496-501
Chapter 496: Thunderstorm (1)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The day brightened hazily. The clouds gradually gathered above Jingdou and turned the hazy light into blurry darkness. In the mess of buildings in the rear of the Royal Palace, the sleeping eunuchs and serving girls were still turning in their sleep. However, some among them had woken up a long time ago.
Hong Zhu forcefully steadied his state of mind. He slapped his face repeatedly, trying to use this motion to make himself maintain his composure. He had not been on duty in the Eastern Palace, so he had not been killed by the eunuchs and guards. Even though he was in the courtyard near the laundry facility, he still felt scared. He had no idea what he would face next.
A sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard. Although it did not disturb the people in their dreams, it scared Hong Zhu so much he shot to the window. The hand in his sleeve held tightly to the poisonous dagger Fan Xian had once given him to defend himself. He was prepared, at any moment, to fight for his life with the people who came to silence him.
If he struggled, it would be difficult for him to escape the path to death. If he didn't fight and just surrendered to the capture, it was not something young Eunuch Hong, who was as stubborn as a scholar, would be able to do.
His hands shook as he placed his ear against the door, listening for sounds outside the courtyard. Occasionally, he heard a tragic groan and the sound of crying ringing out. The sounds rang out quickly and immediately disappeared.
His face was deathly pale. He knew there was someone killing people outside. The eunuchs and serving girls who lived near the laundry facility were almost all servants who served either the Eastern Palace or Guangxin Palace. Of course, Hong Zhu knew exactly the reason for which the things outside were happening. He held the dagger tightly and anxiously bit his lip. He didn't notice that he had made a small cut on his lip.
He didn't know when the people would come to kill him.
He didn't know if he could kill one person in a struggle.
Hong Zhu nervously waited for the arrival of death.
After an indeterminable amount of time, no one came to knock on Hong Zhu's door. Gradually, the movements outside the laundry facility disappeared, and the courtyard outside recovered its peace.
Hong Zhu swallowed a mouthful of saliva that had the taste of blood. Nervously, he looked out through the crack in the door and found that there was no one outside. He wanted to push open the door to see what exactly had happened outside, but his body had long been frozen by fear. For a moment, he couldn't move at all.
He crouched down to rub at his ankles. He then summoned his courage to push open the door and walked out onto the street of the laundry facility. He looked around absent-mindedly and found that, not far away, the door to where the eunuchs and serving girls lived were tightly closed, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.
He walked to one of the courtyards and carefully stretched out his hand to push at the door.
The door wasn't bolted and opened immediately at his push.
Hong Zhu looked at the courtyard in front of him. His face became even paler, and even his lips began to lose their color.
He didn't see a courtyard filled with bodies, but he did see a few puddles of blood in an unremarkable corner. The courtyard was empty. Not one person existed here.
Presumably, the other courtyards were also like this. The eunuchs and serving girls in these courtyards had already been ordered to death by the Emperor. Their bodies had been dragged, under the cover of darkness, to some secret place to be burned.
The Emperor's hands were indeed bloody.
Hong Zhu backed out of the empty courtyard in a daze and stood in the empty alley. He didn't understand why he wasn't killed. A feeling of gratitude and fear for the new lease on life twisted in his heart, making his entire body shake.
Crack!
A streak of light flashed in the depths of the dark clouds in the sky. In an instant, the sound of thunder traveled through Jingdou and surrounding countryside. Immediately after, a strong wind picked up. Countless raindrops began to fall to the ground, accompanied by the wind and thunder.
Hong Zhu stood upright in the downpour and allowed the water to wash over his face and wet his thin clothing. After a long time, he finally returned to his senses. Holding tightly onto the knife like a life-saver, he returned to his own little courtyard, closed the door tightly, and didn't dare to open it again.
…
…
"Father, what is this for?" The Crown Prince gazed angrily at his father with a rarely seen rage and roared loudly, "Why!"
The Qing Emperor did not reply to his question. He only stared at the empress' dazed face. Putting his hands behind his back, he slowly lowered his head and placed his face beside the empress'.
Her body shook without reason. She looked at the middle-aged man she was most familiar with, loved the best, and also hated the most, come closer to her. She saw clearly the black edged brilliant gold robe on his body and golden threads on the dragon robe, and she smelled the scent on his body. She could not see the man's expression clearly or the emotions below the expression clearly.
Many years had passed, but the empress had never truly seen the Emperor clearly.
Her body shook again. It was clear that this empress felt a deep fear toward the Emperor.
Beside her ear, the Emperor quietly said, "This is the good son you've raised."
The empress immediately froze in surprise. She had no idea why such a terrifying thing as purging the Palace had happened today. Hearing the Emperor's words, only then did she realize that it had something to do with the Crown Prince. But, the Crown Prince had recently been very playing his role very smoothly. What trouble could he possibly have caused? Particularly after hearing the Emperor say this, an emotion unique to women excited the empress. She screeched in a sharp voice, "My son? Is he not your son?"
The sound of a crisp slap was the response to her words. The Emperor slowly pulled back his hand and looked at the empress in front him, who was holding her face and didn't look at him directly. Coldly, he said, "If you want me to abolish you, then don't make so much noise here."
Although the words were soft, they carried chilling coldness.
A glimmer of hopelessness flashed through the empress' eyes. She gazed at the Emperor and laughed maniacally. "You hit me…you actually hit me? In these dozen years, you couldn't even be bothered to glance at me. You actually hit me right now? Should I thank you?"
The Crown Prince saw his mother being humiliated. He gave a roar and charged over. He stood in front of the empress and stared at the Emperor with rage and helplessness. In a loud voice, he said, "Father, enough!"
Although he stood between the Emperor and empress, the Emperor's serene eyes seemed to not see the Crown Prince at all. They pierced through his flesh to stare at the sobbing empress behind him. Faintly, he said, "Do not lose your sense of propriety. Do you know that, Empress?"
The empress raised her head fearfully and glanced at the Emperor past the Crown Prince's not very substantial body. She bit her lip and didn't speak for a moment.
The Emperor saw that she did not reply. He furrowed his brows slightly and took a step forward. If he went forward another step, he would crash directly into the Crown Prince's body.
At this moment, the Crown Prince's heart had been chilled through. He knew what a harsh and unfeeling person his father was. A ruler was never soft-hearted. His father had slapped his mother across the face, but at least it demonstrated that he still considered his mother a person.
However, the Emperor's gaze went right through him like he didn't exist. What did this show? This showed that the Emperor already no longer considered him a person.
The Crown Prince didn't know what matter had made his father so angry and unwilling to tolerate him. He suddenly thought of a matter, and his face paled further. But, he still stood in front of the empress because he wanted to protect his mother.
Although the Emperor had only taken one step forward, the Crown Prince felt that a giant mountain had approached. An imposing aura emanated from the man in the dragon robe in from of him and directly pressed down on his body.
It seemed to the Crown Prince that he could hear the sound of his knees creaking. He was scared. He wanted to back away, but he could not because he knew that the Emperor was in a rage. He didn't know what the Emperor would do to his mother while he was angry.
So, he stood without moving between the Emperor and empress. He used all of his strength to resist the imposing aura. His mind was a bit distracted. He wondered if this was the aura that a tyrannical ruler needed to have? Did the person sitting on the dragon chair have to be so iron-blooded and merciless?
"Why?" Under the great pressure, the Crown Prince kept his back straight with great difficulty. The tendons on his neck stood out. He roared in a sharp voice, "Father, why!"
This time, the Emperor finally looked directly at the Crown Prince. He looked at the young man who dared to stand in front of him. A faint light rose in his eyes. As if his voice was being squeezed out between his lips, he cursed in a low voice, "Disgusting!"
…
…
The Crown Prince understood and proved his guess. He broke. His leg's turned soft, so he sat down suddenly in front of the Emperor and began to sob. Tears and snot smeared all over his face.
The Emperor didn't glance at him again. He walked to the empress side and coldly swung out with his hand and slapped her again.
The empress gave a wretched cry and was pushed by this slap to the ground, where she lay on the low couch.
The Emperor lowered his head to the empress' ear and said through gritted teeth, "I handed this child to you, and this is how you raise him to be?"
The Emperor raised his body and coldly walked toward the exit of the Eastern Palace. Just as he was about to walk out of the Palace, he turned his head and looked with coldness and disgust at the Crown Prince sitting in a daze on the ground. With hated in his voice, he said, "If you dared to stand in front of me the entire time earlier, perhaps I might still have some respect for you."
Having said this, the unusually cold and merciless Qing Emperor shook his sleeves and left. His figure appeared to be very straight and cold. He didn't look like a husband or a father [JW1], only like a ruler.
The doors to the Eastern Palace were slowly closed. The stench of blood continued to linger in the Palace. Other than the sobbing empress and Crown Prince, there was not a single other person. It appeared very lonely.
The Crown Prince suddenly slowly rose and somewhat woodenly helped his mother to sit up properly.
With a smack, the empress slapped him across the face. The Crown Prince did not dodge it. His eyes were filled with helplessness and conflict. He raised his hand and caught his mother's wrist, which was coming down in a second slap. Viciously, he said, "Mother, if you don't want to die, then quickly think of a way to notify grandmother!"
The empress immediately froze.
