Loading...
The imperial palace was cloaked in gloom. A shaft of sunlight slanted through the high walls, casting half of Ji Hu’s face into shadow, the other half into light.
More than two thousand years ago, the assassin known as Fish Guts had carved a legend into history. Now, he emerged once more from the darkness, dagger in hand, standing protectively before the young Emperor.
Outside the palace gates, chaos thundered.
Bronze armor clanged, iron helmets clashed, and the screech of blades meeting spears rolled in waves, deafening and fierce.
The twang of crossbows echoed like a sudden downpour, relentless and sharp.
This was the forbidden heart of the palace. Yet now, it rang with the sound of battle.
Why? The answer was simple. Someone was attacking the imperial palace.
That someone was Imperial Tutor Gao.
At this moment, General Xie Feng was stationed far to the south in Hanzhou, guarding the path to the capital. Gao Kaiping, another pillar of the court, was also away, holding a critical garrison. Within the palace, the only defense left to the Emperor consisted of a handful of guards too few to be called an army and the assassin Fish Guts.
From the turmoil outside came a rising chorus of accusations.
“Ji Hu is no dragon’s son! He’s the bastard of the Marquis of Freedom! Otherwise, why call him father?”
“Ji Hu! Tyrant!”
“Ji Hu! Meet your death!”
Rumors that the Emperor was the illegitimate child of the Marquis of Freedom had long floated through the empire’s undercurrents, vague, absurd, and widely dismissed. Few had...
Unlock free chapters every day
Bookmark your novel and never lose track of your progress
Share your thoughts with your favorite translator in the comments.
