King Yibo lowered his swollen, reddened eyes and offered a faint, forced smile. "Good to see you, Mother," he said quietly.
"Good to see you, my tiger," Dowager Taihou replied, her face softening with the careful affection she always showed him. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them to find Prince Deng and Prince Langya standing there like a carved statue from another age.
For the first time, Yibo glanced at them both. He looked fragile and feverish; beads of sweat sat on his brow, and the sharp intelligence in his gaze was tempered by visible weariness. Prince Langya and Prince Deng tried to hide their fear, pressing their faces into controlled expressions that blended worry and restrained sympathy.
Dowager Taihou, focused entirely on King Yibo's condition, turned to them with a broad, reassuring smile and spoke warmly. Yibo did not respond...he barely moved, as if he didn't register the room...so she continued herself.
"Fortunately, he's stabilized. The doctors say he'll need surgery in a few days, and they're still treating the toxin they found in the milk. The antidote has begun to work."
Her words hit them all hard; relief battled with the weight of the crisis. They forced themselves to keep a solemn face. Their private hope, unspoken but clear, was only that King Yibo would never recover and return to the throne.
The princes' remarks pricked at Dowager Taihou's temper, but she kept her composure. Yibo, meanwhile, made eye contact with his physician in the room, who approached the bedside and adjusted the monitor and laptop Yibo had been using. The doctor gently laid him back, handed him the remote, and helped him settle. Yibo closed his eyes and fell silent...though he still heard everything that was said.
- - - -
"Is there nothing about this boy that we're missing?" Prince Langya asked, voice tight with unease.
They had just left King Yibo's private quarters and moved closer to Dowager Taihou; Prince Langya's question hung in the air. Prince Deng, feeling the same gnawing suspicion, tightened his jaw.
"Brother, I feel the same," Deng admitted. "But his behavior can't be measured by one standard. He's more dangerous than he looks, even more so than his own father. We should see the witch doctor Barbushi first thing tomorrow...we need an urgent meeting."
"That's right," Langya agreed. "But let our move be calculated. We must neutralize the boy before we return."
"No problem. I'm ready now if need be," Deng replied, though night was approaching.
They met late that night with one of King Yibo's attending doctors and talked at length about matters they wouldn't disclose. In the morning they intended to visit Barbushi, but a stream of palace visitors delayed them. The imperial lords of the Beiping Kingdom came to inspect the king's condition, forcing the palace to make a public showing about his health.
King Yibo sat through the inspection calmly....he remained in the reception room where the nobles had been accommodated...yet when he rose to depart, a distant clamor from outside the palace briefly arrested his movement. Protests still simmered in the capital, he realized.
An uncle who had helped escort the visiting lords stepped forward and bowed. "May you stay safe and well, Your Majesty. Do you need anything?"
He stayed silent for a while, then sighed softly, his eyelids fluttering shut before opening again to meet the other's gaze.
With a faint movement of his lips, he asked, "Is there something happening that I don't know about?"
"As far as I know, there's nothing new," came the calm reply. "Except perhaps that noise outside...it's the journalists. They've been restless, desperate to know about your condition, just like the citizens of Beiping who are growing anxious. Though the palace gates are crowded with visitors every day, today's unusual gathering is because they saw unfamiliar faces entering and assumed they might finally get answers. Security has been tightened to keep them under control."
King Yibo nodded slowly. "Call for a press conference. I'll speak to them myself....tomorrow."
Prince Uncle jerked his head up in shock, eyes wide with disbelief. The words that had just escaped King Yibo's mouth struck him like thunder....completely unexpected and impossible to process at once.
Indeed, it wasn't just him. Anyone who heard would be stunned. In the entire history of Beiping, such a thing had never occurred. Even when the King wished to address the press, he always appointed someone to speak on his behalf.
But this time, King Yibo himself had declared he would face them directly.
Within an hour, news of the King's decision swept across every corner of Beiping and beyond. Everywhere, people were talking about it....that King Yibo would personally meet with the press the next morning.
Excitement rippled through the city. Journalists, citizens, and even the elite of the royal court....all waited eagerly for dawn. That very night, the heads of Beiping's press associations held an emergency meeting. They had countless questions the public demanded answers to, and they all wished to hear them from King Yibo himself....though none were certain it would truly happen, for it was almost unthinkable.