…
…
Inside and outside the Eastern Palace, the Guangxin Palace, and the laundry facility, within a half-hour, any eunuch and serving girl who had served in these two Palaces had all been killed. Other than Hong Zhu, not a single survivor was left. Hundreds of lives were sacrificed so the Emperor could hide the ugliness in the royal family.
Perhaps it was not until now that the Qing Emperor had begun to gradually demonstrate his bloodiest, coldest, and most powerful side.
This middle-aged man in a dragon robe came alone to Guangxin Palace.
He didn't have a single eunuch with him.
Old Eunuch Hong saw him approaching. He bowed deeply and then disappeared without a trace like a spirit.
In Guangxin Palace, there was only the Eldest Princess inside and Emperor outside. Two of them stood separated by the thick Palace door thinking their own thoughts. Would death come next or memories? Would it be a dozen years of familiarity or the distance of an instance? Would they be ruler and official or brother and sister?
The wind began to blow.
The dark clouds above Jingdou grew thicker and thicker.
A streak of lightning shot down as countless drops of rain poured down.
The Eldest Princess sitting on the low couch slowly raised her head and looked at the Palace door with a cold and laughable gaze. The Palace doors squeaked as they were slowly pushed open. A thoroughly wet middle-aged man with long hair spread out behind him slowly walked in. The dragons sewed onto his dragon robe seemed to be struggling in the wet as if they wanted to charge out and destroy everything in the world.
The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, looked at him coldly and said, "So, you look this wretched."
Crash! Lightning flashed across the sky and it illuminated the dim Royal Palace. For a very short space of time, it lit up everything with an impossible brilliance, particularly the figure of the Emperor, an angry but controlled, and lonely but tyrannical figure.
[JW1] Original said "wife," which seems to be a typo.
Chapter 497: Thunderstorm (2)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A streak of lightning flashed in the dark clouds above Jingdou. An instant later, the muffled sound of thunder boomed out, making the entire Royal Palace shake. The heavy rain poured down and soaked everything. In a short amount of time, the water gathered above the palace and flowed down through the cracks in the glazed tile. The noise was thunderous.
It was spring. If there was thunder, it should be dry rumbling thunder. However, this stormy weather couldn't help but appear strange. No one knew if it was the heavens who were angry or the Emperor.
The Emperor walked through the great doors of Guangxin Palace and turned to slowly close the door. He took a piece of cloth from around his wrists and carefully brushed up his wet hair, without a single piece of out of place. This did not reflect his current emotion.
The Eldest Princess half leaned on the low couch. He watched him and suddenly smiled unsteadily.
Suddenly, a bell-like laugh rang out in the empty Guangxin Palace. The laughter echoed in the wind and rain. Although it was sharp and clear, it could not be hidden. It traveled in all directions and appeared to be unusually strange.
The Emperor's expression did not change. He slowly walked forward to the low couch and Eldest Princess.
Behind him was a pin-straight role of wet footprints. The distance between each print was equal. The line the footprints formed looked like they had been drawn.
He wasn't silent for long. The Emperor looked coldly at Li Yunrui. "Why?"
The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui sank into silence.
She furrowed her pretty brows as her spring onion-like fingers gently drummed against the low couch at her side. Her misty eyes glittered with confusion and innocence like that of little girl.
She seemed to be thinking and confused, and she seemed to not know why.
She finally raised her head and tilted up her face. She looked calmly at the most powerful man in the world standing in front of her. Her red lips and white teeth parted slightly. She quietly said, "Why, why?"
It had been a long time since the Emperor had asked that question, but he seemed to be patiently waiting for an answer.
Without waiting for the Emperor to continue questioning her, Li Yunrui suddenly sucked in a cold breath. She blinked her large eyes and used her hand to cover her mouth. "You are asking why?"
"Why?"
She suddenly smiled and stood up. Without any show of weakness, she stood in front of the Emperor and stared at him with a resentful gaze. She enunciated each word clearly as she asked, "Brother Emperor, are you asking why your sister is over 30 and has not yet married or are you asking why I seduced the top scholar when I was 15? Or, are you asking why do I have so many handsome male companions?"
She gently bit her lip and took another step closer to the Emperor. She stared into his eyes and spoke in a voice that was chilled to the bone, "Why? Why did the Eldest Princess Li Yunrui give up glory, wealth, and an easy life to instead maintain the palace treasury for so many years? Why did she, this idiot, force down her revulsion to help the Qing Emperor collect talent? Why did she tax herself physically and mentally to have a relationship with the surrounding countries? Why did she secretly organize the Junshang Conference to kill people the Emperor could not conveniently kill and carry out the plots that would dishonor the court?"
"Why?" Lin Yunrui stared intently at the Emperor. She shook her sleeve and said in a sharp voice, "Brother Emperor, why do you think it is so? Why would I be so stupid? Why are you always playing the most brilliant role, while I must be satisfied in playing the darkest of roles behind your back? Why must I suffer this reputation?"
The Emperor looked at her silently, coldly, and with pity.
The Eldest Princess suddenly laughed maniacally. "Is this not all for you? My dearest brother, you want to leave a good name in history, so those dirty things had to be done by someone else… But, have you ever thought about me?"
"Me?"
The Eldest Princess angrily grabbed his dragon robe and viciously said, "I also want to ask you why! Why must you take away what belongs to me? Why don't you have any feelings? Look at your illegitimate child. You took everything of mine away and gave it to him. Why? I know I would be willing to lose everything as long you wanted it… But, it can't be to him! Why was it to him of all people?"
Li Yunrui breathed hard for a while and then quickly regained her calm. Using a pitiful gaze, she glanced at the Emperor then slowly said, "It's a pity your illegitimate child still only wants the Fan family name."
The Emperor looked at her silently and then slowly said, "You've gone crazy."
"I'm not crazy!" Lin Yunrui yelled angrily in a sharp voice. "I was crazy for the past dozen years! But, today, I'm not crazy!"
"You've gone crazy," The Emperor said coldly. "You asked many 'whys,' as if all of this originated with me. But, have you thought about the fact that your living for power has already reached a strange level."
"Strange?" Li Yunrui furrowed her brows. A contemptuous expression flashed across her face. "If it is strange for women to just want power, then what does that make you, the most powerful person in the world?"
"Impudence!" The Emperor squeezed out a very low voice from his throat and raised his hand with a desire to strike.
The Eldest Princess raised her face and looked at him coldly. She looked at his hand and did not care at all.
"I gave you everything you have," The Emperor slowly lowered his hand and coldly said. "I can easily take all this back."
"I earned everything I have with my own hard work." The Eldest Princess looked at him coldly. "If you want to take everything back, you'll have to kill me."
Another boom of thunder rang out outside the Palace. The wind and rain seemed to have grown stronger. The Emperor gazed at his sister and suddenly laughed. His laughter carried an extreme chill. "Perhaps you think that I would not be willing to kill you?"
"Of course, you would be willing to kill me." A sense of mocking suddenly flashed through Li Yunrui's eyes. "Who in this world would you be unwilling to kill?"
The Emperor, who had been calm the entire time, was suddenly pierced in the depths of his heart by this gaze.
Li Yunrui looked into his eyes coldly and said, "Brother Emperor, wake up. Don't always pretend that you are someone who values friendships and loyalty. Presumably, you've already gone to the Eastern Palace and demonstrated your disappointment as if you've been hurt in the depths of your heart, but who are you fooling? Don't fool yourself. You've long wanted to get rid of me. However, you feel some remorse for me deep in your heart, so you need to find an excuse to persuade yourself."
Harshly, she said, "Yes, you just need to convince yourself so that you feel it is not your fault that you personally killed your sister. The sister who has been by your side since youth and has given up years of her life for you after she grew up. Rather, it is because… I deserved to die!"
As she said the words "deserved to die," Li Yunrui's voice sharpened.
When the Emperor heard the words "Eastern Palace," he had already closed his eyes. A moment later, he slowly said, "In the end, you are still my sister and mother's favorite. If it had not come to this, I would have ensured your wealth and position your entire life, no matter what. Your disruption of the court, the accumulation of private soldiers, use of the Ming family, and organizing the Junshang Conference, each is a major crime of lying to the Emperor. However, what do these matter… After all, you are my sister, my favorite sister since childhood. If I don't hold you accountable, then you are innocent. Over these years, regardless of whether you sold out Yan Bingyun or wanted to assassinate Fan Xian, I didn't blame you because I don't think these are major things."
He opened his eyes. His gaze was very calm. "But, you shouldn't have stretched your hands into your nephews. The Second Prince has already been led by you onto a crooked path, although he is hiding it well on the surface."
Li Yunrui laughed coldly and interjected, "Your sons were forced crazy by you."
"What about Chengqian?" The Emperor stared viciously into Li Yunrui's eyes. "Do you know, he's the Crown Prince? He is the next Emperor, who I have carefully nurtured! I am going to conquer a huge kingdom and have this child guard it for me for 10,000 years. If you helped him, I would only be happy. Instead, you seduced him!"
There was another muffled clap of thunder. Although the sound was not very crisp, it set the Guangxin Palace buzzing. Even amidst such might from heaven and earth, the Emperor's angry voice still stuck out and pierced the Eldest Princess' ears.
