Zhu Yan.

“You’re right. My ancestral uncle has an influential position in the immortal sects. I’m not the only one; the other two empires are the same. How could anyone sit at the top of an empire without backing from the immortal sects? Moreover, I have a background in both the righteous and the demonic factions of the immortal sects!” Zhu Yan boasted.

“Then why were you so miserable?” Wang Ke asked out of curiosity.

Zhu Yan: “..................!”

“Why was your cultivation so low despite having such a backing? You weren’t even at the Innate Stage when I left! And you were only training martial techniques of the mortal zone?” Wang Ke asked further.

His words rubbed salt on Zhu Yan’s wounds. That was Zhu Yan’s daily reproach. Not only did the immortal sects not teach him any cultivation techniques, they also prevented disciples from teaching him! Do they really think that I would be satisfied with just being an emperor?I want immortality!

“I understand; they want to protect your bloodline. It’s enough to simply preserve the Zhu lineage; there would be a high risk of it ending if you ever chose a side and entered an immortal sect! Heh, they are just feeding you with the wealth and luxuries of the mortal world.” Wang Ke chuckled.

“So what? You don’t have any of this! Weren’t you intimidated by the immortal sect disciples and left the mortal zone with your entire clan?” Zhu Yan said coldly.

“I really was no longer able to compete for the empire back then, but I came to terms with that over the past few years. What’s the use of fighting to rule over the mortal zone? I will still end up buried underground after a few decades; the most important thing is to find the path to immortality by entering an immortal sect!” Wang Ke said as he shook his head.

“Did you make it?” Zhu Yan frowned.

“Fortunately, I became a disciple of an immortal sect and obtained a technique to reach immortality! The mortal zone is nothing to me now!” Wang Ke smiled.

“You entered an immortal sect? That’s a good thing! We are old friends, after all, so let’s have a toast and celebrate your return!” Zhu Yan passed a cup of wine over.

Wang Ke wanted to say something, but he suddenly saw the string of beads on Zhu Yan’s wrist.

That belongs to the princess!The string of beads that my Longing Orb sensed. Why is Zhu Yan wearing it?

Wang Ke’s heart felt heavy. He stopped speaking as he received the cup of wine.

There was a glint in Zhu Yan’s eyes as he saw how Wang Ke took the cup.

The wine wasn’t anything good; it was actually extremely poisonous. Miserable shrieks would draw the patrol’s attention whenever Zhu Yan tortured and murdered righteous sect disciples. Zhu Yan rewarded those on patrol with a cup of wine, which would kill them every time. That was to intimidate and deter the others in the palace and make them realize that whoever went to the Empress' Residence in the middle of the night would die! If soldiers went to check one day, he could still snap at them. But what if his concubines or maidservants showed up the next day? And what if officials decided to trespass in order to discuss matters of the empire the following day?