★•••• ★•••••
Far from the palace, deep in the wilderness, shadows moved quickly through the night. Despite the darkness and the chill, there was no trace of fear among them....only a grim determination.
The old sorcerer, Barbushi, his face and body smeared with dirt and grime, burst into an eerie, manic laugh that echoed through the trees, startling both Prince Langya and Prince Deng. They did not speak, knowing better than to interrupt until his laughter subsided.
When it finally did, Barbushi turned his piercing eyes toward them and began in a slow, rasping voice:
"The web has been woven....a snare of deceit binding everyone within it. No one can trace where it began, nor where it will end. Everything was done under the cover of darkness, unseen by mortal eyes. But make no mistake...the one you seek is dangerous, cunning beyond imagination. And now," he cackled louder, "the true game has begun! Hahahaha!"
The echo of his laughter seemed to twist through the air like a curse. Prince Deng and Prince Langya felt their hearts pound so violently it nearly drowned out the sound. Their mouths went dry, but they dared not interrupt as the madman continued his wild amusement.
Finally, Prince Deng stepped forward, his tone sharp and commanding.
"Whatever trick he's using doesn't matter. What we want is for his life to end tonight....and that of his consort's husband as well. Dowager Taihou must be the suspect, so the world would knows she murdered Royal Consort Zhan. Once that scandal spreads, he'll face the press with chaos at his back. The people will turn on him....and when the uproar peaks, the physicians will handle the rest. His death will look like a heart attack."
Barbushi burst into another round of deranged laughter. "Ahh! I love wickedness! I love seeing evil flourish! Hahahahaha! Let the flames grow hotter, let the darkness spread!"
They ignored his ramblings. Their minds were too consumed with their plan....blinded by greed and ambition. They spent the rest of the night plotting, and before dawn broke, they slipped back into the royal palace unseen.
The Next Morning
By ten o'clock, the palace gates were overflowing with people. Reporters and citizens alike crowded every inch of space, murmuring with excitement as though they might see King Yibo himself.....something many had only dreamed of.
Security forces formed tight lines, keeping order amid the sea of voices. The entire kingdom of Beiping seemed to be holding its breath, waiting to hear the words that could change everything.
Since yesterday the doctor had urged King Yibo to take it easy....his body still wasn't back to where it needed to be. They were preparing the remaining procedure for him in the next two days.
Yibo watched the doctor through half-closed eyes as the explanation finished. He said nothing for a long moment; finally he only gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
The doctor had to bite back further admonishment out of respect and caution.
Despite his weakness and the lingering pain, Yibo kept his composure and carried himself in the same commanding way he always did. He dressed with careful, intimidating elegance..... the kind of regal presence that made anyone who met his gaze feel the force of him. The refinement of his appearance, the air he wore, the way his presence filled a room....all of it marked him as a man born to rule.
People noticed. The moment he appeared in public, the entire palace erupted: servants, officials and even the palace elite fell into a hush of hungry admiration. His attendants, already trembling with loyal devotion, could barely keep their eyes from lowering in deference. Everyone who saw him felt the pull of that authority.
Even the palace guards were unsettled by his arrival. A white stallion that snorted and reared, tossing three of the nearest men to the ground. As the beast pawed and shook, a few aides rushed forward to restrain it; the stallion's fury scattered anyone foolish enough to stand in its path.
Yibo paused before climbing into the car meant to take him to the living room for the press engagement....even under sedation he could not forget the iron rhythm of those footsteps, the memory of the palace's thresholds. The officers around him doubled their efforts to calm the spirited horse. With one fierce shake the stallion threw off three of its challengers; some tried again to approach, but the horse reared one last time, rocked the ground, then quieted...coming to a dead halt directly in front of King Yibo.
Everyone fell silent, struck by awe at the sight before them. Slowly, King Yibo lifted his graceful hand and brushed it along the stallion's face. The horse snorted softly and stamped the ground, its strength rippling through its body.
The scene was mesmerizing to all who witnessed it, though they were no strangers to such displays from this horse whenever it was with King Yibo.
With a calm, deep voice full of quiet authority, Yibo murmured to the animal as he stroked its head. His face softened slightly....not quite a smile, but a rare ease that only the observant could notice.
