Ming Wang, the current Emperor, was born to a normal concubine. He was talented in martial arts and politics, but it wasn't much compared to his older brother. His older brother, Ming Ze was to the Empress' son and had great talent in both politics and military affairs. He was also very handsome and charismatic. Many people including their father, the Emperor, had high hopes for Ming Ze.
Ming Wang was overshadowed by his brother throughout his life. Nothing he ever did was enough compared to his brother. Years passed and resentment, envy, and jealousy piled within Ming Wang. He questioned if there was something wrong with him. He wondered why everyone thought he was less than his brother. Wasn't he better than his gentle and weak brother? He felt he was better than him and even his mother told him so. Yet, others did not seem to see it.
?
It was a few years later that he accidentally learned he was not the Emperor's true son. He was a bastard born to his mother and the Prime Minister, Guan. His world crumbled on that day as everything suddenly made sense. It was no wonder he couldn't match Ming Ze and he was different from Ming Ze and the other prince and princess in the Palace. It was because he was not one of them. However, knowing this still didn't deter him as he still felt he was better than them.
The kingdom, the throne, and everything else belonged to him. No one else deserved them more than him. He would take it all one day. It didn't matter what it took for him to achieve it.
"WAKE UP!"
The water splashed on the Emperor's face woke him up. He was still dazed and shocked. He thought he would be tied up but he was not. He anxiously looked around him. It seemed he was inside a shed surrounded by dirty buckets and old gardening tools. The air was musty and the darkroom was faintly illuminated by a small candle. His back slightly begun to sweat as he took it all in.
A beautiful woman sat leisurely on an old wooden stool propping her chin with her hand. She was staring at him with indifference. Emperor gulped unconsciously as he watched her.
"Yue Ying, why are you doing this?" The Emperor tried to act calm. He wasn't sure how much she knew.
"You know why," Ming Yue Ying sneered. "Oh, by the way, uncle… I'm sorry about your son's death… What is his name again...? Huang Zi Feng?"
Ming Yue Ying emphasized the word 'uncle' and pursed her lips to pretend she was sorry but her faint smile only showed mockery.
The Emperor clenched his fist as he realized she knew about his plans for her. His eyes filled up with anger and remorse. Not for what he had done but for what he had failed to do. He should have killed her a long time ago.
"You… How did you…?" The Emperor gritted his teeth.
"How did I know Huang Zi Feng was your son, or how I knew you killed Emperor Ming Ze? How about how you wanted to kill General Fu Xiao Jin? What do you want to know since I know everything…? I know what you did to my family, my real family, so please stop pretending! It's sickening to watch!"
The Emperor burst out in laughter and clapped his hands. A sneer touched his lips, "Good, very good… You are not a fool after all… Yes, I killed your father, Ming Ze, but so what? He deserved it. He took everything that was supposed to be mine…the Emperor's love, the nobles' respect, reputation, the throne, and the Kingdom. It is mine… EVERYTHING IS MINE!!"
"So, you killed your own brother?" Ming Yue Ying's eyes turned hazy with tears but she didn't cry. She promised herself to not cry again. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"You should thank me because I let you live. I raised you and pampered you, but what have you done? You are an ungrateful bastard!" The Emperor hissed with bloodshot eyes.
"You needed me to inherit the sacred tree," Ming Yue Yin scoffed. She rose from the stool and slowly walked toward him with a sold smile. "Your plan was good, perfect even, but you were too greedy. None of this would have happened if you had stopped coveting the sacred tree…"
"You know about the sacred tree?" The Emperor went still.
"Know? I do not only know about it… Let me tell you how the tree. The tree trunk was as white as snow from the ends to the tip of the branches. However, it's as warm as a human's skin despite its look. Its leaves are purple and are more beautiful than any flower. It is a beautiful sacred tree…" She genuinely said with admiration.
The Emperor was dumbfounded. No one had ever seen how the tree real looked like. There were only stories but she could describe it in great detail which meant she had seen it. The Emperor tried to jump and reach for Ming Yue Ying's neck, "Where is my tree? Where did you take my tree?"
