Zhu Youjian stumbled all the way back into the imperial palace, his steps unsteady and disordered, as if the strength had been drained from his bones and replaced with something hollow that could collapse at any moment.
After watching that video, he already understood everything, not on the surface but deep inside, in a place where denial could no longer survive.
He was finished.
It was not only because the capital no longer had any army capable of real resistance, because even if such a force still existed, it would not change the outcome in the slightest, since against the Public Governance faction, against that kind of casual and effortless bombardment, any so-called resistance would only end up as a tragic joke.
If he wanted to live, there was only one path left to him.
Abdicate.
That was the only remaining way to preserve his life.
However, Zhu Youjian was not that kind of man who would bend himself just to survive, because although he knew very well that he had many faults, he also knew equally clearly that there was one thing he would never do, and that was to wag his tail like a dog in front of his enemies in exchange for mercy.
If death was the price, then so be it, he could die, but he would never allow himself to become something ugly just for the sake of continuing to breathe.
Before dying, there were still things that had to be done.
He quickened his pace and rushed toward the inner palace.
By the time he arrived, chaos had already spread everywhere.
After that horrifying video circulated, everyone in the palace understood that the emperor was finished, and once that realization settled in, self-preservation became the only instinct left, so guards, eunuchs, and palace maids had already begun to flee, clutching valuables in their arms as they rushed out of the palace in disorder.
All across the palace, people could be seen carrying antiques, jade, and ornaments, scrambling to escape like scattered birds.
In the past, if Zhu Youjian encountered such a scene, he would not hesitate to order executions on the spot, but now he did not even spare them a glance, because whether they ran or stayed had nothing to do with him anymore.
With Wang Chengen following behind him, he crossed through layers of palace halls and finally arrived at the residence of Empress Zhou.
Inside, Empress Zhou stood waiting anxiously with only one personal maid remaining at her side, as the once crowded attendants had already scattered, leaving her in the same lonely state as the emperor himself, who now had only Wang Chengen left beside him.
Zhu Youjian looked at her, and in his gaze there was a deep sorrow that could not be easily described.
Empress Zhou saw it immediately, and her heart sank.
Zhu Youjian let out a quiet sigh and spoke in a calm voice that carried an unbearable weight.
"Kill yourself."
Empress Zhou was startled and could not help but respond in confusion.
"What did you say?"
"I will soon be dead," Zhu Youjian said slowly, his tone steady yet heavy, "and after I am gone, if you remain alive in this world, you will inevitably fall into the hands of the rebels, and what will happen to you then will be beyond endurance."
Empress Zhou fell silent.
After a moment, she clenched her teeth and made her decision.
She turned to the maid and said softly, "Take everything in this room that you value, including my jewelry, and leave."
The maid burst into tears, calling out to her, but Empress Zhou had already turned away and picked up a length of white silk.
Zhu Youjian, meanwhile, had already left without another word, heading toward the next place he needed to go.
After sending the maid away, Empress Zhou tied the silk to a beam, adjusted it carefully, and then placed the loop around her neck.
At the moment her body lifted, the silk suddenly snapped cleanly, as if it had been cut by a sharp blade, and she fell heavily to the ground.
She froze in confusion, then frowned and tried again, this time more carefully than before.
Before she could even complete the motion, the silk broke once more, the cut clean and precise.
She picked up the broken silk and examined it, certain now that it had not broken naturally, but had been deliberately cut, yet when she looked around, there was no one in sight.
Just as doubt filled her mind, a small figure suddenly appeared on the beam above.
It was a palm-sized humanoid figure, holding a tiny fruit knife in its hand, sitting casually as if it had been there all along.
Recon-type Dao Xuan Tianzun CC-01.
It sighed lightly and spoke.
"Do not kill yourself, because you will not be humiliated, so you can rest assured."
Empress Zhou was shocked and asked, "What are you, a deity or a demon?"
The small figure spread its hands and replied, "There is no need to concern yourself with what I am, what matters is that you do not need to die, and I can guarantee that you will not suffer any inhumane treatment, because at times of dynastic change, the ones who suffer the most are always women and children."
"Stay here peacefully, nothing will happen to you."
…
At the same time, Zhu Youjian continued running through the inner palace without stopping, as if driven forward by something that would not allow him to rest.
Soon, he arrived before the Crown Prince, and without hesitation, he personally changed the boy into ragged commoner clothing while speaking in a firm and urgent tone.
"Today you are the Crown Prince, but tomorrow you will be nothing more than a common man, so in times of chaos you must conceal your identity and hide your name, and when you see the elderly you should address them as elder, while those younger than you should be addressed as uncle or brother."
"If by chance you survive and one day are able to avenge your parents, then you must never forget what I have told you today."
The Crown Prince burst into tears.
Zhu Youjian kicked him to the ground and immediately turned to leave, continuing forward without pause.
In a small garden ahead, the eldest princess Zhu Meichuo and the younger Zhaoren Princess were still playing, unaware of the chaos that had already engulfed the palace, as all the attendants had fled and the world around them had already begun to collapse, yet their young age left them unable to understand any of it.
Zhu Youjian looked at them, and his eyes were filled with both love and unbearable pain.
"In such times, why were you born into my family?"
After saying this, he raised his sword and struck toward the eldest princess.
If this strike had landed, history would have taken a different turn.
However, at the moment the blade descended, it was suddenly stopped by something invisible, and no matter how much force Zhu Youjian exerted, the sword could not move forward even the slightest distance.
He was shocked and shouted, "Who is it that dares to block my sword?"
No one answered.
Only the frightened eyes of the two young princesses stared back at him.
"Who is it, come out!"
Wang Chengen, trembling, said, "Could it be that an immortal has intervened?"
Zhu Youjian suddenly realized that this was indeed the only explanation, because not long ago at the southern gate he had personally witnessed an Immortal Mirror descending from the sky, and if something unseen could block his blade, then it could only be the work of such a being.
He raised his head and shouted toward the sky.
"Immortal, you help the rebels seize my empire, and now you come to stop me from killing my own daughters, do you understand how miserable women are in times of chaos, are you trying to save them or harm them?"
The sky remained silent.
Zhu Youjian swung his sword once more, but the result was exactly the same, as the invisible force blocked his strike again and protected the two girls.
At that moment, he understood that whoever was intervening would not allow him to kill them.
He stopped, turned, and ran.
Wang Chengen hurried after him and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, where are you going now?"
Zhu Youjian gritted his teeth and replied, "To die."
Wang Chengen was shocked and tried to stop him, but Zhu Youjian ignored him completely and continued running forward.
In truth, he did not know where to go, but in such moments of confusion, people instinctively move toward higher ground, and the nearest high place within reach was Wansui Hill.
As he ran, he muttered to himself, "Having lost the empire, I have no face to meet my ancestors, and I cannot die in my bed, but at the top of Wansui Hill there used to be a crooked tree, and I will hang myself there."