I'm a villain, not a devil

The military celebration ended successfully, at least for most people in the imperial capital.

The military and civilians were all delighted, and they got to see the respected Emperor. Many people were still reluctant to leave when they got up the next day - as for the war on the front line, it was naturally not worth mentioning!

The empire’s military is powerful and the military is full of experts. What is there for a little tree man to be afraid of?

The only pity is that the humble prince did not show up on the military anniversary. This prince is kind and casual, and never puts on royal dignity towards ordinary people. If you are lucky, you can even gamble with the prince on the military anniversary and win some money.

Many people have heard that the Prince was busy with personal matters, and there were even some rumors - because the Prince was not busy with the war, but was busy with personal matters, some people in the imperial capital were uneasy.

However, although the prince is not here, His Majesty's attitude last night was seen by everyone. The eldest prince Bai Zhan has obviously been designated as the heir. After this night, if His Majesty wants to rectify the game between various forces in the imperial capital, I am afraid no one will dare to disobey, right?

Most people think so.

Then, the residents of the imperial capital woke up and heard unbelievable news.

The eldest prince fought in vain and unfortunately died!

At first, some people thought it was just a rumor, but the news spread quickly throughout the city like a virus.

What was even more shocking was that the high and mighty imperial palace actually hung a black moon flag, which represented the death of an important member of the royal family.

The empire uses a white moon as its emblem. Conversely, if an important person passes away, the national flag will be dyed black. When the late emperor passed away, the imperial capital was filled with black full-moon flags. Now, the black moon flag hung in the palace is a half-moon, which suits the identity of the eldest prince Bai Zhan.

Sure enough, it didn't take long before someone from the Security Bureau issued an order throughout the city: the eldest prince had passed away, and the residents of the imperial capital had to wear mourning clothes for thirty days, and the residents of the other three major political regions had to wear mourning clothes for twenty days.

The whole city was silent for three days. Five days later, the people of the imperial capital bid farewell to His Highness.

When the news came out, the whole city was in an uproar.

It's not just Bai Zhan's special identity and the special holiday of the military anniversary. The most important thing is that His Majesty the Emperor just expressed his attitude...

Just like that, His Highness unfortunately passed away.

Whether they were ordinary nobles or common people, anyone with a brain would have pondered this matter in their hearts.

By the afternoon, countless wanted posters were posted in the imperial capital, and people suddenly realized what was going on.

That prince, Sean, is not dead? Moreover, he is the murderer who killed the prince!

The wanted poster didn't say much, but everyone took a deep breath.

This Crown Prince is the Prince's adopted son... Not only did he fake his death, he also murdered the heir to the throne at this critical juncture. Unfortunately, the Prince is not in the imperial capital.

Everyone knows what this means.

The whole city was in a state of panic, and now no one cared about the disappearance of more than 10,000 wounded soldiers.

Under such circumstances, no one paid much attention to the fact that the Third Prince Bai You put on the prince's clothes again.

Bai You's reinstatement is good news for many people, but now is not a good time to celebrate.

For other princes and princesses, Bai You's return was not a bad thing. After the previous incident, his power fell apart and His Majesty's attitude also changed. In name, Bai You was still the third prince, but he had basically withdrawn from the fight for succession.

The manor of the eldest prince Bai Zhan was filled with black and white decorations, and a coffin made of pure gold was placed in the main hall to receive condolences from visitors.

Since Bai Zhan was a prince, the emperor naturally could not show up in person. His biological mother was of low status and had passed away long ago, so the person in charge of the manor was replaced by Concubine Lan, Lam Ker.

Elisa Lam was wearing mourning clothes with tears in her eyes. She led the other young princes and princesses to stay in the main hall, while the task of welcoming guests was naturally left to the eldest princes and princesses.

The second prince, Bai Wen, had left the imperial capital for the Ilia political district before the military celebration. After hearing the news, he rushed back overnight. He said that he had not even slept before changing into mourning clothes and coming here.

The third prince Bai You, who had just been reinstated, and his twin brother Bai Si naturally arrived early.

The three brothers wore mourning clothes, and whenever dignitaries came to attend the funeral, they would nod and greet them, which was considered as welcoming the guests.