Ming Yue Ying was swift enough to hit his stomach. The Emperor's body flew through the wooden wall from the impact. He rolled on the ground like a ball until it hit a set of stairs. He grunted from pain and felt a metallic taste in his mouth. He was bleeding from the blow and his eyes shook as intense light shore on him.
The Emperor needed time for his eyes to adjust to the light. What he saw next shocked him beyond belief. It seemed like he was inside the throne's main hall. Soldiers, officials, maids, eunuchs, and even his Empress and concubines surrounded him. He was unsure of what was happening.
Ming Yue Yin walked through the newly created wooden hole, while the Emperor wondered who had built a shed inside the royal main hall.
"Surprised?" Ming Yue Yin tilted her head as she watched him. She had also been surprised when Zhao Li Xin told her about his ridiculous plan.
"This is courtesy of the Hei Shen Sect. Thank you for your cooperation," Ming Yue Yin bowed towards three people. Bei Li Yan could barely hold his laughter, Lory gave her a thumbs' up while Zhao Li Xin…looked…bored.
"Everyone had already heard what have you said so don't bother lying," Ming Yue Yin rolled her eyes at the Emperor.
All eyes looked at the Emperor with disbelief and shock. They all knew of Emperor Ming Ze's greatness and how prosperous the Kingdom was under his rule but it seemed the current Emperor killed their great leader. No one could forgive such a crime.
The officials involved with the Emperor panicked at the revelation. Their faces turned pale and their hands trembled as they never knew this day would come. They needed to save themselves.
"First Princess, please be magnanimous… He is still your uncle and the Emperor of Liangzu Kingdom no matter what. You cannot treat him this way," One of the officials braced himself to help the Emperor. He knew he and his family would die if the Emperor died.
"Is he?" Ming Yue Yin coldly looked at the official. She walked past the emperor who still lay on the floor clenching his stomach, climbed the stairs, and headed towards the golden chair. Only the Hei Shen Sect members, General Fu, and his friends knew what she was about to do. They watched her shift the chair to the side, something that unacceptable in normal situations.
"What are you doing?" One of the old officials shouted with impatience.
Ming Yue Yin ignored him. She lifted the rug under the chair and there was the same symbol as the one in the Emperor's bedroom. She placed the half globe key on the marks on the floor and twisted it. The floor shook and everyone took a step back. The shed crumbled since it was just a dummy, and a giant white crystal surrounded by a red circle with weird inscriptions rose from the floor.
Zhang Yu Hong's jaw dropped as he realized the story was real. The Ancestor Crystal existed. His eyes moistened. He was overwhelmed to see the Ancestor Crystal with his own eyes. It was something he had never dreamed of.
"This…" Ming Wang trembled badly as he saw it. He had searched for the crystal for decades yet it was under his nose the whole time. It was like a cruel joke.
Ming Yue Yin glanced at Lory as she felt enormous gratitude towards her as she was the reason she was there at that moment. Lory raised her eyebrows to tell her it was not over yet and Ming Yue Yin nodded.
"This is the Ancestor Crystal, a heritage of the Lianzu Kingdom. It is used to prove the next Emperor's purity," Ming Yue Yin climbed descended the stairs and stopped beside the Emperor. "Do you dare prove you are a descendant of the First emperor of Liangzu Kingdom?"
The Emperor became pale but he refused to give up. "I'm the descendant of the Emperor! How dare you slander me? You let down your ancestors!"
"Then prove it!" Ming Yue Yin calmly walked through the blood circle then turned around. She gave him a devilish smile, "You are the Emperor's child if you can pass the circle, but if you are not…"
The Emperor rose from the floor and walked toward the circle but paused when he got close. He didn't know if the crystal and the circle were real or not. What if everything was staged by Ming Yue Ying and Long Ming to fool him? Everyone now knew he killed Ming Ze but he was not the first Emperor to kill his kin to get the throne. He could still fight for the throne if everyone thought he was the Emperor's son.
"Why do you hesitate?" Ming Yue Yin asked coolly.
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