Yang Hao had not forgotten that when he was driven out of the school, it was Wang Tao and the principal who had conspired together, scheming to orchestrate his downfall. Now that Wang Tao intended to install a royal puppet, the principal was naturally the ideal candidate.
In an instant, the Empress’ face turned deathly pale: “He has already arrived at the palace, he came early this morning… your principal.”
“That’s exactly it!” Yang Hao burst out in rage. “I was right after all. The Emperor Danzhen passed away last night, and the news was completely suppressed. How could the principal have found out about it, and how could he manage to come back in time? He must have known the truth beforehand, which is why he returned early to take over power.”
After the empress closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment, it seemed she was processing Yang Hao’s speculation. Although Yang Hao’s words had been brief, they were enough to completely overturn the power structure on this planet. As a pivotal force in this situation, the empress naturally needed to make a clear and sober judgment.
At this moment, the political acumen of Empress Ming as the center of power became evident. After only a few minutes of contemplation, her expression began to turn firm and resolute: “It seems your speculation is correct, but we are currently at a complete disadvantage.”
“You’re the second most powerful person on Planet Raymon,” Yang Hao blurted out, repeating an old rumor he had heard before. “Aren’t you capable of changing this situation?”
“No…,” Empress Ming said firmly. “There are only two military forces within the palace on Raymon Star: the Imperial Guard and the Royal Swordsmen Corps. Wang Tao’s Royal Swordsmen Corps has already taken control of most of the royal family members. If they bring in the principal to inherit the throne, they will gain legitimacy, and no one will be able to overthrow them.”
“But you also have imperial princes. Shouldn’t you be a high-ranking heir and lead the imperial guards?” Yang Hao asked.
“Imperial Guards? The Imperial Guards…” Empress Ming shook her head. “Of course I have influence, but those men are stubbornly loyal. Unless I can produce solid evidence that Wang Tao and his men were responsible for the death of Empress Danzhen, there’s no way I can convince them to go to war against the Swordsmen Corps.”
“This won’t work, that won’t work either—it’s really driving me crazy,” Yang Hao said angrily, stomping his foot. “In the end, we have to uncover the truth behind Empress Danzhen’s death, or else we won’t be able to accomplish anything at all.”
“Do you want to know the truth?” Empress Ming, clearly having little confidence in Yang Hao, said, “Right now, everyone in the palace knows the truth: you killed Emperor Danzhen. It was because he took your aphrodisiac that the tragedy occurred. You want the truth? This is the truth. Once you die, the truth will be sealed. That’s why the warriors are searching everywhere for you.”
“It seems my life is actually quite valuable,” Yang Hao said with self-deprecating humor.
“You’re wrong. Your life isn’t worth a penny. What’s valuable is your corpse because a corpse can’t argue back. They don’t want you alive; they only want you dead.”
“She’s right,” Hun Yuanzi seemed to have been enlightened as well. “This woman is right, my good apprentice. Now we’re really in trouble. I’m afraid everyone on the entire planet of Leimeng is looking for you, and no matter who finds you, you’ll have no chance of survival.”
“You should leave now,” Empress Ming said after a moment of silence, finally making her decision. “I’ll arrange a shuttle for you. Leave immediately. As long as you escape beyond this star system, the Raymon Royal Family won’t have enough influence to capture you again.”
“Leave? Me leave?!” Yang Hao seemed to be insulted, “If I leave, what will happen to you? What about my friends? What about my woman? What about the orphans I’ve taken in?”
“Die.” Empress Ming said coldly. “Everyone else must die. I may survive, but that will be another battle entirely—one that has nothing to do with you.”
“You say it so easily, death. It’s so simple, right? But I absolutely refuse,” said Yang Hao. “I don’t want them to die, I don’t want anyone to die—except for Wang Tao’s swordsmen, nobody else must die. I have the responsibility to take care of them.”
“You can’t even take care of yourself, let alone anyone else!” Hunyuanzi and Minghuang stood firmly on the same ground. “Don’t be foolish. In a situation like this, of course you run for your life. Do you actually plan to stay here and get yourself killed?”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Yang Hao suddenly thought of something. “What did you say earlier? That Emperor Danzhen died from coughing up blood while he was in bed with a woman.”
“What do you want to say?” Empress Ming had already picked up the communicator, ready to help Yang Hao arrange the tools for his escape.
“Is that woman you?”
“What nonsense! Of course not,” Empress Ming frowned, completely puzzled by Yang Hao’s question. “You know very well that Empress Danzhen hasn’t visited me in a long time. And if it were truly me, how could I still be speaking with you so freely right now?”
“Where is that woman?” Yang Hao suddenly blurted out, not knowing where the inspiration came from, “Where is that woman now?”
How intelligent the Ming empress was! Although she hadn’t realized it earlier, now that Yang Hao had pointed it out, she began to sense the seriousness of the matter: “That woman is one of Emperor Danzhen’s favorite consorts, very young, and had recently been taken into the harem. After Emperor Danzhen’s incident, she had already been placed under control by Wang Tao.”
“Not dead yet?”
“Before she accused you, the swordsmen would not have allowed her to die, and only this woman was present at the scene; whatever she says is black, it’s black, and whatever she says is white, it’s white.” Ming Huang frowned with regret on her face, clearly realizing that failing to secure this key witness in time had been a serious miscalculation.
“Okay, then I’ll go find this woman,” Yang Hao said casually, as if he were about to visit a long-lost friend. “As long as we can learn the truth from her, everything will be fine.”
“What did you say?” Empress Ming heard clearly, but she couldn’t believe her own ears.
“I said I’m going to find this woman, the concubine of Emperor Danzhen, the only person who knows the truth. I will uncover the facts and expose Wang Tao’s conspiracy,” Yang Hao repeated firmly.
“Crazy, absolutely crazy!” Hun Yuanzi kept muttering inside his belly. He still thought they should escape while they still could, or else the Dan and Ding Dual Cultivation Sect would be wiped out completely.
“You don’t understand anything, yet you dare to boast recklessly. Do you even know where that woman is now? Looking for her? I guarantee you’ll be discovered and killed as a traitor before you even get within a hundred meters,” Empress Ming said, somewhat losing her temper. “The swordsmen are afraid they won’t be able to find you. Yet you still want to hand yourself over to them on a silver platter?”
“I refuse to live my entire life as a fugitive, letting my friends die alongside me, or be wrongfully accused. Therefore, I must uncover the truth. I want those bastards to know that Yang Hao is not someone they can push around.”
Yang Hao spoke these words with great determination, which was completely unlike his usual playful and idle manner. Ming Huanhou stared at him somewhat taken aback, as if only now beginning to understand the boy standing before her. However, to Ming Huanhou, Yang Hao’s decision was merely an immature impulse. He didn’t fully grasp the consequences of such a decision, nor did he realize the dangers that lay ahead.
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