Sima Han looked at Sima Hao upon hearing this, seeing the unbearable pain on Sima Hao's face. Although he remained relatively composed, panic was evident in his eyes.
After all, his life could be forfeit at any moment, and without the ability to save himself, it was natural for him to panic.
"Did the Grand Emperor agree to my conditions just now?"
Sima Han spoke, still on the same topic as before.
Sima Hao was stunned, then wanted to curse loudly.
However, he still needed Sima Han's help. He opened his mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.
In his heart, Sima Hao had already cursed Sima Han to death.
This ungrateful wretch! He had doted on him so much before, and now that he was in trouble, instead of helping, Sima Han was kicking him while he was down and taking advantage of his misfortune.
One was the eldest son, the other was him. These were truly all his good sons!
"What if I don't agree?"
After Sima Hao spoke, he stared intently at Sima Han's face, wanting to see his reaction.
Sima Han smiled gently at Sima Hao. "If you don't agree, I'm afraid the Grand Tutor will be unable to help. Don't you think so, Grand Tutor?"
Yizhixie listened and nodded seriously. "After watching this play for so long, I'm tired too. Shall we leave? I imagine His Majesty is waiting for us."
Princess Zande's eyes lit up. She had hesitated to enter earlier, fearing that Yizhixie would side with Sima Hao.
If Yizhixie intervened, today's matter would definitely not be resolved satisfactorily. If it escalated further, she would be doomed.
Hearing Sima Han suggest leaving, she wished she could kneel to see them off.
Although she didn't kneel, the smile on her face was brilliant. "Is the Grand Tutor leaving?"
Yizhixie looked at her with a half-smile. "Do you really want me to leave?"
Princess Zande's heart tightened. What did that mean?
"His Majesty is waiting for you."
This was the truth. Sima Zhu was worried when he knew Yizhixie was here.
However, based on his understanding of Yizhixie over time, he was not one to meddle in affairs.
The Yizhixie who had fought to establish Sima Hao's reign had long since changed.
"Is that so? We mustn't keep His Majesty waiting. In that case, let's go. We won't delay your siblings' chat here."
With that, Yizhixie stood up and prepared to leave.
Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Yizhixie speak so solemnly about the siblings having a chat.
How thick-skinned could one be to say such a thing?
Shen Xiaoyan was almost certain that as soon as they left, Princess Zande would order Sima Hao's execution.
As for the earlier display of sibling affection, it was a forced pretense, just for show, to deceive them.
Seeing Yizhixie truly getting up, Sima Hao became genuinely anxious.
Although he was wary of Sima Han gaining military power, he was even more afraid of dying on the spot shortly.
Weighing his options, Sima Hao finally said, "I agree."
As soon as these words were spoken, Princess Zande's face changed instantly.
"Take the Grand Emperor down! Whoever kills him will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold."
As Princess Zande's voice fell, the soldiers who had been standing by, ready for action, surged towards Sima Hao.
Sima Hao's heart pounded twice as fast, and he closed his eyes, not daring to look at the swords and blades drawing nearer.
Jiang Yubao, standing beside him, was so frightened she could barely stand, her legs trembling uncontrollably, yet she was paralyzed and unable to move.
Princess Zande's sudden order was a calculated move, as she sensed an anomaly would occur.
Although she didn't know what kind of deal Sima Han and Sima Hao had struck, it was certainly very important.
Otherwise, Sima Hao wouldn't have hesitated repeatedly and only agreed when death was imminent.
Now, she could only hope that even if Sima Han and Yizhixie agreed to save Sima Hao, they would kill him before they could act.
As long as Sima Hao was killed, everything would be settled. Yizhixie would have no reason to oppose Sima Zhu for a dead man.
As the saying goes, a high reward attracts brave men. She couldn't believe that a thousand taels of gold wouldn't be enough to take Sima Hao's head.
Unfortunately, Princess Zande's plan was excellent, but before these men could even reach Sima Hao, they were all sent flying.
In an instant, everyone was sent flying, and this was solely Sima Han's achievement.
Seeing this, Princess Zande was still somewhat disbelieving. She instinctively looked towards Yizhixie, only to see him standing there calmly, talking to Namu Zhong with a slight smile on his face.
Princess Zande then looked at Shen Xiaoyan and the others; none of them had made a move.
This meant that in the blink of an eye, the person who had eliminated so many of her soldiers was indeed Sima Han alone.
She knew Sima Han had practiced martial arts since he was young, but when had he become so formidable?
Sima Hao did not experience the expected pain but heard the sound of people screaming. He opened his eyes to see what was happening.
Seeing the people lying on the ground, wailing, he finally understood what had happened.
Since his life was no longer in danger, Sima Hao took a deep breath and adjusted the expression on his face. "A'Han, you are truly remarkable. You are worthy of being my son."
As soon as he spoke, Sima Hao felt a cold breeze rush towards him. Looking down, he saw a masked man in black, holding a long sword, flying directly towards him.
"Ah!"
Sima Hao yelped in fright and quickly retreated, only to trip over himself.
Seeing that he had nowhere left to retreat, Sima Hao could only look towards Sima Han.
Seeing this, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Sima Han was already entangled with Princess Zande, unable to spare any effort to save him.
Just as he was about to call out to Yizhixie for help, the tip of the sword was already upon him.
Sima Hao's eyes rolled back, and he was on the verge of fainting, but fearing that he wouldn't wake up, he endured it.
Just as he thought he was doomed, a blade suddenly appeared before him, perfectly blocking the incoming sword.
Sima Hao took several deep breaths to calm himself. When he looked up again, he saw that the masked man who had attacked him was now locked in combat with Zheng Xiang.
"Zheng Xiang?"
Sima Hao was startled by Zheng Xiang's sudden appearance.
Wasn't the outside already guarded? How did Zheng Xiang get in?
Furthermore, how did Zheng Xiang know he was in trouble?
While Sima Hao was racking his brains, Shen Xiaoyan had already appeared beside him.
"Aren't you curious why Prince Duan came?"
Suddenly hearing someone speak to him, Sima Hao instantly turned his head. Seeing that it was Shen Xiaoyan, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Help me up."
As soon as he spoke, there was no response for a long time.
Sima Hao's face darkened. "I said, help me up."
Shen Xiaoyan pointed to herself and asked curiously, "Are you talking to me?"
Sima Hao rolled his eyes. "Who else do you think I'm talking to? Hurry up and help me up."
Shen Xiaoyan smiled. "Weren't you scared silly? Do you know why Zheng Xiang came? Because he came to die."
"What did you say?"
Sima Hao looked at Shen Xiaoyan in shock, hoping to get an answer from her, but then he heard Zheng Xiang's pained cry.