"This is its third eye?" Lu Yao's eyes widened, her jaw nearly hitting the floor. "I'd only heard my master mention it before. Some snakes, after living for a thousand years, develop a 'Yin-Gazing Eye' on their forehead, capable of seeing both the Yin and Yang realms. It's true!"
The small, emerald green snake, though only as thick as a finger, and standing less than half a meter tall when its body was upright, was now perched on the coffin, looking down at Ye Huohuo and the other person. It resembled a king surveying his domain, its gaze exuding an air of unmatched superiority.
"How dare you disturb my rest, you dogs!" the little green snake swayed its head, flicking its tongue. Instead of the usual hiss, a man's voice emerged, "Sss."
Ye Huohuo and Lu Yao, though accustomed to strange occurrences, had never encountered a snake that could speak human language.
"Your majesty? What kind of king are you?" Lu Yao, quick of tongue, blurted out her thoughts without considering the consequences. Only after speaking did she realize she might have offended it.
As expected, the eye on the little snake's forehead was too small to discern clearly, but the large eye within the black mist above its head was very evident. The pupil of that large eye, previously thin and elongated, suddenly widened, then narrowed into a slit.
The heartbeats of the two women faltered with the dilation of the pupil.
"I am Li Ke, the third son of Emperor Taizong. How dare you lowly mortals be so arrogant as to not kneel before me."
"What the heck, it really is a prince? A prince who almost became emperor." Lu Yao clicked her tongue. "But... how did you end up like this?"
Ye Huohuo braced herself for the snake to become enraged, her hand already reaching for a thunder talisman. However, the little snake did not fly into a rage. It merely lowered its head slightly. "It was all the fault of that old scoundrel, Zhangsun Wuji."
Lu Yao, not very familiar with that period of Tang Dynasty history, was utterly confused. Seeing that the snake showed no inclination to explain, and fearing Lu Yao's inquisitive nature might further enrage the creature, Ye Huohuo quickly began to explain for Li Ke.
Li Ke was the third son of Li Shimin, the greatest emperor of the Tang Dynasty, born to his concubine, Yang Guifei, daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui. Li Ke was born in 619 and was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. At two years old, he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Changsha by Li Yuan, and five years later, his title was changed to Prince of Hanzhong. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he was promoted to Prince of Han and Prince of Wu.
It was evident that he had always been favored by the emperor. However, after Crown Prince Li Chengqian was deposed, Li Shimin hesitated in establishing a successor. When he considered appointing Li Tai, the second son of Empress Zhangsun, he discovered Li Tai was plotting to seize the throne. Li Shimin then placed Li Tai under house arrest and appointed the weak and effeminate Li Zhi as the Crown Prince.
Because of Li Zhi's gentle disposition, Li Shimin felt he was too timid and might not be able to protect the empire, thus considering Li Ke, who was valiant and decisive, for the position of Crown Prince. Zhangsun Wuji, as Li Zhi's maternal uncle, naturally could not allow this to happen. He persuaded Li Shimin that the Crown Prince, being benevolent and filial, was a monarch fit to inherit the throne.
However, Zhangsun Wuji thereafter grew wary of Li Ke. In 653 AD, Princess Gaoyang, dissatisfied with her husband Fang Yiai being demoted, conspired with Xue Wanche, Chai Lingwu, and others to stage a coup, intending to enthrone Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing. The plan was leaked, and over a thousand people were arrested. Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, assigned Zhangsun Wuji to investigate the case.
Seeing an opportunity, Zhangsun Wuji seized this chance to implicate Li Ke. Li Yuanjing, Li Ke, Fang Yiai, Princess Gaoyang, Xue Wanche, Chai Lingwu, Princess Baling, and others were all executed.
Years later, after Zhangsun Wuji was convicted of his crimes, Li Ke was posthumously exonerated and granted the title of Prince Yulin, with a temple established for his worship.