He spent nearly four minutes with the horse, long enough for everyone around to sneak glances at him, and for those nearby to whisper and strain to catch sight of the king's every movement. Then, with composed elegance, he handed the reins to Prince Uncle and stepped into the waiting car. His attendant bowed and gently closed the door behind him. The convoy set off toward the venue for the audience.
★
The news of King Yibo's arrival at the grand living room spread quickly, and as soon as he entered, every living being in the room instinctively lowered their head. The subtle fragrance that always accompanied him filled the air, serene yet commanding, drawing every heartbeat into rhythm with the measured sound of his steps.
Though many would never see his face directly, the anticipation of his presence was enough to make their hearts race. Despite being the youngest monarch in Beiping's history, his authority was overwhelming. Even the blind could have recognized him by the sheer weight of his presence...King Yibo, the embodiment of majesty and quiet power.
He took his seat with deliberate grace, his movements calm yet heavy with dignity, his slight frailty only adding to the air of solemnity around him. His gaze swept the hall, observing everyone silently, then he closed his eyes for a brief moment, exhaled softly, and reopened them.
Prince Deng and his entourage, standing behind, could barely conceal their unease. The fact that Yibo had chosen to appear before the court and the press openly had shaken them to their core.
Representatives from every province had gathered, and order was strict. No one dared lift their head to meet his eyes....the sheer force of his presence kept them bowed. When they finally rose to greet him, it was after he had already given permission, responding through an attendant without uttering a word himself. The hall fell into reverent silence once more.
At his command, preparations for the conference began. Cameramen and officials moved carefully to arrange their equipment, ensuring everything was positioned perfectly.
He sat still as they worked, his face revealed to the world for the first time. The journalists and dignitaries trembled between disbelief and awe...this was the very face they had only imagined, now unveiled before them without barrier or veil.
It was unprecedented. No monarch in Beiping's long history had ever shown his face in public. And yet here he was, King Yibo...the legend, the sovereign...breaking centuries of tradition in a single, breathtaking moment.
Most of the people in the Kingdom of Beiping were known for their beauty....even the world acknowledged it. But today, they witnessed what true beauty really meant....a kind so pure that even in a land famed for its elegance, none could compare. It was a beauty that demanded silence, that made one forget to breathe at a single glance.
This astonishment was not limited to the living room. In every corner of Beiping, people were frozen before their screens. Ever since the royal cameramen started filming King Yibo's address, everything had gone live across the entire nation, just as he had ordered.
For the first time, his soft pink lips moved, and in a calm, steady voice, he began to speak.
"To everyone present here, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for accepting this invitation. To all my people across this land...my ancestors, my parents, here stands your son. To my brothers, your younger one; to my sisters, your elder; to my children, your father....not as your ruler, but as one of you.
I sit before you today as Wang Yibo....not merely as your King. I am here to ask your forgiveness. I am here to request peace. I am here to give you the right to question me, to judge me, and even to punish me if you believe I have wronged you.
I accept that responsibility. I am willing to answer for my deeds, even if it costs me my final breath. And I will not resent you for it. From this day onward, I give you full authority to pass judgment. I will obey the law. And if the people of Beiping choose another to lead, I will step down with prayers for prosperity to follow my reign.
I wish you all peace, and I ask forgiveness for every shortcoming I may have shown you. Thank you.... for the kindness you've given me before, and for that which some of you still offer today."
Had there been a camera capable of capturing the entire kingdom at that moment, the world would have witnessed the impossible....an entire nation stunned into silence, as if someone had pressed "pause" on reality itself.
His speech was brief....not more than a hundred and fifty words...yet it pierced through the hearts of millions. The sincerity in those words struck deeper than any royal decree ever could.
Then came the next shock....the face behind the voice. People who saw it on their screens gasped, speechless. The realization hit like thunder: the King's face was one they all knew, one they never expected.
For a few seconds, the entire nation seemed to forget how to move. Then, chaos erupted. Voices rose across the kingdom, flooding the streets and airwaves with disbelief and debate. By nightfall, Beiping was still trembling with confusion and awe.
Across the media, endless discussions raged...some praised, some questioned....while mysterious videos spread online, all showing the same unbelievable truth:
The man they had seen today as their King....was none other than SIR. MULAN , the nation's most famous journalist.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