“Spare my tribe,” Elder Hua requested.
“Impossible!” Emperor Jingming flatly refused.
Lang’er, Fuqing, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and the nearly-schemed Seventh Prince and his wife – all these incidents were orchestrated by these people. How could he possibly let them go?
Elder Hua gazed deeply at Emperor Jingming, then closed her eyes.
Emperor Jingming was exasperated: “You’ve already confessed. Are you still going to stubbornly resist at this point?”
Elder Hua reopened her eyes and calmly said, “I am a dying person with nothing left to lose. If you don’t agree, then so be it.”
Emperor Jingming trembled with anger.
If Elder Hua had confessed about any other pawn, it wouldn’t matter whether it could be confirmed or not. It would be better to err on the side of caution and eliminate the threat.
But this person was the Empress Dowager – the one who raised him, taught him, and single-handedly elevated him to the throne!
The grace of nurturing exceeds that of giving birth. As a mother, Empress Dowager was undoubtedly competent, not to mention she had brought Emperor Jingming supreme power and status.
For Emperor Jingming, it was hard to accept that the Empress Dowager was a foreign pawn without any concrete evidence.
“Fine, I promise you,” he said.
Hmph, what did it matter if he promised? He could always go back on his word later.
Never mind the saying about keeping one’s word. If they had schemed against him like this, what was wrong with telling a little lie? This was called the art of war!
Elder Hua believed him. After a moment of silence, she said, “The Empress Dowager has a light red birthmark on her left hip, shaped like a flower petal…”
Emperor Jingming felt somewhat embarrassed hearing this, but more than that, he felt a heavy weight.
Nanny Duo, now confirmed as a traitor, wasn’t a close attendant to the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace. If the Empress Dowager had no connection to Nanny Duo and her associates, Nanny Duo wouldn’t have had the opportunity to know such an intimate detail about the Empress Dowager, let alone Elder Hua…
After a long silence, Emperor Jingming slowly spoke: “Take her away for now.”
Elder Hua was quickly led away, leaving only Emperor Jingming, Pan Hai, and Han Ran in the hall.
Han Ran’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, wanting to wipe it but not daring to. Pan Hai was trying his best to minimize his presence.
At this moment, the Emperor had no outlet for his emotions; whoever caught his attention would suffer.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Emperor Jing Ming’s cold, hard voice broke the silence: “Pan Hai—”
Pan Hai shuddered, nearly falling over, but steeled himself and replied, “This servant is here.”
“Quietly question the maids who closely attend to the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace. Confirm… if what Elder Hua said is true.” Emperor Jingming struggled to say these words.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jingming took a deep breath and added, “Do not disturb the Empress Dowager.”
Even now, he still held out hope. If it turned out that Elder Hua was making false accusations, at least the Empress Dowager wouldn’t know about this order and be hurt by it.
Pan Hai left to carry out the order.
Emperor Jingming looked at Han Ran.
Han Ran’s scalp tingled, and he lowered his head even further.
Emperor Jingming sighed, “You stay here and wait with me.”
Time passed slowly. Since Pan Hai’s departure, the Emperor and his subject felt nothing but torment.
After what seemed like an eternity, Pan Hai finally returned hurriedly.
Emperor Jingming found himself unable to ask the question immediately.
Controlling the turmoil in his heart, Pan Hai bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I have the information.”
Emperor Jingming steadied himself before asking, “Well?”
Pan Hai lowered his gaze and replied, “This servant questioned two maids who attend to the Empress Dowager’s bath. Both maids confirmed Elder Hua’s statement.”
Summoning the Empress Dowager’s close attendants would have easily drawn attention, but questioning the bathing maids was much more discreet.
These maids only appeared when the Empress Dowager bathed, far from being her close confidants.
Emperor Jingming’s hand trembled, his heart sinking into an abyss.
Elder Hua’s words were true. The Empress Dowager was a foreigner.