"This... it's truly a pity, so sad!" Lu Yao couldn't help but sigh after hearing the story. "Your Highness, since you were wrongly accused and died, how did you become...?" Although Lu Yao was outspoken, she dared not finish her sentence, referring to his current serpentine form.
The little green snake raised its head, its beady black eyes conveying human emotion. It gazed towards the sky, as if recalling a distant memory.
"That year, I was imprisoned. The next day, I was to be executed. One of my loyal retainers, a death warrior, bribed the guards under the cover of night and intended to swap himself for me. As the son of Emperor Taizong, I was a man who stood tall in life and death. I could not do anything that would bring shame to Emperor Taizong, and naturally refused.
That death warrior was someone I had saved during a campaign to quell a rebellion. I heard he was a Daoist priest before, and he had helped me resolve many mysterious matters. He had followed me for nearly ten years and understood me deeply. He anticipated that I would not agree to the exchange to save myself.
So, he enacted his second plan. I don't know how he did it, but when I woke up the next day, I found myself transformed into a small green snake. And I have miraculously survived, over a thousand years now. Times have changed, and things are no longer as they were. The once prosperous Tang Dynasty, where all nations paid tribute, has long since become a grain of sand in the river of history. Yet I, this unfortunate prince, am still alive.
Alive as a snake."
His body was that of a small green snake, but his voice was that of a grown man, rich and commanding, yet filled with profound sorrow.
Ye Huohuo felt a moment of dizziness. In her mind's eye, she saw a young general with a golden helmet and armor, a mere wave of his hand sending enemy fleets to ruin. Or perhaps a young prince, adorned in opulent robes, radiating honor and heroic spirit.
She knew that whether it was the young general or the young prince, it was Li Ke, a prince who could have become a ruler. It was truly heartbreaking and regrettable that such a distinguished hero met such an end due to false accusations.
"It's a good thing he didn't become emperor. If he had, would the history of Empress Wu Zetian have existed? That's a glory for us women!" Lu Yao suddenly blurted out, seemingly unaware of the potential danger.
Ye Huohuo's scalp tingled. She wanted to cover Lu Yao's mouth, but it was too late.
The little green snake turned its head, its eyes fixing fiercely on Lu Yao. "That wench Wu Mei, although Zhangsun Wuji framed me, I know she played a part in it. She wanted to overthrow our Li family dynasty and place her Wu family members as heirs to the throne. A pipe dream.
You are also an accomplice to that woman, and you deserve to die!"
The black mist above Li Ke's head transformed into a massive black serpent. Its forehead bore an eye as large as a lantern, its head nearly touching the ceiling, and its tail coiled precisely to block the escape route to the stairs for Ye Huohuo and the other.
The two of them were thus encircled by this colossal black serpent. Although the room was not large, it was extremely tall. Before this giant snake, Ye Huohuo and Lu Yao appeared minuscule.
"Your Highness, please do not misunderstand. We did not mean it that way. As you know, the Tang Dynasty has long since fallen. Killing us will not bring back the past. Moreover, we have never harmed you. We deeply sympathize with your plight. It was wrong of us to disturb your peaceful cultivation, and we beg you to be magnanimous and overlook our minor offense..."
Ye Huohuo pleaded, pulling Lu Yao behind her, fearing the little green snake would spring up and bite her throat.
"Ye Huohuo..."
Before Lu Yao could say anything more, Ye Huohuo raised her hand and covered her mouth, whispering in her ear, "Shut up! He was once so proud. Now that he's become like this, his personality is distorted. How dare you add fuel to the fire? If you speak out of turn again, I'm done with you!"
"No..." Lu Yao pulled Ye Huohuo's hand away, attempting to speak again, but Ye Huohuo covered her mouth once more. Only her large eyes blinked incessantly. Unfortunately, Ye Huohuo, focused entirely on the little green snake, failed to notice the urgency in her eyes.