We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Li Lin's voice echoed in the hall, but he did not receive an immediate response.

Emperor Qing sat on the throne in silence, looking down at the people in the hall with different expressions.

A long silence followed.

At this moment, Li Lin finally understood the power of silence that Li Che had once told him.

Compared to the direct outpouring of anger, silence will lead to endless associations, and the unknown generated by associations is the deepest fear of human beings.

Even though Li Lin was not the instigator, he could still feel the suffocating oppression in the hall at this moment.

"explain."

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor, hidden in the shadows on the Danbi, finally spoke.

The voice was not loud, but it carried a chill that penetrated the bone marrow and instantly froze all the air in the hall.

There was no address, no unnecessary questions, only one word, but it seemed to weigh more than a thousand pounds.

Li Lin suppressed the throbbing in his heart and looked at Zhu Chun on the side, who gave him an encouraging look.

Li Lin's Adam's apple rolled and he replied:

"Your Majesty, Li Huan, fearing punishment from your Majesty, has secretly dispatched assassins to assassinate my brothers, the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin, as well as my son's residence tonight!"

"Thanks to the foresight of the guards in Sixth Brother's residence and the timely assistance of the soldiers from the Duke of Wei's residence, I and your sons were able to escape danger. The Prince of Qin's concubine, Liu, was shot by several arrows while trying to protect him from the siege, and my brother, the Prince of Qin, even fell unconscious after fighting so hard..."

Li Lin told Emperor Qing everything that happened tonight. Apart from concealing the existence of the night watchman, he also made amends for King Qin. He did not hide anything else.

Emperor Qing just listened without any change in his expression.

The King of Shu was right behind Li Lin. Although Li Lin couldn't see his expression, he could hear his breathing gradually becoming heavier.

"I have captured several assassins from the Shu Palace. The witnesses and evidence are waiting outside the palace. Please make your decision, Father!"

After Li Lin finished saying this, he stood up as if relieved, saluted respectfully to Emperor Qing, and then stepped aside.

Emperor Qing didn't say anything, but just gently shook his neck and looked at Zhu Chun.

Zhu Chun also immediately bowed and added, "Your Majesty! Every word His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan says is true! This old minister personally witnessed the bloody battle at the Prince of Qin's mansion. The Prince of Shu's soldiers were exceptionally fierce. If it weren't for those soldiers, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin would have been murdered!"

The hall was dead silent, and only the heavy and painful breathing of the King of Shu could be heard.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the hall, waiting for Emperor Qing's decision.

Emperor Qing's eyes slowly swept over the unconscious Li Zhang, Li Lin, and Zhu Chun...

In the end, it fell on the King of Shu, who had been kneeling on the ground from beginning to end, like a clay sculpture or wooden carving.

There was no shock or anger, no regret in that look.

There was only a look of indifference... as if he was looking at a discarded object that had completely lost its value.

"Li Huan." Emperor Qing's voice finally rang out again, "Raise your head and look at me."

Li Huan trembled violently, as if he was hit by an invisible whip.

He raised his face with great difficulty, his eyes looking upward blankly and without focus.

"Tell me," the Qing Emperor said in a low voice, "what crimes have my sons, the princes of Daqing, your brothers committed that warrant such deliberate planning and the need to eliminate them immediately?"

"Ok?"

This "hmm" was like a heavy hammer, hitting Li Huan's heart hard.

Li Huan's lips trembled violently, and a strange gurgling sound came from his throat, as if something was blocking it.

He opened his mouth, his cracked lips moving a few times: "Son... I have nothing to say..."

"Nothing to say?!" Emperor Qing's voice suddenly rose a few notches.

It was as if a crack had finally appeared beneath the calm ice, and suppressed anger was pouring out.

He slammed the armrest of the throne with a thud, causing the candle flames to flicker.

"What a speechless person! When you sent out the assassins, did you ever consider that they were your brothers? Did you ever consider the reputation of my royal family? Did you ever consider that the imperial capital would be flooded with blood?"

"Do you still see me as your father and ruler? Are you a beast without any sense of humanity?"

A series of questions fell like hail, and Li Huan's body shook like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.

The words "king and father" were like a red-hot knife, piercing deep into his heart.

The torrent of grievances and resentment washed away his last bit of sanity.

"Jun-father?!"

Li Huan suddenly raised his head.

Li Lin and others looked at him sideways, but saw an extremely distorted face.

"Hahahaha! King and father? What a king and father!" He laughed wildly, tears mixed with the blood on his face flowing freely, like a madman, "What am I, your son? What am I, your eldest brother? Second brother, third brother, fourth brother... What are we?!"

"In your eyes, we have always been just pawns, pawns that can be discarded and sacrificed at any time!"

He suddenly pointed at the unconscious Li Zhang, then at Li Lin, and finally disrespectfully pointed at the emperor on the steps.

"You made my eldest brother the crown prince just to help him stabilize the court for you! But in your heart, have you ever truly regarded him as the heir to the throne?"

