Chapter 28
"Greetings to imperial consort Wei! This servant is nanny Jiu. I was sent by general to be your aid as your letter. He is also afraid in the future what will happen could not be predicted so ask me to be with you the whole time" Consort Wei sat straight in the bed.
"What happened?"
"Kingdom Wei and North are ready to have a war"
"What?"
"Yes, the general said you don't have to worry and take care of yourself"
"How about my father?"
"H-his highness, he suddenly fell ill. Your highness no need to worry. His highness is already better" Imperial consort Wei nodded and a maid came inside and curtsied.
"Your highness, the little princess is crying"
"Why can't you stop her from crying?"
"We tried but"
"Then let her cry, I don't want a daughter"
"You go, concubine Wei will come," Nanny Jiu said and the maid bowed and went away.
"I don't want a daughter. I don't want a daughter. Sheng is weak and will not live more than 10 years and she acknowledges that vicious woman as his mother, I want a son. Who is excellent and can support me"
"Your highness, I have an idea" Nanny Jiu whispered something to consort Wei as she looks at her frozen and then point.
"You!"
"Since you don't want the little princess, we can use it to take empress down"
"But will it work?"
"Let's wait for a while and we will ask the ministry of Wang to pursue the matter and lead others' opinion" She looked at the nanny Jiu and nodded.
In the peony palace, the empress was sitting with the emperor in the gazebo.
"Prince Jing will take action soon," Emperor said while drinking a sip from the tea.
"Let's lure him out," Xiao Feng said with a look that she is asking for candy from his father.
"Do you have a plan?" Xiao Feng nodded.
"He will not let go of this chance. Since he is the only remaining prince, he will try to kill you in secret so no one will know about it. So, we can arrange for an outing or something like that, we will lure him out" Emperor thought for a while and then nod.
"Huo Hong, prepare everyone will have a new year outing to hot spring mountain in 2 weeks with important officials" Huo Hong nodded and went away leaving only the empress and emperor. Maid of imperial consort Wei came to emperor and empress.
"Greetings emperor, empress" Emperor and the empress both look at her, to go on. "Your majesty, Princess Xixi caught a chill" Emperor looks at Liu Fan.
"Didn't the imperial physician go to check?"
"He went" Emperor nodded.
"I-Imperial consort Wei wants to invite your majesty to be"
"Am I a physician?" Emperor cut off the maid from talking.
"I have already said to consort Wei for what she did, I will not come to her anymore" Liu Fan quickly knelt.
"I- I am sorry, your majesty. I will inform imperial consort Wei" Liu Fan said and stand up and courtesied.
"Wait, are you, imperial consort Wei's servant?" She nodded as she glances a little at the emperor.
"Yes, this servant is Liu Fan," Liu Fan said pitifully. Empress smiled and ignore that like she didn't see the look in her eyes.
"Go to peony palace, there are gifts from the west that I couldn't give to consort Wei. Remember to bring them back"
"There are also some tonics brought by my mother, it's good to nourish her health after giving birth. It works well"
She nodded and went away.
Liu Fan was standing and imperial consort Wei and nanny Jiu were also there without any other maids.
"Empress is making easy everything," Consort Wei said and stand up.
"Let's go to see my precious treasure" Consort Wei went towards the cradle and stroked the baby's cheek.
"Xi'er, Make mother's way to the empress, will you? My lucky star! Don't blame mother since you couldn't be a prince" She feed the poison to the baby as Liu Fan was kneeling and looking down.
It was another day in the morning court and the empress was sitting beside the emperor. The right prime minister was reporting about Wei and the North kingdom's war but was cut off by a scream.
"Your majesty!!!!!!"
Everyone looks at the person. Imperial consort Wei who previously had a seductress look was all messy with her all hair loose. She was in a miserable look that anyone wanted to comfort her and protect her. The dead was a baby in her hands. She was kneeling while sobbing.
"Your majesty, give me the justice for my dead daughter"
"Dead?" Emperor's voice was stern.
"Y-your majesty. Yesterday after tasting the tea given by the empress my little baby girl slept and never walk up. The imperial physician said my baby is poisoned" Consort Wei started to cry overflowing with motherly love. No one would believe she had poisoned the baby by herself to achieve her goal.
"Don't falsely accuse the empress. Imperial consort Wei do you have any evidence?"
"The dead princess is here is the evidence"
"What?" Minister Wang knelt.
"Your majesty, please have justice"
"Once it was imperial consort Shu and now it is imperial consort, Wei. Do you think that I have no heart that I will kill everyone?"