The lightning flooded into the room through the window and brilliantly illuminated Guangxin Palace. In this instant, the Emperor stretched out his steady right hand and firmly placed it around the Eldest Princess' throat. He pushed all the way forward, past the low couch, and past the wind screen, until he pinned the most beautiful woman in Qing Kingdom against the Palace wall. The tendons on his fingers stood out. He was really doing this!
The Eldest Princess' breathing was somewhat difficult, but she didn't call for help or beg for mercy. She only stared coldly and with pity at the angry middle-aged man in front of him. Her swan-white neck was being choked by his fingers. It made her face red, but it also gave her a magical and moving sense of beauty.
"I…have never thought to change the heir… Everything is for Chengqiang's future because my kingdom needs a generous and powerful ruler to inherit. All of this has been destroyed by you!" the Emperor roared angrily. "Why!"
A glimmer of confusion flashed the eyes of the red-faced Eldest Princess, but it immediately cleared. She smiled slightly and wheezed, "So, all of this is just you putting on a show. Fan Xian is also being manipulated by you. Presumably, he will die even more wretchedly than me."
Her body was pressed against the wall of the Palace, and the tips of her toes barely managed to touch the ground. She looked very miserable, but it was at this moment that she laughed with difficulty. "However, you definitely can't let Chengqian take the throne now. Are you going to let Fan Xian be Emperor? No, brother Emperor, I know you. You would never let Fan Xian succeed like that."
Hearing these words, the Emperor relaxed his grip slightly.
The Eldest Princess watched him with interest and ridicule. Wheezing, she said, "Brother Emperor, you are too suspicious, and you are too good at pretending. You wanted to the train the Crown Prince, but you scared him into a mouse. He thought he could be removed at any moment by you. How could he not be afraid? How could he not need a reliable embrace like mine?"
Embrace… The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui seemed completely unafraid of death as she continued to provoke the Emperor's ears.
The Emperor stared at her and only asked, "Why?"
"Why?" Li Yunrui suddenly began to struggle beneath his hand, but it only increased her pain. In a sharp voice, she angrily said, "Why? There is no why! He likes me. That is the reason… I liked to play with him to the point it hurt you and made you hopeless…"
She laughed maniacally. "I only realized today that your hopelessness and pain is even more intense than I thought. I am very pleased."
The Emperor looked at her woodenly and slowly asked, "He likes you?
"Can he not do so?" The Eldest Princess' beautiful and red face was occasionally lit up by the flashes of lightning and appeared particularly alluring. She wheezed and proudly said, "Are there men in this world who don't like me?"
She looked at the Emperor's face that was very close to hers and suddenly froze. She raised her powerless right hand jerkily and laid it on the Emperor's face. Using a tone that was filled with allure, she said, "Brother Emperor, you also like me."
"Shameless!" The Emperor slapped her hand away with his own.
Li Yunrui was not angry. She just breathed heavily and firmly said, "You like me./ However, I am your younger sister… But, so what? Like is like. Even if you hide your feelings under the foot of a mountain or in the ocean, it will still be found by you. You cannot throw away your feelings."
"Not all men have feelings like savage beasts." The Emperor coldly watched his increasingly panting sister. "Not all would kneel at your skirt. Women should never think they can stand above a man."
"You're talking about Ye Qingmei, right?" Li Yunrui suddenly spat at him in annoyance. "I am not her!"
"You'll never be as good as her," the Emperor suddenly moved closer to her ear and said. "Even though you've worked hard all these years, you'll never be like her. You'll never reach her place in my heart. You know this."
An ashen color suddenly flashed across her face, as if these words had hit on some weakness deep inside her.
A cruel light flashed through the Emperor's eyes as he continued beside her ear, "You'll forever follow in her footsteps, but you'll never catch up. Now, my son with her is about to take everything from you. Are you pained?"
Li Yunrui struggled and stared at him with a vicious glare.
"You're not even as good as my illegitimate child." The thunder boomed outside the window. The Emperor spoke quietly next to the Eldest Princess' ear. The words that fell into her ear was even more startling than the thunder outside. "Earlier, you said you could manipulate any man. Why did you manipulate him?"
Li Yunrui's gaze gradually calmed. With great difficulty and calmness, she said, "He is Wan'er's husband."
The Emperor gazed at her with mocking malice. "You didn't even spare your own nephew, yet you still have a sense of honor?"
The Eldest Princess gazed at him pitifully without any show of weakness. "Of us three siblings, there are two of us crazy ones. I don't know. Do you know? If you really knew, you wouldn't have stolen your subordinate's love and forced her into the Palace to become a concubine!"
The wind and thunderstorm outside the Palace suddenly stopped. Inside and outside was a deathly silence.
The Emperor's hand was firm and persistent as it pressed against the Eldest Princess' throat. He didn't say anything for a while.
"That year you went on the Northern expedition, you suffered heavy injuries. Your entire body was unable to move," The Eldest Princess coughed sharply and said with venom and joy. "It was Chen Pingping who came over thousands of li and braved great danger to rescue you from the mountains in the North. It was the Dongyi slave girl Lady Ning who served you and a wooden man all along the way. It was such a difficult journey, Director Chen could only drink horse piss and eat horse meat… But, how did you treat your two saviors? You knew that Chen Pingping liked Lady Ning, and Lady Ning also admired Chen Pingping. However, as the master, you cut through like a knife and stole Lady Ning. Brother Emperor, don't think that because I was young, I don't know about this matter. Why was mother so angry? Was it just because of Lady Ning's status? Why did she want to sentence her to death? If Ye Qingmei had not come forward to ask for mercy, Lady Ning and the Great Prince would long be gone. Are you sure you know about such a thing as honor?"
"Don't say such nonsense like Chen Pingping is a eunuch," the Eldest Princess venomously said. "Do you think you have cleaner hands than me?"
What made Li Yunrui disappointed was that the Emperor did not seem overly surprised or uneasy. He only stared coldly at her.
The Emperor slowly increased the strength in his hand and bit off each word, "Before you die, you still didn't forget to provoke the relationship between myself and Director Chen. Yunrui, I really do appreciate you, which is why I cannot keep you."
…
…
In the Eastern Palace, the pitiful mother and son duo were still fearful and uneasy. However, the pale-faced Crown Prince was faring much better than his mother. Although he knew that he was going to face a terrifying end, he was, after all, the son of the Qing Emperor and had always been raised as the next Emperor. The scary composure and calmness in his blood were put to use at this moment.
If he wanted to save himself, he had to first save the Eldest Princess. The Crown Prince knew there was only one person in the Royal Palace who could rescue someone from beneath his angry father's knife.
Furthermore, the Emperor would definitely not tell that person the truth. The filial Emperor would not allow the ugly gossip of the royal family to damage her health.
That was why the Crown Prince knew he still had a chance.
However, the Eastern Palace had long been surrounded by the people Eunuch Yao had brought. It was impossible to make contact with people outside of the Palace. Even the trusted aides he empress and Crown Prince usually looked after in other Palaces could not come near in the thunderstorm.
"I'll set fire to the Palace," the Crown Prince viciously said as he turned and looked at his mother, who had long lost her senses. "Even if it's raining, I have to burn down this Palace!"
Chapter 498: I [JW1]
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The heavy rains were still beating down on the buildings in the Royal Palace, and the hearts of the people in it. It was silent in Guangxin Palace, or maybe it was silent. The vicious words of the brother and sister were hidden by the sound of rain and thunder. Not a peep traveled outside the Palace.
Even so, there was still not a single person outside Guangxin Palace. Even old Eunuch Hong was not there. Everyone kept their distance. As long as they did so, they would be keeping their distance from death.
Eunuch Yao was still outside Eastern Palace, but his thoughts had long turned to Guangxin Palace. His hands and feet were cold, and his heart was dark. He didn't know what was happening in that Palace. Although he knew he shouldn't think of that scenario, he still couldn't help but do so.
He wiped the rainwater from his hand and carefully watched for movements in the Eastern Palace. Since the Emperor had given this Palace to him to manage, he couldn't let the empress and Crown Prince inside cause any ruckus.
Compared to Guangxin Palace, the situation with the Eastern Palace seemed much quieter. Although Eunuch Yao was nervous, he wasn't afraid. All the servants in the Eastern Palace had been beheaded. There was only the mother and son left alone in there. Eunuch Yao believed that, no matter what, they wouldn't be able to cause a ruckus.
Suddenly, his eyes that had been soaked by the rainwater suddenly became dry and began to burn.
What a powerful fire!
The powerful fire rose from the beautiful Eastern Palace and dissolved into countless fire spirits. It rose toward the rain scattering sky. The incredible heat accompanied the fire as it quickly spread in all directions.
Eunuch Yao's eyes suddenly constricted, but the red in his eyes did not decrease at all. The Eastern Palace was on fire. At this point, other than the mother and son lighting the fire themselves, no one else could do it. But, did the mother and son want to burn themselves?
Furthermore, the rain was coming down heavily, so how did this fire start? Why could the sky full of rain not be able to put out this fire? Eunuch Yao knew that this was not the moment to investigate how the fire started. He had to immediately make a decision whether to put out the fire or otherwise.
