Professional Assassin C25

Chapter 25: Completing job in the Court World (6)

“Yuetian! Yuetian… I’m begging you, take me with you…! Let’s start over! In our next life, we won’t be part of the imperial family. I will never be separated from you again for the rest of my life!”

This desperate plea, seemingly draining the emperor of his last bit of strength, echoed through the bedchamber. Judging by the expression of the motionless young eunuch, it must have echoed in his heart as well. If he was lucky enough to survive, he would likely never forget this call—a voice filled with the utmost complexity, blending a lifetime of love and hatred.

Even if the person he was begging was a vengeful ghost come to claim his life, he still pleaded to leave together… Such a complicated and chilling emotion…

Lin Yuetian couldn’t relate to it at all.

Nonsense. Did he look like he had nothing better to do than empathize with the ramblings of a dying man?

So Lin Yuetian simply nodded with a smile. His smile was incredibly sincere, and even the way he looked at Zheng Hongxuan carried a new level of sincerity. He said, “I understand.”

The system noticed the change in his self-address, from “臣” (your servant) to “我” (I). Lin Yuetian had already abandoned pretending to be his original identity, which could only mean one thing—he was so certain of what would happen next that he didn’t even feel the need to waste energy acting anymore.

As expected, Lin Yuetian reached into his wide sleeves and pulled out the long knife he had been gripping in a reverse hold. This was the very weapon given to him earlier that night by Imperial Concubine Lin. She had made it very clear—the emperor could not die at her brother’s hands. The crime of regicide had to fall on Lin Yuetian. Meanwhile, General Lin, who led troops into the palace, would, without a doubt, be seen as a great loyalist who had momentarily lost control in his desperate attempt to protect the emperor!

—Utter nonsense. But as long as General Lin won in the end, who would care about such details? Naturally, Imperial Concubine Lin had no reservations about providing Lin Yuetian with whatever he might need at this critical moment.

Including a very efficient blade.

Lin Yuetian gripped the scabbard, and this finally snapped the young eunuch out of his shock. No matter what, ghosts wouldn’t use knives to kill people, right? The system couldn’t tell whether the eunuch’s expression had become more relieved or even more terrified. He seemed to want to call out, to warn the emperor.

But when Lin Yuetian entered, he had already brought a candle laced with a numbing agent—airtight preparation. Lin Yuetian was a master at exploiting loopholes; how could he leave an opening for this?

Without further delay, Lin Yuetian drew the blade with a sharp motion!

The flash of steel was like lightning. Lin Yuetian knew his original host had no martial skills, so he only aimed to be fast and ruthless! This was also why he had chosen a knife instead of a sword. He put his full strength into this strike—the long blade slashed wildly through the bed curtains and cut deep into Zheng Hongxuan’s body!

Lin Yuetian put so much force into the attack that the impact pulled down the golden-yellow bed canopy, abruptly covering the dying emperor. The canopy was embroidered with dragon motifs and cloud patterns by the finest seamstresses, adorned with the most precious pearls that shimmered like teardrops. As they draped over the emperor, it was as if they were commemorating the death of a Son of Heaven.

Zheng Hongxuan struggled to speak, his throat gurgling. Lin Yuetian, panting slightly, raised his blade again.

The second slash!

Red began to seep through.

Lin Yuetian remained calm and collected, wearing his usual businesslike smile as he said, “Your Majesty… guess what? I didn’t die. Looks like you’ll have to go to the underworld alone.”

Satisfied with his own sense of humor—cultivated through years of watching Tom and Jerry—Lin Yuetian swung again. A third slash, a fourth…

“By the way,” he added casually. By now, the canopy was completely soaked in red, slashed to ribbons, and blood dripped down like rain. Lin Yuetian couldn’t even tell if Zheng Hongxuan was still alive. He steadied his breath and, out of respect for ancient emperors, decided to summarize his failures and spread some progressive thoughts.

“In my opinion, there’s no such thing as ghosts or gods in this world. No underworld—no next life either.”

The bedchamber finally fell into complete silence.

—

Outside the palace hall, soldiers stood in solemn formation. Bloodstains covered their armor. Though their leader had ordered them several times to remain quiet, the atmosphere remained restless.

The tides had turned. Their future would be unimaginably glorious. Who could remain calm in the face of such prospects?

Suddenly, the soldiers parted in deference. “General!”

General Lin gave a casual nod and strode forward. His silver armor was stained and battered with blood, and his blade was dull at the edges from excessive use. There was a hint of exhaustion from battle on his face, but also an unmistakable thrill. He approached the officer in charge and asked in a low voice, “How long has that spy been inside?”

“A full hour,” the officer replied in hushed tones. “General, should we check on the situation…?”

“The palace gates are under our control. Everyone inside recognizes Zheng Hongxuan’s face. Even if Lin Yuetian suddenly changed his mind and wanted to help the emperor escape, it’s too late now,” General Lin said, no longer bothering to refer to Zheng Hongxuan as “His Majesty.”

“What about the Imperial Concubine?”

“She’s in the Ganquan Palace with the young prince,” the officer reported. “I have assigned men to ensure her safety.”

“Good.” General Lin nodded in satisfaction, murmuring, “The last person who will die tonight is that spy. Aside from him, no one else needs to die. He knows too much… And too many people have died tonight. Let the Forbidden City have a moment of peace before welcoming its new master.”

They waited outside for another quarter of an hour, just as doubts were starting to creep in—

A voice suddenly rang out from within the chamber:

“By the emperor’s decree—

I have ruled for two years and am ashamed of my superstition in ghosts and gods, my neglect of governance, which has allowed factions to run rampant and corrupt officials to feast while the people suffer. I have failed my ancestors and the heavens, and I can offer no redemption. Today, I take my own life.

The Third Prince, though young, is intelligent and capable of bearing the burden of rule. I leave behind an edict, passing the throne to him.

Since my ascension, the imperial harem has been barren, and the position of Empress has remained vacant. Fortunately, Imperial Concubine Lin has been virtuous and dutiful, managing the inner palace. Therefore, I confer upon her the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager.

General Lin, ever loyal and devoted to the country, is hereby granted the title of Duke Protector of the Nation!”

A surge of emotion overtook General Lin—he knew the grand plan had succeeded! He fell to his knees and declared in a loud voice, “Your servant arrived too late to save you—my heart is filled with gratitude and sorrow! I accept the decree!”

A severed head was tossed out, rolling down the jade steps before coming to a stop in the middle of the assembled soldiers. It was Zheng Hongxuan’s face, frozen in absolute despair—who knew what he had experienced in his final moments?

Only that audacious spy would dare to pull off something this outrageous.

General Lin chuckled, then turned to his men. “Go inside and clean up His Majesty—ah, the late emperor’s remains.”

Then he lowered his voice. “And if you see that so-called spy, kill him on sight!”

His plan was airtight. With the spy dead, there would be no living witnesses left to the truth of tonight’s events…

But moments later, his guards rushed back, reporting that they had only found the emperor’s corpse—along with a trembling young eunuch.

—Which, of course, was all part of Lin Yuetian’s plan.