The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 87 Part 4 (End)

Emperor Jing schemed and plotted. Like Shen Yi, he too got married.

Wang shi was shortsighted and prone to stirring up trouble, but he married her anyway. He took a primary consort and secondary consorts. He had no heart to give, and before the marriages, he made it clear to each woman: he would give them status, nothing more.

If they could accept that, he would marry them. If not, he would not.

Emperor Jing carefully built his alliances. He framed several of his brothers on various pretexts, sometimes even using his own life as a pawn.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 87 Part 3

Being a prince and a scion of a noble family, they were constantly watched. They had to be very careful. At the time, Emperor Jing thought to himself: no matter how hard it gets, it will only be a few years. Once the new emperor ascends, surely there will be room for a brother—one who holds a bit of influence, perhaps, but who is also a cut-sleeve and will have no heirs.

Then he and Shen Yi could leave the capital far behind, find some place with beautiful mountains and clear streams, and live in seclusion.

But change came abruptly. The two of them successively refused their arranged marriages; the gifts they exchanged and the looks they could not restrain when their eyes met became aberrations in the eyes of those who were paying attention.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 87 Part 2

Shen Yi had so many questions—but didn't know where to start.

Noticing the weariness on Emperor Jing's face, he prepared a simple meal himself, then showed him to a room to rest.

Emperor Jing raised no objections to any of it. So many years had passed since he'd last seen Shen Yi—never once had he imagined their reunion would look like this.

That night, Emperor Jing lay in an unfamiliar room, closed his eyes, and drifted off without knowing when.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 87 Part 1

Chapter 87: Emperor Jing's Extra Chapter 

After spending some time in the modern world, Emperor Jing had grown quite accustomed to life here.

It was a strange twist of fate—when he'd opened his eyes after death, he'd found himself in a hospital. Some hikers had discovered him unconscious in a corner at the foot of a mountain, called the police, and brought him in. 

At first, Emperor Jing had been rather shaken. Everything around him was completely different from Da Qi. There was no emperor here, no ruler and subjects. Men didn't have to marry in their teens, nor did they wear their hair long. And women—women faced none of the old restraints. 

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 86

Chapter 86

In the fifth year of Renqing, on the ninth day of the eighth month, Old Madam Shen passed away.

It was Shen Nian who handled all the funeral arrangements for her. To him, she was little more than a stranger tied to him by blood.

Yet when she died, Shen Nian gave her a grand and proper burial. Shen Qing and Wen shi did not appear at all, and everyone had their own opinions and speculations about that.

Shen Nian could not have cared less.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 85 Part 4

Qi Junzhuo hadn't died—he had been rescued by the wandering Shen Nian.

Shen Nian went wherever there was war. He roamed freely, but his heart always ached for the common people.

At the time, Qi Junzhuo had been ready to die. His most trusted third brother had pushed him off a cliff—no matter how he turned it over in his mind, he couldn't make sense of it. If his third brother had feared him that much, then what did it matter if he died?

But after all those years together, Qi Junzhuo still couldn’t believe his third brother would really do something like that to him.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 85 Part 3

Once it was decided that Wen Wan would marry the Third Prince, she stopped leaving the Wen residence. Everyone had their eyes on her—some were waiting to laugh at her missteps, others were looking for any excuse to ruin her chances and keep her from becoming the Third Prince's consort.

During that time, Wen Wan was deeply anxious and kept falling in and out of illness. It wasn’t until right before the wedding that she finally left the Wen residence.

The Wen family, fearing she would fall ill from confinement, let her go out and about to wait for the wedding day.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 85 Part 2

At the time, Qi Junzhuo had not said a single word. He simply stood there, his face cold, staring at Shen Nian with eyes full of interrogation and disbelief. In Qi Junzhou's eyes, his imperial brother deserved nothing but the finest things this world had to offer—he should never be touched by even a hint of scandal.

Shen Nian had said only one thing in response: "No matter what Your Highness thinks or how you see this, I will not leave."

At those words, Qi Junzhou's face had darkened even further, and he had stormed off in a huff. Because he understood—Shen Nian's confidence came from Qi Junmu himself. No matter how much he refused to believe it, this was the reality.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 85 Part 1

Chapter 85

Seeing that the Empress Dowager had nothing more to say, Qi Junmu rose to take his leave. In that moment, as he stood, both he and the Empress Dowager understood—they would not see each other again.

The Empress Dowager said, "Your Majesty is now without wife, without children, without kin or friends. Do you not feel lonely?"

It was almost laughable—this was the first time he had ever heard her ask whether he felt lonely. But the one who had once longed to hear those words had long since grown up and ceased to hope for anything from this relationship.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 84 Part 2

Shen Nian felt the same way. He had no fondness for envoys. They always appeared to respect Da Qi, yet they were often the first to break treaties and strike against the empire.

Qi Junmu had not intended to linger on this topic, so he changed the subject. "The weather is turning cold. It's time for you to leave the palace."

"Leave the palace?" Shen Nian was taken aback. He had not really considered that.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 84 Part 1

Chapter 84 

A stray descendant of the fallen Yunhai nobility, wandering in Da Qi—she would have been subject to all sorts of constraints and manipulation. She had not seized the chance to kill him, but had saved him instead. He owed her that debt, and he had kept his word by never mentioning it.