Should he let the empress and Crown Prince burn themselves to death in the fire? Eunuch Yao didn't spend too much time thinking. He knew that no matter how angry the Emperor was, if the empress and Crown Prince died under his watch before enduring the wrath of the Emperor, then that wrath would fall on his own head.
A moment later, Eunuch Yao's voice seemed to have passed through the fire as he yelled in a sharp but raspy voice, "Water!"
…
…
There were countless reservoirs of water in copper vats in the Royal Palace, and countless eunuchs and serving girls. When the fire started in the Eastern Palace, there were already people reacting and running toward it, working hard to put out the fire. Eunuch Yao tensely and carefully did not participate. Instead, he stood in the outer circle with a hidden face and watched the busy crowd. He was very careful to not allow anyone to take this opportunity to make contact with the mother and son in the burning Palace.
This fire was somewhat strange. It didn't seem like that the Palace itself had burned. Rather, someone had used highly flammable materials and oils. Thus, the fire was very powerful and couldn't be extinguished by the rain. However, after these resources were burned through, the fire had no further strength and was extinguished quickly.
A loyal eunuch broke down the burned and blackened Palace door wanting to charge inside to save the master and mistress inside.
Once the little eunuch broke through the Palace door, he found darkness in front of his eyes. Somehow, he was struck by a wooden stick on the head and fainted away.
Eunuch Yao coldly entered first. Behind him, the guards and eunuchs once again surrounded the Eastern Palace and kept the fire fighters, who were looking at each other, outside of the Palace.
The Eastern Palace had already been burned into a desolate place. On the rain splattered stone tiles in front of the Palace, the empress was being held by the Crown Prince in his arms. Other than the marks of having been singed by the fire on her body, she looked wretched after having been soaked by the rain.
Eunuch Yao bowed slightly. "The fire has been put out."
The meaning was simple. Since the fire had been put out, the two of them would still have to temporarily suffer the indignities and stay.
The Crown Prince, with a row of blisters from the fire on his hand, stared at Eunuch Yao's eyes. A glimmer of hatred flashed across his face. He spoke each word clearly, "Unless you kill me right now, otherwise, the entire Royal Palace will know the news of the Eastern Palace catching on fire. How long do you think you can hide it?"
Then, the Crown Prince raised his head and calmly said, "I am fine. It is only that mother has fainted from the smoke." His voice easily carried to outside the Palace and was heard by those who came to put out the fire. It put them at ease. As long as the empress and Crown Prince were fine, then they would not suffer.
As these words landed in the ears of the eunuchs and guards surrounding the Eastern Palace, they carried a different kind of meaning.
Eunuch Yao's body froze. He slowly lifted his head to look at this usually very normal Crown Prince and furrowed his brows. Only now did he realize that this Crown Prince was, after all, the Emperor's true son. When crisis came, this kind of decisiveness and self-immolation to force a result, was used to great effect.
The Emperor needed to deal with his family matters but also needed to maintain his face, so he had chosen the darkest hour before dawn. The heavens had joined in and poured down thunder and rain to add to the atmosphere. In the Royal Palace, over a hundred servants had already died to stop the people's incessant talking.
After the Eastern Palace caught fire, everyone knew that the Crown Prince and empress were fine. It was impossible for this matter to go by without a sound. The so-called family matter was going to gradually become a national matter.
Eunuch Yao looked at the calm Crown Prince and felt his heart jump. He found that when the usually rather stupid Crown Prince was faced with a crisis, regardless of whether it was his eyes or expression, he was very like the Emperor.
…
…
The woman with truly the most power in Qing Kingdom, that old woman, had actually woken up half an hour ago. The old woman needed to sleep for very little time, but the empress still habitually lay on the soft bed in Hanguang Palace with her eyes closed to rest her spirit.
For some reason, she had already been awake for a long time, yet the sky was still so dark. It gave one no interest in getting up to walk in the garden.
The sound of the wind, rain, and thunder made the empress dowager furrow her brows and close her eyes even tighter. She wasn't afraid of thunder, but she disliked it. She always wondered if the heavens had some complaint against the Li family and used this method to tell her.
After the wind and thunder, a clamoring sound came faintly from the distance. The sound disappeared very quickly, and the dark Palace once again recovered its silence.
The empress dowager did not want to lie there anymore. With the help of the old maids and serving girls, she slowly rose from the bed and shakily dressed. She tied a green ribbon smoothly around her head and was helped to a chair.
Serving girls quietly brought in a golden basin to help the old woman wash. Hot steam rose from the warm water in the basin.
The empress dowager stared at the hot steam in the basin in a daze.
A moment later, she sighed and gestured with her hands. "What was the noise about just earlier?"
The serving girls and old maids looked at each other. Although they had also heard it and vaguely guessed that it should be from the Eastern Palace, it was very early in the morning. No one had left the Palace, so no one was sure what had happened. Even if someone guessed that something had happened in the Eastern Palace, no one would dare say their guess in front of the empress dowager.
At that moment, the serving girl holding the golden basin opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. However, an old and decrepit eunuch slowly walked in from outside the Palace.
In the entire Royal Palace, other than the Emperor, only this old eunuch could directly enter the empress dowager's sleeping Palace without needing to be announced. When the serving girls and old maids around the empress dowager saw the old eunuch come in, they fell silent. Only the serving girl holding the basin had hopelessness and conflict flash across her face.
Old Eunuch Hong slowly walked to the empress dowager and said, "A few days ago, the Eastern Palace caught a few dishonest servants. However, they were completely wiped out and caused some more trouble. I've sent Xiao Yao over. It is only a small matter."
The empress dowager furrowed her brows slightly and made a sound of understanding. However, her gaze slanted to the serving girl holding the basin.
Old Eunuch Hong also glanced at the serving girl with a cloudy and unclear gaze.
The serving girl's body shook, and she slowly lowered her head. However, she immediately raised her head and said, in a very fast voice, "The Eastern Palace…"
Having said these three words, she paused and stared in fear across from her.
The empress dowager used her old and shaky hands to hang firmly onto Eunuch Hong's wrist. She knew that if old Eunuch Hong wanted to, this old dog had countless ways to make sure the serving girl didn't say a single word.
"Water," the serving girl holding the basin said in a shaky voice. "The fire was so big, and the empress and Crown Prince were still inside."
Old Eunuch Hong slowly shook his head and pulled his hand back into his sleeve.
The empress dowager stared intently at the serving girl and said, "What about the Emperor?"
"His Majesty is in Guangxin Palace."
The serving girl bit her lip and helped her master send out these last words. They were also her last words in this world. Her left hand pulled out a hairpin from her sleeve and shoved the point of it into her throat. Fresh blood gurgled out.
The water basin in her hands fell to the ground with a crisp crash. Her body also fell to the floor with a muffled thud.
There was a death-like silence inside Hanguang Palace. All of the serving girls and old maids were shocked by this scene. No one could speak.
"Bastard!" The empress dowager stood up. Without even glancing at the body of the serving girl, she said, "Head to Guangxin Palace."
…
…
The rain outside Guangxin Palace gradually grew smaller, and the Eldest Princess' breathing also gradually weakened. The red of her face had already changed into the near-death deep red. Her large and alluring eyes gradually protruded out. It was extremely strange. Her body hovered on the beautiful Palace walls as her life completely hung on the large hand around her beautiful white neck.
Death was probably imminent. However, this woman, the strangest woman in Qing Kingdom these 20 years, was, in the end, crazy. There wasn't a glimmer of the fear of death to be seen in her eyes. There was only a faint mocking and ridicule.
The object of her mockery and ridicule was the most important person in the world, her brother, the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.
Perhaps because of this glimmer of mockery, the Qing Emperor's hand loosened slightly, giving Li Yunrui a slight chance to breathe. Li Yunrui breathed heavily. She suddenly raised her fists and hit them against the Emperor's solid body with all her might. Because her breathing was too rapid, her snot and tears all flowed out and lay on her still beautiful but twisted face
Perhaps death was not scary, but no one who suddenly grasped a chance at life as they are about to die would forget their will.
The Emperor looked at her with coldness and ridicule. He spoke each word carefully, "So, even a lunatic is still afraid of death."
The Eldest Princess spat in the Emperor's face. In a raspy voice, she laughed maniacally.
The Emperor slowly wiped away the spit on his face with no change in expression. He raised his hand and wiped away the things on the Eldest Princess' face. Slowly, he said, "You and I, brother and sister, seem to have rarely spoke honestly with each other these years. How about I give you a bit more time?"
"I don't need time." The Eldest Princess laughed with great difficulty. "I am just thinking, if you kill me today, are you going to kill Chen Pingping next? What is most curious is that for such a massive undertaking as purging the Palace, you didn't even bring a single Tiger Guard. Who are you guarding against? Fan Jian?"
Given the situation of the Qing court, once the balance had been completely broken, as the Emperor, he had to erect a new balance. The previous generation would become sacrificial items.
"Very good… It looks like after Fan Jian dies, Fan Xian will also die. With this many people leaving with me, what do I care?"
The Eldest Princess suddenly spat on the Emperor's face again and said in a raspy voice, "You are alone [JW2], you are cut off from others! Kill me, kill me! You don't have a son. You don't have anything… You are just a lonely spirit."
"An Emperor doesn't need friends, the Emperor said coldly. "As for sons, if they dare to rebel, then I can have more."