Bai Ye was waiting beside them in a white dress. When the wives of high-ranking officials and nobles came, they would always cry to her, so she naturally had to accompany them. After a whole morning, the princess' eyes were red, and people could not help but sigh: "The relationship between these two brothers and sisters is really good, but at this time, the one who stayed behind is the one who is truly sad and grief-stricken."

The prince's funeral naturally had a fixed process. During the three days of silence, officials and nobles came to mourn every morning, while in the afternoon, representatives of ordinary people came, such as street managers.

During mourning, no other sound can be made except crying, because the soul has returned to heaven and the royal bloodline will ascend to the white moon that no one has ever seen after death. If there are too many noisy sounds, it will affect the way to the moon - if the way to the moon is affected, even nobles will be thrown directly into prison, and when the real funeral begins, they will be whipped, caned, etc. depending on the crime. If the circumstances are serious, they will even be sent directly to be buried with the dead.

This silent mourning lasted for three days. Only after the last resident representative was sent out of the manor did the princes and princesses breathe a sigh of relief.

All of them were in deep red, but they had been tense and tense these past few days, and had never closed their eyes. Acting was not an easy job, and they couldn't even utter a word. After three days of silence, they were mentally exhausted.

The fourth prince Bai Si looked at his third brother who was straightening the wrinkles on his mourning clothes. He took a few steps closer and spoke with sadness and a hint of comfort.

"Third brother, it's a good thing you're back, otherwise, there would be no one to take care of my eldest brother."

The third prince Bai You has not spoken a word to anyone since he was reinstated. When his younger brother came to talk to him, he just turned his head and glanced at him.

After finishing his clothes in a leisurely manner, he straightened up and said calmly: "Fourth brother, you have done a good job even if I don't come back."

The Fourth Prince Bai Si's expression stiffened slightly: "Third brother, I have been looking forward to your return. First, I miss you, and second, I still have a lot of things to do. Without the third brother to lead, I was at a loss for a moment and didn't know what to do."

Bai You did not comment, but just said quietly: "Don't say I was not here, when I was here, Fourth Brother did some things well."

"Third brother..."

Here, the twin brothers were talking to each other and glaring at each other, while on the other side, the second prince Bai Wen came to find Bai Ye.

"Sister, you've worked hard these past few days. This is the tranquilizing potion that my second brother brought back. Drink it and go to sleep."

Bai Wen had a gentle expression, and it seemed that he had loved his younger sister very much since she was a child.

Bai Ye's eyes were red, and he nodded slightly after taking the medicine: "Thank you, second brother."

Bai Wen nodded, then looked at Bai You and Bai Si who were not far away, and then sighed: "These two brothers, their eldest brother is dead, but they are still arguing about other things..."

Bai Ye rubbed his eyes and pretended to be puzzled: "Arguing? Third and fourth brothers haven't seen each other for so long, it's normal for them to have some conversations."

Bai Wen smiled slightly and said softly, "Sister, why do you have to pretend not to know? Sean's death was faked... but the fact that someone else had killed Sean before was true. Who can tell the twists and turns here? But it's not like his military advisor recorded the evidence when Big Brother died. What can we do without evidence?"

Bai Ye looked a little panicked: "How could Second Brother say that..."

Bai Wen slapped his face in self-blame: "Sister, you are right. As the second brother, I just hang out too much and always have some inappropriate thoughts... I was very sad about the death of my eldest brother, and I said some stupid things. Sister, please don't take it to heart."

Bai Ye nodded, and then advised: "Second brother, you rushed back overnight, and you are the most tired one. Go and have a rest."

"Alas, how can I rest down here..." Bai Wen shook his head, "There are so many things piled up, it's hard for me to handle them all by myself... I'm not afraid to tell my sister that I left the city to deal with the hidden dangers left by my previous greed and recklessness. I feel sorry for my father and you brothers and sisters."

"Second brother, don't say that. I also know that you are doing this for the good of the empire." Bai Ye said softly.

Bai Wen sighed again: "Sister really understands me... By the way, my mother's status is a bit sensitive after all. She wants to come to mourn but is afraid of making father angry... She will be sad alone. If you have time, sister, go and help second brother to comfort her, okay?"

This is to contact me...

After talking a lot of nonsense, my second brother couldn't help it...

Bai Ye didn't say much, just nodded slightly.