Whether she was Xuemiao or Wumiao, what did it matter? The important thing was that everything he had seen, heard, and felt from the Empress Dowager since his youth until now was all false.
All of it was false!
“You may leave,” he said.
Pan Hai was very concerned and couldn’t help but speak up: “Your Majesty—”
“Leave!”
Han Ran gave Pan Hai a look and was the first to retreat.
The two stood dazed in the corridor outside the hall.
The deposed Crown Prince had cuckolded the Emperor, and now the Empress Dowager was an impostor…
It seemed they knew too much. What should they do?
The hall remained quiet, and Emperor Jingming didn’t emerge until nightfall.
The next day, Emperor Jingming didn’t hold court, causing much speculation among the officials.
On the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day…
The ministers began to panic, but they couldn’t even see the Emperor. They could only see Pan Hai appearing daily at the Qianqing Gate, shouting at them, “The Emperor is unwell. Please return, gentlemen.”
The civil and military officials grew increasingly uneasy.
The Empress had no choice but to end their cold war and take the initiative to visit Yangxin Hall to investigate.
Emperor Jingming was locked in his room, lost in thought. Hearing the Empress’s inquiry, he replied expressionlessly, “You may go back. I need some quiet to consider a decision.”
“Your Majesty—”
Emperor Jingming glanced at her, his tone colder: “I don’t want anyone to disturb me.”
The Empress had no choice but to curtsy and withdraw. As she left Yangxin Hall, she couldn’t help but look in the direction of Cining Palace.
The Emperor’s behavior must be related to the Empress Dowager, right? Perhaps it could even be good news.
At dusk that day, as the sunset painted the sky, Emperor Jingming finally emerged from Yangxin Hall and headed towards Cining Palace.
In Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager was anxious.
The Emperor had canceled court due to illness, and she had sent people to inquire daily, but couldn’t even see him. This was unprecedented.
“His Majesty the Emperor arrives—”
The Empress Dowager stood up and walked out.
Emperor Jingming strode in and glanced around: “All of you, withdraw.”
Soon, only Emperor Jingming and the Empress Dowager remained in the room.
“Your Majesty looks well. I can finally set my mind at ease,” the Empress Dowager said, her demeanor as loving as ever.
Emperor Jingming stared directly at the Empress Dowager, silent for a long time.
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
Emperor Jingming turned his back, unable to face that familiar visage, and finally spoke: “Have you been comfortable in Great Zhou all these years?”
The Empress Dowager’s heart jolted, and she exclaimed, “What are you saying, Your Majesty?”
Emperor Jingming suddenly turned around, catching the lingering fear on the Empress Dowager’s face before she could hide it.
The Empress Dowager quickly steadied herself, her expression changing from fear to concern: “What’s wrong, Your Majesty? If you’re unwell, you should rest. The Crown Prince can help with state affairs.”
Emperor Jingming laughed bitterly: “The rise and fall of the Wumiao are closely tied to the legitimate bloodline of the Great Zhou Emperor. Is this your reason for existing?”
The Empress Dowager’s expression completely changed: “Your Majesty—”
“I know everything now. There’s no need for your silver tongue to waste what little familial affection I have left for you,” Emperor Jingming said, his voice trembling. “From now on, you are not to step out of this room until the day you die.”
With that, Emperor Jingming turned to leave.
The Empress Dowager wanted to call him back, but what could she say at this point? She collapsed onto the couch, suddenly looking as if all life had drained from her.
At the doorway, Emperor Jingming turned back and asked in a shaky voice: “All these years, did you… ever truly think of me as your son?”
The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, about to speak, but Emperor Jingming didn’t want to hear the answer anymore. He laughed bitterly: “No need to say anything. I’ve just been fooling myself all along.”
Emperor Jingming left without looking back. Soon, all the close attendants of the Empress Dowager were replaced, though other palace staff remained unchanged. To outsiders, Cining Palace seemed almost the same, but those who weren’t replaced knew things were different.
They never saw the Empress Dowager again.