"Empress, you told yourself that if you want to kill someone you will kill them without thinking" People in the court whisper to each other already doubting it's the empress's doing.
"Right, I told so. Why do you think I would poison the little princess? So, minister of Wang, why don't you escort consort Wei back since she is confused? Let her think what happened?"
"Your majesty, are you going to let it go? This is your daughter too" Consort Wei had tear-filled eyes with incredible sadness. Xiao Feng looks at Imperial consort Wei and smiled elegantly.
"A destined phoenix beautifully groomed inside the palace. Trained to bring peace and fortune to the kingdom. Her wings are big and strong. This is the phoenix I am, an empress who is the mother of the crown prince" Imperial consort Wei looks at her confused.
"Empress, you even kill both imperial consort Shu and the newborn prince. Will you do the same for concubine Huan and Jin?" Consort Wei sprouts without thinking.
"Impudent!" Huo Hong since consort Wei is breaking the harmony inside the palace.
"Your majesty…" Consort Wei was pitiful to look at. Empress sighed and the emperor almost leaned to the throne getting ready to watch a great show.
"How dare you to falsely accuse empress, mother of the country," the Director of the imperial clan said.
"Stay calm. Even the blinds can see the truth. Right prime minister, do you think I was the one who harm consort, Shu?"
"No, empress"
"So, imperial consort Wei do you still think it was me? If I try to kill you why I should ask your majesty for pregnant concubines a better title? I should have killed them under screen" Imperial concubine Wei was speechless.
"Then why right prime minister doesn't think that it is not the empress who harm sister Shu?"
"Imperial Consort Wei, empress already said. She is the mother of the nation, mother of the crown prince, and has given birth to a prince and a princess. Empress also has the favor of the emperor, empress would never do such lovely acts as poisoning behind the screens"
"Do you know accusing the empress is a capital crime?" Emperor asked, Consort Wei, to look at the emperor's eyes filled with tears.
"Imperial consort isn't a criminal your majesty. You were there when I said the tea is good for nourishing pregnant women. She is confused enough to feed it to a newborn baby" Consort Wei was speechless, she knew she will not make much difference but she decide it will at least make people suspect her but it all came around to her. With one sentence she made her a mad woman.
"Take imperial consort, Wei, back to her palace and let her rest so she can nourish her body well before the new year outing and get over being confused" Few maids came and bow and take consort Wei and the dead baby and exited the whole. Not only do court ministers know they shouldn't meddle with the empress, but they should also curry favor with the empress.
2 weeks passed and everyone was on the way to Hot Spring Mountain. Empress was reading a book in the carriage and she look up and saw the emperor was lost in thought. Empress put the book aside.
"Your majesty is still thinking about Princess Xixi?" Emperor looks at the empress and put his head on the empress's lap. Empress caresses his head.
"Hmm. After all, she is my daughter and consort Wei was cruel enough to kill her daughter too"
"What do you mean by too?"
"Consort Shu, I let Liuyang investigate the case and I found that it was consort, Wei. For the sake of the past relationship, I let it go but now"
"Does your majesty want to do anything about it?"
"I have already taken care of everything"
Back in the palace consort, Wei was sitting in a chair outside the palace with his main maid and nanny Jiu. She was in a bad mood as the teapots were on the ground after being thrown away by consort Wei.
Suddenly a person covered in black came towards them from behind as he slashed the two daggers in the two maids' necks making them fall to the ground with shocked eyes. Before yelling he cut consorts Wei's neck with both draggers.
"You! Was it, empress" Consort Wei could barely ask.
"You will never think who it is" The person stared at consort Wei as she took her last breath. The person went away from the scene.
In the hot spring mountain, everyone was getting rest.
"Tomorrow we both will go to the temple as planned. But are you sure you want to go? I don't want to put you in danger"
"I wouldn't be" Emperor sighed.
"Xiaoting and Xiaoying?"
"Weining will take care of it"
"You have to take care of yourself"
"Hmm, Linlin will go with me" Emperor nodded.
The next day, 2 prime ministers accompanied the emperor and the empress to the entrance of the temple when it was still dark. It was an ancient temple that people will visit and pray with their beloveds as the temple was famous for praying for the emperor and their empress.
In the past, if an emperor and empress could pray in the temple, their kingdom will last for a long period with peace and fortune and there wasn't any emperor who visit the temple after the Second emperor of Sui.
Emperor and empress start the journey to the temple. Sun slowly peeps over the range of mountains, making the whole scene serenity. Birds gave a cheerful song that would lift even the most sorrowful of spirits including the emperor and the empress who didn't have a smile. A light fog wraps around the mountain range.