Chapter 2077: The Guilt Edict and the Surrender Letter Issued

Emperor Jiaping’s decree of sin confession was issued swiftly. Rather than saying he wrote it himself, it’s more accurate to say he watched as someone else wrote it for him. Yes, for him.

Identical handwriting, even down to the tiniest personal writing quirks, made him question whether his eyes were faulty. He looked at the woman pursing her lips to blow dry the ink, his favored consort, Consort Hua.

He knew Consort Hua’s fondness for calligraphy in her daily life and her liking for cursive script, but he never knew she could replicate handwriting with such precision—his handwriting no less.

Realizing this, Emperor Jiaping felt a chill throughout his body. A thought emerged from his mind, daring not to delve deeper.

A person who can mimic his handwriting so flawlessly could do how many things?

Terrifying upon closer thought.

“You…” Zhao Mingjun looked at Consort Hua, barely starting to speak when he felt something amiss, his mouth agape, but he couldn’t hear his own voice.

This struck Zhao Mingjun with shock; his hands touched his throat, and his eyes widened.

“That’s enough, stamp the jade seal,” Consort Hua looked towards Eunuch Li below.

Eunuch Li shrank his neck, glanced up at Zhao Mingjun, and under his incredulous gaze, stepped forward to take out the jade seal, ready to stamp it.

“Wait, let the Emperor stamp it himself; he is, after all, the Emperor,” Consort Hua added.

Both Eunuch Li and Zhao Mingjun’s hearts involuntarily skipped a beat.

“Emperor, come, we need to borrow your dragon claw,” Consort Hua ‘gently’ pulled down Zhao Mingjun’s hand, gripping the jade seal.

Inside, Zhao Mingjun roared furiously, scoundrel, wench, what was she planning? He refused to stamp.

He wanted to curse, wanted to struggle, but found his body was beyond his control. How could this be?

As if penetrating Zhao Mingjun’s thoughts, Consort Hua grasped his hand and picked up the jade seal, slowly pressing it onto the bright yellow decree of sin confession, while softly saying, “You might as well not resist. Feeling your heart racing, aren’t you? It’s normal because you’ve been poisoned. In the decree, it says you conspired with the enemy in your youth, trusted traitorous advice, can’t face your ancestors, and choose to die as an apology. Oh, that’s right, since I had to write a surrender note as well, I penned it together.”

Die as an apology, she, she…

Consort Hua smiled sweetly at Zhao Mingjun, touching his chest flirtatiously, “Forgot to tell His Majesty, I am a Beiyan person. Finally, I can return to my homeland. Ah, from today, Nanyue is Beiyan territory too, teehee, that includes my contribution. After all, under your name, I’ve written quite a few secret letters to several generals…”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingjun emitted a wheezing sound from his throat, like a bellows, glaring at Consort Hua with hatred, wishing to tear her apart.

“Emperor, I’m leaving now. Rest assured, the Regent King of Beiyan and Princess Consort are merciful people; they’ll treat your several princesses kindly. Indeed, the princesses, tsk,” Consort Hua put away the decree of sin confession and handed it to Eunuch Li, “The Emperor is to hang himself, the Empress Dowager with a white silk rope. Now go fetch Her Majesty the Empress, have the princesses open the city gates and deliver the surrender note, the ministers must be waiting…”

Eunuch Li looked at Zhao Mingjun, knelt down and kowtowed three times, master and servant for a time, he was just a eunuch and could only go with the flow, even if it meant leaving with just a dog’s life.

Come back, not allowed to leave, don’t leave!

Zhao Mingjun sat on the Dragon Throne, watching in frightened disbelief as the two left the main hall without mercy.

The hall’s doors, slowly shutting, light fading, Zhao Mingjun felt a sharp pain in his heart, as the lonely fear swallowed him mercilessly.

At this moment, he deeply sensed what it meant to be utterly alone. Even death was as lonely and terrifying as this?

Bam, the hall doors closed, marking the downfall of a generation of the Emperor’s reign.

Also declining was a dynasty that had lasted for over two hundred years.