"Dongfang Zhan, Ye Qianmei is already dead. Even if you kill me, she cannot come back to life!"
"I'm killing you not only because of Qianmei, but also because of Lixue. There are two most important women in my life: one is my mother, and the other is Shen Lixue..."
Dongfang Zhan's deep voice startled Qin Junhao again: "You... like Shen Lixue... She is Dongfang Heng's woman..."
He had previously harbored feelings for Shen Lixue, but they had never gotten along. After marrying Dongfang Heng, they became enemies, so he completely gave up on her. He never expected that Dongfang Zhan would still be so attached to her, and even poison him in order to protect Shen Lixue.
"If I ascend the throne, she will become my woman." Dongfang Zhan's voice was cold, arrogant, and full of confidence. He had become the Emperor of Qingyan, and everything in Qingyan would be his. He could easily possess Shen Lixue.
"I am not an unreasonable person. Since you like Shen Lixue, I will not cause her any trouble." Qin Junhao softened his voice.
The dagger of Dongfang Zhan was coated with some kind of poison. The moment it pierced his body, it completely dissipated all of his life's internal energy. No matter how he tried to regulate his breathing, his dantian was empty, and he could not gather any internal energy. His whole body was also weak, and he did not even have the strength to stand up. He should first follow Dongfang Zhan's words to stabilize him, slowly gather his strength, and then wait for an opportunity to act.
"The Crown Prince Qin that I know is petty and vengeful; he doesn't have such a magnanimous heart." Dongfang Zhan's lips curled slightly, a half-smile on his face. He knew Qin Junhao's temperament perfectly well. He knew that if he wanted to deal with Shen Lixue, he would definitely find a way to torture her to the point of wishing she were dead. His temporary compromise was just to appease him.
Moreover, he had stabbed Qin Junhao in the back and seriously injured him. If he really let him go, once Qin Junhao recovered and summoned the Southern Border Guards, the first person he would target would not be Dongfang Heng, but Dongfang Zhan.
With his thoughts exposed, Qin Junhao could no longer hide them, and his face darkened: "Prince Zhan, after you become the Emperor of Qingyan, you will have great power in your hands, and all the beauties of Qingyan will be yours. It's not worth losing the full support of my Southern Frontier for the sake of a woman." Dongfang Zhan's power has been reduced by more than half, and he can no longer balance Dongfang Heng. Without the help of the Southern Frontier, he will definitely not become emperor.
"Thank you for the reminder, Crown Prince Qin. However, I have already thought of a good way to have both the country and the beauty, so there is no need for Crown Prince Qin to worry about it." Dongfang Zhan smiled coldly and bloodthirstily, which made Qin Junhao's heart tremble. He understood even more clearly that Dongfang Zhan was not going to let him go: "Dongfang Zhan, I am the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang. If you dare to kill me, Southern Xinjiang will never let you go."
Dongfang Zhan gestured for him to be quiet, a beautiful smile curving his lips, his expression malicious: "It was not I who killed Crown Prince Qin, but Dongfang Heng."
Qin Junhao was stunned and didn't react: "What do you mean?"
Dongfang Zhan looked at the letter in his hand: "Isn't it all written on there? Dongfang Heng plotted against the Crown Prince Qin, stabbing him in the heart with each blow. Dongfang Heng cannot escape responsibility for the Crown Prince Qin's death."
Qin Junhao sneered: "Dongfang Zhan, look carefully. This only says that Father Emperor should send someone to Qingyan to assist me. It doesn't say that Dongfang Heng seriously injured me. If I die in Zhanwang Mansion, you will be held responsible."
With Ye Qianmei's death preceding his death and Shen Lixue's incident following, the old and new grudges combined made Dongfang Zhan hate him to the core and would never let him off easily. He had to find a way to protect himself, and this unsent letter was his bargaining chip.
"Your Highness need not worry. The letter sent to the Southern Frontier will clearly state that it was Dongfang Heng who seriously injured Your Highness." Dongfang Zhan snatched the letter, the cold smile on his lips sending chills down one's spine.