"You allowed him to form a clique and acquiesce in his power grabbing, just to make him a target of public criticism, shielding you from all the slings and arrows! When his legs became crippled and he lost all his usefulness..." Li Huan's voice suddenly became sinister and bitter, "He died, his legs amputated, a cowardly death, unworthy of a king!"

"The people in the Eastern Palace will either transform themselves into the emperor's party or be swept away by you like garbage. The so-called crown prince of Daqing is like a joke!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Lin and Zhu Chun's faces changed drastically. These were simply heartbreaking words!

"Shut up! Li Huan, you're crazy!" Li Lin shouted.

"Crazy? Yes! I am crazy! He drove me crazy!" Li Huan ignored him and continued to roar madly, "You cleaned up the prince's party and urgently summoned me to the capital... Hehehe... Father! My good father! How could you let me be the crown prince?"

"You want me to be the next target! The next disposable crown prince! Right?!"

"Because the person you truly chose was never us, but Old Six! He was the one you once looked down upon the most, but is now the most dazzling, General Tiance, the Prince of Daqing!"

"You pave the way for him, you clear the obstacles for him... and at the same time you're afraid of him!"

"Prince Feng's prestige is beginning to overshadow yours. The strength of Feng State makes you afraid to pass the throne directly to him. You're afraid he'll become a crown prince you can't control!"

"So, you let us fools fight to the death in front, until every last drop of blood is drained! So that you can reap the benefits and use the power of the entire court to fight against the King Feng who even you fear!"

The hall was dead silent, even the sound of breathing disappeared, leaving only the echo of Li Huan's crazy and desperate roar.

Li Lin's whole body was shaking. He looked at Li Huan, who looked like a madman, in disbelief, and then suddenly looked at Emperor Qing.

This guy is really crazy, what nonsense is he talking about... To be honest...

Zhu Chun's face turned pale, and his gray beard was trembling slightly.

As a close friend of Feng Yan's faction, he certainly knew that what Li Huan said was true, and he was very satisfied with it.

But that doesn't mean he wants to hear it with his own ears!

Who was Emperor Qing? A founding monarch with a strong desire for control and power, these words struck a chord with him.

I am only sixty years old this year, which is the age when I should be living a life of luxury and debauchery. I still want to live a few more years!

At this moment, a very slight sigh seemed to come from the throne.

The fierceness in Emperor Qing's bottomless eyes was so intense that it almost became tangible.

"enough......"

As soon as Emperor Qing's voice sounded, it was interrupted by a beast-like roar!

"Uh-"

Li Lin looked at it in confusion.

It’s the King of Qin!

Or maybe Li Huan's voice was too loud and woke him up from his coma.

Li Zhang suddenly opened his eyes, his bloodshot eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets, bright red.

He heard that familiar voice.

King Li Huan of Shu, his brother, Li Huan!

It was this good brother who sent out the assassin. It was he who wanted to kill himself. It was his poisonous arrow that took Rumei's life!

“Li Huan!!!”

At this moment, he didn't care about the broken wounds on his body, and completely ignored where he was. He suddenly jumped up from the ground, with a tragic momentum of dying together, and rushed madly towards Li Huan who was kneeling beside him!

After entering the hall, the ropes on Li Zhang had been untied, but he was still seriously injured. No one expected that he could burst out with such strength at this time.

"Second brother! No!"

Li Lin was so frightened that he screamed and rushed forward with Zhu Chun to stop them.

Li Huan, Li Huan, why did you yell so loudly just now?

Roar to wake up this evil spirit?

The two men only pounced on the corner of Li Zhang's robe. Li Zhang roared and pounced on Li Huan in an instant with blood all over his body.

He didn't need to use any weapons at all. His hands gripped Li Huan's neck tightly like iron pliers, and the huge force knocked both of them to the ground.

"Uh... ho ho..." Li Huan was caught off guard and his eyes rolled back as he was pinched, and a choking sound came from his throat.

At this moment, fear finally appeared on his face. He struggled in vain, slapping Li Zhang's arms weakly with his hands.

"Quick, Your Highness! Pull him away!"

Zhu Chun and Li Lin rushed forward and tried desperately to pry Li Zhang's hands apart from Li Huan's neck.

But Li Zhang's fingers seemed to be welded to it, not moving at all, with only crazy murderous intent in his eyes.

The Jinyiwei guards nearby also reacted and rushed forward.

After everyone pulled desperately, Li Zhang was finally pulled back, but his eyes were fixed on Li Huan's left ear.

He lowered his head without hesitation, showing his sharp white teeth and bit Li Huan's left ear hard!

puff-

A teeth-grinding sound of flesh tearing was heard!

"what!!!"

Li Huan let out the most miserable howl in his life, and blood gushed out from his ears like a fountain.

Li Lin, who was closest to the two of them, was caught off guard and sprayed in the face, and he sobered up instantly.

He looked up in surprise, only to see Li Zhang's mouth full of blood dripping down his chin, and between his teeth he was gnawed a piece of rotten meat with cartilage and flesh.

In a rage, Li Zhang actually bit off half of Li Huan's ear!