Regicide and Usurpation

Hearing Prince Ling’s name, the Empress shuddered, then suddenly straightened up and cried to Alexander Hayes, "What have you done to my son!?"

Alexander Hayes looked at the Empress coldly. "Hmph. I should be asking you, Your Majesty—what exactly were you planning to do to my son?"

"I... I..." The Empress was so flustered she couldn’t get a word out.

They tricked Princess Lily Hayes, who was pregnant, into coming to the palace and detained her. Anyone with half a brain could guess their intentions—there was no way Alexander Hayes would fall for it.

The Empress trembled. "B-but Princess Lily Hayes is perfectly fine, isn’t she? Nothing happened! Lord Alexander, your wife and child are both safe—you mustn’t harm my son, Prince Ling!"

Alexander Hayes looked at the Empress with contempt. "Your Majesty, you’re mistaken. My wife is safe not because of the Emperor’s or your mercy, but because the Prince of Qin’s Manor was prepared. We had a female shadow guard disguise herself as Princess Lily Hayes and enter the palace. Hmph. If we’d let my wife go in without precautions, she wouldn’t have come out alive. If you wouldn’t want it for yourselves, don’t inflict it on others. Since you plotted against my wife and child, what do you think I’ll do to Prince Ling?"

Emperor Jin Xuan and the Empress looked as pale as dirt. The Empress trembled all over, shaking like a leaf.

Alexander Hayes stared coldly at the two, now utterly defeated and sitting on the ground, then ordered his men, "Bring Prince Ling up here."

"Yes, my lord!"

The Empress craned her neck, staring anxiously outside, desperate to see Prince Ling.

Emperor Jin Xuan was just as anxious about his son’s safety, craning his neck to look outside.

Outside the ruined temple, two soldiers from the Hayes Regiment carried in a burlap sack and tossed it at the feet of the Empress and Emperor Jin Xuan.

Alexander Hayes said, "You wanted Prince Ling. I’ve brought him. See for yourselves."

The Empress shrieked and lunged forward, clawing frantically at the sack’s opening. She pulled so hard her carefully manicured nails snapped off.

The Empress finally tore open the sack, revealing half of Prince Ling’s head—bloodied and mangled.

The Empress instantly recognized her son. That half of a head was positioned perfectly in the opening, fully exposed to her horrified gaze.

The Empress screamed in terror and collapsed to the ground.

Emperor Jin Xuan stared at his son’s mutilated remains, his face turning purple with rage. He spat out a mouthful of blood and pointed at Alexander Hayes, clutching his chest. "You... you traitor! How dare you! How dare you kill the Crown Prince!"

"A traitor, am I?" Alexander Hayes glared coldly at Emperor Jin Xuan. "And what does that make you?"

A flicker of panic flashed in Emperor Jin Xuan’s eyes, but he quickly retorted, "Traitor, don’t try to twist the truth! Even if you kill me and seize the throne, you’ll never be legitimate. Once the feudal lords and princes rise up against the capital, Jin will be plunged into chaos. Then the Kingdom of Chu will swoop in and profit from our misfortune, and you’ll be remembered as the greatest sinner in Jin’s history! If you’re smart, let me go. I’ll overlook your rebellion—just hand over your command, and I’ll grant you a fief. You can play emperor in your own little corner."

Alexander Hayes stood with his hands behind his back, eyes icy as he looked at Emperor Jin Xuan. "Speaking of regicide and usurpation, Your Majesty, why don’t you tell me what happened in the Imperial Palace twenty-one years ago? And what happened at the South Hill Imperial Temple when the Former Empress went to pray?"