Even the ruthless Qin Junhao couldn't help but shiver. Looking at the coldness and ruthlessness in Dongfang Zhan's eyes, he gritted his teeth and continued to stall for time: "Dongfang Zhan, the letter is already written. If you add any more content, it will be easy for people to spot the flaws."
"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will have someone imitate your handwriting and rewrite a letter, emphasizing the conflict between Your Highness and Dongfang Heng."
Dongfang Zhan's casual words infuriated Qin Junhao: "My father has ruled the Southern Frontier for many years and has the discerning eye to distinguish truth from falsehood. Moreover, our royal family uses special codes to communicate with each other, so it's not something that can be easily deceived by just any letter."
"The special code that Crown Prince Qin mentioned, could it refer to a special seal?" Dongfang Zhan bent down and easily pulled the jade seal from Qin Junhao's waist. He had clearly seen Qin Junhao finish writing the letter, stamp it with the jade seal, and then say that the task was complete.
"Write the Crown Prince's name at the end of the letter, and then stamp it with this jade seal. The Emperor of Southern Xinjiang will then believe the letter is authentic."
"Dongfang Zhan, all of this was premeditated by you long ago." Qin Junhao was shocked and speechless with anger. No wonder the usually arrogant Prince Zhan did not get angry when faced with his ridicule, but instead sighed dejectedly, revealing in his words that he needed external help. He had set a trap, deliberately showing weakness, just waiting for him to fall into it.
How could the strategist Qingyan Zhanwang be so disheartened by his enemy? It was his carelessness that led him to fall into Dongfang Zhan's trap. He was truly the biggest fool in the world, completely fooled and yet smugly believing he had gained an advantage.
"Crown Prince Qin, blame yourself for being too greedy. It was your unreasonable demands that made me want to kill you." Dongfang Zhan's sharp eyes reflected a cold glint: Southern Frontier sent troops to Qingyan, and Qingyan offered the land south of Yunnan as an exchange. Such an outrageous and unreasonable condition, how could he even come up with it?
Dongfang Zhan wanted to be emperor, but he wanted to be a wise ruler, not a shameless emperor who ceded territory for personal gain and was scorned by the people.
"Dongfang Zhan, secrets can't stay hidden forever, and there are no secrets that stay hidden forever. If you dare to kill me, the truth will be found out sooner or later," Qin Junhao threatened Dongfang Zhan, clinging to his last glimmer of hope.
Dongfang Zhan's power in Qingyan has been halved, and he is most afraid of being caught red-handed. If the matter of assassinating the son of Nanjiang is exposed, he will surely die. No one in the world does not cherish their own life. Qin Junhao wants to take a gamble. Dongfang Zhan wants to live and does not want to die.
"Thank you for the reminder, Crown Prince Qin. I will properly dispose of Crown Prince Qin's body so that those Southern Border guards will see that he was killed by Dongfang Heng." Dongfang Zhan looked at Qin Junhao, his voice as cold as ice: "Once they help me seize the Qingyan Empire, I will ascend the throne as emperor and hold the heavy army of Qingyan in my hands. I will not be afraid of the Southern Border, nor will I be afraid of anyone holding me accountable."
"You, you're so ruthless!" Qin Junhao glared fiercely at Dongfang Zhan, gritting his teeth as he spoke each word with burning anger. Dongfang Zhan wouldn't let him go. Was he really going to die far from home?
"This ruthlessness was forced upon me by Crown Prince Qin. If Crown Prince Qin hadn't made such outrageous demands, I wouldn't have thought of killing you." Dongfang Zhan's eyes narrowed, and he plunged the sharp dagger into Qin Junhao's heart.
Qin Junhao tried to stop the dagger, but his whole body was limp and he couldn't muster any strength. He watched helplessly as the cold, gleaming blade pierced his heart. A sharp pain spread through his chest, and blood flowed from the wound, quickly soaking through large patches of his clothes.
