The room became engulfed in a shadow as dark clouds hovered overhead, blocking lights from shining through the glass plane above. Glancing at Prince Zhanying, Jingrui's throat felt closed up.

Despite cladding himself in gold and silver, Prince Zhanying didn't radiate with confidence. He looked paler than the white hanfu he wore. Colours were drained from him, blending him in with the marble decors. There was a fire in his eyes, but it looked as if they were burning their last ashes. He took a step forward with a taunting smile, threatening those on the high thrones.

Yihuai was covered in sweat, and Lingyue's eyes were narrowed. The guests, maids, and guards all shifted in discomfort at the change of atmosphere.

Yunyin fidgeted in his seat. "W-What is the meaning of this, Zhanying?"

Prince Zhanying let out a chuckle as he gestured to the man beside him. There was a reluctance within the man's figure as he stepped forward. Slowly, he lifted his hood, and the solemn face of the Third Uncle Yunru came into view. His brows knitted, forming distressed creases.

Jingrui's heart pulsed. Her body turned to stone as she held in her urge to launch forward.

Lingyue was not any less angry than Jingrui. Her eyes convulsed with rage. "Yunru," she spat, her red nails digging into her intertwined palms. She shot up from her seat, knocking over the cups and plates on her table. Her enraged finger pointed straight at Prince Zhanying. "W-What are you planning to do, God of War? The respectful guests are all here, and today is your father's birth anniversary. You have the audacity to put on a condescending show such as this—"

"Calm down, Empress Dowager." Amusement etched across Prince Zhanying's face. "I'm only here to present a gift to my father. My father has fallen ill since my mother had died—oh no, died is not quite the word, murdered."

Lingyue's pursed lips quivered as her pupils turned into a slit. "What does this have to do with anything? How dare you bring up an inauspicious incident during an auspicious day?"

Prince Zhanying chuckled, and his voice rang throughout the hall. Shivers slithered down Jingrui's spine at the tinge of bitterness within his voice.

"Why are you fretting, Empress Dowager? I'm only here to present my father a gift. He cherished my mother, and in his long life, he has been seeking the truth." He angled his head to the side, staring up at Yunyin. "I've found it all, Father, the evidence to convict the culprit who killed my mother. I've worked hard all these years just to compile this gift for you."

Yunyin's eyes flickered with pain. "You found evidence of Chen's death? Who killed my Chen?"

Prince Zhanying chuckled again, and he pointed his shaky finger towards the Empress Dowager on the high throne. "Your beloved wife."

Yunyin dropped back into his throne. "W-What do you mean?" His face turned ghastly. "Lingyue killed Chen? L-Lingyue killed my Chen?"

Gasps from high deities rang throughout the hall, and they all grabbed their teacups, sipping it.

Jingrui's heart pounded hard as she watched Lingyue's malicious deeds being exposed right before her. For the first time since she had entered the Heavenly Palace, she felt that the crescent moon had a chance of becoming full again.

Lingyue wrapped her fists around a dining knife and pointed it at Prince Zhanying. "Absolutely despicable! Who are you to accuse your superior like this? What do you think you are planning to do?"

Prince Zhanying smiled. "Revolt."

The crowd went silent, and suddenly, the hall was rid of motion. The air thickened with substantial tension, making everyone gulped. Within the utter silence, Jingrui could hear her own heartbeat thumping against her ears, and she could hear the faded sound of rain, patting against the glass plane above her head. She glanced up at the roof that shaped the dome. Through the glass, a blanket of dark clouds covered the sky.

A storm was brewing.

Prince Zhanying chuckled, seeing fear swamp the deities' faces. "All of the evidence is here. Empress Dowager, what else do you have to defend yourself? The letter you exchanged with the Third Prince, and the Third Prince himself are enough to testify my words."

The Empress Dowager shook her head. No sign of remorse came over her. Each of Prince Zhanying's words only added fuel to the fire that burnt in her core. She stood her ground, her nose flaring.

Yunyin looked down at Yunru, his lips quivering. "I-Is what Zhanying says true?" He bellowed out and banged his fists against the table. "Is what Zhanying says really true, Yunru? Tell me, I command you!"

Yunru closed his eyes and nodded. "It is, Brother. Lingyue had ordered me to poison Consort Chen. I can never forgive myself for my past actions, and I'm willing to be punished according to the Heavenly Laws." Yunru dropped down onto his knees and kowtowed, his body relaxed as if he were done running away from his sins.

Lingyue gritted her teeth, fuming until her body trembled. "Third Prince and the bastard have always been close. Now the both of you have even conspired against me?"

