The Emperor was not dead.
This was it.
Zhu Changluo didn't dare to lift his head, fearing that Emperor Wanli would detect any abnormality. At first, Emperor Wanli thought nothing was wrong; saving the emperor… but soon he felt something was amiss.
"Get up quickly, the ground is covered in mud and rainwater."
Emperor Wanli felt he was about to figure out what was wrong. Uncharacteristically, he gave Zhu Changluo a kind look and reached out to help him up.
Zhu Changluo looked up, his face a mixture of rain and tears, presenting a pathetic appearance. Emperor Wanli glanced at the ashes and dirt on his clothes, sighed, and became even more convinced that Zhu Changluo had come to save him.
However, at this moment, Zhu Changluo's gaze met Ji Xiang's, who was behind Emperor Wanli.
Zhu Changluo froze instantly, as if he had been doused with another bucket of cold water in the wind and rain. Ji Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly, baring his teeth in a smile:
"Your Highness the Eldest Prince, what a coincidence you are here."
Ji Xiang had no intention of covering for the future Emperor Guangzong. Now, Zhu Changluo, one of the masterminds behind the scenes, had to pay his dues.
However, Ji Xiang noticed that the incense and fire energy on Zhu Changluo had vanished without a trace. Ji Xiang guessed that this was because the fire gods had died, and their energy had perished along with them.
Zhu Changluo was sweating profusely from nervousness. Fortunately, the heavy rain masked it, making it truly "sweating like rain." At the same time, he felt a great fear:
This young Daoist from Longde Hall actually appeared here, and he controlled the fire spirits…
Zhu Changluo saw the fire spirits, their hands bound, showing no inclination to escape, seemingly terrified of Ji Xiang.
Connecting the dots, Zhu Changluo couldn't help but feel his limbs turn cold!
Ji Xiang had killed Song Wuji, then Song Zhongzheng, and even the Fire Lord…
He had kicked an iron plate. His father, the Emperor, had indeed been far-sighted, hiding such a powerful figure in the Forbidden City. He had foolishly thought everything was prepared and under control.
He also recalled that when Zhang Juzheng was alive, his father was considered a capable ruler, and many people praised him…
Indeed, things were not as simple as they seemed!
At this moment, in Zhu Changluo's mind, Emperor Wanli had transformed into a terrifying emperor, incredibly far-sighted, even cunning, possessing great depth and numerous hidden plans. Zhu Changluo's face turned ashen.
Emperor Wanli sensed the problem and recalled the origin of sending people to Longde Hall that night: it was Consort Zheng who said the Eldest Prince was being misled by a demonic Daoist…
Emperor Wanli asked Ji Xiang, "Ji Xiang, what did the Eldest Prince do when he visited your hall? Was he merely offering incense?"
Ji Xiang replied frankly, "Yesterday morning, the Eldest Prince entered Longde Hall to offer incense, praying for Consort Gong, and inquired about matters of life and death."
Emperor Wanli had already learned about this so-called change in life and death from Consort Zheng. Consort Zheng had claimed the Eldest Prince was being misled by Ji Xiang, using this as her argument. Now, he was merely asking to confirm it.
Ji Xiang informed Emperor Wanli, "The Eldest Prince asked me, 'Can the dead be revived? Is there reincarnation? Is life and death in one's own hands?'"
With these three questions posed, Emperor Wanli nodded.
"Precisely. I am quite interested in the events that transpired in Longde Hall and their causes and effects. Ji Xiang, tell me in detail everything that has happened these past few days, everything you know."
Emperor Wanli wanted to hear the whole story, and Ji Xiang responded truthfully, while Zhu Changluo endured immense fear.
"On the seventeenth day of the sixth month, at the first watch… within Longde Hall, incense and fire spirits were causing trouble. I feigned death and lay on the ground all night, luring out the Red Banner Child, and only then did I learn about the Fire Lord…"
Ji Xiang spoke in a steady voice, but in Zhu Changluo's ears, it sounded like the ramblings of ghosts and gods, each word telling him, "You are about to meet your end!"
"On the morning of the eighteenth day of the sixth month, the Red Banner Child appeared in Longde Hall and conversed with the incense spirits. During their conversation, they mentioned that someone wanted to see if I was truly dead. Then, I got up and killed that incense spirit. The child, with his exceptional escape techniques, fled using the incense energy."
"Shortly after the child left on the morning of the eighteenth day of the sixth month, Your Highness the Eldest Prince came to the hall to offer prayers…"
"He asked me some questions about life and death, and then left. Before leaving, Your Highness the Eldest Prince instructed me to rest early tonight."
"On the eighteenth day of the sixth month, at the first watch, all was as usual in the hall. At the second watch, Your Majesty dispatched Lord Luo, the Southern Commander, to inspect Longde Hall…"
"Near the third watch, the Fire God Song Wuji appeared… and was killed by my sword. Lord Luo ran out of the hall to rescue Your Majesty…"
As Ji Xiang spoke, Emperor Wanli made a gesture to stop him and then said slowly:
"At the third watch, my Qianqing Palace burned down, and three figures appeared in the fire."
Emperor Wanli stared at Zhu Changluo, "Elder Brother, tell me, from the time you returned until the third watch last night, what were you doing?"
Elder Brother was Emperor Wanli's casual address to Zhu Changluo.
"Your humble son… after offering prayers in Longde Hall, I returned to Jingyang Palace to study…"
"In the afternoon… I stayed in the palace, I did not go out, and had nothing to do…"
"By the third watch… your son had already fallen asleep. However, seeing the great fire engulfing the three front palaces, and fearing for Your Majesty's safety, I… came in…"
Zhu Changluo chose his words carefully with every sentence. Sweat poured from his forehead, but it was masked by the continuous heavy rain, so it wasn't noticeable, only his face was deathly pale.
Emperor Wanli asked Ji Xiang, "What do you think?"
Ji Xiang replied, "The Fire Lord had just died, and Your Highness the Eldest Prince arrived immediately afterward, suddenly appearing here, saying he wanted to save Your Majesty."
"I still don't know why Your Highness arrived so coincidentally?"
Zhu Changluo's breath caught in his throat, desperately hoping Ji Xiang didn't know he was the mastermind. But his connection with the Fire Lord and the others seemed to have been exposed:
"It was the heavy rain that extinguished the great fire… that's how I was able to get inside. It was not a coincidence."
Ji Xiang nodded and asked another question, "Your Highness, you reside in Jingyang Palace and have not left the palace for a day. Why did you know His Majesty was at West Second Street?"
Zhu Changluo was stunned and greatly alarmed. He had forgotten this. The imperial palace was vast, and with only Qianqing Palace on fire, the Emperor had many places to flee. He, who hadn't left the palace for a day and had never been to the West Six Palaces, shouldn't have known the Emperor's location at all!
At this moment, the sounds of soldiers could be heard from outside, accompanied by shouts of "Search, search."
Ji Xiang looked at Zhu Changluo, whose face had turned ashen, and asked calmly, "Are those the Grand Secretaries from the Cabinet? With so many of them, they are only beginning to search. Why was Your Highness able to arrive here faster than them, heading straight for this place?"
The entire West Second Street was filled only with the sound of rain hitting bluestone. All else held its breath.