"I do not want to hear about all that between you and her," Qi Junmu said. "I want to know what you plan to do with her. Keep her in your residence for life?"

"No, no—Yunhai is gone. I'll send her away from the capital," Qi Junzhuo said quickly, a little flustered.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 83 Part 2

Qi Junyan and Qi Junyou did not linger either. They had narrowly escaped with their lives, having not been purged by the Emperor, and neither wanted to spend a moment longer in this perilous palace than necessary.

Qi Junzhuo was the last to leave. He looked at Ruan Jiqing and asked, "Eunuch Ruan, is His Majesty all right?"

Seeing it was him, Ruan Jiqing offered a kind smile. "Do not fret, Prince Jin. His Majesty is fine. Return to your residence for now—everything will become clear tomorrow."

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 83 Part 1

Chapter 83

None of them had truly understood Qi Junmu. These past days, Qi Junmu's subtle coldness toward the Lin family had all been attributed to Shen Nian. None of them had realized that the source of it all was Qi Junmu himself.

With that thought, Lin En turned to Shen Nian, who had been standing quietly behind Qi Junmu all along. "When the rabbit is dead, the hound is boiled," he said. "Marquis Zhenbei, seeing all this today—aren't you afraid?"

[兔死狗烹 (tù sǐ gǒu pēng): lit. When the rabbit is dead, the hound is boiled; fig. Trusted aides are eliminated after they outlive their usefulness.]

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 82 Part 3

Xia Guo spent a long time ferreting out the affairs of the Lin family. It turned out Lin Xiao's concubines had gotten pregnant before, only for the Lin household to force miscarriage-inducing drugs on them.

Yue shi's body had been damaged in those years, leaving her unable to bear more children. Qi Junmu could well imagine the reason for that damage—after having her own child taken away and sent into the palace, her postpartum depression must have been severe.

Qi Junmu thought that she had done this because she did not want Lin Xiao to have children with anyone else.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 82 Part 2

In this second life, Qi Junmu had constantly wondered—who was the man who ended up with Wen Wan?

He had suspected everyone. Qi Junyou—handsome enough, dashing enough. But when he tested the waters in Qingzhou, he found that Qi Junyou still had some sense of self-preservation. And after keeping watch for a while longer, there was no contact between Qi Junyou and Wen Wan at all.

Qi Junyan, even more so—he kept a low profile, rarely left his mansion, and had a good relationship with his wife.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 82 Part 1

Chapter 82

The truth often sounds harsh—especially to those who have failed before they could even act.

Everyone standing in opposition to the Emperor knew that all the initiative now lay in his hands. They had nothing left—all they could do was wait.

At the Emperor's words, the hall fell utterly silent. The Empress Dowager's expression was strained and unreadably complicated. After a long pause, she looked at Lin En, walked over to him herself, and removed the mask from his face.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 81 Part 2

Qi Junmu was not really drunk, but he took the opportunity to lean on Shen Nian's arm and slowly walked out of the hall.

Because he was supporting the Emperor, Shen Nian walked side by side with him, while Wen Wan fell half a step behind.

Watching the Emperor and Shen Nian walking ahead, Wen Wan's gaze flickered as a thought crossed her mind.

She felt that the relationship between Shen Nian and the Emperor seemed too intimate. The atmosphere between the two was nothing like that of a man being oppressed or on guard.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 81 Part 1

Chapter 81

"Uncle, do not worry. I am fully aware of this matter," Qi Junmu said with a smile. Before the civil and military officials, he usually addressed Lin Xiao as Left Chancellor, rarely using such an intimate form of address. 

Hearing this, Lin Xiao forced a smile. The imperial guards poured the wine, and the emperor raised his cup. "I have said I would observe three years of mourning for Imperial Father. Today, by rights, I should not drink—but my heart is merry today, so I shall make an exception."

Qi Junmu tilted his head back and drained the cup. Shen Nian drank as well.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 80 Part 2

Prince Ying opened his mouth as if to speak, but Qi Junmu looked at him gently and continued, "Prince Ying, all these years—whenever you close your eyes, do you think of your deceased brothers? Whenever you see Imperial Father, are you afraid? And deep in your heart, have you always hated him?"

Prince Ying's expression grew dazed. He thought to himself, How could I not be afraid? To put the late emperor at ease, he had not dared to have more than one child over the years—fearing that the late emperor would suspect him of having ulterior motives.

The Tyrannical Emperor Reborn Chapter 80 Part 1

Chapter 80 

Arlie did not answer, but his gaze drifted subtly toward the other princes of Da Qi. The moment that gaze landed, even Qi Junyou, who had been wearing a look of complete disinterest, sat up straight. 

Qi Junyan curled his lips, his expression clearly saying, "This has nothing to do with me."

Qi Junmu continued in a gentle tone: "Arlie, it's fine if you don't answer. I do have some guesses of my own. Prince Ping is my second brother, beloved by the people, and his mother's clan holds considerable power. Ever since I ascended the throne, the Zhou family has caused me no end of trouble.