"Dongfang Zhan!" Qin Junhao glared at Dongfang Zhan with hatred, gritting his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger that he wished he could burn him to ashes.
Dongfang Zhan ignored him and glanced at him: "Crown Prince Qin, may you have a safe journey to the Yellow Springs. I will order people to burn more paper money for you so that you can continue to be the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang in the underworld."
The sharp dagger pierced Qin Junhao's heart again and again, drawing large amounts of blood that splattered all over him and Qin Junhao. He didn't care, channeling all his hatred into the dagger, continuing to stab at the heart: "You killed Qianmei, you harmed Lixue, you made such a huge demand..."
Qin Junhao's heart was riddled with holes, blood flowing everywhere. His face was deathly pale, his consciousness fading, his eyes unfocused. He glared fiercely at Dongfang Zhan, and with his last ounce of strength, gritted his teeth and said, "You will... regret this..."
"I never regret what I've decided." Dongfang Zhan said slowly and deliberately, the dagger plunging into Qin Junhao's heart again, twisting it forcefully. An indescribable pain spread through his chest, blood trickling from Qin Junhao's lips. His eyes were wide open, staring intently at Dongfang Zhan.
He kept staring, and as the anger and exhaustion in his eyes gradually turned into a deathly gray, he was still staring intently at Dongfang Zhan, as if he wanted to imprint him deeply into his mind, so that he would haunt him even as a ghost.
Dongfang Zhan looked into his lifeless eyes, frowned, and placed two fingers under his nose. He was no longer breathing. He rubbed his white jade fingers on his clothes to wipe away the blood, then slowly stood up. The sharp blade of his dagger was covered in blood, which dripped down the blade and onto the cold ground, flashing with a chilling light.
Dongfang Zhan glanced at Qin Junhao's mangled corpse, his eyes filled with disgust. He'd already let him live a haphazard life, even if it meant stabbing him to death. He looked down at the Xuan paper and jade seal in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips.
With these two items, he could fabricate the contents of the letter at will, and he could completely frame Dongfang Heng for Qin Junhao's death, thus creating an irreconcilable feud between the Southern Frontier and Dongfang Heng.
At that time, the Southern Frontier Emperor will surely beg to cooperate with him and will voluntarily send the Southern Frontier guards to him for his use. With his powerful influence, he can defeat the Crown Prince and Dongfang Heng and ascend the throne in no time.
As Dongfang Zhan had expected, after receiving Qin Junhao's plea for help, the Southern Frontier Emperor immediately sent someone to Qingyan. Dongfang Zhan already knew that person; it was Princess Qin Ruoyan.
The walls of the secret underground chamber of the Zhan Prince's Mansion were inlaid with luminous pearls, illuminating the chamber as bright as day. In the center of the chamber was a large bed, on which Qin Junhao lay motionless, his face pale and bloodless. He was surrounded by blocks of ice, and waves of cold air seeped into his body. Qin Ruoyan shivered and subconsciously tightened her clothes.
Looking at the lifeless Qin Junhao, her eyes widened in shock. After a long while, she stammered, "Crown Prince... he's actually... what happened..."
Turning to look at Dongfang Zhan, Dongfang Zhan shook his head helplessly and sighed softly: "Has the princess read the letter from Crown Prince Qin?"
Qin Ruoyan's gaze sharpened: "The letter says he was seriously injured by Dongfang Heng, could it be..."
Dongfang Zhan nodded and sighed heavily: "Crown Prince Qin's injuries are too severe. I have consulted many Qingyan physicians, but none of them could save him..."
The letter was a perfect imitation, its contents subtle yet profound, implicitly pointing out that Qin Junhao had been severely injured by Dongfang Heng, that he hated Dongfang Heng, and that he had asked the Southern Border Emperor to send people to Qingyan for assistance. Apart from this, it revealed nothing else.
He and Qin Junhao were allies, and the letter bore Qin Junhao's imperial seal as proof. Everyone in the Southern Frontier would assume that Qin Junhao died at the hands of Dongfang Heng, and no one would suspect him.