Bai Wen's eyes flashed with joy, and he immediately said, "Then I'll leave it to you...Okay, go and have a rest. I'll also go and persuade the third and fourth brothers to have a rest as well."

He had just started to move when suddenly, some noisy sounds were heard again outside the manor.

We sent someone out to ask and found out that it was the military that had ordered people to come and pay their respects.

Moreover, the ones who came this time were all non-commissioned officers who had been on good terms with Bai Zhan before.

Bai Wen and Bai Si's eyes flickered at the same time. Bai Zhan was dead, so this was the power he left behind...

Thinking of this, the two brothers returned to their original positions and each of them moved forward a little without making a sound.

Silence fell again in the manor.

The non-commissioned officers poured in one by one. They naturally knew the rule of silence and just saluted the princes and princesses with red eyes.

However, there were countless eye contact, and the various meanings were probably only known to the people who were watching.

After the ceremony, the non-commissioned officers naturally went inside to pay their respects to the body of His Highness. However, after entering, many of them showed doubts.

Apart from the eunuchs and servants, there were only a few young princes and princesses standing there in mourning clothes, and there was no one in charge.

In the imperial funeral, the person in charge of the Day of Silence plays a very important role. To put it bluntly, the person in charge has to "connect the lines between the living and the dead" so that the journey to the moon will be smoother.

It’s a big problem when the person in charge leaves.

Several leading generals looked at each other. Without anyone in charge, should they step forward or not?

Moreover, the person in charge this time should be Concubine Lan, Lan Ke'er. Concubine Lan has been in the palace for so many years, it is impossible for her not to know the importance of this matter. Why is she not here at this time?

They cast scrutinizing eyes on the eunuchs and servants, but in silence, they could only make a few gestures.

Lan Fei thought the silence was over and went to the back to do other things?

Understanding the meaning, the leading general gave a look, signaling the other party to find someone to come over.

Since Elisa Lam was not here, they could not go forward to pay their respects.

The eunuch hurried out of the main hall and walked towards the yard behind the manor.

But after searching around, he couldn't find Lan Fei, and he was so anxious that he kept turning around in circles.

At this time, in the unknown basement of the manor, Elisa Lam, dressed in mourning clothes, was looking around in shock.

And next to her was the man wanted by the entire imperial capital, Sean!

Sean yawned and said with a smile, "You've been the boss for three days, and you don't even know what's in this manor?"

Elisa Lam subconsciously waved her hands, looking anxious, as if she wanted Sean to leave.

Sean laughed loudly, walked up to her and pinched her cheek: "Why are you keeping silent with me?"

Lan Keer finally reacted, and she quickly said, "How dare you come here? Oh my God... Did you know that this is Bai Zhan's manor?"

Sean nodded as a matter of course: "I know."

Elisa Lam said anxiously, "You still came even though you knew? The entire capital is covered with wanted posters for you!"

"Then?"

Seeing that the man was still smiling, Elisa Lam almost fainted.

She pointed outside anxiously: "Bai Zhan's Day of Silence is not just a ceremony. According to the imperial tradition, in order to ensure that the dead souls are not disturbed, silent guardians are always required to stay nearby."

Elisa Lam moved closer to Sean and lowered her voice, "As far as I know, His Majesty sent out his Silent Ones. These are not just ceremonial personnel, but death squads that have been around for many years!"

"The Silent Ones are only responsible to His Majesty and only follow His Majesty's orders. Each of them has had their tongue cut off to ensure that His Majesty's secrets will not be known by others. So, you should understand that to His Majesty, these people are his most trusted confidants!"

Sean smiled and said, "And then?"

"Why don't you take it seriously at all!" Lan Ke'er said angrily, "The Silent Ones are all the strongest people in the empire. Let alone you, I even think that even if the prince lives, he may not be able to get any benefit from the Silent Ones. They are all Crimson! You are wanted by the whole city now. His Majesty said that you can be killed directly when he sees you!"

Sean yawned, "I've been here for three days."

Elisa Lam's mouth opened subconsciously: "You...you were here three days ago?!"

Sean nodded: "I even took a nap in the middle. You know what, Bai Zhan doesn't usually come back to stay, so why would he need such a nice bed?"

"You, you're still going out?!"

Sean winked at her and said, "You haven't slept for three days. Come on, I'll be merciful and go to sleep with you."