There suddenly came the sound of urgent knocking outside Guangxin Palace. The sound was very loud, as if the person outside was very rushed.
"In the end…you…are still unwilling to kill me." The Eldest Princess wheezed and stared at the Emperor in a daze. "You knew that I was stalling for time. Why did you let me stall?"
[JW1] It's an old first person pronoun for royalty or nobility. It also means something along the lines of "lonely/alone." The pun comes at the end of the chapter.
[JW2 ] Pun here. The characters used here are the same as the chapter title.
Chapter 499: Imprison
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Emperor slowly closed his eyes and said, "You overestimated my patience, and I underestimated your power in the Palace…"
The Eldest Princess watched the Emperor breathe and said, "I know that you've been given me chances the whole time, but I was actually also giving you a chance. As long as you didn't want to kill me, I wouldn't be able to summon the courage to hurt you… In this life, I have become used to standing behind you. If I want to stand completely opposite you, it is not an easy thing to do. I don't want to hurt you, which is why I never took action."
"However, you have made me lose all hope." Lin Yunrui wheezed and immediately smiled warmly. "So, kill me. If I live, I will definitely exhaust all methods to try and kill you."
"No one can kill me," the Emperor said calmly. His hand slowly tightened. However, at this moment, the knocking outside Guangxin Palace very strangely stopped. A strange look flashed through the Eldest Princess' eyes.
"You are my younger sister." The Emperor suddenly extended his hand and gently stroked her face. "Even if you are disobedient, you are still my younger sister."
…
…
This was the last conversation that the Emperor and Eldest Princess had in this world.
Guangxin Palace's palace doors were forced open by a number of knives as brilliant as snow. After some screeching sounds, the palace doors crashed down. The empress dowager, with a calm expression but unusually anxious eyes, entered with old Eunuch Hong and a number of Tiger Guards.
"Son!"
The empress dowager looked at the shocking scene in front of her and cried out sharply.
The Eldest Princess used a somewhat unfocused gaze to glance at the Emperor, who was very close to her. After realizing the Emperor had heard the sharp cry, a glimmer of a mocking smile rose to the corners of her lips.
No one knew who this smile was mocking.
One finger at a time gradually loosened from around the Eldest Princess' red neck like fatally poisonous vines wrapped around a branch that gradually grew weaker.
The Emperor closed his eyes and used a long time to regulate his breathing. He slowly retracted his hand and turned around. He slightly straightened the dragon robe that the Eldest Princess had messed up and went forward to his other with an expressionless face. Picking up her hand, he quietly said, "Mother, let's go back."
The empress dowager's gaze stopped on the Eldest Princess wheezing and lying at the foot of the palace walls, stroking her red and hot-to-the touch neck. Her entire body trembled.
The Emperor tightened his grip slightly on the empress dowager's hands and gently said, "Mother, let's go."
Although his words were gentle and demonstrated a kind of compromise, they were also filled with irresistible might. The empress dowager's hand and once again shook. She said in a shaky voice, "Back, go back to the Palace, quickly."
The Emperor suddenly stopped at the door of Guangxin Palace. His expression was still as calm as always, but his brows were slightly furrowed, "I believe that everyone under heaven is my people."
The expressions of the Tiger Guards that had broken into the Palace earlier froze.
A few gusts of wind sounded. The Tiger Guards who had followed the empress dowager gave a number of tragic cries and fell into the blood.
The Emperor respectfully held the empress dowager's hand and left Guangxin Palace.
Old Eunuch Hong followed behind with his hands in his sleeves.
The door of Guangxin Palace closed once again and shut the Eldest Princess' wheezing breaths inside.
…
…
The court conference had been delayed by half an hour, and the opening time for the 13 Jingdou city gates had also been delayed for half an hour. This was enough time for many things to happen in the Royal Palace, and it was enough for the civil and military officials to mostly know what the Emperor had done.
No one dared to actually come half an hour late to the Royal Palace. All of the officials attending the court conference followed the original time and waited patiently outside the Royal Palace's gates.
However, the atmosphere was very strange. No one gathered together to chat leisurely. It seemed that exchanging pleasantries had become a kind of crime. The strange silence made one feel a great pressure.
In the early hours of the morning, most of the Eldest Princess' power in the court and in the capital had been swept away. Some of them were people that these officials had no idea about in the past. The action this time had been very fast, decisive and vicious, and it was done very quickly and cleanly. It made these officials feel a slight chill.
Rumors said that the person directing in Jingdou was that old black dog of the Overwatch Council.
Of course, the officials knew how high-level the matter was this time. However, standing in front of the Royal Palace and thinking their own thoughts, they understood. This world was, always, the Emperor's world, not the Princes' and even less the Eldest Princess' plaything. As long as the Emperor wanted to make a move, he could very easily sweep all these people away.
It was also only at this time that the officials once again recovered their usual boundless fear and respect toward the man who sat in the towering dragon chair. Thinking of it again, the people seemed to have grown used to the Emperor's silence during these years and had forgotten the glorious achievements of his past.
However, the officials could not silently accept it because they didn't know what would happen in the court conference. If the Emperor wanted to use this opportunity to carry out another purge in court, the elders in the Hall of Governmental Affairs were very worried that the court structure of Qing Kingdom would not handle such a storm.
Commissioner Fan had already captured too many officials.
If another batch were seized, who would do the court's work?
More people were guessing as to what the Eldest Princess had done to offend the Emperor so much to have fallen to such an end. No matter what, these officials would not be able to guess the true reason. So, they would not think of the blood and tragic scene in the Royal Palace.
No news came out from the Palace. It looked very peaceful.
…
…
The whip cracked, and the cry sounded out. The officials lined up in order to enter the Palace. Among them were the scholars Shu and Hu, who were the most forward of the Hall of Governmental affairs. There were also a number of Ministers with the Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, among them. However, there were a number of people missing from the ranks below the dragon chair.
Those people were probably either in the Supreme Court or Overwatch Council.
The officials entered with lowered heads and found, to their astonishment, that there was no one on the dragon chair.
Shu Wu worriedly glanced at Hu the Scholar. Although he didn't say anything, his gaze had conveyed enough. This old scholar had been with the Emperor for many years. He knew the Emperor's ways. Since he had said to delay for half an hour, then the Emperor must be confident that he could finish everything within half an hour.
Given the Emperor's bearing, he wouldn't do anything he wasn't confident in. He also wouldn't talk about it.
However, half an hour had already passed, yet he was still not present in court. Had the incident in the palace become so troublesome?
The rains in Jingdou had ended long ago, and red clouds floated on the horizon line. Although there was no warmth, it was enough to have spectators feel a glimmer of warmth. However, the hearts of the Qing officials in Taiji Palace were chilled, anxious, and uneasy.
Following the announcement by a eunuch, the man wearing dragon robes finally arrived.
After the formal greetings, they spoke in order, handed in memorials, and sent down annotations. All the process of the court happened smoothly and naturally. In a morning like this, no one dared to make the Emperor even a little bit angry.
Shu Wu raised his head and stole a glance. He saw that the Emperor was sitting on the dragon chair with a calm expression. He only appeared slightly tired.
Someone had to do the unpleasant thing. After all, the rules of court were present, and the responsibilities of the civil officials were present. Two Ministers had suddenly been thrown into prison, three of the 10 Imperial Censorates were gone, and Jingdou had abruptly seen two large murder cases. Such major events could not be avoided by pretending to know nothing about them.
Shu Wu sighed. After he silent apologized to himself, he stepped out of rank and slowly related what happened last night. He then respectfully asked the Emperor to speak.
The Emperor put his chin on his hand that rested on the chair. After a long silence, he slowly said, "The Overwatch Council followed my orders. Those people are all in prison."
Usually, Shu Wu dared to clash with the Emperor openly and admonish him with severe words, but he knew that it was because the Emperor needed a somewhat funny and argumentative official like himself. However, this matter was very important. It was impossible for him to impudently inquire. He swallowed to soothe his throat that was dry from nerves. Respectfully, he said, "I'm not sure what crime Minister Yan has committed."
The Emperor glanced at him, closed his eyes, and waved his hand.
Eunuch Yao had already brought out a number of memorials and files from inside a yellow box beside the Dragon Chair. He trotted down the steps and handed them out to the elders at the front.
Elders like Shu Wu and Fan Jian knew what was in the memorials and case files. They had guessed a long time ago. As they read it, they still showed shocked, angry, and shameful expressions.
In the files was the results of the Overwatch Council's investigation. The crimes of the officials targeted and captured last night were all listed clearly. Confessions were present, and the evidence and witnesses had already entered the Supreme Court. The officials had been completely caught without any chance of turning the tables.
The three expressions these officials demonstrated were to demonstrate to the Emperor that they knew nothing about the Minister of Appointments Yan Hangshu and others' crimes. As peers in court, the officials felt anger toward these criminals who took the official's salary but lied to the Emperor and bullied the people. As for shame, it was because they had served the same court for many years, yet they were unable to discover these criminals' wild ambitions earlier. They were unable to notify the Emperor and expose their ugly faces. They could not escape the crime of not knowing people well enough. The Emperor worked hard to protect them. They couldn't help but feel ashamed in front of the Emperor, the court, and the Qing people.