Prince Zhanying cocked his brows up and shook his head. "Are you still insisting on denying it?" He held up the bloodstained letter, and with one wave of his hand, the letter flew towards Yunyin. "Look at this letter, Father. Doesn't the handwriting look familiar?"

Yunyin scanned it, taking in the writing. His face turned grey like a corpse readied to be buried. "Presumptuous," he snarled as he turned to Lingyue, giving her a disdainful glare. He crunched the paper, veins forming on his forehead. "Absolutely presumptuous."

Lingyue glanced at Yunyin then at Prince Zhanying. Her eyeballs were laced with veins, and she embedded the dining knife into the tabletop. A distorted cackle blurted from her lips. "So what? So what if I killed Chen? I was an Empress and Chen was a mere consort, she was insignificant. And right now, I am the Empress Dowager, the mother of the world. What can a bastard prince like you do against me? Not even the former Heavenly Emperor Yunyin can do anything to me. On the chain of power, with a snap of my finger, you'd be sent to hell!" Lingyue bellowed out and trailed off into a crude laugh. "So what if I killed her? In the end, the judge is my own son."

Prince Zhanying watched the sadistic woman, but instead of being consumed in rage, a smile crept over his lips. Silver light wafted up from his palm as he summoned a decree. His eyes were as calm as still water. "All these years, Brother Yihuai has been giving me quite the trouble for keeping this decree in my archive. You must be really curious to know what's in it, aren't you?"

Yihuai shot up straight. "The decree." His breathing jagged. "I only wanted to steal it all these years because I'm curious about its contents. Father had never given something to you so confidentially. . ."

"This decree was given to me because I had asked for it." Prince Zhanying let the scroll roll down from his palm. "Father, you must remember this, don't you? I asked that you'd write this decree, so that no matter how much authority the culprit holds, I would be able to convict them."

Lingyue ground her teeth, the monster within her was ready to be unleashed. She snarled and stumped down onto her seat. "I should have known you'd taken precaution when Yihuai took over the throne." She lay back against her seat, her arms resting against the armrest. "You think that with that decree, you can do something to me? You are just a bastard, you don't deserve the throne. Even if you have all the potential in the world to carry your dreamt revolution, you are still blind; a trifling disable. You cannot steal the throne from Yihuai."

Yihuai's face paled, and he turned to his mother. A frenzy tremble took over his body. "H-He's no longer blind, Mother."

At that, Lingyue's confidence brittled. She shot up from the comfort of her throne once more. Her hands clutching onto the table cloth. "You're no longer blind?"

Prince Zhanying arched his brows with a smile. "What's wrong? Did you wish me to remain blind?"

Lingyue stepped back, shaking her head rapidly. "No. How is it possible? You should have remained blind forever! All that a bastard prince like you deserves is a world in an abyss! I can't let you regain your eyesight!" she shrieked as she clutched her hair into a fist. Her sharp nails digging into her own scalp.

Prince Zhanying grimaced. "All these years, my mother blinded me, because of your threats. Once tonight is over, I'll make sure you sink into the abyss you've bestowed me all these long years."

The Empress Dowager shook her head, and she let out a maddening cry, "You are really daring, bastard prince. Standing alone with no one to back you up, you think that just this petty evidence of a crime that happened a millennia ago would be able to dethrone me and Yihuai? No, I'll tell you that! All of Heaven's military power is under me. A revolution could never happen!"

Prince Zhanying's eyes darkened, but his face still lingered with amusement. "Do I look scared?"

Lingyue's veins swelled in her neck. Her trembling rage couldn't be contained, and she screamed. Her arm slid across the table, shattering the plates in front of her. "Even if you think you can take the throne, you cannot! It goes against Heaven's code! You have been fooled, haven't you? But I'll tell you now that your life is a mere lie! You cannot be the Heavenly Emperor because you are not a biological prince. Chen was already pregnant with you when she entered the Heavenly Palace. Your father is an unknown man; mortal, immortal, demon, no one knows. And, you, you are just a bastard without a royal bloodline—"

Lingyue paused when Prince Zhanying broke out into a laugh. His laugh was deep, rumbling like the waves of the four seas. He placed a hand over his darkened face. "Is that so?" A smile came over him, and he summoned a scroll Jingrui distinctly remembered. It was given to him by the Phantom Lord before he passed.

Prince Zhanying took steps forward and let the scroll roll out of his palm. "I am not the biological son of the former Heavenly Emperor Yunyin. I am the legitimate, direct descendant of the heavenly throne. I am First Prince Yunyi's grandson."