The emperor retracted his gaze from Su Zimo and instantly, the suppressive feeling earlier on disappeared as though everything was just a hallucination.
“Come here, Xue’er.”
Turning his head slightly, the emperor looked at Ji Yaoxue and smiled while beckoning with his hand.
Ji Yaoxue frowned slightly and did not budge.
The emperor asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? You don’t wish to have a meal with your father?”
At that moment, the emperor had a kind and benevolent expression as he looked at Ji Yaoxue endearingly – he looked completely like a slightly aged father.
While Su Zimo could not sense any killing intent or enmity from the emperor, his spirit perception told him that this person was extremely dangerous!
Furthermore, he was at the edge of life and death.
Ji Yaoxue hesitated for a moment before she walked over slowly and sat down beside the emperor as per his intentions.
“Father, Mr. Mo…”
“Let’s eat.”
He interrupted her before she could continue. Although his tone was calm, it was impossible to rebut him.
With that said, the emperor started eating the dishes on the table as if no one else was around. He ate elegantly and chewed slowly without letting out any sound.
At that moment, even Ji Yaoxue could not figure out the emperor’s thoughts.
She glanced at Su Zimo, feeling perturbed. While she looked like she was eating as well, everything tasted like wax to her.
In the Rain Admiration Pavilion, Su Zimo seemed to have become an extra person.
The emperor seemed to have forgotten about him as he was left standing on the spot.
Su Zimo smiled calmly and was not vexed. With one hand behind his back, he strolled to the side and looked at the pleasant scenery outside in a leisurely manner.
Time passed bit by bit. The Rain Admiration Pavilion was silent and Su Zimo seemed to be completely immersed in the beautiful scenery, forgetting everything around him.
At that moment, Bai Yuhan nodded her head with admiration.
Not everyone could remain this calm before the Emperor of Great Zhou.
After a long while, the emperor wiped his mouth and a chilling glint flashed across his eyes.
Ji Yaoxue put down her utensils and coughed lightly. “Take it away.”
In part, Ji Yaoxue was summoning the maidservant to take the dishes away. At the same time, it was a reminder for Su Zimo.
He gradually came back to his senses and returned to stand not far away from the emperor.
“Should I call you Mr. Mo, or… Su Zimo?”
The emperor spoke suddenly and asked directly without beating around the bush!
Su Zimo replied, “Both works. It depends on which one Your Majesty prefers.”
Bang!
The emperor’s palm struck the table heavily all of a sudden, giving off a loud bang.
Ji Yaoxue was shocked.
“Su Zimo, are you aware of your crimes?!”
The emperor slapped the table and stood up. Instantly, his aura changed completely, as though he was an angry lion that was gushing forth with an immensely intimidating pressure!
Those words were deafening like the sound of a huge bell.
Su Zimo’s body swayed.
Against the pressure of the emperor, he felt like he was suffocating – his security was at stake now and his head could fall at any moment!
“Father…” Ji Yaoxue’s expression changed as she stood up hurriedly.
“Don’t interfere in this matter!”
The emperor did not even look at her as he waved his sleeves gently, sending Ji Yaoxue to the side.
Ji Yaoxue did not know what spell he used but she could not move her body at all. While she was agitated and her eyes revealed endless worry, she could not speak at all.
Su Zimo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were brimming with a dazzling light of life!
“What are my crimes?” Su Zimo asked instead.
The emperor’s gaze was dark as he said slowly, “You hid your identity in front of me. That’s deceiving the emperor and you should be executed!”
Everyone in the Rain Admiration Pavilion could sense the emperor’s killing intent!
However, Su Zimo’s expression was unchanged as he replied calmly, “Your Majesty, you have never asked me about it. How does that equate to me hiding things from you?”
“Bullshit!”
The emperor shouted, “Back in Mo Spirit Weapon Workshop, I asked you personally what sect you were from and who your master was. How dare you try to deny now that things have come to this!”
Su Zimo replied indifferently, “That day, Your Majesty paid a visit in secret. How was I to know of your identity, Your Majesty?”
The emperor frowned slightly.
Su Zimo’s meaning was simple – the source of this matter was not him, but the emperor.
Right from the start, the emperor had not inquired about Su Zimo’s background using his identity as the emperor. As such, there was naturally no way the latter was deceiving the emperor.
No matter what, Su Zimo had saved Ji Yaoxue’s life before.
Furthermore, his alter ego was Mr. Mo who was renowned throughout the capital.
In terms of both logic and sentimentality, the emperor should not kill Su Zimo.
However, the moment the emperor found out about the truth, he felt a sense of shame as though he was played and cheated by someone.
He would feel indignant if he were to let Su Zimo leave just like this!
He wanted to kill but he did not want to kill at the same time!
The conflict within the emperor’s heart had reached an extreme!
That was why he had to look for a reason that he could convince himself with if he wanted to kill Su Zimo.
Right from the beginning, when Su Zimo entered the Rain Admiration Pavilion, his spirit perception had already sensed the immense reason – that was because the emperor wanted to kill him but lacked a reason.
That was also the reason why the emperor left Su Zimo hanging on the spot.
As long as Su Zimo did anything unusual, the emperor would strike immediately and kill him on the spot!
Normally, someone of Su Zimo’s age would be the most brash. Coupled with his title as the number one Weapon Refinement Master of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he would definitely be enraged for being ignored as such.
He would then either rush up and reason about it or turn to leave.
No matter which choice it was, Su Zimo would have definitely died.
However, of all things, he was neither angry nor vexed and walked to the side to admire the scenery.
Helpless, the emperor could only strike again and accuse him of deceiving the emperor while using that as an excuse to kill him.
However, Su Zimo managed to resolve the contradiction within a couple of sentences, leaving the emperor without any reason to refute.
Although everything seemed like it was a simple exchange of words, there were swords and sabers lying beneath – a single mistake and Su Zimo’s blood would fill the Rain Admiration Pavilion!
Ji Yaoxue, who had seen through everything, heaved a sigh of relief and her expression eased slightly.
“Very good.”
The emperor nodded expressionlessly and his tone was cold – no one could tell if he was giving a compliment or being sarcastic.
“Let’s leave the matter of deceiving the emperor aside first.”
The emperor’s gaze was cold as he asked in a frosty voice, “Do you admit that you killed the Imperial Army soldier, Dai Xu?”
As long as that matter was thoroughly investigated, Su Zimo would definitely be implicated.
Back then, Dai Xu had tailed Su Zimo after catching sight of him outside the Rain Admiration Pavilion. The fact that he died that very night made it obvious who the murderer was.
Su Zimo pondered for a moment before nodding. “I killed him.”
“Alright!”
A cold glint flashed in the emperor’s eyes. “Since you admit it, there’s nothing to say anymore! A life for a life!”
Raising his head, Su Zimo looked at the emperor and asked, “Why can’t I kill Dai Xu since he wanted to kill me?”
“As long as someone wishes to kill you, you have to kill them in return?” The emperor raised his brows.
“Yes!” Su Zimo replied without hesitation.
Suddenly, the emperor’s eyes narrowed as he slowly asked, “Then, I want to kill you now. What do you want?”
Ji Yaoxue shuddered when she heard that question.
This was an unsolvable question!
No matter how Su Zimo replied, he would be in the wrong!
If he displayed weakness and did not dare to rebut, he would be contradicting his previous statement and the emperor could go along with that flow and kill him.
If Su Zimo’s stance was overly tough and replied that he would kill the emperor, that would be regicide and he would definitely be killed!
It was an unsolvable trap.