These three expressions were performed abundantly, but the Emperor's expression remained faint. A self-mocking and ridiculing smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He had delayed the court conference by an hour because he had to comfort his mother in Hanguang Palace. He also had to settle everything appropriately in the Royal Palace.
It was very clear that he had not told the empress dowager the reason he was angry. Strangely enough, even though he wasn't able to secretly get rid of the Eldest Princess, the Emperor was not disappointed.
Among the officials, other than those three expressions, there was one other expression. That was one of fear.
The case files circulated around the court. Four officials had already knelt to the ground. These were officials who had some contact with the Eldest Princess in the past and could not waylay their connections to the matters detailed in the files. Seeing these files, they knew their end had come.
The officials knelt in the Taiji Palace and kowtowed like their life depended on it. But, they didn't cry out for the Emperor to spare them because they knew that their Emperor hated those people who shamelessly begged for mercy.
The Emperor looked coldly at these four officials and said, "Others will not be implicated."
The four officials froze. It seemed that they had not thought the Emperor would let them off so easily. After their great shock, they were overjoyed. One of them couldn't help but sit on the ground, unable to speak for a while.
The Emperor furrowed his brows and glanced at that person but did not say anything more.
In the royal stud after the court conference, the people left were the true nucleus of power in Qing Kingdom. As usual, the officials of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, as well as the elders of the Six Ministries and Three Departments, sat on embroidered stools. However, today, these major figures looked like they were sitting on the tip of a needle and were very uncomfortable.
The Crown Prince and princes were not here to listen. The officials wondered in their hearts but did not show anything on their faces.
The Emperor glanced at these people and slowly said, "There are some things that I can discuss in court, but there are some things that I can only say here because each of you are an important figure in Qing Kingdom. The family matters of the Emperor are also national matters, so you have to know of it."
Everyone tensed. They knew the Emperor was going to talk about the matter of the Eldest Princess and quickly bent their bodies closer.
"Yan Hangshu and such are only the claws and teeth. I will not kill them lightly." The Emperor half leaned on the low couch. "I also won't make any sweeping changes in court. Never mind. You can read it first."
The files in the officials' hands were not the ones circulated in court. Rather, these were true secrets. Thus, the officials did not need to fake those three expressions because they came from the depths of their heart.
The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui sold out the head secret agent the Overwatch Council had stationed in Northern Qi!
Collusion with the Ming family, secretly organizing pirates, and stealing goods from the palace treasury! Secretly ordering the Jiaozhou Navy to massacre an island! Ordering an assassin to kill a court official in the streets!
…
…
Shu the Scholar's fingers holding the file were shaking. Although these officials knew of the Eldest Princess great ambitions, they would never have thought that it had reached to such an extent. These four crimes were particularly terrifying. The year South Kingdom and Northern Qi were in negotiations, the leverage the Northern Qi people had suddenly thrown out had caught Qing Kingdom by surprise. The capture of the head secret agent in Northern Qi had shocked the court. Who knew that it had been singlehandedly planned by the Eldest Princess.
The shock of that incident was enormous. Many of the officials remembered it like it happened yesterday, particularly as Jingdou had another snowfall of paper. On the paper, each word and sentence directly accused the Eldest Princess. It had forced the Eldest Princess to have no choice but to leave the capital. Yan Bingyun was now the head of the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council, which was something everyone in the royal study knew. The officials thought that it was only a verbal attack. They had not expected that it was true.
"This…this…" Shu Wu's heart was filled with anger, but he could not find anything to say.
The investigation in the files was too detailed, and the connections were too clear. Even if these officials didn't want to believe it, it was very difficult not too, particularly since the witnesses for the last three crimes were still locked up in prison.
"There is a little thing called the Junshang Conference," The Emperor closed his eyes and said. "It was something that Yunrui had created. Although the account master had escaped, the Black Knights still managed to capture a number of people in the end. As for the assassination in the street… The two assassins are still in jail right now."
Hu the Scholar was slightly more composed. Although he didn't know why the Emperor was laying out the royal family's matters on the table, he still asked, sincerely, "Could there be…some mistake? After all, these are the results of just the Overwatch Council's investigation."
These words were clear, and everyone understood them clearly. If the crimes truly pointed toward the Eldest Princess, then she would never be able to rise again in Qing Kingdom. However, everyone knew that ever since Fan Xian controlled the Overwatch Council, he had battled against the Eldest Princess in public and in secret, in Jingdou and in Jiangnan, with no mercy between them.
If the Eldest Princess fell from power, then Fan Xian's faction would become the most powerful one in court.
That was why Hu the Scholar would make such a reminder.
The Emperor slowly said, "The matter was indeed investigated by Fan Xian. However, this young man would not use such tricks as framing someone. The assassin's confession and the signature from the Jiaozhou Navy generals are all here. The account book is also here, and the Ming family's confessions have also come out. There is no need to continue being suspicious."
Hu the Scholar saw that the Emperor did not hear what he was secretly trying to say and knew that the Emperor must have some other plan in mind. So, he resumed his silence.
"Fortunately, Yan Bingyun didn't die," the Emperor suddenly opened his eyes and coldly said. "Otherwise, how could I face the people of Qing Kingdom. Regardless of whether it is a man in the military or a secret agent from the Overwatch Council, they are all good men who are willing to die for Qing Kingdom. Yet, they were sold by the nobility for their private gain. Sold!"
His voice rose. He said with disgust, "Disgusting…"
The royal study was completely silent. After a long time, the Emperor tiredly said, "However, Yunrui is my young sister. If any of you have resentments, you can attack me."
After these words were spoken, all the officials in the royal study knelt uniformly on the ground and repeatedly said they wouldn't dare do so. However, in their hearts, they all felt that this was very strange. Given the Eldest Princess status, would someone actually force the Emperor to use Qing Law and sentence her to death? However, wasn't this better handled internally in the Palace? Why did the Emperor tell them so honestly? Attack? My god, where did the Emperor's words come from?
"To prevent gossip among the people, the Eldest Princess Li Yunrui's title will not be removed or her lands taken."
The Emperor suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Shen Shao'an!"
The Taichang Temple official, Ren Shao'an, shuffled forward from where he was kneeling at the back. His legs were shaky, and his heart was drumming. Originally, the discussion in the royal study had nothing to do with him. Earlier, he was guessing wildly and scared. Only now did he understand that the Emperor wanted him to accept the edict.
The Taichang Temple managed the living of the members of the royal family and all court etiquette.
"Here."
"The Eldest Princess has caught a chill. She will move into the side courtyard in the west side of the Royal Palace. No one is to disturb her without an edict. Anyone who disobeys this will be beheaded."
"To be watched by the Overwatch Council." The Emperor paused. He slowly closed his eyes and tiredly said, "When the riverbanks of the Great River are completely repaired, that is when she can come out."
"I…accept the edict." Ren Shao'an almost cried with fear. He thought to himself that the Great River was tens of thousands li long. No matter how good at repairing Yang Wanli was, it would still take hundreds of years. At that time, the Eldest Princess would probably have long turned into a skeleton.
Chapter 500: Flow
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Although it had been raining heavily at the time, a fire started up in the Royal Palace. This fire started rather mysteriously. Afterward, unintentionally, the Crown Prince's royal tutors all saw he was shocked and unwilling to speak.
In the following days, the Crown Prince had a very good reason for not listening in during the meetings in the royal study. Not too many people would be suspicious that there was something fishy going on.
In a side courtyard by the Royal Palace was the place Lin Wan'er had once prepared to move into after she married and moved out of the Palace. It was also where Fan Xian had climbed the wall countless times. However, if he wanted to climb it again, he would definitely be turned into a hedgehog by countless arrows.
The courtyard was surrounded and tightly guarded. The four streets that ran alongside had long been sealed so that the area looked like a square inside a square. The smaller, inner square was the courtyard, while the outside one was the Overwatch Council's tight seal.
Nominally, the Eldest Princess was in the little square recovering from her illness. However, the officials in court knew that Her Highness had been imprisoned there by the Emperor. The Overwatch Council kept a tight watch. Even a mosquito probably wouldn't be able to get in so, naturally, news also couldn't get out.
How long would she be imprisoned for?
A carriage escorted by guards drove over slowly from the east. The owner of the carriage had entered the Palace earlier but had not received any information. They were taking a great risk in coming to the royal courtyard in the west of the city.
The person driving the carriage was Teng Zijing. The carriage, imprinted with the Fan family's square and circle emblem, was coldly stopped half a street away from the courtyard.
The carriage curtain lifted and revealed Lin Wan'er tired and mournful face. She had entered the Palace to visit the empress dowager and had not seen the empress. Although the empress dowager did not say anything, the atmosphere inside the palace and some strange details confirmed the guess in her heart.
Regardless of whether it was from Fan Xian's perspective or that of the royal family's, she shouldn't have come to the courtyard, even though the person shut inside was her mother.
But, she couldn't resist it. She had an inauspicious feeling that if she didn't see that woman, she would never have the opportunity in this life to see her again.
How long would she be imprisoned?
…
…
"Ma'am, the orders are clear. No one is to disturb Her Highness' rest," a member of the Overwatch Council calmly said. "Why don't you go ask for an edict?"
After some back and forth, the Fan family's carriage still could not move forward another step. Lin Wan'er sighed and returned to the carriage. She knew that she shouldn't have come. She shook her head and said, "I understand."
The Overwatch Council member let out a big breath and quickly bowed to show his thanks. If it had been any other official or noble who had come to the courtyard to see the Eldest Princess, the Overwatch Council people would probably have long brought out sticks to chase them away. However, the woman in the carriage was the Eldest Princess' own daughter and, most importantly, she was the wife of Commissioner Fan Xian of the Overwatch Council.
This last identity made it so that none of the Overwatch Council people dared to be lax in their etiquette.
Lin Wan'er seemed not to hear what he was saying. She gazed at the familiar garden in a daze and slowly lowered her head. Tears slid out involuntarily, and she silently prayed for her mother in her heart.
…
…
The reality of the Eldest Princess being imprisoned caused a great shock everywhere in the court. No one would underestimate the secret influence this woman had these dozen years on Qing court politics, as well as the control that she and her people had over the court.
Since the Eldest Princess did not die, no one knew what would happen. Fortunately, the Emperor had swiftly and decisively swept clean the Eldest Princess' faction and perfectly demonstrated an Emperor's terrifying control and power to kill. Not many people worried that there would be any more major changes to court politics.
Some factions felt happy from the depths of their hearts, such as the Overwatch Council, Hall of Governmental affairs, and Taichang Temple. Some people felt fear. They didn't know when they would be invited to the Overwatch Council to have tea. Many people felt excited to be able to, in their lifetime, see such a performance as an Emperor and Princess, a brother and sister, turn against each other; their life had truly not been lived in vain.
Some people felt hurt and sad, but for different reasons. For example, Lin Wan'er was hurt and sad because of the relationship between mothers and daughters, while others felt so because they had lost an opportunity to advance upward.
However, everyone had a common understanding. Of all the factions, it should be the Second Prince who felt the most fear and unhappiness.
Fan Xian had used two years to make public the connection between the Eldest Princess and Second Prince. After beating the Second Prince's faction into a chaotic mess, everyone knew that the Second Prince's true support was the Eldest Princess. Now that she had lost power and been imprisoned, what would the Second Prince do?
Not many people knew of the connection between the Eldest Princess and Crown Prince, including the Second Prince.
Within his manor, the Second Prince was just as others guessed. He was shocked, unhappy, disappointed, hurt, and scared. He crouched on a chair and unconsciously held a piece of pastry in his hand but did not bring it to his mouth. His fingers tightened and crumbed the pastry a little. Unconsciously, his eyes watched the manor's great doors as if at any moment, eunuchs from the palace and members of Taichang Temple would charge in and capture and imprison him.
No matter what, the Second Prince could not understand why his father had suddenly acted against his aunt. Furthermore, he was more shocked at his father's silent attack with lightning-like power. It was not until this moment that he realized that because the Emperor did not make a move, it did not mean he didn't have the power to do so. It was only that he was too lazy to do so before.
When the Emperor acted, the world changed. Silently, after a storm, the situation in Jingdou had changed completely.
The Second Prince had no idea what he was going to face. The Emperor knew everything about the relationship between him and the Eldest Princess. Perhaps he would never have an opportunity to make something of himself again.
He sighed and placed the pastry on a plate beside him. He smiled bitterly and accepted a hand towel with which to wipe his hands. Gazing at his wangfei Ye Ling'er, he said, "If there is a problem, presumably father would not make things difficult for you, for the sake of your grand-uncle."
Ye Ling'er bright eyes were covered with a faint layer of worry. She knew why these few days her husband had stayed at home and was ready to be captured at any moment. However, she could not comfort him. There was nothing she could do to help him.
The only power that the Second Prince could depend on was the Ye family. In the days after the Eldest Princess had been imprisoned, he didn't dare have any kind of communication, open or secret, with the Ye family because he knew that every one of his actions was being watched by the Palace.
He hadn't been prepared. Or, more accurately, after his aunt had suddenly been brought down, he didn't have the courage to do anything at all. He was worried that any unusual movement on his side would make his father even angrier.
For the sake of his life, it was better to be quiet. Imprisonment was, at least, not death.
The Second Prince waited in his manor for his end to arrive. Everyone in the Jingdou court also waited for the day the Second Prince was done for. However, the people waited for a long time, and there was still no edict from the Royal Palace. This reality inevitably made people confused. They guessed at the reason in secret.
At this moment, an edict came out of the Palace.
Everyone was shocked speechless. When the news reached the manor, the Second Prince fell out of his chair in shock. Boundless unexpected surprise and endless confusion melded in his brain to become endless shock. Why was it like this?
It was written very clearly in the edict. The ruler of Nanzhao Kingdom had recently passed away. The Emperor ordered the Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, to go out on behalf of the Emperor to confer the title.
Nanzhao? This was a vassal state the Qing army had conquered seven years ago. It was isolated, with a great deal of poisonous miasma, and the road was very harsh. It was thousands of li away. The trip there and back would need at least four months.
Nanzhao had been very peaceful these years and viewed Qing Kingdom as master. Although the two countries were close, it was natural that Qing Kingdom should send a person of appropriate rank to offer their condolences and attend the ritual for the passing of the ruler of Nanzhao. Why was it the Crown Prince? This was completely inconsistent with common propriety.
Why was it not the Great Prince?
Why was it not Hu the Scholar?
Why was it not Fan Xian?
For the Crown Prince to be sent thousands of li away to Nanzhao at such a sensitive time, what did it mean? Was it a twisted kind of exile?
After the Eldest Princess was imprisoned, everyone thought the second person to be met with misfortune would certainly be the Second Prince. No one had expected that it would be the Crown Prince.
Did the Emperor finally have thoughts of deposing the Crown Prince?
Although the details of the present situation were not enough to support this deduction, the cunning officials in the court all felt there was something strange in the air. However, they could not understand it.
The Second Prince was the most confused person. He felt that his entire body was cold. His father's way of doing things was always unexpected and made one feel chilled. His actions were like flowing clouds in the sky. It was impossible to see where they came from.
Thus, after the Second Prince recovered from his shock, he played his part even more dutifully.
Twenty days later, a deathly pale Crown Prince, under the triple protection of a group of imperial guards, a dozen Tiger Guards, and an Overwatch Council squad, left Jingdou through the south gate and slowly headed toward the distant, seemingly never to be reached, Nanzhao Kingdom.
Chapter 501: Sigh
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the Jiangnan territory, the spring weather had already enveloped Xi Lake. Beside it, the colors of spring were even more intense in the Peng family's garden. All along the back of the manor, green trees happily stretched out their branches and greedily sucked in the sunlight that warmed by the day.
However, the owner of this country estate was not very happy and did not have the leisure to stretch out his body. With a pained expression, he read through the reports and bulletins were sent over from Jingdou. He even read the flower-edged newspapers the Palace published. He was still unable to relax.
In the end, he quietly communicated with Shi Chanli about the information that came through Baoyue Brothel and confirmed that the incident happened just as the reports said.
The Eldest Princess had been imprisoned in the side courtyard in the west of the city. The Crown Prince was following imperial orders and was heading toward the Nanzhao Kingdom, thousands of li away, to attend the rituals.
At the moment, these two matters seemed like the most direct result of the incident. Thus, the young master in the country estate could not help but sigh and shake his head.
Shi Chanli watched him curiously and asked, "Sir, although I don't know what made the Emperor angry, with this incident, it will be impossible for the Eldest Princess to act against your interests in court or in the jianghu. Is this not a cause for great joy? Why are you still so unhappy?"
Fan Xian slanted a glance toward him. A moment later, he swallowed what he was about to say. With great boredom, he waved his hand and said, "Talk to you later. You should hurry back to Suzhou to watch Baoyue Brothel."
Shi Chanli left feeling confused. Wang Qinian, who knew the inside story of the matter, moved to his side. He stood silently behind Fan Xian and watched as he once again looked at the reports from Jingdou. He didn't make a sound. He knew why Fan Xian was angry.
"I've worked hard to set up this scene, yet it ends like this," Fan Xian said helplessly, "I've taken significant a risk this time, yet that woman still survived. Why is it like this?"
Wang Qinian glanced at him from the side, thinking, The Eldest Princess was his mother-in-law after all, so these words were a bit cold-blooded.
There was only one person who could to stand between the Eldest Princess and Emperor and suppress the bomb that Fan Xian had worked very hard to blow up. It was that old woman in the depths of the Palace. However, Fan Xian was still very confused and suspicious about the process of this incident.
"A woman's soft-heartedness," he furrowed his brows and said.
This was not just to criticize the Emperor for pulling his hand back at the last moment. It also represented one of his suspicions. Why did the Eldest Princess not put up any kind of decent defense and was so easily removed by the Emperor? He knew that everything outside the Palace was personally arranged by Director Chen of the Overwatch Council. Given Fan Xian's understanding of his mother-in-law, her silent and peaceful surrender did not align with her reputation of being crazy.
"I've told you before, the Eldest Princess likes the Emperor," Fan Xian pressed his lips together and said. "I just had no idea that she would be infatuated to this extent. Before the Emperor truly takes action, before he decides to kill her, she won't take the initiative to rebel. What kind of world is this?"
Beside him, Wang Qinian's expression was strange. It was no wonder. As an official of Qing Kingdom, no matter how arrogant and rebellious, no one said such treasonous things in their own homes.
However, Fan Xian had said it and done so in front of him, forcing him to hear it. It was clear that this was not the first time he had said something like this.
Wang Qinian coughed uncomfortably. He knew that his life and wealth in this lifetime had long become tightly bound to that of Sir Fan junior's, so Sir Fan junior was not at all worried he would betray him. Thus, he boldly spoke impudently in front of him.
The plan to expose the ugliness in the royal family and force the Emperor to act had been concocted by Fan Xian and Wang Qinian. The matter was an important one, so the other members of the Qinian Unit knew nothing about it. As for Yan Bingyung, he was also completely kept in the dark.
Fortunately, Jiangnan was far away from Jingdou. The first move Fan Xian and Wang Qinian set up had happened two months ago. Even an immortal probably wouldn't be able to guess that this matter was related to the two of them, unless Hong Zhu suddenly had the courage to kill his friends and himself.
"There are a few things worth noting in the Council reports." Although he had done things that did not befit an official, Wang Qinian could get talk in a way that did befit an official. With some pain, he pointed at some sections on the Council report and forcefully changed the conversation. "The fire in Huichun Hall, the imperial relative falling off the horse, and the death of the royal doctor… These three things are suspicious."
"Oh?" Fan Xian turned his head to glance at him. The Council report had not connected these three things together. The Palace would not let anyone see the association between them. The problem was that the two of them were very familiar with them. They knew the root of these incidents. "Do you not think that the Eldest Princess and Crown Prince were silencing people?"
"It's only a medicine, so it can't be considered as much evidence." The lines of Wang Qinian's brows deepened. "Neither the Eldest Princess nor Crown Prince are stupid people. Why would they do something like this right as the Palace was investigating?"
"That is also what I find strange. We left them alive so they could be questioned by the Emperor," Fan Xian said thoughtfully. "Clearly, the Emperor did not question them, so how could he deduce that matter?"
"There's more." He pointed at the paper. "The Palace didn't find them during the investigation. And, the Eldest Princess wouldn't sabotage herself. So, who did these three cases?"
Fan Xian furrowed his brows. Thinking back over the matter, the three of were better off dead than alive. His own plans had some problems during this phase. However, he now wondered who had made this situation into a proper deadlock so that the Emperor had no one to question and could only use his own suspicions to come to his final decision?
While they were still in Jingdou, he and Wang Qinian had faintly felt there was a power that seemed to be doing much the same as they were. At the time, they were afraid of inadvertently alerting their opponent and did not investigate closely.
"It shouldn't be anyone else." Wang Qinian sighed.
Fan Xian also sighed and shook his head. "Other than that person, there isn't anyone else."
…
…
"The Crown Prince went to Nanzhao…" The study was not silent for long. Fan Xian spoke on the topic that had been circling his mind. "Judging by the time, he should have already passed Yingzhou and continued south. Why do you think the Emperor did this? The court officials are probably still guessing, and still don't understand, why the Eldest Princess's matter would implicate the Crown Prince. You and I know that the Emperor would certainly not allow a son that humiliated the royal family to inherit the throne. Going to Nanzhao to attend the rituals… Do you think Chengqian will return?"
Wang Qinian stayed silent, not daring to answer this question.
Fan Xian smiled and glanced at him. "You and I have done countless things that would bring death to our entire families. There is no harm in discussion."
Wang Qinian forced a smile and knew that he was once again reminding him of how shameless it was to be careful. He shook his head and said, "I don't think anything will happen during the journey. Even if the Emperor already has thoughts about deposing the heir, he can't choose this time to toss it out there."
"That makes sense." Fan Xian gently patted the table. "It is as I thought. Our Emperor wants a wise and heroic spirit and a good historical reputation. He wants to suppress this matter by every possible means and not give others something to gossip about. Sending the Crown Prince to Nanzhao is to get him out of Jingdou and then slowly plan the matter of deposing the heir. Second…"
He furrowed his brows, suddenly remembering the poisonous miasma that pervaded the air in Nanzhao. When Yan Xiaoyi led soldiers to Nanzhao seven or eight years ago, the deaths of the soldiers had mostly been because of this scourge.
"The miasma will sink into his body. The Crown Prince will gradually become weak…" Wang Qinian suddenly came to his sense as he said these words. His courage in speaking was indeed growing.
Fan Xian forced a smile and continued. "If it is really as we think, the Emperor is indeed very vicious."
A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes, but Wang Qinian didn't notice it.
"It is a pity that not everything was achieved." Fan Xian sighed. "Tell me, why did the Eldest Princess not die?"
This was the second time he had plaintively expressed this regret. Wang Qinian felt that it was somewhat strange. The Eldest Princess had already lost power. Plus, he was, after all, her son-in-law. Whether speaking as a person or family, he shouldn't say such things.
Wang Qinian didn't know that ever since Fan Xian entered Jingdou, he had been very wary of the Eldest Princess. To defeat others, he could use plots and power to compete with them. To defeat a nobility that everyone thought was crazy was very difficult. Fan Xian couldn't guess what kind of crazy reaction she would have.
This kind of uncertainty made Fan Xian's head hurt.
In particular, Fan Xian found it hard to understand the change in the Jingdou Palace chambers this time. The Eldest Princess was trapped, so why didn't her various powers carry out a last counter-attack? Where were the elders in the military? Where was Yan Xiaoyi's attitude? Perhaps the matter had happened too abruptly, so the military didn't have time to react. But, where was Ye Liuyun?
Fan Xian knew better than anyone the lofty position that Ye Liuyun had in the Junshang Conference. He had also been almost scared witless by that building-breaking sword strike in Suzhou. Even if the Junshang Conference was a loose organization, the Eldest Princess still shouldn't appear as weak as she did now.
He had analyzed with Wang Qinian the Eldest Princess' abnormal attachment to the Emperor, but those were just words Fan Xian had used to convince himself. He did not actually believe this.
However, with some things in this world, the true reason was the one that people did not believe.
Fan Xian sighed next to the table with regret. After Wang Qinian left, he still couldn't stop sighing repeatedly. Wang Qinian closed the room door and unconsciously shook his head. Although the Eldest Princess had not died, from here onward there was no one else in court who was a match for Commissioner Fan. Such a conclusion was still great, so why was the Commissioner sighing?
The reason was actually very simple. Fan Xian was not a loyal official nor a pure one. He wanted to watch from Jiangnan as the tiger and crane fought and hurt each other.
He wanted the Eldest Princess to fall, but he also did not trust the Emperor. He sighed about the Emperor's methods. They seemed to be quicker than he imagined and more vicious. The Emperor's power had not been damaged at all.
Fan Xian sat by himself in the study and silently thought about everything that had happened in Jingdou. He faintly felt that perhaps the Eldest Princess was, because of her crazy sentiments, stubbornly waiting for the Emperor's thunderous rage. It was clear that the Emperor had held back. Did he do so for family love? Fan Xian didn't believe this.
He flipped open a few letters beneath the Council report. After reading them for the second time, he was silent for a moment and then began to write a reply. The letters came from his home in Jingdou. There was one from his father and one from Wan'er. They mostly talked about Sisi and the child in her belly. Everything was good. There was no need to worry too much.
Wan'er's letter did mention the matter of the Eldest Princess. Although she didn't explicitly say anything, it seemed that she wanted Fan Xian to say something in the Palace.
Fan Xian once again sighed in distress. He knew his wife was an uncommonly clever person and knew how irreconcilable everything that was being hidden was. Yet, she still wrote to have him speak up. This only demonstrated that Wan'er still had some mother-and-daughter emotions toward the Eldest Princess.
This was a natural matter. The Emperor was cold-blooded. Fan Xian was cold-blooded. This did not mean that everyone under heaven and everyone in the royal family were cold-blooded creatures.
Fan Xian wrote his reply earnestly. To his father, he had to express his shock and confusion. To Wan'er, his reply was mostly filled with consoling words and asking after Sisi.
Following this, he began to write a memorial—a secret memorial for the Emperor. Although he didn't directly ask for mercy for the Eldest Princess, he faintly expressed the concern he should have as a son-in-law. After he finished writing, he checked it over a few times. He confirmed that this kind of attitude would neither make the Emperor think he was being artificial nor would it make him angry. He sealed it and had his subordinates send it as a first-level mail.
After doing all this, Fan Xian finally felt slightly more at ease. He had been free and at ease during these months in Jiangnan, but his gaze had actually been consistently on Jingdou. He felt a great deal of mental pressure.
Although things did not cooperate, it had mostly progressed as he wanted it to. He finally relaxed a little. Pulling open the drawer in the secret room, he took out a copy of the three large workshops' product development process that he and Seventh Ye had used a to copy down. He stared at it in a daze.
This product development process did not have everything in the palace treasury. But, Fan Xian knew that if this object actually got to Northern Qi, it would truly cause some horrific consequences.
He narrowed his eyes in thought. He and Chen Pingping had unconsciously joined hands to play the Emperor once. In the end, they only manipulated the details. As for the larger picture, perhaps the Emperor had played them.
Fan Xian's thoughts drifted. Thirteenth Wang has been at his leisure for too long.
After tidying everything, he left the country estate beside the Xi Lake.